Yule's Eve started out like any other cold day. Snow was thick on the ground. It had been its thickest it had been all year. The sun was coming up in the east, fighting back the night.
Stars vanished as the light of the sun rose. Birds rose with the ever brightening light. The sky was turning from an inky blue to a crisp, light blue.
Clouds sailed along the eternal sky. Some of the clouds were white and some were dirty grey. The shadows of the tress were laying on the ground. They were stretched along the white ground.
Their branches looked like fingers weaving in and out of one another. there were black nests perched high in the canopies. They were made from thin twigs.
In the spring and summer, the trees would be bustling with activity. Leaves and fruit grew on the countless number of branches. Creatures of all sizes and shapes roamed the land.
But, now the cold weather had set in. All of the summer creatures had gone into hiding underground or away to warmer parts.
Hobbits had also spent most of their time inside. Their fires had been raging nonstop since the first snowflake. Chimneys continued to throw black smoke into the air in every hour of the day. Logs had been brought in from the coldness outside.
There were small piles of wood stacked outside the doors of the homes. Snow covered them, but a few had been taken inside to restock the fire.
Coming out of each of the many hills of Hobbiton were brick chimneys. Smoke bellowed out like every other chimney. Windows were the only small reminder that hobbits actually lived inside the hill.
Candles had been lit on small mounted stands on the wall. The wax dripped slowly down the side, drying as they went.
A small creature fluttered past the candle, making it dance. The creature zoomed away in a zigzag path. A small green glow followed the creature.
For this creature was no ordinary animal. This was a magical fairy. Ivy was her name, her little wings beat quickly as she zoomed into the kitchen. The kitchen was warmer then the rest of the house.
A large fire was crackling in the heath. Diamond was sitting at the wooden table. Pippin had yet to surface from the large duvet. The ale that he had drunk had taken effect. His head was resting on the large pillow.
Diamond's side of the bed was empty. She had gotten up long before her husband. Breakfast was being cooked, a smell of bacon and of turkey radiated out from the kitchen.
Ivy fluttered in and stopped in mid air. She could see the small puppy near to where Diamond was sitting. A smile came over Ivy's lips as she saw the pup.
She zoomed down at stopped suddenly. Ori had lain down on the cold tiled floor. he was still very tired.
"Morning" Ivy said.
But Origo whined and curled up more. Ivy took a deep breath and looked around. Diamond was feeding her son. He was laying in her arms, giggling as Diamond weaved her hair in front of him.
A plate of bacon had been placed in front of both Diamond's and Pippin's place on the table. The hot oven was gently heating up some sliced turkey for Ori.
Ivy looked around. The legs of the table were massive compared to the small fairy. Ivy looked up. There was a sheet laying over the wooden table.
Her eyes then moved onto Diamond and the baby. Without warning, she flew up. Origo raised his head, wondering what the small fairy was doing.
Ivy stopped as she reached the height where she was in line with Diamond. But the hobbit completely ignored her. For only Origo could see the fairy. Hobbit, on the other hand, could not.
The fairy smiled and fluttered closer. Diamond picked up the spoon that was resting in the bowl. As she did so, Faramir spotted something. His eyes fell on the fairy.
On the spoon that Diamond held was a lump of mash. It consisted of oranges and apples. They had been boiled to the point of dissolving. But drained of water. The mush had now been separated into different bowls. They were large portions, for hobbits liked to eat well.
The small silver spoon was placed at Faramir's mouth. He opened and ate it, eyes keeping on the flying thing before him. He giggle a bit at it started to flutter in circles.
Ivy knew that babies could see her. But she also knew that when he grew older, she would come invisible to him like the rest of the hobbits.
Origo was now sitting up. Hunger was getting stronger and stronger by the minute. The pup gave a small whine and looked up.
But Diamond was too busy for him. She was concentrating on the other puppy. Origo whimpered sadly. He wished that it would just be him and his Diamond.
Ever since she had brought the noisy puppy home, Origo had been getting less and less attention. Diamond looked around, the smell of turkey then hit her.
"Oh, sorry pup" she said, placing the spoon into the bowl.
Diamond then got up. The chair scrapped along the tiled floor. Ivy fluttered and gently landed on the floor.
