Diamond had had a horrible nights sleep. Faramir had kept her up near enough all night. And now, the light was beginning to grow outside.
Diamond's eyes were hurting and she could feel herself drifting off to sleep. But, she caught herself just in time. Faramir, her son, had started off by sleeping peacefully in his cot. But had awoken a few hours later.
"Alright, sweetie" Diamond said, waking up.
Faramir was very restless and fidgety as he lay there. Diamond noticed that he had squirmed out of his warm blanket. Diamond smiled as she picked her son up.
"What's the matter?" she asked, seeing his little face all screwed up.
Faramir had normally slept past the two o'clock hour. But tonight was different. This was very hard for Diamond to cope with.
"I wish you could tell me what's wrong" she said, sighing.
Diamond then had an idea.
"Maybe he's thirsty" she thought.
This was the best she could come up with at such short notice. The warm bedroom was left as it was.
She yawned as she made her way to the kitchen. With her free hand, the kitchen door was opened.
The room was darker and cooler then the corridor she had just left. There was a dark heath built into the wall. Embers seemed to float in white hot ash.
Diamond knew her kitchen back to front. She was confident that she could find her way around it without much light.
The window showed the night to be lighter then normal. This was due to a thick carpet of snow on the ground. Diamond opened the cellar door. The cellar was the blackest black that Diamond had ever seen. Not even the small amount of light radiating from the heath could over power the darkness.
Diamond stopped where she was.
"Oh, this is hopeless" she said.
Even a few hours in the dark did not make her senses any better. So Diamond headed back into the lighter kitchen. Only a single candle was flickering in the corner. This was to light the rest in the morning. But Diamond would have to light them up earlier then normal.
But Diamond was not alone in her large home. She had left a very warm puppy snoozing in her room. Origo was still snoozing peacefully, a small toy was held in his paws. The pup's small chest was rising and falling slowly. His small, brown eyes were closed, hiding them from view.
The fact that his Diamond was not sleeping next to him did not seem to bother him at the moment. The warmth was very tiring for him. Diamond was confident that her small pup would not wake. Even when he did, she would know about it. For Origo and Diamond were very close. Even though the puppy could not talk to her, Diamond seemed to know what he wanted. That was, most of the time. For now, the puppy remained calm and asleep.
His Diamond was in the kitchen, she was sitting on one of the wooden seats, child in arms. Faramir was still crying, his face still screwed up. Diamond had brought out some cold milk out of the cellar. For milk was the best thing to calm little Faramir.
Normally, it worked a charm. But tonight was different. Faramir had not even the slightest interest in anything that his mother put in front of him. This was very confusing and upsetting for Diamond.
No one was around to help her. But Diamond knew of only one person that could help her.
Dolly.
Dolly had been with all the way to Rivendell and back with her and Pippin. But, now that Diamond could take care of herself and Faramir, Dolly was not needed. In fact, Dolly was now nanny to a completely different family and was having an easier time at taking care of business.
Diamond knew that she could count on Dolly at any time, in the depths of night or the height of day. For Dolly had been a long friend of the Took family. She had taken care of Pearl, Pervinca, Pimpernel and, of course, Pippin when they were young. Pippin took the most energy to look after. For he was the only boy in the family, save from his father.
Dolly was now resting in her home, her eyes closed, an odd snore came from the old woman. The room around her was dark, the flickering candles had been extinguished.
Dolly knew little of what was to come. For she was going to be call upon yet again. But this time was different. She would not be herded into a cramped cart and driven, for what felt like, half way across Middle-earth.
Instead, she would have to listen to two versions of events. Something that she did not want to do. She liked peace and it was not in her nature to argue with anyone.
But she was the door that opened the flood gates. Dolly would witness a once healthy friendship and relationship crumble before her very eyes. She was the only one that could build the bridges back between the two of them. For now, the storm had yet to build.
The snow outside was still falling as the sun slowly crept up from its hiding place deep within the Eastern horizon. Diamond was now laying back down in her bed again. The duvet had been drawn over, building up the warmth again. The sound of her son's cries continued to echo around the room.
A small movement came from under the toasty covers. Diamond gave a small smile and slowly lifted the duvet. Looking into duvet, a small puppy lay. Origo was yawning and making himself comfortable again.
Two big and gentle hands moved the small pup gently up towards her. Origo gave a small whimper, the sound of Faramir's cries were disturbing him from his sleep.
"Shush, shush" Diamond said, tickling his warm, floppy ear.
