Ch. 4 The Prancing Pony
It was raining that day, it wasn't cheering shower, something that you might enjoy, or a horrible storm, something that makes you wonder how long your roof will hold on. No, this was very depressive rain, the kind that makes you just want to sit down, and do nothing. Or make you run for shelter if you were stuck in it.
And that is exactly what four Hobbits were doing, running for shelter.
"Frodo? What was the name of the Inn Gandalf told us to meet him at?" Asked Pippin, as soon as they had made it past the Gate and it's Keeper.
"I think it was called The Prancing Pony, or something like that." Said Frodo. "So help me look for it."
"Is that it?" Asked Merry, pointing to a sign, a bit of a ways ahead of them. The sign had a white Horse, rearing on it two back legs, underneath were the words; The Prancing Pony.
Frodo looked at it for a minute, then headed inside without a word, followed closely by Sam. The remaining Hobbits looked at each other, shrugged, and hurried inside, anxious to get out of the rain.
As soon as the entered, they were greeted by the sound many people coming from the Inn Common room. And someone in a cloak going up the creaking stairs. After shacking out some of the excess water from their curly hair. The made their to the counter, which reached just above their heads.
"Excuse me." Said Frodo, standing on the tip of his toes, trying to see over the counter. Just then the head of a bearded man appeared over the counter. He looked down, seeing the Hobbits. He then leaned over the counter to get a good look at them.
"Good evening, little masters. You may call Butterbur. " Said the man with a friendly smile. "If your seeking accommodation, we got some cozy Hobbit-sized rooms available. Mister....."
"Underhill. My name's Underhill." Said Frodo after a minute.
"Underhill, yes." Said Butterbur.
"We're friends of Gandalf the Grey. Can you tell him we've arrived?"
"Gandalf? Gandalf. Oh! Yes, I remember. Elderly chap. Big grey beard, pointy hat."
Frodo smiled.
"Not seen him for six months."
The smile vanished as soon as it came. He turned towards his friends, who huddled towards him all at once.
Sam spoke first.
"What do we do now, sir?"
-
What they ended up doing, was sitting at a Man sized table, that could have easily sat four fully grown men. Frodo, Sam, and Merry, were sitting there, nursing their half-pints and each of them thinking about what they were going to do next.
"Sam....he'll be here. He'll come."
Just then, Pippin came back with a large pint.
"What's that?" Asked Merry, looking at the huge drink in the young Hobbits hand.
"This, my friend, is a pint." Said Pippin, taking a drink from his pint.
"It comes in pints?"
The response that came from him sounded vaguely like a yes.
"I'm getting one!" Said Merry, before dashing off to get one.
"But! You've had a whole half already!" Said Sam, trying to stop his friend, but the effort was in vain, since he was already gone.
Sam noticed that Frodo was staring into his cup. He looked around and noticed a man in the corner who had his hood up, and was smoking his pipe too. He was staring at Frodo, as he had done ever since they had arrived at the Inn.
Sam nudged Frodo's elbow and pointed the man out to him.
"That fellow's done nothing but stare at you since we arrived."
Being as discreet as Hobbitly possible, he took a quick glance at the man in question. Just then, Butterbur passed by his table.
"Excuse me." Butterbur looked down and saw that it was on of the Hobbits from earlier, so he leaned down to hear him better. "That Man in the corner. Who is he?" Butterbur took a quick look in the corner, his eyes widened, and focused his attention back on Frodo.
"He's on of them Rangers. They're dangerous folk, wandering the Wilds. What his right name is, I've never heard. But around here he's known as Strider. I saw him talking with another one of them Rangers earlier, but he left for bed just before you came in." And with that he left.
"Strider." Said Frodo, who was currently fingering the ring Bilbo had left him under the table. Pretty soon, he fell into a dream-like state, not yet unconscious, and yet, not fully aware of everything around.
Baggins.
Baggins.
Baggins...
"Baggins? Sure, I know a Baggins." Frodo heard a voice say, it, sounded familiar. He looked up to see his friend, Pippin surrounded by Men at the bar. A pint in hand. Pippin looked and saw that Frodo was looking at him, so he pointed over to him. "He's over there. Frodo Baggins. He's my second cousin, once removed on his mother's side, and my third cousin, twice removed...."
