Rings and Roses

Chapter 4

Okay.... so maybe it was a bit longer than ten minutes of walking. More like thirty-five, considering I was helping an injured hobbit. When we finally reached the cave, we both collapsed near the back, completely exhausted.

"You.... Okay?" Merry panted, trying and failing to lift his battered face to look at me in the dim light.

"Yeah." I replied, sagging against the damp wall and sliding to the floor. To tell the truth, I was exhausted. I closed my eyes and set my head against the cold stone.

Suddenly, I heard heavy panting to my right. I opened my eyes to see Merry right next to me.

He pulled himself up into a sitting position and closed his eyes, breathing heavily.

"Merry," I scolded. "You should have stayed still."

Merry cracked an eye and gazed at me. "You closed your eyes. I thought you might have hurt yourself."

I laughed ruefully. "Hurt myself? It's you I'm worried about."

He studied his hands. "Yeah. I look pretty bad, don't I?"

"N-no, no," I stuttered, taken aback by his bluntness. "Y-you look, well, you look...." finally I gave up. "Oh fine. You look terrible. And I'm sure I look just fabulous." I said, giving my hair a dramatic flip.

Merry laughed, but soon stopped and coughed, clutching his stomach. I sat up abruptly and placed my hand on his back. His coughing ceased slowly, and I ran my hand back and forth in circles, much like my uncle Bilbo had done for me when I was small.

Merry sighed and closed his eyes contentedly. A tiny smile appeared on his lips. It was just then I noticed that they looked dry and cracked.

"I'm going to go get some water for you." I declared, getting to my feet.

Merry was suddenly alert, and he grabbed my hand before I could get away. "Please stay with me Seria, I could do nothing for you if you got into trouble down there."

I smiled kindly at him. "I'll be careful, I promise." Then, I did something I really had no control over; I leaned down and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. His grip on my hand slackened, and I pulled gently away, heading for the mouth of the cave.

---------------------------------------------

I stood on the muddy banks of the stream, hands on my hips in the fading light of the sunset. I knew I needed to get some water to Merry; the question was how.

As I watched a flock of songbirds perch among the treetops to begin their evening melodies, my eyes flitted to a fallen wild cherry tree across the water, covered in wooden knots. I quickly grabbed a small, sharp stone from the bank and scoured the water, searching for an easy way across. It wasn't until I had walked several yards downstream before I found many large rocks scattered across the width of the stream.

Ignoring the persisting tug of fear in my gut, I clenched my hands, set my jaw, and stepped onto the first rock. To my relief, it did not slip. I leapt to the next, and while the jump had made me unsteady and I had begun to unceremoniously wobble, I regained my balance and continued on to the next three rocks; all of which held and allowed me to step onto the far bank.

Still trembling slightly from the recent adventure, I began to hack away at the largest knot (which is about the size of my face) on the fallen tree with my stone. It took a good deal of work, but I managed to free it and began the tedious task of hollowing it out to make a decent bowl-like structure.

This didn't not take long, as the wood was wet and rotten, giving it a spongy texture. I could have done it with my fingers, but there was something about using a tool that seemed to make my craftsmanship complete. Thankfully this particular squishy predicament had not reached the outer layer of bark, which was still intact and firm. I left just enough spongy innards to keep the water from leaking out, however, and pressed my fingers into it in an attempt to compact the hollow and make it suitable for drinking from. Because this was a wild cherry tree, I didn't worry too much about the woody taste tainting the water. While it might add some unwanted flavor, it wouldn't be so bad. If I had used beech or white pine, for example, the taste would be bitter and undesired.

This finished, I stowed the rock in the right pocket of my breeches, clutched the wooden bowl in my left hand, and stepped lightly onto the first rock. Fortunately I did not slip, and am able to make it safely across once more. When I'm safely on my bank, I dipped my handmade creation into the water and held it up, watching for leaks. I couldn't help but grin when there were none, and I lifted the bowl to my lips to check the water's taste. To my surprise, it was sweet. I quickly drained the bowl of its contents and bent to fill it again.

---------------------------------------------

When I made it back to the cave, bowl of water in hand, the sun had set and a few stars were blinking into focus. I could barely make out Merry's silhouette against the pitch black of the stone. You'd never have guessed that in the daylight it turned to a sandy yellow.

I crouched down on my knees and gently shook Merry's shoulder. While I was gone, he had dropped off to sleep.

His blue eyes flickered open and he tried to move backward in alarm. I realized he couldn't see me in the dark.

"It's okay Merry, it's just me." I whispered quietly, placing my hand tentatively on his shoulder and caressing it with my thumb. I vaguely heard him sigh, and a smile snuck its way onto my lips.

"Here." I said, putting to bowl of water in his hands. "Water."

He brought the bowl to his lips and drunk deeply. I could hear the sounds of satisfaction as the liquid quenched his parched mouth. When it was finally devoid of any content, he wiped his mouth, set the bowl on the ground, and said, "Thank you. I needed that."

I nodded. "No problem."

Suddenly a thought seemed to occur to him, and he jerked his head up to stare into my eyes. "Did you get any?" he asked, his voice full of concern. I laughed, though I felt sheepish.

"Yes, I drank some before I came back." This statement seemed to ease him, and he settled himself on the floor of the cave.

"What are you doing?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.

"Getting ready to sleep. You should do the same." he said, patting the ground directly beside him. I desperately hoped he couldn't see my blush and I found myself thankful for the darkness that obscured the heat rising to my cheeks and up my neck.

"I don't bite." He reassured me.

But I shook my head. "No. No, I think I should keep watch for a while." Honestly, I didn't know what I thought about sleeping the night through next to anyone but my brother or my uncle. And what if the nightmares return? No one but my brother and uncle know about them. Would Merry hate me if he found out?

Merry cocked his head, and I knew my argument was not convincing him. "Really." I persisted. "You never know what's out there."

"Exactly. And that's why I would feel much better with you right here beside me." He said, and his voice is full of such an earnest tone that I gave in and laid stiffly at his side. But when he wrapped his arms protectively around me, I seemed to melt into him. Everything else faded away, until there was nothing left but me, Merry, and a world of comforting darkness known as sleep.

---------------------------------------------

I woke to find fingers of sunlight reaching through the entrance to our cave to land softly on my face. The songbirds were twittering outside, and the soft breeze ruffled the newborn leaves. Merry's arms were still wrapped securely around my waist; his warm breath tickling the hairs on my neck. I felt so warm, so comfortable, that I didn't want this to end. I could've laid like this for the rest of my life, and never cared.

But my throat, already parched, protested, and I had to leave Merry to fetch more water. I scooped up my bowl and began the trek to the stream again.

When I returned to the cave a few moments later, my heart leaped into my throat.

Merry was gone.

---------------------------------------------

A/N

Hey everybody! Here is an update: I HAVE MY WIFI BACK SO THERE'LL BE MORE SOON!!!