For some reason, Origo seemed to make Diamond's tiredness return stronger then ever. The cries of her son slowly echoed out of all time. Origo slowly drifted back to his sleepy state as well.
Diamond continued to sleep right until a louder whine caught her. Faramir was now having a big tantrum. He, unlike his mother, had had a wink of sleep all night.
Diamond slowly opened her eyes and took a deep breath. The large duvet, which had been hugging her for most of the night, was then removed.
The sun turned the dark, inky blue night into a lighter blue. But there was still a clear whiteness spreading for as far as the eye could see.
"Well, I might as well be up" she thought, forgetting about Origo snoozing under the duvet as well.
But she soon remembered as the small pup flopped onto the duvet and gave a small whine. Diamond's heart melted at this sound.
"Oh, I'm sorry pup" she said, picking him and kissing him on the fluffy head.
The small toy turkey fell to the floor. Origo whined as he was slowly placed on the warm pillow. Diamond gave a small smile as Origo curled up into a small ball of fur again.
Diamond bent down and picked up the toy that had fallen on the floor. She placed it just by the very warm pup and smiled. Her attention was driven back to her son.
"Alright, alright" Diamond said, walking to the cot.
Something was wrong with Faramir. The fact that it was now morning made Diamond have a choice. She could stay here and see if Faramir would stop crying. Or, to go and visit Dolly.
"I think a bit of breakfast before we set off, don't you think?" she asked Faramir.
Faramir seemed to have calmed down a bit, but he was still not back to his bubbly self. So, giving a small smile, Diamond made her way to the kitchen for the second time that day.
The candles had not been put out from her last visit. Nor was the mug that had been left out since the last time she was here. Diamond looked into the mug. There was a few mouthfuls left, but the coldness had escaped. The milk was now off and undrinkable. Even Pippin wouldn't touch it if he was here.
Diamond walked over to the sink and poured it away. She took a deep breath and looked down at her son. She was no closer to finding out why Faramir was so upset.
Breakfast was then prepared. The same one had been prepared for Faramir since they got home. Normally, Diamond had a spare pair of hands to held her prepare breakfast.
But, due to only have one pair of hands, Diamond could not prepare such a glorious breakfast. But her breakfast could not been prepared or eaten at the moment. Faramir was more important.
In reality, breakfasts were either being prepared or eaten. A door continually opened and closed, giving a peak into what was going on there for a spilt second.
The Prancing Pony was now getting busier and busier as time wore on. People were congregating in the large, well lit room. A wooden bar had been built, housing drinks, mugs, glassing and a few barrels.
Butterbur Barliman was standing behind it, serving drinks. A few times, his mind got the better of him. Orders of food were coming in thick and fast. Ninety percent arrived on time, but only ten percent were either a few minutes later or did not arrive at all.
A young girl awoke to a warm room. A smile instantly came to her. She knew that today was the end of an era and the start of a new one.
The girl quickly got out of bed. It was then that the coldness hit her. But this did not bother her. Her cloths had been taken and cleaned, a new pair had been place out over night.
This made the girl's mood even better. For she had never received new cloths before. She inspected them with eager eyes.
The dress was not muddy or torn. There were no stains to speak of. In fact, it was perfect. So, without thinking about getting a wash, she tried it on.
A small mirror was hanging on the wall. It was the first time that the girl could look in the mirror and not had someone tell her she was not worth it.
"Maybe I should clean my hair" she thought, looking at the tangled mess.
So, the girl walked out of the room. The hall way was lighter and colder then the room she had just left. The bathroom was just down the corridor. It was one of two that the inn had. They were both used by the people who stayed within its walls. Even if it was for just a night or several nights.
The door had been left ajar meaning that the room was free to use. The old wooden door had a lock on the inside. Not only was this a way of keeping people out, but it was also to have a bit of privacy as well.
Inside, the room had a bath and a sink. Hanging on the wall, over the sink, was a mirror. The wall itself had been painted. There were deep cracks in the wall. The girl's eyes followed the crack from the top of the ceiling. It seemed to wind down the wall like a river as it made its way towards the wooden floor.
Flakes of paint seemed to fall with the slightest of touches. The sink had seen better days. The bowl was stained with unfamiliar stains.
There was no soap to speak of. Nor was there any towels.
"Well, this is not at all good" she said to herself, looking around.
"Maybe Barliman knows where they have wondered off to"
So, turning around, the girl unlocked the door and walked out. For some reason, she was now very aware of what she looked like. She could feel the dirt on her hair.
