The hobbit finally settled down. He started to think back to the war of the ring. He could hear bangs on a large door. A vision came back, very vivid.
Bang
It echoed around him. There were people running around him. Dressed in silver metal.
"To the door!" shouted an old man.
Many men ran past. Pippin could see and hear the fear in their voices.
Bang
There it was again. It echoed around Pippin.
"Pippin, get away from the door!"
Bang
Louder then the time before. Pippin slowly moved away from the door. There were roars coming from the other side of the door. Thousands of orcs, hundreds of trolls and wargs had stormed the city. The men had been over run. The first level of the city had been over taken. The men, ordered by Gandalf, had gone to the second level of the city.
"Close the gate, do not let them in!" they shouted.
The men ran though the city, towards the gate. But there wasn't much time. Some of the men were trapped on the wrong side of the gate.
"Why is it closed?" one of them asked, banging on the wood.
It was made from solid wood.
Bang
The door gave way a little. Yet the men held it shut. Pippin and Gandalf were sitting down. Pip looked down. A tear ran down his face. He looked up at Gandalf. He had bags around his eyes. The wizard's white robes were dirty and wet.
"I didn't think it would end this way" Pippin said.
Bang
The door creaked.
The wizard, who was sitting down with him. He looked confused.
"End?" he asked.
There was a moment of silence.
"No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path... One that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass... And then you see it"
He paused, his eyes glazed over. Pippin, who had been listening, wanted to know more.
"What? Gandalf?... See what?" he asked.
Gandalf smiled. It was the sort of smile that made Pippin feel safe in the mist of battle.
"White shores... and beyond" he told Pippin.
"A far green country under a swift sunrise"
Pippin looked down. He pictured the scene in his mind. He could feel the gentle breeze running over his face. The hobbit could feel his hair being blown by the wind. There were hills of green and yellow as far as the eye could see.
Clouds rolled over the hills. The wind blew the blades of grass and the towering flowers like invisible waves.
Bang
Pippin was sent back to the picture of Gandalf.
"Well, that isn't so bad" said Pippin.
His voice was soft. The hobbit was ready for what ever was to come his way.
"No" said Gandalf, smiling softly.
"No it isn't"
Bang
On the other side of the door, the troll was hammering on the door. Hundreds of orcs waited to storm the room. Orcs infested the city, out numbering the men twenty to one. But that would soon change.
"Pippin?" said a small voice.
It was far, far away. Like a voice from the far side of a massive chamber.
"Pippin?" asked the voice again.
This time, it was a little louder. But it was still too far away.
"Pip?"
The voice grew louder and echoed more. A hand reached down to his shoulder. A few seconds later, he opened his eyes.
He was looking at the back of the sofa. The candles were still burning. They flickered by themselves.
"Pippin, are you awake?" asked a voice.
Pip looked around. Dolly was standing over him.
"Yes, what is it?" he asked.
He turned onto his back. The hobbit then looked over at Dolly. But she was not alone. The man was back.
"What happened?" Pippin asked, sitting up.
The covers were still on him.
"I have sent a boy ahead of you, to Rivendell. He should be there in about two days" Gwerraent told them.
Pippin nodded. He took the covers off and stood up. Dolly's covers were folded up.
"How long have I…?" Pip asked, standing up.
"You've been asleep for three hours Pip" Dolly answered.
The sun outside was now up, but the snow had yet to cease. The ponies and the cart that Pip used to get this far had been moved up the road. The ponies were being taken care of by Fradoc.
"We have to move soon" said Pippin, standing up.
He was still very tired. Diamond was still sitting in the chair, her eyes closed. The blanket still covered her. Pippin started to wonder weather he could go on. He had come this far and Diamond hadn't changed. Her condition remained the same.
Origo was at the entrance of the fox hole. The snow had built up around the den entrance. The cubs were looking at him. Origo wondered where his Diamond was.
He had only been with the Tooks a few days. But he had already been accepted into the family. But now, they had been separated and Origo needed to find them again. But it was going to be hard. Even though Pippin had found it strange, he knew that Diamond had grown fond of the pup.
But Pippin couldn't help but feeling that Origo was trying to take her away from him. He knew it was a silly thing to think, but that's the way he was feeling.
The man smiled and turned. He walked out of the room. He turned the corner and walked to the kitchen. He entered the kitchen. Gwerraent was running out of things to give the hobbits. The plates that had been used earlier were still on the table in the lounge.
