Diamond stopped for a moment, wondering if Pippin knew what he was talking about. And then, it came to her. She had only been a youngling then, but she could still remember the fireworks. The flashes of gold and purple, then the loud bangs.

Diamond remembered arriving at Hobbiton for the very first time. It looked exactly as it did this very same day, save for the carpet of fresh snow and the icy lake.

Hobbiton's gardens were full of growing vegetables and flowering plants. The yearly harvest was just a few days after Bilbo's magnificent party.

The day was darkening, but still retained its pleasant warmth. The clouds seemed to darken as the sun sank westward.

Lights seemed to spring up on a small field. Hobbits everywhere were gathering for Bilbo's magnificent feast. One hundred and forty four in total. Give or take a few.

Diamond continued reading. She could see perfectly what Pippin was thinking. His words filled her with that magic that she had felt when she had arrived.

She could hear music, smell the food, see the other hobbits and feel the excitement. A smile came over her as she read the last bit:

Ever since I saw your blue eyes, I've missed them.

Finally, after a few minutes, Merry had made up my mind for me. He pushed me nearer. It was then that I got your attention. My mouth was dry and my brain was stumped. Words seemed to escape me and turn into an unrecognisable mumble.

As you may have noticed, I left quickly afterwards. Yet my plan on talking to had worked. I finally knew your name. And that was enough.

"So, Merry made him come to me?" she asked herself, seeing the truth for the first time.

She knew that Pippin changed his attitude around her. She could see it. Pippin seemed to be shy around her. But, with Merry, Pippin became like a small child.

Diamond's tea was still standing on the table. The level had only gone down a few centimetres. The heat was slowly being lost into the room around. Small bits of the muffin had been broken off and eaten.

Diamond was now sitting there, thinking about what she had just read. She remembered the party like it was just yesterday.

All the excitement of travailing to Hobbiton and the food. The fireworks held a very vivid spot in her memory. But now, everything was quiet. Too quiet for her liking.

"Maybe I should read on" she thought.

But something else took her attention. The housework had not been done for such a long time. She had been very busy with her child. There was a lot of dust circulating around. It seemed to gather on the unused shelves and against the wall and floor.

Diamond knew that now was the time to clean up. She knew that she needed to take her mind off of what she had just read.

So, after a few minutes, her tea and muffin had been consumed. She was now ready to work. The chair scraped along the dirty tiled floor.

Diamond smiled as she placed the empty mug and the paper wrapper near the sink. They could be dealt with later. Diamond gave a small smile as she walked out of the kitchen and down the corridor.

Near the large front door was a smaller door. This was in fact a cupboard. Diamond stored all her cleaning gear in it. From buckets to mops, bars of soap to brushes. Everything that Diamond needed to make her home look its best.

A bucket was taken out. It had a handle made from fraying rope. A mop was taken out as well. Diamond then stood up after closing the door. For a moment, Diamond felt a bit dizzy. But the dizziness quickly wore off.

Diamond walked down the corridor into the kitchen. She walked over to the sink and turned on the tap. The sound of water filled the room.

Small splashes of water were impacting on Diamond's skin. She could not see them, but they were there. A few seconds of waiting past before the bucket was placed under the current of water.

The bucket started to fill up. Once again, Diamond was distracted by the bubbles. Some seemed to last a split second. Others managed to make it to the side of the bucket.

Diamond could feel its weight getting heavier and heavier. The candle light flickered on the popping bubbles. Diamond stopped the water gushing into the bucket by turning the tap off. A few seconds later, she heaved it out of the sink.

Meanwhile, Ivy and Origo were approaching a silver river. Its water was cold and its level high. In summer, the water would be crystal clear. But the water in the winter months murky.

The road crossed the muddy water. The bridge was made out of weathered rocks. A single pillar was set into river bed.

Ivy fluttered upwards, into the air. She saw the river just a few meters away. The sound of the river grew as they drew as they neared it.

"Puppy, stop!" Ivy said.

Origo stopped just a foot away from the steep bank. There was nothing in the way to stop the pup and the current was too strong for him to fight.

Ivy looked towards a bridge upstream.