"Your not having more of that, are you?" she asked, walking over to him.
Origo looked around at her, but didn't answer. Ivy took a deep breath and shook her head.
"You'll get fat"
But the puppy wasn't listening, he plodded over and stood near his Diamond. The oven door was opened with a protected hand. A cloth had been the source of this protection.
The heat from the fire came up in her face as she bend down. The oven door was very hot indeed. Yet the bowl inside was warm.
Diamond placed it on the floor.
"There you go pup" she said stood up.
Origo wagged his tail happily as Diamond closed the door to the oven. Ivy was now flying around above the pup.
"Why do you eat that?" she asked, landing cross legged on the floor.
Her little fragile wings folded back. The fairy instantly started to play her hear. Origo chopped the warm pieces of turkey quickly. Small bits were flying out onto the floor.
A figure came in from the door behind. Pippin had finally woken. A yawn came over him. He gave a small smile as he walked towards his wife.
"Good morning" he said, pecking her on the cheek.
"Morning?" asked Diamond.
"Its ten o'clock"
Pippin took a deep breath, for once, too tired to argue. His breakfast, which consisted of cheese, a bacon sandwich and a mug of water. Diamond was trying to make her husband cut down on his drinking.
Pippin picked up the mug of what he thought was ale. Be looked inside. he could see the bottom of the mug.
"Why have I got water?" he asked, looked up at his wife.
"Because Peregrin Took and ale do not make a good match" Diamond told him.
Pippin was speechless.
"But I'm always sensible with ale" Pippin said.
Diamond gave him a look that make Pippin uneasy.
"Alright, sometimes sensible"
But the look on Diamond's face did not change one little bit.
"None of the time?" Pippin asked.
Diamond nodded slowly.
"How all the time?" Pippin asked.
"Well, you just have too much of it" Diamond told him.
"I wouldn't mind if you don't get drunk every night"
Meanwhile, Origo had gone out of the room. The small fairy zoomed after him.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
Ori stopped, looked at the small fairy, then started to walk again. Ivy watched the pup walk past.
"You know" said Ivy, swooping to the pup and stopping in his face.
"I don't think you like me much"
Origo started to growl at the fairy. She backed away a bit.
"No" she said.
"Oh no"
Origo pounced towards the fairy, Ivy's wings made her flutter away. The puppy missed her by inches as she climbed further.
Talking could be heard coming from the kitchen. Ivy looked down at the pup. He was looking right back up at her. It was then that the fairy had an idea. A small cheeky smile came across her lips.
The small green fairy suddenly dived right at the puppy. Origo snapped at Ivy but missed. Ivy flew out of the way just in time. She gained her height again quickly.
She giggled as the pup tried to catch her.
"Cant catch me" she said, swooping down again.
In the kitchen, Pippin had finished his sandwich. His thoughts were now trickling back to the events of yesterday. The medallion came back into his consciousness.
Pippin knew that he needed to make that decision soon. Diamond had gone back to feeding Faramir. Peregrin got up from his seat.
"I need to go out for a while, I'll be back at lunch" he said.
Diamond looked up.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
Pippin didn't want to tell her, but she deserved to know.
"I need to go to my father's" he answered.
Without a chance to ask any more questions, Pippin walked out of the room. Diamond continued to wonder what he was on about.
Pip walked down the corridor to his study. The cupboards were closed. But only one needed to be opened. The brass handle was cold to the touch as Pippin opened it.
The hinges creaked as the contents came into view. There were blank, folded pieces of white paper. Empty ink pots and quills. But those were not what he needed.
What he did need was something much more valuable. There was a wooden box resting on the shelf as well. Pippin slid it out and placed it carefully on the writing desk. The wood was smooth and clean.
The lid was lifted. A small box was resting inside the larger one. The smaller box was rougher then the bigger wooden one.
Pippin slowly and gently rubbed his hand over the surface of the small box. Inside, the medallion lay. Without another wasted second, the hobbit turned around and walk out of the room.
He took hold of the handle and closed the door. The hobbit took a deep breath and looked down the hall. His mind was now made up.
Pippin started to walk down the hall way. Origo suddenly bound past him. The hobbit smiled, as he watched the fluffy pup run along.
