There were no lights to speak of, save for the candle light flickering as it sat in the lantern. It swung gently in the slow breeze, creaking every so often.
Figures were gathered around the cart. There were three short figures and two taller ones.
Two horses had been leading the small cart on for many days now, over muddy paths and icy rivers. Their hooves were muddy and wet. But their job was to pull the cart and they did it without hassle.
Voices came from the small party.
"He's ill, we need to get some Miruvor. Have you got any?" said one of them.
He was kneeling on the snow, looking down at another figure laying before him. This figure was smaller then he was and his stomach was more larger. This was a hobbit and he very ill.
Merry Brandybuck was his name. He had very light brown, almost akin to golden, hair. Like all hobbits, it curled wildly. His once green jacket was now muddy and brown. Merry's hair was very wet. A few drops fell from it.
"Ill?" Pippin asked.
There was worry in his voice and in his heart. He slowly walked over to his friend as Elladan got the flask from his bag and came back.
Miruvor was a clear drink made by the elves. Little was known about how it was made, although ideas and suggestions had been made. The top was unscrewed, sending the aroma of a hot summer's night into the cold winter air.
Elladan handed it to Legolas. He took the it with his spare hand. The clear water inside sloshed around. The smell of the water grew even stronger.
Merry's head was held up and the neck of the flask was placed on his blue lips.
The reviving water started to seep down Merry's throat. A small bit ran down the side of Merry's cheek and dripped onto the snowy floor. It took a few seconds for the hobbit to react.
Merry moved his head just slightly. It was the first sign of any life that was in him.
"Will he be alright?" asked Pippin, looking down at him.
But there was no answer. Both of the elves knew that he would.
"Get him home" Legolas said in Elvish.
Pippin couldn't understand him. But Elladan could. Merry was then picked up and carried to the back of the cart. Pip looked at Elladan for a split second before going after Legolas.
"Is he going to be alright?" Pippin asked again.
But again, Pippin's question was not answered. Merry was limp and looked lifeless. Yet, there was a bit of colour coming back to his lips.
"You need to get home" Legolas told Pip.
Everything was happening to quickly for Pippin. He was still trying to come to terms with what he was seeing. Two of his oldest and dearest friends were standing in front of him.
But Pippin didn't know what to say.
"You need to go home" Legolas repeated, holding out the flask of Miruvor.
Pippin nodded as he took it. Emotions were now running though him again. They seemed to be stronger then ever before.
"You'll… You'll come to visit me, wont you?" Pippin asked.
Legolas looked away for a split second. He could not see what the future held for him.
"We will try, but don't expect us any time soon" he answered.
Pippin gave him a small smile, it was good enough for him. Elladan had already got back onto the driver's seat and there he waited. Pippin looked back to the cart. Merry was now laying on the edge. One of his arms was dangling out into the cold night.
"I have to go now" Pippin said.
For a few seconds, the hobbit just stood there. He was rooted to the spot, resisting to move. Something deep inside him wanted to stay. But he knew that he had to go.
Without another word, he turned and got into the cart. Elladan looked back, he some how knew that Pippin had got in safely.
The reigns were then unhooked. With a few seconds of delay, the horses started along the road again. The sound of their hooves filled the air once more.
Pippin looked back at his two friends standing in the road. The cart was now getting back up to full speed.
Legolas and Gimli watched as the cart roll away. There were two big wheels on either side. A metal rim had been tightly fitted around each of the wooden wheels.
Pippin had started to regret not saying more to his friends. For now, he had lots to tell them. He wanted to go back and just talk to them for hours. But he knew he couldn't.
The hobbit took a deep breath. He watched his friends get smaller and smaller. The darkness had soon swallowed them up.
But now, Pippin had to look after Merry.
A yawn suddenly came over Pippin's lips. He was now very tired. His sleep had been disturbed yet again. His eyes were getting more and more heavy as the minutes past.
Slowly, Pippin fell back to sleep. His eyes closed and all around him, the world past him by.
The day had started brightly over the Shire. Snow was still laying thickly on the ground. Hobbits had started to show signs of being up when the smoke coming out of the top of their chimneys got thicker and darker.
The Gamgee household was getting very busy indeed. The three youngest children, Rose, Merry and Pippin, had already been woken up.
Elanor and Frodo were still asleep in their beds. Their duvets were still drawn over them. The two were old enough to stay in bed for a bit longer.
Rosie, their mother, was in the kitchen. She was sitting at the table. A small bowl was sitting in front of her. In her arms was a baby. Not a new born, but not an old baby either.
