"How do you think he knew?" Mya asked.
Pilith smiled as he took out the loaf of bread.
"Lets eat" he said.
Mya nodded and sat down. Pilith remained standing as he ripped a piece of fresh bread. He took a bite of the loaf. As he swallowed, his hunger seemed to magically disappear. Mya was feeling exactly the same. Her hunger disappeared in just one mouthful. But this did not put her off as she took a second.
Pilith's hunger was tamed. He also took a second bite.
"That's enough for me" he told himself.
Thirst was now shouting at him. His tongue was dry, but this would all be sorted out as he took out the flask of water. He smiled as he undid the cap. The water sloshed around as he raised it to his lips. He took a few gulps.
Pilith instantly felt better. The water trickled down, settling in his stomach. The water refreshed his vision. Mya smiled as she looked around. She loved this part of the forest.
Logs scattered the ground. Moss covered the rotting logs. They housed many a beast and creepy crawly. The trees that stood around them bloomed with the greenest leaves.
Pilith smiled as he screwed the cap back on and placed it back in his pack. His eyes darted around. A small part of him wanted to go back to Tom and Goldberry's home. It was much safer and much nearer to Hobbiton then where they planned to go.
"I've been thinking" Pilith started.
Mya looked up.
"Thinking about what?" she asked.
Pilith took a deep breath.
"Tom's house would be much safer then any other place that we could stay" he said.
Mya took a deep breath. They had been walking for a few hours. And now, Pilith wanted to turn back and go the way they had came.
"But, you said you didn't want to see him again" Mya pointed out.
Pilith could not deny that he had said that. But he knew that Tom and Goldberry had been very good hosts over the years.
"I have something I want to say to him"
So, after a few minutes, Mya agreed to go back. The bird that had warned Tom of their whereabouts now had more important news.
"Excellent" he said.
To Mya and Pilith, he was just a normal bird. But secretly, the bird was a messenger. He and Tom were tracking their movements.
The bird fluttered past trees, only inches away from their thick trunks. The bird looked around as it fluttered past families of birds. Two parents and a rabble of offspring in their nests.
"Now, be a good boy, you need to learn to fly" said their mother.
There was only one chick left. The boy had been was the smaller of the five chicks that had been born and raised in this small next.
His two brothers and two sisters were already flying around. They seemed to be more confident in the air then their younger brother.
"I'm not ready" he said.
His mother was not taking any of them.
"You'll have to learn one day" she answered.
The little bird looked down. It was a very long way down.
"Maybe I could do it tomorrow" he told her, hopping along the branch to the nest.
Its mother was not pleased. But she couldn't force him. After all, he was the youngest. The little birdie hopped over the edged and hunkered down.
Meanwhile, his brothers and sisters were chasing one another.
"Cant catch me!" said the eldest chick.
He was the biggest of the bunch. He had been since he hatched. He was the first to do so. He was very confident in flying as he zoomed inches from the twigs. His two sisters and brother were chasing after him.
"Got you!" said one of the girls.
She almost knocked him out of the air. He regained his control quite quickly, dropping only a few feet.
"Oh no you didn't!" he said.
Meanwhile, on the ground, Mya and Pilith were walking. The two of them could heard lots of commotion. Pilith smiled as the little birds fluttered over head.
"What are they?" asked of the girl birds.
She fluttered and landed on a branch, high above the two beings.
"They look funny" she said.
Her younger sister fluttered and landed next to her.
"Their not flying" she pointed out.
Pilith smiled as he continued to walk. Mya yawned as she continued to walk. Neither of them had any idea that Tom knew they were coming back.
Tom was sitting by the dead heath, watching the door. For hour after hour, he stared. His eyes seemed not to blink once. A small bird was perched on top of his hat. It too was waiting for the two of them.
Pilith smiled as the house came into the view. He could see that the door was full open. The windows were open too. The windows were fully open too. The blinds were blowing in the cool wind that ran through out the house.
Tom smiled as the two beings came into view. Pilith took a deep breath as he walked to the threshold.
"I see your mind has been changed" said a voice coming out of the dark room.
Pilith knew that Tom had been waiting for them.
"Not to worry, I was told that you would" he said.
Mya was the first to notice a little sparrow perched on top of his hat. This looked strange, but she said nothing about it.