Pippin stopped at the door. His coat was handing on a brass hook. after a minute or two, he picked up the small square shaped box.
The front door opened and the coldness hit him. but that didn't matter to Pippin. His mind was now on what he was about to do.
Pearl placed the small bowl on the floor. Another small puppy stood before the bowl. This one looked similar to Origo. But this little pup was a girl. She had small brown paws, with black running up the rest of her lets. She had two little brown marks above her eyes.
"There you go pup" Pearl said, smiling.
The puppy's tail wagged as she started to eat. Pearl smiled and looked over at the table. Sitting in one of the seats was Pearls sister, Pimpernel.
Both girls looked the same and the same accent. Pearl was the older of the two. But the age gap between the sisters did not seem to be great.
"So, what are you plans for today?" Pearl asked.
Pimpernel looked up at her, she hadn't really thought of anything other then staying in.
"Well, I suppose I could clean some of the house. I mean, it is Yule tomorrow" she said.
Pearl nodded and looked around.
"Yes, the house does need a once over" Pearl agreed.
"I need to do some last minute things for tomorrow" she told Pimpernel.
Nelly nodded and yawned. Abira was finishing up her bacon. Only one piece out of seven was left. The small puppy loved her bacon very much.
Pimpernel smiled as Abira made her way towards her.
"Had a nice breakfast?" Nelly asked, picking the puppy up.
Abira whined happily as she sat on her owners lap. A little sneeze came from the pup. Her head shook, making her ears flop.
"Bless you pup" said her Pimpernel.
The coldness outside as clouds blocked out the precious rays of sunlight. The shadows of the clouds ran across the land faster then any animal could run.
Yet there was no threat of snow fall or over casting. Birds continued to sing and go about their business. In some places, the snow had started to melt. The icicles that pointed down to the earth below were now dripping water. Foot prints criss-crossed on nearly every inch of the path. Only a few small prints were snaking over the untouched snow.
These were from foxes or birds that had once been there. But they had long since gone. Flown away or gone back to their burrows.
The stalls that had normally been set up in front of the Green dragon. But today was too cold for even the most hardy hobbits. But that didn't stop some adventuring out into the cold to visit their friends or family.
Peregrin Took was now nearing his target. Butterflies had erupted in his stomach. He was shaking. Partly due to the coldness and partly due to nervous.
The door to his mother and father's house came into view. Small candles were flickering behind the pains of glass. A small gate, made of wood, had been placed between to stone walls. Normally, moss would cover the walls in a thick carpet. But today, snow was covering it. The wooden gate creaked open and Pippin walked though.
The snow continued to crunch under his feet as he walked up to the door. The hobbit raised his hand, made a fist and knocked three times.
Drips were falling to the snowy floor below. The wind blew around, though the few evergreen bushes. The door opened up, Eglantine stood there.
She smiled.
"Hello son, come in" she said, opening the door wider.
Pippin smiled and walked in. The coldness was now fighting to get in as well. But as the door closed, the heat grew stronger.
"Your father is in the study" said Eglantine.
Pippin smiled and nodded. He had placed the small box on the floor as he took off his coat. Eglantine had walked away. she reached the door of the study and opened it. Sitting at the desk was her husband. He seemed more quieter then normal.
"Paladin?" she asked.
Paladin looked around.
"Peregrin is here" she told him.
Paladin then stood up as Peregrin entered the room. Both Eglantine's and Paladin's eyes met. The woman got the message right away and turned around. Pippin walked in and the door shut.
"So?" Paladin asked.
Pippin looked down at the small box he had in his hand. The choice he made was now being broken down. The new choice was coming back and it was coming back stronger then ever. Doubt had started to wash over his confidence.
"Are you going to take the reigns?" Paladin asked.
He was looking more and more older by the day. the hair on his head was now very grey, with only a hint of the colour is used to be left.
"I…" Pippin started.
But he didn't know what to say. His father was a very well to do man, respected in these parts. But Pippin, on the other hand, was not very liked. But he knew it was going to take a lot of work to make people trust him.
"I…"
The answer was so close. His brain was ripping between the two answered.
"Peregrin?" asked his father.
Pippin's eyes were darting around the floor. but they stopped as he looked up at his father.
"Alright, I'll become Thain" he said.
