A/N: My pardon for the delay and the short chapter. Merry took the muse and fled some time ago and I am constantly on the look-out for them. I have my hopes they should return soon.

/anso

PART SIX: The Journey Continues

Merry woke up to the feeling of dampness on his face. For a moment he thought it was raining, and turned away to hide under his blankets, but realised that something wasn`t right. He opened his eyes to see Pippin`s concerned, red-rimmed eyes looking back at him hopefully from a few inches away. Pippin looked like he had been crying and Merry reached out his good hand to stroke his young cousin’s face.

“Pip?”

“Hullo Merry. Are you feeling any better?” Pippin took Merry`s hand in his own.

“You`ve been crying.” It wasn’t a question, it was clear that Pippin had been greatly distressed. Merry licked dry lips as he remembered everything.

Pippin nodded, visibly pulling himself together. “I was so worried about you. And Frodo.”

“Oh, Pippin,” Merry said and was enveloped in a careful hug. “I`m here now. I`ll be all right.” Merry felt Pippin nod against his shoulder. “How about Frodo? Is he better?” Merry asked.

“He`s right here,” Pippin said and released Merry.

Merry turned his head on his blanket-pillow and took in Frodo`s unconscious form. As he was about to reach out to him in concern, Aragorn knelt beside them.

“How`s Frodo?” Merry asked again, trying to sit up, just to be guided back down by both large and small caring hands.

“He`s better, but he hasn’t woken up yet.”

“He`s unconscious? Not just sleeping?” Merry stated more than asked, looking more closely at his cousin and reaching out with his good hand to gently stroke his face. “He`s hot!”

“Yes. His fever is still high. The fact that you can feel it is a great comfort though. It means that your fever at least is down a few degrees and I hope it also means that your hand is healing well.”

“What happened to us? What is wrong with Frodo?” Aragorn stalled the flow of questions with a gentle hand on Merry’s shoulder.

“None of that now. First things first. How are you feeling Merry?”

Merry considered. He felt weak as a new kitten and could feel the fever lingering in his body and he felt slightly sick to his stomach, but otherwise… he lifted his arm a little and felt a wave of relief, remembering that he hadn`t been able to move when he woke up during the night. He looked at his bandaged hand. “I`ll be all right. Just weak and a little nauseous. How about my hand? I can move it a little now.” Merry flexed his hand a bit more, and he curled his fingers experimentally.

“That is good.” Aragorn removed the poultice that he had wrapped around Merry`s hand the previous night. The bite mark was still red but looked to be healing in the early morning light. “This looks much better. It`s not swollen anymore, but I`m putting on a new poultice just in case. And you are to not use this hand until I say so. You are to ask others for help rather than risk aggravating the injury. Understood?” He waited for Merry to nod in acceptance, then turned to look at the sky. They should get moving soon. He set about applying the new poultice and rewrapping Merry’s hand. “We need to set out soon, and I think you should try and sleep as much as you can today. Boromir and Pippin will manage the paddling if any needs to be done.” With that he squeezed Merry’s shoulder reassuringly, and moved to care for Frodo.

Hearing his name, Boromir came over to them. He was carrying a plate of breakfast for Pippin.

“Do you want some breakfast, Merry?” Boromir asked, sitting down beside Pippin. “You should at least drink something. Do you want tea? Or perhaps water? You must be thirsty.”

“Water sounds very nice, thank you. I don`t think I`m up to eating yet.” Pippin helped Merry sit up a little and handed him a water bottle before sitting down with his own breakfast.

“Are you feeling sick?” Pippin asked as he watched Merry carefully taking little sips from the bottle.

Merry nodded, watching intently as Aragorn examined Frodo. “Just a little.”

“I think you should try and eat a little all the same. Perhaps Sam has some broth?” Aragorn said, looking up from where he was studying the bite on Frodo`s palm. “You should have something in your stomach when we set out. Or would you like some lembas? That is soothing.”

“I`ll get some!” Pippin, seeing that there was something he could do, put down his own plate and fetched a wafer of the elven waybread. He broke off a bit of it and gave it to Merry.

