"After all, I need to come with you. I have a turkey cooped up in the cellar. He needs more feed" Estella told her.
So, the two of them walked out of the kitchen and though the large corridor. Pimpernel stopped near the door. She was getting her coat on. Hobbit coats didn't have sleeves. In fact, it was more cloak then coat.
Estella smiled and opened the door. The coldness got both of the hobbits right away. Pimpernel pulled her cloak around her more to keep the warm in.
Estella walked away, leaving Nelly to close the door.
At the bottom of the hill, Folco was getting ready to push the barrow back up the hill. His eyes were drawn up there suddenly.
"Oh no" he said.
"Look!"
His friends, three of them in total, looked up to where he was pointing. Two figures were walking down the hill. Folco watched them.
"Gentlehobbits, arm yourselves" said one of his friends.
So, the four of them got two snow balls each. One to carry in each hand.
"Tosto, Minto, Moro, Folco, get to where you need to be"
So, Tosto, Minto and Moro ran off. Yet Folco stayed.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Folco asked.
The leader of the small group was called Mosco Burrows. His two younger brothers were called Moro Burrows and Minto Burrows. Tosto, like Folco, was of the Boffin family.
"Course I do" he answered, raising a brow at him.
Mosco handed Folco two snow balls. Folco took them, then looked over at the figures of Nelly and Estella. He didn't want to do it. Mosco had quickly ran off. Yet Folco stayed. He watched his friends hide for a minute. Folco knew what was going to happen next.
Suddenly, four snow balls hurtled towards the unsuspecting hobbits. Pimpernel got the first hit. Estella got the other three. But they did not have time move out of the way as four more came down.
Folco saw the two girls try to run. But Estella had slipped. Folco instantly knew what he needed to do. So, he started to jog over to the small gate.
He opened it and walked onto the road. Walking up the hill was much easier without the barrow in front of him. A couple of meters in front, he could see Pimpernel bending over her friend.
Pimpernel looked over at Folco as he walked towards her.
"Need any help?" he asked.
Pimpernel stood up right.
"Not from you" she answered.
Folco was confused.
"Why not?" he asked.
Pimpernel's eyes then flicked over to Folco's friends. They were now laughing and walking away.
"Because of them"
Estella was now sitting up. She held her ankle.
"Do you need any help Estella?" asked Folco.
Estella drew her hair from her face.
"Yes, yes I do" she answered.
So, Folco helped her up. One arm around his neck.
"Thank you"
Pimpernel watched as they started to walk up the hill. She didn't even get a "Good bye" from her friend. She waited there a few more seconds, wondering what to do now. She then walked up the hill, back towards her own home.
Merry was waking up. The air around him was warm. Merry groaned and grumbled. His skin ad beads of sweat running down his face.
"He looks like he's seen a ghost" said a voice.
It was very deep and had a Scottish accent to it. Merry knew that voice.
"Where am I?" he groaned.
But to the two beings, they could not understand him. The taller of the two walked away. There was a small bag near him. The person picked it up and opened it. Inside, there was a glass bottle. The person took it put and looked back at Merry.
The smaller person walked over to him. He had an axe in his hands. He leaned on it as he watched his friend unscrew the top and hold Merry's head up.
The fluid went into Merry's mouth. Almost instantly, his eyes opened. But his eyes were glazed over with a blurriness that only he could see.
But that did not last for long. His vision was restored to normal. He could see the candles flickering. The noise of a fire crackling could be heard as well.
"I am glad to see you are awake" said a fare voice.
Merry's eyes slowly made their way up to his face. His face changed from scared to confused to a smile in less then a second.
"Legolas?" he asked.
The elf nodded. His eyes then quickly flicked to the side of him. Merry's eyes slowly looked at the second figure standing there.
"Gimli?" he asked.
Even though Gimli had a large beard, Merry could tell that he was smiling.
"What are you doing here?" asked Merry, sitting up.
He held his head.
"We're travelling to Rivendell, then to Fangorn" Legolas answered.
Merry suddenly fell quiet. He had been to Fangorn Forest. Long ago with Pippin in the War Of The Ring. Merry's memory started to release the pictures of the forest.
"You haven't told us why your this far from your home" Gimli said.