Crumbs lay on the plates. Pippin walked up to Diamond. He took a deep breath.
"We should be making snow elves" Pip said.
Dolly had been folding his sheet up.
"Snow elves?" she asked.
Pippin smiled as he took one of Diamond's hands.
"We have made snow elves every year since we have known each other" Pippin explained.
His voice sounded sad. Dolly picked up on it straight away. She placed the sheet down and walked over to Pip. She placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Pip, it'll be alright, you'll get to live your lives together. Back in Hobbiton"
But Pippin was finding it hard. He was beginning to lose all hope that Diamond would ever be the same. Gwerraent then walked back into the room. Dolly looked around. The man was holding two cups of tea. He placed them down on the table. Water vapour was rising from the hot cups of tea.
"I made you these" he said.
Dolly looked back. She saw the cups of tea and smiled.
"Come on Pip, lets get some tea" Dolly told him.
Pip took a deep breath and looked around. He smiled. The two walked over to the table. The two of them picked up their cups of tea.
Pippin was the first to take a sip of the drink. The warmth of tea ran down and started to warm him up. His spirit rose the more he drank.
The hobbit could taste the sugar in the tea. It was just how he liked it. To a hobbit, that much tea would have been enough. But to Pippin, it was too little.
After a few minutes, Pippin had finished. Dolly was still holding hers in her hands. She let the heat warm her hands up. Her fingers became quicker. She moved them. The coldness had made them stiff.
Pip placed the cup back on the table. He took a deep breath. The window now had light coming though. But there was no blue sky, it was dark grey, very dark in places. They travelled three leagues to the hour. The snow was being thrown from the clouds.
Trillions made their way down. A carpet of white stretched as far as the eye can see.
North
East
South
West
All were covered in a few feet of snow. There were black patches dotted on the land. They were the lakes. Black snakes crossed the land. They were the rivers, running over stones that had laid in their torrents for thousands, if not hundreds of thousands years.
It took but a few minutes for each of flakes to hit the ground. One floated slowly down. It started from a mile up in the sky. Like trillions of others, it was pushed ever onwards.
At the same time, Pippin was getting ready to leave. The door was yet to be opened. The hobbit was holding the sheets that they had slept in.
"Here" said Gwerraent, bringing out a basket.
It was empty.
"I have a shop a few miles down the road. I will come with you and you can pack some food from there" he told them.
Pippin looked up at him. A sense that someone was finally on his side was great. Pippin took the basket. He placed it on the floor next to him.
"How far is the stable?" Pippin asked.
"About a mile" Gwerraent answered.
Pip now needed a plan. He knew that he couldn't left and carry Diamond for that amount of distance.
"Have you got a horse?" Pip asked the man.
Gwerraent looked at him.
"Yes, but he is at the stable" the man told him.
Pippin thought on.
"Dolly, stay here with Diamond. Me and Gwerraent will get the cart ready and will come back for you, alright?" he asked.
Gwerraent nodded.
"We wont be long" Pip told her.
So, Gwerraent went and opened the door.
The snow flake was a few hundred meters from Pippin. It's course was going to make it collide with Pippin. But there was nothing it could do. The wind blew it ever faster to the ground. A small dot could be seen. It then grew into two dots.
The snow took a steep path as it got closer to the ground. A few seconds later, it was blown into Pippin's face. The flake instantly started to melt. But Pip wiped it away.
Shivering soon started. The house had vanished behind a curtain of white. Pippin found it hard to leave Diamond and Dolly by themselves.
But he knew that he had to. The hobbit and the man battled though the snow. Pip's hair was dripping with cold water. He started to wonder if going to Rivendell was a good thing.
It was then, while walking, his mind went back to the dream he had had back at the house. He vividly remembered the loud bangs that had happened.
Time seemed to become quicker as he walked. What felt like a minute was actually three. The coldness didn't seem to get to him. Hundreds of flakes hit him. Every step that Pippin took made him sink into the soft snow. The hobbit struggled though the battering wind.
He crossed his arms. He never thought that he would be in situation again. The last time he was in snow, he had been up in a mountain with Gandalf, Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, Merry, Sam and Frodo.
But Pippin had to do it. He couldn't turn back, even though now he had a choice.
He could either turn back to the house.
Or
Carry on and get the cart.
