Fredegar had come into the kitchen.
"Will this do?" Estella asked.
Fredegar smiled and nodded.
"Yes I think so"
So, Fredegar took the cart and watched Estella walk back in. it took a few minutes to get all five boxes out.
"There you go, Mother will be pleased"
So, Fredegar took all five boxes as once. Estella helped him out, opened the door and let him though.
"Be careful!" Estella called after him.
Fredegar walked down the small path and along the road. His arms were getting tired due to the weight on them. But new he had a new problem. The door to the house had been shut. He knew that he could put the boxes down.
"Stupid door!"
He kicked it.
"Open up!"
He could feel the boxes started to slip. Fredegar looked down at the boxes. His foot then slammed against the door. He then heard it, quick foot steps from the other side of the door. The suddenly flew open.
"Who's knocking at my door?" shouted a woman.
Fredegar moved back a few paces. His mother stared at him.
"So.. Sorry mother" he said.
Rosamunda had a face that could milk to cheese in an instant.
"Why didn't you knock?" she asked sternly.
Fredegar's arms began to become really heavy. He needed to get to the table. He slowly made his way in.
"Mother, my arms are hurting"
Rosamunda shook her head, but let her son go into the house. The door slammed behind him. The kitchen table was his goal.
A few more seconds later, he placed the first box down. He made sure that they were the right way up. Rosamunda came in and looked at the boxes.
"That shall do" she said, picking one up.
She prised the top open and picked one of the four bottles out.
The liquid sloshed inside the bottle. It was red wine, made from grapes that grew in a summer many years ago. Rosamunda carefully placed it back and put the lid back on.
Fredegar had now sat down, his job had sapped his energy out of him. His large chest rose up and down. His mouth was dry and hunger had come back to him.
So, he got up and waddled over to the cellar. He opened the door and walked in. It was cooler in the cellar then in the kitchen. The hobbit went to the back. There was a mug in his hand, a barrel was set in his sights. There was a small tap at the bottom.
Fredegar knelt of the floor, cup in hand. He reached to the tap, placed his cup under and turned it on. A small ribbon of amber liquid started to fill up the cup. Fredegar watched the cup fill up. Small white bubbles erupted from where the beer entered the beer that was already in the cup.
After a minute, Fredegar turned the tap off and stood up. He looked into the cup. There was a large amount of beer. Out in the kitchen, he could hear his mother moving the chairs.
"I wonder when Dinner is" Fredegar started to wonder.
So, cup in hand, he walked back into the kitchen. The cellar door closed behind him.
"Mother, when are we going to eat?" he asked.
Rosamunda, who was now in a foul mood, looked over at him.
"In twenty minutes" she snapped.
Fredegar nodded and yawned. He was getting tired now, a thought of having a nap after dinner came into his mind. It was not unusual for hobbits to nap after dinner. For the more they ate, the quicker tiredness got a hold of them.
But, there were a few hobbits that would not be having a good meal tonight.
Merry Brandybuck was felling ever tired by the hour. His feet were sore, muddy and cold. The weather was going to make Merry's journey to Bree even more dangerous.
He had the usual hobbit wear on, a jacket and yellow, buttoned up waistcoat. Every piece of clothing had had on was either dirty or wet.
Merry had a flask over one shoulder. It had been full of water for the journey. But it was now running out. Merry had also had a pony. But had had run off, leaving him stranded.
Merry had now past Bywater and was on the road down to Bree. But, it was not the first time he would go there. And not the last either.
Birds sung over head, Merry's hair blew up in the strengthening wind. The coldness around him was deepening. The sun was now losing a battle to warm the air and earth below.
A snow storm was heading his way, the clouds flew over head. Merry tried to get warmer, he tucked his hands under each arm pit.
For a while, that was all well. But after twenty or so minutes, his hands were starting to go numb.
Merry wished now that he had stayed at home. He was alone and cold. No one knew where he was. So, he stopped. The two voices were arguing yet again.