"Must have gone off course a bit" she said, giving the puppy a smile.

Origo tilted his head.

"Follow me, come on" Ivy encouraged.

Origo blinked twice and then followed the small fairy. The two of them had gone off course only by a few meters. Ivy smiled as she stopped in the middle of the road again.

"This way" she said, fluttering off.

Origo slowly followed her. But he soon stopped again. The small pup looked down at his snowy paws. He gave a small whine, but carried on regardless.

Origo too could now hear the rushing water below the bridge. His curiosity took him to the edge.

"Puppy, careful now" Ivy told him, making sure he knew.

Origo's eyes scanned the rushing water below him.

"You wouldn't want to fall in that, puppy" Ivy said, fluttering up and stood by him.

Ivy tickled Origo's floppy ears. Origo gave a small whine and shook his head. Ivy was whipped by his large ear. She moved away, a bit too fast. Instead of moving away from the edge, the small green fairy moved towards it.

There was nothing to break her fall, apart from the water below. Her reactions were not fast enough. Even for a magical fairy, she did not have enough time.

Origo, being new to all experiences, did not react. All he could see was the small green flying thing fall into the water. But for Ivy, it was a very dangerous place to be.

Her ears were now playing the sound of popping bubbles. The strong current of water was washing her away. The coldness seemed to act like knives against her skin.

Her fragile wings were acting like sails, making the water grab her more then it would have. Small rotting twigs floated past, bobbing up to the surface.

The light day struggled to shine through the dirty water. But there was enough for Ivy to know where get to. So, kicking her tiny feet, she slowly made her way upwards. But the air in her lungs was running out.

She could feel her power seep away from her. Instead of giving up, this spurred her on. And, after what seemed like many minutes, Ivy finally broke the surface of the water.

But tiredness had grew too strong. Ivy was now floating along in the current. She turned and caught a glimpse of the bridge. Origo was no longer there.

"Origo!" Ivy shouted.

But there was no answer. Ivy was now panicking. She could not hear Origo so she did not know where he was. The puppy was very vulnerable with out little Ivy to guide the way.

But this did not mean Origo was not capable. In fact, Origo was now scooting along the bank of the river. The puppy tried hard to keep up with the rate that the water was moving.

But he could not.

Ivy was being dragged away quicker then Origo could catch up. But Origo did not give up. He could still see the green dot, but it was getting further and further away.

After a few minutes, Origo knew that he could not catch Ivy. The small pup started to slow down. His eyes still on the river. But there was no sign of his fairy friend.

Ivy was now struggling to keep afloat. But, there was something near her that might save her life. A large piece of rotting wood floated past the fairy.

"If I can just get to it" Ivy thought.

The trees on either side of the river's banks were zooming past. Ivy was very, very tired now. She knew that she had to survive. Not only for her, but for Origo and Diamond.

A tiny hand reached out. Ivy did not expect to grab it first time. Her judgement was off. But, miraculously, her tiny hand hit the wood. A split second later, she gripped.

Ivy had enough energy to hold on. Her head was now under the water. Oxygen was running out. As Ivy slipped away, a purple light met her eyes.

It grew and grew, outshining the level of natural light. Ivy's eyes were now very open. Little Ivy had seen this purple glow before.

Out of the orb of light, came a small figure. Ivy knew exactly who this was. She could not believe what she was seeing.

Petal was slowly floating towards her. Her wings seemed not to work. Ivy could hardly believe her eyes.

"Petal?" she asked.

The two stopped just inches away from one another. The murky water continued to slosh around her, her hair seemed to float like it was in deep space.

"Your time has not come yet" said Petal.

Ivy noticed that her voice was airy and spacey. A strangeness came over Ivy as she floated in the freezing water. Her hand was still gripped around the log that was floating near by.

"Your time will soon come, but not today"

There were many questions popping up in Ivy's head. She knew that Petal and the others had all been killed.

"My time?" she asked, wondering what was meant by that.

"What do you mean?"

But she did not get an answer.

"You need to help Origo" Petal said.

Ivy was not getting any closer to her answer. Instead, she was getting further away from the answers she needed.

