Rosamunda smiled and placed the sixth empty trey on the pile. Lunch was now ready.
"Right, Fredegar, could you help us please?" Rosamunda asked.
Fredegar took a deep and groaned.
"Come on, you haven't done anything all day, get up"
The chair creaked as he arose. Estella already picked up a bowl in each hand. She smiled and turned around. The door had been left open so that she could walk out again. Fredegar picked up only one, trying hard not to do more then he wanted to. Rosamunda placed the cloth she was using on the back of the chair. She, like her daughter, picked up a bowl in each hand.
Pimpernel was cutting into some chicken. Her sister sat opposite to her. They were the only two present at the table. There was silence among them. Pimpernel had a respectively large portion in front of her. But she seemed not to be hungry.
Nerves were getting to her. The Green Dragon feast was now only five hours away. Her eyes darted to the clock. It had only been a few minutes since the last time she looked.
A small puppy was sitting on the floor beside her. This was very adorable puppy, Abira. A yawn came over the small pup as she sat there. Her eyes were wondering the room. An empty bowl was laying near by. This had once been full of her bacon. But now, it was all eaten.
Pimpernel looked down at her fluffy pup. A smile came over her lips. She didn't know why, but this puppy made her happier then anything else. Nelly continued to eat, stopping every so often for a small sip of ale.
"I've just thought on" Pimpernel said, looking over at her sister.
"I haven't got anything to wear"
Nelly's hopes were now dashed. All of her things had been destroyed during the fire. Her clothes included in that list.
"Well, you could see if some of mine fit" Pearl told her, taking another mouth full of crispy potato.
Pimpernel still didn't know. Yes, both girls had the same build and height. But she still didn't know.
"Well, I could try" she answered.
"But I'm not sure if it'll fit"
The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, save for the crackling of fire and the sound of metal scraping on china. The amount of food continued to fall and fall as the clock continued to tick. Pimpernel was still thinking about the meal that was to come.
She had heard stories about the wealth of food that was served. Some say that it was like the great feast at Bilbo's birthday all of those years ago. Yet Pimpernel could hardly remember it. She was only young after all and a lot had happened since then.
The girls ate until they were satisfied. Pimpernel was the first to finish. There was only a small bit of light brown gravy on her plate. Her mug of ale was picked up and drained. Little Abira was now laying down on the floor, her chest rising and falling. Her head resting on her fluffy ears.
Pimpernel reached down and picked up her lazy puppy. Abira had had a big meal as well and was feeling a little bit sleepy.
"Are you sleepy?" Pimpernel asked.
The small puppy whined and nodded her head. The bacon had made her feel very sleepy indeed as she settled down on her owners lap. Pimpernel's hand ran over her the soft fur. Abira seemed to be warmer then normal, her small chest rising and falling slowly.
A small yawn came over her as she rested on her paws. Pearl finished up her meal and looked in the bowls. They were nearly empty. What would have last for a few meals to humans only lasted an hour for hobbits.
Both girls had now been fed and watered. Their once rumbling stomachs had been calmed.
"Right" said a tired sounding Pearl, arising from her seat.
"Lets get this cleared away and then we can sort out what we're going to wear"
So, Pearl started to clear away the plates and bowls. They were stacked on top on one an other. Pimpernel lifted a half sleeping Abira onto her shoulder.
The small puppy whined, but did not wake up. Pimpernel arose from her seat and walked out of the room. Deep inside her heart, she was starting to miss Hamson. She wanted to just see him one more time, but she knew she had to let him go.
He was living his own life now. Their paths had changed so much that it drove them away. Hamson was now with his uncle, a days journey from Hobbiton. He had travelled to his uncle's home. There, he would learn how to make ropes.
But it was harder then he thought. Every day, his mind would go back to his Pimpernel back home. He longed to see her one more time. But he knew that it would be a while before he saw her again.
