Pimpernel was laying on her bed. The darkness had fell inside and outside the room. There were no candles giving off light. Pimpernel had wanted them to be put out.

Something had happened to her a few day ago. The hobbit had been in a fire that destroyed all of her home. Pimpernel had seen it build up. The whole house had gone up. Cloths and old books had both been eaten up by the fire. she had been left with nothing to call her own.

Hamson Gamgee had been the only one to be brave enough to go into the fire. both Pimpernel and Hamson had nearly lost their lives. But luckily they had both survived.

Hamson had then left Hobbiton.

"Please take the ring and keep it safe. I know that it may seem now, but it will get easier. I promise that I will never stop loving you"

Pimpernel kept playing those words over and over in her mind. Nelly was sleeping on one side. Her eyes were closed and her head was resting on a white pillow.

Her hair was a little bit greasier then normal. It had not been washed for a few days. The stale smell of smoke lingered in her cloths.

The window let no light in from outside. The sun had gone down hours before. Birds and hobbits alike had started to feel tired. Pimpernel herself had been getting more and more tired. Her eyes had started to get heavy.

Outside of the room, a young looking girl stood. Her hair was blonde and her eyes were hazel brown. The girl had come into the house uninvited and unexpected.

The coldness from outside flooded into the house. The candles that were near the door flickered as the wind touched them. The door was quickly and quietly closed.

The girl listened to any sound that came to her hears made her stop. The tiles of the floor were cold as the girl walked down the corridor. The candles created dancing shadows as the girl walked towards her target. A closed door was set into the wall.

The girl stopped as she reached the door. Her eyes looked down at the handle. The candles glinted in the polished metal.

The girl's hand then wrapped around the cold metal. The door was then slowly swung open. Inside, there were no candles burning. The room was colder then the rest of the house.

On the bed was a hobbit. The girl stopped and looked at the hobbit sleeping on the bed. A small smile came over the girl.

What happened next was seen or heard by anyone. The door was slowly shut, the girl made sure that everything was back the way it was. The figure of the girl was then plunged into darkness.

The next second, the girl vanished. There was no sign of her in the room. Instead, a small pup was standing where the girl had been.

The pup looked fluffy and warm. Her little pawns were brown, as were a the patches over her eyes. The pup could see onto the bed. A hand was hanging over the edge of the bed.

But the pup would not go onto the bed. Instead, the pup saw that there was a small space under the bed. There were a few small boxes dotted the floor under the bed. Some had cloths in and some had books. They were very old books, unread for many generations.

The pup was small enough to fit under the gap between the bed and the floor. The pup ducked and walked under. The tiled floor was very dusty. It stuck to her paws, but did not bother her much.

There was a large space near the head of the bed. The pup surveyed the area and thought that it was good enough for her. She then laid down and waited for the sun come up.

Pimpernel continued to sleep, unaware that a puppy was sleeping under her bed.

The clock continued to click on. One o'clock in the morning was followed by two o'clock. Two was followed by three and three by four.

Meanwhile, the sun slowly started to shed light on the lands below. The shadows of the trees were stretched out across the land. Clouds started to build up. Fog covered the land in a carpet that made the air colder.

Hobbiton lay in a magical mist. The blades of once green grass now had a silver coating. Invisible cobwebs now hung from every advantage point. Water was gathered in small beads all along sticky web. The spiders that had once called it home had long since moved or died off.

The lake in the middle of Hobbiton was icy. The shallow areas of the lake contained small shelves of fragile ice. Blades of brown grass stood out. They had small droplets of water on them.

Ripples crossed the lake, hitting the thin layer of ice. The bottom of the lake was murky and dark. Clouds reflected in the surface of the water.

Homes over looked the lake. A few roads and paths crossed the land around Hobbiton. Stone walls ran along both sides of the road. Every so often, a small gate would be set in the wall of rock. Round doors had been placed into the side of the hill.

It was the only sign that hobbits actually lived inside. Chimneys sprouted out of the ground. Some were smoking and others were not.

The chimneys send smoke up into the air. But there was one chimney was no smoking. It led into a cold room. Pimpernel was still sleeping. The ring had now fallen to the tiled floor. It had rolled part of the way under the bed. There was other movement in the house. Eglantine was making breakfast.