At this point, Frodo, got up and tried to quickly make it over to his foolish friend. No one noticed the stranger in the corner suddenly tense up.
"Pippin!" Said Frodo, grabbing his friends shoulder.
"Steady on, Frodo." Said Pippin, trying to make sure he didn't spill his Pint. He accidentally pushing Frodo back, and making him trip on the persons boot that has behind him. He fell to the floor, his hand opening up and sending the ring into the air, the person in the corner stood a little taller at this.
On the way down, the ring somehow slipped onto Frodo's finger. The people who were looking at the falling Hobbits gasped when he suddenly disappeared. Sam looked, a shocked expression on his face, at Merry who looked at him with the same expression.
-
Frodo looked around, everything was blurry, as if someone had just passed a rag over a dusty mirror, and had only smudged the dust. He looked around frantically, just then, he heard a voice. A creepy voice.
'You cannot hide.'
It seemed as if it was coming from behind him, so he turned.
'I see you.' Said the creepy voice again.
What Frodo saw just then, he would never forget, because right there, was a flaming red eye, who's pupil was shaped like a cats.
Frodo put his hands in front of his face to try and shield himself from the heat it was giving off. He then started to crawl away.
'There is no life in the void. Only death.'
Then, Frodo remembered that the Eye only appeared when the ring fell onto his finger. So as quickly as he could, he tried to pull the ring off, but somehow it seemed to have shrunken, but after giving it only mighty tug, it came off. He looked around and saw that everything was back to normal, and that the Eye was gone as well. He closed eyes and sighed with relief. Then a hand seemed to appear out of nowhere and it roughly grabbed him and started to drag him towards the staircase.
Fin of Ch 3 -
Me: DONE! Finally! It took me quite a while to write this! I'm sorry I took so long to update, it's cause I've been pretty busy. First, I rented a video game, for 3 days, so I had to play it for most of those 3 days, and I also had family over at the same time, then I went camping for a bit!
I would Like to that the Following people:
SilverShadow3, Crecy (again, I might add, don't worry, I like it when people review more than once!) In the Depp End (again, I might add, don't worry, I like it when people review more than once!) frodofreak88 (again, I might add, don't worry, I like it when people review more than once!)
It was raining that day, it wasn't cheering shower, something that you might enjoy, or a horrible storm, something that makes you wonder how long your roof will hold on. No, this was very depressive rain, the kind that makes you just want to sit down, and do nothing. Or make you run for shelter if you were stuck in it.
And that is exactly what four Hobbits were doing, running for shelter.
"Frodo? What was the name of the Inn Gandalf told us to meet him at?" Asked Pippin, as soon as they had made it past the Gate and it's Keeper.
"I think it was called The Prancing Pony, or something like that." Said Frodo. "So help me look for it."
"Is that it?" Asked Merry, pointing to a sign, a bit of a ways ahead of them. The sign had a white Horse, rearing on it two back legs, underneath were the words; The Prancing Pony.
Frodo looked at it for a minute, then headed inside without a word, followed closely by Sam. The remaining Hobbits looked at each other, shrugged, and hurried inside, anxious to get out of the rain.
As soon as the entered, they were greeted by the sound many people coming from the Inn Common room. And someone in a cloak going up the creaking stairs. After shacking out some of the excess water from their curly hair. The made their to the counter, which reached just above their heads.
"Excuse me." Said Frodo, standing on the tip of his toes, trying to see over the counter. Just then the head of a bearded man appeared over the counter. He looked down, seeing the Hobbits. He then leaned over the counter to get a good look at them.
"Good evening, little masters. You may call Butterbur. " Said the man with a friendly smile. "If your seeking accommodation, we got some cozy Hobbit-sized rooms available. Mister....."
"Underhill. My name's Underhill." Said Frodo after a minute.
"Underhill, yes." Said Butterbur.
"We're friends of Gandalf the Grey. Can you tell him we've arrived?"
"Gandalf? Gandalf. Oh! Yes, I remember. Elderly chap. Big grey beard, pointy hat."
Frodo smiled.
"Not seen him for six months."
The smile vanished as soon as it came. He turned towards his friends, who huddled towards him all at once.
Sam spoke first.
"What do we do now, sir?"
-
What they ended up doing, was sitting at a Man sized table, that could have easily sat four fully grown men. Frodo, Sam, and Merry, were sitting there, nursing their half-pints and each of them thinking about what they were going to do next.
