"Because we have a long way to go and we need to do it as quickly as possible" she answered.
Origo looked around. He wanted to stay where he was, he was warm and comfortable. He did not really like this cold weather any more. But then, he trusted the flying thing that followed him around.
"And when will we stop again?"
Ivy took a deep breath and looked around towards the entrance. A bit of the thick snow was falling into the den. But it was melting a minute or two later.
"Well, I guess we can stay here for a few hours. The weather seems to be brightening up"
The weather was indeed getting better. The snow storm seemed to have past, leaving quite a sight in its wake. The patches of blue seemed to become larger and larger. The sun seemed to become brighter as the clouds moved from its view on the earth.
Birds started to flutter around, now that the storm was over. Hobbiton was now getting very busy again. laughter of children could be heard echoing around the town.
But there was one hobbit who was not enjoying this time of year. Fredegar Bolger was laying on his bed. Lunch had been served and eaten. Fredegar was looking up at the ceiling. A smile came from him, which had been difficult over the past few days.
The smell of his lovely meal was floating all though out the house. A crackling fire sent heat around the room and thick, black smoke up the chimney, into the clearer air.
Sounds were echoing down from the kitchen. Rosamunda was in the kitchen, plates were being put in warm water. She hummed to herself as she scrubbed the dishes, bowls, knives and forks were all under the surface of the water.
Rosamunda had a wet cloth in one hand. With her free hand, she fished out the things that had been placed in the sink.
A knife was picked up out of the water. A few drips fell back and impacted on the large volume of water below. A hand towel had been placed on the work top near by.
A quick clean of the silver knife followed its dispatcher from the water. The hand towel was then picked up and the knife was quickly dried.
It took a few more minutes before all of the pieces of cutlery had been washed and dried.
The water was then drained and the sink cleared. Rosamunda continued to hum as she opened up a draw. She had a large handful of knives and forks. There was a sharp, metallic bang as they were placed back into the draw.
Rosamunda smiled as she closed the draw and opened up a cupboard. Inside were bowls and plates. The hobbit walked back to the sink and picked up a few bowls.
They were placed into the cupboard like the rest. Rosamunda suddenly stopped for a few seconds, her eyes glazed over as though in a spell. Her high spirits were crushing as a memory from long ago came to her.
After a few seconds, Rosamunda carried on with the job. It still took a few minutes to put everything away. The empty packets had been placed in a wicker bin. This would be emptied into a bigger bin outside for compost.
Gardening was very important to hobbits. But this year, the winter had been very harsh on even the most worked on gardens.
Snow had covered fragile, wintering plants. The soil was hard, yet there was still small bit of water trickling down to the depths.
Seeds waited for the warmer, lighter months to start growing. But for now, they lay dormant under seven inches of fresh snow.
"Come on Elanor!" shouted a girl, running in the snow.
Elanor looked back, her breath could be seen in the cold air. Snowballs flew at them, missing them by a few feet. But Elanor did not run. Her hands were numb with the coldness as they were dug deep into the snow. She picked up a good sized piece of snow. Good, that is, for a hobbit child.
A ball was quickly made due to the incoming fire from the other children. Elanor smiled as she saw her targets coming towards her.
The hobbit then threw the snowball. It spun in the air as it climbed higher. But gravity was now the decisions maker. An invisible hand seemed to pluck it from the sky at the correct moment. The snowball was now dipping towards earth.
Elanor's throw was very good indeed. It flew right over the head of one of the boys. The young, curly haired hobbit ducked.
"Good throw" said Elanor's friend.
Elanor gave a smile and continued to run away. The two of them, along with three other hobbit girls, reached the gap in the hedge. Elanor followed her friends though and looked around.
There were more hobbits on the path then was usual. The clear weather was a draw for them.
"Which way now?" asked a shorter girl.
Elanor had to make up her mind quickly. Her safest bet was to go towards her house. But then, there was more snow down near the river.
A snow ball hurtled towards them, landing just a foot away. The boys knew that the girls were still just around the corner.
"This way" Elanor said quickly, going the other direction from where her house was.
The four other girls quickly followed suit as the boys came though the gap in the hedge. They reached the road and looked around.
"There they are!" said one of the boys, point down the snowy hill.