The cooker was very hot. The small round hobs of fire were heating the pan above. Eglantine placed a few slices of bacon in the hot pan. They instantly started to sizzle.

A spatula had been set down on the work top a few meters away. the smell of bacon slowly filled the room. Paladin Took was already sitting at the table along with Pearl.

In the middle of the table was a rack of toasted slices of bread. The rack that they rested on was made of silver metal.

A few crumbs lay at the bottom of the of the trey that made up the bottom of the toast rack. A hand reached over and grabbed two of the pieces of toast.

Pearl put it onto her plate. There was stick of butter resting on a dish. A knife was laying by the side. It already had a bit of butter stuck to it's surface.

The knife was then picked up. she took a bit out of the butter and started to spread it on the cool toast. The sizzling bacon started to quieten as Eglantine placed them on the cut and buttered slices of bread.

The second piece of bread was placed over the first. There was a knife near by. Eglantine picked it up and started to cut the sandwich.

Paladin had just finished his sandwich and smiled. A mug of ale sat before him. It was picked up and drank out of. He didn't stop drinking until there was no ale left.

He placed the mug down and looked around at his wife. There was another plate being stacked onto the plate.

"Any chance that you could do us some more?" Paladin asked.

Eglantine looked around.

"You've had your fair share" she answered.

Paladin gave a deep breath and looked back around. he was just about to reach over for another piece of toast when his hand was tapped.

"That is for Pimpernel" Eglantine said.

She then took the four remaining pieces and placed them on the plate. Paladin was still hungry. He needed more food to satisfy his needs.

All of the bacon had been used up. There would be a large delivery of food that after noon. The dwarves had been sent to get more food for the Yule feasts.

"Could you take that in for Pimpernel?" asked Eglantine.

Paladin suddenly changed his mood. He seemed to be scared by that question. It was obvious that he was still blaming himself.

Pearl, on the other hand, was looking at him.

"I'll take it" she said.

Eglantine smiled and past it over to her. Pearl got out of her seat, still with a bit of her breakfast to eat in her hand. She was handed the plate. The chair scrapped along the floor as she got up. At the same time, she took a bite of her sandwich.

She then walked out into the corridor. The house was very warm. Pearl came to the door of the room Pimpernel was staying in.

She placed the last bit of the sandwich in her mouth and used her free hand to knock.

Inside, Pimpernel was still asleep. But not for much longer. The knocks met her ears. Pimpernel slowly opened her eyes. The door was slowly opened, letting a bit of light in.

"Nelly?" Pearl asked.

Pimpernel covered her eyes. She could make out the outline of her sister. Pearl made her way over to the bed.

"Mum made some bacon today, this is for you" she told Pimpernel, holding the plate.

Pimpernel slowly sat up. Pearl held out the plate for her. Nelly took it and put it on the bed in front of her.

"Thank you" she said.

Pearl smiled.

"I'll go and get you some ale" she told her sister.

But Pimpernel slowly shook her head.

"I don't want any" she told Pearl.

Pearl, who had turned and had started to walk away, looked back.

"But, you always have ale with breakfast" Pearl pointed out.

Pimpernel still didn't look at her sister.

"I would not like ale" she repeated.

There was a slight hint on anger in her voice. Pearl, who didn't not want to argue, picked this up straight away.

"Alright" she said.

The girl turned on the spot and walked to the door. She opened it and went though. Pearl's hand wrapped around the metal handle and pulled. The door swung shut with a small thud.

Pimpernel was now left in darkness again. The plate was resting on the duvet. Little did Pimpernel know that some other creature have been listening in to what went on.

The pup had been sleeping peacefully under the bed when Pearl had walked in. The bed above her creaked as Pimpernel sat up.

Voice could be heard and light could be seen. The puppy's brown eyes could see a pair of feet near the bed. She could hear talking for a minute or two, then the feet went away and the light vanished as well.

Pimpernel was sitting there, her hands wrapped around her knees. Her fingers twiddled, something let the memories of Hamson come back to her mind.

This made her even more upset. Memories of him sitting just a few feet away came back. She remembered him giving her the ring.

