Elanor woke up at the crack of dawn. Her sprits were high and she could now taste the freedom she had again. The young girl was up so early, that even her mother and father were still tucked up in bed.
"Maybe I should continue with my beads" she said.
The box had been placed, as always, under her bed. So, removing the warm duvet, Elanor got up and stood on the floor. The tiles were cold to the touch.
The girl smiled as she slid it out and held it. Her bed would be the perfect place for her to work on her bracelets. One had already been started. Elanor smiled as she looked at the beads.
A few beads had already been threaded onto the string. They were now dangling at the bottom, a knot stopping them from falling off.
Elanor had thought very carefully about the arrangement of the small beads. After tying at one end of the string, Elanor started to thread the beads.
A red coloured bead was first. It was her favourite colour. This was not unnatural of hobbits. For all hobbits liked to have as much colour in their lives as possible.
A royal blue bead was next. This was Elanor's second favourite. But this bracelets was not for her use. She had someone she wanted to give it to.
A few more coloured beads had been threaded onto the string, it had been time for bed. But today was a continuation of the bracelet making.
Elanor picked out a little red bead. She smiled as she took the end of the string and lined it up with the whole in the bead. Her eyes seemed to hurt as she focused on string.
Elanor seemed to find it easier to thread the beads today. The red bead slid down and came to rest. Elanor smiled, knowing how hard it was to do it last night.
The light coming from outside slowly grew. Birds were rising and singing their morning song. Food was next on the list after cleaning their feathers.
A small robin seemed to bounce from branch to branch. It too was singing its own unique song. The sound seemed to travel for near enough a mile. All other birds, no matter if it was a crow or a magpie, could hear it.
Even Elanor could hear the small tweeting bird outside of her room. This was a normal part of every day life.
Summer was Elanor's favourite time of year. The days were longer and hotter. The young girl spent most of her time outside.
Sometimes, she would have all her meals outside on a table. She would eat, drink and play in the warmth that bathed the land.
But summer was not always the time for playing. It was a time of learning as well.
Samwise smiled as he walked out into his garden. In one hand, there were three fishing rods made of wood. Samwise smiled as he stopped. Two of his children, Elanor and Frodo, followed him.
In Hobbiton, the doors could be left open every day of the year, if they felt like it. But summer was the best time to keep them open.
"Come on, you two" said his father.
Little Elanor smiled as she came out. A large straw hat had been place on her curly hair. She smiled as she stepped out of the door.
The sounds she heard were quiet. Only the laughs of a hobbit or two near by could be heard. The sun was high in the sky now. Clouds were few, if any. Birds were the loudest sounds she could hear.
Frodo followed on afterwards, he was not so pleased to be with his father. Frodo was adventurous and wanted to play with his friends.
But instead, he had to go with his father and his older sister. Rosie smiled as she came to the door.
"No arguing" she said, smiling.
Frodo gave her an angry look. To Frodo, the day had already been wasted. His friends were already up. But he could not play yet.
"See you later" Sam said, hugging his wife.
Rosie smiled. She hated to see Sam leave, but this time, she knew he would be back.
"Right" said Sam, taking a deep breath, looking at his two oldest children.
"We have a bit of a walk" he told them, walking past.
He opened the gate and stood aside.
"So, lets get going"
The three of them set off down to a small river a mile or two away. The water flowing in the river could be traced all the way from the lake in the middle of Hobbiton.
But, today, the lake was iced over, apart from a small bit in the middle where the local ducks kept it ice-free. Snow lay around the banks of the river and lake. The water was much colder then it had been in the summer months.
The beauty of summer changed with the seasons. Now, the beauty of winter was in full swing. And Elanor could not wait to get out in it.
The clock, hanging from her bedroom, started to chime. Elanor smiled tiredly as one chime was followed by six identical chimes.
"Seven o'clock" she told herself, taking a deep breath.
The bracelet was almost ready. Another few beads and she would be done.
"I might get some more sleep after I'm done" she told herself.
This was a very good idea. The last few beads took longer then expected. But Elanor was determined to finish it before sleeping again.
And finish it she did. The last bead was placed on the string. Elanor surveyed her work for a moment. Only two types of beads were used. Red ones and blue ones.