A few seconds later, the boy ran off after the girls. But what neither of the parties knew was that Elanor's father, Samwise, was coming up the hill.
"Whoa!" he said, nearly falling on a smooth bit of ice.
The party of girls weaved and ducked as they ran towards the bank of the lake. On the banks was a fragile sheet of ice. The water below looked treacherous as the wind created small waves. Wildlife seemed to be none excitant on the surface of the pond.
There were no creatures there that were found in summer. The flies seemed to have all died out, the new generation waiting patiently under the wintery ground.
But the new generation of bugs were not the only things that were in the ground. a small puppy was sleeping in an abandoned fox den. The snow had long since stopped. Ivy was standing at the mouth of the den, looking out.
She could see much more clearly now. The day seemed a nice one. The clouds were fluffy.
Things were much different if Origo had not lost his memory. For one, they would have been in a nice warm house. In fact, they would have been in Pimpernel's house.
Origo and Abira were in the room that Pimpernel was staying in. Abira was standing on top of the bed. Her little eyes looking down at another puppy.
It was Origo.
"But I cant get up" he whimpered, really wanting to.
Abira barked at him.
"But I got up!" she said.
Pimpernel was now sitting in the living room. She had gone back to reading. But Abira's bark had broken her gaze from the written word.
"I wonder if I should check on them" she thought.
The book was then slowly placed down, the page where she was had been saved. The hobbit stood up and walked towards the door. The door had been left ajar so that the two pups could come and go as they please.
Pimpernel walked onto the corridor. She smiled as she walked down towards her room. The door, like the lounge door, had been left open.
But Nelly was not planning to go into the room just yet. She wanted to see what the two of them were up to. She smiled as she saw her puppy standing on the bed. Origo was still standing on the floor, looking up.
"You have to get up" Abira said, looking down at her friend.
Origo was scampering to where Abira had gotten up. He looked up at the large box. He knew that he couldn't make it.
Pimpernel heard his whimpering. It sounded as though Origo really wanted to get up as well. So, pushing the door, Pimpernel entered the room. she smiled as she saw her Abira perk up.
Origo, on the other hand, was not so perky. He wanted to get to his Abira. But nothing was working.
"Come on" Pimpernel said, gently picking Origo up.
His fur was nice and warm to the touch and was very smooth. The pup was then placed, standing up, next to Abira. Pimpernel smiled as the two of them wrestled.
Tom Bombadil and Pilith were walking back though the forest, towards a house. The day was now getting older as the sun sank slowly towards the Western horizon. Yet, there was still a freshness about the day.
Birds continued to sing as the two were quiet. Pilith's head was full of words that were on constant loop.
"The thing you have to remember is that grudges can last for ever. Love is something you have to fight for. Yes, there may be small or even big bumps in the path to conquer. But when you do, everything will be easier"
It was now up to Pilith to talk his own words to Mya. Mya was now sitting back down on her seat. She took a deep breath.
"Fear not, my friend. The answer to all problems is about to be solved" Goldberry said.
Mya did not have time to ask what that meant when Tom crossed the threshold. Pilith walked in a second or two later. Their eyes met, but neither of them said anything.
Goldberry eyed Mya. There was now a slight bit of pressure. Mya felt forced into talking to Pilith.
"Pilith, could we talk please?" Mya asked.
A smile came over Goldberry as she turned around, walked out into the kitchen and closed the door behind her. Pilith watched the door close.
"About what?" he asked.
Mya took a deep breath and stood up.
"About where we are" Mya told him.
The two stood facing each other. Pilith was confused.
"What are you talking about?" Pilith asked.
Mya looked away.
"It seems that you don't like me any more. I feel a strange tension between us. Ever since you left this just a few hours ago"
Pilith glanced away. He knew that he should have stayed back at the house. But he had been selfish. There were no words that could say that would make things better.
"I know I should have stayed here. But the day is nice. I know that it was a mistake. But Tom was there as well"
Mya's expression did not change.
"Tom was with you?" she asked, wondering what Tom had said.
"What did he want?"
Pilith took a deep breath.
"Well, he said that nothing lasts forever. In fact, I don't think he knows what will happen. The world could change in an instant. He told he not to hold regrets"
Mya was not very quick off the mark.
"What does that mean?" she asked.
