Ruby's Adventure
Chapter 9
Bree. Ruby inhaled a cool breath of the musty inn air, gazing around at the seemingly huge room surrounding her. Inhabited by both Men and Hobbits, the village of Bree was a natural stopover on every hobbit's Quest. Usually, it was here that the hobbits would meet their companion - the strange and mysterious Ranger. But Ruby's companion - Huore - had already been traveling with her and her comrades for some time.
He had been most valuable - even saving Theo's life on one occasion. Ruby smiled, remembering how Theo now devoted himself to Huore. One rarely saw Huore without the young hobbit lad at his side. But then, no one ever saw Huore unless he wanted to be seen, thanks to his tracking skills. Even Daisy, regarded as an expert on the subject, had been able to learn a thing or two more than she'd admit from the shy Ranger.
But now, after much weary traveling, they had come to Bree at last. It was immortalized as being key in many Quests and Adventures, Journeys and suchlike. But most of the others had not known what their adventures would be, Ruby thought, a shadow of worry flitting across her mind. They knew where they were going - what they would find there was the question that, unanswered, echoed in the back of her mind.
They had already had their supper, and arranged to have the Hobbit-sized rooms for one night. That was all they needed, Faramir had protested. Anything that had to happen in Bree would happen then. Primrose had not been easily convinced.
Now Ruby lay awake, unable to sleep. The moon shone brilliantly through the small round windows, reflecting upon the cold water in the washbasin. Through the window Ruby gazed, staring off into space. Looking at nothing in particular, until her sharp brown eyes caught a movement outside.
Rising slowly so as not to disturb the others, Ruby crept out of her bed and tiptoed towards the door. It creaked; the noise seemed painfully loud in the silent night. Outside the air was moist and chill. Ruby shivered. But she searched for the spot where she had seen something. There - just behind an overturned wheelbarrow, probably used by the innkeeper for carting vegetables from his backyard garden. Ruby turned the corner, expecting to find nothing, perhaps a small animal or piece of washing torn of the line by the wind. But curiosity must be satisfied.
Without warning, one arrow - small, fletched with red and white feathers - whizzed past Ruby, nearly grazing her cheek. They slammed into the something behind the wheelbarrow with a damp thud. Ruby started; alarmed and shaken, she had only enough self-control to concentrate on not screaming. She whirled about to face the archers-
None other than a very cross-looking Daisy and Faramir.
"Why are you out here? And alone, as well?" Faramir demanded. "We don't know what Daisy shot. But chances are, it's not good."
Daisy just glared at Ruby. Ruby became suddenly very interested in her furry toes.
"Well, let's see what's behind that wheelbarrow." Daisy said at last. They three crept quietly around the wheelbarrow, to find an Orc. It lay on the ground, crouching in the position it had been in when Daisy fired the fatal shot. He was larger than Ruby, even sitting down, and in his hand he held a small, torn piece of parchment. Ruby, ignoring the stench of the now-dead Orc, snatched the parchment from his hand.
"Don't bother," Faramir told her, still annoyed, "Orcs only speak Black Speech. You wouldn't be able to understand it."
But the note was not written in Black Speech.
"My servant, my Forya," Ruby read aloud, "The time grows near. Send more Yrch of the Mines to these places: the posts in Breeland, in the Old Forest of the Shire, in Fornost, by the Tower Hills, the Ered Luin and the Hithgaelir. I will arrive in Khazad-dum shortly, in a matter of asta, if I am not mistaken. You will be rewarded with Nuumea Kemi if you remain faithful to me. Do not forget the coming of the Eruseenforte and the Eruseenhyarmen! Your master, Vorimalka."
A heavy silence descended on the three hobbits.
"It would seem," Faramir said at last, "That it was not written in the Black Speech after all."
"And that this, this, this problem we were sent to investigate, is much bigger than just Orcs." Ruby added.
"We must go tell Huore and the others." Daisy said.
Primrose and Theoden were annoyed at being shaken roughly into wakefulness, but the message startled them into silence. Huore mused in melancholy.
"I only know what part of the message must mean," he said at last, "the other matters I can only guess at. He is asking his servant, this Forya, to send Orcs from Moria to the places he specified. That much is clear. He also said he would come to Moria himself, in a matter of months. Then he promises his servant with Western Land, and tells him to heed the Men of the North and the Men of the South. These things pass out of my knowledge alone. To Rivendell; to Celeborn, for he may know of what this Vorimalka speaks."
"But what of Moria?" Ruby piped up. "We must go there to ambush this Vorimalka, to spy, which is what we were sent to do."
"But we can't possibly defeat Vorimalka unless we know more about him. To learn more, we need to go to Rivendell."
The argument lasted for well over an hour. Ruby was almost ready to give in to sleep, but steeled herself just for another minute, and another..
"We have made our decision." Huore said, but Ruby never heard. She was fast asleep. Huore smiled one of his rare smiles, and drew a blanket over her sleeping form. "Sleep well, Ruby Gamgee, for two long and weary journeys will face you in the morning."
