A/N - Originally written for Marigold's Challenge #29.

Making Scents of Things

As far as Merry knew, when he had left the Shire with Frodo, Pippin, and Sam on their journey, neither his parents nor any of his family had rushed out to try and find him, not even at the Prancing Pony at Bree.

In Rivendell, Lord Elrond had wanted his presence so much that he made it clear that he would prefer to send Merry and Pippin home.

When in the Mines of Moria, the Balrog and the goblins tried their best to get Merry and the rest of the Company to leave. Not only that, but Gandalf had left their Company.

The Elves of Lothlórien made it clear straight away that they wished Merry and the others had never come there.

And then at Parth Galen, poor Boromir, who had desired to leave Merry, Frodo, and any others intent on the Quest behind, finally did go where none of them could follow.

As if that had not been bad enough, Parth Galen also saw Frodo and (as Merry later found out) Sam leave Merry and Pippin and the rest of the Company behind without a word.

After Merry and Pippin got free of the Orcs, Merry’s reunion with what remained of the Company was short-lived, as Gandalf (who had rejoined the Company in Merry’s absence) soon dashed away along with Pippin, leaving Merry far behind.

Once Gandalf and Pippin had gone, it was not long before Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli abandoned Merry to the Rohirrim whom Merry had just met, leaving Merry all alone with no other hobbits or members of their Company.

So what do the Rohirrim do? After spending just a few days with Merry, Théoden King tells Merry that he must stay behind as the rest of the army rides to Minas Tirith.

But Merry found a way to get to Minas Tirith and help in the battle anyway, though he got injured in the process. But to his immense joy, he had also been reunited with Pippin, and with Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli.

That reunion also did not last long. In just a matter of days, Pippin, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli all rode away into battle, leaving Merry behind once again, and in a strange city.

As Merry walked the gardens of the Houses of Healing eating some fresh bread that one of the bakers in the Houses of Healing had given him, a sudden thought struck him. He placed the slice of bread down upon his napkin, raised his arm, and smelled.

The unmistakable odors of horse and sweat greeted his nose. It was then that the events since he left the Shire finally clicked together in Merry’s head and made sense: he should have taken a bath months ago.