Ivy took a deep breath as she looked around. A young looking girl was sleeping on the hard, cold ground below her. And, in her arms, a sleeping puppy. Both were unusually warm. For the little fairy had wrapped a bubble of warmth around each one.
Ivy, like the elves, could not feel tiredness or coldness. Ivy smiled as she fluttered about. The forest seemed to have thinned
Chetwood had finished, the road was just a few hundred meters away. Every so often, a cart or horse would gallop past. Ivy knew that Mya and Origo were hidden enough not to be seen.
Ivy fluttered down towards the pup. His little eyes were closed. Right before he fell asleep, Ivy had produced a large plate of Origo's favorite food.
Turkey.
Origo, like many times before, had eaten it all up. Mya, on the other hand, would have had staling bread for her dinner. But, now that Ivy was with them, she could have what she really wanted.
"Ivy?" whispered Mya.
Origo had already fallen asleep. But this did not mean he could hear them. Ivy smiled as she fluttered towards her.
"What is it?" Ivy asked, fluttering just a few inches in front of Mya.
Mya took a deep breath and looked down.
"Well, you know how you make Origo's food appear?" she whispered.
Ivy knew exactly what Mya wanted.
"You want some food?" Ivy asked.
Mya gave a small nod. Bacon was what she wanted the most. Ivy, having knowledge of Mya before she turned into her human self, knew exactly what she wanted.
Just like that, a large plate of the warmest, crispiest bacon appeared. Origo was oblivious to the going on in the world of wake. Mya, although having seen this a few times before, could never get over the magic coming from one small fairy.
With one hand, Mya started to eat the bacon. She smiled as she took a large bite. It was the first time that she had had eaten bacon since she left the old man that had been looking after her.
Ivy watched as rasher after rasher were consumed. Mya's under slowly vanished. But, with half the plate gone, she was still hungry.
A few minutes past. Mya smiled as she came to the last rasher. She smiled as it seemed to fill her to the brim. Ivy smiled as she looked down at the plate. Only a few morsels were left.
"Thank you" Mya whispered.
Without a sound, the plate disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Mya yawned as she looked around. She could not see more then thirty meters in front of her.
The canopy was leafless, small white points of light could be seen against the never ending blackness of space. Ivy looked up.
Wonder started to erupt in her mind.
What other worlds were out there?
Were any other beings watching them?
All Ivy could do wonder. Although, she felt very strange. Darkness brought different feelings. One feeling was the feeling of being watched.
When she had been living, in her tranquil forest home, she had seen many strange things. None for strange then one a clear, autumn night.
Ivy had been fluttering in the last of the warm sun. Clouds took on a pinkish colour as the sun sank. Ivy loved this time of year. But she did not like the next few months to come.
For the sun would not have enough strength to bathe the land in warmth. Ivy zoomed around the trees, happiness filled her heart. So much so that she could never see anything bad happening to her or her forest.
Ivy zoomed just inches away from the branches. Unlike the winter months, the branches were full of leaves. But they were not all green and lush.
In fact, they had many different colours. From light green and dark green, yellow, red and brown. The forest seemed to be more colourful then in any other time of the year.
As Ivy fluttered around, a large leaf fell from the canopy. The fairy, as clever and as magical as she was, did not see it.
As she fluttered, she was hit by the leaf. It seemed to scoop the little fairy right out of the air. Flying was useless. Ivy spun in the air. Gravity took a hold of her took, pulling her closer to the ground.
For a moment, it looked like she would hit the ground. But Ivy had it all under control. Her wings started to beat, slowing her down to a stop, just inches from the ground.
"Whoa!" she said, catching her breath.
Her little heart was now racing. She had come close falling to the forest floor before, but not this close.
It was then through the twilight of the forest, that something caught her eye. Some flashed with many colours. Red, orange, yellow, green and blue. All flashed quickly.
"That's odd" she thought, placing her feet on the ground.
None of her friends were with her. But it was a thought that crossed Ivy's mind.
"No, no" she said, thinking quickly.
"Their probably busy"
It was up to her and her alone to investigate. So, taking flight, she fluttered towards it. The trees blocked the object from sight a few times.
