Yule started clear and crisp. Chimneys smoked over a snowy hill. Birds were singing and hopping either on the ground or in the trees that grew from it.
The wind was gentle. It picked up the smoke and carried it away. There was a calm happiness to the small village. Everything seemed brighter and happier. Hobbits of all ages felt the electricity flowing though the air.
Some of the children had even arose early from their beds. Yet the tiredness was still strong in them. Elanor Gamgee sat up in her bed.
The light was low, the sounds, none. A small fire was crackling in the heath. Elanor yawned as she took the duvet off of her legs. The air was colder then duvet.
Only a few of the candles had been left to burn during the night. The sun was slowly rising in the east. Elanor could not wait to get her presents in a few hours. But unwrapping presents was not the only exciting thing to happen that day.
A large meal had been planned for many weeks now. Lots of food would be served. Potatoes both mashed and roasted, parsnips were Elanor's favourite. There would also be carrots, sprouts, peas and of course the main reason why any hobbit would go to a Yule feast, a large roast chicken.
But all this was still hours away. Elanor knew that it was still early in the morning. She knew that her mother would not start cooking for a few good hours yet.
Elanor yawned. She was too excited to sleep again. She would later regret it. Her attention was now drawn back to her horses. Her favourite stood proudly at the centre, surrounded by the other ones.
The smaller horses were moved out the way. The bigger was carefully lifted out of its place.
"Good morning" she said to it.
Her imagination then kicked in. Mountains rose from the bed sheets. Snow capped their peaks. The valleys ran deep below. Rivers had carved them out. Trees grew out of the land like a green carpet.
Elanor placed herself right in the middle of the forest. The ground was muddy. Leaves covered the ground. Some green and some brown and yellow. Roots were sticking out of the ground.
The hooves of the horse came and met her ears. The wind was gently and the shadows cool. Elanor looked around. She was in a completely new world. All the trees looked strange. Faces made of bark followed her path though the forest. There was a light mist caught the sun.
Every so often, a shadow would pass quickly over the path.
"Did you see that?" whispered Elanor.
A part of her was scared while the other was pushing ever onwards. The mountains grew upwards, they had snowy caps on them. The canopy of the trees blocked out most of the light as well as keeping in most of the moister.
Another shadow zoomed past the path. It was then that Elanor had a strange feeling that she was being watched. But there were no eyes in the forest. The horse continued to walk though the endless forest. A large river came into view and hearing.
Elanor stopped as she approached it. The horse was looking at it as well. Elanor smiled as she got off of it. But the river was not the only thing in her eye sight.
A big sleeping creature lay on the other side. Flames were erupting from the creature. It was a Balrog. Elanor knew exactly what it looked like. She had heard the story a thousand times from her father.
Only Samwise, Merry and Pippin were the only ones who have seen it up close. The creature now existed in memory and writing.
Elanor looked around. There was a small rug between the heath and bed. The hobbit climbed back on the bed and stood there. She walked to the edge of the bed.
The rug suddenly turned into a precarious looking rock. The girl looked down at her horse.
"Wait here" she said, placing the horse on the bed.
Elanor smiled and looked back down at the carpet again. The water was rushing around the rock would defiantly sweep her away if she didn't land on it.
Birds tweeted strange songs as they flew. Some were brightly coloured and others were plain black. Each had their own unique call.
"Well, there's nothing for it" Elanor told herself.
She suddenly jumped. Her flew for what seemed a few seconds before landing on the rug. There were no sounds apart from crackling of the fire and the ticking of the wooden clock.
The light was bright enough to see the hands. Four hours past midnight had come and gone. The hour hand was inching towards the number twelve at the top while the minute hand was nearing the five.
Elanor took a deep breath. The clock seemed slower then normal. Though she had been up for twenty minutes already.
The fire was raging. The world that she had just made up had vanished. Elanor's tiredness was now getting to her again. the small girl walked over to her bed and sat on the side.