This was Pippin and he was being fed. A blanket had been wrapped around him. Rosie smiled as she fed him. He seemed chubbier then her other children.
The baby then started to cry suddenly. Rosie smiled as she placed the small spoon back in the bowl and lifted her child to her shoulder.
Samwise was sitting at the table as well. He had an empty plate in front of him.
"Right" said Sam, getting up from his seat.
"I'll go and wake the other two" he told his wife.
He had, in his hand, the last bit of toast.
Jam had been spread all over the surface of the warm, toasted bit of bread. He ate it as he walked out of the room. The cries from baby Pippin started to subside.
There were many doors in Bag End. Sam had been in here many times when he was younger. The halls were filled with memories, good and bad, about what had happened all those years ago.
The halls echoed his foot prints as he stopped at a large wooden door. He slowly opened it. The room was indeed very hot, much hotter then the other rooms in the house.
There was a small bed running along one of the walls. A child lay there, fastest asleep. She had golden hair growing from the top of her head. A small bit of light was flooding in from the window.
Sam smiled as he walked over to his oldest child.
"Elanor?" he asked.
Elanor was still dreaming, but it would soon be over. The dream was taken away from her. Her eyes slowly opened.
"Elanor?" Sam asked again.
Elanor turned her head up, her eyes were hurting from the light pouring in from the window.
"Daddy?" she asked.
Tiredness clung to her voice. A yawn came over her.
"Breakfast is ready" her father told her.
The girl smiled tiredly. Those words unlocked her hunger. Sam smiled.
"Be quick, or it'll be all gone" he joked.
Elanor smiled, knowing that he was only being silly, but a small bit of her started to worry. Sam left the room and quietly shut the door. He smiled as he went towards the second room.
The second room belonged to his oldest son, Frodo Gamgee. He was the second child of Rosie and Sam. Sam knocked three times on his son's door.
A few seconds later, he opened it.
Inside, was a bed. A window looking to the outside world.
Sleeping in the bed was Frodo. He looked exactly like his father. His hair was brown and curly, his cheeks showed signs of being well fed.
"Frodo?" asked Sam, placing a hand on his son.
Frodo whined, but did not wake.
"Frodo, get up now"
Sam then walked away, trusting that his son would get up. The small boy turned in his bed and snuggled down again. His pillow seemed to be more comfy all of a sudden.
The door to Frodo's room was left ajar. Light from the candles outside was pouring in. The tiles reflected most of the light.
The flames flickered like fairy dancers, looking down on the corridor or room below.
The wax had continued to melt, making the wick inside shorter and shorter as the hours past. Running down the sides of the candles were drips. But they were not like water. These drips were of wax frozen in time.
Sam had gone back into the kitchen. Four pieces of toast and a bacon sandwich were just not enough for him. Hunger was still yelling at him and he needed to quieten it.
All across Hobbiton and the Shire, hobbits were filling up for another day of coldness. Chimneys threw their smoke high into the crisp, clear air of the morning.
The sky was clear and cloud free. The air seemed cleaner and sharper then normal. Yet there was still a bit of mist hanging on the ground. Robins perched on trees, singing their morning song for everyone to hear. Their red breasts were glowing against the whiteness of the snow.
Bacon wafted though the Gamgee house. Frodo was still laying in his bed. The sounds of his younger brother echoed though the house.
It was very annoying to him. He tried to ignore it, but could not.
"Come on Frodo, breakfast is ready!" came his mother's voice from the kitchen.
Frodo groaned. The smell of bacon was now getting to him. The duvet was thrown off of him. Frodo couldn't take it any more.
His feet hit the cold tiled floor. A small breeze came though the house. The breeze was due to small cracks in the wooden frames of the door.
Frodo yawned as he walked out of his room. The sound of Pippin had now gone quiet.
Sam, Elanor and Rosie were all sitting at the table as he walked in. The smell of bacon was even stronger now. Rose and Merry were both playing on the floor. Pippin was now asleep in his mothers arms.
There was a spare seat next to Sam. Frodo walked over and sat upon it.
On the table mat was plate and, on top of the place was a delicious looking bacon sandwich. Two slices of bread made up one of the sandwiches. There were two sandwiches in total, one on top of the other.
Butter had been spread thickly onto each slice.
Three crispy slices of bacon had been placed inside each sandwich.
Frodo picked up the first bit of his breakfast. It was still warm.
He took a bite, chewing off some of the crispy bacon. The child's tiredness slowly, but surely, started to fall away from him.
The taste of bacon was very rich. The meat had been fresh and had been stored in the cellar.
