"Is it alright?" asked Eglantine.
Pimpernel smiled and nodded.
"Yes" she answered.
Hamson looked very tired indeed. He also had a plate, but crumbs were the only thing left on the plate. He had had a bacon sandwich as well. His spirits were lifted just a small bit.
Everyone had a disruptive nights sleep or no sleep at all.
"You need to change your cloths" Eglantine told her daughter.
Pimpernel looked down and noticed that she still in the cloths she had on yesterday. Eglantine had gotten up and walked out. Hamson and Pimpernel were now left alone.
They looked at each other.
Just then, another knock came at the door. Hamson looked over.
"I'll get that" he said and left the room.
Pimpernel was now left on her own again. Her eyes travelled around the room. The event that she had been involved in had not hit her yet.
The small flames of the candles looked more evil then before. Pimpernel didn't know what it was, but they seemed to be against her. They flickered like evil eyes watching her every movement. She slowly looked away from it. something about the flickering made her uneasy.
Eglantine came back in. She was carrying a pile of clean cloths.
"Here you go dear"
The front door slammed, making Eglantine looked around.
"I wonder who that is" she said, placing the cloths on the chair and walked out.
Pimpernel waited a few seconds before getting up off of the bed. She slowly closed the door. Pimpernel then turned around, her eyes meeting the candles. But she did not know how to blow them out.
Her hand slowly reached up, a small tingling came to the tips of her fingers. Speaking came from the other side of the door. She started to wonder what they were talking about.
The voices started to grow. Pimpernel looked back, her hand pulled away from the candles and went to the bed. But, having thought that her mother was coming back, but she was wrong. Her focus then turned back to the candles. Fear rose more then ever. Her heart rate was rising every seconds. She could feel her heart pounding away. She started to reach up again, but a creak of the door made her jump.
Yet again, her hand was taken away from her goal. Every time it happened made her more and more upset. Something deep down was stopping her.
Pimpernel felt the lowest that she had ever been. Normally fire would not be a problem for her. But her confidence had been taken away from her.
She was scared. But she was too cowardly to admit it. The girl went and sat on the bed. But she didn't lay down. Instead, she rested again the head board and tucked her legs up.
Pimpernel could smell the smoke on her dress. Short flashbacks came across her eyes. Panic and despair came across in her flashbacks. Pimpernel could see the red glow coming from cracks in the door way. But she knew that there was nothing she could do.
Just then, the door opened again. Her mother walked back in.
"Oh, you haven't changed yet" she said.
Her eyes saw the cloths still left on the chair. Eglantine then looked over at her daughter. She knew that something was wrong.
"Pimpernel?" she asked.
Eglantine slowly walked towards her daughter. She took a deep breath and sat on the bed.
"I couldn't do it" Pimpernel told her.
Eglantine took one of Pimpernel's hands. Nelly didn't resist.
"Listen, Pimpernel, you are stronger then you think. But you'll get over it, I am sure of it" her mother told her.
Pimpernel took a deep breath, her eyes were looking down at the bed.
"Come here" her mother said.
The two of them embraced in a big hug. Pimpernel's sorrows and fears went away. For a moment, she was happy. Pimpernel loved her mother dearly. There was a sort of energy that she only felt when hugging her mother.
"Could you put out the candles?" Pimpernel asked.
Eglantine gave her daughter a warm smile.
"Of course" she said.
Pimpernel and her mother then broke their hug as Eglantine went over to the candles. There were ten in the room altogether. Pimpernel watched her mother extinguished each one. The room fell darker and darker with each candle that went out.
Eglantine put the last one out, sending the room into darkness. The only light entering the room was from the small, round window.
Eglantine then looked around, her daughter still on the bed. Pimpernel gave a small smile.
"It'll be lunch in an hour, would you like it in here?" Pimpernel was asked.