Hamson had a busy day ahead of him. A meal was being prepared, but it would not be as splendid as any back home. But it would be good enough.
Hamson was busily making rope as his uncle come into the large room. There were noisy machines were turning the individual strands into larger ones.
"Hamson?" his uncle shouted.
Hamson could barely hear his uncle. The young man looked around and saw him standing there. The loud machine was then turned off and all fell quiet.
"Hamson my lad, lunch is being served up now"
Hamson gave a small smile.
"Thank you" he answered.
He then looked down at his hands. They were black and oily. Hamson sniffed as he placed a small latch down so that the machine wouldn't move while he was away.
Meanwhile, Pimpernel and Pearl were looking into a wardrobe. The wardrobe was only one of many that were in the room. Each wardrobe was full of dresses. There was no space for beds or tables. Pearl picked out one of the dresses.
"What about this one?" she asked, taking it off of the little bar that ran from one side to the other.
Pimpernel looked at it. But she didn't really like it.
"I don't think it's good enough for the feast" she said.
The sisters look at each other. Pearl took a deep breath. Time was running out for them to get ready. The excitement was rising. Pearl had already picked out her dress. It was light yellow with small colourful flowers stitched into the surface.
Pimpernel picked out a red dress. She looked at it for a few seconds, then placed it back. She did this a few more times. In a few cases, she took a longer look at it. But like the others, she placed them back on the rack.
Nelly's spirits were starting to sink lower and lower. She wanted to go to the feast, but she just couldn't see herself getting ready in time. The hobbit looked around. The other wardrobes did not contain dresses. They were either full of coat and scarves, hats and old garments.
Pimpernel could not see herself going now.
"What about this one?" her sister asked.
She was holding up a royal blue dress. Pimpernel looked over at it. She took a deep breath. Yes, it was pretty.
But was it pretty enough?
It took a few more seconds before she thought it was good enough.
"Alright, I wear it" she answered.
A smile came over Pearls lips.
"See, I know there was something here for you"
Diamond, who had been carrying Origo, got to her house. Diamond was smaller and younger then she was now. She was not even ten years of age. Yet she looked exactly like she did she was older.
"Shush" she said as she came to a large round door.
The door creaked open and she looked inside. The house had been built into a hill side. But it was not as soft as the hills that Hobbiton was built into. These were more wild and hardened by the weather. Out crops of hardened rock spouted from the sides and top on the hill. Grass was present, but it was thin and broken up into patches.
Diamond quickly slid though the door and inside. The large round door was clicked shut. If her parents found out that she had a puppy with her, they would surely not allow it.
The small girl walked as silently as she could. Her room was down the hall way, but she had to go past her parents. That was not so easy. The large round door clicked shut. Origo was held on one hand.
The small girl could not take off her coat. She walked past the pegs, a few of them had been placed lower down so that she could reach them. There were scarves and a few gloves. Yes, the weather was warm, but at some points in the past week, a coldness had been blanketing them.
The puppy looked around. There were new smells and sights for him every where. the puppy just had to explore. So, he started to struggle. Diamond looked down at him.
"Puppy, shush" she said, holding him closer.
A small bark came out of the puppy. Diamond suddenly became worried. She knew that her parents would have heard it.
Diamond had no other choice. She scurried down the hall way. A door opened behind her.
"Diamond?" a voice came from down the hall.
The small girl stopped. It was her mother. Diamond thought quickly. She couldn't turn around, the puppy would be seen then. The sound of foot steps came upon her louder and louder.
"What are you holding?" her mother asked.
Diamond slowly turned around, her large blue eyes had sadness in them. The small girl looked down.
"Where did you get him?" her mother asked sternly.
Diamond took a deep breath and look to the side. Her mother looked at the puppy. He seemed to have no collar on. There were small brown marks above each of his little, questioning eyes.
"Diamond, where did you get him?"
The girl looked up at her mother.
"I found him" she said weakly, knowing her mother would not believe her.
"Found him?" she asked.