Pippin knew that he couldn't turn back. He had come too far for him to give up. Diamond needed him and he needed Diamond. Pippin didn't know what it was, but Diamond was the only one that understood him. Pip knew that most people found him a bit strange. Even his friends found him weird sometimes, especially Merry.
But he couldn't help it. He liked making people laugh and could of no better way of doing so.
But, now days, he was a bit more sensible. His silly behaviour had all but stopped. His new passion was getting drunk. Every day if he could find some ale.
The Green Dragon.
That was his favourite pub in the whole of the Shire, probably in the whole of Middle-Earth. There was a table that he always sat at with Merry. Sometimes, Sam came along as well. Sam's wife, Rosie, worked there. But, due to her having her fifth child, she was allowed to take a few months off.
Another, younger hobbit took her place. But it was not the same without her there. Tobacco smoke hung in the air. A silver mist. Goblets of ale and beer sat on the tables.
The tables were old. Like they had sat there for years and years. There were small rings on the wood as well. They were over lapping each other.
But now, Pippin miles away from his home. Walking though thick snow.
"Down here" Gwerraent said.
Pippin stopped. The road snaked it way though the land. The hobbit looked down the road. The road looked like it went on for ever. There was no end to it.
"Come on!" Gwerraent shouted.
The wind blew ever onward across the land. So, the two of them continued onwards. Pip started to wonder how long it would take to get to the stables.
In Hobbiton, Merry was making his way to the Green Dragon. Snow was still pouring down from the sky. He had only been out in the snow a minute or two, but he was already getting cold.
At the same time, Estella was coming to find Merry. She made her way up the path. A figure came out from the whiteness.
Estella stopped to see who it was.
It was exactly who she was waiting for.
"Merry?" she asked.
The figure stopped. Merry stopped. He could hardly see in the snow.
"Estella?" he asked.
The two of them moved closer. The two of them were now a few feet away from one another.
"Estella, what are you doing out in the cold?" Merry asked.
The woman smiled.
"Trying to find you"
There was a moment of silence. Merry wondered what that meant.
"Why?" he asked.
His hand moved the hair from his face.
"I need to tell you something"
Estella was half shouting. Merry nodded.
"Shall we go to the Dragon?" he asked.
Estella nodded. She would have taken anything just get out of the cold. So, the two of them made their way down the hill. Only a few passing hobbits could be seen walking though the centre.
A minute later, Merry opened the door. He stood out of the way. Estella walked in.
"Close the door!" shouted one of the elders.
He was gathered around some more of the Hobbiton elders. Merry smiled and closed the door. The elders laughed. Some of them had clear glasses full of amber liquid. There were seven elders in total. All were the oldest hobbits of Hobbiton and the Shire.
"Over here" Merry said, walking over to the corner.
Estella followed her. The inside was much warmer then the outside. Candles burned, giving off heat and low light. Merry pulled out a chair for Estella.
"Thank you" she said, taking the chair and sitting down.
Merry walked to the other side of the round table and sat down in his seat. Merry looked around.
"I need to talk to you" he said.
Meanwhile, Pippin was nearing his target. From out of the snowy came a stable. The hobbit stopped and smiled.
"Is that it?" he asked.
Gwerraent smiled and nodded.
The two of them started walking towards them. As they approached, the door opened. Gwerraent smiled as he saw a man standing there.
"You made it" said the man.
He looked over and saw Pippin.
"The cart is waiting for you" Fradoc told them.
Gwerraent and Pip walked into the house. Pippin was shivering. The door slammed shut behind him. The coldness was shut out as well.
"All that's left is strapping it to your ponies" said Fradoc.
Pippin nodded. They walked though the house towards the back. But, unlike normal human houses, this one didn't have a back garden. Instead, this one had a stable, built behind a barn full of horses. There were ten in total. Each one was standing up.
A few had white patches running down from the top of their head, to their noses. One was black all over, there was a shine to it. There was a light brown and a dark brown horse.
The last pen was the home to two ponies. The ones that Pippin had gotten from Hobbiton.
"The cart is just outside" Fradoc told Pippin.
The hobbit looked up. The coldness was still around him.
Gwerraent walked around, to a door leading outside. He opened it and walked out. Snow blew at him. Gwerraent opened the gate. Fradoc placed to reigns on the ponies. He led them out. Pippin watched them.
A few minutes later, Gwerraent called Pip. The ponies were ready to move on. The snow was now passing. Yet it would be a few more hours until the road was clear enough to drive.