Sam, meanwhile, had a mug of tea before him. A small bit of water vapour was coming off of it, showing how hot it was. Tea leaves were drying on the saucer. Sugar had been put into the hot water.
A small spoon was resting on the side of the saucer. A small drip of dark brown water resting on it.
Samwise watched his son eat. Half of the sandwich had gone already.
A mug of cool water was sitting on the table before him. But it had not be touched yet.
Elanor, on the other hand, was looking at her brother in a different light. She didn't like her younger brother very much. She was eating her bacon sandwich as well.
But she stopped for a few seconds. Her free hand picked up the mug of warm tea. Rosie had decided that her daughter was now old enough to drink tea at breakfast.
Lots of sugar had been put into the drink. The tea was then sipped and placed back down on the table. The eating continued until all of the sandwich was gone.
Elanor then drank the rest of her tea.
She smiled at her mother.
"Could I be excused from the table mummy?" Elanor asked.
Rosie gave the exact same smile.
"Sure you can" she said.
The small girl then got off of her seat and walked out of the room. Elanor gave an evil and angry stare at her brother. But he didn't notice.
Rosie looked down at her son. Pip was now sleeping in her arms.
She took a deep breath and got up from her seat. Pippin had been wrapped in a small blanket. His little eyes were now shut. He had been fed and had fallen asleep again.
Rosie walked out of the kitchen. She continued to walk all the way to her room. The door to her room was closed. With one hand, trying not to wake Pippin up, she opened it.
Inside the room, there was a small writing desk. A few papers were laying on there. Evidence that Sam had been working there. There were a few full ink pots were sitting on the top of the sloping desk. A quill was resting there as well.
A small cot had been placed in the room. Rosie walked over to it. She slowly and gently placed her youngest son down in it.
In the kitchen, Sam had now clearing away the plates. They were placed near the small sink. Water dripped from the tap and hit the bottom of the bowl. He yawned as looked around.
The fire crackled on the heath.
In the other rooms, Frodo was getting ready to go out. He was getting changed into his large coat. There were large brass buttons running all the way up.
Six of them in total. Each were reflecting the light of the candles and of the fire. The child did them all up. He smiled as he scurried out of his room, leaving the door ajar. He stopped outside of his room and looked around, wondering where his mother was. He then went deeper into the home.
Rosie smiled as she walked away from her son. There was noting else to do in her room. The bed had been made and everything was clean. Her sprits were high, she was looking forward to this years Yule.
The hobbit then walked over the threshold of her room. Small feet met her ears. Frodo was there
"Mummy, I'm…"
But Frodo was hushed. Rosie put her finger over her lips. The door was slowly and quietly closed.
"I'm just going out mummy" he said a bit calmly then before.
Rosie smiled.
"Alright" she answered
"Make sure your back for lunch" Rosie told him.
Frodo nodded and scurried off again. Rosie walked in his wake. The house seemed to be quieter then normal. The sound of the front door echoed though the house.
Rosie yawned as she made her way to the kitchen. The clinging smell of bacon hit her again. Sam had now Rose and Merry were with him. Rosie saw that the plates and mugs had been cleared away.
The fire was burning merrily in the fireplace. It crackled every so often. The smoke rose in the brick chimney and into the cold air above.
The wind outside was blowing the smoke gently away from the chimney. Snow had built up around the edges where the bricks met the ground.
Small prints from where the birds had been were printed all over. Their tracks were the only evidence that they were there. Blades of grass were poking out through the carpet of snow.
It was the same story all over the land. Yet, slowly, the snow was slow melting. The lake in the centre of Hobbiton was near overflowing.
Inside the cart, Merry was slowly waking. Sounds and feelings started to come back to him. Different and scary they were. The feeling of emptiness was ebbing away.
Out of the blackness came a small bit of light. Not a strong, bright light. But a gentle and distant one. The sound of wind and of talking met his ears.
But Merry couldn't make out what they were saying. He had never felt like this before. The voices grew louder and louder. They were unfamiliar to him. All of his muscles had started to feel again.
"Well" said a voice.
It echoed inside his head. It felt like there was a great empty void that nothing could fill.
"We'll be home soon" said the voice.
Deep within Merry, he knew that he should know who they were.
But he didn't.
The sounds seemed to come at him like a wall of water. The coldness started to touch his body. Thoughts flooded back to him. Questions flooded in faster then he could think of them.
Diamond and Pippin were sitting on the wooden planks that made up the floor of cart. Two wicker baskets were standing near the end of the cart.
