[*Varda*]

Menelduliniel looked at the papers the Butler had given her, scanning down the pages, her face forming a look of shock as she came to a small piece of paper at the back. She bent down and passed them to Poppy, who quickly glanced through them. Most were family trees, and letters that appeared to bear no real importance, but soon she too saw what Menelduliniel had seen. She read it out for the benefit of Estelarion.

"Within the green leather-bound book with gilt letters, locked, folded up, inside the back cover beneath an extra layer of green leather lies hid the deed.”

"Careful not to rend the book
nor open without turning the key,
for who without permission look,
will end ungracefully."

“This is it!” the hobbit cried. “But where will we find the book?” Instinctively, her eyes started darting around the Great Hall, as though expecting the book to appear right before her eyes.

“Before finding the book,” Menelduliniel pointed out, “we must find the key.” Poppy’s face fell, reading over the note again, and realising the problem.
“But where could it be?” said Estelarion. “The place is big, and so small a thing could be hidden anywhere.”

“It’s possible that others have found it,” Menelduliniel answered. “If that be the case, we should not linger here. If we keep searching, we may at least come across the others, and can tell them of this. We have to show them this.”

“But which way should we go?” asked Poppy anxiously. “We have already been through there, and up the staircase. Perhaps we should try one of those doorways?” The three of them could see nothing beyond it but heavy darkness, but cautiously Poppy went towards the northern door, and stepped through. She screwed up her eyes to better see, and made out three solid steel doors directly ahead of her. She pushed against them, and tried to open one, but they were locked.

Looking westwards along the corridor, she saw nothing. Menelduliniel and Estelarion, who had followed her in, ventured eastwards down the corridor.

“Poppy,” Estelarion called. “The kitchen is through here, we’re going to look around.” They disappeared through the door, and Poppy, after looking around hopelessly for another room they could get into, followed after them.