"How do you know about Origo?" Ivy asked.

Behind the purple glow of Petal came another glow. This one was very different from the purple glow of Petal. Yellow light came from the depths. This mean only one thing.

Leila.

Leila smiled as she rose from the silt covered depths of the river. But she did not say anything.

"What's happening to me?" Ivy asked.

A strange warmth past around her.

"Do not give up, Ivy" Petal said.

All Ivy wanted to do was be with her friends. She had completely forgotten about Origo.

"Go back and help Origo, that is your job"

Before Ivy could answer back, something strange happened. Her eyes were filled with the colours of her best friends.

Yellow was Leila's colour, Purple represented Petal, Silver belonged to Luna and a hint of red meant that Rosa was there too.

A second later, Ivy was thrust on top of the floating log. But she did not move. Her eyes closed, her hair and fragile wings were soaking wet.

The water lapped at her small legs, still dangling in the freezing water. Ivy was slowly pulled from unconsciousness into reality. Her little eyes opened to a sound of trickling water.

For a few moments, Ivy wondered where she was. Her eyes were out of focus, her ears did not register sound. But both slowly came back to her.

Ivy continued to blink for a few moments. She could see the black pillars of trees gliding past. Ivy lifted her head up.

"Petal?" she asked, looking around.

The water below was dark and lightless. There were no sign of Ivy's friends.

"But, they were real!" Ivy shouted.

Her emotions were running very high. Tears started to run down her face. She could not take it anymore. Too many friends had been lost because of her.

But this just drove her on. Energy seemed to surge back to her. So much so that she found the energy to sit. There seemed to be no safe places to stop and disembark.

Ivy knew that, with every passing second, would be another second without Origo. This spurred her on even more. A large, for Ivy's small suture, splash erupted from the surface.

This propelled the log and small passenger along. Ivy could see a shallow bend in the river. This was where she would depart the log.

So, she steered the wooden raft towards the slower waters with what power she had. But the current was still very strong. A root dangled free from the deep carpet of snow. It was her only chance. And one that she needed to take.

She could see that she only had a few meters left to grab onto the root. So, she carefully stood up. The small chunk of wood wobbled as she stood there, threatening to throw her over the side.

But, after a few seconds, the log seemed to calm down. Ivy could now focus on root. The floating log drew ever closer.

Three seconds away.

Ivy's sight sharpened. She was now focused on the small bit of root that she was going to grab.

Two seconds.

Ivy bent her knees, ready to take off. She could feel the log underneath her wobble.

One more second.

She was now close enough to grab the root. So, she jumped off of the log. She was now flying in midair, her arms out stretched, waiting to grab a hold of the root.

Time seemed to slow dramatically as flew towards the root. But, after what seemed like hours, she grabbed onto the root. Her energy seemed to slip away again.

The root swung dangerously over the freezing water. Ivy watched as the small log continued to float away. She knew that if she slipped now, she would not survive the icy water below.

So, the small fairy looked up. She could feel her wings stiffen up as the cold wind formed a thin sheet of ice between them. Her wings were now out of use.

"Come on Ivy, you can do it" said a voice in her head.

This spurred her onwards. Enough strength was found to slowly start climbing the dangling root. Inch after inch past, she was getting closer to the top.

But her strength gave way. The root was slippery and Ivy's grip was weak.

"No!" she told herself.

Her strength seemed to come on in waves. This was exactly what she needed. The small fairy scrambled onto the snow bank. Her energy spent, the coldness was digging into her very soul.

The fairy was now laying on the frozen ground, unable to move another inch.

Origo was now in the wilds, by himself. He had no food, no warmth and no idea where he was. Ivy had let yet another friend down. The wind around her blew on her cold, wet hair. The small fairy could hear birds of many kinds among the trickling sound of the water lapping at the bank.

"Origo" mumbled Ivy.

She was slipping in and out of consciousness. Sounds seemed to come and go, as well as the light of day. Ivy knew little of where Origo was.

Origo was now standing in the deep snow, scanning the river. Every so often, he would call out Ivy's name. To human ears, only a bark echoed around the deserted forest.

