At the Sign of the Prancing Pony
"Come on!" Frodo called out to his friends as they strode forward in the pouring rain. Violet shivered in the cold, blinking the water furiously out of her eyes. She wasn't much of one for rain, though she supposed she liked it just fine when she had a nice comfy hobbit hole to shelter in beside a warm fire. By the looks on her friends faces, they agreed, all except for Mina that is, her face positively aglow as she breathed it all in. Violet rolled her eyes, letting out a small chuckle which soon turned into a cough.
"Are you alright?" Merry whispered softly into her ear, making her jump with a start.
"Oh it's just you." She sighed in relief.
"Who else could it possibly be?" He asked her with a teasing grin.
"Well we have been running from black riders for who knows how long. You can't blame me for being the tiniest bit jumpy."
"Yes, I suppose you're right." He agreed, still shaking his head, before his face regained its serious tone. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, a little cold but I'll manage." She assured him, but he didn't listen to her. Instead he pulled off his sweater and wrapped it around her shoulders.
"There, much better." He mused sounding quite proud of himself.
"Thanks Merry." Violet whispered smiling at him gratefully just as they reached the gate to Bree, and Frodo took a step forward to knock.
"What do you want?" The old gatekeeper barked, through a small opening in the door as he glared down at the group.
"We're heading for the Prancing Pony." Frodo replied in a firm confident voice.
"Hobbits! Eight hobbits!" The gatekeeper cried in surprise at the unusual sight. "What business brings you to Bree?"
"We wish to stay at the inn. Our business is our own." Frodo maintained, and Jessamine took a step forward to join him her face as determined and fierce as his. Good old Jessa. Violet thought to herself, as she too turned to stare the gatekeeper down, while praying inwardly he'd let them in.
"Alright young sir, I mean no offence. Tis my job to ask questions after nightfall. There's no talk of strange folk abroad. Can't be too careful." The man apologized as he opened the small gate and the friends rushed into town, heading straight for the prancing pony, while trying to avoid getting trampled by the big people everywhere.
"Excuse me?" Frodo tried to get the innkeepers attention, while the rest of the group huddled together for warmth and safety.
"Good evening, little masters! If you're looking for accommodation we've got some nice, cozy, hobbit-sized rooms available. Mr. uh….." The friendly innkeeper said, smiling down at the company. Frodo seemed to hesitated for what felt like a long moment at the question of his name, his eyes beginning to alight with panic. Obviously he couldn't tell the truth, so what could he say? Violet was sure they were in big trouble just as Jessamine stepped in to save the day. Or at least the moment anyway.
"Underhill, his name's Underhill." She supplied smiling patiently at the hobbit, as if this were a usual occurrence, while he grinned sheepishly back at her. The relief obvious in his blue eyes.
"Underhill. Yes…" The innkeeper said, not seeming entirely convinced by the explanation.
"We're friends of Gandalf the Grey. Can you tell him we've arrived?" Frodo went on, desperate not only to see their friend and advisor, but to change the subject as well.
"Gandalf? Gandalf? Ohhh yes! I remember, elderly chap, big gray beard, pointy hat. Not seen him for 6 months." The group all turned to gaze at each other, as Violet's heart sunk right down to her furry little toes.
"What do we do now?" Sam asked in a worried whisper, but no one could answer him. No one could have predicted this outcome upon their arrival in Bree, Mina certainly hadn't. Finally they decided to go ahead and stay in the inn. Frodo however insisted on staying up a little later to wait for Gandalf, grabbing a few drinks in the meanwhile. The boys immediately agreed to the idea, and the girls came along as well, knowing they would never be able to get any sleep anyway, though they didn't really feel like drinking anything either. However even once they were seated Sam couldn't calm down, constantly checking over his shoulder.
"Sam. He'll be here. He'll come." Mina told him, reaching out to squeeze his hand reassuringly trying to force a confidence in her voice she didn't feel. It seemed to work though, and he smiled gratefully at her while squeezing her hand in return.