But Merry was in another world. Gimli and Legolas were not standing in front of him. it was like the hobbit had blocked them out.
The tight air and the low level of natural light flooded to him. The room he was in became darker and more colder.
"Merry?" asked Legolas, watching the hobbit.
Gimli took a deep breath and looked to the side.
"Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?"
Merry's vision was taken away from him.
"Eat?" he asked, looking up.
Legolas gave a small smile and started to walk out of the room. Merry looked at Gimli.
"What are you doing here?" Merry asked.
Gimli smiled.
"We are on travels, lad, around Middle-earth. Just me and the elf" Gimli answered.
"We have just been to the Grey Havens"
Merry looked around the room. He coughed a few times. His hand was over his mouth.
"Why were you at the Grey Havens?" Merry asked.
His mouth was dry. From the kitchen, Legolas could be heard getting a plate and some food for the hobbit.
"That was Legolas' idea. He wanted to walk along the entire Great East Road" he answered.
Just then, the elf came back with a plate of bread and cheese. There was a glass of cold water in the other.
"Eat it" he said, giving it to the hobbit.
"You'll need your strength for the journey home"
Merry suddenly remembered why he had come this way.
"I'm not going home. I need to get to Bree" he told his two friends.
Gimli looked confused.
"Why are you going to Bree?" he asked.
"Because I think Pippin might be there"
Legolas knew that this was not the case. He had learnt how to track.
"There was no sign of any hobbits coming this road for a few years. He couldn't have walked down here" Legolas pointed out.
Merry started to think.
"Maybe he was on a cart. Did you see any pony tracks?" he asked.
Legolas looked around, his mind was working quickly. His eyes darting around. Without another word, he walked out of the room. Gimli watched him in surprise. Merry jumped off from the couch as the front door opened.
"What is he up to now?" Gimli asked.
Merry was now standing up. The hobbit had gotten off of the couch. He was walking slowly to the door. He looked around to see Legolas was now standing in the middle of the road. Merry continued to watch Legolas as he watched out.
The elf looked down the road where Merry had just come from. The snow was still thick and fresh. It had only been lain down a few hours before.
Legolas' eyes scanned over the area before him. There were many foot prints in the snow. A few blades of green grass were poking though the snow. Legolas bend down and looked at the prints even closer.
"There are hove prints" he said.
Merry looked down. The elf looked around more. He then spotted something else.
"And there are wheel prints"
Merry couldn't see it, but he trusted Legolas.
"When did it come though?" Merry asked.
Legolas didn't answer right away.
"A few days"
On the road, hundreds of miles away, Origo was walking in the road. A few hours earlier, he had been in a house. A small girl by the name of Sevossi, had taken him into her home. But Origo didn't plan of spending any time there. For he already had a family and he needed to get back to them.
Sevossi had cuddled up with puppy over night. Origo snoozed happily, making a plan for the morning.
The two of them slept until the sun had risen.
"Puppy, wake up!" came a voice.
Origo was suddenly woken up from his sleep. The covers had been taken off of him and two hands scooped him up. Origo whimpered, he was still very tired.
"Sevossi, get dressed, there's lots of snow outside" said a woman.
Sevossi smiled.
"OK" she said.
Sevossi kissed Origo on the head and placed him back on the bed. The puppy watched the girl rush out. Origo whimpered by himself, he was tired and needed his Diamond.
A minute or two later, Sevossi came back in. She quickly got dressed. Sevossi then went to her wardrobe and got out her woollen coat on.
Sevossi didn't have any gloves.
"Come on puppy!" she said.
Sevossi seemed very excited. She picked Origo up and placed him on the floor. The pup shook his fur and watched the girl walk away quickly. She stopped at the door and looked back.
"Puppy? Come on!"
So, Origo slowly made his way towards her. When he got there, Sevossi smiled.
"We're going outside"
Origo walked out and was met by the stairs. Sevossi was already half way down. Origo looked down there. He started to whimper. Sevossi looked back. She had forgotten that Origo didn't like stairs.
"Come here boy" she said, walking back up.
She picked him up and walked back down. At the bottom, she placed him on the floor again.
Origo knew that this was the right time to put his plan into action. So, he walked behind the girl.
