Chapter Two
The inn was crowded. There were men everywhere and not a small amount of hobbits either. Spotting a well-groomed man who was very clearly drunk she moved closer. Happy that something was going right this evening she eyed his coin purse hanging from the back of his belt to the right. Ignoring her seething side she strode confidently to his right-hand side.
"Excuse me sir?" She asked as politely as possible removing her hood. "Might I enquire your name?"
"The name's Clancy girl." He slurred. Serafina noticed the gold band on his left finger and smiled. Laying her right hand on his arm and moving her left towards his coin purse.
"Oh, thank goodness. Your wife sent me to find you, she is most distressed."
"Oh? Now I don't know why she should be distressed. I done told her I'd be out, here I might add, 'til later this evenin'." he hiccoughed as if to validate his point, evidently confused. 'Just a little longer' she thought. Serafina nearly had all the money she needed.
"I am sorry sir." Serafina said looking quite miffed. "Is your wife's name Gladys?"
"No. She, her name is Mary." He said, struggling to put together a sentence.
"My mistake my good man, I'm afraid I have made a fool out of myself. I am sorry to have disturbed you."
"Not a problem lass, not a pro-hic-blem"
Tuning away from him she normally would have felt extremely triumphant, but she had bigger problems. The blood from her wound was starting to seep through her cloak. She would need to attend to it soon; ignoring the pain would only get you so far.
She paid for a room for the night earning a suspicious look from fat Butterbur, but Serafina knew he wouldn't challenge her, who was he to deny a paying customer?
Serafina made her way quickly to her room—after declining supper and drinks. She walked up the small steps into her room. There was one large bed in the centre, candles by the window and a chair. She lit the candles then sat on the bed and contemplated how to treat her injury.
She had just removed her cloak and tunic when there was a loud bang on the door grabbing her daggers she hid in the shadows of the room. The door burst open, steadying herself to fight she stopped herself when she saw her company. A tall man in a cloak carried in a hobbit, not quite the thugs she was expecting. She prayed they would quickly realise this was not their room, not notice her bloody clothes lying on the bed, and leave.
Instead of complying with her prayers the two were rather intent on their conversation. She added to her prayer that they would not notice her, she did not know how kindly they would take to a wounded, shirtless, female thief listening in on their all important conversation.
"What do you want?" the hobbit cried.
"A little more caution from you, that is no trinket you carry." The tall man said as he threw back the hood to his cloak, even in her state she had to admit he was ruggedly handsome.
"I carry nothing." Rebuked the hobbit, Serafina knew he was lying she could see it in his defensive stance and the tone of his voice. Apparently so could the man.
"Indeed. I can avoid being seen if I wish. But to disappear entirely, that is a rare gift." Commented the man as he put out the candles Serafina had lit moments before and took off his boots. Serafina was now confused and annoyed; she failed to see what disappearing acts had to do with jewellery and she most definitely did not want this mans boots lying around the room she had paid for. She drew in a sharp breath as quietly as she could, her wounded stomach was stinging even more than before now that it was in the open air. It was bleeding freely she could not even staunch the flow with her hand for she was gripping her daggers as if her very life depended in it.
"Who are you?" asked the hobbit.
"Are you frightened?" questioned the man
"Yes." Came the reluctant reply.
"Not nearly frightened enough. I know what hunts you." Serafina decided it was probably time to pray harder before she bled to death but her prayers were interrupted by another intrusion. The door burst open to reveal three more hobbits, all carrying everyday objects obviously intending to inflict harm with them. The hobbit in the lead, which was the fattest of them all by far, was the one who spoke;
"Let him go, or I'll have you, Longshanks!" the man had drawn his sword but sheathed it again when he saw it was more hobbits.
"You have a stout heart, little Hobbit. But that will not save you. You can no longer wait for the wizard, Frodo. They're coming." Said the man. The thief in the corner knew she had to do something but—
"Who's bleeding?" came the cry from one of the hobbits, the skinny one that came in with a chair. Serafina cursed under her breath and sighed out loud; if she had had a better day and was not bleeding she was sure she would have found the situation far more amusing.
"That would be me." She said walking out of the corner. She was wearing a breast-band and her breeches and boots, and while her long brown hair hung in loose wavy curls past her shoulders, it was not long enough to cover her completely. "That is my shirt covered in blood there, along with my cloak, and rucksack on my bed, in the room I paid for. Which means I shall have to ask you all to leave so that I may stitch my stomach back together again."
The hobbits gawped. The man however, looked angry.
"This is not your room I booked it earlier this evening. I have the key."
"How can you have the key? I have the key." Serafina replied outraged, this had not been a good day. "It's in my cloak in one of the pockets."
The hobbit called Frodo walked over to Serafina's cloak and before long pulled out the key. He then passed the cloak to the girl.
"Thankyou" she said as she draped it gingerly over herself and sheathed her daggers.
"I shall go and speak with Butterbur," said the man "he will find you another room."
Serafina shook her head at this. "No, don't tell Butterbur, for that will require me to wait in the common room until he has one prepared. I cannot wait in the common room."
The man gave her a quizzical look. So she answered "There are a few people in this village whom I would not wish to see me, from what I hear you are running from something as well, therefore you will understand my hesitation."
The man paused, and then said, "Why did you hide when we came in then? Did you think we were the people looking for you?"
"I had no reason to suspect you were not."
"And when you realised we were not in fact those who hunt you…?"
"I simply hoped you would have your dispute about invisibility and jewellery then leave. I have not had the most wonderful day, please, as you would not go before, go now." It was not a rude statement, more of a plea.
"How much longer can you wait for that to be treated?" he asked abruptly inclining his head to indicate her stomach.
"I will not die from it" came the sharp reply.
"I have something to attend to, and it will not take long. Do you know how to wield those daggers of yours?" he asked, and the thief nodded. "Very well." He handed a knife of his own to the fat hobbit. "If she tries anything." He said looking meaningfully at the hobbit. He then looked up at the girl, "I will be gone a quarter of an hour at the most. If anything befalls any of these hobbits I swear to you I will find whoever is hunting you and lead them to you. If I come back and they are unharmed I will tend your wounds and your can stay here the night. Are we clear?" his grey eyes glared into Serafina's green one's. She nodded in consent.