She nodded. Eglantine smiled and walked out. The door closed, leaving Pimpernel on her own. The window was being pounded by snow flakes. All of the hobbits that had gone back in. the snow was getting heavier. The flakes were large and settled on the ground.
The hills of Hobbiton were snow covered. The fields around the small village was covered in snow as well. For miles and miles around, the snow was getting deeper.
A cart was travailing along the great east road. No snow had landed where they were, but it would soon come. Diamond had long since woken up. Dolly was holding Faramir. The coldness around them was getting deeper. The clouds above them rolled on. Diamond could see them rolling in like one big wave blocking out the sun.
To the east was the sun still rising. But where Pippin and Diamond were, the sun would be hidden away behind the clouds. Warmth would struggled to over power the cold today.
It was now Pippin's turn to sleep. For a long while had just lay there, trying not to sleep. A few times, he had drifted off. He shuffled himself into a better position.
The cart suddenly started to slow down. Pippin, who was now very tired slowly sat up. Diamond and Dolly both looked around at him.
"Why have we stopped?" Pip asked.
There was no sound coming from the drivers end. Pippin took the blanket that was over and moved to the end of the cart. unknown to the hobbits, Elladan had gotten off from seat.
He had seen something moving on the path ahead of him. Pippin, though the small gap, could see Elladan walking away.
"What is he doing?" he asked.
Diamond and Dolly sat there. Faramir was sleeping once again. Pippin suddenly jumped out of the cart. Diamond said nothing to him.
Pippin continued to watch as the elf bent down and picked something up. Pippin continued to watch and Elladan came back. In his hands was a small pup.
Origo.
Pippin's eyes lit up.
"Origo!" he said in amazement.
The end handed the small puppy to it's owner. Pippin could feel how warm the pup was.
"Ori, where have you been?" Pippin asked.
But, all he got was whimpers.
"We have to move, snow is on the way" Elladan said.
Without a chance to talk to the elf, he was walking back to the drivers seat. Pippin smiled and went to back of the cart. Diamond watched him come back. She saw Pippin first and was just about ask what the small stop was about. But she was stopped. The question she was about to ask was answered.
Pippin placed the pup on cart. Origo looked around, he was shivering and had mud on his paws.
"Origo!" said Diamond.
She couldn't believe that Origo was sitting in front of her. She reached over and picked her puppy up. Diamond snuggled her puppy.
"I was so worried about you" she said.
Pippin got onto the cart as well. He had only been on a few seconds before it moved off again. Diamond looked over at Pip.
"Your lucky that he's safe. He could have been killed"
Pippin took a sorry looking smile and looked down. Diamond smiled and kissed the top of Ori's head. Origo was not looking any different from when she last saw him.
"You don't smell very nice pup, we have to get you cleaned up when we get back to the Shire" she told him.
Origo's head looked up. His eyes met Diamond. Diamond smiled and kissed his nose. Origo then whined sadly, he didn't like water.
"Are you hungry?" she asked.
Origo tilted his head and yawned.
"Or sleepy?" she asked.
Origo whined. He then looked over at the basket, wondering if they had any turkey with them. Diamond smiled and reached over. She grabbed the basket and slid it over to her. There was a white cloth that had been put over it. Diamond took it off and looked inside. Laying inside the wicker basket was a brown packet. The hobbit then picked it up and sniffed it.
Turkey.
She smiled as she placed it on the wooden floor of the cart. Origo was taking yet another yawn. Diamond, with one hand, placed the cloth back and slid the basket to the other side again.
Diamond then picked up the packet of turkey again and smiled. Origo was laying on her legs as she unwrapped the packet. Diamond picked out a piece and held it up. Origo instantly perked up. The pup seemed to be more aware of what was going on.
Origo's eyes were trained on the meat in Diamond's hand. He whined, really wanting it. Diamond looked down and saw that he was focused on the turkey. She held her hand down and let Origo take it.
The pup started to eat the meat. The first time he had done so in days. He chewed, Diamond smiled as she watched him eat.
