1) An eagle
2) Glitter
3) A bloody knife
4) A poem

Read the Opposition

Merry awoke to the sound of voices chattering worriedly. His vision was blurry, and he had not the slightest as to where he was. Shadows and figures slid in and out of focus, and finally he realized that someone, cloaked in a dazzling white, sat before him.
�Gandalf,� he murmured softly. He tried to sit up, but he felt a sharp sting of pain in his arm and lay back on the sheets.
�My dear hobbit, lay still. You�re still recovering,� Gandalf smiled down at him, an almost fatherly look in his eyes.
�Where am I?� Merry asked. The pillows on his bed felt so soft, and pleasantly cool.
�The house of healing,� Gandalf explained. �You hurt your arm..but it�s much better now.�
A group of healers stood in the corner, chattering to themselves and constantly looking in Merry�s direction. He caught only a few words from their conversation: �hobbit�, �troll�, and �missing�. Merry felt his heart jump, and he looked back at Gandalf. The wizard was still smiling, but he seemed strained, as if it took too much energy to be happy.
�What are they talking about, Gandalf?� asked Merry, fear in his eyes. The only other hobbit that could be missing was Pippin, but he couldn�t possibly be missing. He was alive, Merry could feel it, but how could he be missing?
Gandalf closed his eyes and took a calming breath. He lay a hand on Merry�s good shoulder. �Well, Merry, you see..� he began.
�Where�s Pippin?� Merry demanded in a rage. They were obviously keeping something from him, why wasn�t Pippin there? �Where is he?�
�Shh, Merry, shh, it�s..�
There was a sudden silence. One of the healers was approaching the bed, carrying something long and flat wrapped in white cloth. They solemnly reached Merry�s bedside, and unrolled the cloth. A sword of Westernesse craftmanship, with red and gold rolled onto the sheets. It was covered in blood. Merry hesitantly reached out and touched the hilt. He gripped it in his good hand, and could almost feel Pippin�s fingerprints under his own. The sword was cold to the touch. He needed no explanation. The sword fell from his hands and clattered to the floor. Merry curled into a ball under the thin sheets and wept.

�This is impossible,� Gimli sighed gruffly. He sniffed once, and then coughed, almost using the dense, dusty air as an excuse for his eyes watering.
�Nothing is impossible, Master Dwarf,� Legolas said softly. He sat on a rock next to Gimli, his head bowed. They were there to look for Pippin, and had not yet succeeded in finding him. Both knew, but were afraid to admit that he was probably dead.
A cry sounded, and Legolas was looking up before Gimli even heard it. Two large eagles were circling overhead, watching them.
�Gwaihir,� Legolas said with a faint smile. There was a pause, and his eyes quickly jerked back to look at the ground. Gimli soon realized what he was looking at � there was a clatter as a small, black stone fell to the ground and bounced off the dead body of a troll. It wedged in between the troll and the ground, glittering strangely. The pair looked in disgust..that was where one of the soldiers had found the sword that belonged to Pippin.
�Come, Gimli,� Legolas said. �It is late. We will look..again tomorrow.�
The two slowly made their way around broken bodies and blood-covered ground back to the house of healing to see Gandalf. When they left, he had still been there, waiting patiently for Merry, Frodo, and Sam to wake up. Only a few dozen feet on their way, Gimli tripped. With lightning quick reflexes, Legolas caught him and straightened him up. Gimli grunted in unneeded thanks, when he felt something brush his hand. He looked down..a bloody, hairy foot was sticking out from under the body of the of the troll, right next to the sparkling rock.
�Legolas!� Gimli gasped, and grasped the troll, trying to move it out of the way. It was far too big. Legolas looked at the sky. Gwaihir was still circling. Legolas closed his eyes and whispered a thanks to the Valar. He called to a handful of soldiers who were nearby, salvaging. Together, they quickly pushed the body aside.
A gasp echoed through the company. The mangled body of Pippin, bloody and bruised, lay nearly pushed into the ground. Some of his limbs seemed to be squished into positions unlike those that they normally had. His curls were caked with dirt and blood, and he smelled something fierce. The body of a troll was not the most pleasant smell, and even worse when it is dead.
Gimli knelt by the hobbit�s side. �Wake up, young hobbit,� he whispered, giving Pippin a soft shake that he hoped would not damage anything. �Wake up, now, come on, wake up..�
There was a deadly silence. Tears silently began to stream Gimli�s cheeks. He cared no more if anyone saw. Legolas knelt down, and slowly lifted Pippin�s body off the ground and into his arms, being careful not to move him. A sorry company they looked, weeping, walking in a funeral march back to the healing house with Legolas at the lead.

