golden twilight: Wow, my very first reviewer for this fic!
MuseCelestia: If all goes according to plan, the chapters will get longer as you may be able to see by this chapter. If you think I should make them even longer, just say so and I will try.
Moonwalker: Thank you! I'm planning on updating this at least once a week. I already have a basic outline for this whole fic in my head, so it shouldn't take too long for updates.
A/N: I would also like to thank 21stcherryboy, although he did not review and most likely is not reading this, he let me know that there were some spelling and grammatical errors in earlier chapters. Without him, this chapter would probably have more spelling and grammar mistakes.
Disclaimer: I am not Tolkien, Tolkien wrote Lord of the Rings, so therefore I did not write Lord of the Rings.
Happily pulling the apron tightly around her, Elize continued shoving large amounts of bread into her mouth. When a skinny, bloody little hobbit comes into your store, you tend to panic, then try and help it. In most cases, anyway. This is exactly what happened when the woman running the bakery saw Elize. The woman let out a yelp then rushed to help Elize. She gave her bread and an apron to keep her warm, and wiped her wounds with another apron. Most of Elize's injuries were not very big, so it did not take much to stop the bleeding. It didn't matter that the apron keeping Elize warm was a human sized apron, as Elize was using it more as a blanket than an apron anyway.
"What happened?" the woman asked.
Elize gave a shortened version, told mostly with her mouth full of food as she was starving, and manners weren't the kind of thing she let get in the way of her and her food even when she wasn't starving.
"I was walking through the woods in the Shire, when a man came out and captured me. He sold me to the bar next door. He barely fed me, and after a while I tried to escape, but couldn't, so I decided to jump out the window and run away. Never having fallen from that high before, I had not realized how much it would hurt, and the pain was enough that I could barely walk, much less outrun a man, so I came here."
The woman responded, "Oh dear, I cannot keep you here. I do not know of the Shire, so I cannot take you there. I should take you far from here, though, or else that bartender will simply take you back. I shall take you to the market, and pay in advance for three days stay in a nearby inn. There are so many people in the market that I doubt if you look for three days you should have any trouble finding someone who has heard of the Shire. I cannot take you there just yet, for I must first close the shop and deal with any customers that come while I do so."
This woman then piled five loaves of bread and a skin of water into the small hobbits arms.
"You may want these, you'll have to wait in the alley so no friends of the bartender, or even the bartender himself, come by and take you back. If you run into any trouble in the alley I will most likely hear the struggle and let you in. When I am ready I will put you in a large basket covered in a blanket and carry you to an inn. The rest I have already said."
"What if someone from the Shire comes?"
"Wouldn't they be about the same size as you?
Elize answered, not thinking about Aragorn since he didn't visit that often, "Yes."
The woman smiled, saying, "I think I'd be able to figure out who they are."
Elize smiled back and responded, "I guess you're right."
The woman walked Elize to the alley door and opened it for her. Elize stepped out, sat down, and continued devouring her food before the door even had a chance to shut behind her. After a short amount of time Elize heard someone in the store and talk to the baker. She began to doze, and was sound asleep before she heard the first man leave and a second, more familiar voice enter. She didn't hear the kind but unknowing woman send the man who was once a ranger away.
Elize would not feel the darkness of sleep for long, because soon the woman came out and woke her. The plan would soon go into motion. Elize was so small the woman did not have any trouble finding a basket with more than enough room for her. The woman walked, swiftly and quietly, slipping into the night avoiding being stopped by a certain bartender. When she arrived at an inn called the Prancing Pony, she paid for three nights for Elize as well as giving Elize some coins for food and drink. After the woman left, Elize went to her room for tonight. Tomorrow she would begin her search.
Elize found that the room was quite comfortable, with plenty of room and a gigantic bed. When she thought about it, she realized that many people here might not think this room was large as she had yet to see a single hobbit in this new land she had been taken to.
Soon she was dreaming of finding a hidden road that would lead her home, where there would be a giant meal for her.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Aragorn tried tracing through the events of the night trying to figure out what had happened to Elize. Before he had been so sure he knew her whereabouts, and he was still sure she was there at the time he had decided she was there, but unfortunately, she had done her own move to escape that would only delay her return home. He suspected she had escaped the second he saw hobbit blood in front of the bar, but he inspected the building anyway. Sure enough, there was no sign that the hobbit was still there.
He looked at the hobbit blood again, and noticed that it lead in a trail toward the bakery. The bakery was still open, and when he looked at it he noticed a certain bartender leaving it, looking frustrated. This was a good sign, as it showed that he, too, was most likely failing in his search for Elize.
Aragorn doubted that she was still in the bakery at first, or else the bartender would not have left empty-handed, but then reasoned that she may still be, for as a ranger Aragorn had trained his senses much more than a bartender would. Careful to not be seen by the bartender, as it may cause a fight that would delay the search, Aragorn was careful to avoid being seen by the bartender as he entered the bakery.
When he entered, he saw a middle aged woman and asked her if she had seen a hobbit girl come into the store.
"Why, as a matter of fact I did." She responded, "I even gave her something to eat and helped her with her injuries. Apparently, she came from a place called the Shire…but I had never heard of it so I could not help her further. She left in search of it soon before another man came, you most likely saw him leave."
Aragorn looked around, there was a faint trail of hobbit blood leading to a small stool, where it stopped. The area around the stool was surrounded by bread crumbs, but he saw no sign that Elize was still there.
"Do you know what direction she headed in?"
"No, I'm afraid I don't. I wish I could have helped you more!"
"It's alright."
Aragorn left, hoping for some clue as to the direction Elize went. If only he had known that as of yet she was just in the alley behind the store he had exited.
