"Elanor" she said, looked beyond her friend.
For a moment, Elanor wondered what she was looking at. She then remembered that the wolf was still on the prowl.
"Get back!" Elanor said, holding her stick like a sword.
Gloria moved back a bit. She was scared of the big wolf before her. But, between the girls, the wolf looked quite different.
Elanor saw it as a large, black wolf. His eyes glowed green, his two front paws were as thick as tree trunks. His fur was as black as the darkest night.
His teeth were as sharp as Elven blades. They were stained black. Elanor thought that this was because of all the orcs it had eaten. Although Elanor couldn't understand why this was. For orcs were not very tasty.
Gloria saw the beast as a muscular dog with two large fangs. Drool hung around its mouth, dripping onto the cold snow every so often.
Its eyes glowed a red as a fiery heath. It seemed to contently growl. Its fur was the same as Elanor's vision, but the rest was different.
In Elanor's vision, the wolf had gigantic paws. But, in Gloria's vision, its legs were thinner and its back was arched. Its head stayed low to the ground. Its eyes never leaving the two girls.
"When I say run" Elanor said calming, staring at the beast before her.
The surrounding had now changed back to dangerous mountains. The dangerous pass had been crossed. Now, the two girls were in a maze of ice. Sheets of ice towered on either side of them. There was no way out, save from a small crack in the ice.
"Elanor?" Gloria asked.
Gloria had spotted the crack in the ice. Elanor slowly looked back.
"What?" she asked.
Gloria did not know to tell her, but she had to. The wolf was baring down on both of them.
"There's a small cave we could run into"
As soon as those words were spoken, the wolf pounced at Elanor. The young girl stepped back as the wolf changed at her.
With a swipe of her sword, the wolf was injured. It gave a small whine, obviously effected by blade. But he recovered from it quickly.
Anger rose as blood dripped down from the side of its face.
"Elanor, we need to go!" Gloria said, seeing the sudden rise in danger.
She grabbed her friends arm and led her away. The wolf roared loudly and, once again, bounded towards the two girls.
Luckily, the two girls got away with moments to spare. Gloria and Elanor squeezed into the gap. The wolf, being larger then them, could not fit in the gap.
"Quickly, move further down"
Gloria and Elanor had to moved sideways to get down the passage. It was a couple of minutes of this tightness before the crack opened up into a cave.
Elanor looked around. There was no snow here, yet the cold wind blew through. Gloria and Elanor could hardly see what was in front of them.
Luckily, Elanor found what she thought was a unlit torch.
"Gloria, pass me the fire stones" Elanor said.
Gloria, who had had a pack on all this time, took it off and opened it up. A couple of seconds pasted before she found a small box. She grabbed it and took it out.
"Here" she said.
The level of light was just enough to see where the box was. Elanor opened it and took out the two, smooth stones. Both looked like black voids in her hands.
A few minutes later, fire erupted from what Elanor thought was a torch. The light showed her what she really picked up. But, the shock was quickly taken away as Gloria took a deep breath.
Origo's small, pink tongue was hanging out as he slept. Mya had once again put him in her bag. A large, very warm blanket had covered nearly ever inch of his fury body.
Ivy was in the bag as well. But she was not asleep. Mya continued to walk as Origo conserved his energy. Ivy, meanwhile, was still awake. She could see, through the woven fabric of the bag. Every so often, a large thump would come. This was the sign that Mya was still walking.
Ivy could see her surroundings darken as time wore on. Origo continued to sleep. Ivy could see his little face in the ever growing darkness. His fluffy head was resting on his fluffy paws.
It was normal for Origo to do this, but Ivy still found it cute. Ivy thought about sleeping herself. Though she did not need sleep, she could stay up for the rest of time, time would pass quicker if she did sleep.
And that's exactly what Ivy did. She curled up next to the large puppy. She smiled as she found a small bit of blanket that was not being used.
It was just big enough for her to wrap around herself. She smiled as she laid down and closed her eyes. The small fairy yawned and slowly fell to sleep.
Mya continued to walk. But, as she did, hunger grew. Her left hand side, a snow ridden marsh. It was muddy and waterlogged. The static water had now turned to ice.
Animals that lived in the water were now trapped. Snow settled on thin ice, disguising it from anyone that wondered through the marshes.
But Mya's plan was not to go cross country. Instead, she would fallow the road that she was on. In the distance, which could not be seen at this moment in time, a small range of hills stood.
