This is the second chapter to my story and I hope you all like it and I
would also like to say thank you to Sarah (sarahsnape1) for all her help
with this story.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Merry and Pippin trotted along the path towards Bree. They couldn't take exactly the same route as they had last time because some things had changed. For example they couldn't take the horses on Buckle Berry Ferry because it wasn't safe so they had to follow the road. Pippin couldn't wait to get to the Prancing Pony and have another pint.
The sun was setting and there was a gentle breeze. They walked along the road talking eagerly of their first meeting of the road.
"What's the plan for tomorrow then? Merry asked.
"Well the next stop will be Weathertop if you're willing to stay there that is." Pippin teased Merry.
"Course I'm willing to stay there why shouldn't I?" Merry replied, raising his eyebrows at his companion.
"Well, I was just thinking," smirked Pippin, "you're afraid of the dark, so you might be scared!"
"I am not!" Shouted Merry, enraged.
"Anyway, we'll have to go past Rivendell and see if we can stay there!" Pippin said.
"Why might we not be able to stay at Rivendell?" Merry asked, his temper edging away slightly.
"You are so stupid Merry,"
"What?" he couldn't understand why the friendly elves that had helped them on their last journey wouldn't let them stay at Rivendell.
"Well." Pippin said slowly as though the answer was obvious, "we may not be able to stay there, all the Elves have gone, remember?"
"Oh yeah, they all went off to that place where Frodo went didn't they?" he said very pleased with himself for remembering. He looked at Pippin grinning to himself. Pippin shook his head slightly and corrected him.
"That place Merry was the Grey Havens"
"I knew that" Merry said sharply. Whilst they had been talking they hadn't noticed how dark it was getting. The sun had disappeared into the horizon and the moon and stars had come out. As they walked along Pippin stared at the glittering sky
"What do you think Frodos doing now?" Pippin asked Merry, they both missed their friend and they hadn't really had enough time to say good bye to him and wanted to know why he left. They had decided to ask Aragon if Gandalf had told them anything.
"I don't know, I wonder what it's like at Grey Havens" Merry asked who was now also looking at the stars.
"If its anything like Rivendell it must be beautiful." As Pippin finished he's sentence they heard the sound of hollow hoofs. They both looked down to the floor, they had reached Greenway Crossing and began to cross over the old wooden bridge. The sound of the river that flowed underneath was calming as it twisted and turned around rocks down to the hill and around the corner. They both encouraged the ponies over the bridge to the other side of the bridge. They decided to make up some time as it was getting very dark, they both headed off at a steady lope as they knew that they must be quite close to Bree by now.
They approached the West gate of Bree, they both dismounted their ponies and Pippin walked up to the big gate and knocked on it heavily. A man peered through the hole in the gate and looked at the two hobbits.
"Hobbits, I haven't seen your sort around here for a long time" Pippin interrupted the old man at the gate "Where here to stay at The Prancing Pony" he told the man. "Really, then you can may in" the man closed the slide and unlocked the gate.
Pippin and Merry both walked in and started their walk up hill towards the Prancing Pony. On the way they noticed a Livery and walked in they stood by the entrance and waited for someone to come and help them. A lady walked out of one of the stables and over to them.
"Can I help?" she asked the two hobbits.
"Yeah, we where just wondering if our ponies could stay here for the night?" Merry asked her.
"Yeah sure, that's fine I'll feed them and everything for you" she took the reins off Merry and lead his horse into one of the stools and came back out and closed the door. She then took Pippins pony and took it into the stall next to Merrys and started to take off the tack.
Merry and Pippin looked at each other a bit puzzled. Pippin walked upto the stool the lady was in "Is that it then, do you want any money?" he asked her.
She turned and looked at him "Just collect them in the morning, okay" she smiled warmly at Pippin and returned to untacking his pony. Pippin turned to Merry and shrugged his shoulders and walked out of the livery. Merry turned and followed him up the road and into the Prancing Pony.
Pippin marched straight upto the bar and the bar man walked over to him and said "What would you like mister?"
"Can I have two pints of beer please, and have you got any rooms available for tonight?" The bar man turned to the pump and started pulling the two pints Pippin had ordered. "I do indeed have some rooms available and I also have special hobbits sized ones." He past Merry and Pippin their pints "We'll take it thank you" Pippin said and gave the bar man the money for the pints.
He sat and stared at the pint in front of him. Merry turned and looked at him, "What are you doing?"
"It's been a long time since I had a pint Merry and so much has happened since then." Pippin lifted the pint and took several big gulps then replaced it on the table.