The tension and the nervousness seemed to have disappeared instantly. A smile came over Paladin.
"Very well" he said.
But Paladin knew that his son would not become officially become Thain until he dies. But, until then, there was no harm in letting Pippin take the reigns for a while.
The box in Pippin's hands was now his. Not officially. But his all the same.
"I have to get back to Diamond and Faramir" Pippin said.
A confused look came over Paladin's face.
"Who is Faramir?" he asked.
It was then that it hit Pippin. He had not told anyone that Diamond had given birth.
"Well, it's Diamond"
Pippin paused for a moment.
"She gave birth to my son"
Paladin didn't know what to say. a strange realisation that he was now not only a father, but a grandfather too came to him.
"That is good news" Paladin said, though there was a sense that he didn't understand what his son had just said.
There was an awkward silence. Pippin looked down at the box.
"Here" he said, holding out the precious box.
"For you to keep safe"
Paladin smile and took it from his son. There was a moment of silence between them.
"Well, I better be heading back home" Pippin said.
He gave a smile and turned around. The door had been closed. The hinges creaked as Pippin opened it. Pippin walked out, but Paladin stayed in the room. He opened a small door and walked out.
Meanwhile, as one door opens, another one closes. Pearl stood up, broom in hand. The candles flicked and melted away as she walked back towards the kitchen. Pimpernel and Abira were sitting in the lounge. The small puppy was laying on her Pimpernel's lap.
The fire was raging in the heath, but Pimpernel was no looking at it. She was scared of it. She could not look at it. The memories were still too clear and too strong.
Her hand rubbed down the puppy's soft fur. Abira was curling up, the combination of the heat and of her Pimpernel stroking her was now getting to the small pup.
A yawn came over her. Pimpernel smile and tickled behind her ear. Abira seemed to like this as she tiled her head to the side.
The door to the lounge opened and in walked Pearl. She smiled.
"Come on, lets get started" she said, holding out the broom.
Pimpernel smiled and gently placed Abira on the couch beside her. The small puppy was now asleep and didn't mind one bit that she was not being cuddles.
Pimpernel took the broom from her sister. The two of them walked out of the room, leaving the door open. The two girls walked towards the kitchen.
On the table was a folded dusters. Pearl picked one up. Pimpernel walked over to the cabinet that had been placed next to the fire place. There were two buckets sitting one inside the other. Pimpernel picked one up and turned around.
She was going to clean the entire floor of the hole. Pimpernel knew that it would be a few hours before she would be done.
Back in the Gamgee household, Rosie was getting ready to go out. Samwise had opted to stay at home and look after the children. Rosie knew that the coldness that awaited her. Elanor walked down the corridor.
She stopped as she saw her mother getting ready to go out.
"Can I come mummy?" Elanor asked.
Rosie looked around. She gave no smile. She was not in the mood.
"Of course" she said.
Elanor picked up on her mood right away. But said nothing. Elanor got her coat on. It was smaller then her mothers, both had brass buttons running down the middle.
"Ready?" Rosie asked.
Elanor nodded. The basket was then picked up. With her free hand, she opened up the door. But there was someone already out there. He was laying on the ground in front on the house.
His feet were bare and his hair wet. There were scratches along his face and his once fine cloths had been torn. It took a few seconds to realise what was laying in front on her. But when she did, fear hit her like a wall.
"Sam!" she shouted as loud as she could.
Samwise, who had been sitting in his study, jumped. It was a sound that he had never heard. Without another second, he got up. The door to the study had been closed.
Sam swung it open as fast as he could. He could hear baby Pippin crying in the their room a few down. He half walked, half ran to the door.
As he got there, he could see Elanor looking very scared and Rosie looking pale. Between them, a small figure was laying motionless on the floor.
It was Frodo.
"My god" Sam said.
He rushed forwards and knelt down. The small boy's lips were bluer then normal. His eyes were closed and there was no sign of life. Without losing another second, he picked Frodo up.
Elanor and Rosie were both teary. But Sam knew exactly what to do.
"Come on, hang in there" Sam said.
It was then that Samwise sank into a strong bout out déjà vu. Frodo Gamgee's arms dangled as he was carried into their room. Sam opened the door.
