[Edit (28th of August) : Ch. 21 should be out either monday morning or, at the very latest, monday evening. Thanks so much for your patience ;)

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III III III

„I must have been knocked out and now be lying in peaceful slumber," said Peregrin Took. "Or I am awake and hallucinating. I thought you were in Ithilien!"

"You seem wide awake to me, and in your right senses, as far as I can tell," Legolas replied. "I have seen you in better shape however, if I may say so."

"You may," said the Halfling – for as such Anne had identified him in the meantime (there really was not much room for doubt). "Since you would say whatever you like anyways, no matter what I think of it. Mind you, I suppose you have a point." He woefully looked down at his ruined garments. "This coat was brand-new! And those scoundrels were able to flee!"

"That may turn out to be the least of your worries, Pippin," said Legolas, scrutinizing the waggon, which was laden with boxes, little barrels and a small pile of bright orange pumpkins. "It appears that your pony has fled as well."

"Ha!" said Pippin. "Then it must be a marvellous beast indeed, if it was able to unbuckle its own harness. I should have paid a lot more for it! No, those ruffians must have taken it with them. Well, that's that. I'm sorry that I won't see how they fare with it; that animal was lazier than the fattest and most sluggish Hobbit one can imagine, and more stiff-necked than a Dwarf – or an Elf for that matter, depending on the point of view."

"It appears that you have recovered from your shock quite magnificently ," said Legolas with a slight frown. "Now, may I ask – Were you really so foolish as to travel on your own?"

"I'm glad that you seem to have so much trust in me and my ability to fend for myself. But if you must know – I had my son Faramir with me."

"What! And where is he now? Unless he is hidden in one of these barrels, which, I am afraid, is beyond the skill of even a Hobbit."

"Where do you think he is," said Pippin, while brushing off his clothes as best as he could. "Still in Rivendell of course. He is going to stay there for six months – then a group of wardens and scouts will take him back to the shire on their way to the havens."

„Now, that is a relief to hear," the Elf sighed. "As for my trust in you and your abilities – I love you dearly, and probably think more highly of you than you will ever realise, but to journey alone in these times was reckless nonetheless. So you were in Rivendell? Elrohir mentioned nothing of it."

"Well, that would be because he doesn't know about it," answered Pippin. "He was not there during our stay, and I think he had already left when we arrived – that was about a month ago. But there will be time to chat later – how shall I get my cart out of the ditch - not to mention back home with no pony?"

"That will be manageable," said Legolas. "We tie a rope to the rear axle and have one of the horses pull it out of there. If the three of us - or at least two - push from the other side, it should not be too difficult. Once it is back on the road, we can harness Peg to it. We cannot go further with you than Bree, but there, you will surely be able to get another pony."

"'We'?" echoed Pippin, looking puzzled. He then turned his head to the side, following the Elf's eyes, and finally spotted Anne. For a moment he stared at her, with his mouth open. Anne almost laughed – his look of surprise was so comical.

"Good heavens!" Pippin said at length.

This time, Anne really did laugh, but she also quickly slid off Dûrfang's back and attempted a courtesy – although this was rather to get on eyelevel with the Hobbit; he was about four feet tall.

"Well met, Master … Peregrin Took. My name is Anne."

The Hobbit laughed. It probably was a good thing he had not seen her staring at him before.

"Well met, Lady Anne. You must think me terribly rude! Between them bush robbers and being rescued by old friends, I have indeed overlooked you up there."

"Oh no, not at all, please don't worry about it," Anne hastened to assure him.

"At least you admit that you had to be rescued."

"No, I don't. I admit you rescued me, but I still think I might have got back the upper hand, if you had not arrived in time to act all lordly and heroic. I was caught by surprise - that was all. I had my weapon close at hand all the while." He indicated a small sword – about the size of a long dagger – that hung at his belt in a beautifully wrought sheath.

"Maybe," said Legolas, looking doubtful. "But whatever may or may not have happened – now we had better get to work. As you said, there will be time for chatting later."

It was a bit more difficult than they had thought. The front wheels of the small waggon were stuck deep in the mud, and Pippin insisted on helping Legolas push the vehicle from the other side, while Anne led Dûrfang by the reins. Anne found his gallantry very endearing – but at the same time she had a feeling that they would have been a lot faster, had he not been quite so stubborn. Dûrfang was not used to being roped to something large and heavy - let alone pulling it - and apparently did not like this new challenge very much: He kept prancing on the spot instead of walking forward, and twice nearly trod on Anne's foot.