Merry and Pippin both sat there for a while talking then went up to their room and drifted off sleep. They still had a long journey in front of them and they need all the rest they could get.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Merry and Pippin trotted along the path towards Bree. They couldn't take exactly the same route as they had last time because some things had changed. For example they couldn't take the horses on Buckle Berry Ferry because it wasn't safe so they had to follow the road. Pippin couldn't wait to get to the Prancing Pony and have another pint.
The sun was setting and there was a gentle breeze. They walked along the road talking eagerly of their first meeting of the road.
"What's the plan for tomorrow then? Merry asked.
"Well the next stop will be Weathertop if you're willing to stay there that is." Pippin teased Merry.
"Course I'm willing to stay there why shouldn't I?" Merry replied, raising his eyebrows at his companion.
"Well, I was just thinking," smirked Pippin, "you're afraid of the dark, so you might be scared!"
"I am not!" Shouted Merry, enraged.
"Anyway, we'll have to go past Rivendell and see if we can stay there!" Pippin said.
"Why might we not be able to stay at Rivendell?" Merry asked, his temper edging away slightly.
"You are so stupid Merry,"
"What?" he couldn't understand why the friendly elves that had helped them on their last journey wouldn't let them stay at Rivendell.
"Well." Pippin said slowly as though the answer was obvious, "we may not be able to stay there, all the Elves have gone, remember?"
"Oh yeah, they all went off to that place where Frodo went didn't they?" he said very pleased with himself for remembering. He looked at Pippin grinning to himself. Pippin shook his head slightly and corrected him.
"That place Merry was the Grey Havens"
"I knew that" Merry said sharply. Whilst they had been talking they hadn't noticed how dark it was getting. The sun had disappeared into the horizon and the moon and stars had come out. As they walked along Pippin stared at the glittering sky
"What do you think Frodos doing now?" Pippin asked Merry, they both missed their friend and they hadn't really had enough time to say good bye to him and wanted to know why he left. They had decided to ask Aragon if Gandalf had told them anything.
"I don't know, I wonder what it's like at Grey Havens" Merry asked who was now also looking at the stars.
"If its anything like Rivendell it must be beautiful." As Pippin finished he's sentence they heard the sound of hollow hoofs. They both looked down to the floor, they had reached Greenway Crossing and began to cross over the old wooden bridge. The sound of the river that flowed underneath was calming as it twisted and turned around rocks down to the hill and around the corner. They both encouraged the ponies over the bridge to the other side of the bridge. They decided to make up some time as it was getting very dark, they both headed off at a steady lope as they knew that they must be quite close to Bree by now.
They approached the West gate of Bree, they both dismounted their ponies and Pippin walked up to the big gate and knocked on it heavily. A man peered through the hole in the gate and looked at the two hobbits.
"Hobbits, I haven't seen your sort around here for a long time" Pippin interrupted the old man at the gate "Where here to stay at The Prancing Pony" he told the man. "Really, then you can may in" the man closed the slide and unlocked the gate.
Pippin and Merry both walked in and started their walk up hill towards the Prancing Pony. On the way they noticed a Livery and walked in they stood by the entrance and waited for someone to come and help them. A lady walked out of one of the stables and over to them.
"Can I help?" she asked the two hobbits.
"Yeah, we where just wondering if our ponies could stay here for the night?" Merry asked her.
"Yeah sure, that's fine I'll feed them and everything for you" she took the reins off Merry and lead his horse into one of the stools and came back out and closed the door. She then took Pippins pony and took it into the stall next to Merrys and started to take off the tack.
Merry and Pippin looked at each other a bit puzzled. Pippin walked upto the stool the lady was in "Is that it then, do you want any money?" he asked her.
She turned and looked at him "Just collect them in the morning, okay" she smiled warmly at Pippin and returned to untacking his pony. Pippin turned to Merry and shrugged his shoulders and walked out of the livery. Merry turned and followed him up the road and into the Prancing Pony.
Pippin marched straight upto the bar and the bar man walked over to him and said "What would you like mister?"
"Can I have two pints of beer please, and have you got any rooms available for tonight?" The bar man turned to the pump and started pulling the two pints Pippin had ordered. "I do indeed have some rooms available and I also have special hobbits sized ones." He past Merry and Pippin their pints "We'll take it thank you" Pippin said and gave the bar man the money for the pints.
He sat and stared at the pint in front of him. Merry turned and looked at him, "What are you doing?"
"It's been a long time since I had a pint Merry and so much has happened since then." Pippin lifted the pint and took several big gulps then replaced it on the table.
Merry and Pippin both sat there for a while talking then went up to their room and drifted off sleep. They still had a long journey in front of them and they need all the rest they could get.