[piosenniel]

Cook looked about the Common room with a pleased eye. Breakfast was being served in an efficient manner by the servers, while Ruby and Buttercup had the pouring of ales and wine and hot tea under control. The little market place along the edges of the room was humming with business and the exchange of news and pleasantries between those who had no chance to see each other during the week.

Celandine and her daughter were doing a brisk business with their candles. At a lull in the press of people to her table, Cook called her aside. ‘Save a number of those long, thick stubby ones for me. Some of our hens are getting old – just about ready for the stew pot. I’m going to have to see to hatching out some of the healthy eggs, and I’ll need the candles to check on them.’ Celandine bound a bundle of ten of the fragrant beeswax tapers with a bit of string and handed them to Cook.

Vinca fished in the pouch at her side for coins, but Celandine stayed her hand. ‘Let me have a broody hen and ten good eggs with her, and I’ll give you these plus the bigger candles for the lanterns for this month.’

‘Done!’ said Cook. ‘Come out and look the hens over now, and we’ll gather the eggs and candle them.’

Celandine’s daughter waved her mother off, saying she could handle the customers. Throwing their cloaks about their shoulders, Cook and Celandine
headed out the door, making their way to the coop under the eaves of the stable. They detoured into the stable first – Cook needed some hay in the basket she had brought to cushion the eggs and keep them warm.

‘Busy place!’ she remarked to Celandine, as they entered the building. There was Nuinyulma feeding a carrot to her horse. ‘Skinny little thing,’ thought Cook as she eyed her. ‘Be better if she ate the carrot herself.’ She waved at the girl and reminded her there was hot breakfast waiting in the Inn.

Esgallhugwen was there also. ‘So that’s where she’s got off to! I’ll just remind her that we’ll be needing her help getting lunch under way for the crowd.’ Cook spoke with the Elf as she passed by, saying there were plenty of meats and cheeses in the cool room and fresh loaves of bread. Platters of sandwiches would be easy to take round the crowd, and mugs of ale to wash them down with.

Lira, she noted was also there seeing to her horse. ‘Goodness,’ thought Cook, you’ld think they were all planning to leave!’

And there in one of the corner stalls was a newcomer to the Inn. From Rohan she’d heard from the server who’d brought him ale. Now what was his name? Eofalas was it? Pleasant enough looking fellow, for one of the Big Folk with his blue grey eyes. ‘Staying with us for a while?’ she inquired of him, watching his hands work carefully over his mount. ‘Had breakfast?’ From the corner of her eye she noted two Hobbits, heads together, wrangling over some problem, it seemed. ‘Hamson and Melilot! What a pair,’ she chuckled to herself.

[ September 29, 2003: Message edited by: piosenniel ]