A cot had been placed in for the journey back. At this moment in time, it was empty. Faramir Took had been born just a few days ago. But he was not laying in the cot. Instead, he was in his mothers arms.
Diamond was smiling. She had her two favourite people around her. She loved Pippin and her son both very much. Faramir was giggling at his mother.
Origo, Diamond's puppy, was snoozing in a blanket. His paws and fluffy head were poking out of the large blanket. The pup had been asleep for almost twenty four hours. Even the events of the night before had not awoken him.
The pup had had nothing to eat in a day now. It was just not tempting for him. There was a packet laying inside the basket, a bit had already been ripped off of the top.
Inside were fresh pieces of turkey for Origo. But it was left untouched. An illness had gripped the poor pup. But now, he was getting better.
"I hope we are" said a voice.
It was his Diamond's. A small whine came from the pup. He was now very hungry and still very sleepy. But he was not the only one to wake up. Merry slowly moved his head.
Diamond looked over.
"Pippin" she said.
Pippin looked around, noticed she wasn't looking at her. A movement caught his eye. Merry was moving his head.
"Merry?" asked Pippin.
But his friend didn't answer. Merry's eyes slowly opened. Pip watched.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
Merry looked at him. What happened next shocked both Merry and Pippin. Merry suddenly looked very frightened. He scrambled back, his heart rate rose dramatically.
"Who are you? Where am I?" he asked in quick concession.
His eyes darted around the cart. Pippin started to wonder what Merry was doing and talking about.
"Merry?" he asked.
"What are you doing?"
Merry's eyes continued to dart around.
"Merry? Who's Merry?" he asked.
Now Pippin was confused as well.
"Well, you are, remember?" Pip told him.
Diamond was looking between the two of them. she could see the fear in Merry's eyes. There was also something much deeper then that.
"Pippin, do you know what I think happened?" Diamond asked, looking over at her husband.
Pippin shook his head.
"I think he's lost his memory" she told him.
The night was deep and the house quiet. Rosie was sitting at the table all alone. Worry was strong in her heart. The conditions outside were worsening. Snow was coming down on the small town.
There were no lights to speak of, save for the candle light. The fire had been left to burn down to red hot ash. The candles were still burning, flickering gently.
Rosie was sitting at the kitchen table. There were no noises around her. All of her children were now in bed. All of them, apart from one.
This was the reason why Rosie was up this late and was this worried. Her son had gone missing. She didn't know when, but it must have hours before.
The front door suddenly opened up. Rosie, who had been looking into a invisible spot before her, looked up. Samwise was home. Rosie stood up and scurried out of the room.
Standing near the door was Sam. But there was no sign of Frodo anywhere.
"What happened?" Rosie asked.
Sam was shivering and wet. Drips were falling from his cloths and hair alike. A few flakes had not melted yet. But they were slowly seeping into the cloth.
Sam didn't answer his wife. He didn't want to talk about what happened. His coat was taken off. The brass buttons were undone. Six in all. Sam took it off and hung it up.
Sam's mind was on trying to find his son. But there was no start to his search. The snow outside was getting thicker and thicker. Tracks of hobbits that had walked there had been hours before had been nearly covered up. Rosie needed news.
"Sam, did you find him?" Rosie asked.
Sam shook his head slightly. He didn't want to speak or look at his wife. Rosie put her hand over her mouth and turned away. She feared the worst. But there was nothing she could do.
Hours before, Frodo had gone outside. The door shut behind him. A smile came over his lips. His hunger had been tamed, for now.
The small boy ran down to the gate and opened it. There were more people about at this time of day. some were talking to their friends. Others were enjoying when they thought would be the last of the snow.
The snow had started to loose its brilliant whiteness. The paths that had been used by the hobbits in the past few days had turned the snow into slush. The night time had refrozen it. The path was now like a cold mirror. It reflected the sun light, yet was smooth and icy. Yet, there was a few patches of fresh, untouched snow on the sides.
Snow hobbits dotted peculiar places around Hobbiton. Snow were big and would take time to melt. Others were small and looked like they would fall over it the wind was strong enough.
Frodo slowly and carefully made his way down the path from his home. A few of his friends were waiting for him. they were standing in a group and talking.
"I bet you cant" said one of them.
Frodo, who had arrived, wondered what they were talking about.
"Frodo would do it" said one of them.
The boy was looking at him.
"Do what?" he asked.
"Go over the bridge" he was told.
The words of his mother flooded back to him.
"And do not go over the bridge!" her words echoed.
Frodo shock his head.
"I cant" he said.
