But Hobbiton was a million miles away from where Pippin was. The hobbit was sitting in the drivers seat, he had been there most of the night. His eyes were drooping and yawns crossed his mouth every few minutes.
The hunger was strong now. Pippin was missing all the food and fun that he could have had. The two baskets of bread were still in the back.
There was one loaf left in the first basket, the second one had been untouched.
"I wish I had some nice toast and butter with me" said Pip, his mouth started to water and his stomach rumbled at the same time.
Pippin had no idea about the outside world. He hadn't seen his friends for a week now and he had started to miss them. But he missed Diamond most of all.
In the cart, Dolly was awake. She was looking at Diamond. Her bump was still there. Hope had started to weaken in her heart. She could see no way of Diamond ever being the same after this.
But then again, she could not see the future. Maybe after all of it, Diamond would be able to live in peace. Dolly smiled. She knew that that image was the one to hold onto till the end.
The boy was now back on his horse. Wind was blowing in his face and hair as he rode ever onwards. The road had taken a bend in it's direction. But all he had to do was to follow it.
The boy was now fifty miles away from Rivendell.
"If I can just get there by sun set, then maybe the elves could set off and meet the hobbits when the sun rises"
For that was his plan for the moment. There were still no leaves on the trees. Nearly all of the trees had shed theirs for the winter.
The boy and horse raised on. The trees were like cold pillars rising out of nearly every available space. Roots dug deep into the soft soil. Trees that were thousands of years old stood in the deepest, most untouched parts of the forest.
Rivers unseen by men, dwarfs, hobbits and even elves had run their course over many thousands of years. Trees that had succumbed to their power lay in the cold water. Yet, the river ran ever onwards to an unknown sea or lake. Many small lakes were dotted in random and unexpected places. Rolling hills and deep valleys made up an unforgiving landscape.
There were few or no houses in these areas. In the distance were high mountains. They had snow of their tops. There were valleys criss crossing the land. They grew deeper as they got further to the mountains. The road seemed to become steeper.
A few miles away, there was a large tunnel. This tunnel had been made by the elves a very long time ago. The road bore right, going ever downwards. The trees grew bigger on the land. The rock faces became wild and dangerous. The path started to narrow. Becoming just a path at some points.
Yet, he had to go on. He made the horse go slowly over the path. The tunnel approached. It looked like a dark cavern.
The horse's hooves were the only thing echoing around him. The tunnel grew bigger and bigger. Light from the sun hardly made it into the tunnel. Everything seemed to be louder when the boy got into the tunnel.
Drips of water echoed around him.
Drip.
Small roots grew though the gaps in the rocks.
Drip.
The wind blew around him. The cold didn't seem as intense. The horse shoes drowned out the drips of water that were falling to the floor.
In a few places, water was dripping out in small streams that ran down the face of the rock. The small amount of light at the mouth of the tunnel reflected off of the narrow stream running down the rocks.
Further into the tunnel, there were flaming torches. They flickered in the wind, yet they never went out. Bats roosted in the small crevasses and holes.
The boy could hear them more then he could see them. The small candles marked the way. The tunnel went on for about another forty meters.
Yet, it seemed longer. The tunnel took a shallow bend in it's path. The light from the far side radiated inwards, casting shadows on the ground.
A minute or two later, the boy entered the sun light again. The dripping in tunnel had ceased, the light outside hurt the boy's eyes for a moment.
What stood before him made him stop. The path lead downwards to a ford. It weaved its way downwards. The water rushed over stones and boulders.
So, after another minute of looking, the boy slowly made his way down. There was no fear of falling down, the horse knew what it was doing.
A minute later, the horse and boy got to the bottom. The river wound on around corners in both directions. The air seemed colder the deeper into the valley he went.
The boy stopped the horse at the edge of the river. He could hear the water running over the rocks. The middle of the ford had been lain with larger, flatter rocks.
The boy then crossed the water. He reached the other side and looked back.
"And who may you be?" asked a voice.
Without noticing it, the boy had been surrounded by elves. Ten or so of them. They were what remained of the elves. Their bows were pointed at the boy. His eyes darted to each one. Two of them looked very similar. Their hair lay at just the right length, the colour of it was exactly the same.
"I asked who you we're, we expect answers" said the elf.
"I live just outside of Bree, I've been sent to give your leader a message" he said.
