The Road East

Odd Relations

Linny's POV:

"Oh, c'mon wake up."

"Can't we just carry her? She is sick."

"She's sick?"

"Mhm, spider bite."

"Oh."

"Well you're welcome to carry her if you can manage but I'm pretty sure I can speak for all of us, we're too tired to carry anyone."

"This is true."

I opened one eye and groaned. When I had finally gotten to sleep, I couldn't even sleep the entire night. Can't they just leave me to sleep on the raft?

Pippin exclaimed, it must have been he who was trying to wake me up, "Get up lazy bones!"

I grumbled something, even I didn't know what I said. It almost sounded like a dog trying to form words but ending up growling over the syllables. Why am I thinking deeply into that?

"Umm...ok?"

Lila bent over and tried to help me stand. My knees wobbled and I felt very light headed at that moment. The world began to spin and I took a hard step forward, my balance shifting to one leg which gave way. Thankfully, Merry happened to be in the way and caught me.

He held me at arm's length and studied me. His nose crinkled and he squinted his eyes in the dark.

"You look terrible."

Lila gave him a hard look and pulled me into her, putting my arm around her shoulders to prop me up.

"Hush. She looks just a little tired that's all."

Merry didn't quite get the hint and continued, "No, there're bags under her eyes and she's so pale she's practically green. Not to mention she is perspiring a lot. As well as-"

Pippin smacked him up the side of the head. I laughed, but it sounded different than normal, fainter and it hurt my throat.

"Does anyone have water?"

I knew Merry and Pippin didn't since I left with them and they weren't carrying anything. Lila shook her head.

"Mine's all gone, I drank too much while we were walking here. I'm not used to the heat and the extensive walking."

Frodo shook his head as well. Sam however, reached in his pack and pulled out a canteen. He handed it to me and smiled.

I gulped down a lot, making sure to not drain it entirely, but I was much more thirsty than I thought. I handed it back to him.

"Thanks."

He nodded, "I'm used to being in the heat awhile. Good at conserving."

I leaned on Lila and we began walking on an actual road. Well more like me trying to make my legs function and stumbling forwards instead while Lila constantly pulls me up. She must be as tired as I am from all that.

We'd gained distance on the road to where I couldn't see the Brandywine anymore. Where were we? I didn't feel like talking so I suppose I'd find out soon enough if I was patient. I sighed as I stumbled again. I just wanted to go home and lay in my bed and quite possibly die. Not that I wanted to die, just that I'd be too lazy to fetch a doctor, so eventually I'd die. I chuckled at my own morbid thoughts.

Everyone just looked at me and smiled. They kept doing that, except for Lila. She would just nod forward if I looked at her, much more encouraging than everyone else's fake smiles. I knew I looked terrible and I knew that everyone else could see that I looked terrible. They just kept smiling as if to try and trick me into thinking I was fine. As if I could just forget that I feel awful because they said I was fine. Right. That's working.