"Just turn back, there's nothing you can do, Pippin doesn't like you!" said the first.
"But then, he did save you in the Battle. It's time to help him!"
"Pippin doesn't like you, he left you and went on his own!"
Merry stood for a while. Stuck to the spot, neither wanting to go on or wanting to go back. Merry was finding it hard to make up his mind.
"You've gotten this far Merry, why don't you just go on?" asked a new voice.
This new voice in his head was stronger and more persuasive. The light of day had now gotten really dark. Merry needed to make a choice soon, other wise he would have to stay where he was.
And Merry didn't like sleeping out in the cold. He had been stuck out in the cold all of last night. He had had little to no sleep at all. His pony had run off from him.
But the lose of his pony was not the only matter pressing him to move. The fact that he had no food made him choose quicker.
For Merry knew he could not go on after a few more days. Bree was a weeks walk away. Merry knew that he would not be able to make it. Even if it were the height of summer.
Hobbiton was a good twelve hour walk from where Merry was now. The road that he was on was the same one as Pippin and Dolly were on.
The Great East Road.
The road was a trading route stretching from the Grey Havens, though Michel Delving. It then snaked past Waymeet and the hobbit town of Bywater. Three Farthing Stone and Frogmorton came next. Whitfurrows, the Brandywine Bridge and The Old Forest came after.
The town of Bree followed, yet was before The Forsaken Inn. After the inn, there was not many town or villages. Yet, there was the abandoned out post of Weathertop. A second river, Horewell, ran across the path of the road. The Last Bridge was situated over the river. It was the path way to Rivendell. The forest of Trollshaw grew at the road's side.
Pippin knew that he needed to get to Rivendell. But he was getting worried. He was going too slow to reach Rivendell in time. Yet, there was a small bit of hope left. There was a young boy, riding ahead of them on a horse. He bore a message to the Elves.
Pippin knew that that was his only hope. But then, he started to worry about a different problem.
What if all of the Elves had left Rivendell?
If that was the case, then he would certainly lose Diamond to death.
Back in the calmness of Hobbiton, a family of hobbits were sitting down to their dinner. The time was now seven o'clock and they were sitting down for one of the many meals after dark.
The light outside had now gone down. Candles had been lit, warmth surrounded the hobbits sitting in their homes. In one household, there were five hobbits sitting around a large round table. Bowls with different kinds of vegetables and a large chicken lay on the wood.
There were plates, knives and forks, spoons for the bowls and mugs for the ale. Ale was considered the norm in most hobbit households. It was given to hobbits when they turned thirty three. Or, coming of age.
Eglantine was sitting at the head of the table. Her smiled was the exact replica of her girl's. They were all sitting in wooden seat.
Paladin was sitting at the opposite end of the table. He was smiling as well. Paladin had been in his study for almost the whole day.
Pimpernel had been cooking the chicken for the past two hours. She had also cooked or boiled the vegetables.
Pearl had been knitting since she turned up. A small pink jumper, big enough for a hobbit baby to fit in. But now, it had been lain down. She would finish it later. Eating was now on her mind.
Pervinca had been helping her sister since she got there, but had let Pimpernel do most of the work.
But now, everything was ready. The five of them had sat down. Bowls of food were being past around. There was hardly any space on the table.
The hobbits talked and ate and talked and ate. The chicken had been carved into at the start. Some of the bones had been exposed. Yet, for hobbits, hardly anything was wasted.
Pimpernel smiled as she took a large bit of chicken. The honey flavour had seeped into the cooked meat. Every bite made the chicken much nicer.
"This is very nice" Pearl said, cutting more off of the chicken.
The hobbit placed a bit on her plate, then cut off more. She did that a few more times and placed the large cutting knife down.
There was a boat of gravy, a drip was hanging from the end of the small spout. Pearl picked it up, the gravy inside was still warm. She poured some onto her chicken, them placed it back on the white table mat.
Pervinca, on the other hand, continued to refill her plate. She was very hungry and would easily give Pippin a run for his money.