There was a moment of silence. The elf lowered his bow. And, like him, the others did the same.
"And what message will that be?" asked the elf.
The boy's mouth was dry.
"Well, there's a… a hobbit coming here. And"
The boy paused.
"And someone is sick, he needs your help to cure them"
The elf's eyes narrowed in on him. The boy could feel him scanning his very head.
"Very well" the elf said after a few seconds.
He nodded and the nine other elves started walking in different directions. The boy watched the elves walk off.
"You will come with us" said the elf.
He walked towards the boy.
"We will walk from here" said the other elf.
The boy looked at him and quickly got off. He could feel their presence around him. He knew to respect them. So, he slid off of his horse. One of the elves took the reigns. The boy let go and moved away.
The elf then looked deep into the horses eyes. The next second, the horse started to run. The boy moved out of the way and the elf had leg go on the reigns.
The three of them stood there.
"You will walk with us"
The boy was watching his horse run away. The elves walked away, leaving the boy standing there.
"But, I need that horse!" he told them.
Yet the elves did not look back or talk. They walked onwards. The boy looked around, then started to walk as well. The elves walked down a path. About a mile away, the Elven town, Rivendell, was sitting there.
It was surrounded by a large valley. The rock face stretched upwards. Leaves of every colour littered the ground. The river dropped over many water falls.
There was a small ridge that blocked out the view. The two elves walked over to it. The boy had caught up with them. As the three of them walked to the point, the boy stopped. His eyes had had their first glimpse of the town.
From far away, there seemed to be no buildings. But, when his eyes got used to the view, he could see small towers dotted in the trees. Each tree towered over the buildings. There was a bridge going from one side of the valley to another.
There were no leaves on trees. They had fallen due to the time of year.
The two elves continued to walk, obviously not taking any noticed of the view. The boy's eyes were stuck to the great vastness of the place. He could feel the power of the rocks, yet the oldness was all around him.
The boy started to walk, the path weaved and descended down the side of the rock face. Trees grew into the side of the rock. They grew up towards the sun in the most difficult areas. It was amazing that they did not just fall down.
The water that run in the valley below was crystal clear. It reflected all of the light coming down at it. There were many water falls.
Parts of the path had a small stream running over it. Yet, there were flat and smooth stepping stones. There was no ice or snow around these parts. The valley was warmer then the plains and the Shire.
After ten minutes walk, the first Elven houses came into view. Trees surrounded them, breaking their outside. The houses were normally windowless.
Their walls had large windows in it. Yet, due to there being no glass, leaves and the elements were allowed inside. The doors were none existent. Elves had no need for doors.
The houses were normally just one room. And, in that room, was a large bed. This large bed was covered in a pure white duvet. Their pillows were just as white. There were no creases running though either of them.
The path weaved down to a bridge. There were Elven houses on either side. Some of buildings had trees growing though them. Elves respected the land and its creatures more then any living race. The trees grew out the tilted floor and though the ceiling and roof.
There were small walk ways running though the numerous trees. Statues of old and forgotten leaders were standing. They had been dotted in the area where it would not disturb the trees. For elves did not like having to use weapons or tools that caused pain.
They only used weapons for war and in dark times.
"This way" said the elf who was in front of the boy.
There was bridge before them. Below, the river Bruinen flowed. The elves and young boy walked over the bridge. The young boy had never seen beauty like he was seeing at that moment.
His eyes were darting around to every rock face and to every water fall. The northern side of the valley was home to the Last Homely House.
This had been home to Elrond when he had been in Middle-earth. But, now Elrond and most of the elves had left Middle-earth on ships. They headed to the Grey Havens. There, they would sail to Aman, also known as the Undying Lands.
Frodo Baggins, Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf had all taken a boat along with Elrond.
The Last Homely House approached. The house was big, with many rooms. So, big and long, others were just bedrooms. The two elves led the boy to a room.
Like all the other Elven room, there were no windows or doors. The sound of the wind whistling by and the leaves rustling beyond the walls was the only sound.
The foot steps of the boy echoed around. The boy noticed that the elves made no sound at all as they walked.
The two elves stopped. The turned around and looked at the human standing before them.
"Sit"
The boy looked down at the chairs. They were highly decorated, swirls had been cut out of the polished wood. The seat and back bit had a duck egg blue floral design. At the top of the chair, there was a large fire-like head board all made out of the finest wood.