Pimpernel's eyes suddenly grew bigger.

"Oh no!" she said.

The ring was not in her hand or on her finger. Pimpernel quickly got off of the bed and looked around the floor. Her eyes were quickly moving around the floor. The light from the window would show up on the polished metal.

But there were no reflections on the floor.

Pimpernel started to get even more worried. She got onto her hands and knees and looked under the bed. The area under the bed was even more darker then up above.

Her small hands then started to sweep the area. She could feel the dust sticking to her hand. Yet there was no ring. Her hand then touched something warm and fluffy.

Her hand stopped, the ring was then pushed out of her head again. Her hand then slowly went away as she knelt up. a small whine came from where Pimpernel had searched.

After a few seconds of silence, a small figure came out from under the bed. Pimpernel could clearly see that it was a small puppy.

"Oh my" she said.

She was shocked to see a puppy coming out from under her bed.

"How did you get in?" she asked the pup.

It tilted its head and yawned. Pimpernel found this very adorable. Her heart just melted. The pup looked up at the girl kneeling before her.

Their eyes met. Pimpernel had loved puppies ever since she was a child. But Eglantine had not given in for many years.

"You can have one when you get your own hole" she told her.

But, now Nelly was a bit older, there was no harm in keeping it.

"Are you hungry?" Pimpernel asked.

The pup looked around, the light was dim. The puppy yawned widely and shook her head. Pimpernel just found the pup even more cuter then before.

"You must be tired, I am as well" Pimpernel told her.

The puppy looked around, the room was very cold and big to the pup. Pimpernel slowly extended her hand. The pup slowly turned to look at it.

Pimpernel had a large smile on her face. The puppy looked at her hand, she looked a little bit scared.

"You don't have to be scared pup" Pimpernel told it.

The pups eyes took a quick glance up, then moved a bit closer. Pimpernel tried not to make any sudden movements.

The cold nose of the pup started to sniff Pimpernel.

"She seems alright" the pup thought.

Pimpernel could feel the soft fur of the pup. The plate of bacon sandwiches continued to sit on the bed. Pimpernel's hand was now rubbing the soft fur of the pup.

"Would you like something to eat?" she asked.

The pup nodded her head. Two large hands picked the puppy up. The pup was then placed on Pimpernel's shoulder.

Nelly had never been happier at that moment. She knew that Hamson had gone, but she had gained one of the cutest puppies she had ever seen.

Pimpernel looked at the small pup and kissed her on the head. Her fingers slowly moved over the warm and fluffy fur. The hobbit then sat on the bed and placed the puppy on her lap.

Pimpernel's free hand picked up the sandwich. The pup watched as Pimpernel took off the top slice of bread. There, resting on the second, was a warm piece of crisp bacon.

The bacon was then take off and held in Pimpernel's grip.

"Would you like some?" she asked the pup.

The puppy nodded, her eyes still focused on the bacon. It was slowly lowered to her mouth. The pup gave a big bite and ripped a bit off.

Pimpernel felt the small tug and smiled as the pup started to chew.

"This isn't so bad" the pup thought to herself.

She saw that Pimpernel was holding the other bit. The small pup looked up at Pimpernel and gave a small whine.

"More?" Nelly asked.

The pup nodded its head, making her fluffy ears flop as she did so. The bacon was the held in front of the pup again and she continued to chew.

Meanwhile, Estella was looking in a small cupboard. Just like every other household in Hobbiton, today was cleaning day.

A broom had been placed on the wall besides the small door. A bucket and some dusters were being carried out as well. Estella then got up from kneeling down. She picked up the broom and duster in one hand and the bucket in the other.

The tiles that made up the surface had small bits of muck and dirty on them. A few leaves had been carried in by her feet. Some had been there for a few weeks others had been there for days.

The kitchen was warm and light. The sun had now come up and was now shining though the window onto the dirty tiles.

The broom was then propped up against the table. Estella placed the duster onto the table. The bucket was then carried to the sink. Estella put the wooden bucket into sunk. It was just small enough to fit under the tap.

Estella the turned the hot tap on and watched the water rush into the wooden bucket. The water started to heat up as the level of the water rose higher and higher.

