[Child of the 7th Age]

Hawthorne Brandybuck pulled up on the reins and brought the wooden cart to a gentle halt. The small pony pulling the cart shook his head and snorted in relief, glad to have come to the end of the trip after long miles on the road. Impatient to be unhitched from harness and gear, he stamped a back hoof against the hard packed earth and waited in the courtyard that lay between the stables and the main Inn building in a spot where the delivery trucks normally stopped to unload.

The young Hobbit in the driver's seat impulsively leapt up, stretched and flexed her tired fingers, and glanced quickly around the yard. It had been a long trip back, yet she was pleased to be returning to this part of the countryside. Her home lay miles away in Buckland, where she lived with her family and a host of other noisey relatives in Brandy Hall. Hawthorne was the favorite niece of Meriadoc Brandibuck, recently appointed master of Buckland. Since Master Merry and his new wife Estella had been unable to attend the festivities in Hobbiton, they had sent Hawthorne in their place. This was not her first visit to the Inn.

The memory of that last visit made her hesitate a moment before stepping down from the cart. She wondered what kind of a reception she would receive from Cook, Aman, and the other girls working in the kitchen. The last time she had visited, there had been a slight mishap. A kitchen fire carelessly tended by Hawthorne had gotten out of control and burned the entire Inn to the ground. She had sworn to Master Merry that she would be very careful about her behavior on this trip, and there would be no more serious mistakes. She had tried to iron out most of the problems with Cook and the other staff before she had left to return to Buckland. And this time things would be very different. Hawthorne would make sure of that. After all, she reasoned, it was only a quiet handfasting. What could possibly go wrong on such a gentle and festive occasion?

Cook popped her head out the back door of the Inn and waved a greeting. Hawthorne immediately sprang down from the cart, relieved to see there was no sign of anger on Cook's face. She ran forward with arms extended spluttering out a greeting. "Cook, it is so good to see you again! Master Merry sends greetings. Merry regrets that he himself could not attend. He has sent me in his place. Uncle Merry thought I might stay at the Inn and help in the kitchen."

For one minute, Cook's face went white as a sheet as she grabbed Hawthorn by the arm and steered her inside, careful to step aside from the kitchen,"That's very kind of you to offer, but I believe we have quite enough kitchen helpers. I do have need of other hands. I'll introduce you to Miss Ellie. She'll certainly need some help. She and her cat are staying in the servant's quarters for a bit, while she helps us by serving food and decorating the Inn for the party. A pair of young knees for climbing up and down to string the garlands would be a great help to her."

"Come now. Aman will show you to your room."

As she led Hawthorne to the stairs, Cook hastily looked back, surprised to see a large dog following along behind them. "Oh, he's mine," Hawthorn hastily explained. "His name is Huan, since sometimes I swear he almost speaks."

"He'll be quite happy in the stable then?," Cook questioned.

"Oh, no. I must have him beside me. Huan is my constant companion." The young Hobbit bent down and stroked the brown head.

"Hmm.... Make sure that dog minds his manners. We've a number of cats who live inside."

"He won't be any harm, Cook, I promise. No problem at all. Huan's very well behaved."

"Have it as you will then. We've had other dogs stay inside so I suppose one more won't make a difference."

With that Cook said her goodbyes and headed back to the kitchen, leaving Hawthorn to search for Mistress Ellie.