Faramir was looking around. He could see that the men looked very tired. Some of them were sitting down on the deck. Their eyes were drooping. The past few days had been very difficult for captain and crew. The moon above had created an unusually large tide.
Floods were rushing down stream as the tide tried to fight it going up. The wind was harsh and cold made it harder to work.
"Well, they can find rooms in the city, we need more supplies for Osgiliath as soon as the weather is better" Faramir told him.
Faramir then walked away, leaving the man to pass on the message. The man walked back down the plank onto the solid ground. There were a few building on either side of the port.
Faramir walked though the crowd. There were a few men struggling to get a stone moving again. The snow that had once fallen on the ground had now turned into a sheet of ice.
But Faramir did nothing to help. He walked towards his horse. A man was holding the reigns. Faramir hoisted himself on and took the reigns.
The men parted as the horse started to pick up speed. But Faramir did not head back to the white city. Instead, he headed for Osgiliath.
The snow was still thick on the ground. The small city of Osgiliath had been the hardest hit in the war of the ring. Buildings had suffered damage from both sides of the war. Their stone skeletons were the only remnants of a once fine city.
The river, Anduin, flowed though the town, cutting it in half. Yet there was a wooden bridge. Men were walking from one side to the other. In the distance, they would see the new arrival of stones for cutting.
The white city seemed to gleam as the sun grew brighter. Clouds were sailing across the sky in a gentle wind. Some were grey and some were white.
Others were big and threatened to shower the inhabitants of Gondor. There were many man walking around the city. Some were carrying tools for carving the blocks. Others were carrying small packs of food and flasks of water.
Echoes came from though out the city. Some were metallic others were thuds. Voices echoed around as well. Work had started a few hours ago when the sun was just coming up.
Faramir had arrived on the out skirts of the city. He slowed his horse down as he reached the first buildings of Osgiliath. Even in daylight, the city looked depressing.
There were walls and broken arches covering the city. The rubble that had once piled in the streets had now been taken away. the river that had once flooded was now running at its normal level. The snow was still thick in these parts. The horse's hooves clomped down the road as Faramir looked at each side.
Drips were coming down from broken roves. Snow had gathered inside some boarders of the buildings. Faramir could see further then normal. For there were big gaps in the walls.
Sprouting out of the ground were large domes. But they too had not escaped the scars of war. Boulders that had been launched from the opposite side of the river had crashed into them. They had either collapsed or partly collapsed. Either way, the buildings were left uninhabitable.
Three bridges crossed the torrent of water. Each had been used and broken many years ago. The men of Gondor had worked hard for many a year to fix it.
Faramir came upon a large open space near the centre of the city. It was the main square where the markets had been set up.
But now, there were lots of men. Orders were given as men dispersed around the city. Faramir got off of his horse yet again. groups of men with axes and chisels went down different roads. Some builds had to be demolished to be rebuilt.
"Good day Faramir" said one of the men.
This man had been put in charge of regenerating the city. There was a map out on a large rock. The wind blew the edges.
"My men are tired" Faramir was told.
Faramir's eyes darted around.
"They need rest from the coldness"
"Your men are ordered by the king, Irolas, there is nothing I can do" Faramir told him.
A flag fluttered in the wind. The cloth was black, yet it bore a white tree. This was the flag of Gondor. For many years, the white tree had remained silent. Fears of its death had spread around the city. But one single flower started to erupt out of the tree.
A sign of hope so desperately needed.
"These are the buildings that we are going to take down" Irolas said, looking down at the map.
Faramir looked down at the map as well. There were crosses on some of the buildings. Irolas pointed to them.
"And you can not save any more?" Faramir asked.
Irolas shook his head.
"We have tried, but their structures are too weak. It would be best if we start afresh"
Faramir nodded.
"Yet we do need more supplies" Irolas told him.
"The ships have arrived, they are bring more building material" Faramir answered.
Irolas nodded. His eyes scanned around. Men were continuing to arrive and depart. It would seem that the city was the busiest it had been in a while.
The spirits of the men were slowly, but surely, strengthening as time went by. The memories of Sauron still lingered.
"Well, I better be heading back to the white city" Faramir said.
Without another word, he walked away. Faramir mounted his horse and went off. The memories of all those years back came flooding to him.
