A sound came from down the hall way. Elanor knew exactly who it was. The door to her room opened a second later. It was just enough time to wipe away the tear from her eye.
Rosie smiled as she opened the door. She was holding Elanor's lunch. It was a large meal with chicken, roast potatoes and many other things.
"There" her mother said, handing the plate to her daughter.
Elanor sat up and took the plate. Rosie held a knife and a fork in her other hand. Gravy had been poured all over her food. A big pile of Rosie's stuffing lay on the side of the plate.
"Thank you" Elanor said.
She placed the plate on her bed and took the started to cut up a piece of roasted chicken. She gave a small smile came over her as her hunger was yet again tamed. The second chocolate bar that Rosie had given her was resting on the table.
The wooden horse that had once stood on the table was now laying on the tiled floor. Interest in it had been taken away from the young girl. For in her mind, it was the horse's fault that she had fallen into trouble.
Elanor poked scooped up a large bit of stuffing and chicken, then put it in her mouth. She loved her mother's cooking ever since she could remember.
Rosie put on the best Yule feasts in the whole of the Shire. But now, she seemed to have less and less time every day.
In the kitchen, Rosie was running a large bowl of water. Vapour started to rise off the surface. Bowls and plates had been stacked up, waiting for the dirt to be washed off.
Samwise had now gone off, into the lounge, to look after the other children. His mug of ale had now been changed for a mug of tea. He sipped a little bit of it, it being very hot. Merry and Rose were running riot around the house. The two of them seemed to be the closest of siblings. Elanor and her brother, Frodo, seemed always to be against each other.
In a building, many miles away from Hobbiton, a small puppy was snoozing on a bed. Warmth surrounded him. But it was not warmth of a fire. It was a magical warmth, one that only he could feel.
A small green fairy was sitting on the window sill. She had her arms wrapped around her knees, her wings were folded back.
The sun had gone past its highest point in the sky. Night was closing in on them once again. But this night was different. Many plans were going to be set in motion. Some contradicted others.
Ivy was planning to wake Origo up. They needed to get moving again. But there was a second chapter to this story. The girl that was looking after Origo was planning the exact same thing. Both wanted to get out of this place. Origo would be forced to go with who ever set their plan off first. But for now, neither plan would be fulfilled. Clouds continued to gather, the night would not be as harsh as the one before.
Ivy sat there, her back resting against the wall. Her fragile wings had folded so they did not tare or break. Thoughts were running though her mind. Ivy had seen and felt a lot in her lifetime. Things that she could not even bare to repeat to Origo.
Ivy had no close friends any more. A terrible fire had all but wiped them from Middle-earth. The aftermath still lingered in her memory.
There were charred remains of the lush forest that had been growing, just hours before, could be seen stretching for mile upon mile. Ivy was standing on the floor of the forest. Small whips of silver smoke snaked into the air.
The small fairy stood there, taking all of the destruction in. It was then that she noticed something moving in the chard earth just a few meters away.
So, fluttering her wings, she took off. A few seconds later, landed kneeling down.
"Leila, are you alright?"
The fairy on the ground was in a very bad way. Her fragile wings had been destroyed and her face was black. Water was needed for Leila. But the river that ran just a few hundred meters away had turned black. Chunks of dead trees were floating down.
There was no other life around. Deer, squirrels and rabbits had all run off or were trapped where they were and killed. Their remains were unrecognisable in the black ash around.
"I.. Ivy?" asked Leila, her eyes struggling to focus.
"Leila, what happened to the others?" Ivy asked, a hint of concern on her voice.
But Leila gave a look that summed it all up. There was no chance that the others were alive. Ivy took a deep breath, knowing that she could do no more for them.
"We have to get out of here" she said, helping the limp fairy.
But Leila pushed her friend away.
"Leave me here" she said, falling to all fours.
Ivy could not believe what she was hearing.
"I am not leaving you here, your coming with me" she told her.
Leila shook her head.
"There is no reason for me to go, I have lost everything. There is no point in being in this world anymore"
Ivy knew that Leila was hurt beyond help. But that did not stop her trying.