"My mum said I cant" he told them.
The other boys started to laugh at him. Frodo didn't like this one bit.
"Frodo is scared" they said.
Frodo scowled at his friends. Something deep inside him wanted to prove that he was better then them. After a few seconds, Frodo walked off down the road. He pushed past his friends and walked away.
For a moment, his friends didn't know what he was doing. At once, they all set off after him.
Hobbiton was now very busy. The coldness was not as deep as the days before. Yet there were clouds on the horizon. The sun was high in the sky, but struggled to heat the land below.
Birds sang and searched for what food they could. The snow had lifted enough to expose the wet soil below. The birds would hop around, trying to catch the worms that slithered too near to the surface.
The Green Dragon had its doors open. There were many chimneys sprouting out of the top. Each one was throwing smoke into the air. A gentle breeze blew it away.
Frodo and his friends walked past it. The small bridge came into view. Tracks from the carts that came and went from Hobbiton could be seen. The snow seemed to be thicker here. The once small river running under the bridge was now higher then it had ever been. Its colour had changed from clear to a muddy brown over night. Sediment had been picked up from the bottom in the ever powerful torrent.
The water wheel had continued to rotate at an increased speed. Its sound echoed around the area. It was not an unpleasant sound, but a very calming sound.
In fact, most of the residents of Hobbiton had gotten so used to its sound, that they did not hear it.
Frodo stopped at the edge of the bridge. His friends stopped a few seconds after. They were still not convinced that he was going to do it. Frodo himself doubted that he would do it.
But then, his friends were watching him, so he could not back down.
"What are you waiting for?" a voice asked behind him.
Frodo looked back. It was one of his friends.
"Are you going to come as well?" Frodo asked.
His friend smiled.
"Of course" he answered.
Frodo believed him. his friends walked up near by.
"You go first" Frodo was told.
The hobbit looked around, checking one last time for any signs his mother or father. Yet there was no signs of them around.
Frodo, without a second thought of what the consequences would be, walked forwards. His heart rate rose, a small bit of him knew that he would get into a lot of trouble if he was caught.
The hobbit looked back. He could see his friends walking behind him. They too would get into trouble. Frodo looked down at the river.
"Wouldn't like to fall in there" he told himself.
The snow crunched under his feet. The tracks from the few carts could still be seen. The bridge rose and fell slightly in the middle. Frodo was now at the half way point. He stopped.
"Should I go on?" he asked himself.
On one hand, he wanted to. But on the other, he didn't. He was in enough trouble at home.
"But I'll never get this chance again" he told himself.
The hobbit continued to argue himself for a few more seconds. He then started to move off again. His friends were whispering behind his back.
Frodo had no suspicions on what was going on.
"When are we going to do it?" whispered one of them.
"Soon" he was told.
Frodo was now a meter from the other side. A tingling sensation started in both of his bare feet. Excitement was now running in his along with fear. Fear from his mother finding out.
The path levelled off, a few stones and blades of grass could be seen poking out of the thinning carpet of snow. Frodo turned around and looked at his friends.
"OK, what now?" he asked.
"What do you mean?" asked one of his friends.
Frodo looked around.
"Well, what do you want to do now?" he asked.
"Now that we're here, we might as well go further" he told them.
Lunch was in one hours time. But Frodo was not hungry at the moment. He was excited and wanted to explore.
"But what if we're not home in time for lunch?" he was asked.
Frodo smiled.
"We will" he said.
The hobbit looked around. The trees at the top of the shallow hill that lay in front of him. On the top were large trees. Frodo wanted to see them.
"Lets go there" he said, pointing to them.
Frodo's friends looked where he was pointing. They saw the large still trees standing there.
"Why there?" asked one of Frodo's friends.
He was a lot fatter then Frodo was. His cheeks looked puffed and his stomach was big. The hair on his head was long and brown.
"Well, because I want to" Frodo told him.
Without another word, Frodo set off. His friends continued to follow him. the snow crunched under his feet. The town looked smaller from where they were.
The tracks from the many carts continued to lay in the snow. The hobbit's foot prints were etched in the snow. The smoke from all the chimneys in Hobbits could now be seen.
The surrounding areas were near enough empty. All of the homes had been built up around the lake in the middle. The mill was the only thing that was built on the other side of the lake.
As the small group of children walked further away from the bridge, the more they started to have fun. The snow on this side was, near enough, untouched by hobbits. Frodo and his friends laughed and ran up the shallow hill.
Frodo was the first to reach the shadow of the trees. He stopped and looked up at them. They were much bigger then the trees other their side.