Diamond was right, there was no such trust coming from her. The small girl nodded, her hand holding the puppy's two front paws. He yawned and rested his head on her.
"Where?"
Diamond looked down.
"In the field, he was on the out crop of rock" Diamond answered.
Her mother took a deep breath.
"Diamond, you know what I think about pets" her mother told her.
Diamond took a deep, sad breath and nodded. She would have liked to keep him. But she knew her mother was a tough cookie to crack.
"I think its best if you let him go, his owner is probably looking for him"
Diamond's eyes started to fill up as she looked down at the floor. Her mother stood up right and walked away. The puppy looked up at the girl. A small tear ran down her face.
"I cant have you puppy" she said, lifting him up.
Her soft warm fur touched her cheek. The next seconds, Diamond slowly started to walk back to the front door. She slowly opened it, the wind rushed in from outside and blew her hair.
The puppy looked outside again. There were trees baring green leaves. The wind whistled though them making a noise like rain on a calm lake. White clouds flew gently over a calm blue sky. Birds were heard singing.
"You have to go now puppy, I cant keep you" Diamond said, placing him on the floor.
The small puppy looked up at her and whined. The small girl had tears running down her face. There were no more words from her. She slowly started to shut the door. The small puppy whimpered as she slowly went out of sight.
The door clicked shut, parting the two of them from sight. The small puppy continued to look at the door, but there was no sign of the girl coming out again.
The puppy's head then turned. The small gate which lead onto the small road again. It was swinging gently in the wind. The small puppy walked over to it, he took one last look back. There was still no sign of the girl. He then walked out and along the road.
Pimpernel was now getting ready in her room. There was only an hour left until the feast at the Green Dragon began. Pimpernel already had her blue dress on for the celebration. It was the same one that she had warn for Bilbo's birthday all those long years ago.
A small puppy, but the name of Abira, was still snoozing on Pimpernel's pillow. Her small chest rising and falling, her fluffy head resting on her equally fluffy paws. Pimpernel's hair was still wet from having a lovely bath just an hour before. A comb lay on the bed along with a small hair clip. Pearl was getting ready in the other room. She too had wet hair.
A comb was running though her curly hair as she stood before a large mirror. There was a small wooden table before her and a chair behind.
Her dress had already been put on, a yellow one. Some how, it suited her eyes and hair. Pearl smiled as she looked at the clock. Only an hour to go. The clock continued to tick. The fire continued to crackle as Pearl smoothed herself down.
A smile came over her lips. Food started to flash across her vision. Large chickens with crispy brown skin. Juicy vegetables, parsnips, sprouts, roast potatoes. Hot gravy, sausages, bacon.
Phantom smells hit her. This made her even more hungry then she already was. The clock continued to tick as the hour counted down. The hour hand reached the number six at the bottom.
Both of the girls were now ready. They were sitting in the kitchen, a mug of ale before them both. The electric in the air was tingling the hairs on their feet.
Pimpernel raised her mug and drank. Butterflies were fluttering in her stomach. Pearl was feeling exactly the same. Her ale had almost gone. The clock now showed quarter to five.
"I think we should get going soon, there maybe a line" Pearl told her sister.
Pimpernel smiled as she looked into her cup. A few mouthfuls were left, they were easily drained. The mug was then placed on the table. Pimpernel took a deep breath and looked around.
"Right" she said, getting up.
The wooden chair scraped along the tiled floor. Pearl got up as well, leaving the mugs for later on. The two girls walked out of the room. Time seemed to be going slower then normal. The two of them made their way down the corridor.
"Will the puppy be alright?" Pearl asked, handing Pimpernel her coat.
Nelly nodded.
"She's sleeping so I guess she'll be alright for a few hours. There's some water and bacon in her in the kitchen" Pimpernel told her sister.
Pearl smiled and nodded. They got their coats on.
"Oh, I nearly forgot" said Pearl, walking back down the corridor.
