A/N This went very wrong, this chapter is supposed to be before Discoveries
in a rainy storm, V. sorry for the confusion. (The story must have seemed
V. strange)
After leaving Pippin to his parents, not saying anything about what had happened, Frodo and Estella decided to return to Brandy Hall and try to find out what had happened there.
'What did she mean he was not there?' Frodo sighed. Estella had been repeating the same question over and over all the way since they had left Great Smials and it prevented him from thinking.
'Estella, that's what we'll try to find out. It's only a few minutes left now.' *Thank the Valar* They decided it would be best if no one saw them, so they hid behind a few bushes and made sure they would go undetected before carefully sneaking out. They split up, with Estella going to knock the door, trying to make someone tell her what had happened at the same time as preventing people from detecting Frodo who was going to explore the surroundings and see if he could find some trace of where Merry was, or at least something that could tell them what had happened to him. Estella headed for the large front-door of Brandy Hall. She hesitated a little, swallowing before lifting her hand and knocking it three times. She felt something dripping down on her. *Great, now it's raining as well.* An old hobbit lady whom she didn't recognise opened.
'Who are you and what do you want?' Estella answered in a voice she didn't recognise, and cleared her throat to make it sound more normal, like she wasn't up to something.
'I would like to talk to Mistress Esmeralda, is that possible?' The old lady choked in her hand, then answered.
'No, I'm sorry, you can't talk to her right now. Goodbye.' She tried to close the door but Estella couldn't let her do that, so she almost screamed.
'No! I mean please, it's really cold, and I have a long way home. I need to talk to someone, please?' The lady muttered and looked at her.
'Oh well then, poor girl, the rain is pouring down now. Come in then, but stay away from Master Saradoc and Mistress Esmeralda, they have enough problems as it is.' Estella followed the lady but a look from the old hobbit made her immediately take off her wet coat. The rain had certainly started quickly, and she wondered how Frodo was doing. The old lady was already walking away. Estella ran to catch up with her.
'Look, who I really wanted to talk to was young master Meriadoc.' The lady turned her head quickly.
'He's not here. He has...disappeared. No, no I'm not supposed to talk about that.' Estella looked at her, she was really interested now.
'What? What is it? What has happened?'
'Nothing for a young lady like you to hear about. Would you like some food, you look starved?'
'No, no I'm not dropping the subject! Please, for Merry's sake, tell me.' When she received no answer she continued.
'Come on, aren't you going to do anything?!? Are you just going to sit here, doing nothing, just like everyone has done his whole life, just because you are afraid?!?' The lady turned her head, for the first time looking Estella in the eyes.
'Who are you, who thinks you know so much?' Estella's eyes narrowed, her voice becoming low and threatening.
'I know exactly what goes on between these walls. You may think this has to stay a secret, to keep the pride and reputation of Brandy Hall intact, but let me tell you I know of the stories only walls can tell, and they are certainly not fairy tales.' Estella was interrupted by someone screaming her name from outside.
'Estella!' She ran out, without even grabbing her coat. The storm was even worse now, thunders mixed with rain and it was dark, when the sky had been blue only a little while ago. She ran to the backside of the house where she found Frodo.
'What's going on?'
'Quick Estella, you have to run as quick as you can to the Smials and get some of the Tooks.'
'Frodo, what are you talking about, what are you going to do?'
'Please Estella just run! I have to find the footprints and traces before the rain destroys them.'
'Frodo! Please just tell me what's going on!' Frodo turned his gaze toward Estella, fear and worry in his eyes.
'Estella, I think something terrible has happened here.'
A/N I think this was a kind of short chapter but I really wanted it to end like this. I got a new e-mail: mistress_of_evil_cliffhangers@hotmail.com, what do you think lol? Anyway, the other day I was suffering from a severe writer's block (on MP: The Prey) and I decided to name it. Here it is: Rudolph. I named it after a small lock of hair on a friend, a lock that is very irritating since it will never stay tucked behind the ear. We named it Rudolph a long time ago, and even though she hates it she could never cut it off, since it has become very dear to us over the years...shut up sometime Natta. Bye.