Paladin was the first to finish. He placed his knife and fork on his empty plate and smiled.
"Well, I say Pimpernel, that had got to be one of the best dinners I ever did have" he said.
Nelly, who had been eating a piece of carrot, smiled.
"Thank you" she replied.
Pearl nodded.
"Very good Nelly"
Pimpernel smiled even more. Pearl was the second one to finish, closely followed by Eglantine. Pimpernel and Pearl were the only two eating. Eglantine sat there looking at her two girls. She had a sense that they were secretly going head to head to out eat each other.
Pearl was the first one to finish out of the two of them. Pimpernel finished a minute later.
"Right then, I guess I should get the cake out then" said Eglantine, getting up from her seat.
Pearl also got up, she picked up her plate. Pimpernel and Pervinca both handed their plates to her. She placed them in the sink, but didn't turn the tap on.
There was hardly any food left in any of the bowls. In the Took household, that was not unusual. Eglantine had wondered into the cellar. She was at a shelf full of cakes that she had baked that week. They were all chocolate cakes.
Dark chocolate cakes were their favourite type. They would have a full cake every day if they could get it. But, sometimes they would have to do without.
Eglantine came out of the cellar, she was holding out a chocolate cake sprinkled with white chocolate. She walked and placed it on the table. Vinnie had got some plates and spoons out. The plates were stacked up, five on them. The spoons were made of silver, the candles glinted in the silver.
Eglantine picked up the cutting knife.
"I'll guess you will all want seconds" she said happily.
There was no reply, but they all looked like they needed it. So, she started to cut the cake into equal slices. She placed the first slice on the top plate and handed it to Pimpernel.
She took it, placed it on her mat, but did not start. After a few minutes, all the slices had been served. The family ate in silence, a rare thing for the Tooks to do.
Meanwhile, Origo was sleeping. But he was not outside anymore. He had been taken inside. His little eyes were shut and his head resting on a pillow.
The puppy was warm and had been feed, only after the people he was with discovered it. But, now he had been feed and watered.
But his mission of getting back to Diamond had been stalled.
There was a small girl sleeping next to him, her arm around him and the duvet over herself. Because, hours earlier, he had run into a small girl, playing on her front lawn.
She was playing in the dirt, when something had caught her eye. She looked up to see a small puppy walking along the road.
The girl slowly stood up, she watched the pup sniff around.
"Puppy?" she asked.
Origo had looked to her direction. He stopped sniffing. He watched as the girl ran over to the gate, opened it and stood there.
The puppy didn't know what to make of this.
"Who are you?" he barked.
The girl tilted her head.
"Are you lost?" she asked.
Origo's eyes looked around. It was true, he was lost. So, he nodded. The girl smiled.
"Come here boy, I wont hurt you" she said, kneeling down.
Origo was still very weary of who he trusted. He slowly put his pawn forward. His ears were more sensitive then before. Every bird sounded louder, every sound was louder.
The pup was only a few feet away from the girl. He caught her scent. Origo tilted his head, still wondering if she was safe. He looked at the girls out stretched hand. The girl smiled as Origo sniffed her fingers.
"See, I'm not so bad" she said.
Her hand ran though the puppy's soft fur. Her hands were nice and warm.
"Sevossi, time to come in now" said a woman.
The girl looked around. Her hair blew in the cold wind. A bit of snow started to fall.
"Alright, mummy"
The girl then picked Origo up. The puppy tried to escape, but it was no use. The girl held onto him.
"Who's that?" the mother asked.
She looked at the small puppy looking the other way.
"He's mine" she said happily.
Sevossi walked past her mother. The house smelt different to Origo. There was no tobacco smell or the smell of it being very clean. Everything was much bigger in this house then Diamonds.
And there were stairs. Origo watched them come closer and closer.
He looked down, wondering what was going to happen. The girl then started to climb them. Origo looked up to see the second floor getting bigger.
After a few more seconds, the girl reached the top. The pup looked back. He had never been that high before. The girl then led him into her room.