Elanor smiled to herself, liking her work. The two ends were tied together, ensuring the beads could not fall off. The lid of the box was closed and placed under her bed again. The young girl would have to wait until her father was up to give it to him.
Origo was still curled up in a fluffy ball. But this did not mean he was warm or dry. He was very hungry and had not had a good nights sleep.
The puppy was woken up for the umpteenth time. And this time, he would not get back to sleep. It was daylight now and Origo could see exactly where he was.
The tree he had sort shelter in was, unlike the others that Ivy had found, was not burnt out. Instead, the tree had an unnaturally large hole in the trunk. This was perfect for the small pup. But he could not stay there.
He knew this. He had to find his Ivy before it was too late. So, the puppy slowly stood up, his paws were not working as he was used to.
A few snow flakes had stuck to Ori's fur. This was soon sorted out by a quick shake. Normally, a hot plate of turkey would be in order at the start of the cold day.
But not today.
Origo gave a small whine and hung his head. He missed his Ivy and needed her back. In fact, Ivy was in trouble herself. Her wings had frozen together. Not only due to the coldness, but due to her little slip and fall into the icy river the day before.
Ivy was now reduced to walking. But she was not walking anywhere. The little fairy was still laying face down in the freezing snow. But she had yet to give up her life. Her heart was beating slowly. Every so often, her consciousness would filter back. Noises could heard. The trickling sound of the river met her ears.
Ivy mumbled as she lay there. What energy she had left had been sapped away by the coldness. Another noise could be heard. This one seemed more distant.
Bird song.
Ivy's small eyes opened. This was something very familiar to her. It was a robin. One of the most helpful and loyalist of birds.
"Help" Ivy said.
But all she could muster was a whisper. All hope was gone in ever getting to see her small puppy again. But the curiosity of animals made that change.
The song grew louder as the little robin fluttered onto the bank of the river. The red breasted robin saw a small something laying in the snow. The only evidence that the robin had landed there were its small prints in the snow.
The bird hopped around, making sure that it was safe before he did anything.
The bird was now only a few feet away from the fairy.
"Help" it heard.
This was very strange, for pieces of snow and dirt could not talk.
"Hello?" he asked, hopping a few inches closer.
Ivy was very weak and very cold. She needed all the help she could get. The robin tilted its head, he had never seen a sight like this before.
"Maybe I can eat it" he thought.
The fairy needed all of her strength now. But none came. The beak of the bird wrapped around one of Ivy's leg. Pain instantly erupted from it. She could feel the bird taking off.
Ivy could just about open her eyes. All she saw was ground rushing away from her. After a few seconds, the robin landed on a branch. Twenty feet now separated the ground from the fairy.
"Stop" Ivy said.
This made the robin drop her leg. The pain in her leg intensified for a moment as it hit the branch.
"Did I just hear it talk?" asked the robin, hopping away.
Ivy could not move.
"Yes, yes I did hear it talk" said the robin.
The little robin hopped back.
"Help" he heard from the small green thing he had picked up.
"Help?" he asked, inching closer to Ivy again.
"Help with what?"
Ivy's head was swimming. She did not know where she was or who she was for that manor. Origo was forgotten for a moment, only to be pushed back into the forefront of her mind.
"Puppy" Ivy said, breathing deeper.
The robin was now past being confused, it was too much to take in. But hunger was forcing him to think again.
"Puppy?" tweeted the robin.
Other birds were now gathering. They too could understand the fairy.
"What is a puppy?" he asked.
But Ivy had gone back into her unconscious state. The robin looked around. He could see a large black crow perched on a tree just a few meters away.
"I say, crow!" tweeted the robin.
His little wings fluttered, propelling him away from the injured fairy. He landed on the branch next to big crow. The crow's beady black eyes followed him.
"What business do you have with me?" asked the crow.
The robin seemed not to be scared by the presence of the large bird perched next to him.
"I need help" the robin told him.
There was a few seconds of silence between them.
"With what?"
The robin looked back the branch.
"There is a strange creature, over there on the branch. It was talking about a puppy" the robin explained.
The crow could see the small fairy laying on the branch.
"Have you ever heard of a puppy before?" the robin asked.