His eyes darted around. The buildings looked exactly the same. A sudden noise came to his ears. The screech of the Nazgûl as they flew over head.
The wings of the creature were large and black. Their necks were long. Rows of teeth lined the mouth. They looked like rotting stalagmites.
The large creature swooped down on its prey.
"We cant hold them! the city is lost"
It was Faramir's old friend, Madril.
"Tell the men to break cover. We ride to Minas Tirith" Faramir said.
The same piercing screech came from over head as the Nazgûl flew. The shouts echoed around the broken city.
"Take cover!"
Faramir knew that he had to draw his men back as quickly as possible.
"Pull back! Pull back to Minas Tirith!"
Men from nearly every part of the city were now running away. Killing and being killed as they fled.
Faramir was now riding towards the edge of the city. In the distance was the one city he loved the most. Hunger was now in him as Pelennor Fields lay before him. In the distance, figures could be seen before the white walls. They were much smaller then the wall or city. Birds could be seen flying around high on the levels. They seemed to be small dot hovering over the towers. Faramir reached the edge of the city. There was nothing out in front of him. The wind started to pick up as the horse started to run faster and faster.
The field flew past faster and faster. The horse's hooves kicked up the fresh snow. The coldness in the wind started to cut into his face.
The door that lead into the city had been left open. All men were welcome into the city. It took Faramir a few minutes at full gallop to reach the gate.
As he did, people moved out of the way. Faramir continued to go up all of the levels until he got to the top. He reached the kings stables. It was there that he got off.
One of the stable boys came and took the reigns from him. Faramir took off his riding gloves as he walked up a flight of stairs.
A few minutes later, he come out into the court yard. The guards still stood there, like ever before. The white tree grew. Its bark was as white as ever. But blossom was now covering nearly every branch. Its roots dove deep into a pool of cold, clear water.
Faramir walked up a few stairs into a large hall. It was statues on either side. Black marble pillars held up the roof. A small table had been set up off centre. King Elessar was sitting at one end.
As Faramir walked towards the king. Every time he placed is foot on the floor, it echoed around the hall. A quill was being scribbled over paper.
An ink pot had been placed to the side. The king continued to write until he reached the end of his sentence.
"My lord" said Faramir, bowing.
Aragorn smiled and nodded back.
"My lord, the ships have arrived with fresh supplies. My men are working as we speak"
"Very well" Aragorn said.
But something was bothering Faramir. The memories of the battles that Faramir had been in were now coming back to him. without another word to the king, Faramir turned his back and walked away.
In the Shire, Pearl was busy cleaning again. A cloth was held in her hand as she rubbed the over the surface of window ledge. Outside, she could see snow and people moving. Lunch had come and gone, snakes were now being eaten every time that they got hungry.
Pimpernel was in her room. She was standing at the bed. A small puppy was at her feet. This was Abira. She never strayed more then a few feet from her Pimpernel.
The large duvet had been taken off of and washed, by hand, until it was clean. The hobbit had waited for it to dry. Pimpernel had to lay it over the back of some of the seats in the kitchen.
Abira was looking around. She felt a bit cold down on the floor. A draft came running though the house. The gaps in the doors let some of the bitter coldness in.
Pimpernel laid the duvet over the bed and straightened it out. The pillow was laying on the floor. Its case was folded on top of it.
Pimpernel reached down and picked up the pillow and pillowcase. Abira yawned as she waited. Nelly smiled as she looked down at her puppy.
A few chimes came from the clock. The pillow was the placed at the head of the bed.
"Come here" Pimpernel said, lifting up her very cute puppy.
Abira whined happily and rested her head on her owner.
"Come on, lets get you the rest of you bacon"
Just as they were about to go out of the room, Pearl opened the door. There was a confused look on her face. Pimpernel wondered what she was so confused about.
"What's the matter?" she asked.
Pearl took a deep breath.
"I think Pippin is back" she answered.
Pimpernel was now the confused one.
"Back?" she answered.
She, of course, knew that he had been away. She had not seen him in a while. In fact, Pimpernel could not remember the last time her younger and only brother.
"Do you think we should check up on him?" Pimpernel asked.
Pearl nodded.
"Yes" Pearl said.
A smile came over her lips.
"What do you think it'll be?" she asked.