The black figure of the horse was laying on the bed. Elanor yawned again.
"I think I should go back to bed" she said.
Elanor was too tired to put her horse back, so she left him on the end of the bed. Her head rested on the soft pillow. The tiredness slowly, but surely, continued to set in.
Outside, birds were getting up from a cold night in their nests. A small robin say in a small basket of twigs. It ruffled its feathers as it got ready for another day.
A few stars continued to twinkle in the sky. But they would soon be blocked out by the light of the sun. The small bird beat its wings and flew away.
Others birds were now rising from their deep, cold slumber. Songs echoed though empty woods from all directions. Time was not known to them. The seasons that fell around them had no effect in what they did.
The small robin darted over the hills. In the near distance, a pillar of smoke came into view. As the small bird neared it, more and more pillars came into view.
These were the only signs of life beneath the snowy hills. The robin dodged chimneys as he searched for a placed to get his food.
Hobbiton was now waking up to a clear day. Rosie Gamgee had gotten up earlier then normal. She had a lot of work to do before she could rest.
The bathroom was well decorated. A mirror had been placed over the sink. There were no taps pointing in the sink. There was only a metal plug.
Rosie closed the door with a click. Her eyes were still clammy from the sleep she had just had. There was a metal bar that had been placed on the wall. A few towels had been folded and placed over it.
There was a small hook over the fire. The kettle had been placed on the cold tiled floor. The bottom was burnt black. A metal basket full of short wooden logs had been placed on the opposite side.
Rosie picked up the dry logs and placed them in the fire. It took a while for the fire to catch it. But, when it did, the fire grew and grew.
As the fire strengthened, Rosie picked up the cold metal kettle. She turned on her heels and walked towards the door. She opened it up again and walked out.
The candles were flickering as Rosie made her way to the kitchen. The kitchen was quiet. The fire that was burning so low that that it looked on the verge of going out. But Rosie did nothing about it. Instead, she walked over to the sink. The kettle was placed in the sink.
A tap was now pointing into the empty kettle. Rosie then twisted one of the taps. Water came gushing out into the kettle. The sound echoed around the kitchen. Rosie looked up. There was a small window before her.
The snow outside had yet to melt. But it was showing signs of melting. Black objects raced across the window. They were birds. Small dots of water started to splash onto Rosie's skin. Her attention was now back on the kettle.
Bubbles could be seen popping. The tape was then turned off and the water rippled. After a few seconds, the surface of the water calmed down.
The small lid was then closed and the now heavy kettle was lifted out of the sink. Rosie then walked back out of the room. The bathroom door was then closed again as she walked in.
The water in the kettle was heated until it was warm enough for her. The plug was then placed in and the water poured on. There were no leaks around the seal as the water level rose dramatically.
Rosie stopped as the water level rose to where she wanted it. there was a bar of home made soap. Its scent was of strong roses. Rosie loved that smell. Even in the coldness of winter, a small bit of the summer could be held in her hand.
The hobbit rubbed her face and hands. Lather covered her face and hands. Her eyes were closed as she placed her hands back into the warm water. The water instantly cleansed her hands of all the soap.
Rosie then lifted her hands out and rubbed her face. After a minute or two, all of the soap bubbles had been washed off. The plug was then taken out, draining all of the water.
The water gushed down a small pipe into the garden. There, the soil would soak it up. Rosie was now rubbing her face with a towel. The water was soaking into it.
The tiredness had seemed to have lifted a bit as she placed the towel back. She then left the room and headed back down the corridor.
Miles away, a cart was rolling though the cold country side. Its driver held leather reigns as the horse led the way. The driver had been up for most of the night, against his will.
"I say we stop, cook us up some nice beef" he said.
But the others saw a different idea.
"We need to get moving, Hobbiton is only ten miles down the road. The Green Dragon is waiting"
These were dwarves. Small, but hardy folk with long beards. These were Longbeards or Durin's folk to people heavily involved with their dealings.
