"What is he doing here?" Elanor asked.
Rosie walked in. Frodo didn't.
"Elanor, did you knock down their snow hobbit yesterday?"
Elanor shook her head.
"Yes you did!" Frodo said, his voice raised.
"No I didn't!" Elanor argued.
She was getting angry now.
"How could he stand there and tell lies?" she thought.
"Yes you did, I saw you!" he lied.
Rosie's eyebrow raised.
"Saw her do it?" she asked.
Frodo had now thrown himself into it too deep. He knew that he couldn't lie to his own mother, she would look right though him.
The hobbit didn't answer. Elanor had now slid off of the bed and was now standing there. She scowled at her younger brother.
"He's lying mummy, he didn't see me do it" she told her.
Rosie was now stuck between two places. She hated to see her children fighting, but one of them had to be wrong. She knew that Elanor would never lie to her.
Rosie then took a deep breath and said.
"I don't think it was Elanor"
But Frodo wasn't giving in.
"But are you going to make her stay in?" he asked.
Elanor scowled even more. She didn't like Frodo being here.
"She can stay in if she wants to, but she is also allowed out. Unlike you, you will be allowed out after lunch"
Frodo was shocked.
"But mum!" he said.
"No buts, you'll be allowed out after lunch"
Frodo opened his mouth to open, but then closed it, knowing that he couldn't win. He whined and walked away. Elanor was smiling.
Rosie smiled back at her.
"Lunch will be ready in an hour" she told her daughter.
Elanor nodded and turned around. A door slammed down the corridor. It was a sign that Frodo had gone to his room. Rosie walked out, the front door was a bit ajar. She walked towards it and opened it fully.
Standing at the gate were a few hobbit children.
"Frodo will be out after he's had his lunch" Rosie told them.
The boys slowly nodded, it took them a few seconds before they started to walk away. Rosie walked back into the house and closed the door.
Meanwhile, Origo was asleep again. He had not eaten all day. Diamond was stroking him. The puppy was ill. Whimpers came from him. A packet of turkey laid beside Diamond.
She had tried to get him something to eat, but Origo would not take it.
"Please Ori, for me?" she asked, holding to him.
But the pup wouldn't take it. He turned his head and whined. Diamond sighed and placed the meat back in the packet.
"He doesn't want it" she said sadly.
She knew that he loved his turkey. Diamond was worried due to him not taking it.
"He's just ill" Pippin told her.
The puppy was then lifted up to her shoulder. Origo's fur was still warm and soft. But his spark had been lost. Diamond then kissed him on the head.
"Shh shh" she said, comforting him.
The pup seemed to be breathing quicker and heavier then normal.
"How far are we away from Bree?" Diamond asked.
Pippin shrugged.
"I don't know" he answered.
Dolly was sitting there, looking though a small gap in the cart. Trees rushed past them. A few times, she saw houses. the snow looked like a white sheet covering the land.
Dolly's eyes moved with the trees, bird flashed over the small gap. A gentle breeze was hitting her face. Wrinkles crossed her face, making her look old. Her hair, which once had been dark brown, was now grey and thinning.
A blanket had been drawn over her bare legs and feet. Dolly yawned and looked back around.
Origo was now falling asleep again. His whimpers had died down. His small eyes were closing. Diamond continued to stroke him.
She smiled and looked down at him. Very slowly and very carefully, she took him off and placed him on his blanket. A small whimper came from the pup. Diamond continued to stroke his little ear.
The puppy curled up, not to wake until night fall.
Meanwhile, a coat was taken off of the hook. Pearl was getting ready to go to Estella's home.
"Oh, why wont you come Nelly, it'll be fun" Pearl told her.
Pimpernel, who was holding Abira, said:
"I just don't feel up to going" she paused.
"Outside yet"
Pearl put her arms though the sleeves, her hand popped outside the ends. She started to do up the buttons. A small wicker basket was by her feet.
It was full of muffins that she had baked. They had small chocolate drops embedded within the cooked dough. Pearl did up the buttons and picked up the basket.
"Alright"
Pearl hugged her sister with one hand. She then kissed Abira on the head.