In the end, Legolas and Anne had to switch places, and only then the horse deigned to obey. Finally the waggon was on the road again. Anne went to fetch Peg, who, after they had ridden off, had followed Dûrfang at a more leisure pace, and until now had been grazing at the side of the road. With Pippin's help they harnessed the smaller horse to the waggon; this went much smoother then everything else. The piebald seemed to know what was expected from him, and behaved so well that Anne was in fact quite proud.

Half an hour later, she was sat next to Pippin in the driving-seat, while Legolas was back on Dûrfang's back and riding alongside them. The situation felt a bit odd for a while, since she was strangely reminded of her departure from Carrockton - but really not for very long. The Hobbit turned out to be as brilliant a distraction from unbidden thoughts as one could wish for.

"… and of course he had been told that the town hall roof needed fixing for months, but Will Whitfoot has never been one to listens to anyone sensible. So, unsurprising for everybody, the whole thing collapsed while that fat old Hobbit was in there … he was buried in debris, covered in chalk powder - and so he came out, puffing and swearing, looking like a giant floured dumpling – you should have seen it!"

"I almost feel like I have," said Anne, snickering.

"Yes, so do I," Legolas chimed in. "I also feel like I have heard that story before … or otherwise Hobbit-anecdotes do not vary very much."

Pippin opened his mouth to protest – but Anne was quicker.

"Oh, be quiet, if you only want to mock," she laughed. "I haven't had this much fun since … well, for a very long time at any rate."

Legolas raised an eyebrow at her, but Pippin burst out laughing. "Well, Legolas – it would seem that here we have found someone to match Elves as far as loose tongues go. Thank you, Lady Anne."

"You are quite welcome," said Anne with a grin. "But please call me Anne. I don't know, but somehow 'Lady Anne' sounds like I am about sixty."

"Well, then I insist that you call me Pippin, and drop all the 'Master Peregrin Took'-nonsense. And what, by the way, is so bad about being sixty? I'll have you know that I turned sixty-six this year!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

Anne gazed at him incredulously. "I would never have guessed!"

"Well, for a Hobbit I am still in my best years, if I may say so myself. One of my ancestors, Gerantius Took, reached a hundred and thirty, and old Bilbo Baggins …"

"'Someone to match Hobbits as far as loose tongues go', may perhaps be closer to the truth, after all," the voice of Legolas could be heard. "So as long as I am still permitted to speak, tell some actual news from the shire, Pippin. How are Sam and Merry?"

"I'm flattered that you should ask, seeing of how little importance our matters and goings-on usually are to you big folk," said Pippin cheerfully. "Sam and Merry are both quite well. Sam was elected mayor for the fifth time in a row, and Merry spends much time in our new library – he is still occupied with his 'Herblore of the Shire'. Oh, and his son – Éodred - came of age last summer. He is visiting Sam's daughter Elanor and her husband Fastred in Undertowers at the moment, I think. You may not have heard, but the Westmarch is officially part of the shire, now – thanks to Aragorn, of course. I appointed Fastred warden of that region, and he and Elanor moved there at the end of last year."

"Ah, the young Lady Elanor," said the Elf with a smile that once again caused Anne to do a double take. "How is she?"

"Oh, that's right, you met her during that year they spent in Gondor. She will be happy to hear that you remembered her."

"How could I not remember her? She informed me that my ears were lopsided."

"What!" spluttered Pippin, while Anne started to laugh.

"In a very regretful tone, that much shall be said. And she did praise the rest of my appearance in the same breath."

"Ah, well - she can be a bit … cheeky, there is no denying that, I'm afraid," said Pippin, frowning slightly. "Sam spoiled her quite a bit, if you ask me. She has been married for almost five years now, but that certain habit of hers hasn't changed much, from what I hear."

"That would be a great pity," answered Legolas. She very much reminded me of a certain other young Hobbit who spoke with equal cheek to his elders and betters …"

"I daresay I have no idea what you are talking about."

"I recall him once saying something to me about Elves sleeping on perches like birds."

"Aah, now you are misrepresenting the facts, Legolas, and you know it," Pippin said matter-of-factly. "All I said was that I could not sleep on a perch."

"As opposed to the habit of Elves."

"I see, you are just as touchy as you ever were," the Hobbit said over Anne's suppressed giggling. "And also, as I recall, your retort back then was that I should 'dig a hole in the ground, if that was more after the fashion of my kind'. Yes, don't deny it - I remember it rather clearly. But that only proves my point: You Elvish folk are always quite ready to dish out, but not so much if it comes to taking it."

Legolas laughed softly. "So, whom did you discuss that with?"