The puppy's eyes continued to scan the river. Another bark came from him. But still, there was no answer. So, Origo pressed on, walking further and further away from the safety of the path.

But the direction that Origo was going made things harder. For he was heading away from the safety of the road and crossing of the bridge. For Origo and Ivy were now on different sides of the river.

Ivy could, for the moment, not use her wings. She was now reduced to walking. This made things very difficult indeed.

"Origo?" Ivy continued to mumble.

But there was, once again, no answer. Seconds seemed to turn into minutes, minutes into hours and hours to days. The level of light in the forest slowly started to fade as lunch came and went.

Origo's eyes were now, slowly, getting used to the darkness. But the darkness would not as deep as in the summer months. The snow would reflect what little light there was and would brighten the night.

In fact, the moon was starting a new cycle. A slither of it could be seen through the thinning clouds above. But that would be all that anyone could see of the moon that night.

Bree was very bright and cheerful. The Prancing Pony was getting ready for another round of cooking and drinking. The inn was warm and inviting. The smell of stale tobacco smoke met anyone who entered its doors. Come rain or shine, Barliman would open up in the small hours of the morning to anyone that was in need of food.

A young girl yawned as she waited. Two plates of freshly cooked food were waiting for her.

"There we are" said one of the cooks, placing the last of the sizzling sausages on the plate.

The girl smiled and carefully picked up both plates. The cook watched her for a moment before turning around and getting back to work.

The large door opened as the girl carried the food out to the lobby. The lobby was very busy now. Laughter ran out, a silver curtain of tobacco smoke from the ends of pipes floated into the air.

The girl smiled as she headed towards a table. Sitting at there were two people. She smiled as she got closer to them.

"There you are" she said.

Without warning, the two men pounced at the girl, grabbing her by the arms.

"Hello, poppet" said the man to the right.

The girl knew this voice. But, before she could answer back, she was pushed away. Barliman saw this.

"Wait just a moment!" Barliman said, placing the mug of ale down.

Other people were now watching the events folding before them. Barliman would not allow this kind of behaviour in his own pub.

"You stop that…"

But Barliman was silenced. A large fist came and struck his face. Pain instantly started to radiate from the point of impact. An up roar erupted as Barliman stumbled back.

"You get yourself away!" said the man that punched him.

A small, glinting dagger was taken out of his pocket. Barliman moved back.

"Alright, alright" Barliman said, raising his hands.

"Just, don't hurt the girl" he said.

The man gave a small grin and turned.

"Out of the way!" he shouted, threatening anyone who came near.

Barliman watched as the girl was pushed out of sight. He gave a heavy breath and looked around. The whole inn seemed take a few seconds of silence.

Without warning, the whole lobby burst into their normal talk again. Barliman took a deep breath. He had only known the girl for a few days, but she did not deserve this.

So, leaving his inn, he sort revenge. The outside world was very snowy. A few children were still around. The snow underfoot was deep. A crunching sound came as the man walked down the street.

His eyes were not used to the falling level of light. But the flickering candle lights from surrounding buildings were enough to spot his prey.

"Oi!" he shouted, his voice echoing around.

Barliman then started to run after them. He could hear the girl's screams echoing off towards the stables. Barliman was sure that he was not fail in getting the girl back. So, he started to run.

"Move!" he said, making people jump out of the way.

But he was too late. The girl had been put on a horse with the large man. Her struggles were fought as the horse started to move.

Barliman reached the stables, but the sound of hooves could be heard. Barliman saw two horse-like figures gallop away.

The man knew that he could not go after the girl. He took a deep breath, the coldness was now getting to him. His shoes were not in the best condition. There were small holes letting freezing water in.

This made the walk back very hard. His nose started to run and his fingers started to turn a light pinkish colour. Barliman noticed, on the way back, that he had ran longer then he had thought. The sign hanging over the front door of his inn was swinging in the bitter wind.

Meanwhile, Abira was laying on a large pillow. Her brown eyes were glinting the crackling fire in the heath. An old man sat along on one of the seats.

A book was held in his hands. His eyes seemed to skate over the words. Sitting across his eyes were clear glasses. This helped him to read.