On the kitchen table there lay two cards. Each decorated the same. But both had different names. One had Pearl's name written on it, the other had Pimpernel's name on it.
A minute later, Pearl walked back to the front door. She held out the invitations.
"Almost forgot these" she said.
The two girls smiled as Pearl opened the large door. Everything was going good for Pimpernel until a sudden bout of déjà vu hit her. The hobbit stopped in her tracks. Her eyes fixed outside.
Everything came flooding back to her. All the fire and the worry. All of the hate that she had for her mother resurfaced.
"Pimpernel?" asked Pearl, looked at her.
She could see, deep in Pimpernel's eyes, the pain and suffering resurfacing. There was a glint there she had never seen.
"I cant do it" Pimpernel said.
All of the excitement had been washed away and replaced with worry. The feast was now not the only thing on her mind. Words came into her head. Unspoken words. A few hobbits were walking down the hill towards the Green Dragon.
Pimpernel eyed them. She knew what they were thinking.
"Cant do what?" Pearl asked.
Nelly took a deep breath and looked down.
"I cant go, people hate me" Pimpernel told her.
Pearl suddenly had nothing to say. No comforting words. She knew that if her sister didn't want to go, she couldn't force her.
"But what about the feast?" she asked.
The invitations were still held in her hands. She looked down at them, Pimpernel's was on the top. Pimpernel was trying to make up her mind. Right now, it was swaying more to staying at home.
She knew full well that she would miss the feast if she didn't walk out of the door. A small bout of courage replaced the worry.
"Maybe it wont be so bad" she thought.
Pimpernel took a deep breath and slowly placed a foot forward. Her sister knew exactly what this meant. The large door was shut, Pimpernel took no glance back at it. Pearl smiled as she walked past.
The clean air tickled Pimpernel's face. It had been a while since she had been outside. There was little snow on the ground. The clouds above threatened to change all of that. In fact, a few small flakes did fall from the white abyss above them.
The wind blew their hair as the two sisters walked down the small stone path to the gate. Pearl opened it for Pimpernel.
"Thank you" she said.
The gate was shut behind both of them. The Green Dragon could be seen down neat the edge of the lake. There were already fellow hobbits queuing to get inside. There were many chimneys smoking from out of the roof.
It took the girls a few minutes to reach the line. The door was open and, every so often, a strong smell of chicken would waft out into the night air. Pimpernel gave a small smile, she loved the smell of cooking chicken ever since she was a young child.
The line surely and slowly got shorter.
Rosie Gamgee was sorting out who was allowed in and who was unwelcome. A few times, some of the younger hobbit would try and sneak in. but they were not getting past Rosie.
"Hello girls" she said.
A sheet of parchment was held in her hand. Rosie's eyes scanned down the small list that she had before her. A smile came over her lips.
"Alright, you can go in" she said, taking the invitations from Pearl.
There was a moment of tension between Rosie and Pimpernel. But nothing came of it. Pearl and Pimpernel walked into the warmth of the building.
For a moment, both of them stopped. There were six large round tables sitting in their own space. Five chairs had been set before five places. There were table mats surrounded by knives and forks and spoons. Small pieces of paper with names written on them. Pearl looked at them.
After a minute, she found the table that she and her sister were at. The two girls were near to the steamed up window as more and more hobbits took their places. Five o'clock rung around the pub as the last of the hobbits took their places.
The dwarves were waiting in the kitchen. There were six very large and plump chickens sitting on large treys. Rosie came into the kitchen and smiled.
"Alright, their ready now"
There was a lot of talking in the pub now. The door to the kitchen swung open. A dwarf came out carrying what looked like a heavy trey. On top of the trey was a very juicy looking chicken.
The talking of hobbits instantly died down. All eyes were on the dwarf. Another one soon followed him. Four more came out of the kitchen. The hobbits began to cheer as the dwarves placed the chickens on the tables. Without another word, the dwarves walked back into the kitchens. Plates had yet to be set out. The but that was soon to change.