The young girl descended the wooden stairs and entered the lobby. Breakfast was in full swing. It took a few seconds to notice that Barliman was very busy.
"Maybe I should just leave him be" she said, rethinking her plan.
But it was not the girl that started to talk. Barliman spotted the young girl standing there. She was looking nervous as her eyes scanning the lobby.
"Excuse me, I'll be back in a moment" Barliman said, leaving the gentleman standing at the bar.
The young girl smiled as Barliman walked over to her.
"Ah, I see your ready for work" he said, giving a small nod.
But the girl had to disagree.
"Umm, not quite" the girl said.
"I haven't washed my hair in a while and there are no towels upstairs" she explained.
Barliman seemed to be annoyed at this news.
"No towels?" he asked.
"Well, this is wont do" he said.
So, getting distracted by the towel palaver, Barliman walked out on the lobby. The young girl followed him, wondering where he was going.
The two ascended the stairs. Barliman walked towards the bathroom. But he did not go to the room. Instead, he went to a small closet. Inside, there were wooden shelves stacked with fresh towels and buckets on the floor.
Barliman smiled as he turned. The closet door was closed.
"There you are" he said, handing them to the girl.
The girl gave a smile.
"Thank you" she said.
There was a moment of awkwardness before the girl spoke again.
"So, am I working at the bar today?" she asked.
Barliman's eyebrows raised quickly.
"Oh yes!" he said, remembering what he had promised.
"I have to admit, I completely forgot to be honest" he told her.
Barliman then thought about what the girl could help him with.
"Well, when you've washed yourself up, come down and find me" he said.
The girl nodded. A few seconds later, Barliman turned around, leaving the girl standing in the hall way, holding the towels.
Elanor Gamgee yawned as she walked into the kitchen. The smell of breakfast met her as the sound of her younger siblings grew louder.
Rosie Gamgee, Elanor's mother, was standing at hot oven. A wooden spatula was held in her left hand and the wooden handle of the pan in her right.
The pan was sitting over a flaming hob. The metal of the pan was scolding hot. So heat started to make the slices of thin bacon sizzle and cook.
Rosie turned around and looked at her daughter. Elanor took her place at the table. The table was getting very cramped. There was hardly any space to hold a knife and fork any more.
Elanor smiled as she spotted a rack of toasted bread in the middle of the table. A creamy slab of butter lay near to it. Elanor smiled as she reached over and took it in her grasp.
But her grip was not the best or the strongest. She quickly transferred to the free patch of table near her. The knife slid off of the edge and collided with edge of plate.
This made Elanor's heart jump. The sound was sudden and very loud. The knife lay still, a small bit of butter lay between the metal knife and the wooden table. Rosie looked around for a second, then looked back.
The sizzling bacon had now quietened as the pan was taken off of the heat.
"Oh, mind yourself, dear" she said as a little boy ran right past her.
Rosie smiled as started to place some of the sliced of bacon onto a plate. The table was also home to a freshly made loaf of white bread.
Rosie had, instead of putting the hot rashers of bacon onto her children's plates, put the rashers onto a separate plate. The children watched as their mother turned. Another few slices of bacon were placed in the hot, oily pan. It took a few seconds for bacon to start sizzle. Slowly at first, but the sound grew.
Elanor bit down on the crispy piece of toast. The young girl gave a smile as her hunger started to seep away. But, due to being a hobbit, it would take a lot for all of her hunger to go away.
Elanor continued to eat. She was now on her fifth slice. The bacon was now ready, along with plates of sausages, mushrooms, fried eggs and beans in Rosie's tomato sauce.
Rosie was also planning to make pancakes and muffins as well. It was a rare treat for her children. Normally, Rosie would be too busy to make them. But today, she had a special energy. One that she could put to good use. The hobbit smiled as she turned around. The eggs were the last to be cooked.
"Right" she said, dishing up the eggs onto the last plate.
"Eat up" she told them.
Elanor smiled as she looked at the plates. Rosie smiled as she took her seat. Frodo, who sat near to his father, was loading his plate with lots of rashers.
"That's enough, lad" Samwise told him.
Frodo's actions had been watched. The young boy took a deep breath as the plate was taken away from him. Samwise then started to load his plate up as well. The rest of his children, excluding Elanor, were too not capable of placing the hot rashers on their own plates.
So, after loading his plate, Samwise started to place bacon onto Merry's plate.
"Thank you, daddy" he said as Samwise finished.
