(last night we were) the delicious wolves

Chapter Eleven: lethal and young

Estella never truly recovered.

There were days when Merry would see her and she looked young and fresh and happy, but there was always a shadow over her heart and one day years after Merry finally became her husband, she was found washed upon the shores of the River Bradywine, her suffering soul having finally left Middle-Earth.

No one knew if it had been an accident or not.

Once Merry had wished day after day for Estella to die, but the moment he laid eyes on her lifeless body, he felt true grief. A part of him never recovered from her loss. Were Estella watching from afar, she'd finally know the truth: Merry did love her. She would have been truly happy, if she were watching from afar that is.

The years were not full of sadness though, there was happiness as well.

After Pippin had left Merry by the river, not a week had passed before news came to Pippin that his mother Eglantine and father Paladin II died, and so Pippin became the Thain. Later on Thain Peregrin, Master Meriadoc and Mayor Samwise Gamgee were then made councillors of the North-kingdom by King Elessar.

Although Merry and Pippin knew that they could never be lovers again, they did become best friends again. At first they were nervous around the other, but soon their old habits came forth and even though they were full grown hobbits, they still found it in their schedule to steal mushrooms from Farmer Maggot's crops.

As promised in his letter, King Elessar and the Lady Arwen did come to the Shire in the summer of 1436. He gave to Sam (who now had two more children, Primrose and Bilbo) one of his most precious belongings, the Star of the Dúnedain. Elanor was made a maid of honour to Arwen. There were no gifts for Merry and Pippin, except that Legolas and Gimli had journeyed with Aragorn. Their reunion was a joyous one. All the members of the Fellowship still bound to Middle-Earth were united once more.

They stayed for a year north of the Shire along the banks of Nenuial, or Lake Evendim as it was known in the Shire. The happy year seemed to pass like days and before they knew it, the hobbits had to bid farewell to their friends once more, but the parting was not a bitter one. Even though they were sad, there was happiness amongst the Fellowship that day.

The separation didn't last long, in 1442 (after Robin Gamgee had been born) Sam, a pregnant Rosie and Elanor traveled down to Gondor and they stayed there for a year. While there, their last child Tolman, simply known as Tom, was born. Althought both wanted to travel once more, Merry and Pippin did not travel to the south that year, staying behind instead to care for their families. Both also knew in their hearts though that they would see Rohan and Gondor once more.

In 1463 Pippin saw his family grow up when Faramir, having come of age, married Goldilocks Gamgee. A finer wedding hadn't been seen since Goldilocks' mother had wed Samwise years earlier. Goldilocks wore the same dress that Diamond had all those years ago when she had wed Pippin, and looked all the more beautiful in it as she walked down the aisle to a hobbit who loved her more than any other.

It was on Mid-year 's Day of 1482 that Rossie Gamgee died. Then on the 22nd of September Sam rode out with Elanor, but she was the only one who had returned. Sam had gone to the Grey Havens and had passed over the sea like all the ring-bearers before him. He had gone away to be with his Frodo once more. At least, that's what Merry and Pippin believed in their hearts. Sam had finally been able to go back to that life.

1484

Diamond came to her end in the winter of 1483 at the age of 93. It was the coldest winter Pippin ever remembered, but much comfort was brought to him by Merry, who invited him to Brandy hall. They grieved at the losses of their wives together, but there was also trace of happiness because they both felt like they could be together once more. As close as they felt though, the respect for their dead wives still kept them apart. Their memory was still too close at hand.

The winter soon passed though and a new year and a new season found them. In many ways it was like they had been reborn again. They were now both considered to be old hobbits, but as the frost melted outside the hall, it also seemed to melt off of their bodies and they could remember the feeling of being young as if it had been only yesterday.

Nearly fifty years had passed since their bitter parting at the riverbank, fifty years since they had lest held each other in a lover's embrace or kissed the other. Their feelings, however, did not die on that day or any day that followed. When Pippin came to his doors in tears over his wife's death Merry and embraced him them, feeling the heat of Pippin's body once more against him. Their sorrow washing off in the rain.

Many things had changed over the years, but not their love.

On one beautifully green spring morning, Pippin woke up from a bright dream and found Merry sitting by the bedroom's fireplace reading a letter. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, not having expected to see Merry in his room. Then his eyes concentrated on the letter in Merry's hand and his old curiosity rushed back into him.

"What are you reading?" Pippin asked, sleep still heavy in his voice.

Merry looked up. "A letter from Éomer."

"Really?" Pippin asked excitedly, completely awake now.

"You're not the only one who gets letters from Kings you know," Merry said with a sly smile, remembering their encounter in the caves all those long years ago.

"Well what does it say?" He was becoming almost anxious.

Merry cleared his throat and began:

"Dear Master Holdwine-

I hope this letter finds you in good times. In fact, I am hoping that it finds you at all, seeing you are 102-years-old now...

"Lots of chat here... Old indeed. I'm a long way from dying! How does such an old King find the wit to make these 'jests'."

"Well skip the insults, just read it to me."

"There's several parts in here were he indiscreetly calls me short..." Merry flipped through the pages.

"Oh fine, don't read it to me. Just tell me what he wants," Pippin pleaded, dying to hear some news from the south.