Both of them had brown eyes. They met.
"What I'm saying is"
There was a short pause.
"Is that I'm sorry"
The words seemed to come out harder then normal. Pilith broke his gaze and looked down. A small smile came over Mya's lips.
"Pilith, you do not have to say sorry"
Pilith slowly looked up. He knew that Mya would not hate him. She never hated anyone or anything. Her soul was pure.
Goldberry opened the door to the kitchen. She walked in, carrying a fresh bowl of fruit. She smiled as she placed it on the table.
"I see you two have talked"
Mya nodded.
"It was all a misunderstanding" she answered.
Goldberry smiled and walked out of the room. Mya looked around and walked towards a large book case. Pilith slowly followed her.
There were many, many books all standing up in the shelves. Most of them had covers that had been torn. Some of them looked well read, their dust covers had a few tares in them.
Mya slid out one of the older looking books. She smiled as Pilith stood next to her.
"These must be very old" Pilith said, looking at the spines of the books.
Origo was slowly waking up from his deep, warm slumber. The chamber was darker then normal. A yawn came over the small puppy as he looked around. There was nothing to tell him which way was the way out was. A cold wind blew at him.
"Ivy?" he whimpered, scared that he may never get out of this place.
His eyes, no matter how long he was look, would not give up the way out.
"Ivy?" whined louder.
Suddenly, from a point before him, a light came. Another few seconds the light grew brighter. Ivy came fluttering in. The light that she gave off lit up the way out.
A smile came the fairy as she landed on the floor. She saw her green glow glinting off of the pups small eyes.
"I'm glad to see you up" she said, walking the little distance towards him.
Origo blinked and yawned one more time.
"Do we have to go?" he whimpered, looking at the point at which Ivy appeared.
The fairy started to run her very small hand over Origo's fluffy ear.
"Of course puppy, we have a long way to go and the snow has cleared up now"
Origo whimpered sadly, liking it in this fox den. But he knew that they, for what ever reason, had to move. A second yawn came over the puppy. Hunger was not a problem at the moment. But the puppy was starting to feel cold again.
"Do we have to get going now?" asked Origo.
Ivy nodded her head.
"We still have to go a very long way" she explained.
Origo stood up, there were just a few centimetres between the top of his back and the ceiling of the chamber. Ivy's light helped Origo to find the way out. His small paws were covered in wet, sticky mud.
The outside world was seen for the first time in many hours. The light from the sun seemed to be weaker due to the sun. The clouds seemed to be clearing even now. the night would seem to be clearer then it had been for the past few days.
But the coldness would begin to take a hold on the land as the sun would be too weak to keep it at bay. But that did not stop Ivy. She fluttered out into the harshening wind.
A few black dot flew over head. They were not but passing crows. Their calls echoed out around the forest. There seemed to lots flying above them. Origo looked upwards as he got into the soft, outside snow.
Bird after bird flew over head. Every so often, nearly all of them would call out in unison. After a minute or two, the flock of birds had past. The trees around were just leafless skeletons. There was no green about the land, but just white for mile upon mile.
"Shall we get going?" Ivy asked.
Origo nodded and started walked the wrong way.
"This way puppy!" Ivy called out after him.
Turning his head, for a moment, he was going to argue with her. But, to Ivy's amazement, the puppy turned and walked back towards her. She smiled, knowing that they could finally get on their way.
Origo wagged his tail as he got to the fairy. Ivy smiled at him and fluttered away. The puppy followed her along the road. The cold wind was not bothering the pup as he walked down the path.
The tracks from the cart were still visible in the snow. The sun was now very far down in the sky. The shadows of the trees around them grew longer and longer.
Dinners were being prepared in many houses in Hobbiton. Chimneys blew black smoke into the lowering light. The Gamgee household seemed to be busier then normal. The smell of cooking turkey ran though out the house. The children were playing nicely in the lounge.
"Merry!" said Rose, taking her toy quickly back.
Merry giggled as he rushed over to the old looking seat that was back against the wall. He giggled as he looked back to his sister.
But Elanor, the oldest of them, was not in the lounge like the rest of them. In fact, she was in her very own room. Elanor, unlike her younger siblings, did not have to share a room with anyone else. And that's the way she liked it.