"But we can find a new home. One in a forest or an old house. Please come with me" she said.
But there was no answer from her friend. It looked like nothing would change her mind.
"Ivy, you have a second chance. Petal, Luna, Rosa. They did not get a second chance" she told her friend.
Bird song has ceased in the burnt forest. All of the bird seemed to have escaped. Ivy took a deep breath and looked around.
Of course, she had another chance at life. But she still could not leave a friend in the state she was.
"Why wont you let me fix you?" Ivy asked.
Leila shook her head.
"I have been through too much to be fixed, Ivy. It would be better if I joined the rest"
There was something in words that had just been said. Ivy knew that her powers, although she had many, could not change what had happened.
"Leila, I am sorry for what has happened. I should have warned them earlier"
There was nothing else she could say. For a few seconds, there was silence. Ivy then started to flutter her wings. She turned and fluttered away, gaining height as she went.
And that was the last time she saw Leila. Ivy left without looking back. She had regretted it to this day. She had regretted leaving one of her own.
Origo was now waking up. He yawned and rolled over. His head was now resting on his paws. Ivy smiled, watching as Origo tried to fall back to sleep. But his sleep had now been taken away from him.
But he was still tired. His eyes were now open. The light from the sun was turning the clouds above from white to grey. The night seemed to capture the day quicker then in summer.
Origo spotted the small green fairy fluttering towards him. He slowly raised his head and looked at her.
"Did you have a good sleep?" she asked.
Origo gave a small whine and rested his on his fluffy paws again. Hunger was slowly growing again. But for now, it was not bothering him.
But Origo was not the only small creature to wake. Faramir Took was awake as well.
"Alright dear, I've got you" his mother said.
The baby was crying, hunger was present in him. Diamond, having a strong motherly instinct, knew this.
"Lets go and get you some food" she said, holding her precious baby in her arms.
Dinner time was almost upon the Shire. The day was slowly darkening as the sun fell towards the western horizon. The coldness seemed to drop as the shadows once again lengthened.
Chimneys blew black smoke out into the darkening sky. Diamond struggled as she tried to get Faramir's dinner ready. Diamond needed all the help that she could get at the moment. But the help had gone.
Pippin was now staying at his mother and father's house. The candles flickered as he sat in his old room. The room had not changed since he was a small child. The same picture hung on the wall.
To this day, Pippin did not know who it was. For he had never asked. A small part of his did not want to ask. He liked the mystery of the hobbit.
Pippin took a deep breath. His bag had not been touched since he got back to his parents house.
"Might as well" he told himself, grabbing his bag.
His bag was heavy. Some his passions had been packed. But there was one important thing that he needed. A small book. To any other hobbit, it was unimportant, just another book.
But to Pippin, it was one of the most important things in his life. He opened the pages. Word after word had been written on its pages. Page after page were full of them.
Pippin looked at the last blank page after the writing had stopped. He smiled as a new memory came into his head. But he could not write it down. The book was closed and place back in his bag.
He did not want have anyone else find out about it. So, getting up from the bed, he walked to the door. Eglantine was in the kitchen, preparing some food for dinner. The smell of chicken met Pippin as he walked towards the study.
Luckily, Paladin was not sitting at his desk. He had gone to the pub just down the road. It was unknown when he would return. But it was not anytime soon.
Pippin slowly opened the door. The smell of stale tobacco smoke hit him. His father was a keen smoker. The room was cold, the heath seemed not to be used as much as others.
A few candles lit the objects before Pippin. A few quills were standing in a small glass jar. A line of five full ink pots stood along the level surface at the top.
Pippin grabbed a quill and an inkpot and walked out again, closing the door with a click. Pippin looked around, but there was no sign of his mother.
His feet slapped on the cold tiled floor that ran through out the whole house. The door to Pippin's room had been left ajar. The hobbit pushed it open, walked though, and then closed it behind him. There was silence in the room, other then the ticking clock, crackling fire and the odd rumble of his stomach.
Pippin sat on the bed, the book was taken out. The pages were flicked though until a blank page came into view.
Pippin lay on his chest and placed the book on his pillow. The inkpot was placed on the small bedside table. The small glass stopper had been taken out and placed beside it.