"Boy or girl?"
Pimpernel smiled.
"Its going to be a boy" Nelly answered.
"Oh, I think it's a girl" Pearl told her sister.
They both smiled at each other.
"I'm going over there to find out, do you want to come?"
Pimpernel's smile subsided a little. The thought of going outside. The thought of all of those other hobbits that had seen what a mess she had been in.
Even now, she thought people were still talking behind her back about her.
"I don't think it's a good idea" Pimpernel said.
Pearl took a deep breath.
"Listen, it wasn't your fault. No one hates you or thinks any different of you" she told her sister.
But Pimpernel could think of one person that had seen her in a different light.
"How long are we going to be over there for?" Nelly asked.
"An hour or two hours. It's Yule tomorrow so I have to get the chickens ready tonight" Pearl told her.
Pimpernel nodded, making up her mind quickly.
"Alright, I'll come" she said.
Abira had fallen asleep on her owner. Her small eyes were closed, her little chest was rising up and down. The puppy's ears were flopped over her round fluffy head.
Pimpernel smiled.
"Maybe the baby could see Abira, I'm sure he hasn't seen a cute puppy before" Nelly said.
The puppy yawned and snuggled up even more. Pearl smiled.
"She is very adorable" Pearl said.
So, the two girls got ready. Pimpernel walked back to her room and placed the small pup on the bed. Abira gave a soft whine, but did not awake. Pimpernel slipped on her large coat and picked up her puppy again. Abira gave soft whine as her head rested on her Pimpernel.
Nelly walked out of her room. Pearl was already waiting at the door. she gave a smile to her sister.
"Ready?" she asked.
Reluctantly, Pimpernel nodded. Pearl opened the large door. It creaked as it swung open. A cold wave came over Pimpernel and her small puppy.
It was the first time that the hobbit had been outside in a while. The sun was getting lower and lower in the sky as the day drew to a close. The snow was still laying on the ground. Pimpernel looked over a white country. The snow was slowly melting. More green could be seen on the ground as the ice started to melt back into the soil. Pearl closed the door behind them. Nelly was now looking at her feet. The snow seemed not to bother her.
"Come on" Pearl said, walking past her.
Pimpernel stood there for a few more seconds before walking off. The air around her seemed cleaner and clearer then normal. The gate that kept Pearl's garden at bay was opened.
Pearl moved out of the way to let her sister though. The snow crunched under foot.
"Thank you" Pimpernel said.
Her eyes were looking around. there were few other hobbits out. Pimpernel could feel their eyes baring into her. But she had to do it. She had to get over that feeling.
The two girls continued to walk. After a minute or two, the two girls reached the door. Pearl was the one that knocked on the door.
Inside, Origo had been laying on the floor near the fire. Ivy had been sitting on the table. She looked around. her little wings gave a small flutter, but she did not lift off.
Pippin, who had been sitting in the kitchen, looked up. he wondered who could be at the door. Peregrin knew that was busy with his son. Taking a deep breath, Pippin got up from his seat. A mug of ale had been left on the table mat.
The hobbit walked out of the kitchen and down the hall. As he did, a crying Faramir met his ears. A small smile came from a few rooms down. Pippin reached the large front door and opened it. Standing in the coldness were his two sisters.
"Pearl? Pimpernel?" he asked, looking at both of them.
The door was opened wider.
"Hello, Pip" said Pearl.
There was a pause. Pippin had not seen his dear sisters in a while. He noticed how much alike they looked. They both had then same blue eyes and light brown hair.
"Please come in" Pippin said, moving out of the way.
Pearl smiled and walked in. Pimpernel slowly followed. Pippin smiled as she came nearer.
"How are you?" he asked, still not spotting what his sister was holding.
Pimpernel seemed to be more quiet then normal. Her eyes darted to him, then away. Pippin knew that her house had been burnt down.
"I'm alright" she said.
In the other room, Origo could hear the voice. The small puppy yawned as he got up from the comfortable spot on the floor and started to walk towards the door.
Ivy looked at him and fluttered after him. Origo crossed the threshold of the room and into the corridor. Down one way, he could hear his Diamond and the noisy puppy. Origo didn't like the new puppy one bit, he had more cuddles from Diamond then he did.