Inside, a once sleeping Pippin was now crying in his cot. Elanor reached the door before her mother. Elanor looked a bit shaken up.
"Come on dear, please will you go to your room?" Rosie asked.
There was a strange tone to her voice. There was calmness, yes, but there was also worry and sadness mixed in. Elanor looked back. A part of wanted to know what was happening. But another didn't.
The girl was ushered away. Rosie walked into the room and shut the door. Elanor was left outside, wondering what they were doing.
There was silence in the house. The cries of Elanor's youngest brother grew quieter as Elanor walked to her room. The house had been cleaned thoroughly. All of the cobwebs had been brushed away, the floors were shiny. The leaves and twigs that had been accidently been brought in had been cleared away.
The dust that had gathered on nearly every unused surface. But they had been dusted. The flowers that had died or browned had been cut back or thrown away.
The candles had all been replaced. The ones that had been placed on the stands were taller and let off more light. There were no or few drips running down the side of the smooth candle.
Elanor closed her door. Her room was warm and light. A small round window was letting in light from outside. Yet there were still candles giving off light and a small bit of heat.
Elanor looked over at the door. She wondered what had happened to her little brother. The girl could still see the fear and horror on her mother's face.
The small girl sat on the bed in the silence. Her feet dangled off the bed. She was looking down at her feet. There were fine blonde hairs growing off of her feet.
Her feet looked too big for her. But that was normal for a hobbit. So was not wearing any shoes. For the bottom of their feet had thicker souls then was normal.
The girls eyes darted around. She smiled and got off of the bed. Beside the bed was a small table. It had different figure on it. They were all of horses. For Elanor loved horses.
A small hand picked up her more favourite one. It was a black horse. She smiled as she felt the surface. The horse had been carved from wood. The mane seemed to flow down one side of its back. Its tail had been carved in such a way that it made it look frozen in time.
The figure of the horse had seemed not to be standing still. Its legs were bent as though it was running at full speed.
Elanor walked over to the bed again. She then started to pretend that the horse was indeed running. Her mind was now fixed on the small adventure she was having with her horse.
Mountains arose, rivers flooded the land and trees grew. But it was all in her imagination. There were no large mountains or lush fields, only her bed and herself.
Lunch was now only an hour away. Pearl and Pimpernel had cleaned most of the house. Only the rooms and dining room were to be cleaned and prepared for the festivities tomorrow.
The two girls were sitting at the kitchen table. Pimpernel sat facing away from the fire for her own reasons. A large bird had been placed in the oven. Its feather's have been plucked and its bare skin had been smothered with honey and seasoning.
Two large mugs of ale had been set out for the two girls. Pimpernel now had a sleepy Abira on her lap. Pimpernel's spare hand stroked her precious puppy.
"Well" Pearl said, picking up her mug.
"Tomorrow is Yule" she said.
Yule was a special time for all hobbits. It was the time of year that hobbits went against each other. They would invite their friends and family to many meals over the two days. Some of the richer and more favoured families would have three or four meals a day.
Other hobbits would be invited to five or six. Supplies from all around the Shire had been brought in to meet their needs. Pearl and Pimpernel sat in silence as they finished off their ale.
Pearl took a deep breath. The two of them had stopped cleaning for lunch.
"I think that should be done by now" she said, getting up.
Pimpernel was a slow drinker. She liked to take her time. Abira raised her head to see what was going on. Her lazy eyes feel on Pearl.
Pearl gave a small smile. A drying towel from one of the backs of the seat. With it, she opened the door. a wave of very hot air blasted in her face. She moved back a few inches until it past.
Pearl took her hand off of the hot handle and slid the chicken put. Juices were running of in small droplets. She smiled as she placed it on the work top. The oven door was then closed. The smell of cooked chicken was stronger then ever.
Hunger was growing on both of the girls.
"Lunch should be ready soon" Pearl said as she poking the brown flesh of the cooked chicken.
Packets of vegetables had been placed out. But they were yet to be cooked. Pearl moved the chicken to one side as she started on the vegetables.
Meanwhile, Pippin was sitting in the lounge with Diamond.
"I don't know what to say" Diamond said, looking away.
Pippin had just told her the events from the past few days.
"And your going to take his place?" Diamond asked.