"Their ready" he said.
Pippin smiled.
"Thank you"
Gwerraent smiled.
"Your going to Rivendell? Are you not?" Fradoc asked.
"Yes" Pippin answered.
"We should get moving, my shop is not too far away" Gwerraent explained.
So, Pippin walked around the ponies and got onto the drivers seat. Gwerraent got into the back.
"Fare well, Peregrin" said Fradoc.
Pip nodded and smiled.
"You too" he said.
The cart started to roll. The snow crunched under the pony's hooves. The cart was driven out of the gate. Pip noticed that it was a much smoother ride then before.
The cart stopped. The snow continued to batter the cart. The hobbit turned the cart to the right.
The time was a few hours past mid day. The snow continued to fall from the sky. But, inside a small pub, there were two hobbits talking.
"I need to talk to you" said the male.
The female looked down. She knew exactly what was going to be said.
"I know I was wrong, but I do" he said.
Merry Brandybuck took a sip of his ale. He was very nervous, but everything he said was the truth.
"I don't know what to say" said the young woman.
She had a coat on the back of her seat. A plate lay on the middle of the table. A slice of brown bread lay on the table along with a block of butter. A small knife lay next to the butter. The butter had a small piece cut out of it.
"Don't you feel the same?" asked Merry.
Estella's eyes were light large marbles. Merry noticed the light reflecting off of them. Estella's eyes looked at the table. She was in deep thought.
She didn't speak for the next few minutes.
"I don't know, Merry" she answered.
She didn't know what to feel. Merry was nice, yes.
But was he right for Estella?
She took a deep breath.
"What do you mean?" Merry asked.
Estella now wanted to go home. She looked back, trying not give away that she wanted to leave.
"Merry, I don't want to talk about this right now" she answered.
This made Merry confused.
"What? But you wanted to talk to me!"
Estella looked at him. Her eyes looked at him. Merry locked into her eyes. He could feel, for the first time, her despair.
"I…I need to go" Estella said.
There was something in her voice. She was holding back tears. Estella got up from her seat and took her coat. The chair tilted back. It tilted back so far it fell on the floor. Estella stopped for a split second. But she didn't turn or look back.
She continued on to the door. The hobbit took the handle and opened the door. A cold wind blew into the pub. But, before anyone could complain, the door had closed.
Merry watched the door slam shut and looked down at the table. He wondered why Estella had treated him like that. He had spent hours thinking about what he was going to do. And then, when he got enough courage to ask, she walked away.
Merry took a deep breath, drained his mug and got up. He left the plates and butter. The door opened again, the coldness got to him instantly. But he had to go home.
Meanwhile, the cart was nearing Gwerraent's house. Dolly was looking out the window. She scanned the outside, wondering where Pippin could be. Snow was blocking her view. A small bit of condensation on the window. Dolly watched the small circle of water vapour.
Just then, as she was about to turn around, a figure came out of the whiteness. Her eyes darted back. There was a cart.
"Pippin" she said.
She was relived that he had gotten back safely. She now knew that everything was now being put into place. A minute later, the cart had been turned around and Gwerraent had jumped off.
The door creaked open. Dolly walked to the door, the front one closed. Standing there, was a man standing there. He was covered in melting snow.
"It's ready" Gwerraent told her.
Dolly smiled. She then turned around.
"Will you help me get Diamond?" she asked.
Just then, the door opened again. Pippin quickly made his way in. He shook his head, making small droplets of cold water fall off.
"We don't have much time" he said.
The hobbit walked quickly past Dolly and Gwerraent. He headed for Diamond.
"Come on!"
Dolly quickly walked over, Pip had taken the blanket off. It was now in pile on the floor. The two of them lifted Diamond. The hobbit was getting much harder to lift.
"Gwerraent, open the door for us" Pip said.
So, Gwerraent did so. The cold air blasted the three of them. The cart was a few meters away, the ponies were patiently waiting for Pippin to come back.
The two hobbits struggled though the snow. They went to the back of the cart. Neither of them talked, they both knew what to do.
So, Dolly got onto the cart. There were three baskets in there also. She wondered what was in them, but she had work to do.
"Dolly, help me!"
She then turned around and held her up. Pippin pushed her up. Dolly did the same. After a few seconds struggle, she was on. Dolly dragged her onto the cart further. Pippin ran to the driver seat. Gwerraent came to Pippin.