"Lindir, back in Rivendell. I have rarely met such a stiff-necked fellow."

"Perhaps you should have introduced him to your pony?" Anne suggested.

"I did. He was not amused. Oh, and Legolas - don't think that your little remark on barrels escaped my notice … I heard that story from dear old Bilbo more often than I can count. And if you did remember it correctly, you should know that it was not the Hobbit hidden in the barrel, but the Dwarves."

"Very much to my father's chagrin, yes," answered the Elf.

Anne looked questioningly from one to the other. "What story? Dwarves hidden in barrels?"

"Oh, it is one of the big stories – and a true one, mark you." Pippin said at once. "One of the greatest adventures in Hobbit-lore, and that is saying something. It was almost a hundred years ago … Bilbo had just turned fifty-three, and I was not even born, when –"

"Please, no!" Legolas interrupted. "No matter what you think, Pippin, I have heard that tale in length and detail - and more than once, for that matter. Anne, is there really nothing else you would like to ask him?"

"Well, yes – actually there is," Anne said eagerly (though privately deciding to ask Pippin for that story as soon as the chance might present itself). "Why would it be after a Hobbit's kind to dig a hole in the ground?"

"For that is how they built their dwellings," the Elf said before Pippin had a chance to speak. "A bit like rabbit holes, if you like."

Uncertainly, Anne glanced at Legolas. "Really?"

He twisted around on his horse's back to look at her, but merely answered with a slight shift of an eyebrow, which for some reason caused her stomach to flutter.

"Now, Legolas, you are giving her an entirely wrong idea," Pippin now said impatiently. "Well, that won't do at all. Let me tell you one or two things about Hobbits, Anne."

"Oh dear," sighed the Elf. "That will occupy us all the way to Bree, and presumably a few days beyond."

"Well, I would love to hear everything you are willing to tell me," Anne replied quickly. "After all, I have never met a Hobbit before."

"You have just sealed both our fates," said Legolas dryly, but Pippin seemed rather taken with the idea.

"Excellent!" he said, looking quite pleased.

And thus, Anne was treated to a very profound lesson in Hobbit-lore: of their laws and customs, of their achievements and great deeds, of somehow noteworthy or remarkable events in their history, and – of course – of Hobbit genealogy.

Anne heard of Bolgers, Proudfoots, Burrowses, Bagginses and Brandybucks, of Chubbs, Grubbs, Bracegirdles, and Brockhouses - and especially about the lineage of Tooks, which apparently was a very old and reputable family that had produced plenty of the most noble, stout and brave Hobbits known to their kind.

The lecture on home-grown pipe-weed was interrupted when they stopped to make camp for the night. The Hobbit rose even higher in Anne's esteem, when he conjured up a frying pan, a bag of potatoes, and a small basket with tomatoes and mushrooms.

"They gave me a couple of eggs, too, but I already had them for breakfast," he told a very thrilled Anne. "I reckon we can still make a descent supper out of this, though."

"Never mind the eggs, this is wonderful!" said Anne. "Potatoes! I had no idea how much I have missed potatoes until right now."

Looking slightly amused (though completely understanding) at her excitement, Pippin climbed back up onto the cart in order to search for some herbs and a bit of seasoning to "polish the whole thing up", while Anne began peeling the potatoes. A couple of minutes later she nearly cut her finger off, when the Hobbit, who had been rummaging about on the waggon, suddenly gave a scream of horror.

"What happened? What is wrong?" Anne shouted anxiously, while scrambling to her feet and running towards him.

"Look at that!" Pippin cried, pointing at a red and orange pile of something that was looking very squishy. Anne stared at it for a moment, before realising that it was the wreckage of a particularly large pumpkin.

"And that was the biggest, most splendid and shapely one out of them all," the Hobbit complained.

"You had better be glad that it was not your head," said Legolas, who had dropped several logs and the little hatchet Pippin had lent him for chopping the firewood, and hurried over to them. "Your pumpkin is a small sacrifice for a rather good outcome."

"Since you mention it, Legolas - there is something I still don't understand. How did you even know it was me?" Pippin asked, while regretfully handing a rather reluctant Anne the remnants of the pumpkin.

"I did not. I was sure, however, that it was a Hobbit whom we were following. The hoof marks were those of a pony, not a horse – and also I could tell from the traces of the wheels that it was a small and light cart – different to those Men or Dwarves, or even Elves use. This area is very far from home for most of the little folk, though, which narrowed down the possibilities quite a lot."

"And how come you arrived just in time for those ruffians showing their ugly faces?"