"Just going in the front mummy!" Sevossi said.
Her mother was cooking breakfast.
"Alright, stay in the front garden"
Sevossi smiled and opened the front door. A sheet of untouched snow lay before them. The coldness of the outside was starting to make it's way out of the house.
Sevossi stood there for a few seconds, the wind waved her hair. Origo stood next to her looking out as well. The girl them put her shoes on and walked out. Origo's eyes watched her.
The girls feet made imprints in the soft snow. There was a bit near Origo, he had seen snow before. He placed one paw out and stopped.
Sevossi was making a snow ball. She looked over at the pup.
"Come on, it's only snow" she said.
Origo stepped onto the snow. He looked around, the snow was covering just about everything. There were bushes and trees. He had not seen the outside for a day now.
His eyes darted over to the gate.
But it was closed.
"How am I going to get out?" he asked himself.
So, the puppy started to explore. He tried to sniff the ground, but he couldn't smell anything. The snow had taken away the scenes of the people that had been there.
He then made his way towards the gate. He paused and looked up at it. Sevossi held the snow ball in her hands and watched the puppy. His small tail was wagging.
"What are you doing, pup?" she asked.
Origo looked around, his eyes looking right at her. Sevossi walked up to him.
"Do you want to go on the other side?" Sevossi asked.
Origo nodded. But Sevossi shook her head.
"Puppy isn't allowed. He must stay here"
Origo started to whimper. He looked up at her and made cute little puppy eyes. When in fact, he was trying to get her to open it.
Sevossi's heart started to melt quicker then the snow. She looked back at the house. The front door was closed and there was no sign of her mother. Sevossi bit her bottom lip, wondering if it was worth the trouble. She had been lucky not have been punished last time she opened it.
"Alright, but not for long" she said, walking to the gate.
Origo rushed over as well. He waited. Sevossi unclipped the small latch and slowly opened it. She looked back one more time and opened it more.
It was then that Origo made his plan reality. The small puppy darted past the girl. Sevossi looked down. Her eyes followed Origo as he ran off.
"Ah, puppy!" she said.
"Come back!"
The girl then started to run after the pup, but he was too fast for him.
"Puppy!" shouted Sevossi.
Origo could hear her cries getting fainter. After a few more seconds, he started to slow down. Snow had now clamped itself to the fur on his small paws. Down the road, he could see Sevossi still standing there.
"Puppy, come back! Please!"
But Origo did not. He looked back at the road he was running down. He now knew that the other way was the wrong one. Origo looked back at Sevossi one more time, then ran off again.
Sevossi's eyes began to tear. She had wanted a puppy for a very long time. And now, the only one she had seen for a few years had run off on her.
The girl slowly made her way back to the garden. She closed the gate and hung her head. She walked slowly over to the door, looked back one more time and then knocked.
A few seconds later, the door opened.
"Finished already?" her mother asked.
The small girl's head hung.
"Sevossi, what's the matter?" asked her mother, knelling on one knee.
"He's… He's gone" Sevossi said.
Her voice was small and upset could be hinted.
"Who's gone?" she asked.
"Puppy" Sevossi answered.
Sevossi's mother wondered what she meant.
"Gone? Gone where?" she asked.
Sevossi looked away. She didn't know how to explain to her mother how he had got away.
"I accidently opened the gate and…"
Sevossi didn't have to finish her sentence. Her mother knew exactly what happened.
"Well, that's what you get when you open the gate, Sevossi" she told her.
Her mother then got up and walked away. Sevossi was now really upset. But there was nothing she could do now. The puppy that she though was hers was now gone.
The girl slowly made her way to her room. Sevossi closed the door and walked over to her bed. The girl lay down on the bed and started to cry.
Meanwhile, back at Hobbiton, Folco and Estella were sitting down. There was a chair opposite Estella. Her leg and foot was resting on it.
"I'm sorry about what happened. I told them that is wasn't a good idea" Folco said.
He had a few small chunks of ice in a hand towel. He placed them in the hand towel, closed it and placed it on Estella's ankle. Estella could feel the coldness of the ice though the towel.
"Folco, you didn't have to do this you know" she said.
Folco quickly glances up at her and smiled. It was then that Estella understood why he was helping her.