Three of the dwarves came back out. They were carrying ten plates each. Within a minute, all of the plates had been set out.
"When are they going to give us the food?" asked one of the elders.
This was on everyone's mind. Hunger was strong in their stomachs. The dwarves then started to bring out the food. Bowls upon bowls of piping hot food. The tables that the hobbits sat around started to fill up. Space was becoming less common as the bowls filled it. But these bowls were only the surface of what the dwarves had cooked. There was at least three times this amount ready and waiting in the kitchens.
Silver spoons had been placed in all of the bowls. Some china dishes were brought out as well. These were stacked to the top with parsnips and roast potatoes.
The sound of metal hitting china started to echo around as the last of the bowls was placed on the tables. Gravy, roast potatoes, sprouts, long runner beans, carrot and turnip, broccoli, parsnips, stacks of sausages, slices of crispy bacon, tender chicken and hot gravy all took up the space.
Talking erupted as the hobbits started to pile food onto their plates. Mugs were then placed in what seemed a very small place.
Ale was sloshing around as the hobbits laughed, talking and discussed different things. Among the elders, it was weather and the peskiness of the younger generations.
"They have too much energy they do" said of them.
The table was full of them. Food was still being put on their plates as the dwarves vanished behind the large kitchen door.
The heat coming off from the food was making the temperature in the room rise steadily. Pimpernel was cutting up one of her many roast potatoes. Her eyes were darting around.
A few times, she could have sworn she heard her name mentioned. She knew that people would be talking about her. Pimpernel didn't like the feeling of eyes baring down on her. She could feel them like a knife though butter. Pimpernel did her best to eat her food without getting annoyed or angry.
A bit of roast potato was picked up on the end of her fork. Pimpernel started to chew. She could taste the very well done crispy bit. In fact, it was the best roast potato that she had ever tasted.
There were many more where that came from as the talking and drinking continued. All was well and happy in the green dragon.
But there was one small creature that was not at all happy. Origo was still wondering the wilds. The path that he had taken was leading him further and further away from Hobbiton and safety. But he was not wondering the wilds alone. A small fairy was fluttering near by. She was struggling to keep up in the wind.
The snow was getting heavier and heavier by the minute. Only Origo could see her. She had a light green glow, made more apparent as the sun continued to set.
A small foxes den was only a few hundred meters down the path. Not many hobbits knew it was there. The small puppy struggled against the barrage of snow and wind. His fur was wet. The puppy whimpered a bit.
"Maybe leaving was not such a good idea" Origo thought to himself.
He whimpered as the snow flakes flew at him harder and harder. This was not the only time that Origo had felt this unloved.
When the two of them first met, Origo knew that he would be safe with his Diamond. But after the door closed, he knew that she didn't love him.
The small puppy sat at the bottom of the path way, looking at the door. He longed for the girl to come out. His little tail wagged, his hopes still high.
But after a hour of waiting for her to come back. But she never did. The puppy looked around. The sun was slowly setting in the West. The level of light going down at the summer sun did.
Yet birds and hobbits alike continued to go about their daily business. Origo stood up and shook himself off. It was obvious that he wasn't welcome.
Inside the house, Diamond was laying on her bed. Tears ran down her face. Her blue eyes looked like marbles glinting in the sunlight.
Her room was decorated in the normal hobbit fashion. There was a fire place crackling in one corner. A clock had been hung on the wall. It ticked gently every second. Her bed was big and duvet warm. A rug had been lain out before the bed had been placed on top of it.
The sounds of her mother on the other side of the door was all that Diamond could hear. The large door to her room was opened.
Her mother, the person she didn't want to see, was standing there.
"Dinner is ready now" she said.
But Diamond didn't answer her mother. Things that she shouldn't say were now running though Diamond's head. Her eyes looked into a spot near the floor and the wall. She could see, out the corner of her of her eye, her mother still standing there.