As Tom stood up, the sparrow took flight. Tom did not even bat an eyelid as the sparrow called out to the world.
"Goldberry will have food ready in a short while" he said.
His eyes glinted, knowing that Pilith and Mya wanted to say something. He, of course, already knew what they were say.
"My dear friends, you do not need to say you are sorry. There is nothing to be sorry about"
This was very disturbing. Pilith did not like Tom's ability to read his mind.
"Come, you will need strength"
Goldberry entered the room. she was carrying bowls of fresh vegetables, roasted potatoes, nearly everything for a good meal.
Mya smiled as she placed her pack down. Pilith did the same. He could smell the chicken, waiting to be brought out. It was then that his hunger started screaming.
Goldberry turned and walked back into the kitchen. She did this a few more times. By the time that she had laid the table, both Pilith and Mya had started to fill their plates with just about everything on the table.
Tom smiled as he sat at one end of the table. Goldberry smiled as she placed a large mug full of water before each place.
She was the last one to sit down and eat. Pilith and Mya ate quickly. They seemed not to eat fast enough. Tom and Goldberry did not eat much. In fact, they had finished.
Pilith scooped more roasted potatoes onto his plate. Goldberry had made the nicest food that they had ever had. For it had been a few years since they had had a good meal. In fact, they had been captured in the year three thousand and seventeen.
Both Mya and Pilith had been in Gondor at the time. An old figure stood in the darkness.
"That must be him" said Mya.
The two beings had reached the layered city of Minas Tirith. It was late and the sun had already gone down. The air was cold as they walked through the deserted streets.
"What is you business?" asked the old man.
"He sent us" said Mya.
Pilith did not like this idea. He would have rather saw this figure in day light instead of the dullest of candle light.
"He?" it asked.
Mya took a deep breath.
"Tom" she answered.
The figure's eyes glinted, darting between Mya and Pilith.
"Follow me, it's about to rain" he said.
Without another word, he turned and started to walk into the darkness. Mya was much more confident in this dark, grey cloaked figure then Pilith was.
Pilith slowly walked on after them. As he did, a large drop of rain hit him square in the forehead. He raised his muddy hand and wiped the drip away.
More and more droplets of water started to fall to the ground. The figure led them towards a small alleyway. He took out a small key and opened a wooden door.
"Hurry" he said.
Mya and Pilith both walked in. The door held a single room. An old looking bed could be seen in the corner. The man took one last look outside before shutting the door. Pilith and Mya looked around. Dust seemed to have settled on nearly every surface that it could.
The being they had just met had a grey beard, a grey pointed hat and a wooden staff almost as tall as himself.
This was Gandalf.
"Sit" he said, sounding tired.
In fact, he was very tired. For the past few days, he had been searching through documents for any information that would help him.
"Now" he said, slowly sitting down on the bed.
Mya and Pilith watched as Gandalf took his hat off.
"I have a mission for you" he said.
Pilith did not like the sound of this.
"A mission?" Mya asked.
The silence roared at them as the rain outside came down harder and harder. The sound seemed to make everything more tense as Gandalf talked.
Pilith could barely hear him over the roar of the rain. A flash of lightning flickered through the windowless door. For a split second, it lit up Gandalf's old face. Pilith saw wrinkles from his old age. His eyes were wise and accident.
"No" said Pilith after hearing his plan.
Everything rested on them.
"We will not do it" he said.
Gandalf took a deep breath.
"There is no choice, Pilith" Gandalf said.
"If there was another way, then I would not have called upon you" he explained.
Mya looked over at Pilith as a second flash of lightning lit up the surrounding room. Pilith was in deep thought.
"You are the only ones that I know of that can change" Gandalf told them.
Their ability to change would surely come in handy. Gandalf knew that they could get closer to the enemy then anyone else.
"What do you think?" Pilith asked, looking over at Mya.
Mya took a deep breath.
"I'll go where ever you do" she answered.
This did not go down well with Pilith. Not only did he have his life to worry about, but Mya's life was now in his hands too.
"What do you want us to do?" Pilith asked, dreading the answer.
The storm outside grew worse as more and more lightning strikes hit earth. The waves of thunder echoed around the city as the storm continued to blow over them.
Nearly everyone was asleep now. Pilith and Mya were especially tired.
"So, do you agree?" Gandalf asked.