"Fare well, Peregrin" Gwerraent said.
Pippin smiled. Snow was still hitting him.
"Thank you" Pip said.
Gwerraent nodded and walked away. Pip watched him. A few seconds later, he started to move. The cart was now on its way down The Great East Road.
Also, travelling on the road, was a small puppy. He had been running though the snow for an hour. He was a few miles away from where he had started. His fur was now wet and he was shivering. But the pup did not give up. He knew where his owners were heading.
The small pup stopped every so often. He looked around, but still couldn't see them. So, he carried on. The snow was getting deeper. This made it harder for Origo to run in. All he knew was to keep going. He had left the safety and warmth of the den to find his owners.
But now, he was regretting it. There were no houses around. Well, not that he could see. As Origo bounded though the snow, he left marks. Small, puppy sized wholes in the snow.
The imprints of the cart were still visible, but only just. They were now small channels running though the snow. They were being filled in by the snow that was falling on it. So, the puppy picked up the pace. There were only two hours of sun light left.
Origo had a lot of things to do before he could find Diamond and Pippin. The pup needed turkey. But he didn't know how to find any.
If he came across a house, then he would have to get some food. But, until then, he would have to keep going.
Merry was now back at his home. He had a large cup of tea on the table. A map of the Shire was on the table. It was an old map. It dated back to the middle of the third age. It had been past down though many generations of the Brandybuck family.
The light outside had began to fade, yet the snow was still falling. Merry glanced over at the window. A very old clock was handing on the wall. It read six o'clock.
"I guess I should be making dinner" he told himself.
So, he got up, leaving the map on the table. The map was drawn in black in. There were lines criss-crossing the map. A larger line cross near the centre of the map. It went from left to right.
It was the road that Merry's friend, Pippin was on. But Merry didn't know this. He went on with his day, like nothing happened.
"Maybe I should look for him. I mean, he cant have gone far"
It was then that he made up his mind. He was going to go to Bree to find Pippin. Bree was the only place that he knew that Pippin would go to.
But now, he had to choose.
Dinner or Friend?
Merry stopped at the door of the kitchen. He looked back at the stove. The hobbit took a deep breath.
"Friends are more important" said a voice in his head.
"But then, I will need my strength" said the other.
Both directions seemed a good way to go. But only one was right.
"But which way is the best?" he asked himself.
He then started to wonder if he could do both. Eat and get to Bree.
So, Merry walked to the cellar. There was a empty basket sitting next to door. The hobbit picked it up and opened the door. The cellar was colder then inside the hobbit hole, but not by much. But, unlike the kitchen, it had no windows.
Merry walked down to the end of the cellar. There were loaves of bread that he had either made or brought. He picked a few up and placed them in the basket. Merry looked around, still wondering where he could take.
"I cant take too much" Merry told himself as his hand went over a wrapped up chocolate cake.
He tarred himself away from the cake, thinking better of taking it. He looked down at his basket. Three loaves were sitting there.
Merry started to wonder if three was enough food for him to get to Bree. He knew that the snow was heavy and thick. Merry knew that is was risky to go out in the snow. More so now because it was getting dark.
But Merry had to know if Pippin and Diamond was alright.
"Maybe taking a bag" Merry said to himself.
The hobbit walked out of the cellar. He closed the door and then placed the basket on the table. He then walked out the kitchen.
A few minutes of searching later, he found a suitable bag. He came back to the kitchen and placed the bag on the table. A feeling suddenly came over him. It came as he picked up the first loaf.
"But what if it's a wasted trip?" he asked himself.
His hand, with the loaf, was only a few inches away from the top of the bag. It slowly edging away from the bag. Thoughts were playing in mind again.
Should he?
Shouldn't he?
"No, I must do it" he told himself.
He lifted the loaf again. But the feeling came back.
"But what if they want to be on there own?" asked a voice.
It was then Merry got angry.
"Why cant I make up my mind?" he asked out loud.
The kitchen door was open, it echoed around his home. He pulled out a seat and sat in it. He placed his elbows on the table and held hid head.
He breathed deeply and quickly. Merry shook his head. He took one large breath and breathed out.
"What should I do?" he asked himself.
Merry was on his own. He hadn't seen his friend, Pippin, for three days. Every time he had gone to Pippin home, which had been three or four times a day, there had been no answer.