Taking a very small bite, Merry found that he could manage to eat and soon he had eaten what Pippin had given him and another small piece besides. To his satisfaction he saw Pippin visibly relax as he watched Merry eat.

“I will prepare the boats. Pippin, why don`t you gather Merry and Frodo`s things and make your packs ready?” Boromir said as they all were finished with breakfast and Gimli and Legolas began the washing up. Sam had eaten in silence, sitting by Frodo`s side, but after checking that Frodo was in good hands started to pack his own things.

“All right.”

Merry, still weak and shivering a little, watched as Pippin and Sam worked. He reached for a blanket and wrapped himself up again, leaning his back against the tree. It wouldn`t hurt to take a nap while everyone made ready to go… Sleepily he watched as Pippin packed their things and then carried Merry and Frodo’s down to the bank. He smiled a little. He would need to repack his pack later and give Frodo what was his, as a clearly worried Pippin had more or less just stuffed clothes and possessions into them, not really looking at what belonged to Merry or himself or what belonged to Frodo. Sam was disturbed too, Merry saw. He was constantly looking back to check on Frodo as he worked just as Pippin constantly looked over at Merry and Merry smiled reassuringly.

“Are you up to continuing, Merry?” Aragorn asked, still kneeling beside Frodo and turning from his examination to look keenly at Merry.

“I think so.” Merry rubbed his eyes and looked to Frodo. “How is he?”

“He`s doing better than I dared hope. He should regain consciousness soon.” Aragorn had finished examining Frodo now and was wrapping his hand in a fresh poultice.

“That is good. How is his hand?” Merry was grateful that Frodo would be in Aragorn’s boat, that way he would have the best of care, and of course, Sam was there to watch out for him too.

“It is healing. I feared that as his bite was more serious that it would not do so and that I would have to drain the poison from it, but as things look now I`m almost positive that I will not have to do that.”

Merry blanched at the thought of Aragorn having to drain the poison from Frodo`s hand but seeing the bite just now as Strider wrapped it up again, Merry found it was just as Aragorn had said, it appeared to be much better. He sighed in relief.

“Oh, that is good news!” Pippin said, coming to fetch his own pack.

Sam wrapped another blanket around Frodo, his own pack ready to go.

Suddenly Merry had a thought. “What happened to the fish? We should destroy it shouldn’t we? It could be dangerous should some animal come upon it.”

“Animals generally know what is safe for them to eat, better than people do, but I am not certain of the origins of that creature,” said Aragorn. “I thought as you do, that it should be destroyed and it was burnt upon the fire before you awoke. Nothing of it remains to trouble any living thing.”

Merry sighed with relief. He hadn’t wanted to even look upon the evil thing again.

Now the Company had everything packed and was ready to go. Sam saw to it that Frodo had enough blankets to keep him warm and Aragorn carried him, laying him down on the soft nest on the bottom of the boat. Pippin and Boromir and Legolas and Gimli loaded their own boats with their packs and bedrolls, and then Pippin and Boromir came for Merry.

“I can walk,” Merry said, slowly getting to his feet, blanket still wrapped around his shoulders, but instantly feeling dizzy and nearly falling down again.

“Or not,” Pippin said, hurriedly wrapping an arm around Merry to steady him.

“Let me carry you Merry,” Boromir said. When Merry would have protested, he added, “It is no shame to accept assistance when it is needed.” At Merry’s reluctant nod, he reached down and lifted Merry in his strong arms, carefully walking to the boat and settling him down gently in the cosy nest of bedrolls and blankets made ready by Pippin.

Merry watched as Aragorn surveyed their campsite for any telltale hints that anyone had been there before climbing into his own boat and pushing from shore. Boromir and Legolas pushed off behind Aragorn, and they were soon moving with the current.

“Are you comfortable Merry?” Boromir asked.

“Yes, very thank you.” Merry felt sleepy again and lay down on the blankets that Pippin had arranged with such care. Pippin tucked another blanket around him and lulled by the soft movements of the boat Merry soon slept.