Then, onto Rose's plates. But Samwise did not receive a "Thank you" from her. And Rosie noticed this.
"Rose, what do you say to your father?" she asked, sounding stern.
Little Rose looked up at her mother for just a split second. She then knew what her mother had said.
"Thank you, daddy" Rose said, giving a small smile.
"That's better" Rosie said, dishing out the food to the rest of the family.
Before long, everything had been dished out. Not a word was spoken while eating breakfast. For there was no time for it.
"Why waste time talking when you can use that time to eat?" is what a hobbit would say if you asked them.
Only the sound of metal on porcelain could be heard. The ever growing household were housed within a hillside, now covered by fresh, crisp snow.
In fact, it had been snowing for most of the night. And there seemed to be no let up in flurry coming down.
Origo's real world life was nothing compared to the events that would be happening if he had not lost his memory. For one, Origo would still be at home, in the warm. He would still be snoozing in a nice warm bed, cuddling up to his Diamond.
But, instead, he was snoozing on a very cold ground. His fur was covered in snow. But the small pup was not cold. In fact, the small fairy that was sitting on the branches on the tree near by.
She took a deep breath, thinking back to safer, warmer times. It had been a while since she last saw her friends. For some reason, her friends and the happenings in her life seemed to be coming back stronger then ever.
She could see her long and eventful life flashing in front of her. The adventure that she was now on was taking her toll on her.
Constant flying and magic was making her very tired.
"Maybe leaving the girl was a bad idea" she thought, looking down at the pup.
But it was not. Bree was just a few days away now. Ivy knew that they could find a place to stay at Bree.
"I mean, people don't know where he is going or why he is going there" she thought.
"Plus, I'm sure some little girl needs a puppy" she told herself, giving a small smile.
The alternate time line for Origo was much happier. The little pup was now awake. He was standing in the kitchen, looking up at his tired looking Diamond.
"Puppy, I told you I'll get you some in a minute"
Ori seemed to be pushing his Diamond to the limit. He did not understand that his Diamond was very tired and was looking after Faramir.
"I need help" Diamond told herself.
A small whine came from her puppy. Her eyes wondered down to the pup. For a moment, their eyes met. Diamond felt very strange looking at the pup. For some reason, Diamond could see deeper into his little brown eyes.
There was a lot of history hidden behind the dark brown eyes.
"But, he's only a puppy" Diamond told herself.
The strange feeling past as she continued to feed her son.
"Alright dear, we'll get you dressed and we'll go and see Dolly" Diamond told her son.
There were only a few spoonfuls of Faramir's breakfast left. Diamond took a deep breath, knowing her son was not hungry any more. But that did not bring her closer to knowing the true reason for his crying.
Origo gave a small whine, thinking Diamond was finished.
"Alright, lets get you your turkey" she said.
Origo's small tail started to wag as he watched his Diamond walked towards the door. But she did not open the cellar door. Instead, she walked out of the kitchen all together.
Diamond, after a few yards, heard her puppy bark.
"Ori, I'll be back in a minute" she said.
Origo stopped and watched her walk away. He was just about to turn back and wait in the kitchen when something fluttered very close to him. The pup stopped and looked at the point where he had seen the movement.
But there was nothing there.
His small eyes darted around for a moment, but the movement was forgotten. The small pup was now very hungry, he was desperate for his turkey.
Diamond, meanwhile, was now in her room. Her son was still crying, but not as much before.
"Mummy is just going to feed puppy and then she'll be back" she told him.
Origo yawned as he waited near the cellar door. As he did, something caught his eye again. A green glow streaked across the ceiling. But his reactions were too slow. Once again, he looked at the point where it came from.
And again, there was nothing there.
But, in fact, there was. A small green fairy was watching the puppy standing there. She giggled, placing her hand over her moth to stop her from laughing out loud.
Just then, Diamond walked into the kitchen. The cries of Faramir could be heard echoing down from her room. But, unlike other times where Faramir had started to cry, she did not go to him.
Instead, she looked down at the very warm and soft puppy standing at her feet.
"Right" she said, scooping up the puppy and holding him on her shoulder.
"Lets get you fed so that we can go to see Dolly" she said.
Origo gave a small whine and rested his fluffy head on his Diamond. The cellar door clicked as Diamond opened it. The temperature difference was felt right away. Not only Diamond felt it, but the small puppy did as well.
Ori gave a small whine and curled up, trying to stay warm.
"Puppy, it's not that cold" Diamond said.