Anger was now growing. Pippin had been his friend.
But why had he stopped?
Merry felt alone. He had no one to talk to. By this time, he was on his own. The anger intensified.
"Right" he said, getting up.
He then picked up one of the remaining loaves and stuffed them into the bag. He then walked over to the copper sink. He took one of his flasks and turned on the tap. The water hit the copper. The noise echoed around the house. Merry waited for a few more seconds, then placed the flask under it.
Water spilled over the neck of the bottle, sending it in all directions. The water splashed all over him.
"Oh no!" he said, quickly turning the tap off.
Water dripped from his hands, arms and shirt. He looked down at his white shirt. There were drips of water soaked into it.
"Argh!" he said, placing down the flask.
He looked around, a tear ran down his face.
"Why is this happening to me?" he asked himself.
Drips from the tap echoed around him. But he didn't take any notice.
Drip
Drip
Drip
Merry looked back.
"No, I have to go" he told himself.
So, he picked up the wet bottle. A small ring of water was left behind where the flask stood. Merry turned the tap on again. This time, much slower. The flask started to fill up again. He felt the flask getting heavier and heavier.
After a few seconds, the water reached the top. So, Merry took the flask and screwed the top. He made sure that it was tight, but not too tight.
He them looked back. The pack was still on his back. He took the pack off and opened it. There was space in there for the flask and another loaf of bread. But Merry didn't go back for another loaf.
The hobbit placed the pack back on and walked out. He walked down the corridor towards his front door. On the left hand side, there were many pegs. One had a dark green coat on one of the pegs. There were no shoe racks for hobbits for they did not wear shoes.
There were baskets for shopping. There were also stick resting on the side of the wall. Merry took one. He looked at it. He shook his head and picked out another.
This one felt better. So, he put the other one back. The candles still burned as he walked towards the door. He opened it. The coldness hit him straight away. Snow flakes hit him.
"Well, here I go" he said.
He then stepped into the snow and closed the door. He walked towards his gate and opened it. He pushed the gate open and walked though. The force of the wind blew the gate shut without him pushing it.
Merry then started to walk down the hill towards the centre of Hobbiton. He had one last stop to make. The stable. He knew that the snow would make it harder to travel by foot. Ponies were the best thing.
It took a few minutes to get to the stable. The sun was setting behind the clouds. Darkness was setting in. The coldness was set to get worse.
But that wasn't a problem for Merry. The stable came into view. It was over the river, by the water wheel that was fed by the river. Merry continued to walk. The lake's edges were all frozen up. The snow continued to rain down on him.
A minute later, Merry was knocking on the door of the barn. He hit the door three times. He then looked back to where he had come from. He could see the lights in the homes of hobbits. The snow was decreasing, the distance that he could see was increasing.
The door suddenly opened. A male hobbit opened the door.
"What do you want?" asked the man.
He looked around.
"I need a pony" answered Merry.
The man grumbled something.
"Excuse me?" asked Merry.
"Come though, come though" said the man.
He opened the door. Merry stepped in.
"Follow me… err"
The hobbit stumbled. Merry took a quickly glance to the side.
"Merry" he said slowly.
The hobbit squinted at him.
"Ah yes, one of those… adventurers that went around with Frodo"
Merry looked down.
"Yes, yes that's me" he said, taking a deep breath.
"You going on another adventure?" the hobbit asked.
The hobbit looked at the man. Merry didn't want to answer.
"That is for me to know" Merry told him.
There was a moment of silence.
"Now, show me which pony" said Merry.
The man smiled and walked away.
"Follow me" he said.
Merry followed him, shifting his bag on his shoulders. There were no pots or pans hanging on the bag. For Merry had no need for them. He knew that it was too cold and wet to light a fire. So he didn't pack them.
The man led Merry to the stable. He opened the door. The coldness came though and hit them.
"Take the last one" he said.
Merry reached into his pocket. He held out his hand. The man looked back and saw Merry's hand. He held out his. Two coins dropped into his palm.
"Keep it" Merry said, walking around him.
The hobbit walked to the last pen and opened it. The pony already had a hobbit sized saddle on it. The reigns dangled down. They swayed slightly.
Merry grabbed it. He walked a few paces forwards and opened the other gate. He pushed it open. The hobbit then got on the pony. The pony stood for another few seconds before starting to move off.
The animal turned out of to the right and onto the road.
Merry was now going to Bree.