Pippin took a deep breath and dabbed the pointed end of the quill into the small sea of ink. He hit the tip on the edge of the rim to get rid of the excesses ink and then started to write.
Diamond was sitting at the table in her own kitchen. The house was still too quiet for her. An empty bowl lay in front of her. A baby was slowly falling asleep in her arms.
She gave a small smile, knowing that her lullaby had worked. She slowly got up, trying hard not to wake her son, and slowly walked out.
His crib was standing next to her side of the bed. A minute later, Diamond walked in. Luckily, Faramir was still asleep. This had many advantages. Diamond was very hungry and it would be a good time to get some food.
As always, she needed to do some cleaning. There was a lot of dirty about. But to others, especially Pippin, it would have looked spotless already.
But Diamond saw piles of dirty everywhere she looked. Faramir was then gently placed down in his crib. She stood there for a few seconds, admiring her son.
Her mind then turned back to her house. She left the room, leaving the door open wider then normal, just in case.
Cleaning was now on her mind. It felt like she had not cleaned for many days. So, Diamond made her way down to the small closet that was homed to all her cleaning things.
Mops, buckets, old cloths, all were stored in the small cupboard. The door to the closet was the smallest one in the house. Diamond smiled as she brought out an old, wooden bucket. Frayed rope had been fed opposite sides of the bucket.
A mop was then taken out of the cupboard and the door was closed.
"How could I have left it this long?" she asked herself, looking at her hand.
There was a fine layer of dirt had now collected on her hand. A deep breath was taken by Diamond as she walked down to the kitchen. The mop was placed against a chair. Diamond walked over to the sink and twisted the tap on. Water, clear and cool, started to hit the metal sink below. Diamond smiled as she placed the bucket underneath the stream of water.
The level of water in the bucket slowly started to rise. Diamond took a deep breath, feeling a bit hungry now. But cleaning seemed more important.
A few minutes later, the water was at the right level. Diamond turned the tap off. A few drips landed in the settling water. Diamond lifted the heavy bucket out and placed it on the floor. A few small drips landed on the dark red tiles that made up the floor.
But what Diamond did not know was that she was being thought of. Pippin was laying on his bed, a small smile came over him as he wrote.
The day had started off very well. The flowers were in full bloom and the calves had been born. Everyone was excited for the nicer, warmer weather to come.
It had been a few years since we had seen each other. But never a day went by when I did not think of you. But something would happen that would put my life and the lives of everyone in Middle-Earth in danger.
Pippin and Merry, without knowing it, would be grabbed into a very dangerous adventure.
"Be quiet" Merry said, squatting down.
In the distance, a house could be seen.
"How are we going to do it?" Pippin asked.
A crow called as it flew off, making both hobbits heart rates rise. Merry and Pippin had both done this many, many times before. But it was still very risky getting into Maggot's farm.
Farmer Maggots farm seemed to be well protected. Three massive dogs, all trained on keeping the farm protected, wondered freely on his land.
But for now, everything was calm and peaceful on Maggot's land. But not for much longer.
"But why do I have to do it?" asked Pippin.
Merry took a deep breath.
"Pip, we went though this before" Merry told him, taking a quick look back at the farm.
Two of the three big dogs were now snoozing in the warm sun. A figure then came out of one of the buildings. The building that he had come out of was the stable. But horses were not kept there. Instead, large cows, used for ploughing. But ploughing was not going to happen that day.
Instead, milking and grazing would happen. There were a few cows in the Farmer Maggot's possession. But there was a small matter of Merry and Pippin to deal with.
"Now is our chance" Merry said.
Pippin took a deep breath.
"I'll meet you in the store room" Pippin said.
Merry smiled as Pippin turned and ran back though the large corn field that surrounded them. A few seconds later, the sound of Pippin running though the corn subsided and faded away.
All Merry could do now was wait. Wait for the first signs that Pippin do what he does best. Birds continued to sing as Merry waited.
The first sign of something happening was a large dog barking. One dog barking turning quickly turned into three dogs barking.