Chapter 9
Bree. Ruby inhaled a cool breath of the musty inn air, gazing around at the seemingly huge room surrounding her. Inhabited by both Men and Hobbits, the village of Bree was a natural stopover on every hobbit's Quest. Usually, it was here that the hobbits would meet their companion - the strange and mysterious Ranger. But Ruby's companion - Huore - had already been traveling with her and her comrades for some time.
He had been most valuable - even saving Theo's life on one occasion. Ruby smiled, remembering how Theo now devoted himself to Huore. One rarely saw Huore without the young hobbit lad at his side. But then, no one ever saw Huore unless he wanted to be seen, thanks to his tracking skills. Even Daisy, regarded as an expert on the subject, had been able to learn a thing or two more than she'd admit from the shy Ranger.
But now, after much weary traveling, they had come to Bree at last. It was immortalized as being key in many Quests and Adventures, Journeys and suchlike. But most of the others had not known what their adventures would be, Ruby thought, a shadow of worry flitting across her mind. They knew where they were going - what they would find there was the question that, unanswered, echoed in the back of her mind.
They had already had their supper, and arranged to have the Hobbit-sized rooms for one night. That was all they needed, Faramir had protested. Anything that had to happen in Bree would happen then. Primrose had not been easily convinced.
Now Ruby lay awake, unable to sleep. The moon shone brilliantly through the small round windows, reflecting upon the cold water in the washbasin. Through the window Ruby gazed, staring off into space. Looking at nothing in particular, until her sharp brown eyes caught a movement outside.
Rising slowly so as not to disturb the others, Ruby crept out of her bed and tiptoed towards the door. It creaked; the noise seemed painfully loud in the silent night. Outside the air was moist and chill. Ruby shivered. But she searched for the spot where she had seen something. There - just behind an overturned wheelbarrow, probably used by the innkeeper for carting vegetables from his backyard garden. Ruby turned the corner, expecting to find nothing, perhaps a small animal or piece of washing torn of the line by the wind. But curiosity must be satisfied.
Without warning, one arrow - small, fletched with red and white feathers - whizzed past Ruby, nearly grazing her cheek. They slammed into the something behind the wheelbarrow with a damp thud. Ruby started; alarmed and shaken, she had only enough self-control to concentrate on not screaming. She whirled about to face the archers-
None other than a very cross-looking Daisy and Faramir.
"Why are you out here? And alone, as well?" Faramir demanded. "We don't know what Daisy shot. But chances are, it's not good."
Daisy just glared at Ruby. Ruby became suddenly very interested in her furry toes.
"Well, let's see what's behind that wheelbarrow." Daisy said at last. They three crept quietly around the wheelbarrow, to find an Orc. It lay on the ground, crouching in the position it had been in when Daisy fired the fatal shot. He was larger than Ruby, even sitting down, and in his hand he held a small, torn piece of parchment. Ruby, ignoring the stench of the now-dead Orc, snatched the parchment from his hand.
"Don't bother," Faramir told her, still annoyed, "Orcs only speak Black Speech. You wouldn't be able to understand it."
But the note was not written in Black Speech.
"My servant, my Forya," Ruby read aloud, "The time grows near. Send more Yrch of the Mines to these places: the posts in Breeland, in the Old Forest of the Shire, in Fornost, by the Tower Hills, the Ered Luin and the Hithgaelir. I will arrive in Khazad-dum shortly, in a matter of asta, if I am not mistaken. You will be rewarded with Nuumea Kemi if you remain faithful to me. Do not forget the coming of the Eruseenforte and the Eruseenhyarmen! Your master, Vorimalka."
A heavy silence descended on the three hobbits.
"It would seem," Faramir said at last, "That it was not written in the Black Speech after all."
"And that this, this, this problem we were sent to investigate, is much bigger than just Orcs." Ruby added.
"We must go tell Huore and the others." Daisy said.
Primrose and Theoden were annoyed at being shaken roughly into wakefulness, but the message startled them into silence. Huore mused in melancholy.
"I only know what part of the message must mean," he said at last, "the other matters I can only guess at. He is asking his servant, this Forya, to send Orcs from Moria to the places he specified. That much is clear. He also said he would come to Moria himself, in a matter of months. Then he promises his servant with Western Land, and tells him to heed the Men of the North and the Men of the South. These things pass out of my knowledge alone. To Rivendell; to Celeborn, for he may know of what this Vorimalka speaks."
"But what of Moria?" Ruby piped up. "We must go there to ambush this Vorimalka, to spy, which is what we were sent to do."
"But we can't possibly defeat Vorimalka unless we know more about him. To learn more, we need to go to Rivendell."
The argument lasted for well over an hour. Ruby was almost ready to give in to sleep, but steeled herself just for another minute, and another..
"We have made our decision." Huore said, but Ruby never heard. She was fast asleep. Huore smiled one of his rare smiles, and drew a blanket over her sleeping form. "Sleep well, Ruby Gamgee, for two long and weary journeys will face you in the morning."