They too were covered in white, untouched snow. An abandoned settlement stood, covered in ice and snow, just a few miles from where they were.
Weathertop lay cold and unused, save for small animals and birds. Other then that, it was weather-beaten. Trees and weeds grew in small cracks between the stones of the once prominent settlement.
The trees grew stronger and stronger. The small cracks, that had once housed them as saplings, was no more. Instead, the slabs of once polished marble had cracked. Bumps could be seen, creating more cracks and letting other plants and trees grow.
But it would be many thousands of years before the whole of Weathertop was eaten by nature. For now, it was, and had been, a safe spot for resting.
Travellers, for many hundreds of years, had stopped there. Their length of stay would be for just a night or two, then they would leave again.
Mya would soon reach this. Just one more day of walking and she would be able to stop there. But for now, she would have to continue walking.
Tiredness was now getting to her as the sun completely went down. Mya had no concept of time. It could have been nine o'clock at night or three o'clock in the morning.
All she could do was walk. The snow on the ground seemed to lighten the night up. Any light that was shed out was magnified.
But, around these parts, light was hard to come by. Only a small, dull spot coming from her bag. Only Mya could see this light.
It was Ivy.
Ivy let out a healthy green glow. Mya thought that it had become more prominent as Ivy lay there. There was little thought that she might actually be asleep.
Hobbiton was now dark as well. But, the residents could see more of their surroundings then Mya could. All of the hobbit children were now inside, out of the deepening coldness.
Snow elves and snow hobbits had been left to fight the coldness by themselves. The compact balls of snow that they were made of hardened in the coldness. They were now akin to the concrete.
There were some balls with second, small ones, on top. Sticks and stones had been placed into the balls of snow. Frodo Gamgee and his friends had spent a few hours playing and building their own snow hobbits.
Lunch had past and now dinner was being prepared. Rosie smiled as she picked up a trey. On that trey, a very large chicken, its feathers had been plucked.
Its insides had been scooped out and thrown away. Rosie had spent a good half an hour cleaning and preparing the bird.
Rosie smiled as she took a knife. She started to stab the chicken, creating small slits in the meat. A small box and vase stood near by. Honey was in the small jar and herbs were in the small, wooden box.
Rosie smiled as she took the small box. The herbs would be the first to put on the chicken. Rosie smiled as she took a small pinch and stuffed them in each of the small slits with the herbs.
Rosie smiled as she picked up the small glass jar. A spoon was taken out of the draw. Rosie went back and opened the jar. Inside, amber honey.
The hobbit took the spoon and scooped out the honey. It ran off of the spoon as she took it out. A second spoon, much smaller then the first, was picked up as well.
The smaller spoon was used to scrape off the sticky honey. More and more honey started to slide down the cold meat.
Down the corridor, Elanor was still in her adventure. Though Gloria had gone back to her home, she was still involved.
The torch burst into flames. The old cloth still seemed to have oil poured on it. What they saw took their breath away. The cave was massive. It was bigger then anything the two young girls had ever seen.
The cave seemed to stretch out before them. But, it was the goings on behind them that scared them the most. A loud howl, from the wolf, echoed around them. the echoing seemed to last for a long while.
"Come on" Elanor said, taking a deep breath.
"Lets get away from here"
Gloria gave a small nod and walked after her friend. The ground they walked on consisted of slimy rocks. Elanor made sure that she did not slip and hurt herself. That would just slow them down even more.
The sound of water, dripping from the ceiling of the cave and into an invisible body of water, grew louder. It was then that the flickering torch reflected on a large body of blackness.
"Stop" Elanor said, seeing that her friend had yet to spot the lake.
She held Gloria back with one arm. Gloria's eyes reflected the light too. The lake was akin to glass. Shallow ripples crossed the lake and licked the shore.
"It's a lake" Gloria said.
Her voice echoed in an endless cave. Elanor nodded. The wind whistled through the small gap that they had entered in.
"Well, I guess we're here for a while" Elanor said, looked back.
She could make out the black shadow of the wolf, prowling around outside. Elanor knew that they had to find a way out soon. The coldness and lack of food would kill them off in a couple of days.
Elanor put her pack down. She suddenly realised what a weight it was. Her back had a dull pain running through it. She could come to only one conclusion to why this was. She had worn the bag for too long.
Gloria too had an equal painful back. She took a deep breath as she found a less slimy stone to sit on. Gloria opened her pack and took out a flask.
