They continued down the road to the main part of town. They had paid the Proudfoot family with various products (including wooden walking sticks, steel tools, jewels, apples, and nuts) for six chickens, three sacks of vegetables, four sacks of flour, two baskets of dried corn, two bags of sugar, and a few empty skins for water. They got the chickens from them the night before. As they came to the Proudfoot household, the supplies were out front on the walkway. There was a note on it that said 'Happy Travels!' They tied up the flour sacks onto Rigo with the ropes curled in a pile nearby and carried one of the two remaining sacks of vegetables each. They divided the empty skins between them and began walking back, leading the pony and whistling. Soon they chose a tune and began singing loudly.
Let the wind blow strong
And the water flow swift
And the rain fall hard
And snow swirl to drift
For never ever will I blink
And never ever will I think
Of leaving behind
This lovely land of mine
And to this world I sing
I sing
And to this world I sing
Into the air
And the river so clear
And the puddles of drizzle
And banks of flurry here
Goes the song of the land
That graceful ballad
To the beat of my heart
And then back to the start
And to this world I sing
I sing
And to this world I sing
Rigo flipped his mane and whinnied. The two hobbits laughed. "To this world you sing, we mean," Pippin said, regally bowing to the pony. The gray head lifted as if to say, "Yes you do!" The hobbits laughed again. The late flowers of autumn were blooming beside the path and the birds chirped merrily in the branches of the trees giving the trio shade. They chose another tune and began to whistle again. When they made it back to the wagon, they unloaded the pony, set down their things, and went back to the lane to get the last of the supplies. They strapped the two bags of sugar to Rigo and found a carrot on the ground, which he enjoyed with a loud crunch. They carried the two baskets stacked between them, each holding one side with one hand.
They covered the baskets and tied them to the back of the wagon, then stacked the sugar on top of the flour. Pippin was still whistling as Clalyan and Lalyan mounted the wagon. Clalyan's horse was tied to the back, and Clora was following on Cera. Dena mounted Rigo with Pippin's help. The male hobbit ran behind the wagon and jumped onto the back. Being constantly harassed by the chickens pecking at his hind end, he untied the horse and led it to the side so he could mount it. He rode it to the front by his adopted sisters and waved at the hobbit and hobbit-elf on the wagon.
"Hey, that's my horse," Clalyan complained at Pippin. The little hobbit laughed and rode faster.
"Say hello to everyone back at Brethil for us," Pippin called to them. Clora was on the other side of the wagon riding Cera.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Dena cried suddenly. "Clora, if you see Greenleaf again, give him a big hug for me!" Clora blushed bright red and rode back around to her sister. She hit Dena in the arm.
"Shut up!" Dena laughed at her. "I do not like him!"
"Give it up, you know you do," Dena laughed.
"Ooh," Pippin teased. "Who's Greenleaf?"
"Just an elf she likes," Dena laughed.
"I DO NOT LIKE HIM!" Clora's voice was strained and angry, and her face was bright red. "He's way too-"
"Handsome, skilled, nice, strong, brave," Dena cheered, riding around the wagon to avoid another fist. "Kind, merciful, smart, and just overall amazing, I hear!"
"Dena, leave your sister alone," Lalyan called. Dena grinned and waved. They were coming to the edge of Hobbiton, so Pippin tied Clalyan's horse back onto the back of the wagon. Dena pulled up short and waited, letting him jump onto Rigo's back. He sat down with his back to hers. Clora rode up beside them again, within an arm's length, and Dena didn't dodge her fist again. Clora was smiling sadly, tears gathering in her eyes. Dena reached over and linked arms with her sister.
"Watch the stars and wait for me," Dena murmured. "I'll be home soon." They rode side by side for a while longer, and when the houses at the very edge of the town were behind them, Dena stopped Rigo and let her arm slip from under her sister's. Her eyes clouded with memories and tears. Will I actually be home soon? She thought sadly. She stared after her family for a bit longer. She raised her voice after them. "Hi-low," she called loudly.
"Low high!" Dena smiled at Clora's voice. Up ahead, the pony and rider had turned. They were outlined against the sky as they went over the hill. The wagon disappeared over it. A neigh sounded over the ground, reaching Rigo, and simultaneously, both ponies rose onto their back legs.