"See you later"
The door was then opened, letting the cold air in. But the coldness stopped a few seconds later when the door was closed. Pimpernel was glad that she wasn't going out judging by the coldness of the wind coming in.
Pearl was at the gate. The coldness was getting to her, even though she had her large coat on. The coldness began to effect her hands.
The basket was swinging in her right hand, while her left was tucked up inside the sleeve. Her nose started to run, she sniffed as she walked along the road.
Foot prints criss-crossed the path ahead. Pearl looked over the land that lay around her. It was very beautiful. The clouds above were now clearing, the night would be clear and the stars bright.
A minute later, a bang came at the door. Estella, who had been sitting at the table, looked up. She had not expected anyone this soon.
Pearl stood there, she looked down at her feet. The fine hairs on top of her feet were now wet and lying down. The door then opened, making her look up.
"Oh, hello Pearl. I wasn't expecting anyone this soon" she said.
"Come in"
The hobbit was then shown inside and the door was closed.
The day wore on, the clouds continued to clear. The sky above was blue, but was slowly changing to a deep inky colour. The clouds on the west horizon took on a pink colour to them. they continued to sail across the sky at the sun started to sink.
Origo was still sleeping. The world around him grew ever darker. The day seemed to go faster the more he slept. A small lantern had been lit at the front of the wooden cart. Its light spilling out on the snowy road ahead.
The night was now winning over the day. The day slowly sank with the sun, the coldness only deepened. Diamond had fallen back to sleep. Faramir was now in the arms of a tired Pippin.
A few strands of Diamond's hair blew gently in the wind. Pippin looked over at her. He was scared to sleep. He knew that the dreams would come back and he didn't want that.
Pip would rather stay awake over the night, then to sleep. Faramir, on the other hand, was snoozing peacefully. Pippin seemed to be the only one awake.
Diamond was sleeping, her head resting on her arm. Origo was sleeping on his small blanket. He was curled up.
"I bet he's warm" thought Pippin.
Dolly had fallen asleep resting against the wall of the cart. The only other person awake was Elladan, who was driving the cart.
Bree came ever closer to the cart goers. But they were not the first to reach it. Merry, Legolas and Gimli had come across the first bit of the wooden wall. Snow had been driven up against the wall.
The road ran along with the wall for a small distance. Half way down was large wooden gate.
On either side of the gate were mounted two burning lamps. They shed their light around the small area. The snow seemed to make the night lighter then normal. Even Merry could see a small distance in front.
Houses had been built on the other side of the wall. The once soft and sticky mud was now hard and uneven. Foot prints crossed every which way. There were cart trails as well. Hoof marks were common. They ran in and out of the town.
For some reason, Merry felt intimated. The large walls bore down on him. Legolas and Gimli were a few meters away from him. the hobbit struggled to keep up.
As the three of them rounded the shallow corner, the flaming torches came into view. The gate was large and made of wood. It looked exactly the same as last time Merry saw it. The walls were made of large rocks, a sleeper of wood ran right along the wall. It was half way up and parallel to the ground.
The gate had been reinforced by flat metal bars. Their rivets poked out of the other side. There were two small squares, one high and one low, had been cut into the wood.
Legolas was the first to reach door. Merry and Gimli followed. The elf knocked three times and waited. A few seconds later, someone could be heard on the other side.
The small window was opened. There, stood an old man. His hair was grey and his face looked like it had been carved out of wood.
"What do you want?"
Merry recognised that voice.
"We are heading for the Prancing Pony" Legolas said.
The door slowly opened, its hinges creaked slightly. The man stood there for a second, looking at the three wonders.
"He is not allowed in here" he said, pointing.
His weedy finger pointed towards the hobbit.
"Why not?" asked Legolas.
The man looked back at him. for a moment, the man didn't answer.
"It is due to what happened years ago. Hobbits are cursed" he told them.
Gimli looked over at Merry. Merry knew exactly what he was talking about.
"That was an accident!" the hobbit told him.
The man laughed.
"Accident?" he asked and chuckled.
"Getting hit by the door is no accident!"
Merry took a deep breath.