Merry looked though the gap. He saw the figure of Farmer Maggot rushing and shouting at a small figure. Merry quickly made his way towards the buildings. Merry seemed to know exactly where he needed to go.
He jumped the small fence that separated the field from Farmer Maggots buildings. Merry continued to look around as he made his way towards the store room.
The door, which was always unlocked, came into view. The echoes of the barking dogs came nearer. But then went away as Pippin continued to run.
A few times, Pippin was nearly caught. But hobbits were good at hiding. Pippin's breathing was fast, his ears and eyes were sharper then normal.
A growl came from behind Pippin. Fear rose in Pippin now. The dog was big and more powerful then he was. Pippin slowly backed away as a second and a third dog came from the same direction. Farmer Maggot came around the corner a few seconds later.
"Ah ha!" he said, a trail in his hand.
Merry smiled as he opened the door. Many, many sacks of potatoes, carrots, lettuce were facing him. So, as quickly as he could, he gathered all that he could carry.
Something then made Merry's heart jump.
"Merry, hurry up" said Pippin.
Merry smiled, their plan had yet again worked. But yet again, the barking grew louder.
"Come on" Pippin said, holding many carrots.
Some had even been put in his pockets. Merry was the first to leave the store room, followed closely by Pip. The dogs started to bark again.
"You get back here!" Farmer Maggot shouted as Merry and Pippin hopped the fence again.
The dogs barked and raced after them. Farmer Maggot had changed his weapon to a scythe. The dogs jumped the fence just behind him.
"Get out of my field!" he shouted.
But now, Merry and Pippin were not alone. They had bumped into two old friends. This event would change both lives forever.
Pippin smiled as he stopped writing. He knew that he shouldn't have left Hobbiton. He knew now that people cared about him. He had missed Hobbiton every day that he had been away from it. But evil was spreading. Sauron had re-emerged from his hiding place and was now situated in Mordor. And that was where Pippin would see the end of an era and a start of a new, evil ridden world.
Hunger was now getting to him. Time had worn on, an hour seemed to have passed in a blink of an eye. So, closing the book and placing it on the bedside table and got up.
He opened the large, round door that led into the long, winding corridor. Pictures hung on the wall. Some, Pippin thought, looked a little bit like him or one of his sisters. But that's as far as his curiosity went.
Dinner was being plated as he walked in. Eglantine smiled as she placed three bowls in three places.
"I was just about to call you" she said, smiling.
Pippin looked down. The stew that had been placed in the bowl was gently steaming. Beef had been cut and cooked. Different vegetables had been cut as well. Onion, sage, parsnips, carrots and a few cloves of garlic had been placed and stirred until cooked.
Eglantine placed a spoon near by before Pippin. He smiled.
"Thank you" Pippin said, picking up his spoon.
But Eglantine was not finished with putting the food out. Slices of bread lay in a wicker bread basket. The pile seemed much more then was needed. But that was to human eyes. To hobbit eyes, it was still not enough.
The fire in the heath crackled as the family started to eat. Pippin picked out a piece of soft bread and dipped it into his stew. The bread seemed to soak up some of the juices.
Paladin seemed to have the same idea. There was no conversation around the table. Eglantine smiled as she started to spread some of the butter onto her piece of bread.
But, unlike the other two, she did not dip hers into her meal. Instead, she took a bite and placed it down on a small plate that she had placed out. Her spoon was then picked up, she was the last to start eating.
Dinner was being served everywhere. Origo yawned as he waited for some food. The girl that he was staying with had not come in for a few hours. Laughter could be heard coming from downstairs. Origo wondered what was going on down there.
A small green fairy was fluttering around the room. Ivy was deep in thought. Flying was the best way to concentrate. The night was now fully upon the lands of Middle-Earth. From Gondor to the smallest of towns in the furthest reaches of Middle-Earth.
But two small creatures would not be sleeping tonight. Origo did not know it, but he was going to be missed by one of two beings.
Ivy was planning to get Origo to wake in the middle of the night. But it would be difficult. She needed to wake Origo without disturbing the girl.
The girl was planning to wake up. She seemed more nervous and distracted the ever. This was not a good thing on a busy night like this. The clock chimed ten times. She still had a few hours of work left.
