Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they are property of J.R.R.
Tolkien. The only characters I do own are Toralinda and Mimosa. Matilda
belongs to my friend Amael.
Tori could feel her knees shaking beneath her as she began to walk forward. Her legs gave out suddenly and she stumbled, but Merry quickly steadied her before she fell. He wrapped his arm gently around her small shoulders and supported her as they walked back to the road where the others waited atop their ponies.
"Tori!" Matti said happily as she hopped off her pony and ran to her friend. "Are you alright? What happened?"
"I'm alright." Tori replied weakly, still trembling slightly from the encounter. "Nothing really happened."
Matti took Tori's hands and looked at her sympathetically. "I'm sorry I didn't come back to help you. I came to get help, and Merry told me to stay here, and I was scared, and-"
"I know." Tori answered kindly, placing her hand on Matti's arm. "I understand."
The shirrifs were becoming impatient, and the shirrif-leader suddenly spoke up. "Alright, that's enough chatting. The Boss is waiting for you four." He motioned to Merry, Pippin, Sam, and Frodo, who each shot him a look of anger and annoyance, quickly silencing any further comments from the shirrif.
"I'm sorry." Matti whispered to Tori as she mounted her pony behind Sam. "I shouldn't have left you."
The hobbits traveled the remainder of the day, reaching Bywater at sundown. The shirrifs had given up their trek nearly three hours earlier, having been pushed as far as they could go without a rest. Merry had agreed to let them stop, and he had told them to come along in their own time.
They looked out over Hobbiton and Bywater, and were horrified at the terrible condition it was in. Most of the houses they had known were now missing or burned, and were replaced with rows of tall, narrow buildings with bare, dimly lit windows, which looked all-in-all very un-Shirelike. The avenue of trees near Pool Side was gone, and when they looked up to Bag- End, they saw an ugly brick chimney rising up and pouring out thick black smoke. The sight was disheartening, for this was Sam and Frodo's own home, and it was not until then that they realized just exactly how much they cared for it.
They nudged their ponies on, trudging slowly down the road towards the middle of the village. As they neared the Green Dragon inn, they noticed a small band of sallow-faced men in the shadows nearby, armed with heavy clubs and looking rather irritable. The hobbits crossed the square to the tavern, and the men stepped out in front of them, blocking their path onwards.
"Whoa there, where do you little folk think you are going? Inn's closed and nobody is allowed beyond this spot." The man said roughly. Tori shuddered involuntarily at the sound of his voice; it was the same ruffian that she had encountered earlier.
"I see," said Frodo softly, "But we had made an earlier arrangement with our-- friends, to meet them at this inn, and I intend to hold to that agreement."
The man's eyes narrowed slightly and he scowled, taking a step forward and raising his club. "The inn's closed, so you had best be turning back home. It's almost dusk, and you know the rules: no small folk are to be outside their homes after sundown."
"That is all good and well, but I am afraid we do not care much for these 'rules' of yours, so if you would kindly step aside, we will be on our way." Said Merry, heaving a short sigh of frustration.
"You little rats," he replied, "You're getting too uppish for your own good." He turned back to his men and spoke again. "What say we teach them a lesson, eh?"
Before the men could reply, Pippin rode forward, unsheathing his sword and casting back his cloak, revealing the sable and silver armor of Gondor. "I am a messenger of the King of Gondor," he said, "As well as his friend, and I say to you: this land does not belong to you, nor any others, and if you believe that our folk will alow you to desecrate our homes any longer, then you are a fool." He nudged his pony forward a step, causing the ruffians to recoil and drop their weapons.
"Now go!" said Pippin fiercely. "And tell this 'Sharkey' of yours that we are no longer afraid."
The men turned and fled, and as they ran, the leader took up a great horn hanging at his hip and blew a long blast before running again.
"Why do you suppose he did that?" asked Sam, riding up beside Pippin. "Do you think there's more of them?"
"Most likely," he replied, "They're probably all over the Shire."