Ivy stopped behind a large tree. No sounds could be heard. Birds that had once been singing had now all stopped. The cool wind had stopped. The little fairy felt all alone in the woods now. The trees dared to move in fright.
Ivy could see the flashing lights as she poked her head around the side of the tree.
"What is that?" she asked herself.
Ivy knew that she was too deep into the forest for it to be any being. Not even elves visited these parts. The structure seemed to float in midair by an unknown tether.
The lights coming from it seemed to melt into each other. There was no sign of any beings walking around. Ivy slowly fluttered to another tree. Her eyes never leaving the lights flashing in front of her.
Just as she got to the tree, there was a small bit of movement. The fallen leaves on the floor were pushed by an invisible wind.
The lights suddenly grew brighter as the object moved. But it did not move along the ground. Instead, it gained height. Ivy took a deep breath. All she could hear was her heart beat.
The fairy raised her head as the object gained height. What happened next happened quickly. Ivy could clearly make out the lights flashing.
Ivy blinked just at the wrong time. For, for the split second her eyes were shut, the object took off. As she opened them again, she saw the light now as a small dot.
Ivy watched it get smaller and smaller until she could not see it anymore. Everything went back to be extremely calm. Birds had started to sing again, like nothing had ever happened. The wind picked up again.
The sun seemed to have gone down a bit further, deepening the pinkish colours in the clouds. Ivy held her breath as she scanned the skies.
But there was no sign of anything out of the ordinary.
Meanwhile, a lot of time had past since Ivy started to think about what had happened all those years ago. The sun was rising in the East. Bird song echoed through the forest as they started to wake.
Only one could be heard for the moment. But, as the light grew, more and more birds began their morning son. Mya and Origo were still sleeping. Although it looked like Mya would be the first to wake.
Mya yawned as she made herself comfortable again. But all of her comfort had gone away. Her back was now hurting as she continued to sit there.
Ivy, who had been on look out all night, smiled as she saw Mya's eyes open.
"Morning" Mya whispered.
For the small puppy in her arms was still snoozing.
"Did you have a good sleep?" Ivy asked, fluttering closer.
Mya smiled and nodded.
"I wouldn't mind some of that bacon" Mya whispered.
Ivy took one look at Origo. If he found out that Mya could see Ivy as well, he would not trust her. Neither Mya nor Ivy wanted Origo to find out who Mya really was.
Another hour past. By this time, the sun had now fully risen. The songs of birds seemed to echo all around them. Origo yawned as he stood there. Ivy smiled as she made a plate of delicious turkey appear before the sleepy pup.
But Origo was not sleepy for long as he started to munch the warm chunks.
"Puppy?" asked the girl.
Origo looked up at her. Mya took one a confused look. Ori just blinked, wondering what she was on about.
"Where did that plate of turkey come from?" she asked.
Origo was now very confused. His little brown eyes darted from the fairy, to the girl. A small whine came from him.
Mya took a deep breath. An idea came into her head.
"Maybe we could save some for later" she told him.
"You've had enough for now"
But the small puppy did not think the same. He gave a stern sounding whine. Ivy gave a smile.
"Puppy, all she wants is to help, maybe it is a good idea if you have some later"
But Origo was too clever.
"But, you can make more for me" Origo pointed out.
Mya, who was now acting, smiled.
"I think we should get going now" she said.
But Origo had other plans. A small growl as two large, cold hands scooped him up.
"Oh, puppy!" Mya said, feeling him wriggle.
He whimpered, still seeing turkey that was uneaten. Mya took a deep breath.
"What is wrong with you?" she asked.
Ori seemed to have changed. He was not his calm little self any more. He had changed. Mya took a deep breath as he continued to whimper.
"Puppy" Mya said.
But it did not work.
"Puppy!" she repeated.
This time, her voice had a hint of sternness about it. This seemed to work as Origo stopped squirming. But it did not stop his adorable whimpering.
"Puppy, we have to get walking if we want to see our friend" Mya told him.
"But I'm hungry" he whimpered.
Mya smiled.