Each dwarf had a very long beard that stretched down past his or even her waist. Some were grey, other white or dark red.
Cloaks were wrapped around them, keeping out the coldness as best they could. the cart floor was hard and uncomfortable. Where a dwarves' heart really lay was in warmth, feasting and drinking.
But that was far off for them. they had work to do before hand. Every year, six dwarves would come to help serve and cook the feast as the Green Dragon.
They would use their skills in cooking to help put on the best meal all year. Some of the dwarves had even helped cooking on Bilbo Baggins' one hundred and eleventh birthday and were assigned to help them every year afterwards.
Rosie was now back in her room. Her youngest son was still asleep in her cot. Rosie had already put on her dress and was ready to go out.
But there was one more thing she had to do. she did not go to the front door right away. Instead, she walked to Frodo's room. The hobbit had tried to keep her mind on other things. But now, she needed to wake Sam.
The door creaked open slowly. Rosie peered though the gap. She could see her husband still sitting in his chair. The bowl of water was still sitting on the edge of the bed. Rosie slowly and gently walked over to him.
Samwise was fast asleep. His hand was resting in the cold bowl of water. The flannel was submerged in the water too.
"Sam?" Rosie asked, tapping him on the shoulder.
Sam jerked awake. Unknown to him, his hand was still in the water. The small bowl tipped and spilt all of its contents on the floor. The water spilled onto the floor. The small wooden bowl spun and came to rest on its side.
Sam sat there in confusion for a few more seconds. He had noticed that he was in his oldest son's bedroom. The water continued to trickle across the floor. A small bit had trickled under Rosie's feet.
"Sam?" she asked.
Samwise took a quick glance back, but didn't say anything. All of the feelings from the night before were now flooding back to him.
"Sam, I have to go down to the Dragon. Will you be alright?" she asked.
Rosie did not receive an answer. She took a deep breath.
"Well, I'll be back before the children are up" she explained.
Like before, she wasn't given an answer. She continued to stand there for a second or two before leaving. Rosie walked over to the door and opened it.
The woman then walked out, took one last glance at her husband and closed the door. It clicked shut. Rosie stood on the opposite side of the door for a few seconds. All that she wanted was an answer. She was worried her dear Sam. She had never seen him like that before.
But Rosie knew that she had to let him get on with it. A few more seconds past before she set off down the corridor towards the front door.
On the wall, there were many pegs with many coats hanging. Rosie walked up to it and picked out hers. The weaves were red in colour. Not brilliant red, but then again, not dull. There were brass buttons running up one side of the coat.
On the other side, there were as many holes. But they were not by accident. These were to put the buttons though. And that's exactly what she did. When she finished buttoning up, she looked back down the corridor. A small part of her wanted to go back and comfort her Sam. But she needed to get to the Dragon.
The front door was then opened. A cold blast of air ran over her face. The sound of wind filled her ears. Rosie's golden hair dancing in the wind as she walked out and closed the big door behind her.
Birds were singing all around her. Some flew with in feet of her. Others were so far away that they looked like small dots hovering in the sky.
The calls echoed around her as she walked towards the gate. The gate had a small latch to keep it shut while the wind blew.
Rosie unlatched it and opened it. The gate was drawn towards her, opening onto the garden. Snow still covered the ground in small patches. But more then most of it had been melted.
The sun was now ascending the cloudless sky. The trees were casting long shadows on the cold ground. Rosie closed the gate and turned around.
The air seemed clearer as she started to descend the hill. There were no other hobbits outside in the coldness of morning. But that didn't mean that there were not others that had awoken.
All across Hobbiton, mothers and wives were waking earlier then normal. Diamond took was no exception. She had already been up an hour. An apron had been tied around her waist.
There were many bowls on the table. Each one of them was empty, yet to be filled with hot food. There was a big, featherless chicken laying in a trey.
