Before the Battle

Before the battle
All was so silent now, Merry was lying inside the tent that Lady Eowyn had helped him put up before night would come.
He coud not sleep, as much as he tried. He felt so alone. Tomorrow, he was going to ride out to battle, or at least attempt to, assuming
that King Theoden would allow it, he had a growing suspicion that the King of Rohan would try to make him stay. The simple thought of war scared him more then everything, but the hobbit was determined not to let it be in history forever that his kind didn't take part in the greatest battle for Middle Earth. As small a part as it should be.
He was very probably going to die or at least be gravely hurt, of that he had no doubt, and he was prepared for the worst. Even though he was very saddened at the idea of leaving behind everything and everyone he had loved.
Pippin, how he missed him, his cousin, his best friend, his Pip. He might be, as Gandalf liked to put it, a right Fool of a Took, but that was precisly what made his younger cousin so endearing to him. It seemed like years now since the last time he had seen him.
Merry pulled his thin blanket up to his nose, blinking back tears. He would be strong, he needed to, for Pippin, for Frodo,
for the Shire.
It had become quite dark now, his only light the small candle he had left burning near his campsite bed, wich was really a few blankets on the ground. Merry had always loved the night, but recently, he found that darkness made him feel very uncomfortable. Looking around him, he spotted the armor and small sword Eowyn had given him earlier that day.
The children-size weapon was sharp now. He was ready, at least physically if not mentally.
Eowyn, sister-daughter of the King. She must have been the only person who beleived he could indeed fight, inspite of his small stature. Maybe because she was also denied the right to join the troups. Even if not for the same reasons, obviously. Merry had the feeling that the Lady would not give up so easily, she had determination in her eyes that made him think she was capable of anything. The others were blind not to see it, this woman would go to war, wether they liked it or not.
Suddenly, the hobbit heard a soft noise outside his small shelter that made him jump. He should have put out the candle before,
he vaguely remembered someone saying that it could attract wild animals, or worst. Just as he blew it out, someone entered his tent. The last image he saw was that of Eowyn bending her head to get inside, her long loose hair falling around her like a curtain of pale gold. Then it was dark.
It took quite some time before he began to see anything at all in the dim light of the full moon. But he could at least discern that she had sat beside him on his blanket, completly silent.
-"My Lady?"- he asked,unsure of what to do in such a situation. She did not answer, she did not talk and he did not know what to say, the only thing he could do was not to let show how much her presence here affected him. So much that it made him forget all at once about his anxiety. She was a really beautiful woman, for one of the Big Folk at least, he had thought so since the first time he had seen her in Meduseld. Her white dress blowing wildly in the wind like a flag, giving now and then a glorious view of her shapely legs, her golden hair catching the bright rays of the midday sun. And so strong, he could only hope to show half the courage and strenght she possessed when he would need it most.
Her breathing was the only sound that came from her at the moment. He looked at her in the darkness. She seemed much less of a feisty shieldmaiden now. Without a frown on her brow or a sword in her hand. So vulnerable. She quietly moved to rest her head on the ground, lying on her side, facing him and he did the same. For a long time they stayed like that. Taking comfort in the simple presence of the other. She was also deeply nervous about what was bound to happen when the sun got up, he had guessed, it was the only logical explanation he could think of to why she would chose to be there right now. She needed the comfort of a human presence. They had had an unexplanable connection since the start.
He could see that she was not sleeping, her eyes were glistening in the moonlight. And he of course, he could not sleep either. He tried desperatly to find the right words to encourage her, console her, whatever it was that she needed to hear, he who was usually so good with words, couldn't find a single thing to say. All he could do, to his great shame and despair, was to look at her motionless form in the dark. The halo of gold around her head, tumbling on her shoulders and on the ground. He could smell the sweet scent of her hair. Lavender, of that he was certain, and something else, cypress perhaps. So unusual, so fitting, he thought. The faint light of the moon softly highlighted ,as if to tempt him further more, the lovely curve of her hip covered only in her flowy white dress. His eyes were irresitibly drawn to this particular contour. So close, he tought, so close he could reach over and let his fingers travel along it's womanly shape just like he did with his eyes. He mentally kicked himself, how could he even be thinking about this kind of things at such a critical time. Surely the last thing she needed right now was a cheeky halfling shamelessly lusting after her. To his great astonishment, she chose this particular moment to move, startling the hobbit and making him jump once again.