At the Healing House, Merry had been administered some kind of potion and was now sleeping peacefully. All around him, however, was panic. Pippin�s body was lying on the bed next to Merry�s, and Legolas made a half-hearted attempt to set the hobbit�s arms and legs straight. They were bloody, and in an unnatural postion.
Aragorn and Gandalf immediately sat down in chairs on either side of the blood. The sheets on the bed were already beginning to stain with dirt and blood, the latter of which Aragorn supposed was mostly from the troll and not Pippin..or at least he hoped.

Merry blinked. He was standing in darkness that seemed to have no end. Far, far away he saw a glimmer of light. Closer, it came, painstakingly closer. Finally, Merry could see. A figure stood in front of him, holding a burning candle. It was Pippin.
�Pip,� Merry said in a soft gasp. But before he could even reach out, before he was able to touch Pippin, there was �whoosh� of something flying through the air and Pippin fell to the ground. To Merry�s horror, there was a bloody sword sticking out of Pippin�s back. Blood pooled on the dark, glassy floor and began rising up, covering Merry�s feet. The candle on the ground sputtered and died as it was smothered by the thick red liquid.
�Merry,� Pippin was whispering softly, �Merry, please, Merry..�

�Merry..Merry, please, Merry..you must wake up..�
Merry opened his eyes, squinting and rubbing them. Legolas stood over him, and had shaken him awake.
�W-what is it, Legolas?� asked Merry blearily.
�It..it�s..� Legolas cast a weary glance to the bed to Merry�s right. �It�s Pippin,� he murmured.
Merry sat up vehemently, ignoring the pain that shot through his shoulder and through his neck.
�Pippin!� he cried. �Pippin, Pip, is he alright? Is his alive?�
Pippin�s skin was deadly pale, and the grime had been cleared off. His once golden-brown locks were now scattered over the pillow, covered in blood. The palms of his hands were scarred and cut, and he had a bandage around his stomach.
�He is..asleep,� Legolas said tentatively.
�Asleep?� Merry repeated. �Well, will he wake up soon?
There was a long pause. Merry had a sense of foreboding, and knew that the next words that came out of Legolas�s mouth would not be joyful ones.
�We fear he may never wake up, Merry. He has slipped into what the Elves call the Morikaima, or the Dark Sleep. Many who have rested in it never wake up.� Seeing tears well up in the corners of Merry�s eyes, Legolas added, �I�m sorry, I could not lie to you, Merry. But Pippin is strong, he may pull through. Just be glad we found him at all.�
First, Pippin had been dead. But now Pippin was alive. But he may never wake up. Merry wept into Legolas�s arms, unsure whether it was with joy or bitter sadness.
After what seemed like forever, Legolas gently pushed the hobbit away from him and stood up. �I must help Aragorn,� he explained. Before he left, he handed Merry a small, black stone on a thin thread of elven rope.
�I though you might want this. It is what guided us to Pippin.�
Merry examined it closely, turning it. It speckled in the right light. �But it�s just a rock,� he observed.
Legolas stopped at the door. �Things are not always as they seem, Merry.�

