The Green Dragon Inn #11 - The Last Chapter

[Farael]

Of all days, it just had to happen today. Farael had just come back from exploring around looking for those bandits who he never found and felt tired and slow. Now it seemed everything was happening too fast for him. First the elf, then the ferret and ferret owner, and then of all things an orc!

Now, as Telu invited him for a walk and he turned around to ask Penn if she would be interested in joining him, she said something about excusing herself and all but ran away.The dwarves seemed quite content with staying inside so he invited them for a walk as well, even though he wanted some time alone with Teluyaviel.

Without really waiting for the dwarves to answer and assuming they would join them if they were interested, Farael hid his knife again and invited Telu to lead the way. He was looking forward to walking around with her, even if she would start talking about the trees.... just as long as she talked about something.

[Captain Grishnahk]

Grishnahk stayed in the shadows of the inn as he slipped around back. The few windows that he saw led into the large dinning room instead of the kitchen. Finally, after going a few more yards, the window his eyes peeked into saw a person chopping up meat. The blood all over the cook made the hungry Captain lick his lips and scratch his palms. The cook's back was to the window, so Grishnahk could see if there was any door leading from the back into the kitchen. He spotted the door that led out to the smoke house. He spat when he heard a voice inside announcing his presence, he would have his revenge whenever he was himself again. Finally making it to the door that was placed in the sunlight, Grishnahk paused for a few seconds, he needed to be as stealthy as possible to get some meat, his stomach was empty, and he would not last much longer without some meat, fresh or rotten.

The sunlight caused him to go faster than he normally would, his skin was burning and his mind unclear. He opened the door that made no noise whatsoever, he smiled as he hurried and entered before he fainted. Slowly turning the nob and closing the door, he squated down close to the floor, he then slipped under a table. The meat was swinging above another table a few feet away, and it called to him. He bit his lip until blood ran. The butcher would leave soon he hoped. If not, he would have to grab some and run. But he thought harder; that undeniably would bring his death about more quickly.

Blood dripped from the meat, it nearly drove him mad...

[Valier]

After a good soak and a whole lot of splashing due to Merr's immence size and Pip's immence rambunctiousness,Penn was clean and her clothes were changed,Merr & Pip dried and fast asleep,she decided to return to the common room.

Before she left she checked her appearence in a nearby mirror,Startled for a second she smiled."I forgot,I clean up nicely!"Her appearence had drasticaly changed,from a dirty,journey weary woman,to a pleasing to look at lady.
Penn's hair was stark blond and fell almost to her shoulders.Her eyes were rich emerald green with1/3 the top left the pitchest of black.Her gaze exesuded experience & confidence.She was in some ways a sight for sore eyes.

She stowed Merr & Pip in their bag again along with some dried berries to tide them until she could hunt some small rodents for more sustanence.Thinking of food made her stomach grumble,food for herself would have to come first.As she approached the common room,she gazed around quickly to see who was present,The orc was gone and so was Telu & Farael.

She sat at a nearby table and hailed the server to see what they had to eat.Penn ordered a pint and something the server assured her she would like.Penn leaned back and sighed.So much excitement in such a short time.

[Undómë]

A walk on the Inn grounds

‘Have you ever been to the northern woodlands, Farael?’ Telu took his offered hand lightly as she stepped down from the Inn’s verandah. ‘It’s where I was raised. Eryn Lasgalen they call it now, but not so long ago it was named Mirkwood. There were dreadful things that hid among the trees. And the trees themselves seemed to turn dark and menacing.’ She took his arm, as they walked about the front expanse of lawn, saying, ‘You don’t mind, do you?’

‘I never really saw the Orcs that passed through there, on their way to some evil doings or another. But I knew them from the smell they left in their wake. And once or twice I caught a glimpse of those beasts they ride, the wargs.’ They had wandered into the shade thrown by a trio of beeches near the pathway from the road to the Inn. She shivered beneath her cloak at the remembrance of those savage faces and directed their steps once again into the sun.

They walked in companionable silence to the western boundaries of the Green Dragon’s property. Along its edges were great oaks and ash trees among them. And scattered here and there were patches of flowers and bunch grasses. She bent down for a moment as they passed a grouping of bright blue flowers and picked one, leaving a finger’s length of stem on it. ‘Here’s a pretty one for you!’ she laughed, securing it in the lacings of his tunic. ‘You don’t mind, do you? It makes you look less . . . grim.’ She plucked another, a white star-flower, and tucked its stem behind her left ear. ‘I’ll wear one, too,’ she said, her cheek dimpling as she grinned at him. ‘We’ll leave off thinking about Orcs and such and talk of fairer things.’