"I am sorry, I keep frightening you." So she was speaking at last. He could glimpse her pearly teeth reflecting the moonlight as she laughed softly. He cringed, a little ashamed of his cowardly attitude, but then smiled. How he loved to ear her laugh, she always seemed so grave, so serious, that could not be good. He had been used to folks who never let a minute pass without a smile illuminating their faces. But he did not blame her, she had more then good enough reasons to be that way.
"It's all right" he said, trying to push away his innapropriate thoughts once and for all. "I am really jumpy, I guess it is to be expected on the night before a battle." he said quielty, giving a faint, unconvincing laugh.
"Yes, I guess it is..." she started, then stopped, seemingly deep in thoughts. She had rolled on her back, looking up at the scrap of white material that served of roof. He did the same, lying there in silence once again, and turning his head to have a better view of her fine profile, now visible in the moonlight.
"It is the custom in Rohan...." she started slowly...."that women offer releif...physical releif," she addded quickly, "to the warriors who are about to depart for battle."
Merry froze. Surely, he had heard wrong, it happened to him quite often to miss a thing or two, but now was certainly not the time. He swallowed carefuly. Better not to answer right away, he had already made a fool of himself more then enough.
He could feel her gaze on him, she was facing him again, on her side, eyes glimmering brighter then ever. He could tell she was smiling by the sound of her voice. Was she saying what he thought she was saying?
"You are a warrior, Meriadoc, and you are going to war tomorrow, to risk your life for your land. The White Lady of Rohan is here tonight to offer this worthy warrior releif. If he would accept it." So he had heard right. "Merry, do you understand my meaning?" she asked after a few seconds of silent gaping from her interlocutor, looking at him expectently, one of her hand hesitantly reaching to stroke the side of his face.
The hobbit's breath caugh in his throat, and he couldn't think clear for a moment.
"I do understand what you are meaning, my Lady." he finally answered, gulping. "But I have to answer... that you are a warrior more then I, and that YOU are going to war tomorrow, as surely as the sun will rise and even if Sauron himself forbided it, and so, as the Rohan custom would want, I am the one who's offering you releif, if you would accept."
Silence. She was as speechless as he had been an instant before.
"Why, Master Hobbit! You are not as innocent as I thought!" she exclaimed, taken by surprised as much by the reversed offer then by the revelation that he knew about her plan of riding to war in secrecy.
Merry laughed, "My Lady, the fact that I am small, doesn't mean that I have a child's mind."
"Very well, then," she said in a softer voice, slidding her body nearer to his, "You must prove it to me..."
She took one of his hands and put it on her waist, "we can not undress, for we need to be ready to get up at any moment, but I am sure we can find very enjoyable things to do even so..."
Merry slowly let his fingers move along her side, to the part of her he had so desired to touch but a moment before. Perhaps it was a dream, things like that did not happen to him. Her hip was as soft to the touch as he had imagined it would be, his fingers lingered there perhaps a bit to long as he was lost in thoughts because suddenly her hand was on his again, impatiently moving it up to cup one of her breast. They may have been considered small by a man of her size, he thought, but these breasts were a right fit for the hands of a hobbit. He found it harder to form any coherent thought now, as she pulled him to her, rolling them over and pressing his smaller body on top her own, moaning in his ear. He couldn't stop from giving a small moan himself as he felt her under him, so soft, and so warm, and smelling even better now that he was closer. Definitly cypress. Does she taste as good as she smells, he wondered iddly, as he started to kiss her neck and every part of her he could reach. He looked at her face for an instant, and realised that she was smiling, looking amused even.
That would not do. He would show her that he could do more then make her smile, as pleasant a sight as it was.