A few candles were lit around the walls. They created just enough light to read by. Abira yawned and rested her soft head on her little paws.

Hunger was now getting to her. And she knew exactly how to get what she wanted. So, the small puppy stood up and walked off the large, warm pillow. A small bark let the man know that she was awake.

The man smiled, looking over the top of his glasses. A warm smile came over him.

"Did you have a good sleep?" he asked the small pup.

The small puppy gave a cute whine. One that gave the man the answer he needed. But there was something about the look in the pup's face that drew up another question.

The man and puppy seemed to share a special bond, just like Abira's Pimpernel back at home. The book was slowly closed and glasses taken off.

"I think food is in order" the man said.

Abira's small tail wagged and she bounded out of the room. The man slowly raised himself his comfortable chair. The darkness outside covered up the whiteness of the snow that had settled on the ground.

The old man slowly made his way to the kitchen. Abira knew that he would first have to go downstairs to the cellar. She kept far away from the cellar as she could.

Darkness and stairs were not her thing. The old man seemed to walk past her without looking at her. The door creaked open and the man disappeared from sight.

Abira was glad that she did not have to go down in the darkness. She could hear the man's foot steps slowly echoing away. But Abira's curiosity got the better of her.

So, she slowly made her way to the open door. Carefully, she popped her head around the corner. All that she could see a orange light, flickering behind some shelves.

She could hear the man mumbling something to himself. The light grew as the man made his way back. He smiled, seeing the pup's little face poking out from behind the door frame.

Abira back away a bit, watching him climb the last few steps. The man smiled, making his deep wrinkles some what shallower.

Abira watched as the man stood at the small, wooden work top. He ripped open the packet and smiled. A pan was taken out and a vase of oil poured into it.

"It should be ready in a few minutes" the man told her.

Abira's tail started to wag again. Abira's little mind seemed to be changing every so often. She knew that she had to help Origo get to Radagast.

But then, she knew he did not want her around.

But, how should she do it?

She could not Ivy or Origo know that she was following them.

This was something Abira had to think of on the way. If she caught up with him, maybe he would change his mind. But it would very hard work. All she knew was that they were going to Radagast.

The sound of bacon then hit her ears. A yawn came over her, evidence that sleep was still fighting to grab her back to the land of nod. But bacon was a much stronger pull on the pup.

The sound seemed to start of quiet at first, but the sizzling soon rose. Abira picked up the smell of bacon straight away. Her little wet nose seemed to pick up smells quicker then any elf could.

It took a few minutes for the man to get his first smell of the cooking bacon. By that time, he had flipped the bacon. A crisp brown layer had already formed on each piece.

The man gave a smile, looking down to his right. Abira was sitting there as patiently as ever. Her small tail was still wagging.

"Wont be long now" she was told.

Abira gave a small whine and looked around. Something else caught her. It was time to investigate. So, the young pup started to wonder off. The smell touching her little wet nose.

The smell led her over to a small, dark hole. This was very strange for her. She had never seen a whole this little in the wall before.

Behind her, the man was finishing up cooking the first few rashers of bacon. A few more were placed in the hot pan, sending out the sizzling sound around the room again.

Abira was still distracted by the small hole. It was then she saw it. Two points of light. Two big eyes looking right back at her.

Mice.

Abira back away. She did not like mice very much. As she backed away, something seemed to dart out of the hole. A squeaking mouse sprinted across the kitchen floor.

Abira was mesmerised by the small mouse, bounding across the floor. But the mouse seemed to be fearless in its quest for even a tiny morsel of food.

The mouse seemed to enter the forest of chair legs and table legs. Abira knew that her bacon was nearly ready. But this did not tare her away from watching the mouse search for food. And he had found some.

The man gave a few coughs as he plated up the last of the crisp rashers. The pan was then taken off of the heat. The spatula was then placed down, small droplets of oil still clung to its metal face.

The man looked around and smiled.

"Come on" he said, placing the porcelain plate on the floor.

"Now, you be careful, it's a bit hot" he warned.

Abira looked up at him, she saw his smiling face beaming down at her. A second or two later, the puppy started to eat. She could taste the bacon stronger then ever.