It took one or two minutes to fill right up. The tap was then turned off. The surface of the water rippled as Estella picked it up. She was now struggling with the weight of the bucket.

Estella placed the bucket on the floor and stood up. The bucket was filled with clean water. Estella walked over to the table and picked up the mop.

The hobbit then walked back to the bucket, picked it up and walked out of the room. Estella's arm started to hurt as she walked out to the corridor.

There were a lot of rooms to clean in the house. Estella's house contained eight rooms.

There was a library full of books that Estella had been given or brought.

A study full of old books and new ones

A kitchen that contained a cooker and table

Three bedrooms, one for her and two for her friends or visitors

A wash room which was home to a large bath and a sink

A lounge with a sofa and a few more book cases. There was a small table with candles and table mats on.

A dinning room with a large round table inside, big enough to have nine hobbits sit around.

The last room was a cellar. It had shelves stacked with food. On the floor was a chicken in a pen. He had his own bowl of food and water.

Estella had brought the chicken a few months ago. She had kept him in the cellar ready for her Yule feasts. He had grown very big and fat. Hobbits knew how to get the most out of them.

But Estella was not thinking about food at the moment. She was more worried about cleaning the house. There was a thin layer of dust on nearly every surface. But Estella was focused on getting the floor clean.

The hobbit had reached the front door. she would start from there and work her way to the different rooms. The bucket was then placed down. A droplet of water flew up and over the side of the wooden bucket.

Estella was glad to have put the heavy bucket down. The hobbit took a deep breath and surveyed the floor. The light was reflecting on the tiles. They had once reflected more light, but they were dirty.

"Well, I best get started" Estella told herself.

The mop was the dunked into the hot water. The water swirled around and was picked up by the mop. Estella then took it out of the water. A few drops splattered onto the tiles. Their colour instantly turned a darker red.

The mop was then placed on the floor and swept around the area of floor before her. The tiles started to look cleaner already. The candle light seemed to reflect brighter then normal.

Estella was not the only hobbit cleaning up the entire house. Other households were being cleaned top to bottom. There was rivalry among the hobbits. The cleaner the house, the better the hobbit family was.

This was the only time of year that they would open up their homes to other hobbits. Many meals were held at this time of year.

Sometimes, the most popular hobbits would get invited to five or six meals on each of the Yule days. The Green Dragon would hold one meal over the two days.

The whole of Hobbiton looked forward to the feasts at the Dragon. Only thirty invitations would be sent out. Rosie Cotton was in charge of sending the invitations out to the thirty lucky hobbits.

Thirty decorated cards were stacked on the table. An ink bottle and a quill were on the table near by. A small baby was held in Rosie's arms.

This was the youngest of the Gamgee children and his name was Pippin. Sam had named him after his very good friend Peregrin Took.

Pippin Gamgee had been crying since he had woken up. this had stopped Rosie from putting the finishing touches to her invitations.

Sam had been getting washed. He had gotten up later then normal. He came into the kitchen. Sam was just getting his green jacket on.

"Sam, could you take Pip for me?" Rosie asked.

Pip had started to fall asleep. Samwise smiled as he took his son and held him. The baby stirred, but didn't wake up. Rosie watched her husband walk back out of the room.

Rosie smiled and looked back at the table. There was a piece of parchment laying there. The hobbit picked it up and read the names on it. Some had been crossed off.

Rosie smiled and placed the parchment down again. The feather quill was then picked up and dabbed in the ink. Rosie then started to write a name. The quill touched the paper. The ink started to seep slowly onto the paper.

The letter "P" was made. Rosie then moved onto the next. "I" was the next letter. It took Rosie longer then normal to write out the name.

When she finished, Rosie picked the card up and looked at it. The card was made of pale pink paper. It had a border of ivy which had been drawn onto each one.

In the middle was a short message:

The Green Dragon

Would Like To Invite

To Our Yule Feast

Yule One

Five O'clock.

All that Rosie needed to do was to write the name of who she wanted to invite. Fifteen invitations had already been done. Yet, there were still forty five others to go.

Rosie took the bit of parchment and looked at it. the quill was still in her hand. She dabbed the quill back in the ink and then crossed Pimpernel's name off.