She could feel the curly hairs on her feet start to move as the coldness got to them. Origo yawned as Diamond stopped. She knew exactly where the packets were.
This time, Diamond was not in the mood for playing. Neither was Origo. So, upon taking packet, Diamond walked out again.
The turkey did not need to be cooked. For Diamond had a constant supply of food. Most of Hobbiton had the same supplier. A cart would come around weekly and stop in front of each home.
The cart was full of food and drink. Many different packets of food were stored in the cart. Sacks of carrots, potatoes had been loaded into the cart too.
Smaller, paper packets of turkey, chicken, beef, sausages, pea pods, chocolate and a various other food had been stocked in the cart.
But food was not all that the cart held. Packets of the finest pipe weed and wooden pipes from distance lands. It had been a few days since the cart had rolled around. Diamond had gone out in the coldness by herself to help unload her food from the cart.
"Thank you" she said as the last wicker basket was placed by the front door.
The old hobbit smiled and gave a nod.
"I'll be back in a few hours to pick up the baskets" he said.
Diamond smiled and nodded. She turned around and closed the door behind her, keeping the warmth locked inside again.
Diamond yawned as she placed her small puppy on the ground. Origo whined, standing where he was placed. Diamond opened the cupboard and looked inside. There were many different bowls, plates and saucers stacked up. But all Diamond wanted was a bowl. And that's exactly what she took out.
Origo was very eager to start eating, having not since last night. The sound of paper ripping met his eats. The smell of turkey suddenly grew stronger.
The puppy's tail started to wag faster, knowing that food was just seconds away from being eaten. Diamond tipped the contents into the bowl. She smiled, knowing that Origo would have a very good meal with the amount in the bowl.
"Ah, ah, ah!" she said, stopping.
Origo whimpered, his eyes darting from the bowl in Diamond's hand, to her face. Diamond found this very cute and irresistible.
"Oh, fine" she said, placing the bowl on the floor.
Origo sprung into life, launching himself at the bowl. Diamond smiled, knowing that she would not get much done in the time that Origo would take to finish.
Diamond took a deep breath as she now had to focus on getting ready to go out. So, Diamond walked back to her room.
"Faramir, why are you still crying?" she asked, lifting her son out of the cot.
It was then that she realised that Faramir's forehead was very hot. Much hotter then hers.
"Your burning up, sweetie" she said, taking her hand off.
Now she knew that she needed Dolly more then ever. Diamond placed her son back in his cot and walked over to her wardrobe. There was no time to wash. She got out a dress from one of the hangers.
The coat hanger was place back after the dress had been taken off. It took her a few minutes to change. And, in the time it took her do to it, Origo had finished his turkey and had now come into the room. Faramir had continued to cry and the clock had chimed ten times.
"I'll be back in a moment, honey" she said, looking over at the baby.
She walked out of the room again, Origo following in her wake. Diamond walked down towards the front door. There, she took off her coat and started to quickly button it up.
"Puppy, stay here" she said, spotting Origo standing there.
The pup was now very confused. He watched his Diamond quickly walk back towards the room. Origo yawned and shook his head.
"Puppy!" said a sudden voice, making Origo jump.
But it was only Ivy. The puppy looked at her strangely.
"Puppy, what's happening?" she asked, hearing the cries of the small baby grow louder.
Just then, Diamond came back, holding Faramir in a large blanket. Ivy and Origo watched as Diamond walked past.
"Come on" she said, opening the door.
Origo followed suit, stepping out into the cold world. Diamond quickly closed the door behind her. The small puppy looked around, snowflakes were falling all around him.
"Origo, hurry up" Diamond snapped.
Origo whined and hurried on after her. The gate opened and Diamond walked through. Not wanting to be told off again, Origo scurried along as well.
Diamond could feel the coldness on her face. Small cold snowflakes impacted on her warm skin and melted. Origo's fur, on the other hand, was keeping him warmer then the coat that Diamond had on. But this did not mean Origo could not feel the coldness of winter. He whined, stopping ever so often to wipe the snow off of his little face.
Ivy struggled to keep flying near Origo. Diamond was walking quicker then normal. She shielded her son from the bitter onslaught.
Minutes in the coldness seemed to pass like hours. Diamond's feet were now getting numb. But Hobbits seemed to be more rugged then humans. But this did not mean they couldn't feel coldness.
Diamond could feel the crisp air in the back of throat. Her nose was running, but her son was more important. Only a few minutes had past since she left her house.