Like most chairs, they had been made out of one piece of solid wood.
The floor was made out of one single coloured tile. The tiles had been cut away from rock face a few hundred meters away. Elves had made each and every tile to be like the first. The gap in the tiles was perfect to the millimetre.
The light reflected off of the tiles. The two elves pulled us exactly the same looking seats.
"Now, we need to know why you're here" said the first elf.
He sat up straight, his back running along the back on the chair.
"I have already told you, there are hobbits coming for your help. I don't know why, all I was told was that they were sick"
There was a moment of silence. The elf surveyed the boy. Without another word, the two of them got up. The boy watched them as they walked away. He wondered where they were going and why they had not asked him to follow.
The two elves stopped at a large window looking over the large valley. The boy watched them. The elves spoke in a tongue that not known to the human.
The boy slowly stood up. His eyes were fixed on the two of them. They seemed to be arguing or discussing something.
The boy's cloths were splashed with dried mud. His legs were numb with the coldness of the air. For he had no socks on and ragged, ripped shoes. The boy looked around, the trees had few leaves on it now. Leaves were sweeping the ground. Others had let just left go of their tree.
They covered the ground in a thick carpet.
A few minutes later, the two elves came back. The boy watched them come towards him.
"Sit" said one of the elves.
So, the boy slowly sank back into the Elven chair. The two elves sat back on their chairs. Both of them sat in exactly the same position. Their cloths were made of the finest material.
"My name is Elladan and this is my brother, Elrohir" he told the boy.
The boy's eyes darted between the two of them.
Origo, meanwhile, was in the same position that he had been that night. But now, the sun had risen. Bird and beasts had woken from the night. His fur was wet and a few leaves covered him. Small birds flew around him.
A small robin curiously came up to him. his eyes surveying the small, still puppy.
The robin suddenly hopped around, a young looking girl stood by a tree a few meters away. The robin hopped and beat his wings. The creature flew eye. The girl's eyes followed the bird's path away.
When she couldn't see it, her eyes went back to looking at the puppy before her. Her hair was blonde. Light from the sun radiated off of it. Her eyes were deep and blue. Yet, they were deep set and dark. Her complexion was flawless.
Her feet were bare, her feet were unnaturally clean.
Her eyes narrowed. She could see the small pup breathing. So, she slowly started to walk. Twigs snapped under her feet. She stopped as she reached him. Her eyes continued to look at the puppy.
"Origo?" she asked.
Her voice was fare and sweet. Origo didn't move. The girl knelt down next to him. She place a gentle hand on his fur. The warmth of her hands made Origo come to. But, he didn't open his eyes. The girl looked around. She slowly picked him up. The girl placed Origo on his shoulder.
She looked around one last time and then walked away, carrying the pup with her. She weaved though the trees, going right towards a road. This road was the very one Origo was trying to get to.
Further down the road, the scenery started to change. The trees started to change. Valleys started to deepen and the rivers were cold.
Pippin was still driving ever onwards. He did not know that the boy that had been sent before them had arrived at his goal. Two elves were coming towards Pippin. Yet, it would be nightfall before they reached each other.
The two elves had gotten onto their horses and rode off.
The light level started to fade. The clouds had started to gather again. Snow would be lain in the darkness of night. Pippin was getting colder and colder. He looked up at the sky. He could feel the coldness deepening. Shivers started to take a hold of him.
The wind started to pick up. Yet, in Rivendell, the snow was already falling. Large flakes were falling in the valley. The wind blew the snowflakes along the valley. The elves that were left sort shelter. Even though they could not feel the coldness of winter like mortal men did.
The boy that had arrived there a few hours before was now tucked up in bed. He had large sheets over him. An Elven blanket helped keep the heat in.
His eyes were closed. No flakes entered the building, even though there were large, glassless windows looking out. The valley had a white haze about it. The snow seemed to block the view of the rest.
The two brothers were sitting at a table.
"The hobbits should be here in an hour" Elladan explained.
There was a long table. Large seats lined down both sides on the wooden table. There were fourteen seats altogether. Six on each width and two at each head.
Elladan and Elrohir were sitting at each head chair. There were four flickering candles all along the wooden table. They flickered as the wind rusted past them.