The crow's eyes narrowed in on the fairy. He knew exactly what a puppy was. For he had been all over Middle-Earth. He had gained a lot of knowledge on his travels since he was old enough to fly the nest.
"Of course" he answered, looking around.
He could remember the first time he laid eyes on a dog.
"Vile creatures if you ask me. Dirty, smelly, flightless!" he told the robin.
The robin was shocked.
"Land lovers?" he asked.
The crow gave a small nod.
"Four legged land lovers"
The robin looked over at the green fairy, resting on the branch.
"She wants it, she wants a puppy" the robin explained.
The crow was now looking at Ivy as well. Her actions needed to be stopped.
"Where did you find her?" the crow asked.
The robin hopped around to look at the crow.
"Just below my tree" the robin answered.
The small fairy was now slowly sitting up. She needed food. But she was not the only who needed food. Origo was still trundling through deep snow.
Even though he had thick fur, the coldness still got through. Birds were all around him, fluttering past and perching high above him. He could hear their songs. But could not understand them.
"Ivy?" he barked, hearing it echoing through the forest.
But there was no answer. It was then he saw a massive bird flying towards him. The sight made him stop dead in his tracks.
It was a crow.
It swooped and landed on a tree near by. For a moment, Origo thought the big black bird was going to attack him. But instead, it continued to perch.
Origo felt very uneasy as he walked along the bank. The crow, now behind him, swooped down and flew to another branch.
Once again, Origo stopped. And, once again, the two looked at each other. Without warning, the crow started to make a horrible noise.
The small puppy did not like this sound one bit.
"I know where it is you have to go" the crow said.
But Ori could not understand him. The crow's knowledge did not extend far enough into other species worlds. This seemed to confuse the crow.
"Your friend needs you" he said.
Origo watched as the crow flew down the small path he was following. The crow perched for the third time. Origo looked around.
"Should I follow him?" he asked himself.
"Maybe he's friendly and knows where the fairy is"
This was good enough for Origo. So, he slowly started to walk again, his little brown eyes never leaving the black figure of the crow against the whiteness of the sky.
Down the river, the robin was now perching next to Ivy.
"And, he knows what a puppy looks like?" asked Ivy.
She was not looking at all good. Tiredness seemed to hang from her face. But her cut had vanished. Fairies were magical and had powers to heal themselves against almost anything.
Apart from fire.
Fire was their one weakness.
"Yes, he will bring him here" the robin answered.
Meanwhile, Rosie Gamgee and her family were now rising. Elanor, on the other hand, was now asleep again. Her doings in the early hours of the morning were still unknown to anyone in her family.
Rosie yawned as she stood before a sink. Hanging on the wall in front of her was a large mirror. She smiled as she rinsed the flannel out.
She closed her eyes as she rubbed the soap off. The flannel was then rinsed again and the water drained from it. Rosie left the bathroom a few minutes later. She yawned a second time as she walked back to her room.
Samwise was now awake and sitting up on the bed. He slowly stood up, his feet touching the cold tiles.
"Morning" Sam said, giving a small nod.
Rosie smiled.
"Good morning" she answered.
"The food shall come today, wouldn't it?" Sam asked.
He knew that food was very important for this ever growing family.
"Yes, it will" Rosie answered, changing into her cloths.
None of the children were awake yet. Rosie was the only one dressed and ready for the day.
"I hope so, we're running out of food again" Sam said, taking a deep breath.
Food and drink was very important for hobbits of every age. There was evidence of this in most hobbits. Large bellies and podgy faces were seen on nearly every hobbit.
"What time will we be expecting it?" Sam asked, knowing that he would have to help ship the food.
Rosie was now busy with making the bed.
"Well, it could be here at about ten o'clock" she answered.
The duvet was smoothed over and her night gown over her side of the bed.
"Right" said Sam, putting his robe on and tying it up.
"I best go and wake the children" he told her.
Rosie smiled and nodded. She too had a job to do. Breakfast was to be prepared again. One would have thought that Rosie would get tired of making the same breakfast every day.
But she was not. In fact, she smiled as she headed towards the kitchen, where as Sam headed the opposite way. Rosie opened the kitchen door and saw the heath.