"That's a good puppy"
Origo's little face was kissed as he was set back down on the floor. By this time, the plate had vanished. This did not help Origo's mood.
Ivy smiled as she fluttered to him.
"Puppy, you'll be able to have more food in a few hours"
Origo had never left turkey on his plate before. Usually, all of it would have been gone within a few minutes.
In Hobbiton, breakfasts were being prepared. None took more effort then in the Gamgee household. Rosie had rose at the first sign of light.
Tiredness was drawn across her face. But she managed to drag herself out of her warm bed. Samwise, her husband, was gently snoring near by. Rosie smiled as she silently opened the door and walked into the colder corridor.
Candles had been left to burn over night. They made interesting shapes as the wax melted, slid down the side and solidified again.
The kitchen was too small for the family that Rosie had. The table was not enough for her, Sam, Elanor, Frodo, Rose, Merry and Pippin.
The amount of food that the family got through in one sitting was enough to feed five human families for a week. Vast amounts of food were consumed every day. For that's one of the main reasons why hobbits were famous, apart from their role in the war of the ring.
Rosie smiled as she squatted down. More wood was needed to stock up the fire. The house around her was unusually quiet. But that would soon change as the morning grew.
Small logs were places in the dying embers. But, there were enough to re-catch the fire. Rosie smiled as she continued to stock up the fire.
As the time past, the fire grew and grew. The wood that had been placed in there was now turning white hot. The flames grew to an expectable height.
Rosie smiled as she took the old, fire beaten kettle. She smiled as she walked over to the sink. The tap was then turned on, sending water gushing into the kettle.
Rosie stood there, feeling the weight of the kettle strengthen. A minute past. There was now enough water in the kettle to produce many mugs of sweet tea.
Rosie heaved the kettle out of the sink. A hook had been placed just above the fire. It was this that the kettle would hang on.
A metal clung signaled the kettle being put on the hook. Rosie rubbed her hands as she took a deep breath. The large window near by showed that the sun was now truly up.
In the room, just down the hallway, Sam slowly woke. He yawned and turned over. Sam would have rather stayed in bed all day. But he had jobs to do around the house.
So, Sam slowly sat up. His eyes wanted ever so much to close. But he did not let them. His large, hairy feet hit the cold tilted floor.
It was then that he noticed that the door had been left ajar. This could mean only one thing, Rosie had risen before him.
So, Sam walked to the door and out of the room. He smiled as, a minute later, he reached the kitchen.
"Morning" he said, seeing his wife.
Rosie looked around and smiled.
"Good morning" she answered.
Two large mug had already set out on the polished work top. A small box, full of strong smelling tea leaves sat near by. A small vase of milk and another small wooden box sat near by.
The second box contained sugar. Sugar was very important to hobbits of every age. It would be put into most things, such as cakes, muffins, tea and on bowls of cereal.
Sam yawned as he took his seat. He took a deep breath as he rubbed his eyes, trying to get rid of the sleepiness that clung to him. Rosie continued to make the tea. The old kettle gently steamed as the water inside bubbled.
A few minutes later, Rosie took the tea leaves and put a good wad of tea leaves into the hot water. They instantly gave up some of their colour. A small silver spoon was then picked up.
Rosie smiled as she started to stir the first mug. Another batch of dried leaves were put into the mixture. Rosie stirred both for a few minutes before she picked out the soggy leaves.
Samwise smiled as Rosie turned around. She carefully watched the two mugs as she turned on the spot.
"Thank you, dear" Sam said, taking it.
Rosie took her seat and smiled. The calmness in their day only came twice. Once before the children were up. And once after the children had been put to bed.
Rosie sat down. the small vase of cold, fresh milk sat between the two of them. Sam helped himself to some sugar and started to stir. Rosie took her little spoon and started to transfer sugar into her drink.
A few minutes of silence past. Both hobbits were too warn out to talk. Sam slowly sipped on his tea, dreading the thought of his children waking up.
"You know what I would like right now?" Sam asked his wife.
Rosie gave a tied sigh.
"What?" she asked.
"A nice, large muffin" he told her.