Pilith took a deep breath and looked over at Mya. He knew that it could be done. It was just, the prospect of carrying the task in hand.
Mya and Pilith stared into each others eyes. No words were said, but they had come to a conclusion.
"Yes" Pilith said, taking a deep breath.
"We will do what we have to do if it saves this world"
Origo yawned as he stood on the cold floor, covered in snow. Mya, who had not aged a day in her life, was sitting with her back to a tree.
A small green fairy was also fluttering around, making sure her two friends were safe. The small puppy, standing just feet away, gave a little whimper.
Hunger groaned in his little stomach. He had not had his turkey since lunch. For he had been asleep for most of that time.
"Puppy, I have something for you" Mya said.
Origo looked up. He watched as her hand dived into her bag and brought out a large plate of turkey. Origo's little tail started to wag. The smell of turkey radiated out and tickled Origo's little wet nose.
Mya smiled as she placed the plate down. Origo did not have to be asked twice to start eating. But he was not the only hungry one in the group.
Mya looked up at Ivy and gave her a certain look. Ivy smiled, nodded and fluttered towards the bag. Mya watched as a lump started to appear inside her bag. It grew for a second or two, the stopped.
Ivy smiled as she fluttered away.
"Thank you" Mya mouthed.
Mya smiled as she opened her bag up and took out the very warm loaf of crusty bread. Ivy smiled as she watched Origo eat. Piece after piece was consumed.
Mya took a deep breath as she ripped a bit of bread off and started to eat. But it would take more then one bite to tame her. instead, after thirty big mouthfuls, her stomach started to thank her.
Origo had finished by this time. He was looking around. Something was different. But he didn't know what it was. Ivy fluttered over to him. Her green glow was getting brighter as the sun sank lower and lower.
The coldness was now effecting both Mya and Origo. Ivy knew this by Origo's little whimpers and the look in his eyes.
"Cold?" Ivy asked, fluttering towards the soft puppy standing there.
Origo gave a small whimper and a nod. Ivy smiled as she touched just above his wet nose. Origo retracted a bit, wiping his fluffy paw over his nose. Ivy smiled as Origo shook his head.
Warmth ran around the little puppy like he had just be wrapped in a very warm blanket. Origo's tail wagged his tail as the empty plate vanished. Ivy knew that Mya would not rest just yet. Midday had come and gone a few hours before.
A few minutes later, after half of the loaf had been eaten, Mya could eat no more. She smiled as she took out her flask of water, produced by Ivy a few days before. She undid the cap and took a few swigs.
Another few minutes past before Mya was ready to move off again. But one little creature was not ready to move on. Origo was looking around.
"Where's my stick?" he whimpered, looking up at Mya.
She could see a flicker in his eyes. Mya needed to change the subject and not be too forward.
"Do you want to walk or should I carry you?" she asked.
Origo tilted his head and gave a small bark. It was obvious that the pup wanted to be carried. So, Mya stood up. But, before she picked up the warm, furry pup, she put her bag on. The two straps were placed over each shoulder.
"Right" she said, placing two hands around the pup and lifting him off of the floor.
"Lets get going" she said.
She kissed Origo on his little forehead and started to walk. Ivy sat on Mya's opposite shoulder. Ivy looked over and saw little Origo slowly falling asleep. The combination of a full tummy and a bubble of warm wore him out.
Origo gave a little yawn as he rested his head on his paws. Mya looked down at him and tickled his little ear. His brown puppy eyes were now small slits as sleep continued to take him.
Mya continued to walk as the sun dipped lower and lower in the sky. The coldness grew just as deep as time wore on.
Five hours had past since midday. In Hobbiton, Diamond was now making dinner. Her son, Faramir, was snoozing happily in his cot. Diamond was now in the house alone. Pippin had gone back to his mother and father's house.
Diamond smiled as she took the pan off of the heat. Her sprits that soared over the last few days. She had rediscovered why she had fallen in love with him.
And Faramir was benefiting too. Diamond had left Pippin to bond with his son. That had gone better then expected. A few times, especially at night, Faramir had fallen asleep in Pippin's arms. Diamond would hide behind the large door and listen to what Pippin talked about.
A few times, she would find out his secrets. Secrets that he did not want anyone knowing about. On the other hand, she would find out how much he truly loved her.