"More?" she asked.
Origo looked up and nodded, making his little ears flop. Diamond smiled and got out another bit of turkey. She held it up. Origo whined, wanting it quicker.
Faramir started to whine, his little hands rubbing his eyes. Diamond's eyes looked over at him.
"Uh oh, little Faramir wants his mummy" Dolly said.
Diamond smiled and fed the pup. Origo was then moved out of the way and Faramir was whining, having just woken up. Origo backed away, his eyes watching what was happening.
His owner was past a noisy thing. Origo wondered what it was. It seemed to be getting more attention then him.
Had he really been replaced?
Origo whimpered sadly and back away from his Diamond. She was now busy with the noisy puppy. She seemed to take no notice of him.
Dolly was also talking to his Diamond. Pippin was asleep. Origo had no other option. He went to the corner of the cart and curled up. His eyes continued to watch as the other puppy grew louder.
Origo wished that he had not fallen asleep when they had stopped at the inn. Diamond was too busy trying to make Faramir happy to notice him whimpering in the corner.
Meanwhile, back in Hobbiton, the time was slow. Pimpernel was sitting quietly by herself. She was deep in thought and sorrow.
Her house had gone, burnt down in a fire. She could see the smoke coming into the bed room. It rose though the gaps in the door.
What happened after that was a mystery to her. Everything went black. For what seemed a few seconds, she had past out. But it had been hours. She had awoken in a different room. Hamson had saved her.
But the fact that everything had gone from her house hurt her the most. She knew that the fire would envelop the whole house.
Pimpernel could feel the heat coming off of the flames. she breathed heavily and coughed. She could hear nothing by creaking and bangs. Bottles of hundred year old wine and ale exploded.
The smoke continued to take Pimpernel's breath. She coughed and breathed heavier. Her eyes glazed over, she could no longer keep her self up. Pimpernel fell. But she did not fall to the floor. Luckily, the bed stopped her from hurt.
The image of the fire kept replaying in her mind. It seemed to be looped. The door to the room then opened. A figure stood at the door way.
It was Eglantine.
She was carrying a tray with a plate on. She smiled as she placed it on the bed.
"I've done a roast for everyone, I'll be back with your ale in a minute" she said.
Pimpernel looked at the meal in front, but didn't say a word. Eglantine took a deep breath and walked out again. The door clicked shut, making the room darker again. Pimpernel could see the light from outside reflecting on the plate. It curved with plate.
Pimpernel wished that the fire didn't happen. All of her books had been destroyed. Talking could be heard from the other side of the door.
"Their probably talking about me" Pimpernel told herself.
The door opened again for the second time. The light again flooded in. It hit the plate, lighting it up. Potatoes could be seen drowned in hot gravy. The plate showed the other bits that had been put on. Chicken, stuffing, carrots and parsnips. All were ready to eat.
Eglantine put a mug on the trey and stood there.
"Why don't you eat up dear" she said.
Pimpernel didn't answer. She took a deep breath and continued to stair at the plate in front of her. Eglantine stood there for a couple of seconds, then finally turned around and walked out again. The door closed for the second time. Eglantine stood outside the door for a few seconds. She listened to any sounds that came out from the room. But there were none.
The hobbit slowly walked away. Pearl and Pervinca were sitting in the kitchen. Paladin was there as well. His clothes were wet and he was shivering.
"But we have to" said Pearl.
Eglantine walked into the room.
"Do what?" she asked, stopping in her tracks.
Pearl looked around and looked at her mother.
"We have to go up to the house and salvage anything that belongs to us" she answered.
Eglantine thought for a few seconds.
"Yes, yes that is a good idea"
But Paladin did not think so.
"There will be nothing left, it will be all gone"
He put too much emphasis on the word "All" then was needed. The alcohol was still taking effect on him.
"Don't be silly. You will be the one to go up there and see what you can get back" Eglantine told him.