Rosie gave a smile. This was indeed a good idea.
"I'll get one" she said, leaving her mug.
"And only one"
Rosie knew that if Sam had the chance, he would eat a shire's worth of muffins. Sam took a deep breath, but gave a smile.
So, Rosie walked over to the cellar and opened it. But, before crossing the threshold, she picked up a candle. Its light would help her find the location of the muffins.
Sam watched his wife walked out of view. He took a deep breath as he looked over at the clock. Only half an hour more before he would wake his children.
Rosie came out of the cellar holding two small packets in one of her hands. The candle was placed back and the cellar door closed.
"Thank you" Sam said, being handed a plate with the fresh muffin on it.
Rosie smiled as she sat down. Both hobbits were now eating. Only the ticking of the clock could be hear, as well as a drip falling from the tap.
Half an hour had past since the two of them rose. Now was the time to raise the children from their slumber. Sam took a deep breath as he stood. He gave a large stretch, trying to get rid of the last bit of sleep.
Meanwhile, in the Realm of Gondor, Lord Faramir had risen and was now riding a horse towards a near by forest. There, thousands of workers had started cutting down large trees.
There was a noticeable line where the trees had been felled. There was quite a large pile of branchless trees near by. More men were cutting it half.
Many carts had been placed in a long line. Men had already started to load them as Faramir dismounted. A few seconds later, one of his advisors came up to him.
"My lord" he bowed.
Faramir gave a small nod back. In fact, he was there to work. For Faramir felt like he was one of the men.
"Give me an axe" he said.
His advisor did not know what to make of what he said.
"May I ask, why, my Lord?"
Faramir took a deep breath.
"I am not here on business, I am here to restore Osgiliath. Get me an axe"
The advisor gave a nod.
"Certainly, my Lord"
Faramir took a deep breath. It was bitterly cold here. The ground crunched underfoot. Every so often, a large thud echoed around. This came from the front line in the attack on the forest.
Large trees were being eaten away by metal. Deforestation had not happened on this scale for many years. But, this time, its cause was of good nature.
A few minutes later, the advisor returned. Faramir was then handed the axe. After a few seconds of inspecting it, Faramir came to the conclusion that it would suit him well.
So, he walked towards the line of trees ready to be cut down. Men bowed as he walked past. Tiredness could be seen in the faces of the men facing him.
As he reached the tree line, men stopped their work.
"As you were" Faramir told them.
A tree had been left unscathed. Faramir ran his hand over the hard bark. A small smile came over him. So, he gripped the wooden handle. He draw it back. A few seconds later, he started to swing.
A gentle click came as Samwise opened the door. He smiled as he saw his eldest daughter and child, Elanor, snoozing peacefully under her large duvet.
Samwise took a deep breath. This was the part of his day he hated. He hated getting his children up when they looked this peaceful.
"Elanor?" he asked, moving a few strands of hair from her face.
Movement then came from the young girl. Her eyes slowly opened as one of her hands slid up and out of the duvet. Elanor gave a small whine rubbed her left eye.
"Morning honey" Sam said.
He smiled as he left her to properly wake up. Underneath the duvet, laying next to Elanor, was a warm wooden horse.
"Have a good sleep, horsey?" she asked.
The horse was tired as well. It seemed that the horse had a soul of his own. And it lived through the adventures that it shared with Elanor.
A few minutes of play time followed as Elanor and the horse continued to wake up. Sounds in the house grew as Elanor's younger siblings woke.
Merry and Rose seemed to be more awake then any one else. They instantly started to chase each other around the house.
Frodo had yet to wake. but the land of dreams had been taken away from him. He could hear sounds, echoing from behind his door.
Sam had left his door deliberately open so that the noises would keep his son from falling back to sleep. And it was working. Frodo took a deep breath as he turned under his duvet.
His eyes opened. He could see shadows of his siblings flashing past in the light coming into his room. He could hear his father keeping the others at bay. For it took a lot of work to mould this family.
The kitchen door was shut. Rosie was putting pans on the fiery hobs. Bacon, mushrooms, toast, bacon, sausages, eggs were all being prepared.