Down the opposite way, two new voices echoed down again. Origo then trotted off again, the fairy followed. After a few seconds, the sight of the girls came into view.
Ori stopped in the middle of the corridor. He could see Pippin and two new faces. Pearl had been talking when a small figure caught the corner of her eye. She looked down and saw Origo standing there.
Confusion rushed over her as she looked back at her sister. For a moment, she did not catch on. But after her eyes fell on Abira, she knew exactly where she had seen the puppy before.
"Pippin, why is there a puppy there?" she asked.
Peregrin looked back and smiled. He saw Origo standing there.
"That is Diamond's puppy" he said.
Pimpernel looked down at her own. The two puppies looked extremely alike.
"He looks like Abira" Pimpernel told her younger brother.
The small puppy that had been sleeping in her arms now yawned and lifted her head up. Pimpernel smiled and kissed her on the head.
"What's his name?" Pimpernel asked.
Abira yawned.
"Origo" Peregrin answered.
Nelly smiled and slowly placed her puppy on the floor. Abira whine a bit and looked back up.
"Look Abi, someone wants to meet you" she said, looking over at Ori.
Origo continued to stay there, a little bit confused at what was going on. His attention was then focused on the small puppy slowly coming his way.
The two had already met before. But the hobbits around them didn't. the two puppies faced each other. Diamond walked out of the room behind. Faramir was being cradled in her arms, he giggled.
Diamond stopped as she looked up at the three hobbits before her.
"Pearl? Pimpernel?" she asked.
The two girls smiled. Origo looked around at her.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
It had been a long time since she had seen or her from her closest friends.
"We've come to visit" Pearl said.
"We saw that your chimneys had started smoking again and knew that you were back"
Diamond knew that there was a lot to explain. Baby Faramir giggled in his mothers arms.
"Is that your baby?" Pearl asked, a big smile came over her.
The hobbit walked over to Diamond and looked down. The baby looked up at the new face.
"His name is Faramir" Diamond told her.
It was then that Pearl knew that she had been wrong. She looked around at her sister. Pimpernel gave a cheeky smile.
"I thought it was going to be a girl" Pearl told Diamond, looking a bit disappointed.
"I even knitted the baby some clothes"
Diamond smiled.
"Well, he can still wear them" Diamond told her.
"But their in pink" she said.
Diamond took a deep breath and looked down. She gave a smile.
"Look on the bright side, you're an auntie" she said.
She was right, Pearl, Pimpernel and Vinnie were now all aunties.
For a moment, there was silence.
"Well, lets go into the lounge and I'll get some tea" Diamond said.
Pearl smiled and followed Diamond. Pimpernel and Pippin did the same. The house was nice and warm. The fires were raging in the heath, sending out light and heat. The kitchen had been tided as best as Diamond could get it.
There were no mugs on the table, save for a small plate of fresh cookies. On the floor, there were small logs for the fire.
Candles were burning on their stands on the wall. Save for two. One broken by Merry and the other by Ivy. Yet Diamond only knew about how one of the two candle stands broke.
The second just seemed to have fallen off of the wall by itself. They had now been thrown away, yet to be replaced.
"Sorry about the mess, we have only been home a day or two" Diamond said.
"Don't worry Diamond" Pearl said, pulling out one of the seats.
In the hall way, Origo and Abira were looking at each other.
"Do you remember me?" Abira whined.
Origo tilted his head, he knew that Abira would meet him here. The puppy nodded. Ivy was beating her small wings and looking between the two of them.
"Wait a minute" Ivy said, making the two puppies look at her.
"You know her?" Ivy asked.
Origo nodded. A yawn came over Abira as she stood there. Her little eyes were looking around this strange house. Everything was new to her.
The sounds of her owner and the others from the kitchen echoed around them. Origo moved closed and sniffed Abira. Ori gently tugged at her ear.
Abira wriggled out.
"I'm too sleepy to play Ori" she told him.
Origo shook his head and looked around. Ivy was looking around as well. The puppy looked up at her. It was then that he pounced at her.
This took Ivy by surprise as she fluttered out of the way just in time. Origo landed back on his four fluffy paws.
"Ori!" Ivy said angrily.
But the puppy had other plans on his mind. He wanted to get the fairy. He jumped again. It was then that Ivy knew his plans.
"Oh no you don't!" she said.