She had more freedom in her room then the others did. She liked the quietness of her room, for only her parents were allowed to come in.
A wooden horse stood on a small table near her bed. A window had been letting in the light from outside. But now, the sun was going down after another day.
"It's nearly dinner though" she said, picking up the horse.
The young girl picked up the horse and took a deep breath.
"I know, but that can wait"
The girl took a deep breath and looked away. She did not want to argue.
"We can after dinner"
In the kitchen, Rosie was very busy. A smile came over her face as she took out the large, brown chicken that had been cooking in the oven for the past few hours.
The hobs that were on top on the oven now had pans bubbling on them. Vegetables were being boiled or cooked as the chicken was cut into.
Rosie smiled as she cut up the very hot, but incredibly juicy, chicken. There were plates set out for each member of the family. One for Rosie, one for Sam, one for Elanor, one for Frodo, one for Rose and the last one was for Merry. Pippin was still not old enough to feed himself yet. He would be fed after dinner was served and eaten.
The vegetables were then brought off of the heat. Rosie picked up the wooden handle and walked over to the sink. The lid to the pan was then opened just a crack, letting the water drain away, but leaving the vegetables in the pan.
A few minutes later, Rosie was ready to serve up dinner.
"Dinner is ready!" she shouted down the hall way.
Elanor looked over towards the door. A smile came over her as she placed the horse back onto the table. Elanor took a deep breath as she got up. The tiles were cold as she walked across to the door.
Elanor pulled it back, a wave of smell washed over her. The young girl quickly made her way down towards the kitchen. The noise grew as she got closer. But the noise did not come from the kitchen. It was echoing down the hall way from the lounge.
The rest of her siblings were coming as well. Elanor quickly got into her seat as they entered the room. She knew that there was always a fight for the first helping of food. She had learnt that if she got to the table quickly enough, then she would have a better chance of getting the food first.
Plates were being laid out in their places, each had a portion of chicken on it. Elanor smiled as she continued to wait for the vegetables. Rosie placed the last plate down and turned around.
The bowls of cooked and boiled vegetables were next. Roast potatoes, crispy parsnips, peas and beans, rashers of bacon, stuffing and gravy were set out, to name but a few.
The sound of metal on china started as spoons were dug deep into the bowls. Elanor struggled to pick up the bowl that was nearest to her, which had the roast potatoes.
It took a few more minutes to fill up the plates. Gravy was then poured all over Elanor's food. She smiled as she placed the boat of gravy back down on the table mat. Her knife was picked up in her left hand and fork in her right. The young girl started to cut into the perfectly cooked chicken. She placed it in her mouth and started to chew. The taste of chicken started to encompass her mouth. She smiled as she finished and started to cut off another piece. Samwise took a deep breath as he ate as well.
"This is good" he said to his wife.
Rosie smiled, knowing that she had satisfied her family for another day. Samwise placed his knife and picked up his large mug. The mug was full of ale, unlike the children's mugs, which were full of water.
Sam took a deep gulp and placed the mug back down. There was silence around the table as the family ate. This was normal, for hobbits liked to focus solely on eating at dinner. Any conversations that they had started would take place before or after dinner.
The clock continued to tick onwards as they ate dinner. The bowls that were once full of food were now emptying as the minutes past.
Elanor picked up the bowl that had once had the roast potatoes in. But they were all but gone. She took a deep breath, knowing that it took a good few hours to make more.
After thirty more minutes, all of the food was gone and the family was fed. But pudding was to come next. Rosie smiled as she got up. Samwise did the same, but he and the children helped with clearing away the bowls.
Elanor smiled as she gave her plate, along with her knife and fork, to her father.
"Thank you" he said, gathering a large pile now.
Rosie had gone into the cellar to get out the pudding that she prepared earlier that day. She smiled as she picked up not one, but two plates. On top of the plates were two gorgeous looking cakes. Each of them were covered in rich, home made chocolate.
She then walked out again, into the busy kitchen. Sam smiled as he eyed the cakes. The two cakes were placed onto the worktop. There were a few plates sitting on the worktop as well.
A draw was opened. A large metal knife was then taken out. It had a wooden handle on it. The blade was very sharp. Rosie then closed the draw and stood where the cakes were.