"Your mother" he said, taking a deep breath.
"She'll never really understand how precious she is to me and how sorry I am for what I did" he said.
Diamond's heart melted. She wanted to burst in there and just tell him how much she loved him.
But she couldn't.
The house was much quieter now. Diamond smiled as she took the spatula and flipped the rashers of bacon that were sizzling on the hot pan.
Diamond placed the spatula down and went back to buttering the many slices of bread that lay on the worktop. Half of the eight slices of bread had been buttered. Diamond picked up the knife again and scrapped up some butter.
A few seconds later, Diamond started to butter one of the slices. But she was soon distracted again as she looked into the pan. The bacon was now ready and getting very crispy indeed.
Diamond left the bacon in as long as she would dare. So, placing the knife down, she picked up the wooden spatula. She shuffled the spatula underneath the rasher and picked it up. A few droplets of oil fell back into the pan. Diamond placed the rasher on the buttered slice of bread.
Each sandwich would have three or four rashers on each. Only one sandwich had been made as the second slice was placed over the first.
Diamond smiled as she pealed apart more uncooked rashers and dropped them into the pan. The sound of sizzling instantly erupted from the pan again.
As Diamond continued to prepare her dinner, her eyes fell on a little bowl down by the cellar. For a few seconds, all she could do was look at it.
"Origo" she thought, taking a deep breath.
She missed him dearly. Diamond started to blame herself. But she did not know the real reason why Origo had left.
Six chimes echoed around the house.
Diamond had now, after thirty minutes, her dinner was ready. A plate had been taken out and the sandwiches placed on it.
But Diamond did not start eating right away. Instead, she walked towards the cupboards. She opened it and grabbed a mug. She closed the cupboard door and walked to the cellar.
After a few minutes, she walked out again. The mug had been filled to the brim with golden ale. She smiled as she placed the mug on the table and sat down.
The minute hand on the clock continued to make its way round. The hour hand was much slower, only moving a twelfth of the distance that the minute hand did.
To Pimpernel, time was nonexistent as she lay in a nice warm bedroom. Her eyes were closed and the duvet had been drawn over her.
But it was not Pimpernel's doing. A figure was sitting on a wooden chair near by. The fire in the heath flickered, sending even more warmth her way.
Hamson took a deep breath. this time, he knew it was his fault. The door to the room creaked open. A figure came in, holding a warm mug of tea.
Pearl smiled as she closed the door behind her.
"I made this for you" she whispered.
Only the ticking of the clock broke the screaming silence.
"Thank you" Hamson answered.
His nose was red and he sneezed from time to time. Pearl looked over at her sister.
"She's been asleep all day" she said.
Hamson looked down, he could hear the sadness in her voice.
"I just want her to get better and forget about this whole thing"
Hamson looked up. There was a strange glint in Pearl's eyes as she looked back. No more words were said between them as Pearl turned and walked out.
Hamson was left alone again. There was no sign of Pimpernel waking up. For hour after hour, Hamson sat there. The window was like black glass. It reflected everything in the room. The flickering candles reflected off of its surface.
There were only four hours until the start of a new day. But a lot was still to come. The coldness deepened as a party of two beings sat around a lit fire.
Legolas and Gimli were only two days from Tharbad, the bridge that would mark the end of the first bit of their journey.
Gimli muttered continuously.
"Need a good pint of ale to warm my sorrow bones" he said.
"And a joint of the best beef in the land wouldn't go a miss either"
But Gimli had none of these things. Instead, Gimli would have to settle for tasteless, dry Lembas bread. Legolas smiled as he handed his fellow traveller a chunk of this bread.
Gimli huffed and took it.
"Thank you, elf" he said.
The sound of water lapping against the shore was one of the many sounds that they could hear. Gimli was getting tired as he ate. Legolas was looked over a dark land. His senses were sharper at night then they had been when the sun was in the sky.
The fire created a small circle of light over the ground. Patches of snow could be seen covering the cold pebbles. Gimli looked around too. But he could not see like the elf could. In his young years, he could make out logs that floated by. But now, he could not even make out the tree line against a cloudy night.
"You better get some sleep" Legolas said, breaking the silence.
Gimli's stomach was now full, but it wouldn't be for long.
"I suppose you're right" he agreed.