Behind a large, round, green door was Dolly's home. It was built like any other typical hobbit hole. It had a kitchen, dining room, lounge, cellar, pantry, library and study to name but a few.
Dolly was sitting in the lounge, a book in hand and a large mug of lukewarm tea on the table. It was then that she heard it.
Three distinctive knocks.
So, slowly placing a paper book mark within the pages. So that she would not forget her place, Dolly slowly got up. Her joints were stiffer then normal. The fire that raged in the heath helped with loosening them up. But they still caused her pain.
Diamond shivered as she stood there. The door seemed to open after what seemed like hours.
"Diamond?" asked Dolly, feeling the cold on her wrinkled face.
"Hello, Dolly"
Dolly then realised that it was in fact Diamond. So she opened the door further.
"You must be freezing!" she said.
"Do come in and quickly"
Diamond smiled and stepped over the threshold. Origo came scooting in a second later. Dolly smiled, seeing the small, wet puppy shake droplets of water from his fur.
"I see your enjoying the snow" she said, closing the door.
But it was just moments after Dolly realised that this was no laughing matter.
"Diamond, something's wrong" Dolly said.
Diamond's crystal eyes started to fill with tears.
"Oh, Diamond!" Dolly said, walking towards her and taking her free hand.
"There isn't anything to cry about, love. Now, come to the kitchen and we'll talk about it over a nice mug of tea"
Origo yawned as he looked around.
"This smells strange" he thought, sniffing the floor.
Ivy smiled, looking around as well. The house, like Diamond's, was very well decorated. Faded pictures hung on the wall. A semicircle shaped table stood just down the hall way. On it, a flickering candle. Its light made the shadows dance around every time it flickered.
Down the corridor, voices could be heard. Dolly and Diamond were now talking about what was happening.
"Ill?" Dolly asked, looking at the small baby.
Diamond nodded and slowly handed him over. Dolly loved new babies. That was one of the reasons she became a midwife.
Dolly surveyed the baby. The first sign of anything wrong was his screwed up face. It was Dolly noticed that Faramir's little forehead was very hot indeed.
"Hmm" she said, handing him back to his mother.
Diamond looked over at the old woman who was now walking away.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
But she did not receive an answer. Diamond took a deep breath, wondering if Dolly was even going to help her. But her answer came a few minutes later when Dolly returned. She was carrying a wooden box. Inside, small glass bottles with very old looking labels.
The lid was open to revile liquids and small tablets.
"What are those?" Diamond asked looking at the things that Dolly placed on the table.
"These might help little Faramir to get better" she said.
Her eye sight was getting worst in her old age. She had to squint to see what was written on the label. Bottle after bottle was taken out. But still, there was not right bottle.
Dolly took out a different looking bottle. There was a strange colour to it, akin to sand. But much finer. This was the right one.
"Ah ha" she said, giving a smile.
Diamond did not like the look of the white powder in the bottle.
"This is what my mother used on me when I was a baby" Dolly explained.
She smiled placing the bottle on the table. There was no note on this bottle. This made Diamond even more unsure if she should use it.
"This will help little Faramir to get back to his normal self in no time at all"
There was a concerned look on Diamond's face. She looked down at her son.
"Well, all I can do is try" she thought.
"Now, all you have to do is take a small pinch of this when he's having his milk. Best to warm the milk up first" she said.
"And, its safe, isn't it?" Diamond asked, her heart was telling her not to trust Dolly.
"Oh, very safe indeed. In fact, this came from one of the plants out in the garden" Dolly explained.
Diamond could do nothing more. If Dolly said that it was safe, safe it was.
"I guess I could try" Diamond said.
Dolly gave a small smile.
"You shouldn't need too much, the cold will be gone in a week if you give him it three times a day" Dolly explained.
Diamond nodded and took a deep breath. There was something else troubling Diamond's soul. And it must have shown on her face.
"Diamond?" asked Dolly.
Her wrinkly hand held a small bottle. She had been busily tidying them away, leaving the bottle that Diamond needed out.
Diamond took a deep breath and looked down.
"It's Pippin" she said.
Dolly gave a small shake of the head.
"What had he done now?" Dolly asked.
Diamond looked over at her.
"He's done nothing, I threw him out" she answered.
This was surprising news for the old woman. This meant something bad has happened.
"Threw him out?" she asked.
"Why?"
Diamond now had to tell the story again. She knew that it would cause her pain to do so.
"It all happened when he forgot his promise. His promise that, this year, he would give me something nice for Yule. Of course, he forgot"