Upstairs, Origo was now getting hungry again. It had been a few hours since Ivy had fed him. A small whine came from the pup as he lay there, resting his head on his fluffy paws.
"Oh, sorry pup" Ivy said, fluttering down to the bed.
As she did so, a plate suddenly appeared before the small pup. On it, a large pile of juicy turkey. Origo seemed not to want anything else. Even though he had lost his memory, he still liked it.
Ivy smiled, fluttering up again. She knew how much risk that she was putting Origo in. But if they could just get to Bree, they would have a chance to get to Rivendell. But it would still take many days, even weeks before they did. And, in this cold, it would take all Ivy's strength to get Origo to comply with her. She smiled as she watched him eat. A cold wind whistled though the gaps in the windows. The room was very cold, the fire was not allowed to be lit.
Ivy fluttered down to the bed, her plan was now fully formed in her head. She took a deep breath, she too was looking at the clock. The ticking sound seemed to be slower then normal. This made Ivy more worried.
What if it did not work?
"It has to work, it just has to!" she thought.
The sounds from downstairs seemed to rise suddenly as a glass smashed. Yelling and shouting seemed to erupt. Loud bangs and the sound of glass shattering came every so often. Ivy fluttered into the air, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"I'll be back in a minute" she told the pup, knowing that Origo was safe for now.
Ivy fluttered towards the floor. She pasted right though it like it did not exist. The sounds grew louder and louder. It was then she broke though the ceiling.
What she saw below was chaos. Tables had been tipped over and blood stained the floor. A fight had erupted between two parties of men. But the arguments were not over yet.
Ivy could hear yells echoing from the outside. The young girl stood in the middle of the trashed room. Her plans seemed to be in tatters. She was planning to leave this place. But it looked like that plan had to wait. She knew that she would be forced to stay up most of the night to clean it up.
"What are you doing, just standing there?" asked a shrill voice from behind her.
The girl looked around. Tiredness was getting to her already, but the night had only just started for her.
"Clear up this mess at once" the woman ordered.
"Yes, ma'am" the girl said.
Shards of glass crunched under her feet as she walked back around to the bar. She walked though the doorway, which led into the back. There was a small cupboard near by which stored all of the cleaning equipment.
She opened the door and got out a broom. The door closed with a small click and she walked back. The woman was standing at the door, letting in the cold air.
The girl took a deep breath. Glass seemed to be scattered everywhere she looked. Tables and chairs were either broken or upturned.
The girl started to sweep the dirty, faded floor of glass. The glass crunched together as the pile grew bigger. But it would still take hours to sort everything else by herself.
The door leading to the outside was now closed and locked. Candles were burning as the woman walked past. She shook her head and walked though to the back.
The girl took a deep breath, knowing that the woman would not help her. It had been that way since she could remember. She was a young girl at the time she started to work here. Six years old.
Her mother had left her on the door step one night and gone. It was the last time she saw her. The young girl had waited hours and hours for her to come back.
But she never did.
The hours ticked by as midnight approached. Origo yawned as he lay on one side. His little eyes were getting heavy. Ivy was now sitting near by, waiting for the girl to come upstairs.
"Where is she?" Ivy asked herself.
She knew that getting Origo out into the coldness without being seen would be the hardest part of their journey.
"Maybe we should get moving soon" Ivy thought.
But she needed to find a way out. So, she fluttered up.
"I'll be back in a few minutes" she told the pup.
But Origo did not answer back, he was too tired and comfortable to move. His small eyes closed, sending him into a world of dreams.
Ivy fluttered down to the first level of the pub. There were wooden barrels stacked high. They were full of amber liquid. A kitchen was next. It had a long wooden work top. This was where meals were prepared. Unlike the homes that hobbits lived in, this building had four ovens.
Ivy fluttered out of the room. It was then that she saw it. A way out. A smile came over the small fairy as she fluttered over to the door. A whistling sound came from gaps between the wooden frame and door.
The fairy flew through the door to the cold, dark world outside. She smiled, knowing that this would be an easier way out.