There were horses and ponies carved from wood all over the place. There was a large rocking horse in the corner. It looked well used.
"This is my room puppy"
The light outside was starting to fade. Sevossi's mother came in behind her. She had a flaming piece of wood in her hand. A small candle was mounted on the wall.
Origo was placed on Sevossi's bed. He looked down at the very large, flat duvet. He started to sniff it. He laid down on the bed, watching the small girl ran about.
She picked up one of her toy horses and scurried over to the bed. Origo's eyes watched her. The girl placed the horse right in front of him.
"This is my bestest horse" she said merrily.
She made it gallop, Origo's eyes followed it.
"Sevossi, dinner will be ready soon. Come down when I call you"
Sevossi looked around and smiled.
"OK" she answered.
Origo was starting to feeling tired and hungry again. His eyes scanned the room.
"Maybe these people are not so bad" he told himself.
The girl smiled and got up. She ran back to her large wooden draw and placed the horse back in its place. Her mother walked out of the room after lighting a few more candles. The flames flickered happily. The girl was humming to herself as she picked out another horse.
This one was also made of wood. But, unlike the first she had picked out, this one was not painted. Yet it was shiny and smooth. The light of the candles and the dimming light outside.
"My mummy gave this one to me"
She held it carefully. Origo looked at it, his eyes wondering what it was. He went to sniff it, but a hand came over his small face.
"No, no, no" said Sevossi.
"Puppy is not allowed to touch"
Origo looked at her. He shook his head and the hand was taken away. Origo sneezed twice and rolled onto one side. The girl's hand rubbed his fur again. Origo looked at her. The room was strange.
The puppy was now going to plan his escape. But he knew that it would not be today. He had to wait until he was outside.
"Sevossi, dinner!" came a voice from the other side of the door.
Sevossi smiled.
"Come on"
She quickly picked up the puppy, leaving the horse of the bed. She carried her puppy down the stairs and into the kitchen. She had placed two plates on the table, both with food on them.
But there was one thing that Origo loved the most.
Turkey
Sevossi's mother had cooked a whole turkey for them. But they would make it last all week. But, Origo was only thinking about himself.
He needed to get some. So, he started to bark. Sevossi, who had been sitting at the table, looked down at him.
"What is it pup?" she asked.
Sevossi's mother looked down at the puppy as well.
"I think he wants some out my turkey" she pointed out.
Sevossi looked at the turkey, a bit had been cut off. But most of it was still there. Sevossi smiled. Origo and her met eyes.
"In a minute pup" she said.
So, Origo sat. He waited as patiently as he could. He eyed the turkey, hardly blinking. After a few minutes, both Sevossi and her mother had finished.
"Mummy, can Origo have his turkey now?" she asked.
Origo looked around as she talked.
"I suppose so" her mother answered.
So, taking the two plates, she place them in the sink. She then looked down at the puppy and smiled.
The woman picked up the cutting knife and started to cut a slice of turkey. She them placed the slice on the work surface. Origo was now standing up, he knew that his turkey was not far away.
After a minute, the woman stopped cutting the turkey and got out a bowl. To Origo, it was a big bowl, but not to the woman. She placed the meat in and looked down.
"There you go" she said, placing it on the floor.
Sevossi had stood up and was now looking at Origo eat. She then knelt down. Her hand stretched out and started to stroke the pup.
But, Origo didn't like being stroked while he was eating. So, he started to growl. The girl's hand moved back quickly. She was quite shocked that she was growled at. She looked over at her mother.
"Just let him eat" she said.
So, the girl got up. She watched the puppy in silence. A yawn then came to her. Sevossi's mother saw this.
"I think it's time for bed" she said.
Sevossi whined.
"But I'm not sleepy, I want to play" she said.
She put on her cute voice, but it didn't work.
"Oh, mum!"
Sevossi looked down, she knew that her mother was right. It was already eight o'clock.
"Go and brush your teeth" she said.
Origo had now cleared the bowl and was looking at the two people. Sevossi looked down at Origo.