The card was then placed on a different pile. This one was smaller then the other one. Rosie picked up another from the larger pile.

It was exactly the same as the one she had picked up before. It had a space for the next name. Rosie picked up her quill yet again. She repeated the process many times.

But she was not the only one to do it. in all the house holds, the invitation cards had either been made or were in the process of being filled out.

She then came to the last name on the list. Diamond Took. Rosie couldn't remember that last time that she had seen her. It had been a week or two, she couldn't remember.

"Maybe they've gone away for Yule" she thought.

She was now had a choice to make: either to make an invite for her or to leave her out this year.

"I'll give it to her when I see her again" she told herself, putting it to one side.

Rosie and the rest of the hobbits did not know where Diamond and Pippin had gone. The two of them had left in the dead of night.

Diamond had fallen ill or unconscious, Pippin did not know which. Out of a moment of panic, he had rode Diamond to Rivendell.

It had been and long and dangerous journey for them. Especially Pippin. He had driven though the coldest nights. Snow fell around him. all that Pippin had left was the hope that his wife and best friend would be saved.

His determination paid off. Diamond recovered and Pippin now had a son. Faramir Took.

The coldness was waking Faramir up every few hours. But it was him that woke up. Everyone was now awake, Diamond was looking very tired as she ate a bit of lambas. She had just finished her first bite and was onto her second.

Pippin had finished his bread and was now unscrewing the lid to the flask he was holding. The weather around the cart was cold and grey. The wind was cold and sharp.

Pippin placed the flask to his lips and started to drink. The water was no normal water. It was Miruvor, an Elven drink. It had a sweet aroma to it. Even though it had been sitting around for a few days, Pippin noticed no difference in taste or effect.

Pippin took the flask away and took a deep breath. He looked over at his wife.

"Morning" he said.

Diamond smiled.

"Morning Pip" she said.

Pippin then picked out a bit of lambas and held it out. Diamond smiled as she took it.

"Thank you" she said, taking it.

The cart rolled on. Elladan had been driving for a few days now. Elves were not like mortal men or elves. Time did not effect them. Their appearance had changed little over their lives.

Elves could not feel tiredness like other races of Middle-earth. Coldness did not effect the elves as well. Their eyes were sharp, seeing movement even in the thickest of fog.

Elladan had a small bag with him. It was used to keep his food and his flask of Miruvor in. The elf didn't seem to show any signs of the coldness of the night before.

The clouds over head were gathering. The wind blew though the forests of trees. Weathertop was a few miles away. It marked half way between Hobbiton and Rivendell.

But this time, Pippin would not get to see Weathertop. He was in the back of the cart. A blanket had been thrown over his feet and legs.

Origo, Diamond's puppy, was waking up. The cold wind was getting to him, along with the hunger that he was now feeling.

Origo was laying on a blanket that had been put out. He had gently curled up on it. The heat from his fur made him sleepy. But now, his little eyes were opening. His head was raised from resting on his paws.

Small whimpers came from the pup. Diamond looked around and gave a small smile.

"Morning Ori" she said.

The pup then got onto all fours and shook himself all the way down his body. A large yawn came over him. His ears pointed back and his eyes closed.

Diamond, who had been watching, thought that this was extremely cute.

"You've had a nice long sleep" she said wearily.

The pup slowly walked over to her. Diamond then started to stroke his warm head. Faramir was asleep in Pippin's arms. Diamond then gently picked up Origo and placed him on her shoulder.

The pup yawned again and rested his head on her shoulder. Her left hand stroked the top of Ori's head. Pippin was smiling and looking at the two.

"I think he's got competition" Pip told her.

Diamond smiled.

"I think he does" she said, taking a quick glance down at the pup.

Origo lifted his head and licked Diamond's cheek. His cold and wet nose touched her skin.

"Oh, but Origo is cute in his own way"

The pup was then kissed on the head. Small whimpers came from Origo again and he turned to look at the basket. He then looked up as his Diamond.

"Ah, food"

She reached over and grabbed the basket with one hand. She held Ori with her free one. Diamond sat back down again and looked inside. The food was getting low. Only a few packets of bread were left. They had been wrapped in crisp green leaves.