"I am not going to be caught by you"
Ivy suddenly fluttered off. For a moment, Origo didn't run. When Ivy was a few meters away, he started leaping after her.
Meanwhile, Abira yawned as she watched Origo run off. She felt a bit unloved at the moment. The puppy slowly walked down the large corridor. She hung her head. Her little paws softly hit the cold tiled floor.
The talking of the hobbits grew louder and louder. The kitchen door had been left open. There were now four hobbits sitting at the table. All of them, apart from Diamond, had a mug of ale. Diamond was the only one with a hot mug of tea.
"And then we stopped at Bree" Pippin said as he picked up his mug.
The memory of the coldness came back to him.
"What happened?" Pearl asked.
"Well, we arrived and, of course, I was driving the cart. We pulled up to the Prancing Pony, the inn there. Dolly and I helped Diamond into the inn"
Pearl raised her mug and took a sip.
"The bar man that was in charge did not let us in. He knew that Diamond was in the state she was in. But he did nothing. So, we had go back outside. Snow was falling as we made our way back to the cart"
"Didn't you have any information why?" Pearl asked.
Abira had come back into the room. Pimpernel looked down and picking her up. The puppy was then placed on her lap.
"No, we didn't" Pippin said.
But Pippin thought he knew why they were not allowed in. It had been due to his last visit there. Pippin remembered the event like it was yesterday.
Frodo Baggins slipped and fell. His back landed hard on the dirty floor. The Ring flew into the air. It spun, almost in slow motion. Gravity then gripped it and started to pull it back towards earth.
The next second, Frodo was gone. Gone from view, invisible. Frodo seemed to have just vanished from sight.
Talk erupted at once.
"Witch craft" some said.
Others were too drunk to notice. A black cat sat upon a table. He eyes followed the scared looking hobbit. The cat was the only one who could see Frodo.
After a minute or two, the hobbit came back into view again. he was now sitting under an empty table. His back rested on the table leg.
The next second, Frodo was dragged away.
"You draw far too much attention to yourself, Mr Underhill"
Frodo was then shadowed upstairs. One of the door to the rooms was opened and Frodo thrown in. The large man was very intimidating.
But things had changed since then. Strider, as he was known back then, had become King of Gondor. Frodo had gone beyond the horizon with Gandalf and Bilbo. Elves were also present on the small sail boat.
"Then what happened?" asked Pearl, snapping Pippin back into reality.
Pippin looked up.
"Well, me and Dolly got Diamond back into the cart. It was then that I had an idea. Neither of us would get to Rivendell on what he had brought from home"
It was the first time that Diamond had heard what had happened on their journey. For she had not been conscious when this had happened.
"So, I got off of the cart again"
There was an anticipating silence in the room. Abira had now fallen asleep again on her owner's lap. Faramir was yawning in his mother's arms.
"I walked back to the prancing pony, but I didn't go in. Instead, I went around the back. There was an open door at the back. There were empty barrels lined along one wall. The kitchens were just…"
But Pippin was interrupted.
"Pippin, you didn't steal the bread did you?" Diamond asked.
Pippin gave a small embarrassed smile came over him.
"Yes, I did it because I was trying to get to Rivendell for you" Pippin said.
Diamond took a deep breath and looked down. She did not approve of the story one bit. But Pearl wanted to know what else happened.
Origo slowly came into the room. He was getting a bit tired and hungry now. Pippin was still explaining what was happening. Diamond picked up her tea with one hand as Origo rounded the table.
His Diamond looked down at him and smiled.
"And that's how we reached Rivendell" he told them.
The clock chimed on the wall. Four hours had past since midday. The sun outside was now setting in the sky, getting lower and lower. The level of light followed it.
Yet birds continued to fly and sing. They seemed not to have concept of time. the coldness too did not effect them. the clouds over head grew greyer and greyer as the sun went down.
Excitement continued to rise as the midnight hour drew near. Excitement for all families, but one. The Gamgee household was quiet. There was hardly a lot of movement or talking.
Emotions were running high. But Rosie seemed to keep it away from her other children. The sound of cooking bacon filled the surrounding around.
The kitchen seemed to be a calm hive of activity. Merry, Elanor and Rose were sitting in their seats. Elanor, being the oldest child, had a vague idea of what was happening.