"Sam....he'll be here. He'll come."
Just then, Pippin came back with a large pint.
"What's that?" Asked Merry, looking at the huge drink in the young Hobbits hand.
"This, my friend, is a pint." Said Pippin, taking a drink from his pint.
"It comes in pints?"
The response that came from him sounded vaguely like a yes.
"I'm getting one!" Said Merry, before dashing off to get one.
"But! You've had a whole half already!" Said Sam, trying to stop his friend, but the effort was in vain, since he was already gone.
Sam noticed that Frodo was staring into his cup. He looked around and noticed a man in the corner who had his hood up, and was smoking his pipe too. He was staring at Frodo, as he had done ever since they had arrived at the Inn.
Sam nudged Frodo's elbow and pointed the man out to him.
"That fellow's done nothing but stare at you since we arrived."
Being as discreet as Hobbitly possible, he took a quick glance at the man in question. Just then, Butterbur passed by his table.
"Excuse me." Butterbur looked down and saw that it was on of the Hobbits from earlier, so he leaned down to hear him better. "That Man in the corner. Who is he?" Butterbur took a quick look in the corner, his eyes widened, and focused his attention back on Frodo.
"He's on of them Rangers. They're dangerous folk, wandering the Wilds. What his right name is, I've never heard. But around here he's known as Strider. I saw him talking with another one of them Rangers earlier, but he left for bed just before you came in." And with that he left.
"Strider." Said Frodo, who was currently fingering the ring Bilbo had left him under the table. Pretty soon, he fell into a dream-like state, not yet unconscious, and yet, not fully aware of everything around.
Baggins.
Baggins.
Baggins...
"Baggins? Sure, I know a Baggins." Frodo heard a voice say, it, sounded familiar. He looked up to see his friend, Pippin surrounded by Men at the bar. A pint in hand. Pippin looked and saw that Frodo was looking at him, so he pointed over to him. "He's over there. Frodo Baggins. He's my second cousin, once removed on his mother's side, and my third cousin, twice removed...."
At this point, Frodo, got up and tried to quickly make it over to his foolish friend. No one noticed the stranger in the corner suddenly tense up.
"Pippin!" Said Frodo, grabbing his friends shoulder.
"Steady on, Frodo." Said Pippin, trying to make sure he didn't spill his Pint. He accidentally pushing Frodo back, and making him trip on the persons boot that has behind him. He fell to the floor, his hand opening up and sending the ring into the air, the person in the corner stood a little taller at this.
On the way down, the ring somehow slipped onto Frodo's finger. The people who were looking at the falling Hobbits gasped when he suddenly disappeared. Sam looked, a shocked expression on his face, at Merry who looked at him with the same expression.
-
Frodo looked around, everything was blurry, as if someone had just passed a rag over a dusty mirror, and had only smudged the dust. He looked around frantically, just then, he heard a voice. A creepy voice.
'You cannot hide.'
It seemed as if it was coming from behind him, so he turned.
'I see you.' Said the creepy voice again.
What Frodo saw just then, he would never forget, because right there, was a flaming red eye, who's pupil was shaped like a cats.
Frodo put his hands in front of his face to try and shield himself from the heat it was giving off. He then started to crawl away.
'There is no life in the void. Only death.'
Then, Frodo remembered that the Eye only appeared when the ring fell onto his finger. So as quickly as he could, he tried to pull the ring off, but somehow it seemed to have shrunken, but after giving it only mighty tug, it came off. He looked around and saw that everything was back to normal, and that the Eye was gone as well. He closed eyes and sighed with relief. Then a hand seemed to appear out of nowhere and it roughly grabbed him and started to drag him towards the staircase.
Fin of Ch 3 -
Me: DONE! Finally! It took me quite a while to write this! I'm sorry I took so long to update, it's cause I've been pretty busy. First, I rented a video game, for 3 days, so I had to play it for most of those 3 days, and I also had family over at the same time, then I went camping for a bit!
I would Like to that the Following people:
SilverShadow3, Crecy (again, I might add, don't worry, I like it when people review more than once!) In the Depp End (again, I might add, don't worry, I like it when people review more than once!) frodofreak88 (again, I might add, don't worry, I like it when people review more than once!)