"But why me?" he asked, his voice was slurred.
Eglantine shook her head, she couldn't stand him when he was drunk.
"Mother is right, you have to go up there and see what you can recover" Pervinca said.
She was planning to go up there as well. The fire crackled in the fire place. Pearl was day dreaming again, she was back at the fire the night before.
Estella had been sitting quietly in a chair around the table. She listened to the family argue. A mug of ale was standing before her on the table.
The hours ticked by. Lunch had come and gone. The table had been cleared away. The mood around the house had not lifted all day. The candles seemed to dimmer.
Nearly all of the family had been up all night. The fire that raged had now been put out. Snow covered the black bits of wood.
The clock ticked on. The hour hand getting ever closer to five. For a few minutes, no one talked. The fire crackled and ale was drunk.
Pimpernel was left alone in the room. The plate of food untouched by her. The ale was still on the trey as well. The heat from her roast dinner had been lost. The gravy now had a thin skin on it's surface.
The light from the window was dimming. Snow was still falling, but not as much as before. The night was only two hours away.
"Well, we can go up there tomorrow morning" Vinnie told them, looking out the window.
The light was getting dimmer and dimmer each passing hour. Eglantine took a deep breath.
"I guess I should started getting dinner ready" she said.
Pearl and Vinnie got up and walked out of the room. They knew that their mother did not like people around when she was cooking. Estella drained her mug and got out of her seat as well. The three of them headed towards the lounge.
Estella was the last one into the room. Pearl closed the door and walked away. The three of them sat down on different seats. The candles were flickering as they burned.
None of them talked. Only the clock ticked. Estella looked over at the wooden clock. The clock read five past six. Normally the hobbits would be having the first of their dinners. But their day had been disrupted and their hunger was stronger then ever.
"I wonder how she is" Estella said.
She was now looked down. Vinnie looked over for a split second.
"She'll be alright in a few days" she told her.
Estella was slowly shaking her head.
"It could have been any of us" she said dully.
"What do you mean?" asked Pearl.
Estella took a deep breath.
"Well, it could have happened when we were all in the house. It could have been a lot worse" she answered.
Pearl didn't like what she was hearing.
"A lot worse?" she asked.
"It is a lot worse, Pimpernel lost her house!"
Estella knew that Pearl did not understand what she had meant.
"Pearl, that is not what I meant" she said.
But Pearl wasn't taking any of it.
"Then what did you mean?" she asked.
Estella fell silent. She could feel an argument coming on.
"Can we talk about something else?" Pervinca asked.
The cart continued to roll on. Its for passengers were shivering in the coldness. The snow was on it's way and the coldness was deepening. Pippin was getting more and more hungry. His heart was missing the Shire more and more each second.
Origo had fallen silent. He was curled in a small, fluffy ball. The wind blew his fur as he lay still. But he wasn't sleeping, he was eyeing the bundle in Diamond's arms.
He didn't like that thing. It was too noisy. Something about it made his owners attention over to it. No matter how hard Origo tried, he was brushed aside.
There was a small packet blowing in the gently in the breeze. Half an hour earlier, it had been wrapped around slices of cooked turkey. But now, Origo had eaten all of it.
Pippin had a small slice of lambas bread in his hand. A bite had been taken out of it. Lambas had a special property about it.
Yes, it was bread. But it was only made by the elves. It cured hunger for the eater. It was like having a full meal in one bite. Pippin took another bite. It was a large bite.
The hobbit started to chew, his eyes darted around the cart. Dolly was yawning, her hand over her mouth. Pippin looked down at the piece of bread he had in hand. He took a deep breath.
"Here" he said, handing the piece to her.
Dolly looked over and saw that Pippin was holding something out. A smile came over her lips.
"Thank you" she said, taking it from him.
Dolly took a deep breath and looked over at Diamond. Diamond had been the happiest that she had been in ages. Dolly ate a bite of the bread. Pippin had a flask near him and was now drinking.