"Are you going to growl at me again?" she asked.
Origo tilted his head.
"Good" she said, picking him up.
She carried Origo into her room and plopped him on the bed.
"Stay" she said.
"Stay" she repeated, this time slowly.
Origo looked at her with a blank look. The girl smiled and quickly walked out of the room. The pup was left on his own. He could hear noises. There was a tap running in a few rooms away from where he was. A second tap started to run, this time in the room next to the one he was in.
The girl had turned on the taps. She watched as the bowl started to fill up. A copper plug on a silver chain. The noise grew louder and louder.
After about a minute, she turned both taps off and picked up the soap. She rubbed it in her hands for a while. Soap bubbles were on her hand. She placed the soap back in its little dish and rubbed her face.
In the kitchen, her mother was cleaning the dishes. She had run a bowl of hot water and placed the dishes in. the water sloshed as she picked up a dish. In her other hand was a cloth with soap bubbles on.
The water dripped off of the plate, the woman started to rub the plate. After a minute, she dunked it in the water again. All of the bubbles slid off. She then took the plate out and looked at it. She smiled and placed it on the side. The woman then took the second plate and put that in the water.
Sevossi had finished washing and pulled the plug. The water started to run down the plug hole. Twenty seconds later, all the water had gone.
Origo way resting on the bed. He yawned and turned on his side. Sevossi then came back in. She quickly changed into her night gown and stood there. Her toy horse still lay on the bed. Untouched by Origo.
Sevossi came over to the bed and saw that she had left it there. She grabbed it and walked over to the rest of them. She then placed it back and looked around. Origo had been watching her.
"Bed time now puppy" she said.
Origo nodded and was picked up. Sevossi pulled back the covers and sat down. Origo was held there. Sevossi laid down.
Her mother had finished the washing and was now drying her hands. Sevossi covered them both up. Origo poked his head out of the heavy duvet.
Sevossi smiled and kissed his fluffy head.
"Your such a good puppy" she said.
Origo looked at her, his little eyes were still figuring out who this new person was. The candles flickered in the room. Foot steps could be heard coming to the room.
Sevossi's mother entered the room.
"I see that your already in bed" she said happily.
She walked over and kissed her daughter on the head. Origo looked up.
"Say good night, pup"
But Origo didn't bark. He looked at the woman.
"See you two tomorrow"
The woman then blew out each candle, making the room dark and darker. Origo started to feel sleepy. His owner, Diamond, started to come back to him.
Her face came back to him. he could see her blue eyes and dark hair.
He missed her, but some how knew that it would a while before he would see her again.
In Hobbiton, Pimpernel was getting ready to leave. The time was now ten o'clock. Pearl and Pervinca had already left.
"I should leave" Nelly said, looking at the old
grandfather clock.
Eglantine and herself had been sitting in the lounge. There was a small wooden table with two mugs. They were large cups for hobbits, used only for drinking their tea.
Eglantine and her daughter got up.
"I hope to see you soon" Eglantine said, hugging her daughter.
Pimpernel smiled.
"You will mother, I'll cook again next week if you want" she offered.
Eglantine held both of Nelly's shoulders.
"Oh Nel, you don't have to, it was nice just doing it tonight"
Pimpernel smiled and moved the hair from her eyes and moved it behind her ears. Her skin was flawless. Spots were rare among hobbits. There was no need for make up. They didn't see the sense in it.
"I'll see you tomorrow" Eglantine said.
Pimpernel nodded and started to walk towards the door. Eglantine let her go first and walked behind her. The two of them headed towards the front door. Pimpernel was the one to open it.
"Take care" Eglantine said behind her.
Pimpernel looked and smiled.
"And you too" she answered.
Pimpernel walked down to the road. There were still some hobbits around, they were all coming back from The Green Dragon.
Hobbits were mainly quiet folk. But, give them a few pints of a good ale and music, they would give the big folk a run for their pennies.