Merry sat on his bed, legs drawn up to his chest. The necklace was around his neck, and it seemed to give him extra strength. For at least a few hours Merry must have sat, watching so hopefully for any sign of movement in his dear cousin. But there was none, save the soft rising and falling of his chest.
To pass time, Merry clambered off his bed and began looking around. There was nothing nearby but a chest of food, but Merry could not bring himself to eat any of it because Pippin was not there to share it with him. When he ran out of places to explore, he began looking at his necklace. It sparkled strangely in the candlelight of the room. �All that is gold does not glitter,� Merry suddenly recalled from an old poem that he had once heard Strider say.
�Not all those who wander are lost,� continued a voice behind him. Merry nearly fell off the bed in surprise.
Aragorn was standing in the doorway, watching him with solemn eyes.
�How long have you been there?� Merry asked, a hand on his heart as he caught his breath.
�How long have you been there?� Aragorn retorted, raising an eyebrow. He crossed the room and sat on Merry�s bed. �I know this is hard for you, but you must stop worrying about it. There�s nothing we can do but hope and wait, now.�
There was a call from far outside. Aragorn looked up, kissed Merry on the forehead, and left.
So Merry waited. And he hoped. He lay on his bed, staring at Pippin�s prone body. And he waited. He waited for minutes..he waited for hours..he waited for..
Merry�s eyes snapped open. He had been sleeping. He sat up quickly, looking around for what had disturbed him. There was no one in the room.
�Merry,� said a soft voice to his right. �I�m terribly hungry..�

Much, much later..

�Praise the halflings! Frodo and Samwise! Praise them with great praise!�
Merry and Pippin laughed, raising their goblets and drinking to the good fortune of their best friends. The hall was full of celebrating people. Aragorn was on a slightly raised platform. His speech was over, and the feast began. For once, Merry and Pippin were ultimately satisfied. Not only did they get as much food as they could stomach, but they didn�t need to serve it. As they ate, they chatted.
�I can�t believe I was asleep when the Ring was destroyed,� Pippin said with a sigh. He took a bite of chicken, swallowed, and continued. �I�m so mad I could kick you, Merry.� Merry nearly spat out his wine. �Kick me? It�s not my fault you were asleep! You nearly died for Valar�s sake. I was by your side the entire time. Besides, it�s your fault I came on this quest.�
�Well,� Pippin sputtered, trying to think of a response, �It was your fault I was bor-�
They were interuppted by a loud guffaw by the soldiers sitting next to them.
�Boy,� one of them cried, �Bring us some more wine.�
The man�s eyes were slightly crossed, and he seemed to be using the table for support, even though he was sitting.
�I think you have had enough wine to drink, sir,� Merry explained calmly.
�Nonsense,� the man slurred, looking directly at Pippin. �I�m parched, can�t you see I�m thirsty?� The man licked his lips for emphasis.
�I�m sorry, sir,� Pippin said, stepping forward. �We can�t bring you any more wine.�
The man jumped up. There was a clatter of dishes and cutlery. Merry practically dove in front of Pippin, standing in front of him and looking the man in the eye. The man stared back, then began to sit down. Merry relaxed. In a flash, the man was at full height again, and he struck Merry across the face. Merry fell to the floor and skidded a good few feet, dragging Pippin with him. Pain shot up his arm as he came to a stop at a bench. He looked up, and realized that everyone was silent. He heard footsteps, and a shadow passed over them. Merry looked up, right into the eyes of Aragorn. For one wild moment Merry thought that Aragorn was mad at him too. But Aragorn was paying more attention to the man who had struck Merry. The man was �kindly� escorted out of the hall, and Aragorn helped the two hobbits to their feet. Merry felt a flush rising in his cheeks.
�Thank you, Strider,� he murmured softly.
�Mmhmm,� agreed Pippin, who was carefully avoiding Aragorn�s eyes.
�Come,� Aragorn said, taking each hobbit by a hand and leading them through the throng. �Sit with me.�
�But won�t-� Pippin began.
�I�m sure no one will mind,� Aragorn said.
Two more chairs were brought for Pippin and Merry to sit in. They did just that, and Merry�s face was now bright red. Aragorn tapped his goblet for silence, and then raised it.
�Long live the halflings! Meriadoc and Peregrin! Praise them with great praise!�
The occupants of the hall echoed this, looking slightly confused, and Pippin hid a snigger behind his hand. He caught Merry�s eye, and they beamed at each other.
And in that one moment, all was right in the world.

Fini.
Critique?