After a few gulps, he took it away from mouth. He took a deep breath and smiled. The light around had began to fade quicker then ever.
Small snowflakes started to fall from the sky. But it would be a few hours until the blizzard would finally hit them. On the driver's seat, Elladan was looking at the sky. He could sense the blizzard was coming. A small tingling in his stomach told him that the snow was coming for them.
Back in Hobbiton, the snow was easing off after a few hours of being blown on the town. Hobbit children had now been let out.
"But don't you think about going to the burnt home, you hear?" said their parents.
The children promised as they got their coats and scarves on. Front door opened and quickly closed. The snow was still falling. As soon at the children got outside, they would pick up a large handful of soft white snow.
Hobbits did not have gloves, they did not feel the coldness like humans did. Yet, after while, they would feel it. Elves were the only beings that could not feel the coldness of winter.
Hamson had gone back to him own home for a while. There, he had a bath. He had gone into the fire to help save Pimpernel.
The water hit the bottom on the bath tub. It took the best part of half an hour to fill. The water rippled as he poured last load into the bath. The kettle he used dripped its last few droplets of hot water.
Hamson took a deep breath and placed the kettle down on the floor. There were a few white towels piled on near the head of the bath.
A few minutes later, Hamson got into the bath. He let the hot water run over him. But the water was too hot for him. His skin started to hurt as he made his way deeper into the bath. It showed on his face. But he took it in. He was now fully emerged in the water.
Hamson looked down. He could see his feet at the end poking out of the water. He moved them, sending small ripples along the surface of the water.
The hair on his feet swayed in the water. The heat of the water was getting to the hobbit. His eyes slowly drooped the longer he lay there. His hands had started to wrinkle like they always did in water.
A yawn came over him, the silence was soothing. Without knowing, Hamson's eyes closed. He was too tired to do anything about it.
The tips of his golden brown hair were swaying in the water. The hobbit in the water slowly drifted into a deep sleep. The water slowly started to turn colder and colder without feeling it.
The hobbit was in a dream. A dream unlike any he had seen. The visions were dark and friary. Smoke touched his face and his throat hurt.
Coughs came to his throat. The smoke rose into the air. Hamson was now standing in front of a long tunnel. His eyes could see the flames licking the side. Crashes and bangs echoed down the long tunnel.
Without warning, he seemed to be pushed. The tunnel seemed to come towards him quicker then ever. The flames were now very near him. Fear gripped him now. The tunnel had fire on every side for what seemed miles.
Wind blew though the tunnel towards him.
The noise of the fire blocked out most things. But what it didn't block out were screams. Screams of terror and pain.
Hamson knew exactly who it was.
It was Pimpernel.
Hamson had now one goal. To save Pimpernel. But the task at hand was greater. He could hear her, yes. But he did not know where she was.
Without a second thought, he started to make his way inside the flaming tunnel. The screams grew ever louder as he made his way in. The heat was hurting his face. The screams echoed around him.
They seemed to be getting closer and closer. His eyes could see nothing by flames and darkness.
In reality, the clock was ticking ever onwards. It past though six and seven. It continued though seven and around to eight o'clock.
The water was now losing a lot of heat. Yet Hamson could not feel it. The snow outside had now stopped. But the darkness deepened.
Pimpernel's house had been left. It's contents now covered in snow. there were no hobbits outside. Except for a few hobbits either coming from or going to the Green Dragon.
Pimpernel was now laying down on her bed. Yet she was not asleep. Her eyes were open. The candles had been put out hours ago. The light coming in from the outside had been dimming and was now non-existent. The snow had stopped.
Thoughts were running though Pimpernel's head. A small tear came from her eye. Like Hamson, her eyes closed without her knowing. The day had warn her out. Unlike her fiancé, she did not have a dream.
It would be a long and uncomfortable night for everyone.