"Whoa!" Pippin yipped, falling off the back of the pony. Dena held on tight, leaning into his neck. Then, suddenly, she let go with one hand, waved at her sister, and let out a loud whoop. An answering whoop sounded, and Clora waved too. Then she spun her pony on his heels and pelted off after the wagon. Rigo did the same, spinning and letting Dena grab Pippin before racing off towards Hobbiton again. Pippin held on tightly around Dena's waist, clearly surprised at the pony's speed. Dena, however, leaned into Rigo's neck, a calm sort of anger sinking into her bones, the rush of speed sending her blood pulsing in her veins. She pulled Rigo to a halt with obvious effort when they reached the center of Hobbiton. Pippin slid thankfully off of the pony and stood firmly on the ground. Dena stared at Rigo's withers beneath her hands. "Are we going to?..." he began, then stopped.
Dena's expression was hard as stone, and her jaw was clenched. She leaned in and let the reins go slack, and Rigo took off at full speed again. The pulsing of his muscles beneath her set her into a rhythm. Her hands gripped the rein tightly, and she pounced forward every time he did, bouncing at the same rate. "Come on, buddy, let's push it," she snarled, letting the anger take her. Her vision blurred from either her emotions or the wind blowing in her face. They raced down to the riverside, dodging around trees and hobbits and carts, finally reaching the rocky shore and pounding harder. They galloped for a few minutes and then Rigo slowed. The anger burning inside Dena clamped down on her, and she yanked Rigo to a stop. He stopped instantly, and she flipped over his neck and landed facing the sky. She gasped for breath for a moment, staring up at his kind gray face. Then she leapt to her feet and raced away on foot. She ran into a small thicket, tearing through bushes and brambles, angry tears now streaming down her cheeks.
She collapsed into a sobbing heap on the ground. She let herself go, crying openly. It slowly turned from anger to loss and sadness. She vaguely heard whistling above the humming in her ears and her own voice coming out in gasps from her throat. "Dena?" a familiar voice asked, sounding unsure. She looked up and saw Samwise Gamgee through a veil of tears. He came quickly to her and stooped down to her level. "What's wrong?" His voice was kind. She looked up at him, not attempting to dry her tears. He helped her get up onto her knees. "Can I help?" he asked innocently.
"Oh, Sam," she cried, wrapping her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. She felt his arms close around her shoulders. "I'm s-sorry." She choked back a fresh wave of tears. "My f-family has gone b-back to Brethil and I-I don't know if I-I'll ever see them a-again." Her voice quavered with sadness. Sam hugged her tighter.
"It'll be okay," he murmured. "I know you'll see them again. Mr. Took wouldn't let you be without them, he does think of himself as your brother, you know." Dena laughed shortly.
"Yes, I think P-Pippin will drag me to Br-Brethil in a couple months," she gasped through a few fresh sobs.
Sam nodded his head against hers. "Come on, Miss Shipwright, on your feet," Sam said, helping her up. "That's right. You're too strong to feel this way. You've got noble blood, and that nobility will lead you back home, be it here in Hobbiton, back in Brethil where your family will be, or anywhere else your heart calls home."
"My heart calls home wherever my friends are," she replied, smiling at him. She wiped her tears away. "I'm sorry I wet your shirt and dampened your day."
"Nonsense," he chuckled. "Glad to help a friend any day! Now come on, let's go get you a cup to drink." They headed off down the road towards Hobbiton, Rigo meeting them on the other side. He was still breathing a bit hard. "Your pony is getting a bit old, isn't he? Meaning no offense of course."
"Yes, he I suppose he is middle aged now," she laughed, smiling at the old gray pony. "I take no offense." She stroked his nose. His soft brown eyes shone at her, and she took the bit out of his mouth. "I'm sorry about earlier, old friend. I didn't mean to be vicious." He lifted his head and tucked her shoulder under his chin, nose coming to rest on the middle of her back where her hair ended. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his soft neck. "Twelve years, my friend. The years blur at the edges, don't you think?" She could hear him nicker softly behind her.