After leaving Pippin to his parents, not saying anything about what had happened, Frodo and Estella decided to return to Brandy Hall and try to find out what had happened there.
'What did she mean he was not there?' Frodo sighed. Estella had been repeating the same question over and over all the way since they had left Great Smials and it prevented him from thinking.
'Estella, that's what we'll try to find out. It's only a few minutes left now.' *Thank the Valar* They decided it would be best if no one saw them, so they hid behind a few bushes and made sure they would go undetected before carefully sneaking out. They split up, with Estella going to knock the door, trying to make someone tell her what had happened at the same time as preventing people from detecting Frodo who was going to explore the surroundings and see if he could find some trace of where Merry was, or at least something that could tell them what had happened to him. Estella headed for the large front-door of Brandy Hall. She hesitated a little, swallowing before lifting her hand and knocking it three times. She felt something dripping down on her. *Great, now it's raining as well.* An old hobbit lady whom she didn't recognise opened.
'Who are you and what do you want?' Estella answered in a voice she didn't recognise, and cleared her throat to make it sound more normal, like she wasn't up to something.
'I would like to talk to Mistress Esmeralda, is that possible?' The old lady choked in her hand, then answered.
'No, I'm sorry, you can't talk to her right now. Goodbye.' She tried to close the door but Estella couldn't let her do that, so she almost screamed.
'No! I mean please, it's really cold, and I have a long way home. I need to talk to someone, please?' The lady muttered and looked at her.
'Oh well then, poor girl, the rain is pouring down now. Come in then, but stay away from Master Saradoc and Mistress Esmeralda, they have enough problems as it is.' Estella followed the lady but a look from the old hobbit made her immediately take off her wet coat. The rain had certainly started quickly, and she wondered how Frodo was doing. The old lady was already walking away. Estella ran to catch up with her.
'Look, who I really wanted to talk to was young master Meriadoc.' The lady turned her head quickly.
'He's not here. He has...disappeared. No, no I'm not supposed to talk about that.' Estella looked at her, she was really interested now.
'What? What is it? What has happened?'
'Nothing for a young lady like you to hear about. Would you like some food, you look starved?'
'No, no I'm not dropping the subject! Please, for Merry's sake, tell me.' When she received no answer she continued.
'Come on, aren't you going to do anything?!? Are you just going to sit here, doing nothing, just like everyone has done his whole life, just because you are afraid?!?' The lady turned her head, for the first time looking Estella in the eyes.
'Who are you, who thinks you know so much?' Estella's eyes narrowed, her voice becoming low and threatening.
'I know exactly what goes on between these walls. You may think this has to stay a secret, to keep the pride and reputation of Brandy Hall intact, but let me tell you I know of the stories only walls can tell, and they are certainly not fairy tales.' Estella was interrupted by someone screaming her name from outside.
'Estella!' She ran out, without even grabbing her coat. The storm was even worse now, thunders mixed with rain and it was dark, when the sky had been blue only a little while ago. She ran to the backside of the house where she found Frodo.
'What's going on?'
'Quick Estella, you have to run as quick as you can to the Smials and get some of the Tooks.'
'Frodo, what are you talking about, what are you going to do?'
'Please Estella just run! I have to find the footprints and traces before the rain destroys them.'
'Frodo! Please just tell me what's going on!' Frodo turned his gaze toward Estella, fear and worry in his eyes.
'Estella, I think something terrible has happened here.'
A/N I think this was a kind of short chapter but I really wanted it to end like this. I got a new e-mail: mistress_of_evil_cliffhangers@hotmail.com, what do you think lol? Anyway, the other day I was suffering from a severe writer's block (on MP: The Prey) and I decided to name it. Here it is: Rudolph. I named it after a small lock of hair on a friend, a lock that is very irritating since it will never stay tucked behind the ear. We named it Rudolph a long time ago, and even though she hates it she could never cut it off, since it has become very dear to us over the years...shut up sometime Natta. Bye.