Behind a closed door, Samwise Gamgee was sitting on a wooden chair. There was a small bowl of warm water was resting on the bed in front on him. A small flannel had been placed over Frodo's forehead. A small bead of water ran down the side of Frodo's face. Samwise was very worried for his oldest son. The door to their room slowly opened.
It was Rosie.
She smiled as she walked in and shut the door. In her hand was a plate with lots of sandwiches piled up. the door clicked shut.
"Here you go" Rosie said, handing the plate to him.
But Sam did not take it. He wasn't in the mood for eating at the moment. He placed the flannel in the bowl of water. It soaked up some more, but Sam ringed it out. The water dripped back into the small bowl that was resting on the bed.
Rosie placed it down on the edge of the bed and looked at her son. He looked more pale then normal. Yet his lips were back to the reddish colour.
"How is he?" she asked, looking at her son.
Sam gave a small and quick glance back. He didn't want to look at his wife. Sam was too angry with himself. The flannel was continually dabbed on Frodo's forehead.
Rosie took a deep breath. She knew that she wasn't needed.
"I'll bring in your ale in a minute" Rosie said, walked to the door.
But Sam seemed to ignore her. The events of the past few days seemed to have hit Samwise harder then it did Rosie.
The door creaked open, the light from outside poured in. the door closed a few seconds later, shutting out most of the light.
Only a few candles were lit in the room. The mood made it seem even darker. The candles seemed to be standing to attention as though daring to movie. The level of light coming in from the window seemed to become less and less obvious.
The candles were now taking over as main source of light. The colours of the room started to darkness. Yet a small circle of light rested upon some of the fittings of the room.
A small table lay under the window. A vase of flowers was sitting on top. Other objects could be seen, much smaller then the clear glass vase.
A small flute lay near one end of the table. It was made of wood. The flute had several small holes dotted along down the middle. A small split had been made at one end. This was to blow air down.
The flute had been made by the elves a few years ago for Bilbo's one hundred and eleventh birthday. Samwise had now given it to his eldest son due to it not being used by himself.
The sound that came out of it was more elegant then any mortal made instrument. The sound was crisp and clear. Each note seemed to blend into one another. Yet it had not played a note in quite some time. Frodo was growing older and losing interest in it.
Beside the flute was a cold, unlit candle. Yet there were small hints that it had been lit in the past. The top of the wick was black and brittle. There was a few solid drips running down the outside of the once smooth surface.
The sound of trickling water filled the room again. Sam had placed the flannel in for more water. There seemed no sign of Frodo waking up.
Sam took a deep breath and looked towards the window. Night was now full upon the land. Everyone had decided to stay in the warm tonight.
Not only due to the coldness, but due to it being only a few hours to Yule. Chickens were being killed in every household. A late night and early morning were in order for mothers and fathers.
A door closed to the night. Pearl and Pimpernel were now heading back outside in the coldness. Pimpernel liked it better going back. There were few or no hobbits on the small roads and paths.
The snow crunch under foot as they made their way home. Abira was still snoozing. Yet, at the same time, she was shivering. A few snowflakes fell on her fluffy fur. Her small brown eyes were closed.
Pearl and Nelly arrived at the home. The door was opened and the two sisters walked in. The inside of the house was much warmer then outside. Pimpernel smiled as the door closed.
"I'm just going to put her on my bed" Nelly told her sister.
Pearl, who had been taking off her coat, look around and smiled. Pimpernel had not had the chance to take off her coat.
The small puppy was carried though to Pimpernel's room. Abira was slowly and gently placed one of the big pillows. She whined as Pimpernel placed her on the pillow. But the small puppy did not wake.
Pimpernel smiled as she stood there for a few more seconds before going out of the room. The room had a few candles burning on their mounted stands.
The door clicked shut as Pimpernel went out of the room. She smiled as she walked down the corridor. She could see the flickering candles on either side. The girl tried her hardest to ignore them. They flickered evilly as she walked past.
"Just keep calm" Pimpernel told herself.
The kitchen door was just a few meters down the corridor. Inside the room, sounds were echoing out. Pearl's spirits were high as she placed not one chicken on the work top, but four.