She took a large swig and looked around. The torch had been stood against a large rock. Its flames flickered in the wind blew against it.
"I'm starving" Elanor said.
Deep down, the bread that she had taken out of her bag was not enough. She needed warm food like bacon and chicken. But that was hard to come by.
Yes, the two girls had had some meat, but it had been a couple of days ago when they were further down the mountain.
"You know" said Elanor, her voice echoing around the cathedral sized cave.
"I'd rather be at home" she said.
The two girls had battles their way through valleys and peaks, snow, rain and heat. But their mission had only just started.
In Elanor's world, an evil had been spreading across the land. One of her best friends, a wooden horse, had been taken captive. That was the reason that she was so far away from home.
She missed Hobbiton. But she would not rest until her friend had been set free. And Elanor would stop at nothing to make that happen.
Meanwhile, Mya, Origo and Ivy were not the only ones out in the freezing snow. Pimpernel was still walking towards a small village. It was the only one, out of all the hundred of thousands in Middle-earth, that she wanted to go to.
Pimpernel continued to travel towards the small village. But the coldness was getting to her. Pimpernel sniffed as she came over yet another hill.
In the distance, she could see a few lights. This was where Hamson was.
"Come on, Pimpernel" she told herself, taking a deep breath.
"Just a few more miles"
Pimpernel took a few moments rest before she started to walk again. But her journey had not been an easy one. A few times, she had stopped in her tracks and started to walk back.
But she stopped again.
"What am I doing?" she asked herself.
Hamson was the only reason that she had left the warmth and safety of Hobbiton. And it was Hamson that drover her on through the worst winter storms of the year.
Hunger was now getting to her. A single loaf of white bread had been packed in her bag. The straps hung over both of her shoulders.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a bite to eat" she thought.
As she slipped the bag off. The snow around her was coming to a stop. The snow, just down the dark road from her, was untouched. Not even birds had had the pleasure of being the first to enjoy the snow.
Pimpernel shivered as opened the pack up. The loaf of bread was then taken out. Nelly's hands were beyond cold. They took on a dull pain as she slowly unwrapped the loaf. Her hands were not as nimble as they were.
Everything was done much slower then normal. Pimpernel took a deep breath as she tried to rip off a small bit of bread.
But her hands lacked the power needed to do so. So, thinking quickly, Pimpernel started to bite off the bread. This worked much better. But the bread was starting to stale as Pimpernel ate.
After ten or so minutes of eating, Pimpernel put the bread back. less then half of the loaf was left. The hobbit knew that all of it would be gone by the time she reached her Hamson.
Hamson was sitting in a warm, well lit kitchen. He smiled as he cut up a large, steaming stake. His aunt, uncle and his cousin, Anson was sitting just beside him. All four of them ate in silence.
Hamson smiled as he poked his fork into the last bit of beef. He smiled as he ate it. his plate was now clear. Hamson placed both his knife and fork on the plate. He smiled as he picked up his mug.
"Well, my dear" said Andy, broadening his smile.
"That was most excellent"
His wife smiled.
"Only the best for my family" she said.
Hamson smiled too. He felt well fed, as he did when ever he finished a meal. His ale was finished. Andy's wife stood up again. For, after dinner, came one of the only reasons hobbits did not retire to their rooms.
A large cake had been cooking in the flaming stove. Hamson watched as it was taken out. He took a deep breath. Even though he had had his fill of food, a little bit of cake would go down nicely.
His auntie smiled as she cut it into four, very large pieces. She placed one piece into each of the four bowls. A large glass jar of cream had been taken out of the small cellar. Andwise's wife smiled as she turned around.
"There you go" she said, placing a bowl in front of her husband and son.
She then turned around and picked up the last two bowls. She smiled as she placed one before Hamson and one on her place.
"Thank you" Hamson said.
A spoon had been placed out before each place. Now was the time to use them. Andy was the first to take a large mouthful of the warm cake.
Judging by his face, it was a great success. Soon, all four of them ate. And, as before, quietness came over them. Hamson's tiredness grew as he took mouthful after mouthful.
The amount of cake quickly vanished as he ate. Now, only half of it was left. A small part of him wanted to finish up there, he could not eat another bite. But, then again, he was a hobbit.
After a minute, Hamson started to eat again. And he continued to eat. The cake vanished from sight as he ate. But he was not the first to finish. That title was given to Anson. He smiled as he placed the spoon down.