"That was indeed a strange chance. For we had almost reached you, when I suddenly heard your pony neigh and the shouts of the robbers. But enough of this now! Do you intend to help at all, or would you rather sit there and mourn over your vegetable?"

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After a wonderful meal of roast potatoes, baked tomatoes and mushrooms, Legolas muttered something about having another look around and disappeared into the darkness, while Anne – who felt still quite awake, despite the commotions from earlier – went to join Pippin at the fire. The Hobbit had lit up a small wooden pipe and was now smoking it, looking deeply contented with life. He looked up when Anne sat down next to him.

"Not tired yet? Ah, you do not mind the pipe smell, do you?"

"No, not at all. I sort of like it, actually. And no, I am not tired yet. I was just thinking … indeed I was hoping …"

The Hobbit looked at her curiously. "Yes?" When she still hesitated, he brandished his pipe at her in what was probably supposed to be an encouraging manner. "Out with it, I'm not getting any younger."

"Well, I was hoping … whether perhaps now might be a good time to tell that true story about the hobbit and the dwarves in barrels." Anne said hopefully.

"Ah …" Pippin smiled, before blowing out several small rings of silvery smoke. "'There and back again.'"

"Pardon?"

"That is what Bilbo called it. Bilbo, you must know, is the Hobbit from that story – the one who went on that adventure. I must say it is curious that a lass from the big folk is interested in a Hobbit-tale – although it is of course much more than that … Well then, so be it! Let me think - where to begin … Ah, yes –

It was a fine spring morning, and Bilbo Baggins was sitting outside his front door, enjoying the sun and a good pipe, when a stranger came by – someone looking indeed so peculiar that none of his like had ever been seen in the shire before. The stranger was a wizard – and his name was Gandalf …"

And so Pippin told Anne how the wizard named Gandalf made Bilbo Baggins a proposition: to go with him and thirteen Dwarves – one of them King Thorin Oakenshield himself – to the far away mountain Erebor, the Lonely Mountain, in order to seek a treasure that had been stolen from the Dwarves a long time ago; how they met trolls and went to Rivendell to stay in the house of the famous, powerful, old Elf named Elrond (who Anne learned was the father of Elrohir); how they were captured by orcs, and how Bilbo got separated from his companions and in the darkness found a golden ring – and then met the creature named Gollum, who challenged Bilbo to a riddle contest …

At that point, of course, Anne realised that she had heard this part of the story before – from Legolas. But since the Elf had not even got as far as the outcome of the riddle contest, she kept quiet and listened with rapt attention. Legolas returned after a while; he threw the pair of them a look, but chose to say nothing. Anne barely noticed it - she sat enthralled, trying to imagine the person named Beorn, shuddered at the thought of the giant spiders, and marvelled at Bilbo's ingenious plan to get the butler and the captain of the guards drunk in order to free his imprisoned friends, and then smuggle the Dwarves out of Thranduil's palace by using the empty wine barrels, thus effectively having the Elves 'punt' the lot of them to Esgaroth.

After this, however, Pippin insisted that they both needed some sleep.

"It is late, and we will have quite a few miles to cover tomorrow, if we want to reach Bree before nightfall."

Anne felt nerves bundle up in her stomach at the mention of Bree; with everything that had happened lately she had not really thought about the fact that she would soon have to say farewell to the Elf – and now to the Hobbit, too.

'I must not think about that now,' she told herself. 'I still have one more day, I can worry about those things when there is actually something to worry about.'

Her mental self-encouragement helped little however. Until not so long ago, she had thought that it would be a good thing to finally get away from the Elf and be with her own people again. Now, however … she could not help thinking that maybe parting with him was not what she wanted, anymore. Of course, that was only the fear of the unknown – after all, she had no idea what awaited her in Bree, aside from a new crowd of strangers, and that in itself was not a very comforting prospect. Then again, once she would have settled in, she probably would have a good life in Bree – and surely more comfortable than the one she was leading now. And as for Legolas … She obviously had been capable of getting along without him before, so why should that be a problem now?

There was, however, that nagging thought that things might not be quite that simple. People would ask questions, no doubt … would want to know why she had no home, or no other place to go. What if they did not want her there?

Pippin seemed to have guessed what was going on inside her head.

"Don't worry, lass," he said kindly. "Things will turn out all right, you shall see."

Anne had taken herself by surprise by telling him her story – as far as she knew it herself. She did not know why the Elf thought so highly of Pippin, but it had taken only half a day for her to grow quite fond of the Hobbit. His reaction to her account had been a mix of wonder and sympathy, but he had also given the impression that what she had told him was by far not the strangest thing he had ever heard. Somehow, that had made her heart feel much lighter.