A few leaves had nothing to cover, so they were put to one side. The others were wrapped around flat bread. Lambas bread had been packed for the journey. But now most of it had gone from the first basket. A few pouches of Elven water had been put into the basket as well.

There were a few more packs wrapped in brown paper. These were packets for Origo and they contained turkey. For he would eat nothing else but turkey.

Diamond reached down and picked an open packet from inside the wicker basket. She placed it on her lap. When she went to push the basket back, she felt Origo suddenly try to move.

"Ah, no" she said, holding him back.

Origo was now fully awake, his eyes were now concentrated on the packet of turkey before him. Diamond's hand held his mouth shut.

"Are you going to be a good puppy?" she asked.

Ori was whimpering, Diamond knew that he really wanted it.

"Ori, are you going to be a good puppy?" Diamond asked again.

Origo's eyes were darting around. Diamond took her hand slowly away. The pup whined and tried to get the turkey. Diamond then picked out a small piece of meat from the paper packet.

The puppy was whimpering even more. The hobbit picked up the meat and smiled. She held it up for Origo to eat. The pup took the turkey from her grip and instantly started to chew.

The pup instantly started to behave. Diamond watched her puppy eat. He finished the peace and whined for more. Another piece was picked out.

It took a few minutes before Origo had enough. The packet had been emptied and a second had been opened. The pup continued to eat and eat and eat.

The second packed was emptied of all turkey.

"Alright, I think that's enough for you" Diamond said as she put the empty packets into the basket.

Origo was now awake, he lay on Diamond's lap. He could see the outside world rushing by. His little eyes could see the trees getting bigger, then smaller.

The road would ever onwards. Weathertop had come and gone. The clouds were now threatening to dump a thick carpet of snow on the cart and surrounding area.

But no one was in more trouble then Merry. The coldness was deepening. His breath could be seen coming out of his mouth. His teeth were chattering.

Bree was two days away. This meant that he would have to spend another few cold nights in the open. Not for the first time Merry's mind went back to his warm home. He had left it a few days ago. The hobbit had now started to regret it.

But then, Merry would regret it even more if he didn't try to find Pippin. The trees around the path stretched on for miles around.

Deer roamed around, eating grass that had been poking out of the ground. Small herds of deer roamed around. Foxes and birds also roamed the land. Squirrels bounced from branch to branch.

Some of the jumps that they did looked very difficult. They would run along the very thin and fragile looking branches. The pounced, flew in the air and landed on the wood thirty feet away.

Yet no one was around to see them. houses were rare in the old forest. Only the road ran though. The ground was covered in rotting and decaying leaves.

Fog made it harder to see though the pillars of black trees. Figures moved though the fog. They were seen for a second, then vanished.

Merry was starting to feel hungry again. His pack had no bread in it. yet Legolas' and Gimli's did. Lambas bread was abundant in their packs.

"Legolas?" asked Merry, walking a bit faster to keep up with him.

The elf moved his head to look down at him.

"You need food" Legolas answered, giving a small smile.

"I need some…" but Merry stopped.

"How did you know?" he asked.

Merry was shocked to hear what Legolas had just said.

"The elf knows more then most" Gimli said.

Legolas then stopped in the middle of the path. His eyes quickly scanned the area.

"Alright, just a few minutes" the elf told them.

Merry was then handed the bag and opened it. Legolas walked on a bit and looked around. His eyes pierced the curtain of fog. A deer was by itself in the middle of the forest. It's ears shot up at every small noise.

Merry had opened the bag and now had a bit of lambas bread in his hand. The bag was then past back to the elf. Merry broke a piece off.

"Thank you lad" Gimli said, taking the bit of bread.

Legolas was then broken off a small bit. He took it and started to eat. Merry's feet were getting colder and colder the more he stood there.

The snow was slowly moving towards them. A cart was heading towards them as well. Merry knew that the snow would get here first. The clouds moved over head with the wind.

A few flakes started to fall, it was the first sign of things to come. Merry took a bite of his lambas and looked around. A small bit of him missed the Shire.

The hobbit took a deep breath and looked around. A few flakes landed in his hair. They started to melt, making his hair wet in places.