Faramir was held in her arms. His hair was now very fair and curly. Yet he had his mother's eyes. They were large and blue.
"Well, yes, yes I am" Pippin answered.
Diamond smiled.
"You'll make a good Thain Pippin" she said.
Pippin gave a small smile.
"I'll try my best" he said.
Origo was laying next to his Diamond. His little fluffy ears were resting on his fluffy head. His eyes were looking around. The fire that flamed in the heath reflected in them. He could hear his Diamond talking about something, he didn't know what it was about.
Ivy, the small annoying fairy, was still near. She was sitting with her back to the small pillow of the couch. Her small wings were not moving.
Her small hands were playing with her green hair. On her dress were small prints of green butterflies. She was looking quite bored.
"Come on, why are so sleepy?" she asked, suddenly getting up.
But Origo did not move. He was very sleepy indeed.
"I can get you more turkey" Ivy said.
This caught the attention of Origo. He whined and looked her way. She nodded.
"Of course I can"
The fairy fluttered away and floated in midair.
"Come on then" she said.
Origo yawned and slowly got up. he reached the end of the sofa and looked down. He didn't really like heights. There was a small faded rug laying on the ground. The small table had been placed over it. Origo took a few more seconds to look at it, then jumped.
The puppy impacted with the floor. It was not as bad as he thought it was. the small fairy zoomed up towards the door.
"Come on pup" she said.
The small puppy slowly walked after her. The door had been left a bit open. It had been left open enough so that the puppy could fit though.
Diamond watched him go from sight. A part of her wanted to know where he was going. But he seemed to able to take care of himself.
In Gondor, the city of Minas Tirith was busy. The seven levelled city was gleaming in the low sun. Towers and buildings seemed to sprout out of the ground. Every building was white. There was a massive tower at the top. The top level was for the King of Gondor.
For many years before, there had been no king sitting on the thrown. Gondor had been a broken realm for many a year. It had been leaderless and spiralling into depression. Made worse by Sauron.
But now, Sauron had been defeated. Mordor lay in ruin. The orcs that had once infected the black terrain had now all but vanished.
Mordor lay abandoned, its volcano continued to spew out molten lava. The ash and smoke could still be seen from every level of the white city.
Snow had covered most of Pelennor Fields. The two roads that crossed and meet in the middle of the field were now covered. Hundreds of city dwellers had ventured out onto the snowy plateau.
A horse man galloped past children and families on his way to a small port. The man that was mounted on the stallion was Faramir.
His hair was waving in the wind as he rode towards the port. In the distance, the man could see sails behind some of the buildings.
Snow flew up as the horse continued to gallop ever closer to the port. The snow showed signs of movement everywhere. But there movements nearer to the port.
After a few more minutes, Faramir arrived at where he wanted to be. There were many men standing around. The ships had pulled up along the docks.
Faramir dismounted his horse and looked around.
"Sir" said one man walking up to him.
"This is not good enough, I want the blocks unloaded as quickly as possible. Osgiliath will not build itself" Faramir said.
The man in front nodded and turned. Over by the ships, large square boulders were being slowly being pushed down a wooden plank. There were many men around it.
Ropes had been tied around the ends of the heavy rock. Around thirty men were pulling the boulder to the wooden planks. Other men were waiting to haul them off to the small city of Osgiliath.
Faramir looked around. His men all looked tired. But the sight of their leader made their moral heighten just a bit. Food was being handed out. Rolls of bread were being ripped in half, sending crumbs to the floor.
Most of the men were talking about the days work. Their lives had changed for the better after the defeat of Sauron.
The snow crunched under Faramir's foot as he approached the large ship. There were men walking around on the decks. Yet these were not Corsair Ships. These were normal ships.
Faramir walked up to the decks of the ship. A small plank had been placed out for him. The deck was a bit wet, the only sign of what the ship had sailed though.
The snow had been cleared away from the decks.
"Good day, Lord Faramir" said a man, walking over to him.
This was the captain of the ship. Men walked every which way around the deck. Some were carrying ropes, others were high in the maze of ropes.
"You are late" Faramir said.
The man nodded.
"I am sorry, the winds were not strong enough. My men have worked over their limits to get the ship here" the captain told him.