There were bowls of grapes and fruit from the Elven garden. The fruit was decreasing in quantity every year. Yet, they harvested what they could.
There was a large plate of cheese and Lembas bread. Elladan picked up a piece of Elven bread and broke a bit off. He ate it. The Elven bread was special. One bite and a human's stomach would be satisfied for hours to come.
Meanwhile, Legolas, Gimli and Merry were walking down the road that lead to Bree. In the night before now, Merry had been in some trouble. But he had been saved but two unlikely friends. Legolas was an elf and Gimli a dwarf.
Legolas had blond hair, his eyes were darting around the area. There was no clouds over them. Yet, Legolas knew that snow was coming their way. But it would be many hours before.
Gimli had red hair, yet more grey then last time Merry had seen him. Yet, his attitude had not changed one bit. Gimli was a lover of ale and rich meat. But he loathed running and steep hills.
Merry was the same height as Gimli. But had once been small. Merry and Pippin had drank Ent Draught. It was special water, drank by the Ents. But, when Merry and Pippin had some, they gained an extra few inches.
For a time, Pippin had been taller then Merry. But the role of being the tallest of the two had been given back to Merry.
"It will be night soon" Merry said.
He was shivering. The Elven sheet had been packed away again. Merry wished that he could have walked with it around himself.
Both Merry and the dwarf were started to feel the cold again. Legolas was walking, tiredness was not a problem for him. Yet, in his years of being around mortals like Gimli and Merry, he had learnt that they needed rest and food more often then elves.
"We will walk for another hour, then we will have a rest" Legolas told him.
Merry looked at him, not believing what he had just heard.
"Another hour and my leg will fall off" mumbled the hobbit.
Legolas continued to walk, he smirked, having heard what Merry had just said. Merry pulled his coat around him.
"I would mind a nice ale or whiskey to warm me up" he said.
"Wouldn't we all laddie?" asked Gimli.
He then looked over at the elf.
"Well, most of us anyway"
Hobbiton was getting ready for another cold night. The Green Dragon had it's lights on. The candles flickered an the large door was shut. Tobacco smoke hung in the air. Estella was sitting at a table. There was lots of laughter and drinking surrounded the girl.
Estella's ankle had started to heal. But still hurt if too much pressure was put on it. Opposite to her were two girls. Pimpernel Took and Pearl Took. They both had a mud of beer before them.
"So, he just came up to you?" asked Pearl.
Estella nodded.
"Yes, then he helped me back to my home" she explained.
Pimpernel took a swig of her ale. Just then, the door opened of the pub opened and in came Folco. The hobbit quickly closed the door.
"Oh no" said Estella, spotting him.
Pearl looked around as well. Her eyes narrowed in on the hobbit.
"Just ignore him, Merry is a much better lad for you"
Estella took a deep breath and nodded. The light outside had fallen to a point where the inside reflected on the glass. There was a bridge just a few hundred yards away. The bridge was the main way to the outside world and to the Great East Road.
But, like most hobbits, none would venture far from it. Only on a rare occasion, a hobbit would venture as far as Bree. Bree was the furthest any hobbit would go. Yet, it was still a few days walk.
Folco walked over to a empty table. Empty tables were rare in the Dragon. The hobbit pulled out a seat and sat down. He seemed to be distracted.
One of the hobbits came up to him. She was carrying a large goblet of ale. She placed it on the table and smiled.
"Thank you" said Folco.
He didn't look at her. Something was bothering him. The girl walked away, she was going about her job. Estella, on the other hand, knew that something was wrong.
"Maybe I should talk to him" Estella said, looking at him.
"I don't, why cant you just leave him alone?" asked Pearl.
Estella took a deep breath.
"Well, I kind of feel sorry for him"
Pimpernel yawned. She had started to feel tired.
"Can't you do it in the morning?" Nelly asked.
Estella smiled.
"Maybe it could wait" she said.
She picked up her small goblet again and looking inside. The last bit of ale swirled around inside. She then put it to her lips and started to drink.
After a few seconds, she finished.
"Right, I better get back home" she said.
Both Pimpernel and Pearl drained their cups and placed them on the table. Each of the girls had a large coat resting on the back of their chairs. They picked them up. Having looked back to see if they had not left any of their belongings, they walked towards the door.
Pearl lead the way. She opened it. A blast of cold air rushed in. The candles flickered as the three of them walked out. Pearl shut the door and the sound from inside was instantly blocked out.