"Your now wasting my time, you'll have to leave"
"Have you seem any other hobbits in the past week?" Merry asked.
The man, who placed a hand on the door and stopped.
"Aye, I did see a few hobbits a week or two ago, now you mention it. They were kicked out as well. I watched them head down the road there"
He nodded, Merry looked around.
"But, that's towards Rivendell" Merry said.
He didn't like the idea of walking so far away from his home.
"Aye, towards Rivendell they went"
The was silence. The flames of the torches were flickering in the gentle wind. The door was closed, Merry could hear the man walking away.
Merry was now stuck. He did not know what to do. The darkness made the trees big and intimidating. Merry, a few times, though he could see black figures running between them. But he knew that it was just his imagination.
"What shall I do now?" he asked himself.
His eyes were darting around. Pippin was out in the coldness without him. Merry had never felt so lonely and lost then he was at that moment.
Legolas and Gimli were watching him.
"Merry, you could always come with us to Rivendell" Gimli told him.
The hobbit turned around.
"But what if he's not there?" he asked.
Gimli took a huff and looked away. Both of his hands rested on the axe that was propped before him.
"I think it is best" Legolas started.
"To make your way back home and wait for him there" he told him.
That was another option. One that he knew he must do. But a sudden thought came to him.
"I cant go home, I have no food" he told his two friends.
Meanwhile, Origo was waking up again. The night around him was cold and dark. A cool wind was blowing his fur. His eyes slowly opened to find himself back on his own blanket.
The darkness had now set in, meaning he couldn't see anyone. The cart, however, was still rolling. The snow was some what crunched more then a few hours ago.
The low temperature of the night had hardened them. the hooves of the horses could be heard. Their breaths could be seen rising into the air.
Origo was still not feeling himself. He whined, trying to attract Diamond's attention. But she didn't answer.
"Diamond?" he whimpered.
He didn't feel like getting up. His eyes moved around. The pup could see the cot over on the opposite side to Diamond. Dolly was sleeping near by. The bottom of her feet were very dirty. None of the passengers had had a chance to clean up.
Diamond's once shiny hair was now dull and dirty. It was the same story with the pup. Ori had dried mud attached to small paws. Yet his fur seemed to be clean and fluffy.
The pup then sneezed twice and whimpered. Origo didn't like being ill. He wished he could play with his Diamond. The other puppy seemed to get more attention then him.
Ori had noticed that every time that it made a noise, one that Origo found annoying, Diamond and Pippin would cuddle it.
"But what if I made that noise?" he asked himself.
A yawn came over him. The darkness was getting deeper every minute. The cart was now an hour or two from Bree.
Pippin and Merry would finally be reunited again. While Pippin was as warm as he could get, Merry was freezing. His lips were slowly turning blue. Legolas was standing there.
"We can not go into Bree, you heard that man" he said.
Gimli was standing there as well.
"If only we have Elven water, we could at least put off the cold for a small while" Legolas explained.
"But that would mean going to Rivendell, he wont last!"
Legolas knew that Merry only had an hour to live. Shivers took a hold of Merry's whole body. His breathing was decreasing rapidly.
"Alright" Legolas said.
He came up to Merry and picked him up.
"What are you planning?" Gimli asked, knowing the answer already.
"We're going to Rivendell" the elf answered.
The elf started to walk away silently. The dwarf watched him, resisting to go with him without a rest.
"Alright then" he said.
The snow crunched under his feet as he started to walk away again. His breath rose into the air. A soft bang came from the door. The dwarf looked around, but there was nothing there.
So, he continued to walk. The silhouette of the elf could be seen quiet away up the path.
"I'm never going to keep up with him if he walks that fast" Gimli said to himself.
In Hobbiton, Elanor and the rest of her brothers and sisters were being put to bed. Rosie opened the door to a room. Inside, Elanor was already laying in her bed.
The candles had already been put out. yet the fire was still burning. Like every room, there was a metal grill over it. That was for the safety of their children.
Elanor smiled as her mother came and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Good night mummy" Elanor said.
Rosie smiled.
"Good night petal" she said, her hand slowly and gently swept away hair from her daughters face.