Less then ten minutes later, the rest of the family had finished. Andy's wife smiled as she sat there. Everyone was now fed and watered, her duties were done, for now.
Now, the washing up needed to be done. Like always, Hamson and Andy helped. Bowls that were once full of food were now standing by the sink. Anson had already departed back to his room. he had refilled his mug with ale before he left.
"Oh, my dear, I can do it" Hamson's untie said.
Hamson smiled as the bowls were taken from him.
"Now, go and relax, I'll bring the tea in when its ready"
Hamson smiled and nodded. He took a deep breath as he turned around and walked out of the kitchen. But, Hamson was not the only hobbit that had been eating. The Gamgee household had been very busy over the past hour.
But, now that all of the children had been fed, the level of activity had slowly started to stop. Elanor smiled as she sat on her bed. The young girl smiled.
"It's my birthday in two months" she told her favourite toy horse.
The horse, of course, knew this. For the horse knew every little secret that Elanor had. For the horse was indeed a part of her own imagination.
Elanor was at that stage where she was seeing things a bit differently. Her feelings were getting stronger and more real. At the back of her mind, for the five days, was a thought that she could not get rid of.
"You are going to have a new baby brother or sister" her mother had told them.
Yes, Elanor loved her brothers and sisters. For she was the oldest and could remember most of their births. But it was taking it toll on her.
The young girl was in a fragile state. Love from her mother and father seemed to have been trickling away with every passing birth.
But not all of the Gamgee children felt like this. Frodo seemed not to be bothered by the amount of children that his parents had. For he was in his own little world.
Elanor and Frodo, for the moment, did not have to share a room. But that was soon to change as the family grew. For now, Elanor could delve deep into her imagination.
"What are you hoping to get?" the horse asked.
Elanor took a deep breath and started to think. She hadn't thought about what she wanted yet. And it was the bed time to do so.
"Well" she started, thinking of a few things she already wanted.
"I wouldn't mind a mirror and a comb" she answered.
These were much different answers to the ones the horse was expecting. He knew that his Elanor had been growing up and the day would soon come.
"What about toys?" the horse asked.
Elanor seemed not to be interested about getting toys this year. Her mind was now on how beautiful she looked. Even though she was going to be ten, her looks were now getting more important then playing.
But she had many years of playing with her friends before she would start to worry about other things. The horse was now galloping around the bed.
"I want to play again" the horse told her.
Elanor smiled. But she did not feel like playing at the moment. Elanor felt like making more beads. Without an explanation to where she was going, the girl slid off of the bed.
Under her bed were a few boxes that stored her old clothes. A layer of dust had congregated on each surface. But Elanor wanted only one box.
The box had been given to her by her father. The box contained lots of small beads of nearly every colour under the sun. A bundle of strings lay in the last compartment. They were just long enough to put a good amount of beads on and to tie it up.
Elanor smiled as stood up. The horse was watched her every movement. Elanor had made only three bracelets. Two were in the room. One around her small wrist and the other around the wooden neck of her toy horse. The third was laying in a dark box. And that box was under a bed. Samwise had placed it in a box that he used for his most precious objects.
Elanor's bracelet lay right on top, taking pride of place on the top on everything else that had been put in there. The rest of the objects were either drawings by each of his children or letters from Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli.
Elanor took a deep breath as she uncoiled a piece of string. Like the bracelet before, this one was for a member of her family.
Rosie had yet to receive one. She did not know that Samwise had been given one. But she would soon find out as Elanor tied a very small knot in onto end. This was to stop the beads so that they did not fall off again.
"Now, which to choose" Elanor thought, looking at the different segments.
She then smiled as she chose a red one. Elanor looked at the bead. A small hole had been punched through the middle. It was then that Elanor focused on the end of the string.
A moment later, the small red bead slid down to the string to the knot. Elanor now had an idea on how to make the bracelet. The second bead would be orange.
The horse watched intensely.
"Why don't you do a blue one next?" the horse asked, thinking it was a good idea.
But Elanor knew what she was doing.
"No, its going to be the colours of the rainbow" she answered.
The second bead was then placed on the string. Elanor then picked out a yellow one and did the same. Soon, seven beads hung on the string. From red to violet, all sat there happily.
"And now, we start again"
The process was then repeated a few more times. An hour past. Elanor continued to hang beads onto the string. But, after a final bead had been placed on the string, there was no more room to put any more on.
"Now, we have to tie the two ends together" Elanor told her horse.