Telu spied a nice patch of grass not too far from where they now stood. Pointing to it, she led him there, and sat down, her back against an oak stump. She patted the ground next to her. ‘Come, sit down and enjoy the sun and view.’ She nodded toward the Inn, where Hobbits and others were coming and going.

‘Tell me a little about yourself, Farael. What adventures have you been on? I love to hear such stories.’ She frowned for a moment then her brow smoothed out again. ‘My life has been quite tame. Under the thumb of my parents for a long while, and now the watchful eye of my brother. No real adventures, I fear.'

[piosenniel]

A trip to the smokehouse

‘An Orc, you say?’ Cook paused for a moment in her butchering and looked toward Ginger. ‘We had one in here quite a while ago,’ she went on, pursing her lips as she stirred through her memories. ‘He came for that big birthday party. Very civilized for an Orc, if I recall correctly. Polite. And good sense of humor.’ She looked at Ginger again. ‘I don’t suppose we could get so lucky again, could we?’

She motioned for Buttercup to fetch the two big roasting pans. And they were soon placed on two chair seats that Ruby had pulled up near the butcher-block. Into each of them she placed a large haunch of goat which would be done up with taters and carrots all nestled about it for supper.

‘Buttercup, you finish up those peas. And then you and Ginger can season the roasts and put them in the oven to roast slow. Don’t get too heavy handed with the rosemary – just a light dusting of it ground will do.’

Cook gathered up the various large pieces she’d managed to cut the rest of the goat into and piled them into a large, two handled pot. ‘Ruby, can you get the other handle? We’ll take these out to the smokehouse to hang.’

It was a heavy load for the two Hobbits, but they managed it nicely and soon were pulling open the smokehouse door. They hung the bloody pieces on the great hooks that came down on ropes from the beams and then closed the door securely. They made sure the low burning fire in the little stove next to the large hut was still going and that the flue from the stove was well opened to let the heat and smoke drift through thickly over the meat. Cook threw a couple of scoops of wet applewood shavings into the little stove for flavor.

The smokehouse stood a good ways away from the back kitchen door and away from the stable. The two Hobbits made their way back to the kitchen, stopping on the way at the pump just outside the kitchen door to clean up. Ruby was asked to start peeling the taters for the roasts, while Buttercup chopped the carrots into good sized chunks. Widow Rosebank was just finishing up the cake batter for dessert.

‘Ginger, girl,’ said Cook, motioning her over to where the butchering had been done. ‘Go fetch the mop and a pail of hot sudsy water. I’ll clean up the table here and put it away and you can scrub up the floor.’

[Captain Grishnahk]

Grishnahk cursed his stupidity. He should have known the butcher would have not left raw meat out. Hidding behind the smokehouse is what he would have chosen if he had not been driven by hunger and beaten by the sun. But he had to wait a few more minutes to slip once again back out the door. Once there was no one watching, the orc slipped outside into the sun. Grishnahk sheilded his face with his hands from the sun, and he quickly ran into a nearby forest. The smokehouse was directly on the edge of the clump of trees and he would be able to get to it easily. Now that he was in some shadow, Grishnahk could think more clearly. He watched as the small tastey hobbits dashed into the kitchen after washing their hands at the pump.

The grim captain was distracted rather suddenly as he saw two figures a she and a he, walking down a path; soon sitting under a tree. He smiled evily thinking of what he would do if he were a bit younger, but he soon dismissed the thought and concentrated on his needs. Of course the smokehouse would be locked somehow, and he would have to be quick.

[Farael]

Farael looked at the pretty flower (he hadn't learned enough about flowers to know which kind of flower this one was) and sighed before answering "I am afraid my long bow and knife might have given you the wrong impression m'lady" Even though he knew her name, he still had a hard time thinking of her as an equal rather than someone somehow more important than himself "for I have not had any adventures in my young life. It is true I was enrolled in the glorious army of Gondor but... well, my dad made sure I never left to battle, nor to anywhere dangerous. I was all but a messenger boy for one of the captains.

This is why I've come here" he looked into her eyes hopefully "we all know how four brave halflings- hobbits that is- helped My Lord The King in his adventure, so now I'm looking forward to meet some of those adventurous hobbits myself!" Farael's voice lowered to a little more than a whisper "Although it seems like the hobbits in the Inn are not the same kind than the ones I've heard about... these seem pretty... tame"