The two of them hugged.
"See you tomorrow" Rosie said.
Elanor gave her mother a smile.
"Love you" she said.
"Love you too"
Rosie kissed her daughter on the forehead and got up. She walked out to the door and looked back. The door was slowly and silently shut, blocking off the light to Elanor's room.
The corridor had been cleared of all toys. Rosie started to walk though her house towards the kitchen. There, Sam was sitting at the table. He had made Rosie and himself a nice cup of tea. Rosie smiled and closed the door to the kitchen.
Samwise looked very tired. the tea leaves had been taken out and placed on the plate. A small bowl of white sugar had been placed on the table too. There was also a plate of cookies.
Crumbs on the table mat told Rosie that Sam had already taken one or two. The chair was pulled out and Rosie sat down.
"Are they in bed?" asked Samwise.
He sounded as tired as he looked. Rosie smiled and nodded.
"Yes" Rosie answered.
"I might get an early night tonight" Sam told her, yawning mid way though the sentence.
Rosie picked the small spoon. She scooped up a spoon full of sugar and tipped it into the tea. She did this a few more times. Sam smiled as he watched her. Rosie noticed this.
"What?" she asked, stopping.
Sam smiled and shook his head.
"Oh, nothing" he answered.
Rosie then continued to put sugar into her tea. Samwise counted a total of ten spoonfuls. The spoon was then put back into the sugar. There was another small silver spoon for stirring.
The sound of the spoon hitting the edge of mug. The brown tea inside in swirled around. bubbles swirled around the surface, coming together in the middle. All of the sugar that had been put into the tea was now dissolved.
It was then that Rosie took her first sip. The tea was warm and sweet. It was exactly what she needed. The day had been tiring. But now, she could relax and have time to herself.
The fire crackled as the two of them sat in silence. Every so often, they would drink their tea. The clock on the wall continued to tick. Nine o'clock came and went. The clock chimed softly nine times.
Samwise seemed to be getting more and more tired by the minute. But he continued to sit there.
"I'll have to go to the market place tomorrow, we need another chicken" Rosie told him.
Sam smiled and gave a small nod.
"Could you get some bacon as well? I wouldn't mind a bacon sandwich" Sam told her.
Rosie smiled.
"Of course" she answered.
Sam looked into his mug. There was only a small bit of tea left. He swirled it around and downed it. Sam took the mug away and took a deep, refreshed breath. He placed the mug down and looked at the clock.
"Well, I'm going to get ready for bed" he said.
Rosie smiled as she watched her husband stood up and push the chair in. The sound of the wood scrapping against the tiles filled the room. Sam picked up the empty mug and placed it near the sink to be cleaned up later.
He then walked around the table, kissed Rosie on the cheek and walked out of the room.
Meanwhile, Estella was standing at her front door. A coat was got off of its hook, but it was not her hand that picked it off. Pearl was the last one to leave the home.
She had come for dinner with her and some of her friends. Pervinca, Pearl's sister, had left already. Marigold, May and Daisy had all came along. But Pimpernel had chosen against it.
"Thank you for the dinner" said Pearl, doing up the last button.
Estella smiled.
"It was my pleasure" she said.
Pearl and Estella hugged for a few seconds.
"Be careful out there" Estella told her.
The friends let go of each other.
"I will" Pearl answered.
She then picked up the basket and opened the door. Cold air rushed into the house. When Pearl had walked to Estella's, the sun had been up in the sky. Now, darkness gripped the land.
Pearl walked out, the coldness instantly started to hurt her face.
"See you tomorrow!" Estella said.
Pearl looked around.
"Bye" she answered.
The door was then shut behind her. The coldness really started to sting Pearl's feet. She walked faster then normal, not wanting to be out in the coldness very long.
She opened the gate with her free hand and walked though. She shut it again, making sure it clicked. The snow underfoot was now turning to ice. A few times, Pearl nearly slipped. But she was able to save herself.
It took her longer then normal to get to her own home. The road snaked across the hill, going up and down slightly. Pearl reached the gate and opened it. she pushed it open and quickly walked though.