The man smiled, then started to clean up, leaving Abira to eat. The candle light flickered as the spatula was placed near the sink.

Meanwhile, Elanor and her family were just minutes away from sitting down for dinner. Elanor was very hungry, having spent most of her energy concentrating on making bracelets from the little box she had been given for Yule.

The box was split into small segments. Each with its own thing to hold. A small bundle of string was held in one of the compartments. The next few compartments were full of different coloured beads.

Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and pink were all in their own segments. Elanor found it hard to thread the tiny beads onto the string.

"Oh, just go on!" she told herself.

It was very frustrating for her. Just then, a knock came at her door. Elanor tore herself away from the beads as the door creaked open.

Rosie, her mother, poked her head around the door.

"Elanor, dear, dinner is ready" she said.

Elanor took a deep breath, knowing that she would have to finish her bracelet after dinner. A small part of her was relived that dinner was ready when it was.

So, Elanor got up off of her bed and walked to the door. Rosie had already departed back to the kitchen. The young girl yawned as she walked to the kitchen.

From where she was, she could hear her younger siblings talking and laughing. Sometimes, Elanor wished that it was just her, her mother and father living here.

Lately, she had been struggling to even talk to her mother. She needed attention, but she was not getting it. Yes, she had attention. But not the kind she wanted.

Elanor took her place at the table. Space seemed to disappear every time she sat down.

"Eat up" Rosie said, giving a smile.

Samwise was not sitting at the table. Instead, he was standing at the work top. A few seconds later, he turned around. A white bowl was held in his hands. It was another bowl full of roast potatoes.

He smiled, placing it in a seemingly small spot. The table was now covered in plates, mugs of water and bowls of food. Elanor smiled as she lifted a hot plate out of its spot.

Rosie watched her daughter pick out a few roasted potatoes. She was standing up, moving slowly around the table. She held a large bowl of roast potatoes.

Rosie scooped some onto each plate, including her own and her husbands. Sam smiled as he placed the honey roasted parsnips on his plate.

Everyone's plates were piling up with food. Elanor smiled as she placed the last of her food on her plate. Rosie was still standing, but now, she was carrying a steaming hot boat of gravy.

"Would you like some, Elanor?" Rosie asked.

Elanor looked over at her mother and smiled.

"Yes please" she answered.

Rosie carefully poured the dark brown liquid all over her daughter's food.

"Thank you" Elanor said, picking up her silver knife and fork.

The whole family was now eating. Frodo was once again sitting in his place, facing his sister. There was more eye contact then usual.

A small competition was going on between the two children. Rosie had now sat down. But, being quick in picking the slightest thing wrong, looked between her two oldest children sitting at the other end of the table.

There was a strange vibe radiating off of her two children. But she said but a word. Frodo seemed to kick up a gear as he chopped its his roast potatoes.

"Frodo, calm down" Rosie said.

It was then that Elanor and Frodo knew that they had been rumbled. No words were said, but Rosie could see that Frodo had calmed down. Rosie could continue eating her dinner. The light from the sun had slipped away. This was a queue for the coldness to fight what warmth had been gathered since the start of the day.

Birds had now been settled for a few hours. Their fathers seemed to be just enough to keep their warmth in. A gentle, but freezing wind was blew across the land.

But the wind was effecting one creature in particular. A small puppy was now all alone in the wildness of Middle-Earth.

Ivy and Origo had still not found each other. Hunger and coldness were now dragging Origo to stop more often. His paws were cold and wet. But that was not the only thing dragging out Origo's progress.

Tiredness.

In normal circumstances, Ivy and Origo would have found some shelter an hour ago. But Origo was not as fast at finding shelter good enough for him.

After what seemed hours in the bitter coldness, Origo finally found a suitable tree. It was not as extravagant as the ones Ivy could find. But it seemed to be good enough.

Without the green glow of Ivy, Origo could not see the ceiling. This made Origo scared. He needed his Ivy to be with him.

The puppy settled down, finding a comfortable spot. Ori could see into the endless darkness that now hugged the land. Ivy was all he knew. Without her, he was alone and very vulnerable.