MuseCelestia: If all goes according to plan, the chapters will get longer as you may be able to see by this chapter. If you think I should make them even longer, just say so and I will try.
Moonwalker: Thank you! I'm planning on updating this at least once a week. I already have a basic outline for this whole fic in my head, so it shouldn't take too long for updates.
A/N: I would also like to thank 21stcherryboy, although he did not review and most likely is not reading this, he let me know that there were some spelling and grammatical errors in earlier chapters. Without him, this chapter would probably have more spelling and grammar mistakes.
Disclaimer: I am not Tolkien, Tolkien wrote Lord of the Rings, so therefore I did not write Lord of the Rings.
Happily pulling the apron tightly around her, Elize continued shoving large amounts of bread into her mouth. When a skinny, bloody little hobbit comes into your store, you tend to panic, then try and help it. In most cases, anyway. This is exactly what happened when the woman running the bakery saw Elize. The woman let out a yelp then rushed to help Elize. She gave her bread and an apron to keep her warm, and wiped her wounds with another apron. Most of Elize's injuries were not very big, so it did not take much to stop the bleeding. It didn't matter that the apron keeping Elize warm was a human sized apron, as Elize was using it more as a blanket than an apron anyway.
"What happened?" the woman asked.
Elize gave a shortened version, told mostly with her mouth full of food as she was starving, and manners weren't the kind of thing she let get in the way of her and her food even when she wasn't starving.
"I was walking through the woods in the Shire, when a man came out and captured me. He sold me to the bar next door. He barely fed me, and after a while I tried to escape, but couldn't, so I decided to jump out the window and run away. Never having fallen from that high before, I had not realized how much it would hurt, and the pain was enough that I could barely walk, much less outrun a man, so I came here."
The woman responded, "Oh dear, I cannot keep you here. I do not know of the Shire, so I cannot take you there. I should take you far from here, though, or else that bartender will simply take you back. I shall take you to the market, and pay in advance for three days stay in a nearby inn. There are so many people in the market that I doubt if you look for three days you should have any trouble finding someone who has heard of the Shire. I cannot take you there just yet, for I must first close the shop and deal with any customers that come while I do so."
This woman then piled five loaves of bread and a skin of water into the small hobbits arms.
"You may want these, you'll have to wait in the alley so no friends of the bartender, or even the bartender himself, come by and take you back. If you run into any trouble in the alley I will most likely hear the struggle and let you in. When I am ready I will put you in a large basket covered in a blanket and carry you to an inn. The rest I have already said."
"What if someone from the Shire comes?"
"Wouldn't they be about the same size as you?
Elize answered, not thinking about Aragorn since he didn't visit that often, "Yes."
The woman smiled, saying, "I think I'd be able to figure out who they are."
Elize smiled back and responded, "I guess you're right."
The woman walked Elize to the alley door and opened it for her. Elize stepped out, sat down, and continued devouring her food before the door even had a chance to shut behind her. After a short amount of time Elize heard someone in the store and talk to the baker. She began to doze, and was sound asleep before she heard the first man leave and a second, more familiar voice enter. She didn't hear the kind but unknowing woman send the man who was once a ranger away.
Elize would not feel the darkness of sleep for long, because soon the woman came out and woke her. The plan would soon go into motion. Elize was so small the woman did not have any trouble finding a basket with more than enough room for her. The woman walked, swiftly and quietly, slipping into the night avoiding being stopped by a certain bartender. When she arrived at an inn called the Prancing Pony, she paid for three nights for Elize as well as giving Elize some coins for food and drink. After the woman left, Elize went to her room for tonight. Tomorrow she would begin her search.
Elize found that the room was quite comfortable, with plenty of room and a gigantic bed. When she thought about it, she realized that many people here might not think this room was large as she had yet to see a single hobbit in this new land she had been taken to.
Soon she was dreaming of finding a hidden road that would lead her home, where there would be a giant meal for her.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Aragorn tried tracing through the events of the night trying to figure out what had happened to Elize. Before he had been so sure he knew her whereabouts, and he was still sure she was there at the time he had decided she was there, but unfortunately, she had done her own move to escape that would only delay her return home. He suspected she had escaped the second he saw hobbit blood in front of the bar, but he inspected the building anyway. Sure enough, there was no sign that the hobbit was still there.
He looked at the hobbit blood again, and noticed that it lead in a trail toward the bakery. The bakery was still open, and when he looked at it he noticed a certain bartender leaving it, looking frustrated. This was a good sign, as it showed that he, too, was most likely failing in his search for Elize.
Aragorn doubted that she was still in the bakery at first, or else the bartender would not have left empty-handed, but then reasoned that she may still be, for as a ranger Aragorn had trained his senses much more than a bartender would. Careful to not be seen by the bartender, as it may cause a fight that would delay the search, Aragorn was careful to avoid being seen by the bartender as he entered the bakery.
When he entered, he saw a middle aged woman and asked her if she had seen a hobbit girl come into the store.
"Why, as a matter of fact I did." She responded, "I even gave her something to eat and helped her with her injuries. Apparently, she came from a place called the Shire…but I had never heard of it so I could not help her further. She left in search of it soon before another man came, you most likely saw him leave."
Aragorn looked around, there was a faint trail of hobbit blood leading to a small stool, where it stopped. The area around the stool was surrounded by bread crumbs, but he saw no sign that Elize was still there.
"Do you know what direction she headed in?"
"No, I'm afraid I don't. I wish I could have helped you more!"
"It's alright."
Aragorn left, hoping for some clue as to the direction Elize went. If only he had known that as of yet she was just in the alley behind the store he had exited.