A big jug of oil was standing by the chicken. There was one handle on the side. The neck of the bottle raised up. The heavy jug was lifted up. The oil sloshed around as a small trickle started to onto the chicken.
Meanwhile, a small puppy was waking from his deep slumber. Over the top of him lay a warm duvet. His small chest was rising and falling gently.
This puppy was called Origo. He had small brown patched over each close eye. His small fluffy ears were flopped over the side of his head.
A small whimper came from him as he awoke. His little head moved, but he couldn't get comfortable again. But Origo was not the only one that was still asleep. Peregrin was still sleeping. A small bit of drool was seeping onto the pillow.
His hair was messy as he continued to sleep. The duvet where Diamond had sleep was folded over a small bit. But not enough for Origo to walk out of.
The small puppy tried to stand up, but the weight of the large duvet was too heavy. A yawn came over the puppy as his small eyes looked around. All he could see was the duvet in front of him. The light from outside was dull and the puppy lay there.
Ori could hear Pippin's snores.
"That certainly isn't my Diamond" Origo thought.
Hunger was now getting to the puppy. He had not had anything to eat since the night before. The duvet started to move as the puppy made his way up. After a few seconds, Origo was free.
But the warmth of the duvet seemed to be more attractive at the moment. But hunger was winning over. The puppy was now standing up. The duvet behind was where Origo really wanted to be.
The air outside of the duvet was cold. Origo didn't like it one bit, even though he had warm fur. The puppy looked around. Pippin was laying next to him. A cot had been placed on Diamond's side of the bed. That was to keep the noisy puppy in. Origo turned around and looked back. The door was open, just a small bit.
Noises echoed though the house from the kitchen. Origo knew exactly who was making these noises. Without another wasted second, the puppy slowly and carefully made his way across the soft duvet.
The puppy arrived at the bottom end of the bed. Pippin's feet were hanging over the side. The duvet was too short for him.
Origo hopped over the small edge onto the dressing box. He was too small to jump down to the floor. He knew that the way he was doing it was longer, but he knew that he could jump down.
The noises coming from the kitchen became louder. The small puppy jumped down from the dressing box and landed on the floor.
The tiles were colder then the air. But Ori could hardly feel it. The puppy's eyes were looking around. His little nose skimmed over the surface of the tiles.
There were a few smells. But one caught his attention. It was his Diamond. Origo's small nose continued to skim over the surface as he walked slowly towards the door.
The door had a gap in it, big enough for the puppy to fit though. But something flew out of the gap, stopping right in front of his face.
There was a small fluttering sound came from it as well as a green glow. This was a fairy and her name was Ivy. Her dark green hair waves as she bobbed in the air for a few seconds.
Origo's eyes looked up at her.
"Good morning pup" she said, fluttering down and cuddling the puppy on the face.
Origo moved back a bit as the fairy cuddled his face. The puppy sneezes and whined. Ivy flew off him and giggled.
"Sorry" she fluttering around.
Origo's eyes followed her for a few seconds. His mind suddenly changed back to the task in hand. The door was in the way of where he needed to get to.
The puppy tried to poked his head though. But that only moved the door a small bit. A small whine came from the pup as he tried again. He wasn't very strong and the door was very big compared to him.
Ivy looked down at the pup. She had been fluttering around outside.
"What's the matter?" she asked, sliding though the gap.
The puppy looked sadder then normal. Small whimpers came up from him. Ivy looked back at the door.
"Well, have you tried harder?" Ivy asked, now looking back down at him.
The puppy answered. Ivy took a deep breath and fluttered away. She stopped at the wooden door. With what seemed unbelievable strength, the door started to open. Origo looked down and saw that the gap was widening. Without another wasted second, he darted forward. The door was now wide enough for him to fit though. Ivy, who was pushing the door open, saw the small puppy run though.
