When you awoke in the morning the sky was gray and cloudy. The snow still hadn't melted, but the day proved to be warmer than yesterday.
You lifted your head from Legolas' chest and rubbed the sleep from your eyes.
"Good morning," Legolas spoke softly. He bent down and kissed you.
"Good morning, Legolas," you replied.
You sat up and looked around you. Turin sat with his back to you and Legolas while he faced a smoking fire. Grandash sat across the fire from Turin and they both spoke just loud enough so they could hear each other. Grandash's focus on the conversation that he was holding with Turin was broken when he noticed that you were staring at him. Turin became aware of the distraction and turned his head around to see what Grandash was so infatuated with. When he settled his eyes on you he simply gave you a quick smile and short wave before turning back to Grandash. You couldn't handle Grandash's stare anymore so you turned back to face Legolas.
"What is it?" Legolas asked in concern when he saw the disturbed look on your face.
"Grandash is staring at me," you answered quietly. Legolas looked over your shoulder.
"Well he's not looking at you now."
You glanced over your shoulder to see that he had turned back to Turin.
The two elves where drying the meat that they had harvested from the deer that they killed two days ago. The meat was rather old, but it had been kept cold by the freezing temperatures as well as the snow that was packed into the sack.
You rolled up your bed roll and headed up to the horses with Legolas close behind. Merry and Aragorn where already packing there things into the saddle bags when you got there.
"Good Morning," Legolas chimed when he approached the other two.
"Morning," they both replied simultaneously.
You walked up to Ronin and petted him. Legolas came up behind you and handed you his blankets so he could saddle up Ronin. You waited patiently as Legolas brought over the saddle blanket and then the saddle.
"When are we planning on leaving this morning?" you asked Aragorn.
"Not any time soon," he replied.
"What do you mean?" inquired Legolas who was half way through saddling up Ronin.
"We have to dry out the meat," answered Aragorn with a head gesture towards Turin and Grandash.
Just then Sam came wandering up to the horses with his bed roll under his arm.
"Good Morning," Sam greeted everyone.
"Has Pip woken yet?" Merry asked Sam.
"No, he's still snoring," said Sam as he pointed over his shoulder towards a slumbering Pippin. "He probably wouldn't wake even if-"
Suddenly the ground on which everyone was standing on gave way and seemed to turn to soft sand. For one very long, confusing, and scary moment you fell. Horses and humans and snow and rocks and dirt all tumbled around you. There was a rush of sound, and then the wind was knocked out of you. An arm had clasped itself around you. Everything toppled past you and rushed down the cliff till it came to a gentler slope, slowing to a stop. The air became silent and the dust soon subsided. You where hanging, suspended, on the side of the cliff.
You looked up to see that Aragorn was the one to save you.
"Are you all right?" he asked. His voice was strained as he tried to hold you as well as keep a grip on part of the cliff.
"Yes," you answered with a slightly shaky voice. You latched your fingers onto the cliff face and let Aragorn release you. You both climbed back up to the top, Aragorn had slightly better luck at this than you did.
Grandash and Turin where at the top, they had rushed over as soon as they heard the commotion (which hopefully everyone heard because it was rather loud), and helped you and Aragorn to your feet.
Faramir ran up behind the two elves. He had apparently just awakened for his blanket was still wrapped around his ankle. He kicked off the blanket when he realize that it was still stuck to him.
"What happened?" he asked with a very bemused look on his face.
As soon as your feet where firmly placed on stable ground you whipped around to try and find Legolas. Thankfully he was not hurt and was on the other side of the large gaping hole, pulling Sam up to his feet.
"A rockslide," Aragorn said to answer Faramir's questions.
Ronin and Roheryn, Aragorn's horse, where on the other side of the gaping hole, with Legolas and Sam. Both looked very startled and where prancing around anxiously. As soon as Legolas helped Sam to his feet he turned to the horses. He grabbed both of their bridles and whispered something to both of them, they became instantly calm. Sam peered over the edge of the cliff.
"Where is Merry?" Sam called in a distressed voice.
Your stomach immediately tightened itself into a knot. Where was he? Every one looked over the edge. You looked franticly looked over everything. Far below you Grandash's horse pulled itself from the rubble and dashed away from the wreckage, only to find that he was surrounded by steep cliffs.
Legolas leapt from the cliff and onto the loose dirt and rocks that paved the way down to the piles of rubble. He slid gracefully down the slope taking careful steps to not start another rockslide. The other two elves followed him. When they reached the bottom they all split up and searched everywhere.
Aragorn left you and Faramir to help Sam who was trying to tame the horses. They had gone wild again when Legolas left them. The King edged his way carefully across the great hole with his back nearly glued to the cliff. When he had successfully crossed he ran to the aid of Sam.
"What's going on?" came the sound of Pippin's voice. He had just woken up and was walking sleepily to your side. "Where's Merry?" he asked dumbly.
You and Faramir looked at him, and then up at each other. Neither of you wanted to tell him. A dawn of realization spread onto Pippin's face as he grasped the situation.
"No," he breathed in distress, "MERRY!" he screamed as he attempted to jump down to where the elves where. The two of you grabbed him and kept him back.