Merry and Frodo moved up alongside the others, and they continued along the road to The Green Dragon.
"Well isn't this just a wonderful warm welcome!" said Merry. "We arrive home, and we find out that the Shire has been overrun by ruffians who seem to believe that they own this land, and they're going about scaring our people and tearing down house and tree, and putting up their own ugly buildings, apparently just for the fun of it. Girls, how long has this been going on, and how do you stand it all?"
"Well," said Mimsy, "It has been going on for a good while, since the end of last year, a bit after you left; and as for putting up with it, we don't have much choice, if we stand for our rights, they'll drag us off to the Lockholes. They've already taken a few; old Will Whitfoot, the mayor, was the first to go, and since their 'Sharkey' has arrived, things have gotten worse."
They reached the inn and dismounted their ponies, tying them to a nearby porch-post and sitting down on the steps.
"Well we'll have to show them that they can't push us around any more," said Merry, stretching his legs out in front of him.
"But how?" asked Pippin. "They'll be a might more confident when there's more of them, and I doubt that we'll be able to fight them ourselves."
"Then we'll raise the Shire! All of our people hate this, except maybe a few. They've just been waiting for someone to take charge! I'll blow the Horn of Rohan, that's sure to get them stirring!" Merry stood and walked out to the middle of the road. "Sam, you run along down to old farmer Cotton's home, and get them roused, he's the chief person around here, they're sure to listen to him, if not us."
Sam untied his pony and mounted it, steering it down the road towards the countryside. "I'm on my way!" He spurred the animal forward and cantered away from the others, and as he rode, he heard Merry blow a long note on his horn, and almost turned back, but fought the urge and pushed his pony to a gallop.
"Well this will be interesting. We'll see just who's really in charge of the Shire, and I'm thinking these ruffians will get a taste of their own medicines."
A/N Go Sam, go! Well, here we go, the next chapter is the first action scene! We'll see just how tough these ruffians are against our Hobbit Heroes! For those of you who have read the books, there's going to be an interesting twist in it that's a little different from what's already written, so keep reading!!!
Tori could feel her knees shaking beneath her as she began to walk forward. Her legs gave out suddenly and she stumbled, but Merry quickly steadied her before she fell. He wrapped his arm gently around her small shoulders and supported her as they walked back to the road where the others waited atop their ponies.
"Tori!" Matti said happily as she hopped off her pony and ran to her friend. "Are you alright? What happened?"
"I'm alright." Tori replied weakly, still trembling slightly from the encounter. "Nothing really happened."
Matti took Tori's hands and looked at her sympathetically. "I'm sorry I didn't come back to help you. I came to get help, and Merry told me to stay here, and I was scared, and-"
"I know." Tori answered kindly, placing her hand on Matti's arm. "I understand."
The shirrifs were becoming impatient, and the shirrif-leader suddenly spoke up. "Alright, that's enough chatting. The Boss is waiting for you four." He motioned to Merry, Pippin, Sam, and Frodo, who each shot him a look of anger and annoyance, quickly silencing any further comments from the shirrif.
"I'm sorry." Matti whispered to Tori as she mounted her pony behind Sam. "I shouldn't have left you."
The hobbits traveled the remainder of the day, reaching Bywater at sundown. The shirrifs had given up their trek nearly three hours earlier, having been pushed as far as they could go without a rest. Merry had agreed to let them stop, and he had told them to come along in their own time.
They looked out over Hobbiton and Bywater, and were horrified at the terrible condition it was in. Most of the houses they had known were now missing or burned, and were replaced with rows of tall, narrow buildings with bare, dimly lit windows, which looked all-in-all very un-Shirelike. The avenue of trees near Pool Side was gone, and when they looked up to Bag- End, they saw an ugly brick chimney rising up and pouring out thick black smoke. The sight was disheartening, for this was Sam and Frodo's own home, and it was not until then that they realized just exactly how much they cared for it.