Ivy stopped pushing, the door swung back a small bit as she watched the puppy run away. Ivy followed him to the kitchen.
There were a lot noises coming from the kitchen as Origo walked in. he stopped at the door way and looked at his Diamond. She seemed to take no notice of him being there.
Origo whimpered and looked around. The many legs of the chairs and tables seemed to rise above him. Ivy fluttered and stood next to him.
"She's making their Yule feast" Ivy told the puppy.
"I heard them talking about it last night" she explained.
But Origo wasn't interested in what his Diamond was doing. He needed food and a cuddle. So, the small puppy started to walk up to his Diamond.
She still seemed to not know he was there. Origo looked up at her and whined. But still, Diamond did not notice he was there. The puppy looked back at Ivy. She was standing where she had been when he left.
The puppy looked back up to his Diamond. Her dress was in rage. Origo knew exactly what to do to make his Diamond look at him.
Diamond, who was busy unwrapping the vegetables, felt the small tug. Her attention had been taken away from cooking. Standing on the floor was her adorable puppy.
But now was not the time for cuddles.
"Origo, please, I'll get your breakfast ready soon. Diamond is just really busy at the moment" she said.
A large foot moved the puppy out of the way. Origo was shocked. He had never been turned away by his Diamond.
After standing there for a few seconds, Origo got the message: Diamond didn't love him anymore. Ivy fluttered out of the way as Origo scooted past.
Ivy was confused. She fluttered in the air and out of the room. But when she got into the corridor, Origo was nowhere to be seen.
"Ori?" she asked, her voice echoed around the corridor.
The fairy started to flutter down the hall way, searching for the puppy. But she couldn't see him. Ivy continued to flutter around. The bed room was where she was heading for.
The door to the bed room was still ajar. To Ivy, a closed door was not a problem. But to Origo it was.
"Origo?" she asked.
But there was no answer. The fairy looked around the room. There were no sounds heard apart from the occasional snore and the crackles of the fire.
Ivy's wings beat quickly as she swooped down to the floor. The bed was much bigger the she was. Yet there was a gap underneath. Ivy looked under the bed. There were many boxes there.
The small fairy walked slowly over to the bed. The duvet was hanging over one side. The fairy stopped as she came to the edge of the bed. There was no light under the bed. More dust had accumulated here then anywhere else in the house.
Ivy's light green glow feel upon boxes and dark shapes. The small fairy walked deeper under the bed. There were wooden boxes full of old pieces of paper. Ink pots had been placed in some of the boxes. Some were full on ink, others were empty.
Ivy continued to walk in. But there was yet no sign of the puppy. Ivy's green glow lit up small unused books. Their leaves of paper were crisp. No words crossed their covers.
"Origo?" asked Ivy.
There was a small bit of moved to her right. She knew that it was Origo.
"Ori, puppy, what's wrong?"
It was the first time that Origo have ever been this upset in front of her. Small soft whimpers came from the puppy. He was laying on the dusty, cold floor without a care. His paws lay either side of his fluffy head.
His eyes reflected Ivy's green light. Ivy stopped, she looked at the puppy. Origo was not looking back.
"Puppy?" she asked.
Origo moved his head to the side. He didn't want to see the fairy, he wasn't in the mood. Ivy slowly made her way over and sat down on the dusty floor.
Origo's paws were much bigger then Ivy was. Origo was very upset.
Why had Diamond ignored him?
Why didn't she feed him?
She normally loved to cuddle her puppy. Origo couldn't understand why he didn't have his morning cuddle. But Origo didn't understand that Diamond would be busy all day.
The fire roared, crackling the wood that fed it. But it was not a controlled fire, this one raged out of control. Every so often, there was a large crash. Plates and bowls crashed to hot floor. smoke and red hot embers filled the air as the house continued to burn.
But the kitchen was not the only room on fire. The fire had spread rapidly to the others rooms. Bangs and crashes echoed though the house.