Each one needed to be clean and prepared. Cooking them would come tomorrow. One would be started in the morning, ready for lunch and the first meal of the day. One more meal was planned after. Then both Pimpernel and Pearl would go down to the Green Dragon for their first ever Yule meal there.
Pimpernel entered the room and quickly shut the door. Her sister looked around at her. Pimpernel stood with her back to the wooden door.
"Nelly?" asked Pearl.
Pearl seemed to know something was wrong with her sister. Pimpernel looked over at her. Deep in her blue eyes, Pearl could see flashes of fire. the girl took a deep breath.
"Nelly, are you alright?"
Pimpernel looked lost. She didn't like what had happened to her. But there was no one to talk to. Everyone else thought that she was strong and happy now.
But that was exactly the opposite.
She didn't feel stronger or happier. Pimpernel had kept her emotions and feeling bottled up. Pearl, who had been standing in front of the four large chickens, walked over to her older sister.
Pearl had a white apron on, there was a large pile of feathers next to the half plucked bird. Pimpernel and her sister looked into each others eyes.
Both girls had very blue eyes, just like their mothers. Both had similar features. Their long light brown hair had similarities to their youngest and only brother Pippin.
"I'm…"
But Pimpernel could not say. She wanted to say she was alright, but deep down, she knew that she would never be alright.
"I'll be…"
Words were harder to get out now. Pearl could see the fire in the heath reflected in her sisters eyes.
"Do you want to help me?" Pearl asked.
A warm smile came over her. Pimpernel took a deep breath and looked down. She didn't know what to do. Nelly then looked up at her sister.
"What do you want me to do?" she asked.
In households all across Hobbiton, chickens were being killed and plucked. Yet they were not cooked. The cooking would come the next day.
As the hours past, night took a hold on the lands below it. Birds had retreated to their nests high in the surrounding trees. Their songs had been sung for the day. Yet one or two continued to sing.
The time continued to tick over. Hours past, the wind blew heavier and heavier. The clouds above were scattered around the sky, yet each going in the same direction.
The stars were being blocked out as the large clouds sailed by. The stars twinkled. They seemed to be stuck in one place. Thousands of years before and thousands of years into the future, the stars will remain in the same place.
Small dots of light spread around Hobbiton. They were due to the small windows letting out light. Clocks all over Hobbiton were chiming.
It was only four hours until the midnight hour came upon the small village. The silhouette of building could be seen looming out of the darkness.
This building was not connected to a hill. Instead, it stood alone. Normally, there was a small market place in front of it. A large round door led into the building.
This was the main water hole for hobbits that lived around. Normally, it would be busy at this time of night. But there were few lights lit. yet there was a small bit of movement.
Rosie Gamgee would normally be the hobbit sorting the food and drink. But she had taken a break from working there for a month or two.
In the large cellar, echoes ran though the air. A hobbit walked towards the door. It had been left ajar so that she could go in and out quicker.
Gripped in each hand was a large chicken. Its feathers had already been plucked and thrown away. The hobbit walked up the stairs to the kitchens.
The kitchen was bigger then normal. There were many cookers situated around large room. But there none of them were on. The chickens were laid down on the work top, the paper that they had been wrapped in crumpled.
The hobbit then walked out again. Pans were hanging from hooks. There were many draws and cupboards. Food was a main priority of hobbits everywhere. It was unusual to see a skinny hobbit.
Meals were large and rich, especially on special occasions. Lots of food would be severed.
Roast chickens were the main attraction at any meal. The bigger, the better. But food was not the only priority at meals.
Ale and beer flowed in torrents. Pint after pint could be drunk. It took quite a lot to get a hobbit drunk. For a few weeks after any event, ale would be in short supply.
The hobbit made a few more trips to get the last of the chickens. There were ten in all. One for each table. The hobbit smiled as she walked out again. A yawn came over her. She knew that she had an early morning. Extremely early for she had to let the dwarves in.
The door to the cellar was closed and the candles blown out. a small bit of silver smoke snaked its way into the air. The fire in the heath was now burning in red hot ashes. The hobbit walked to the large front door and opened it. A freezing blast of air hit her.
The snow outside still lay on the ground as the girl walked out. The door was closed again. The sound of wind met her ears as she took a deep breath. She then started up the hill again. Wind and crunching snow met her ears as she walked away from the Green Dragon.