"Diamond?" she asked.
Every word that her mother said was making Diamond more and more angry. Her mother did not care how she was feeling.
"What?" Diamond asked.
"Dinner is ready" her mother repeated.
Diamond took a deep breath.
"I'm not hungry" she answered.
Her mother continued to stand there for a few more seconds before turning and walking out. The door was closed, leaving Diamond laying on the bed. Diamond's head was still full of the things that she wanted to say, but knew she couldn't. The smell of food wafted in though the gaps in the door.
Diamond gritted her teeth and rolled over so that she faced the other way. The sounds from the kitchen echoed though out the house. Diamond was hungry, but she didn't want any food at the moment.
She was too upset that she got so close to getting a puppy. But it was her mother who had stopped her. But now, the puppy had gone and he was never coming back.
But now, things had changed. Origo had run away from her. But this time, Diamond did not notice. She was sitting in the lounge, watching the fire. Her son in her arms.
Pippin walked in, he was holding two mugs of hot tea. He smiled as he walked over to the table and placed them down. The water calmed instantly as he placed Diamond's down.
All of their meals had been made for the day. There was only dinner left to cook and serve up. The house seemed quieter then normal. Diamond didn't know what it was, but she didn't know what. She knew that she had been busy with things around the house.
"Maybe its nothing" she told herself as she slowly reached over and picked up the hot mug of tea.
Her eyes then fell upon her son. Faramir was sleeping peacefully in her arms. There was a definite likeness between Pippin and his son.
In the kitchen, Origo's little bowl was still empty. No turkey had been put in it today. Not because Diamond did not want to, but she had forgotten all about him.
The last meal of the day would not be a splendid one like the Green Dragons. But it would be good enough to fill them up. They had saved the food that was worth saving. The smell of dead and rotting chicken had been all but washed out.
Yet there was still a small hit of the smell every so often. The shelves were looking too bare to be considered healthy. But Diamond knew that she had to get more food. The market places had been closed for Yule. So Diamond could not get the food she wanted.
A yawn came over her as she looked into the fire. The feeling of something missing grew and grew on her. Pippin looked over at her. He could see his wife in deep thought, looking towards the fire.
"Diamond?" he asked.
Diamond's gaze was broken as she turned her head towards him. She smiled.
"Yes?" she asked, smiling.
"Are you alright, you seem to be more quiet" Pippin told her.
Diamond didn't understand what he meant by what he had said.
"More quiet?"
Pippin nodded.
"You seem to be thinking harder, is anything wrong?" he asked.
Diamond knew exactly what he meant. Pippin was not one to sit back and not care about his friends and family.
"Its just"
She paused.
"I've had this feeling all day. Like I've lost something important, but I don't know what it is"
Now Pippin was starting to think. But his mind was not focused on it. He took a deep breath and looked into the fire. The dancing flames were mesmerising.
The light and heat from the flames blocked out the coldness trying to get in. the inside was now very different from the outside. Snow was falling to the ground, covering it in a thin carpet.
Birds were still flying around, singing to their hearts content.
There was a small, empty fox hole near a dry stone wall. Inside, out of the coldness of the ever deepening night, was a small puppy.
Origo was curled up, but not asleep. A small fairy was sitting crossed legged near by. A small green glow lit up the surrounding area. Origo was whimpering. He was very hungry and cold. The snow flakes that had landed on his fur were now melting, making him even colder.
The fairy was looking at him. She had tried to tell him that going out in the coldness was a bad idea. But Origo didn't listen. He was now on his own again and no one knew where he was.
"Origo, you have to go back, you'll make yourself ill" Ivy told him.
Her small wings were folded behind her back. But she wasn't answered. Origo was shaking with the coldness of the air around him. It did not effect Ivy as much.
All Origo wanted now was to get away from Hobbiton. He had been trying to find his Diamond for years. But she still didn't love him.