He suddenly sat on his heels as she lifted her head up, resting her weight on her elbows, looking at him interrogatively. Without another thought, he pulled her legs apart, and sat between her open thighs, smiling as the expression of amusement on her face was replaced by one of utter stupefaction that he could guess even in the dark. Both his hands blindly made their way from her delicate suede-covered ankles, to her legs, to her tighs, lifting the edge of her skirt as they progressed. As much as he wanted to express audibly how exited he felt doing that, he made an effort to keep silent, knowing that others were near and also wanting to give her the illusion that he was completly in control of himself.
It was still very dark, and he could barely see the treasure he had uncovered beneath that dress, but instinct took over as he bent his head to kiss and lick her burning center. Oh! She tasted as good as she smelled, without a question. He knew he was doing exactly what was right as she writhed under him, now flat on her back and head thrown back, panting heavily. He continued, happy to oblige, still craddling her upper tighs and bottom, how he loved the feel of those increasingly tensed muscles under soft, pale skin. It would be over soon, he thought, she was struggling not to moan loudly now, only too aware of her surroundings, whimpers catching in her throat as she tangled her fingers in his curls, holding his head between her legs as if he would try to escape at any moment. "Oh Merry! Do not stop! Please do not stop!" she whimpered quielty in the dark, holding him even tighter. Of course he would not stop, even though he felt like he might start having problems to breathe soon, she was clutching at him so desperatly. A few more seconds and her whole body tensed, she gave a small cry, eyes shut tight and fell back on the makeshift bed, trembling.
When her breathing returned to normal, she smiled in the dark and looked at him.
"Well, Master Brandybuck, I must say, that I will never look at a hobbit the same way again. But as enjoyable as this has been, I still have not done what I came here to do in the first place. In fact..." she added as she pulled him back down on the blanket and slid her hand slowly up his inner tigh, "I beleive I might have done just the opposite, you do not seem all that releived." She whispered innocently in his ear as she squeezed the undeniable evidence of her words trough his breeches, making him gasp loudly. He could not be expected to think of clever words afer that, the only things his mind seemed to register now was the position and doings of this one hand.
He stared at the roof of the tent as he felt rather then saw her deft fingers unbutting the restraining clothes and reaching inside. Oh, it had been too long, this would be over even faster then it had been for her. He gripped the blanket under him with both his hands as she started to rub him in a slow, steady motion. The hobbit realised that he had lost all sense of crontol he might have had the moment she had layed a single finger on that treacherous part of his. And now was even worst, she was moving her hand faster, breathing in his ear sucking and licking the leaf-shaped point delicatly. He started to moan and found to his despair that it was, in fact, nearly impossible not to.
"Ssssh" Eowyn whispered softly as she nipped at his ear, "unless you want to see a couple of manly soldiers coming in here in hope of getting a few favors, you must keep quiet..." Merry blinked, trying to block the disturbing mental image, but was soon brought back to reality when he felt something terribly hot surrounding his hardness. He gasped, bitting his fist as he realised that she had taken him completly into her mouth. "Oh! So hot..so.....So wet." he whimpered in a high-pitched voice. He lifted his head and both his hands shot back to the blankets clutching convulsively at the material as she moved her mouth on him. He bit his lower lip hard, trying to stop the loud moans and groans threatening to escape his throat but could not keep a few desperate whimpers to come out as he thrust his hips frantically and spent himself into her willing mouth, before falling back on the ground. He felt her button up his breeches and caress his hair as she got up to leave.
"You are going, my Lady?" he asked still slightly gasping for air.
"I need to Master Hobbit, they will be looking for me." she said with a slight smile on her lips, her pretty face illuminated by the moon.
"But tomorrow, we will see each other, before the battle. I will make sure of it."
"I might not be allowed to go to battle." he said resentfuly, as she turned her back to leave.
As she turned her head to look at him one last time, Merry could see that strenght and determination back into her eyes, and a smile still on her lips, "Meriadoc Brandybuck. Tomorrow, we fight."