More wood was needed, and quickly. Only the flaming embers were left, twinkling in the black and white ashes. Rosie took a deep breath, knowing it could take longer then expected to prepare the meal.
Merry and Rose had shared a room as long as they could remember. Rose was older by just two years. But there was nothing to tell who was older by looks.
"Merry?" asked Sam.
His son gave a little snort as he was woken. His eyes slowly opened, his father standing over him.
"Time to get up" he said.
Samwise then headed over to his daughters bed.
"Rose, time to wake up sleepy head" he said.
Once Samwise knew both would not go back to sleep, he left the room. The next room was home to Frodo, his eldest son.
The door to his room opened. Samwise noticed how warm the room was. Yet the fire in the heath was not as big as expected. Frodo was laying under his large duvet.
Sam smiled as he looked at his son. Out of all of his children, Frodo looked the most like his father.
"Frodo, my lad" he said, waking his sleeping son up.
Frodo slowly edged away from his dreams, back into reality. His eyes slowly opened.
"Come on, breakfast is being made" Sam told him.
Without another word, Sam walked out, leaving the door ajar. Frodo took a deep breath, wanting more sleep. But the door was open and echoes coming from his younger brothers and sisters were reaching him.
So, taking a deep breath, Frodo removed the duvet. The coldness hit his bare feet, making the hairs curl even more. Frodo knew that today was going to be different. He would finally ask the question he wanted to for a few days.
The fire in the heath was now getting bigger and bigger. Rosie smiled as she grabbed the long, metal prongs from the side.
Samwise was going to wake his last, and eldest child, Elanor. She had been drifting in and out of sleep for near two hours. It was then, after finally falling into sleep again, that she was woken up.
The clicking of an opening door stole this sleep away. Before her father could wake her, she opened her eyes.
"Elanor?" Samwise asked, walking up to her bed.
"Yes, I'm awake daddy" Elanor said, tiredness hanging to her voice.
Samwise gave a small smile and turned. But, as he walked towards the door, Elanor's thought suddenly changed.
"Daddy?" she asked, stopping him in his tracks.
Samwise turned around.
"Yes?" he asked, standing at the door.
Elanor quickly got out of bed and grabbed something from the small table standing next to her bed. She smiled as she walked to her father and stopped.
"I made this for you" she said, holding her hand out.
Resting on her palm was a blue and red bracelet. Sam gave a small smile.
"Thank you, Elanor" he said, taking the small bracelet and studying it.
After a few seconds, he gave an even bigger smile.
"This is very well made" he said.
Elanor gave an embarrassed smile.
"I finished it this morning, while you were still asleep"
There was a moment of silence between the two of them. The argument and incident about the book had been forgotten.
Samwise felt guilty about how he had reacted.
"Come here" said Sam, taking a knee.
Elanor and Sam embraced in a hug.
"I'm sorry, daddy" Elanor said, her eyes welling up.
Sam wise could read his daughter as easily as a book.
"You don't have to be sorry, it's all in the past now" Samwise explained.
Elanor broke away from the hug and looked into her father's eyes.
"So, your not angry at me?" she asked.
This was a hard question for Sam. On one hand, he had been angry. Angry that his oldest child had broken his trust. But then again, he was disappointed. Sam thought that he would never see the day when one of his children had stolen something off of him.
"Of course not. I was just scared" he answered.
This confused Elanor.
"Scared? About the book?" she asked.
Sam knew that she was still too young to understand what Sam and Frodo had been through. But that time would come.
"It has very great value to me. And one day, Elanor, you'll understand what I mean"
Elanor gave a small nod. The main reason why Sam had entered Elanor's room came back into his mind.
"Come on, your mother is cooking up a nice breakfast for us" he told her.
Elanor smiled as her father held out his hand. The young girl took it and, together, they walked out. Elanor suddenly thought of another question to ask.
"Daddy?" she asked, getting Sam's attention.
Sam looked down at his smiling daughter.
"Yes, dear?" he answered.
"Can I go out today?" Elanor asked.
It was then Samwise remembered, he had promised that Elanor would be allowed out in seven days time.
"I know I said a week and you've served your time" Sam said, looking down at her.
"Does that mean I can?" Elanor asked, getting excited.