Pimpernel turned right and started to walk. Her home was not too far away. The road bent around the hill. There were more homes on the other side of the hill. Nelly's one was the second one along.
Nelly's garden was one of the best in the Hobbiton. Yet, at this time of year, there were no flowers in bloom. It was too cold for them. there was a swinging gate among the stone wall that kept her garden at bay.
Nelly opened the gate and walked though. She then shut it. The gate clicked. The hobbit then walked up the stone cobbles. They were cold under foot.
She opened her door. There were no need for locks on their doors. The door creaked open and Nelly walked in. The tiles on the floor were white. Yet there were small red tiles among them. Nelly closed the door.
The house was colder then the one she had just left. All of the candles had been put out. Yet, the fire in the kitchen was in embers. So, the hobbit made her way to the kitchen.
On the side, there was a small holder full of thin sticks. She picked one up. Pimpernel then placed the end in the embers. A few seconds past before it caught.
Nelly took it out and stood up again. There were many candles in the house. But Pimpernel knew that she only needed to light the ones in the kitchen, lounge and bed room.
So, she lighted the first candle and extinguished the small wooden strip. A bit of grey smoke rose into the air, but quickly vanished.
The candle burned merrily and Nelly picked it up. It would be much quicker and safer to do it that way.
So, after a few minutes, Nelly made her way back to the kitchen. She placed the candle on the table and looked around. Making the fire was the next job she had to do.
A cup of tea was on her mind, then reading a bit of her book and then to bed.
Pimpernel placed some of the small twigs and logs on the fire. She watched the fire grow back to life. A small hand towel was on the back of the chair.
She walked over and grabbed it. Nelly then walked back to the kettle, picked it up and walked over to the sink. She placed the kettle in the sink. Pimpernel then took the small lid off and turned on the tap.
The water started to pour into the kettle. A few seconds later, Pimpernel turned the tap off and put the small lid back on.
She walked over to the fireplace and placed the kettle on a small hook on the bricks. She took her hands away and smiled.
Nelly now had a few minutes to spare. So, thinking ahead, she went to get her book from the lounge. She opened the door. The room was colder then the rest of the house. Pimpernel could see her book on the small table. She made her way over to it, picked it up and walked out. There was a small bit of parchment keeping her page safe.
The hobbit walked back into the kitchen. The water was now bubbling. The book was placed on the table.
Nelly walked to a draw and got a small spoon out. She then got out a cup and a wooden box. For hobbits did not have tea bags, they would put tea leaves into the hot water instead.
Nelly opened the lid of the box and looked inside. There were many tea leaves in the box. Enough for a few more weeks.
The hobbit picked out two and placed them in the waterless cup. The water was now ready to pour, the bubbles could be heard popping. So, with the cloth, Pimpernel picked the kettle up. She carefully poured out the water. Pimpernel could feel the heat of the water hit her face. She poured just enough.
"Now, what have I forgotten?" she asked herself.
Milk was the answer.
So, she walked into the cellar and got a bottle of milk. She had placed the milk in a box with ice inside of it. She would have to change the ice every week. But as for now, it was alright.
The hobbit came back and poured some of the milk in the water. The leaves were still in there as well. Nelly picked them out and shook them a bit, making a few drops fall back into the liquid.
Nelly smiled as she picked up the cup of hot tea. There was no sugar in the tea, Pimpernel didn't really like having sugar in her tea. Unlike her brother.
Pimpernel picked up her book and walked to her room. Her room was next the kitchen. Both rooms had windows which looked out to the country. Yet, due to it being dark, she couldn't see the fields and trees.
Pimpernel's room was big. It had a large bed, large for a hobbit that is, in the middle. A bed side table either side. A large wooden wardrobe running on one side. A large mirror and dressing table in front of the bed. There were candles mounted on holders around the room.
Nelly walked over to the table and placed her book and cup down. She got changed into her night gown and pulled the duvet up. She sat on the bed. The hobbit made herself comfortable and picked up her book. She opened the book up, took the parchment out and started to read.
