PART TWELVE: Promises kept

Merry awoke late the next morning. He had slept long and well. He couldn`t remember his dreams save for a vague satisfaction that they had been good. Coming awake, Merry felt a gentle hand stroking his curls and the familiar and comforting scent of pipe weed, spices and pony told him it was his father. He opened his eyes and looked into his father`s concerned and loving gaze. “Da!”

“Hullo, Merry-my-lad.” Saradoc said his voice full of emotion. He helped Merry to sit up a bit before hugging him long and tight. “It is good to see you are on the mend. Tina and Paladin told us everyone has been awfully frightened for you, but that now you’re almost as good as new. We came as soon as we got their letter.”

A few seconds later, the door opened and his Mum entered, carrying a laden tray in her hands.

“Mum!” Merry said, looking up from where his face was buried in his father`s shoulder and without letting go of him reaching an arm out to her. She hurriedly put the tray down and joined their embrace.

“Merry." It was all Esmie managed to say for a few moments. She pulled back a little and looked intently at her child. She and Saradoc had arrived to find that Merry had improved greatly just the day before, and that the healer thought his fever would break today. Esmeralda had wished for wings as they drove towards Whitwell. They had not stopped more than absolutely necessary on the road and she was tired and hungry, but after receiving that letter, there was only one thought in her mind, beating along with her heart. Merry. Merry. Merry. Now that she was here, she was overcome by joy. She had had plenty of time to imagine the worst of scenarios and more than once had wondered how she would bear it if she lost her merry Merry-lad. Seeing him now, she pushed all her fears away. Merry didn`t look like his usual healthy self but he was awake and he was much better than he had been and they were together. A bit more sleep and rest and he would be right as rain. She hugged him tight, stroking his curls and caressing his face. Her Merry would be all right.

“Everyone at the Hall sends their greetings and wishes you a speedy recovery, dear. Aunt Peony sent you some of her raspberry and strawberry tarts and Berilac and Merimas said they counted upon your swift recovery so you can help them copy down those old history books that are falling apart. And Uncle Mac says he counts upon you to help him with the new ponies from Dwaling that are arriving just after Yule.”

Merry couldn`t help but laugh in delight at this. He loved his family dearly and was happy to be on the mend. As much as he loved to stay with his aunt and uncle and the lasses and Pip at the farm at Whitwell and with Frodo and Bilbo at Bag End in Hobbiton, there was no place like Brandy Hall and Buckland. Home. As pleased as he would be to go home when the time came, he had promised Pippin not to leave early, and besides, he wasn`t fully recovered yet.

*****

“Don`t scratch Merry.”

Merry stopped scratching his shoulder and folded his hands in his lap. A moment later his head itched and he absently reached up to rub at his curls.

“Merry!”

“All right, all right. Distract me then, so that I don`t notice the itching.” Merry sighed and clasped his hands together once more. After his parents had arrived that morning, Merry had eaten breakfast with them and slept a little. Now his Mum sat in the bedside chair.

“Maybe you should try to sleep a little more.”

“I don`t think I’m sleepy at the moment, I have just woken up.”

“I know, dearest, but you do need to rest. I`m sorry you are so uncomfortable. It will be better soon. Lie back and see if you can sleep some. You`re still a bit hot and your body needs to rest.”

Sliding down in the bed, Merry closed his eyes and felt his Mum tuck him in. As it happened, he did actually fall asleep and woke sweaty and clammy in time for lunch and smelled something delicious cooking. He was alone at the moment, but not for long. It was barely a minute or two before Auntie Tina brought in a heavy tray, Pippin right behind her with a jug of fresh milk. Feeling hungry Merry sat up, thanked her, and eagerly dug in to the food on the tray.

“Where`s Mum and Da?” Merry asked after a few bites.

“They are sleeping at the moment dear. They rode almost straight here from Buckland and were very tired. They insisted on seeing you first though. They should wake up in a little while.” Eglantine said. She`d keep their lunch warm in the oven.

“All right.” Merry said. They continued to eat and Pippin was once again bouncing with good spirits, happy that his Merry was getting well, almost spilling the milk onto Merry`s plate in his eagerness to help.

“Whoa there, Pip,” Merry smiled. “Slow down.”

“I`ll leave you to it then, lads,” Eglantine said as Merry righted the milk jug and left to see to the rest of her family and guests.

After eating, Merry decided he`d attempt to get up. He hadn`t been out of bed on his own for many days and he needed to get up and move about.

Pippin sat cross-legged on the foot of the bed, watching as Merry rose and padded over to the wash stand, a little wobbly at first after lying about for so long, but soon he was steady and calculated in his movements. Merry washed and after a few moments consideration put on shirt and breeches instead of a fresh nightshirt. It felt good to wear real clothes again. The healer had said he needed to stay in bed this day, but no one had said he had to wear a nightshirt. Going back to the bed, he noticed the sweaty sheets and decided to change them. As Merry started to take off a pillowcase Pippin spoke.

“What are you doing?”

“I`m changing the sheets. Why don`t you come help me?” Merry pulled off the pillowcase and put the pillow on the chair.

Pippin crawled to the head of the bed and pretended to accidentally hit Merry over the head with a pillow as he took the case off. One thing led to another, and soon there was a veritable pillow fight going on. Merry didn`t last for long though and slumped down in the chair after a few minutes, calling for a truce. Pippin laughed uncontrollably and Merry couldn`t help but join him.