The young girl found this to be the hardest part. She concentrated harder then ever to tie the two ends together. After what seemed like hours, the two ends were tied together. Elanor smiled, feeling proud as she inspected her craft.
The bracelet had three distinguishable bands of colour running through it. Beads of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet were all hugging the string.
"Do you like it?" Elanor asked, showing her horse.
The horse, who had been galloping around, came to a stop. The horse took a quick look at it and nodded.
"Yes, yes it's very nice" he answered.
Elanor smiled. She knew that it was nearly time for bed as she looked at the clock. Her parents had already put her younger siblings, apart from Frodo, to bed.
Rosie smiled as she walked to her oldest daughter's room. The clock chimed as a knock came at the door. Elanor smiled as she closed the lid to her beads.
"Yes?" she asked, watching the door.
Rosie smiled as she walked in.
"Time for bed now, honey" she told her daughter.
Elanor smiled. But, before she could say anything Rosie had gone.
"Mummy?" Elanor asked, rushing to the door.
Rosie stopped in her tracks. She looked around.
"Yes, dear?" she asked.
Elanor smiled as she held out her hand.
"I made this for you" she answered, looking up at her mother.
Rosie looked into her daughter's small hand. Laying on her palm, a small bracelet. Rosie gave a smile.
"Is that for me?" she asked, taking it from her daughter.
"Yes, I made it for you" Elanor said.
Rosie inspected the bracelet.
"This is beautiful" she said.
Elanor's smile broadened. A few seconds later, the mother and daughter embarrassed in a hug.
"Now" said Rosie, breaking their hug.
"Get washed a ready for bed" she told her.
Elanor nodded and scooted off towards the bathroom. Rosie smiled as she heard the door click. The hobbit walked trough her quietening home. Only the evidence that it was below freezing outside was the snow that had settled on the small ledge outside the window.
"Wouldn't like to be out in it" she thought.
But there was one being that was. Pimpernel's progress had slowed right down. Her hands and feet were beyond hurting. The hobbit had been shivering since she left her sisters back in Hobbiton.
Pimpernel's lips were blue. Her hands had been shoved into the pockets of her coat, but this helped just a little. The fact that Hamson was near by drove her on.
As Pimpernel walked down a path, from the main road, a large building came into view. The sound of a river slowly met her. First by sound and then by sight. A building be been built so that a waterwheel could be placed in the river.
It continued to spin, splashing water into the river again. Pimpernel noticed that the river looked darker then normal. Probably because of the whiteness of the snow made it look darker.
The noise of the river was drowned out as the building got closer. Spots of light could be seen coming out and touching the snow on the road. The snow here was still untouched, saved for a few foot prints coming out of a door that led into the building she was walking by.
As she walked, the noise from inside the building died down. Hamson was shutting up for the night. He had no clue that Pimpernel was outside.
Hamson took a deep breath as the large heart of the building came to a stop. There was an eerie silence. Hamson took a deep breath. All of the rope making for today had stopped.
"Time for bed" he thought as he blew each of the candles out.
Outside, Pimpernel could see the light getting fainter and fainter. She walked a little bit down towards the only door that she could see.
The minutes that past felt more like hours to Nelly. Hamson smiled as he opened the door. A single candle had been left burning. This was the light that would help him see his way home.
He smiled as he closed the door behind him. But a sound caught him. Pimpernel had sneezed four times. Hamson, holding his candle, knew who it instantly.
"Pimpernel?" he asked.
He knew it was her due to her shimmering blue eyes in the flickering candle.
"Pimpernel, what are you doing here?" he asked, walking closer.
But still, she did not talk. Hamson, being quick minded, knew that he had to get her into the warmth quickly.
"Pimpernel, come on" he said, gently pushing her towards his home.
A few more minutes past as the two of them walked slowly towards Hamson's uncles home. Hamson left a quiet and cold Pimpernel standing before the front door as he went to open it.
"Come on" he said, showing her in.
Pimpernel continued to shiver as she slowly walked over the threshold. It was then that Hamson's uncle came to see him.
"Hamson?" he asked, spotting Pimpernel.
"What's this?" he asked.
Hamson took a deep breath.
"She's an old friend, a very old friend" he said.
Uncle Andy was confused.
"Where did she come from?" he asked.
But Andy's questions could wait.
"Could you get her some tea and some blankets, please?" Hamson asked.