So, opening his pack, Gimli brought out a blanket. He knew that this would not be enough to keep the coldness out. But there were no other options. Gimli just had to grit his teeth and try and get some sleep.
Their little boat had been dragged ashore so that it would not float away. Legolas smiled as he watched Gimli settle down. The dwarf placed his bag behind him and laid down.
Legolas did not need to do this. For tiredness never effected elves like it did other beings. Curiosity grew inside Legolas welled up inside of him.
He had never even tried sleeping. He did not know what it took. So, Legolas laid back on the cold ground and looked up.
"Now what?" he asked, his eyes darting around.
A few minutes later, Legolas sat up. His eyes slid over to the sleeping figure of Gimli. The dwarf was already asleep, be it only for a few minutes.
"I wonder what I'm doing wrong" he said.
Sleeping seemed to be the hardest task he would undertake. Legolas noticed something strange about the little dwarf on the other side of the fire.
Legolas gave a small smile, realising his mistake. So, the elf laid down for a second time. This time, he closed his eyes. The darkness became even darker as the elf lay there.
But, unlike the dwarf, Legolas' mind continued to tick over.
"How do I know that I am asleep?" he asked himself.
Hobbiton lay many miles from where the elf did. A building stood by a cold stream and an icy bridge. Candles stood on mounts in the still air inside the building.
But the inside of the building was not lifeless. Small four legged creatures scurried under the forest of chair and tables legs. Miniscule scraps of food were picked up and eaten.
Small squeaks came from the mice as they scurried around. When the tavern was open, they would retreat back to the safety of their little homes, deep within the walls of the building.
Generations of mice had made their home in this building. Come winter or summer, they would scurry out and grab any food that had been left on the floor.
Hobbiton was mostly made of hills that circled a frozen lake. The only evidence that there were beings living there were the odd chimney stacks and the large, round, colourful doors that likes the winding roads.
There were small spots of light flickering next to each door. These, like the ones in the Green Dragon, were candles.
Nearly all of the hobbits that resided in Hobbiton were asleep. Only one was left awake. Hamson was his name. Normally, he would not stay up this late, but something important had yet to happen.
Every so often, he would doze off, only to catch himself and wake up again. Hamson sat on a hard wooden chair in the corner of the room.
Yes, there was a bed. But it had been taken up by another hobbit.
Pimpernel.
Pimpernel was in a bad state. She had not woken or eaten all day. In fact, it had been nearly twenty four house since her last bite to eat.
But that was soon to change as her head rolled. The girl slowly started to wake. But her eyes yet opened. A small groan came from her as she lifted on hand out from the warm duvet.
Ever sensation seemed to been magnified as she laid there. The crackling of the fire and the ticking of the clock echoed around her empty head.
"Where am I?" her thoughts asked.
Her eyes then crept open, reviling the roof of the room and the glow of a dying heath. Her hands rubbed over her face as she tried to figure out where she was. Her eyes then rolled over to a figure that was sitting in the corner of the room.
Pimpernel instantly recognised who this was. She gave a small smile as Hamson slept. So, placing her hands on the bed, she propped herself up.
Hamson had started to snore as he sat there. His arms were hanging over each side of the chair and his legs were crossed. His head was resting on the back of the chair.
Pimpernel gave a small smile as she sat there, her legs still under the comfy duvet. For a full minute, Pimpernel made no sound as she watched him.
She raised her hand, covered her mouth and coughed. This did the trick as Hamson gave a small grunt and lifted his head. For a few seconds, Hamson did not know why he woke.
It was upon looking around the room that Hamson noticed that his precious Pimpernel was sitting up. the two of them looked at each other for a few seconds.
Hamson gave her a smile.
"How are you feeling?" Hamson asked.
Pimpernel took a deep breath.
"I'm fine, I guess" she answered.
Hamson took a deep breath and stood up. Pimpernel watched him as he walked over. He smiled as he sat on the side of the bed.
"Do you know where you are?" he asked.
Pimpernel had known since the moment her senses had returned.
"Of course, I'm back in Hobbiton"
Hamson gave a smile.
"I've been worried about you, Pearl has too"
Pimpernel's eyes darted away. She hated people worrying about her.
Couldn't they see she was just fine?
In fact, Pimpernel was not fine at all. Darkness had surrounded Pimpernel as she trundled through the snowy ground. Behind her, the figure of Hamson.