Origo was now in very deep sleep. His hunger had been tamed. But he was soon to be woken. Ivy fluttered over to him.
"Ori, puppy wake up" she said, tugging gently at one of his ears.
Origo gave a very small whine, but did not wake. Ivy looked around at the door. The midnight hour was closer then ever.
"Origo, we have to get moving now"
One of the puppy's small eyes opened.
"Get going?" he whined.
Ivy took a deep breath and nodded.
"Why?" asked the pup, yawning.
"Because we have to get going" she told him.
Origo yawned and rolled over. Ivy knew that this would be the first hard task that she had to deal with.
"Puppy, come on, lets get going"
The young girl down stairs had no idea that she was going to be left behind. A bucket had been placed near by her feet. A glassy sound erupted from it every time that the girl placed the shards in.
"Oh!" she said, feeling a sharp pain across her finger.
A small drop of blood started to seep down her finger. The pain was now deep and throbbing. But it was not an uncomfortable pain. Instead, it did not bother her.
Origo jumped off the bed, after much convincing from his small fairy.
"Come on" Ivy said, fluttering towards the door.
The door to the room had been shut, locking the small puppy inside. But to Ivy, it was the easiest thing in the world. The fairy fluttered up to the handle.
Origo watched as the door magically opened. Ivy smiled as a cold rush of air came into the room.
"Come on" she said, fluttering out.
But Origo was not so sure. He looked back at the bed. It seemed a better option. Ivy was now fluttering out in the hall way.
"Ori, hurry up" she said.
She could hear people talking. Origo slowly came out, taking in his surroundings. Ivy fluttered towards the stairs. The puppy slowly followed her.
Origo had never seen stairs before. They were big and scary. Origo backed away, his eyes darting around.
"Come on, there's no other way down" Ivy told him.
But the puppy had other ideas.
"Why cant I wait for her?" he whined, his eyes darting from Ivy to the long stair case.
"But we have to go now" Ivy said, standing in front of him.
Origo shook his head.
"No, not going" he whined.
Down stairs, the girl placed the broken glass into a bowl and left it behind the bar. But her job was not done yet. There were stains of blood and ale all over the place. The girl took a deep breath and walked though to the back.
A small creak came from upstairs. But this was normal for the building. The bucket was then filled with water, making it heavy indeed.
The barmaid placed the heavy bucket down on the floor.
"This will take hours" she thought.
Meanwhile, Origo was half way down the stairs. But he was still not sure that this was a good idea.
"Very good, puppy" Ivy said, fluttering a few inches from him.
The puppy carefully hopped down the next one. A few times, he stopped and looked back up. But he had to go on. Ivy was very nervous. She knew that the girl was just inside the other room. But that did not stop her from leading Origo away.
It seemed like an hour past since Origo had started on the stairs. But now, he was on the last step. Ivy had to keep him quiet.
"Come on" Ivy whispered, trying not to make Origo go the other way.
Origo looked around, he knew where the girl was. But, for some reason, the fairy did not want him seeing her. So, he followed Ivy to a second closed door.
Like the first, this one creaked. Ivy looked around and fluttered up. She looked around just one more time. Everything was clear and there were no people around.
The handle was then touched lightly. But the light touch was akin to a heavy hand pressing down on it. The door opened, letting a large wave of cold air into the warm building.
"Quickly" Ivy said.
Origo hesitated for few seconds, not wanting to go out. But he had to. He slowly stepped out into the cold, snowy world that he had been protected against for a night.
But now, he had to start walking again. As he stood there, a shrill voice came from behind him.
"What is this door doing open?" asked the woman.
Origo whined and ran off, hiding beside the wall. Luckily, the woman did not see him. Ivy took a deep breath, she struggled to keep herself upright as the wind blew at her.
"Come on, before anything else happens"
So, Origo and Ivy moved off. Ori took one more look back, not understanding that he would never see the girl again.
The road that took them towards Bree was right outside the building. Horses were tied to a wooden bar. Their heads were down, trying to cope with the bitter wind.
The flickering lights of the pub slowly started to fade away. The dark abyss lay before them. Even Ivy could not see more then twenty meters away from her.