"Of course he will. He's Gandalf. If he said he'd come, then he will." Ebony piped in from her place across from Sam sitting proudly beside her brother who was downing his drink with a relish that made Mina smile. That's my Pippin.
Violet on the other hand, couldn't stop sneezing and coughing, and she was still shivering despite the warm atmosphere of the inn, still cuddling in Merry's sweater. He was watching her carefully.
"Violet, seriously are you sure I can't get you something." He asked brow creased with concern.
"No, I'll be fine." Violet stubbornly insisted between coughs, but obviously no one believed her, and all of them shared a concerned glance.
"How about some broth?" Mina suggested tentatively, hoping her friend would see reason. "My grandmother always makes it for me when I come back from swimming too late or dancing in the rain. She says it's to make sure I don't get sick."
"Yeah, my mom says the same thing. Besides you'll want to keep up your strength for when Gandalf finally gets here." Sam chipped in, with a little urging (i.e. kick) from Mina.
"Well alright. I guess it'd be alright." She agreed reluctantly. "I am the tiniest bit hungry anyway."
"Great, I'll be right back." Merry said, rushing to his feet and toward the bar.
"I seriously don't know what you're all so worried about." Violet insisted, even as she sneezed again.
"Well it has been a rather eventful night. Just humor us okay?" Jessamine suggested as she smiled brightly at her friend from her place beside Frodo, who seemed to be staring off into space without seeing anything. She looked like she was about to ask him if he was alright when Pippin interrupted her concentration with a grand exclamation of surprise.
"What's that?" He asked, wide eyed with awe as Merry arrived back at the table, with Vi's bowl of soup in one hand and the biggest mug of ale Mina had ever seen in the other.
"This my friend, is a pint." Merry told him proudly as he set both dishes down, and climbed onto the seat between his two best friends.
"It comes in pints?" Pippin asked still amazed at the realization, before his jaw set with determination. "I'm getting one."
"You had a whole half already!" Sam protested as the uncaring hobbit leaped to his feet and dashed away without a second glance.
"That's my brother." Ebony sighed proudly, holding back a giggle as she leapt to her feet as well. "Hey Pip! Wait up!" Violet and Merry didn't bother hiding their laughter, though Vi's quickly deteriorated into hacking coughs and Merry forced her to eat some of her broth. Mina and Sam on the other hand simply rolled her eyes, Mina a lot more good naturedly than Sam however, and she noticed his eyes dart again over his shoulder to a corner near the back of the room.
"What in all of Middle Earth do you keep looking at Sam?" She hissed as quietly as she could manage, beginning to feel a knot of worry growing in her chest.
Instead of answering her directly he turned to Frodo and whispered somewhat harshly toward his best friend, nodding in the direction he'd been staring, "That fellow's done nothing but stare at you since we arrived."
Violet taking in her friend's conversation while sipping at her broth, motioned the Inn keeper Butterbur over with a wave of her hand. "Excuse me, that man in the corner, who is he?" She asked.
"He's one of them rangers. Dangerous folk they are – wandering the wilds. What his right name is I've never heard, but around here, he's known as Strider." He replied in hushed tones that didn't disguise his distrust and distaste.
"Strider." Frodo mumbled the name, his eyes regaining that faraway look from earlier as his hand left the table. Suddenly they took on a pained look and his whole body began to tense. Mina had never seen anything like it in all of her life, and she had no idea what she could do to help him. By the look on Jessamine's face she felt the same way, as she/Jessa reached out to take the hand that was fiddling with something underneath the table, when suddenly her/Jessa's whole body seemed to flinch and the same pain reflected in her eyes. Mina was about to say something, anything, to try and understand what was going on with her friends, when Pippin interrupted them with a drunken exclamation from behind.
"Baggins!" He cried in good nature. "Sure I know a Baggins. He's over there, Frodo Baggins. He's my second cousin once removed on his mother's side, and my third cousin twice removed on his father's side, if you follow me."