The first cake was cut into six large pieces. One piece for each of them. Rosie placed the first piece on the first plate. She turned around and placed the first plate in front of Sam.
"Thank you, dear" he said.
Rosie's smile only seemed to grow bigger as she turned around again. The other five pieces were placed on their own plates. Elanor received hers.
"Thank you" she said, picking up her spoon.
Rosie finally sat down. She too picked up her spoon. Once again, the family fell into an unusual silence. Only the odd metal spoon hitting the china plate echoed around the room.
After a few minutes, everyone had finished their piece. Sam was looking very well fed as he looked around the table.
Rosie finished her piece of cake and smiled. She watched as Merry struggled to get the last small bit of cake onto his spoon. After what seemed a minute, he finally managed to get it onto his spoon, with a little help from one of his fingers.
He lifted the spoon to his mouth and ate. Elanor was looking around. Her hunger was tamed, for now. Rosie yawned as she sat there. Tiredness was now getting to her again. The clock continued to tick. The hour hand was now point at the bottom and minute hand pointing one hundred and eighty degrees the other way.
Six chimes echoed around the kitchen. Rosie got up, the plates were gathered and talking started again.
"Can we go now?" asked Elanor.
Rosie nodded.
"Yes, go on" she said.
Elanor quickly got off of her seat and went out of the room. she was followed by her siblings. But they did not follow her down the corridor. Merry and Rose turned right as they went out of the kitchen. But Elanor went left, towards her room.
The door to her room came into view. A large smile came over her as she opened it. The horse was the first thing that she saw.
"Right" she said, closing the door behind her.
Now was the time for an adventure. She grabbed the horse and got onto the bed.
"What shall we do today?" she asked.
The night outside was setting in quicker and quicker. The sky was turning a darker shade of blue. A few stars were now poking out into the darkening sky.
Many, many miles away were three travellers. They had been on the road for a few weeks now. The three of them were all on the same road. Two elves were accompanied by a dwarf.
Gimli took a deep breath as he walked slowly behind the elves. The redness of his beard had been replaced by large, white snow flakes.
Gimli's breath could be seen, rising into the cold, night air. The area around was now very dark and there were no lights to speak of. The dwarf continued to trench though the snow, hoping that Rivendell would come soon.
Soon, the three travellers would see a welcome sight as they continued to Rivendell. A tunnel loomed out of the darkness.
"It is the tunnel" Legolas said, stopping.
Beyond that, the town of Rivendell.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" asked the dwarf, walking past.
The two elves were now following the dwarf though the tunnel. The tunnel was long and looked like it had been carved from blunt objects.
Small streams of water trickled down the walls from small cracks in the rock. The wind coming down the tunnel left a bitter stinging on Gimli's face.
After a few more minutes, the tunnel opened up. The three of them were now in a sheltered valley. There seemed to be less snow here. The darkness hid the full extent of the valley that they were in.
But, though the darkness, a small point of light could be seen. Legolas placed one hand of Gimli.
"You are too close to the edge" he said.
Gimli looked back.
"I know where I am going, elf" he said.
Gimli did not show it, but he was glad that Legolas had stopped him from falling over the edge.
It still took many more minutes to get to the safety of the first bridge. Below, a raging river. To the side, a wild waterfall. The bridge was only the first in a line of four. Each one ran over a raging river.
At the bottom of the deep valley, was a river. Many smaller streams seemed to feed it. The water, if it had been day, would have been crystal blue.
Gimli could make out the faint outlines of buildings. The stars could be seen above, as well as the moon that was rising slowly over the large mountains.
Gimli's mind was now on food and drink. The dwarf could not feel his feet any more. Legolas smiled as he saw a figure coming towards him though the darkness. Elladan could see this figure also. But Gimli could not.
"Good evening" said a voice from the darkness.
For a moment, Gimli was shocked. The coldness seemed to have slowed his reactions down. But he came to quickly to notice that it was just Elrohir.
Both Elladan and Elrohir were brothers. They had the same physic and posture. The two of them even looked similar.
"Good evening, brother" said Elladan, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder.
"I trust all went well?" Elrohir asked.
Elladan gave one nod.
"And I see you have brought along one of the dwarf folk" he said, looking at Gimli.
Gimli moved away, feeling very unwelcomed by him.