"Hold on, you like me, don't you?" she asked.
Folco suddenly became very quiet. He knew that he had been found out.
"Folco?" asked Estella.
The hobbit took a deep breath and looked at Estella.
"Do you like me?" she asked again.
Folco took a deep breath.
"Well, I do a bit" he answered.
Estella didn't like the situation that she was now in. Two hobbits now liked her. But she only liked one and it was not the hobbit that was in front of her.
"Oh, Folco" she said.
The words had escaped her. She didn't knew what to say.
"I like you, but… but I just can't like you enough. There's someone else" she said.
Folco was now looking at the ground. He knew that what Estella was saying was the truth. He suddenly stood up.
"I have to go" he said.
His voice had changed. It was not happy. Yet, it was not sad. Folco left the ice on Estella's ankle and walked out.
"Folco, come back. I didn't mean it like that!"
But it made no difference. Folco walked out of the room. Estella sighed.
"Yet another thing to worry about"
She placed her hand back on the small ice pack. Her mood had not improved as Folco shut the door. Estella was now alone and hurt.
"Where are you Merry?" she asked herself.
Merry was miles away from her. The light outside was ebbing slowly into night. But it would be an hour or two before darkness settled in.
Legolas was in the kitchen. He was getting bread and water ready. There was a small bit of Elven water left. But only enough for Legolas to drink.
Gimli was standing, watching the elf.
"And do you think it's safe going out in this kind of weather?" he asked.
Legolas placed a few loaves of normal bread on the work surface.
"You don't even know where the hobbit went!"
Legolas did not look at Gimli. A sound of rushing water filled the room.
"I will find him, I am sure that he is alright" Legolas answered.
Gimli looked away. He gave a small grunt. Merry then entered the room.
"How are you laddie?" asked Gimli, placing a hand of Merry's shoulder.
The dwarf's grip was strong, Merry prised himself out of it. Legolas rushed about. There were a few bags for the bread on the table.
"How are you going to get to Bree?" asked Merry.
Legolas didn't look at him.
"We run" he answered.
This news did not appeal to Gimli.
"Oh no. No, no, no. we're not running for anyone anymore!" he protested.
Legolas started to pack the bread into the bags. Merry looked at Gimli.
"Then walk" Legolas.
Gimli knew that if he walked, Legolas would run off from him. A bag full on fresh bread was then past to the dwarf. He caught it. But didn't say a word.
Many miles ahead, Dolly was continuing to drive the small cart. A bridge was a few miles away from where they were. Yet neither of them knew about it.
The bridge was the last bridge before Rivendell. The light level was darkening by the minute. The night was going to be bitterly cold. Dolly looked up. The first stars could be seen peaking out from a sheet of dark blue.
Dolly had always liked the stars. When she was younger, her father would wake her up in the dead of night.
"Come and have a look at this" he said.
So, the two of them would make their way to the door. They tried to be a silent and as quick as possible. Her father would slowly open the door. The cool air blowing at her face.
Her hand held her father's as they walked into the small front garden. There was a patch of grass near the door. Dolly's father quietly closed the door.
"Come on" he said.
The two of them would walk over to grass and sat down. Dolly looked up at the countless twinkling stars. Her father, who was bigger then her, sat down next to her.
"Daddy?" Dolly asked, looking over at him.
The man had a long pipe in his mouth. He was holding a small pouch of tobacco.
"Hmm" he said, looking over at the girl.
"How many stars are there?" she asked.
The old hobbit looked at the girl. He had lit the small bowl of his pipe. A small whips of smoke started to snake upwards.
"Your asking a very difficult question" he answered.
His eyes pointed towards the sky. He could see the stars twinkling.
"Each small got of light is a star, just like our sun. some, probably bigger and brighter. Each small point of light may have planets. Each planet may have life. Each species will either feed off of the land, like we do. Or hunt those that do. Some species might be clever enough to look down on us and study us" he stopped, noticing that his daughter had gone silent.
Dolly's mouth was open. Amazement and wonder were now firmly implanted on her face. Her father started to smile.
"But, what you have to understand is that there may not be any other life out there" he told her.