Hamson was just about turn when he saw the fragile figure of Pimpernel fall to the ground.
"Pimpernel" he said to himself before rushing over to her.
Pimpernel lay on the floor, motionless. But she was not unconscious.
"Nelly, come on, I have to get you into the warmth" Hamson said.
Hamson didn't know what to do. Just then, a rumbling came from the road that he had just come from. A twinkling lantern swayed as the animal bore down on them.
But the creature did not pass them. instead, it slowed down. Hamson found this very strange.
"Hamson?" asked a voice.
Hamson knew who it was right away. It was his cousin, Anson. Anson got off of the small pony and walked towards him.
"What are you doing here?" asked Hamson, his face lit up by the flickering lantern.
"Andwise told me to find you, said you might need a pony" he answered.
Hamson smiled. It was exactly what he wanted.
"Thank you" Hamson said.
A moment later, Pimpernel was picked up and walked over to the pony. A saddle had already been fitted. Pimpernel was placed on top and held in place as Hamson mounted the pony.
"I'll see you soon" Hamson said, taking the lantern.
"Ride safe" Anson said.
Hamson gave a single nod. A few seconds later, the stationary pony jumped into life. Anson watched the lantern float away. The sound of its hooves died down too, leaving him in the dark.
After a minute, Anson took a deep breath and turned around.
He had a long, cold journey home. He had no pack on his shoulders, so hunger and thirst would have to wait until he was home.
Hamson was still getting used to riding a pony. For he had not ridden one in a very long time. His father had taught him how to ride.
"It'll come in handy one of these days, you mark my words!" he told him.
Hamson was grateful for the lessons that his father gave him. Pimpernel was in a very bad way. Her head swung as the pony continued to gallop.
Tiredness was now grabbing Hamson as he sat there. One of his cold hands was wrapped around reigns to steer the pony, the other was wrapped around Pimpernel, keeping her from slipping off.
Hamson was getting very hungry indeed. But he could not stop. The clouds over head slowly sailed past. A few times, Hamson looked up. Between the carpet of cloud, he could areas of sky. A few times, he could see stars flickering like they always did.
Hamson continued to ride for hour after hour. He did not truly know how long he had been riding for. In fact, it had been a few hours.
The night seemed not to give to day as Hamson reached a different path. This one was much bigger, but just as less used.
Hamson and his pony came to a stop.
"The Great East Road" he said, smiling.
A few seconds later, Hamson directed the pony east, away from a range of hills called the White Downs. Hobbiton was now just three hours ride away.
"Hang in there, Nelly" Hamson said.
An hour past, but it felt a lot longer for Hamson. As he rode onwards, hobbits were slowly getting ready for bed. Pearl smiled as she walked out of the bathroom.
Her hands, face and feet had been washed. Her house was very warm. But it was not so warm that, when she got into bed, she could not sleep.
In fact, sleep came in abundance as Pearl's eyes slowly closed. But her sleep did not last long as a noise woke her up. her eyes slowly opened as she lay there.
There were defiantly sounds coming from down the hall way. She then had a sickening thought.
Someone was in her house.
So, being as quiet as she could, she rose from her bed. Tiredness had been scared away and replaced by adrenalin and fright.
Pearl's heart could be heard thumping in her chest as she slowly walked towards the door. She carefully and silently picked up the candle, mounted to a small holder which had a handle big enough for only one of her fingers to fit through.
With her left hand, she slowly opened the door. The hall way was much cooler then her room, due to fire in her room keeping it warmer.
Pearl took a deep breath as she peered around the threshold. Now that it came to it, Pearl did not feel like knowing who or what it was.
"Maybe I should just go back to bed"
But she didn't. Something was dragging her towards the noises coming from the room down the hall way. Pearl was now a few meters away from the door.
She found it strange that, who ever it was, would go into an empty room. Pearl's heart rate rose as she stood on the other side of the door. She could see and hear a creature in the room.
Something strange then happened. Her arm extended and her hand lay flat against the door. A few seconds later, the door creaked open.
Hamson had placed Pimpernel in the bed and drew over the over her. Hamson smiled as he stood to his ful height again.
Pearl continued to watch as Hamson looked around the room.
"Hamson?" she asked, still holding the flickering candle.
"What happened?"