“Just give me a moment, Pip.”

Seeing that Merry indeed looked weary, Pippin sat down on the bed, watching his cousin. Oh, but he was glad Merry was better! Was it just a little over a day ago that Merry had been so dreadfully ill? Suddenly a pillow hit him in the face. Merry had taken advantage of Pippin being lost in thought and hit him square on the head with his pillow. Merry was going to be right as rain very soon, Pippin thought and threw his own pillow back at Merry laughing breathlessly.

Hearing the ruckus both Frodo and Saradoc entered, putting an end to it, and soon Merry was back in the freshly made bed, this time sitting with only a light blanket over him so that he would not get a chill. They talked for a while and Saradoc had all the lads laughing with stories of the latest goings on at the Hall. Afterward, feeling a little tired, Merry slept until it was time for tea.

That night for the first time since he became ill, no one sat to watch over Merry as he slept.

*****

It took another few days before Merry was well enough to manage a whole day without any rest. He tried not to scratch, but couldn`t always help himself and did it anyway. On a sunny and unseasonably warm day a week after Merry`s fever broke, Pippin decided to take Merry up on the promise he had made the day he fell ill as Merry would return to Buckland with his parents in a few days, the time for this visit at an end.

Searchingly Pippin looked Merry over. When he was satisfied with what he saw he spoke. “Merry,” Pippin said solemnly. They sat in the sun on the front step and except for a few red spots here and there Merry looked to be back to his normal self. “How do you feel?”

“I feel fine.”

“You`re not tired?”

“No.” Merry looked at Pippin suspiciously.

“Good!” Pippin grinned. “That is good. I want to run some after sitting inside for so long and I wouldn`t want to do that if you couldn`t do it with me.“ Pippin shot to his feet and before Merry could as much as stand up his little cousin was half way across the lawn towards the barn. “I`ll race you to the old oak!” Pippin called over his shoulder.

“Oi, Pippin, that’s not fair!” Merry said and ran after him. To his amazement he found that he managed to run without getting tired and also that Pippin had become a much faster runner since they`d done this last. As Pippin rounded the huge old oak that had stood at the far end of the wheat field for hundreds of years, Merry caught up and swept Pippin off his feet and tickled him mercilessly until they both laughed so hard their ribs ached. Merry plonked down on the frozen ground and Pippin sat down on top of him.

“I won!” Pippin exclaimed, sitting victorious on top of Merry and tickling him in his turn until they both once again were out of breath, reduced to gasps and giggles.

Lying side by side, Pippin propped himself up on an elbow and looked seriously at Merry. “I`m so glad you`re well again and didn`t die! Thank you for keeping your promises.”

Sensing the sudden change in his cousin`s mood, Merry propped himself up on his own elbow and solemnly looked Pippin in the eye. “You`re very welcome, Pippin dear. I always try to, you know.” He pulled Pippin into a great hug. “Thank you for looking out for me when I was sick.”

“I always know when you are there when I am sick. Did you feel I was there too?” Pippin said, his voice muffled from his face being buried in Merry`s shoulder.

“Yes I did. I wasn’t so frightened because I knew that you were with me.”

Pippin fell silent for some moments before he spoke again. “You had some awful nightmares though.”

“Yes I remember that, though I can’t remember all of the dreams. I am sorry. Did I scare you?”

Pippin nodded. “You screamed out for me and it sounded like you couldn`t find me and you cried and then you called out for Frodo too and it sounded like you couldn`t find any of us. I was so scared Merry!”

“I am sorry, Pippin. They were only dreams though. You are here with me and so is Frodo.”

“Will you promise to not dream like that again, Merry?”

“That’s not a promise I can make Pip. I can`t guarantee that I won`t ever have bad dreams again. I think that the dreams I had were because I was sick, and that I won`t have such dreams again unless I get very sick again. And I wouldn`t want that to happen.”

Merry thought a little. “What I can promise, Pippin, is that I will try to stay well and we can hope that I won`t ever get so sick again. Is that a good enough promise for you Pippin-my-lad?”

Pippin considered this for a moment, and then nodded. “Yes it is. And I promise to always be there for you when you need me.”

“Thank you, Pippin. I know you will be.”

They both fell silent and then Pippin asked curiously, “What did you dream of?”

“Well, as I said, I can’t remember them all… but I remember that I dreamt that I couldn`t find you and Frodo, as you guessed. And then I dreamt that orcs came to find us and that you and I had to distract them so that Frodo could get away.”

“That doesn`t sound very good, Merry. Did Frodo get away?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“That is good then. I am glad that we helped him, even if it was just in a dream. I wouldn`t want Frodo to be captured by orcs.”

“Me neither, Pippin.”

Again there was silence.

“Merry. You don`t think that we ever will have to help Frodo run from orcs, do you?”

“No. I don`t. We`re safe here in the Shire and when we go on our adventure one day, we`ll not go where there might be orcs.”

Pippin rose and wrapped his arms around Merry`s neck, hugging him tight. “All will be fine then. I am so glad that you are well Merry.”

Merry hugged Pippin back. “Yes Pippin. I am well now.”

THE END