The coldness seemed only to get deeper. The basket was then switched to her other hand and the door opened. The warm air fought off the cold air trying to come in.
Pimpernel, who had been in the kitchen, heard the door slam shut. The kettle was being heated up over the flames of the fire. Abira had been exploring the rest of the house. She came rushing into the kitchen and looked up at her owner.
"Pearl must be home, pup" Nelly told her.
Abira wagged her small tail and rushed out again. but the pup stopped at the door way. Pimpernel took a piece of cloth and picked up the hot kettle.
She started to pour the water in the two mugs as Pearl came around the corner. Pimpernel looked up. Pearl spotted the two mugs of hot water.
A clunk came as Pimpernel placed the kettle back.
"Did you have a good time?" Nelly asked.
Pearl placed the basket down near the cellar door.
"Yes, it was very good" Pearl said, walking to the seat.
She sat down and pulled it in. Pimpernel did the same. Abira had come back, she was now standing beside her owner.
Pimpernel looked down and, with one hand, scooped her off the floor and placed her on her lap. The pup whined happily and sat there. The pup stretched out her front paws and snuggled down.
Nelly put some tea leaves in the water. A spoon had been set out by each of the mugs. Pearl picked her up and started to stir.
The clock showed the large minute hand on the three and the smaller hand was on the nine.
"Its getting really cold out there" Pearl said, starting the convocation.
Pimpernel stopped stirring and took the spoon out. She tapped it three times against the side of the mug.
"I know, I wouldn't like to be out in it. Even in the day time!"
She said this, not knowing that her younger brother was in fact in it. but they were oblivious to that fact. Pimpernel took out the tea leaves and placed them on the small dish. Abira yawned and curled up.
In the middle of the table, like Rosie's table, was a small bowl of sugar. But Pimpernel did not take it. It was only for Pearl. She had also fished out her leaves. The water had taken on a light brown colour.
The smell coming off of it was rich. Pearl picked up the small silver spoon in that had been dug into the white grains. She then shovelled them into the swirling drink.
The grains started to dissolve into the hot liquid. She did not put as much as Samwise in, but it was enough for her. The spoon was then set down and Pearl started to drink.
Abira was resting on her owns lap. A small yawn came over her. She snuggled up even more. Pimpernel looked down at the small pup on her lap and smiled.
"You tired girl?" Nelly asked.
Abira raised her head and looked up. A smile came across Pimpernel's lips.
"We'll got to bed soon, alright?" she asked, stroking Abi's fluffy head.
The puppy whined happily as the hand ran all the way down her back. The puppy the rested her had on her paws again.
Both of the girls continued to drink in silence. Pimpernel was the first to finish. She downed the rest of her tea and placed the cup on the table mat.
"Right" she said.
"Lets get you some food and then we can go to bed"
Abira whined happily as she was picked up and gently placed on the floor. Pimpernel then got up. her sister finished her tea before Pimpernel could open the door.
The curious pup followed her owner to the threshold of the door. But Abira didn't cross it. She just stood there, hiding behind the edge of the round door way.
Her eyes were darting around the dark room in front of her. Pimpernel vanished from sight. For a few seconds, Abira started to wonder where she had gone.
Pimpernel then came into view again, Abira's little tail started to wag. Behind the pup, Pearl got up from her seat. She had a mug in her hand. Pimpernel's empty mug was picked up as well.
"I'll wash them up in the morning" Pearl told her sister.
Pimpernel, who smiled, placed the packet of bacon on the side of the work top. Her eyes then landed on the flaming fire.
A small bit of déjà vu came over her. The fire now looked menacing and too powerful for her.
"Pearl?" she asked slowly.
Her eyes continuing to focus on the fire. Pearl looked around and saw her sister looking at the fire. She knew exactly what her sister wanted her to do.
"Nelly, I can do it if you want" Pearl told her.
Pimpernel slowly turned her head.
"Could you?" Pimpernel asked.
Pearl smiled and nodded.
"Why don't you go and wait in your room and I'll bring it in to you"
Nelly smiled.