"Pippin! Be quiet!" Ebony shushed nudging him in the arm, while nervously scanning their surroundings.
"Come on Ebony, he's your relation too. No need to be embarrassed." He insisted, obviously missing the point.
"Pippin!" Both Frodo (who had leapt to his feet and started marching towards them the second her heard Pippin mention his true name) and Ebony yelled in frustration and fear, while she nudged him again. Only this time she did it a little too hard, and the drunk Pippin tumbled backward right onto Frodo. Or at least he should have fallen onto Frodo, but seconds before either hobbit hit the ground, he (Mr. Baggins himself) had vanished.
The whole room fell immediately, and completely silent, as each of the hobbits (minus Pippin of course) leapt to their feet in astonishment at their friends disappearance. Finally what felt like an eternity later, he reappeared practically gasping for breath, and it was like the group was released from some kind of spell, each rushing forward to help: Merry, Violet, and Mina toward Pippin, while Jessamine, Sam and Ebony darted for Frodo. However they were not the only ones rushing towards the newly appeared Frodo, and Ebony reached him at the exact same time as the man called Strider. Immediately he snatched hold of both and began dragging them towards the stairs before any of the rest of the hobbits could stop him.
"After him!"
Ebony could hardly breathe she was so scared as the man dragged her and Frodo roughly up the stairs, but she was determined not to let him know it, kicking and pulling for all she was worth until he threw the two of them into what she assumed was his room and closed the door behind them.
"You draw far too much attention to yourself Mr. Underhill!" He hissed turning to face them.
"What do you want?" The hobbit asked, stepping in front of his younger cousin protectively.
"A little more caution from you. That is no trinket you carry."
"I carry nothing."
"Indeed." He muttered walking carefully over to the window, putting out the candles. "I can avoid being seen if I wish. But to disappear entirely that is a rare gift."
"Who are you?" Ebony finally asked, drawing the man's attention to her for the first time.
"Are you frightened?" He asked, his gaze sweeping between the two of them.
"Yes." They told him at the exact same time, and a wry grin appeared on his face.
"Not nearly frightened enough. I know what hunts you." Suddenly the door to the room burst open, and Strider quickly drew his sword as he turned to face the group of furious and determined hobbits, a fighting fire in their eyes.
"Let them go! Or I'll have you Longshanks!" Sam threatened from the forefront of the assembly, his hands raised in fists.
"You have a stout heart little hobbit, but that will not save you." The man told him a small slightly amused smile crossing his face, as he put his sword back into its sheaf, before turning to face Frodo again. "You can no longer wait for the wizard Frodo. They're coming."
At Strider's insistence they all stayed the night in his room the girls snuggled up together on the bed, while the boys struggled to get comfortable on the floor. Jessamine was grateful for the arrangement, especially for Violet's sake. She had almost stopped coughing and sneezing, but her temperature was beginning to rise and she had all the makings for a low fever. Mina seemed to be worried in particular, insisting on getting a bowl of cool water along with a couple of rags from Butterbur to lay across Violet's forehead, just in case. After all, Mina had said, if they were really in as much danger as Strider kept telling them they couldn't afford any member of their party to get sick. Jessa completely agreed with her.
Suddenly a horrible shriek broke the night time stillness, and she jolted upright along with little Ebony on the other side of her. "What are they?" She (Ebony) asked turning to where both Strider and Frodo were gazing outside the window.
"They were once Men. Great kings of Men. Then Sauron the Deceiver gave to them nine Rings of Power. Blinded by their greed, they took them without question. One by one falling into darkness. Now they are slaves to his will. They are the Nazgul, Ringwraiths, neither living nor dead. At all times they feel the presence of the Ring. Drawn to the power of the One. They will never stop hunting you." He answered in a tone that sent shivers down both the girl's spines.
"Don't worry Ebony. I'll protect you." Violet whispered reaching out to take the younger girls hand, while gently pulling her back down to get some rest. But when her eye's met Jessa's she could see the fear bubbling in her own heart reflected there.