Rosie took a deep breath as she started to crack eggs and put them in the hot pan. Oil had already been placed so that they would not stick.
Rosie managed to fit five eggs into the pan. But this was not the only thing to start cooking. Sausages were then taken out of their packet and placed into the pan.
Fifteen in total.
The eggs were being looked at as the heat cooked the sausages. But it was not going to be a short process. Rosie needed to make sure there was enough for second helpings.
The clock continued to tick on as more and more food was prepared. The sun was now warming the crisp earth below. There was a cold mist hanging on the horizon.
A horse galloped trough the land. Its rider looked very tired indeed. For he was not a man of the Shire, nor Rohan, which he had just past.
This was a man of the King of Gondor. He had been riding in the freezing lands for near enough twelve days. He stopped only for a few hours a night to catch some well needed sleep.
As the messenger made his way towards the Shire, a strange sight came into view. A large black building came into view. It dwarfed the trees that grew around.
The horse was then pulled up. The man was very tired. His breath could be seen as he sat on the saddle.
"Orthanc" he said.
A few seconds later, the horse sprung back into life. The sound of hooves impacting onto crisp ground. Birds seemed to be just small dots in the distance as he continued to ride.
The tower seemed to grow as the horse and man came up to it. But first, there was a river to negotiate. Luckily, a bridge had been built.
The man saw this opportunity to cross. And he took it. Isengard looked much different then it did a few years before. The blackness that was caused by Saruman had now all gone.
Ents had been responsible for the destruction of the surrounding wall. But the tower was not so easily destroyed. Not even the strongest of Ents could put but a dent in the steel.
The man smiled as a silver ribbon of water running from right to left. The bridge, when at night, was lit by a candle inside a dirty looking box on top of a post.
But, due to the sun, it was no needed. The horse started to slow down again as the man came to the bridge.
"Whoa, whoa" the man said.
The man took a deep breath as he sat on the saddle. A strap flowed over each shoulder. A heavy bag sat on his back. Like his clothes, the bag was old and spotted with drying mud.
The sound of trickling water came over the sound of the horses hooves. The man smiled as he hopped off of his beast. The horse neighed and nudged the man with its large head.
"Almost there" he told it, running a cold hand down its face.
A yawn came over him. The bags under his eyes were more pronounced then usual.
"Come on" he said.
A little walk and a bit to eat would suit him nicely. The tower of Orthanc created a long shadow. The tower was now home to many peaceful creatures.
Birds occupied the newly growing forest by day. Bats, owls, hedgehogs and foxes occupied it by the cover of darkness.
The trees, for the moment, stood leafless, waiting for the first of the spring sunshine. But for now they waited. A few lakes were dotted around the large circular area.
Below its murky surface, the echoes of a era past. Metal spike lay on the very bottom. But they were not forgotten about. Pippin and Merry thought about their time with Treebeard the most.
Sometimes, Pippin would have dreams of his adventures. And the night before was no different. Eglantine, who had served up breakfast, found her youngest child, and only son, very withdrawn.
"There's something not right with Peregrin" she said as the last plate was washed up.
Paladin, Pippin's father, took a deep breath.
"Yes, I have felt it too" he answered.
Eglantine looked at the door that Pippin had gone out of. Pippin was in fact thinking about the journey he had been on with his three best friends.
A large mug of ale had been carried to his room. The door was closed. Pippin sat on his bed, deep in thought. He wondered what his best friend and wife, Diamond, was up to.
"Maybe I should go and see her" he thought.
But another voice came into his head.
"No, just give it more time" it said.
Pippin did not like the fact that he was now arguing with himself. His mind seemed split in half. One side wanted to go and see Diamond. The other wanted to wait just one more day.
In fact, Diamond was thinking the exact same thing. Although her mind would see be distracted by a book. The very same one that Pippin had written and given to her.
Diamond was sitting in a nice, warm lounge. A nice mug of tea had been placed on the old, but polished, table before her.
A healthy fire flickered in the heath just across from the room. Shelves had been made. It had been filled with many books. Some read, others not.