"Well... he wants to see me again. Of course he doesn't want to travel here, so I must travel to him."

"To Rohan?" Pippin asked, his voice seemed to drop a note. "You're going to go to Rohan... by yourself...?"

Merry looked back up at Pippin. "I haven't decided really. I mean Rohan is far away and I am so old." Merry said sarcastically as he mockingly glared at the letter.

"More the reason to bring someone with you," Pippin hinted.

"Yes I suppose. But who could I find that would want to go to Rohan with me? Sam's gone... Frodo's gone..."

"Merry!"

"Yes?" Merry looked completely oblivious.

"You're not funny," Pippin ave him a mocking glare.

"Yes I am Pip, and yes I want you to come with me."

Pippin smiled at his best friend.

"We finally get to return south!"

Merry stood up smiling at Pippin. "Yes, it seems our time to travel again has finally come Pip. I may be old, but I am still hale."

"To Rohan... and then Gondor?" Pippin asked with a light in his eyes, and hopefulness that Merry hadn't seen for too many years now, and it warmed his heart to see it. "We can see Strider and Arwen and Legolas and Gimli..." Pippin trailed off in thought.

Merry walked over Pippin, taking his hand with a somber look. "Pippin I'm sorry you know..."

"Merry, what do you mean?"

"I'm sorry I left you, I know it's long past due... but I needed to say. I don't know what I was thinking back then, there's only so many excuses I can make about it. I let you down... I just wanted you to know, that I never want to do that again." Merry looked down at the ground with sad eyes.

Pippin leaned over, raising his chin up, and then with a smile kissed him gently on the lips, not letting him say another word. He leaned back, his bright eyes looking into Merry.

"It's not your fault... It's nobody's fault. It's the past, we can go on with our lives now."

"In the south..."

Pippin smiled. "Yes."

Merry's eyes looked intense. "If we go, if you come with me... I don't think we'll ever come back you know."

Pippin sat back against the headboard, looking around the room, images of the Shire coming through his mind. "I don't think we should. I mean, this is our home... of course," he looked deep into Merry's eyes. "But I know that we were meant to go back there... together."

Merry took his hand. "I know Pip, I know."

They smiled at each other, tears of happiness brimming in their eyes. They were going to be together, and they knew it would be until the end of their days.

Almost immediately they had packed all their most precious possessions, but the most precious was the other hobbit by their side. They left barely a week after the letter arrived, riding off in their ponies, hand in hand, excitement in their eyes as they began their final adventure, and their last journey.

And it was on that summer day in 1484 that they rode off into the south, and into legend to spend the rest of their days together.

(That was a fun chapter to write - that's sarcasm, every line I had to look up in that damned appendix. I have honestly slept with the appendix and the maps by my bed. Though for all the specifics, there's a lot that isn't specified in the books. Like when Estella and Diamond die, or whether Merry has any children. There is a sentence: "[Merry and Pippin] handed over their goods and offices to their sons and road away", so I tried to stay away from mentioning whether Merry had a son. You could suppose that they did after things were good between Merry and Estella, I won't deny it, nor will I put it in my story. Legolas and Gimli showing up with Strider isn't in the appendix, but it never says they don't come, so I don't see why I can't write it in. It's a nice little paragraph! There was a draft of this chapter where Diamond died in 1475, but that started feeling much too soon, so I changed it until 1483, which gave the ending a bit more magical feeling, because that's when they finally get to be together... Kinda makes it a bit sad too... oh well. I told you that I was an angtsy writer! You didn't listen! I wish this chapter was longer, but I think it's just right - tell me if it's not. Now, here's what happens after they leave: They get to Rohan in the autumn in time to see Éomer die, then they travel to Gondor where they spend the rest of their days. I imagine these days are spent with the familiar characters of Strider, Arwen, Bergil - who was in my first story and ROTK, Gimli and Legolas - who seem to be mentioned being in Ithilien a lot, they eventually die in Gondor and when Strider dies in 1541 they're buried together. Arwen of course leaves Gondor and goes to the dead Lothlorien where she dies from a broken heart. Happy times! So this is the end of perhaps the most accurate LOTR fic ever written because I have way too much time on my hands. For all of you wanting hobbit-sex... you're dirty, and I'm sorry to dissapoint. Wait, sorry, I shouldn't have called you dirty. But c'mon! Short harry men going at it isn't sexy or romantic! I think I may have been spending far too much time around Banky... stupid Banky. Goodbye, maybe I'll write some more LOTRs fics, they're lots of fun. Though I doubt I'll ever write another CDFic, it was fun and all, but a little constricting. To all my reviewers... I'll miss you so much! So here's some final words: Rainbowsnstars - Be happy, for the bitch is dead and they do end up together (yay!) Pompy - Hehe, I could say 'pompy' all day. Pompy, pompy, pompy... NeverSay Die - Your reviews mean a lot to me too! And a story dedicated to Fatty? I put some serious though into that, about maybe writing about the revolution and such. Who knows... crazygonuts - Thank you! Sorry I almost made you cry... Or am I? Bye for now, if you want my suggestion on another fic to read, read 'Mirabella', it's the best Fic I've ever written and nobodies ever read it!)