"The food is waiting"
So, the party of four moved off. The buildings kept coming into a clear view for the dwarf. He had Elladan and Legolas behind him and Elrohir in front of him.
The coldness, strangely, was not bothering the dwarf any more. It had been replaced by hunger. He smiled as they reached a windowless house. Elves had no need for windows of any sort.
Even in the coldest weather, elves would walk around as happily as it had been summer. But the dwarf needed heat to work. His joints were stiff. But there was one solution to becoming less cold. It was an Elven drink.
Miruvor was its name. It gave the drinker renewed strength. This would be a good thing for the dwarf. He could hardly move now. The coldness seemed to get to him even more.
The party of four entered the room. Being inside or outside made now difference to the dwarf. The cold air continued to blow as Gimli entered.
There was a small table of food. Gimli smiled as he walked over to it. There were green leaves wrapped around lambas bread. Gimli then looked at the jug.
"I hope that's ale" he thought.
Legolas stood next to the dwarf.
"Lambas" Legolas said, unwrapping one of the leaves and picking one up.
Gimli would have preferred the taste of ale and meat. But they seemed to be in short supply here. So, taking a bit of the lambas, Gimli started to eat. He chewed and swallowed the dry lambas. For a moment, nothing happened. But, slowly, his hunger slowly started to drift away from him.
Another bite was taken. Like before, Gimli's hunger was tamed even more. But it would take the whole piece of Lambas to settle his hunger.
The large jar of Miruvor was picked up by Legolas. He picked up one of the mugs. The water was then poured into it, nearly all the way to the top.
"Here" said Legolas, holding it out for the dwarf.
Gimli's eyes darted between the elf and the mug that he was holding out. slowly, the dwarf took it. He looked in and gave a small grunt.
"I see there is no ale" he murmured.
Legolas then poured out three more and handed two to the twins. Legolas took the last one and took a gulp. Gimli did the same. But the effects of the water were much different to ale.
Miruvor gave renewed strength to the drinker. Tiredness seemed to fall from the drinker. Warmth replaced the coldness that Gimli was feeling. Slowly, but surely, the coldness that had sunk into his bones was slowly ebbing away.
It was being replaced by the warmth that the Elven water had. But that was not the only side effect of Miruvor. Gimli's eyes started clear. The candles that had been lit seemed to grow brighter.
"There is a bed in a room, just a small walk away" Elladan told Gimli.
The dwarf nodded and drained his large mug. He took a few more pieces of Lambas and refilled the mug.
"I will see you in the morning" he said, nodding at the elves.
The dwarf then walked away, out into the cold, outside world. The dwarf walked down to the next building. There were no doors or windows to speak of.
Gimli walked into the room and over to the bed. The mug of Miruvor was placed on the bedside table. the dwarf then took his large, wet gloves and placed them on the floor.
The dwarf then sat down on the bed, his feet now dangling a few inches from the floor. Gimli lifted a heavy, snow laden foot up and across his other leg. A big boot had been keeping his foot dry. But the walking had made water seep though and made the boot twice as heavy as it had been.
Trouble arose when he tried to get the boot off. For some reason, it would not budge from his foot. His face changed expression as he tried even harder to get it off.
After a few seconds, he stopped. The dwarf looked away and exhaled loudly. After a few more seconds, he tried again.
This time, it worked. The shoe slipped off. A smile came over him as he dropped his shoe on the tilted floor. But his smile went as quickly as it came. The other boot was still wrapped around his other foot.
Tiredness was slowly seeping back into his eyes. A yawn came over the dwarf.
"Well, it wont come off by itself" he told himself.
The dwarf placed both hands on the second boot. He put all of his energy into pulling it off of his weary foot. Surprisingly, the boot slipped off easier then expected. A smile came over Gimli as he placed the boot on the floor. Gimli stood up off of the bed and drew the duvet back. The next second, he got in and pulled the duvet over him.
For a few minutes, the warmth seemed not to touch him. But, slowly, his body heated up the duvet. Yet the coldness failed to make him sleep. The dwarf would shuffle around, first laying on his right side, then his left.
The hours seemed to pass. For a few of them, Gimli wished that he was in a warmer environment. His eyes slowly shut and he fell into an uncomfortable sleep.