"Of course" Sam answered.
Elanor's smile broadened. She already had her day planned out. But first, she had to have breakfast. She and her father entered the kitchen.
Rosie was still waiting for the flames to reach their full height. Rosie smiled as the flames grew to an expectable size. But food was still to be prepared. Rosie yawned as she opened the cellar door. As small candle was picked up. Its flame would be the only source of light in the cellar.
The shelves seemed emptier then normal. Shelves that held packets of food were now looking very empty.
Rosie seemed to find just enough food for a good sized meal. The echoes of her children talking and laughing came from the kitchen.
The small candle, which was held in her hand, was placed on one of the empty shelves. The candle seemed to dance as Rosie took her hand away.
"Right" she said to herself, looking at the packets.
"Bacon, mushrooms, sausages, eggs and…"
She stopped for a moment, thinking about else she could get. After a moment of thinking, it came to her. So, picking up the candle in her spare hand, she walked over to a different shelf.
She smiled, picking up the largest packet that was stored in the cellar. A loaf of fresh white bread. Rosie tucked it under one arm and walked out again.
Elanor smiled as her mother walked past.
"Mummy?" Elanor asked, hopping off of her chair.
Rosie placed the candle on the work to along with the packets of food.
"Yes, dear?" Rosie answered, looking at her oldest daughter.
"Could I help please?" she asked.
Rosie smiled, knowing that Elanor's helpful side was showing. But there was hardly anything to do and Rosie was not sure that she could trust her daughter near a hot stove.
"Well, you could help me set the table" Rosie said, ripping open the paper wrapping that had kept the bread fresh.
Elanor was a bit disappointed by what her mother had said.
"But, why can I not help you with cooking?" she asked.
Rosie took a deep breath as she opened a draw and retrieved a large cutting knife.
"Because your still too young to use the stove, maybe in a year or two" Rosie answered.
This made Elanor feel a bit useless.
"Could you lay the table for me?" Rosie asked.
Elanor gave a deep breath and nodded. Samwise walked towards the cupboard. An ale was needed for breakfast, as usual.
Water was hardly ever drunk, except in the heights of summer. But ale was preferred. So, picking out a large mug, Sam closed the cupboard door.
"May I borrow the candle?" he asked his wife.
Rosie looked around at him and smiled.
"Of course" she answered.
Sam smiled back, picking the mounted candle up. He walked towards the cellar and opened the door. He could not wait to take the first swig of ale. It always seemed best when he had just woken up.
Sam's mood improved when he saw the large barrels resting along the back wall. Sam placed the mug on the floor. It seemed to be the best place to put it.
Sam smiled as he turned the tap on. Amber liquid started to pour out in a solid stream. The flickering candle glinted in the liquid.
The surface of the ale rose and rose. The tap was only turned off when the level of ale was pleasing too the eye. Sam smiled as he picked the mug up.
He now had to be very careful. Ale seemed more precious then bars of gold to the hobbits. Sam smiled, leaving the flickering candle on the shelf. His goal was to get to the kitchen table.
Amazingly, not a drop of ale was spilt. Sam carefully placed the mug down before anything bad could happen. He smiled as Elanor placed the last of the table mats on their places.
Rosie was standing near by, waiting for an old looking pan to heat up.
"I think we're going to need a new pan soon" Rosie said, taking a deep breath.
Sam's expression changed.
"Isn't that one good enough?" he asked, his eyes drifting towards the cellar.
Rosie shook her head.
"No, it wont last much longer" she answered.
Sam gave a small shrug.
"I guess we could go and find one later" Samwise told his wife.
Rosie nodded and turned back to the pan. She picked up the first packet and ripped it open. Raw rashers of the Shire's finest bacon came into view.
The rashers were then taken out of the packet. Rosie was glad that she did not have to cut the block of raw bacon into rashers. It saved her a lot more time.
So, Rosie started to peal the strips of bacon off and placed them in the pan. A sizzling sound then erupted as the cold bacon hit the hot oil.
Three more rashers were placed into the pan. Rosie smiled as she walked away from it. But she did not walk far. All she did was open a cupboard and got out some plates. All would be used to put food on. Four plates would be used just for putting the freshly cooked bacon, eggs, sausages and a large pile of mushrooms.