Warmth had been replaced by coldness.
"Well, I'll see you two tomorrow" Estella said.
Time in was now ten o'clock. It was the time where most hobbits would have supper, the last meal of the day. Estella hugged Pearl and Pimpernel. They then walked in different directions.
The Water, it is known, ran under the bridge. The surface of the body of water had small ripples running over it. The grass on either side of the bank was still green. But, in the darkness of night, the lake looked like a massive black sheet.
The sky above was full on clouds. The coldness and wind grew. Snow was on the way again.
Estella started to walk up the hill. Her feet were getting colder by the second. Puddles of snow, long melted away, were still lining small shallow areas of the path.
Tracks where ponies and carts had run though made the water file down the path. Estella's house was at the top of the hill, but on the other side.
Her mind was on getting out of the coldness. So, she walked a bit faster. A minute later, she got to her front door, having opened and gone though her gate.
The hobbit closed her door quickly, the home was warm. Like all hobbit holes, there was no going up stairs. Estella shivered as she took off her coat and hung it on a peg.
She looked down at her feet. They were a bit muddy and wet. Her eyes then slid over to the floor. There were bits of leaves and twig laying there. Obviously from all the walking she did.
"Tomorrow, I'm going to have a big Yule clean" she said.
She yawned as she walked to her room. A small book lay on her writing desk. It's pages had been opened. On one side, there was a lot of writing. On the opposite page, there was none.
For this was Estella's diary. The hobbit closed it and moved it out of the way. She was too tired to be bothered about writing this evening.
"I think some food would suit me better" she said.
So, she walked out of her bed room and into her kitchen. The kitchen was like any other in Hobbiton. It had a fireplace, the fire was in embers at this point.
It had a kettle hanging over the fire. Yet there was no water inside of it. A tea pot stood on the table along with a small bowl of apples and a jar of marmalade.
A block of cheese lay on a plate. A knife was laying next to it. Small rolls of bread and a stick of butter also had their place on the table.
Table mats had been set out as well.
Estella didn't take anything off of the table. She walked over to another door. This one was exactly the same as each door in her house. Yet, this one had not been painted. The wood had been left as it had been the day it was cut. Yet, the door had been polished. The light from the candles flickered on the wood.
The door opened. The cellar was colder then the rest of the house. It's walls and floor had been made from tilts that kept small room cool although the year.
Estella walked in. A noise of an animal came to her ears. A rustling sound. But, it did not scare her. She walked to the back of the cellar and looked around the many shelves. There, in a big wooden cage was her turkey. He was standing in his cage, looking out.
"Hello" she said merrily.
Yet, this turkey was not her pet. Estella had planned Yule just like her friends did. They would buy a turkey a few months before the Yule feasts. They had kept them to feed and made bigger.
Estella went back to looking for some food to eat. There were many jars and many cakes. Apples and bundles of juicy grapes in bags were stored here.
There was no meat stored in the cellar. Meat was the only thing that hobbits would buy that day. Other foods could be stored for a few weeks.
Estella was eyeing a chocolate cake that she had cooked that week. So, she lifted the cake out. The cake was sitting on a plate. The cake had been covered in brown paper.
The hobbit walked out and placed the plate on the table. She then started to unwrap the brown paper to revile a cake.
The cake had not been touched apart from one missing piece that Estella had had when she had first made it. the cake had not started to stale in the cellar. It was as soft as the day it was made.
A minute later and Estella had sat down. She then picked up the large slice that she had cut and took a bite. The taste of rich chocolate hit her.
A smile came over her lips. For a moment, she had forgotten about the pain in her ankle, the guilt that she felt due to Folco had gone and the fact that she missed Merry had disappeared.
It took her another few minutes to finish the cake. There were crumbs in the plate and her fingers were covered in chocolate.
She licked the chocolate off of her fingers and stood up. The hobbit wrapped the cake up and put it back on it's shelf in the cellar.
Estella yawned as she placed the knife and plate in sink. She looked around, tiredness was getting a hold of her more then ever.
She yawned.
"Oh, I'll do it in the morning" she said, looking at the washing up.
So, she walked out of the kitchen and along the small corridor. Estella walked up to another door. She opened it and walked inside. The door closed shut behind her with a little click.
Another day finished.