Frodo and Merry One-Shots

I'll Keep You Safe

"I'm really worried about Frodo, Merry. What if he doesn't come back?" I turned around in my bed and looked over at my window. It was raining down heavily. A white mist formed around the edges of the window. It must have been awfully cold outside.

"He'll be alright, Brianna." Merry reassured me, while taking his place at my bedside.

"The weather, Merry." I said, anxiously. "What if Frodo's caught in that rainstorm?"

"Didn't Frodo say that he was going to visit some relatives?" Merry reminded me. "He's probably safe, wherever he's staying."

"You really think so?" I murmured. My almond shaped dark green eyes widened in dismay.

Merry moved in close to me and brushed my hair over my ears. "Yes, I do. You have to stop worrying so much, Brianna. Frodo is safe. You are safe. I assure you that Frodo will come back. I promised Frodo that I would keep a good eye on you while he was away. As long as I'm here with you, nothing bad will happen."

Merry's encouraging words brought me comfort. He was right. I should stop worrying so much. As long as he is here with me, I have nothing to fear. Frodo did say that he would be back in a couple of days and that he wasn't that far away.

"You're right, Merry." I said, quietly. "I'm safe. Frodo is safe."

"That's right." replied Merry.

I rolled around in my bed to face Merry. I sat upwards and bundled myself up in my warm blanket. I yawned, softly. "I'm really happy that you're with me, Merry. I feel a lot better with you around."

"I feel the same way about you, Bri." said Merry, while brushing my hair again. Merry pulled out a small white sheet of paper from his trouser pocket and scanned it.

"What's that?" I asked, curiously.

"Frodo gave me this list of instructions." replied Merry. "I've never really looked after anyone before, so I'm sure this will help. It seems that you and Frodo have come up with some sort of bedtime routine, if I'm correct. Frodo told me that you have trouble sleeping at night."

Merry looked up at me for a brief moment and then scanned the page once more.

"Hmm. Let's see here." Merry mumbled to himself, quietly. "Make sure that Brianna is in bed...make sure she's settled in....prepare a cup of warm tea or milk for her to help her fall asleep..."

Merry turned away from the page and smiled back at me. "Alright, Brianna. What will it be tonight? Tea or warm milk?" he asked me, in a lighthearted manner.

"Warm milk would be wonderful, Merry." I answered. "Do you know how to make it?"

"There's directions on this list. I'm sure I could make it." said Merry, proudly. "It doesn't seem that difficult. If you need me, I'll be in the kitchen."

Merry sprang from the mattress and rushed over to the pantry to collect the milk. Then, he snatched a saucer from one of the kitchen cupboards, poured the milk in it and stirred it over the fireplace with a wooden spoon. Merry made sure that the milk was just the right temperature. He grabbed a cup and poured the milk in it.

An interesting idea popped to Merry's mind. "This milk needs something to give it a little bit of flavour." he thought. "A dash of fresh cinnamon and nutmeg couldn't hurt."

Merry rushed back to the pantry with the cup of milk in his hand. He searched one of the shelves which had all of the spices and herbs sitting on it. Merry found two small jars which contained the cinnamon and the nutmeg.

"That should do it!" announced Merry, as he added a pinch of the cinnamon and the nutmeg to the warm milk. "This should be perfect for Brianna!"

The eager hobbit ran back to my room and clutched onto the milk, carefully, making sure that it wouldn't spill onto the floor. Merry walked over to my bedside and handed me the warm milk.

I took a sip from the mug and smiled. The milk brought me warmth and comfort. "Thank you, Merry. This is wonderful."

Merry smiled at me and then took out the list that Frodo gave to him. There was a small note that Frodo added at the bottom of the paper.

Dear Merry,
I'm trusting that you will take good care of Brianna. I know that this will be hard for her, but I want you to tell her that everything is going to be alright and that I will be back in a couple of days. Be kind to her, Merry. Make sure that she is fed and that she gets enough rest. If Brianna is injured or ill or if there is an emergency, ask Sam to come over. He'll know what to do. I'm hoping that you're not planning on causing any trouble while I'm gone. This means a lot to me, Merry. Brianna means a lot to me. When I come back, I'll kindly reward you for your hard work. Lastly, I want you to tell Brianna that I love her and that I miss her.

Frodo Baggins

After Merry read the note, he shoved the paper back into his back pocket. Merry thought about what Frodo had said to him. He knew that he couldn't let him down. Frodo was one of his closet friends.

"I will protect her with my life and I will make sure that nothing happens to Brianna because I love her." Merry thought to himself.

Merry shot me a quick glance and shuffled closer to me. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and held me close to him. I let out another loud yawn.

"I think it might be a good idea if I went to sleep." I mumbled.

"You can shut your eyes now, Brianna." whispered Merry. "Everything will be alright. Nothing's going to get past me. I'll stay up with you as long you want me to."

"Really?"

"Really. I mean it, Brianna. Go to sleep. I'll keep a close eye on you. Good night."

Merry carefully lowered me into my bed and tucked me in my blanket. I slowly closed my eyelids and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep. I felt comfort in Merry's presence. There's something about him that makes me feel safe whenever I'm around him.

Merry kissed me on the forehead and cradled me in his arms. I opened my eyes so that I could look at him one last time.

"I love you, Merry." I murmured.

Merry placed a finger on my lips and quieted me. "Shhh. I know. I know." he whispered into my ear. "I love you, too. I love you, too."