The rest would be given to the family to put that food on their plates.
"Elanor" said Rosie.
Elanor had been looking at the fire. She did not know why, but when ever a fire was lit, she would some how get transfixed by its dance.
"Elanor?" asked her mother again.
This time, Elanor's gaze was broken as she looked away.
"Yes, mummy?" she asked, taking a few steps forwards.
"Could you put these on the table for me?" Rosie asked, holding six clean plates.
Elanor gave a smile.
"Yes, mummy" she said.
Rosie knew that her daughter could not handle the weight of all six at once. So, she handed her daughter one plate at a time.
"Thank you, dear" she said.
The bacon on the pan was now very brown and crisp on one side. So, picking the spatula, Rosie started to flip them onto the other side. The sizzle seemed to grow for a minute, then settle back down.
Meanwhile, Origo and Ivy were just meters apart, but they could not get to each other. Origo was on one side of the river, looking over at the other.
He could just about make out the small green fairy up a tree. But there was another figure near by. From what Origo could see, this one was not green like Ivy. But red.
"Is that him?" the robin tweeted, hopping to look at the small black figure on the other side of river.
Ivy nodded.
"Yes, that's him" she said, smiling.
The robin thought for a moment.
"I'll be back in a moment" the robin told the fairy.
Ivy nodded and watched the little bird flutter off. The robin took only a few seconds to get to where he needed.
Origo and the massive crow stood on the snow.
"It is him" tweeted the bird.
Origo, not being a bird of any sort, could not understand them. All he could hear was the crow and robin singing their own songs. But not a word came to him.
Ivy smiled as she sat there.
"He must be very hungry" Ivy told herself.
She could not wait to look after Origo again. He was very special to her and Ivy would do anything for him.
"And very cold"
Guilt was now surfacing. Yet again, Ivy blamed herself for what happened. Her happiness seemed to subside as she slumped back. Tiredness seemed to slowly come upon the small fairy again.
"Maybe I should try and fly there" she said.
But her wings were still frozen together. The water had frozen them together over night. There seemed to be no way of getting to the small pup just ten meters away.
On the opposite side of the river, the crow and the robin were talking to one an other.
"The puppy can not understand us. Yet, the fairy might be able to" the crow said.
He looked over at the tree the robin had just come from. A greenish glow could be seen coming from one of the branches. This was his Ivy.
A sudden noise came from the puppy. One that only Ivy and Ori could understand. And one that scared the crow and little robin.
Alarm calls rang out. The crow's massive wings stretched out and the bird began to fly. Origo continued to bark, trying to make his Ivy come to him.
The robin seemed to scoot away, leaving the puppy standing there by himself.
"He's bad news, I tell you" the robin said, landing by Ivy.
But Ivy had very different views.
"He needs me, I need to get to him" Ivy told the robin.
But the robin did not want this to happen.
"This forest was peaceful before he came along, now all of the birds have flown away!" the robin said.
The crow was now where to be seen. In fact, it was still flying though the forest of trees. Its roost was a mile or two from where he was flying.
The large bird swooped the leafless canopy of the forest. The river seemed to follow its own path, away from where the crow was heading.
Ivy was looking at Origo. She knew that the birds were not going to help. She had to get to Origo.
"But, he's harmless!" Ivy told him.
The robin was hard to convince.
"Harmless?" he asked, hearing the barks of the puppy echoing around the once tranquil forest.
Ivy took a deep breath, knowing that things could take a turn for the worse.
"Please just let me get to him, he'll calm down, I promise!" Ivy told him.
The robin thought about this for a moment.
"Are you sure of this?" asked the robin.
His tone had changed from inquisitive and helpful, to serious and reluctant to help.
"Of course, he trusts me" Ivy told him.
Once again, the robin stared at the small fairy.
"I can not take you over there myself and the crow seemed to have flown away" the robin said, hopping around to take a good look at the area.
Neither Ivy, Origo or the robin knew what was to come next. The crow was on his way back. But he was not alone. Twenty other crows were calling out in the forest.
"This way!" called the wisest and oldest crow.
He flapped his wings a few times and glided inches from the branches. The other crows followed suit as the river came into view.