The picture came back to Dolly. The patch of sky was exactly the same as she had seen as a child. Memories of her mother and father came back. She missed them dearly. Yet she knew that old age was to come to everyone.
The hobbit took a deep breath. She knew her time was getting close.
Back in Hobbiton, Estella was limping towards her room. Her mood had not improved. She was feeling guilty and there was nothing that she could do to stop it.
The darkness was growing outside. The sun had finally set. Yet there were no clouds. The coldness of day strengthened. Estella stopped at the threshold to her room. She was breathing heavily. Her ankle had swollen from the slip earlier that day.
Pimpernel, her friend, had not come to see how she was. Estella's bed was in sight. The hobbit hobbled over to the bed and sat of it. She placed her hurt ankle on her knee and started to rub it.
The window was now black enough to reflect the inside of the room. The candles were now half melted. Drops of wax could were still. They looked like that had been frozen in time. The light flickered and made them more mysterious.
This happened to just about all of the candles. Estella was memorised by the flickering. But her catch was soon broken. She started to yawn. The day had been stressful and tiring on her.
"I guess I should get to bed" she told herself.
She then slipped off of the bed and knelt down. She grabbed the box that had her diary in and pulled it out. The hobbit looked down at it. The box had a small handle. Estella opened it. The hinges creaked.
Inside, there was a small, well warn book. The gold letters had faded months ago. The hobbit took out the book and looked at it. Most of it was full of her thoughts and feelings.
Estella helped herself back onto the bed. The small box was left on the floor. There was a desk a few meters away. A wooden chair was standing before it. Estella took the small bit of pain in and them stood up. She swayed there for a few seconds, getting her balance. She then walked over to the table, trying not to put any weight on her foot.
When she was close enough, she held onto the chair with one hand. She hopped and sat down. Her desk was at an angle. One for writing on. The top of the desk was flat. There were books stacked on books. There were a few quills laying in a small bundle. An ink bottle had its top on.
Estella placed the book down and picked up the ink bottle. She took the lid off and placed it down again. Estella took a quill and opened the book. She found the next clean page and looked at it.
For a full minute, her eyes didn't move from the page. Her hand suddenly moved to the ink pot. The tip of the feather quill was plunged into the black liquid.
Estella tapped it on the side. A few drops ran down the side of the clear bottle. Estella moved the inky quill quickly over to the page and began to write.
Dear Diary
Estella had always started her entry that way.
Just when I thought this couple of days couldn't get any worse, it has. I now have guilty to mix in with angry and the feeling of loneliness.
Folco Boffin.
Why?
He knows that I don't like him like that! Yet he likes me. I feel like I've hurt him really bad. But there's nothing I can do.
Yes, I do like him, but only as a friend. Nothing more, nothing less. But now, I think he hates me. Just another problem I'll have to sort out by myself.
Merry Brandybuck still hasn't come to see me. I mean, he can't be that busy.
The sound of scratching could be heard around the room.
The weather is getting colder by the day. But that came with a price today. Pimpernel and me…
"Oh drat" Estella said as she realised that she had made a spelling mistake.
She dabbed the quill in ink again and then scribbled out the last few words that she had written. She made sure that it didn't spread. After the ink dried, she continued to write.
Pimpernel and me were attacked by the lads again. They do the same thing every year. Maybe this year will be their last. I don't know how many times Paladin has told them to leave us alone. But they never listen!
I hope that everything improves. I need some fun. Yule maybe what I need.
Estella finished writing and reread what she had said. The hobbit took a deep breath. She looked around to see the box still on the floor.
"I'll put it away tomorrow" she told herself.
So, she left the book open and got up. Remembering not to put any weight on her ankle, she limped back to her bed. She placed herself on it. She looked down and picked it up. Estella closed the lid and placed it back under the bed.
She then laid back on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. The ceiling, like most hobbit holes, was round and had a smooth surface to it.
Wooden beams were imbedded in the walls. Planks of wood ran half way up from the bottom. The floor was made from copper red tiles. They had all been fitted neatly into place. There were no big gaps and the design ran though out the house.
Estella was starting to drift into sleep. She had yet to take a wash or get changed out of the day's cloths. Her eyes slowly shut, sleep had won over her.
She would not wake till morning.