"I know a few people in Bree," Pippin said now. "It will not take long for you to get to know half the town, I daresay. Also, I myself live only a couple of days away – should you be in need of someone sensible to talk to, once in a while."

Anne laughed. "Thank you! That is good to know indeed. I suppose it is only because I was so isolated these last few weeks. Being amongst people again will no doubt be strange at first, but … you are right, of course. There is no use worrying about it now."

"No use and no need. And to keep you from doing that tomorrow, I shall tell you the rest of the story while we travel. Agreed?"

Anne nodded, smiling resolutely. "Agreed."

A little later, when Pippin had already wrapped himself in his blankets a couple of feet away from the fire and was snoring quietly, Anne had still made no move to lie down on her own bed. Her eyes had wandered repeatedly over to Legolas, who was sitting on a fallen tree, his arms about his knees and seemingly lost in thought. Having made up her mind, she at last got to her feet. This might very well be the last chance for her to speak with him in (relative) private, and there still was something she needed to do.

: : :

Legolas did neither stir, nor lift his gaze when the woman approached him and then halted, next to his tree. It seemed like she had something on her mind, so he deliberately waited for her to make the first move. After a few moments, however, he realised that she would probably stand there all night if he did not acknowledge her presence in some way.

Females …

When he looked up, he saw that she was regarding him in an odd way – as if unsure about what she wanted to do or say.

At length, she indicated the spot on the tree next to him.

"Would you mind if I sat down?"

Legolas waited with the answer – more out of habit, it had to be admitted – but she waited patiently, obviously having expected this. Without wanting it he felt his mouth curve into a half-smile.

"No."

He caught her stare at his face in what appeared to be puzzlement before she quickly averted her gaze and crouched down on the trunk to his left, hugging her knees to her chest. Legolas let a few minutes of silence pass – then he took pity on her.

"Did Pippin's tales not tire you enough?"

"What?" she said, her voice sounding distracted. "No. I mean, I am tired, but not from the story. But I wanted to … there is something I wanted to tell you, and since there might not be another chance …" She sighed, taking one arm off her legs, and wearily rubbed her face. "Oh, this is ridiculous. I will just say it, and hope you won't get angry again, all right?"

He looked sideways at her, raising an eyebrow at this introduction, but she kept her gaze fixed on her knees.

"The other night you told me that there were things I would not want to know about you."

Legolas stiffened, feeling annoyance and resignation build up inside him. Could she not let this rest once and for all?

"So, perhaps you are right, I suppose I would not know," Anne muttered. "And I realise that it might not be my place to speak of this. I know very little about you, and, well - you probably think I'm a fool, but-"

"Do you have a point?" This came out colder than Legolas had intended, but his patience was running thin. He noticed her wince and then heard her take a deep breath before she went on, a firmer voice.

"Yes. I believe that something terrible has happened, but I cannot believe that it was your choice. And also, somehow, I don't think that it would change the ..." She paused, seemingly casting around for words before continuing, her voice laced with a bit of embarassment now. "Well, the way I think of you."

Not having expected this he glanced at her, but she was still looking straight ahead. He could see – almost feel - the tension in her body; she was biting her lip and her hands were grasping her legs so tightly that her knuckles had gone white.

"I believe I have seen evil … or evil deeds. And you might not need me to tell you this, but you are not like that. I think I sort of realised that even when we first met ... Well, after a while, that is. However illogical that may sound in hindsight. I think that was one of the few things I was certain about. At times, I felt like you were doing your best to keep me from thinking this, but –" She finally looked up at him. "- But I do believe that you are a good person."

Legolas felt a strange stinging somewhere in his chest as he looked into her earnest face. Even in the moonlight he could see her cheeks reddening; she let her gaze drop away from him, apparently embarrassed by her own words - but then she spoke once more.

"You seemed ... different today. I know you said that you are not the person you once were, but … maybe that's not quite true?"

Legolas remained silent. He could not give her an answer to a question he was asking himself.

Anne cleared her throat before muttering: "Well, that is just what I think."

She then stood abruptly and made to walk away.

"Perhaps, that only marks you as naive," Legolas said softly. He watched her pause; then she turned around, and he was puzzled to see that she smiled, albeit a little weakly, while brushing a strand of hair out of her eye.

"Yes, perhaps," Anne agreed. For a moment she looked at him hesitantly, like she might have something else on her mind. After a moment, though, she merely said "Good night," before turning and walking back to the fire.

Legolas had never been this glad to be about to part with someone he did not truly wish to leave behind.

III III III

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