But there was only one book Diamond wanted to read. And it was the one in her grasp that was going to bed read/ Diamond took a deep breath as she flicked through the pages.
She smiled as she came to a new chapter in the book. Diamond made herself comfortable and started to read.
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.
Merry and I had decided that it was time to visit and old friend. He went by the name of Farmer Maggot.
Diamond took a deep breath. She had heard stories of what Merry and Pippin had done to Farmer Maggot. Diamond shook her head as she continued to read.
But it would not be an easy task. The farm was guarded by three of the biggest dogs I had ever seen. Grip, Fang and Wolf were their names. They had long pointy ears, a large black nose and a coat that considered of black and light brown fur.
According to Merry, it was my turn to distract them. A task that neither one of us wanted to do. But it had do be done.
So, I took up the task of distracting them. The corn field that we had just come through was perfect cover. So, I left Merry hiding in the corn field.
I headed straight for the only place that I could get in. A small gap in the hedgerow, crossed by a wooden fence. Nerves were now getting to me. Each sound made my heart jump.
The warm sun beat down on him. Buildings were dotted around. But there was only one building me and Merry were interested in.
But, before I reached it, I had been seen by one of the dogs. This is not what I wanted. Farmer Maggot had now been called to action. But a job was now to be done as I hid.
The dogs looked around. They could smell me, but just did not know where I was. The store room was just a few meters from where I was. But there was no sign of Merry.
But I did not count one the number of dogs against me. A growl came from behind me. It was one of the three dogs. This was a queue to run.
So, without a second thought, I ran. but running was useless, for I could not get near enough to the store room. But, luckily, Merry got there before me. He managed to open the door.
A few moments later, I arrived. Our work could now start. So, we stocked up on carrots and lettuce. My forehead was dripping wet.
After a few minutes, we had grabbed all that we could grab. As we left, the dogs saw us. Farmer Maggot was there too. He looked very angry indeed. So, Merry and I made like a wild river and ran.
But something happened that we could not control. We had ran into a path of unknown danger and unforeseen friends.
Frodo and Sam were in the middle of the field. We literally ran into them. we had now got them into trouble too. So, after our hurtful meeting, the four of us had to run for our lives.
But Farmer Maggot was least of our worries.
Diamond took a deep breath as she came to the end of the chapter. It took a while for her words to sink in. For some reason, she did not feel any different about Pippin afterwards.
The book was placed down, the cup of tea was picked up. Diamond took a sip of her lukewarm tea. Her eyes were now focused on the flickering fire.
Diamond knew, near enough, exactly what Pippin had been through. And that's exactly what had happened a few nights before. For Pippin had come to visit her.
A long story had been told, so far, Pippin was half way through.
"Merry and myself were now at the mercy of Treebeard"
Treebeard was new to Diamond.
"Who is Treebeard?" she asked.
Pippin gave a little smile.
"You'll never believe me if I told you" he answered.
But Diamond's trust had changed. For she believed every single word that came from him.
"Pippin, I do trust you" Diamond said.
Her large blue eyes showed no signs lies. This was strange for Pippin. For he had never seen this look in Diamond's eyes before.
"Really?" he asked.
Diamond gave a small nod.
"Of course"
Pippin smiled.
"Well, where were we?" he asked himself.
"Ah" he said, remembering his place in the story.
"Yes, well, we we're now in the company of Treebeard.
Treebeard was a talk, walking tree. Same as the ones you get here. But he had a special quality. He was the wisest of any Ent we encountered. But he was also the calmest, slowly creature we came across"
Pippin gave a small smile, remembering the discomfort that followed.
"Gandalf seemed more trusting. But it was I who put us in the most danger. For, before the Entmoot, we had seen Saruman's army of ten thousand orcs march to Helms Deep"
A dangerous plan had came to his mind.
"The closer we are to danger, the further we are from harm" Pippin told him.
"It's the last thing he'll expect"
Treebeard found this an excellent idea. But one that would turn dangerous. For both Merry and Pippin were heading towards Isengard.
There, they discovered the wrath of Saruman. Treebeard was going to take revenge. He called upon his fellow Ents to help him out.