All of the living creatures, such as rats, mice and woodlouse had fled the ever growing fire and heat. Glasses of ale and wine exploded in the heat. But there was no panic.
A girl lay on the bed. Her eyes closed. Even though there was a very destructive fire around her. There seemed to be little hope of rescue. But yet, there was someone else in the room with her.
It was the same girl who was laying unconscious on the bed. Pimpernel was her name. she was in a strange world. A world that only she could access. No one else would share in what she was seeing and feeling.
The fire blazed around her, yet she was not burnt. For this was not real, but a dream. In reality, she was laying in her bed. The duvet was covering both her and her puppy, Abira.
Sounds echoed from the kitchen. Pearl, like Diamond, had arisen early. Excitement was slowly rising in her. The prospect of having the feast at the Green Dragon was constantly on her mind.
Neither she or Pimpernel had ever been to one of their feasts. But first, there was a lot to do. Pearl had already put her chicken in the hot oven. Oil and seasoning had already been placed over the featherless bird.
The clock chimed gently. Ten times, one after the other. Pearl had not even the faintest idea of what her sister was going though.
She had gone along with what ever Pimpernel had said. Minutes past as Pearl continued to get things ready for later on.
In Pimpernel's room, a small puppy was waking. She looked exactly like Origo. The two brown patches were in exactly the same places that Origo had them.
But unlike Origo, Abira was not alone. The small pup poked her head out of the duvet. Her small wet nose came first, followed the rest of her small fluffy head.
Abira's eyes looked around. She could see her owner, Pimpernel, snoozing peacefully. Abi gave a small whine. But her Pimpernel did not wake.
"Pimpernel?" Abira whined.
She knew that she couldn't understand her. The light from window was shining down on them. Abira was now hungry. A small tongue came out and licked her Pimpernel. It was the only way that her Pimpernel would wake up.
The dream that she was in instantly went from her vision. Pimpernel slowly opened her eyes. A small smile came over her.
"Morning pup" she said, kissing her on the fluffy head.
Abira whined gently, then tilted her head.
"Hungry?" Pimpernel asked.
Abira nodded her fluffy head. The hobbit took a deep breath and took the large warm duvet off. The puppy yawned as she was placed on the bed.
Pimpernel sat up and dangled her feet over the bed. The fire was still crackling merrily in the fire place as Pimpernel stood up. The clock continued to tick as she got ready for a long day.
"Come here pup" she said, picking Abira up.
Abira gave a soft whine as she was put on her owner's shoulder. The puppy yawned as Pimpernel walked out of the room. Nelly was now fully dressed, she would get her wash after dinner.
Abira looked around. She could smell the chicken already. But she didn't like it. Bacon was all that she liked. Her Pimpernel knew this.
Abira gave a small whine and looked up at her Pimpernel.
"Alright, alright, I'll get you some bacon in a minute" she said, kissing her puppy on the head.
Pimpernel came into the room, Pearl was opening packets of vegetables. An empty packet drifted down and landed on the floor.
"Good morning" Pimpernel said.
But Pearl was in too much of a rush to answer.
"I'm late and…"
Pearl stopped midsentence as Abira walked up and looked at her. The two of them looked at each other for a few seconds.
"And I suppose you want your bacon?" Pearl asked.
Abira gave a small nod and looked back at her Pimpernel. Pearl gave a deep breath.
"Even more work to do" she thought to herself.
"Alright" she said, placing the empty packets on the worktop.
Abira's small tail began to wag. She loved bacon. Pearl walked over to the cellar and opened the door. Abira waited at the edge for her to come back.
The inside of the cellar was darker then the kitchen. For there were no candles flickering there. Yet that did not mean light did not entre the room. A few of the shelves had been lit up.
Abira's eyes darted around. Pearl was taking too long. Small whimpers came from the puppy. But before she could bark, Pearl emerged from the darkness.