Andy wasn't sure about this girl, but he could see that the girl needed some help. So, with a small nod, Andy walked away. Hamson smiled as he helped Pimpernel take off her bag and coat.
"Come on" he said, holding out his hand.
Pimpernel seemed to be spaced out. Her face did not show any expression. She barely looked at Hamson.
"Pimpernel?" Hamson asked, bringing her glassy eyes resting on him.
Her eyes slowly slid down to his out stretched hand. For a moment, she did not look away. But, after a few more seconds, she slowly reached out and took it.
Hamson felt how cold Pimpernel was. He took a deep breath. A lot of things wanted and needed to be said. But now was not the time.
"Come on, lets sit you down" he said.
Pimpernel did not nod or answer. She followed Hamson through to the lounge. Andy's wife and son were sitting there too.
"Hamson, who is this?" Andy's wife asked.
She instantly stood up as Pimpernel was sat down.
"Could you get her some tea, please?" he asked.
Hamson gave a look that told the woman that it was important. So, giving a nod, the hobbit walked out. Andy had come back into the lounge. He had found some blankets that Pimpernel could use.
"Here" he said, handing them to Hamson.
Colour had already come back into Pimpernel's face. Hamson smiled as he placed the blankets over her.
"Is that better?" he asked, looking at her.
Pimpernel's eyes seemed to have lost its million mile stare. Hamson smiled, seeing the face that he knew and loved so much.
"Yes" Pimpernel quietly said.
Andy stood there, looking between the two of them. a few minutes past with not words spoken between Hamson and Nelly. Andy's wife came back into the lounge, she was carrying a large mug of sugarless tea.
Hamson smiled as he took it.
"I'll just get the sugar" she told Hamson.
But, Hamson knew that Pimpernel did not like sugar in her tea.
"Oh, not for Pimpernel, she doesn't like it in her tea"
Hamson's aunt found this very strange.
"Well, I have some honey, if she would like that" his auntie told them.
Pimpernel's blue eyes darted over to Hamson's aunt.
"I would, thank you" she said, delicately.
The older woman gave a smile and turned around. Anson was still sitting down. his eyes were back on the book that he was reading. For, at night, there was nothing else to do other then read and eat.
A few minutes later, Hamson's auntie came back. she was carrying a trey with a mug on and a loaf of bread.
"There you go dear, eat up, you'll get better quicker if you do" she told Pimpernel.
Pimpernel gave a small smile and picked up the small table spoon. The trey rested on her legs. The lid to the clear glass jar of honey. Pimpernel could remember the last time she had done this.
She had been in the warmth of her sister's home. But now, she was in her true home. Hamson smiled as he looked around.
"We need to make you a bed" Hamson said.
His auntie gave a smile.
"I'll go and make one now" she told them.
Pimpernel looked down at the mug of hot water on the trey. The tea leaves had already been taken out, leaving a dark brown colour. The honey seemed to slowly slide off of the spoon, into the water.
Half an hour past as Pimpernel ate and drank to her fill. Tiredness was now getting to her as the trey was taken away from her.
"You look tired" Hamson said, looked down.
Colour had now back into her lips. She seemed more lively then before.
"I am" she answered.
Hamson smiled and held out his hand again. The trey that had once been sitting on Pimpernel's lap was now back in the kitchen. Pimpernel took Hamson's hand again and stood up.
There was a noticeable difference in temperature when Hamson touched her skin. Warmth had flooded back into her little body as the two of them walked down the winding corridor.
Hamson smiled as he opened the door to the spare room.
"Ah" he said, seeing that it was the right one.
"Here you are" he said.
Pimpernel walked in. There was a strange smell to it, but she was too tired to complain. Her pack, along with all her clothes, had already been put in the room.
"I'll be just down the hall way if you need me" Hamson told her.
This disappointed Pimpernel. She had been hoping that the two of them would spend more time together. For that was why she came.
But then, she did not have the energy to argue. Hamson gave her a hug. For a moment, he felt an awkwardness come over him. But that quickly washed away.
"Have a good sleep" he told her.
Pimpernel smiled. Her eyes continued to survey the room around her. Her eyes were getting heavier and heavier as she changed, without a wash, into the night gown that she had brought with her.
The candles were left flickering as she climbed into bed. she took a deep breath as her head hit the pillow. Only one of the three things she wanted back had been given to her.
Her house was still an empty, black shell within a sea of white and her precious little puppy still had not returned. Pimpernel's eyes closed as she delved into a sleep deeper then any before.