They nudged their ponies on, trudging slowly down the road towards the middle of the village. As they neared the Green Dragon inn, they noticed a small band of sallow-faced men in the shadows nearby, armed with heavy clubs and looking rather irritable. The hobbits crossed the square to the tavern, and the men stepped out in front of them, blocking their path onwards.
"Whoa there, where do you little folk think you are going? Inn's closed and nobody is allowed beyond this spot." The man said roughly. Tori shuddered involuntarily at the sound of his voice; it was the same ruffian that she had encountered earlier.
"I see," said Frodo softly, "But we had made an earlier arrangement with our-- friends, to meet them at this inn, and I intend to hold to that agreement."
The man's eyes narrowed slightly and he scowled, taking a step forward and raising his club. "The inn's closed, so you had best be turning back home. It's almost dusk, and you know the rules: no small folk are to be outside their homes after sundown."
"That is all good and well, but I am afraid we do not care much for these 'rules' of yours, so if you would kindly step aside, we will be on our way." Said Merry, heaving a short sigh of frustration.
"You little rats," he replied, "You're getting too uppish for your own good." He turned back to his men and spoke again. "What say we teach them a lesson, eh?"
Before the men could reply, Pippin rode forward, unsheathing his sword and casting back his cloak, revealing the sable and silver armor of Gondor. "I am a messenger of the King of Gondor," he said, "As well as his friend, and I say to you: this land does not belong to you, nor any others, and if you believe that our folk will alow you to desecrate our homes any longer, then you are a fool." He nudged his pony forward a step, causing the ruffians to recoil and drop their weapons.
"Now go!" said Pippin fiercely. "And tell this 'Sharkey' of yours that we are no longer afraid."
The men turned and fled, and as they ran, the leader took up a great horn hanging at his hip and blew a long blast before running again.
"Why do you suppose he did that?" asked Sam, riding up beside Pippin. "Do you think there's more of them?"
"Most likely," he replied, "They're probably all over the Shire."
Merry and Frodo moved up alongside the others, and they continued along the road to The Green Dragon.
"Well isn't this just a wonderful warm welcome!" said Merry. "We arrive home, and we find out that the Shire has been overrun by ruffians who seem to believe that they own this land, and they're going about scaring our people and tearing down house and tree, and putting up their own ugly buildings, apparently just for the fun of it. Girls, how long has this been going on, and how do you stand it all?"
"Well," said Mimsy, "It has been going on for a good while, since the end of last year, a bit after you left; and as for putting up with it, we don't have much choice, if we stand for our rights, they'll drag us off to the Lockholes. They've already taken a few; old Will Whitfoot, the mayor, was the first to go, and since their 'Sharkey' has arrived, things have gotten worse."
They reached the inn and dismounted their ponies, tying them to a nearby porch-post and sitting down on the steps.
"Well we'll have to show them that they can't push us around any more," said Merry, stretching his legs out in front of him.
"But how?" asked Pippin. "They'll be a might more confident when there's more of them, and I doubt that we'll be able to fight them ourselves."
"Then we'll raise the Shire! All of our people hate this, except maybe a few. They've just been waiting for someone to take charge! I'll blow the Horn of Rohan, that's sure to get them stirring!" Merry stood and walked out to the middle of the road. "Sam, you run along down to old farmer Cotton's home, and get them roused, he's the chief person around here, they're sure to listen to him, if not us."
Sam untied his pony and mounted it, steering it down the road towards the countryside. "I'm on my way!" He spurred the animal forward and cantered away from the others, and as he rode, he heard Merry blow a long note on his horn, and almost turned back, but fought the urge and pushed his pony to a gallop.
"Well this will be interesting. We'll see just who's really in charge of the Shire, and I'm thinking these ruffians will get a taste of their own medicines."
A/N Go Sam, go! Well, here we go, the next chapter is the first action scene! We'll see just how tough these ruffians are against our Hobbit Heroes! For those of you who have read the books, there's going to be an interesting twist in it that's a little different from what's already written, so keep reading!!!