"It's for the pup, so you can just leave it on the plate. I don't think she likes bread"
Pearl nodded and watched her sister walk out. the small pup followed her quickly. Pearl then looked back at the packet of bacon that lay on the work top.
"Well, she might want all of it" Pearl though.
The cupboard door was opened and a pan was got out.
Legolas was still walking in the snowy land. Two small hands were around his neck. They belonged to Merry Brandybuck. His small hands gripped as tightly as they could.
But it was not tight enough. Legolas could feel him slipping again. The elf, who was walking faster then he normally did, heaved Merry back up.
Gimli was walking behind them. He was tired and wet. The coldness was getting to him. the poor hobbit was drifting in and out of conciseness.
But neither of them knew that a cart was on the horizon. It was led by a horse. Inside was the hobbit Merry had been searching for.
One mile away.
The road started to climb a shallow hill. The trees around had snow sticking to them. but it was melting, sending drips falling to the floor of the forest.
The floor of the forest was covered with inches of snow. Below, sticks and brown leaves lay. In the light of day, birds had been busy trying to get their food.
Robins mostly hopped from tree to tree. Silent and graceful owls had now come out to play. They sat perched high in the trees. Their figures were still against the whiteness of the clouds above.
As the sun set, their silhouettes started to merge into the blackness.
Three quarters of a mile.
Bree was shutting down. Men, women and children were confined to their houses. yet, some of the braver men ventured out into the cold wind.
Their faces started to sting as they made their way towards the Prancing Pony. Lights flickered as the door opened. A freezing cold wave swept into the building.
"Cold outside tonight" one of them said as he walked in.
The bar owner smiled.
"It seems to be" he answered.
The Prancing pony was less busy at this time of night. A few shady characters sat around the room. Their heads were held down and their voices low.
Half a mile now lay in between Merry and Pippin. The road straightened out. Legolas could see a cart coming towards them. but he knew nothing of who was in it.
The only sounds that the elf could hear was the crunching of snow under Gimli's boots and the ever louder horses making their way along the road.
Without warning the elf just stopped. Merry was clinging on around him. Gimli, having no idea why he stopped, walked up beside him. the dwarf looked up at his friend.
"What is it?" he asked.
It took a few seconds to answer.
"It is the son of Elrond" Legolas told him.
Gimli still didn't understand. But he knew that he would never.
"We have to move" said the elf.
Without another second wasted, Legolas moved off. This was easier said then done for the dwarf. The stop had ceased up the joints in his feet and legs. They hurt every time they moved.
Soon, Gimli found enough strength to move. Legolas was now quite away from him. The elf could clearly see Elladan driving.
Elladan saw Legolas coming towards him. But they still had a quarter of a mile between them. Gimli could finally see the cart.
"It's a bit late for a cart to be out" Gimli thought.
"I guess they wont be able to give us a lift"
But Legolas had things to do. The cart slowly rolled up to where Legolas was. A smile came over his lips. Elladan looked down he slowly wrapped the reigns on the small hook.
The elf then got down. Elladan's long dark hair lay cleanly on his head. It was much more different to Legolas'.
"It is good to see you again" Legolas told him.
Elladan nodded.
"And you, but what brings you to Bree?" Elladan asked.
His eyes then spotted Merry holding on.
"A hobbit?" Elladan asked.
He knew that there three more hobbits in the back of the cart.
"This is Merry, he is looking for one of his friends"
In the cart, Pippin was slowly waking up. But he had stopped midway though. He had heard a familiar name.
"Merry?" he asked himself.
But he did not fully trust himself.
"I don't suppose you've seen his friend on your travel here?" asked another voice.
Pippin was now paying full attention. He knew who's voice that belonged to.
But it couldn't be, could it?
The hobbit sat up and shuffled to the edge of the cart. His blanket was taken off and left. The cold air seemed colder then normal.
His feet hung over the edge. He pushed himself off and landed in the thick snow. His breath rose into the air. Pippin then walked to the side of the cart and looked around the corner.
There, standing before him was a dwarf and two elves.
"Gimli?" he asked, hardly believing that he was there.
"Legolas?"
A third new figure could be see. He had his hands around Legolas.
"Merry?"