"Merry! MERRY!" he hollered as he tried to get past you.
Far below you as the three elves dug through the rocks and dirt Legolas let out a call.
"I've found something," he said. Everyone immediately became silent. Turin and Grandash stopped what they where doing and turned their heads to Legolas. Pippin stopped trying to get past you and Faramir. He froze and tears ran idly down his face.
One of Legolas' hands was stuck deep into the dirt. He pulled up to reveal the leg of a horse. He released the leg and took a startled step backwards. You all recognized the white leg as the leg of Arod, Legolas' horse who he had lent to Turin to ride, for Turin's horse had been struck down by orcs almost a week and a half ago.
"It's dead," said Grandash. Turin and Grandash both turned back to their work and you and everyone else let out a sigh, grateful that it was not Merry's dead leg.
Legolas took one last sad look at the leg of his newly killed horse. It was the leg of a great friend, whom Legolas had been with for almost four years now. Legolas turned and distracted himself with another pile of rocks.
You slid to your knees with another sigh so now you where at eye level with Pippin. However; the hobbit paid no attention to anything but the search going on below you. For a very long and painful moment no one spoke, or even moved, while the three elves searched for Merry, or at least his body.
"What if they don't find him?" whispered Pippin, still glued to the scene below. His cheeks where streaked with tears and his nose was red from crying or from the frosty air. He turned to you, as if expecting an answer.
You could hardly stand looking at him, let alone answer him. His eyes where filled with fear and misery and they packed your heart with sorrow. Pippin took your hand in his and wept into your shoulder. You wrapped your free arm around his shoulders as your own eyes began to water.
"They need to find him soon," muttered Faramir. You and Pippin tiled your heads towards him.
"What do you mean?" you asked him.
"He can't survive much longer with all this weight on him, no one could. And, if he is alive, he'd have been breathing in dirt this whole time."
Pippin erupted into sobs again and pressed his head against your shoulder once more.
"I don't want to see it," cried Pippin.
"See what?" you inquired.
"W-when they pull h-him out," he gasped into your collar before returning to whispers, "I don't want to see it." You pulled the little hobbit into a tighter embrace, wrapping both of your arms around him.
All of a sudden there was a large commotion below you. Pippin, despite himself, immediately tore himself from your embrace to peer over the edge. You looked over the cliff as well.
The elves had discovered Merry's head. Turin and Grandash where digging rapidly, slowly uncovering Merry's shoulders, then his chest. Legolas brushed the hair from the hobbit's face. He gently tilted back Merry's head and put his ear to the hobbit's mouth, listening.
"He's not breathing," hollered Legolas. You brought your hand up to your mouth as tears threatened to spill from your eyes. Pippin didn't move he stood stock-still and watched in horror.
Legolas and the other two elves quickly heaved Merry from the debris after having shoveled away a large amount of rocks and dirt. Legolas tilted back the hobbit's head, once again, and pinched his nose. Legolas covered Merry's lips with his own and blew into the hobbit's mouth. Legolas gave another breath to Merry before placing the heel of his hand on Merry's chest. When the hobbit didn't respond from the breaths Legolas began chest compressions. He gave Merry almost a dozen compressions before the hobbit stuttered to life. Merry's eyes where only half open and his breathing came in hard gasps. Turin rolled him onto his side as he began to cough up dirt.
Your whole body seemed to give a sigh of relief as you realized that Merry was all right.
Legolas picked up Merry and headed back up the cliff. He bounded up the steep rocks with the hobbit in his arms, almost as easily as he had slid down. When he reached the top Faramir took Merry from him and allowed Legolas to get a steady footing. Aragorn had come back across to your side of the cliff and brought Sam with him.
"______, get a blanket," Aragorn said to you. You obeyed and twirled around to find a blanket. The first one to come into view was Faramir's blanket, so you grabbed it. You handed Aragorn the blanket. Aragorn directed Faramir towards the fire and motioned him to set the hobbit down. He wrapped the blanket around Merry and then asked Faramir to retrive water. Faramir left and Sam, Pippin, Legolas, and you all came to Merry's side.
Pippin's tears where streaming freely from his eyes again, and it looked like Sam was close to crying as well.
"Merry," Pippin whispered delicately. Merry, who was in a fragile form of sleep, did not respond. "Merry," Pippin whispered again with a little more eagerness.
"It would be best to let him rest," said Aragorn to Pippin, but regardless of the Kings words Merry came around.
"Pip," he whispered weakly.
"Merry! Oh Merry!" Pippin sobbed, more tears poured down his cheeks by the second.
"Pippin, are you crying?" Merry questioned feebly.
"I-I...," Pippin trailed off. Merry gave a very frail laugh.
"No," said Pippin with determination. He had stopped crying and was now looking rather cross. "I was not crying."
"Your face is covered in tears, Pip."
Pippin hastily wiped his face on his sleeves, "I was not!"
Even if you are reading this on the 23rd, frodothemonkey, it still count's as a birthday present because I posted it one minute before midnight. Plus, it's still the 22nd in Hawaii for two more hours!
Say happy b-day to frodothemonkey. And if you could find extra time please rate and message me, thanks!
