The Green Dragon Inn #11 - The Last Chapter

[Witch_Queen]

Aduthondiel
She was suprised to see so many people from her past. Adu remembered Arty and was so glad to see him again. "Crystal, have you heard anything from Hama? I'm worried about him." Adu had a feeling that something had happened to him.

Adu didn't need to have Isaac's love she had Hama to worry about now. Nothing was going to keep her from Hama. "Good evening Ms. Lily." Adu couldn't believe how much Crystal's brother had grown. She could remember when he two was just a child. Adu then stood in the shadows until the death of Crystal's mother. But that was then, it was all in the past now.

[Eowyn Skywalker]

Willow shook her head. That had been an interesting encounter, she was sure that she had met the dwarf before. She turned over to Lily, who was now talking. Willow caught a question in Lily's words, though she hadn't really been listening, something about the strangest person she had ever met.

"Oh," Willow said softly. "I haven't really met too many strange people, Lily... I have met other dwarves before, and... well..." Willow smiled shyly, strange to her. "Well, I suppose the strangest people I have ever met, before I came here, were the elves. They are so different from us, you know. I really cannot say that I have met many strange people, beyond myself, as I am rather strange, in a manner." Willow grinned slightly, and caught herself before she started coughing again, bending over with slight pain. She grimaced. "I think we had best be moving on, as we did come out here to walk." she commented, trying to hold back a flinch. Something she had ate wasn't exactly agreeing with her, or else she was coming down with a cold, Willow guessed.

Willow shivered, but didn't exactly want to head back in. She took the lead, walking over around the inn, and tucking her cape closer around her. The day was starting to draw in a chill to it, though the rain was gone. She could hear the other two hobbits following her, beside her. "Dim is in interesting character," she continued. "But then, some strangeness is all right to have, as where would be be if we were all the same?"

The girl smiled, and looked over at the other two. "You see what I mean?" she asked.

[Archsage Isaac]

Isaac sat back in his chair and looked at the others. Crystal, Arty, Bartholomew, Lily and Adu. After several moments a smile was brought to his face. The rest of the group had seemed to completely forget about Isaac. Look at them, so happy to be reunited... Why am I here? I don't belong here, I never did, especially not with Adu. She was right to move on, and now I have to as well... he thought, his smile quickly turned to a sad expression. One of sorrow, calm and serene but sorrowful.

He looked at Adu once again. Without another word he grabbed hold of the pendant around his neck and took it off. A large sapphire adorned it's gold chain. It was his prized possession, his only real possession other than the sword at his side. Out of his pocked he pulled a piece of parchment that he'd wrote a note on the previous night.

Isaac carefully wrapped the pendant in the parchment and tied it with a string that he pulled from around his wrist. Exhaling deeply, he placed the gift in front of Adu. She looked at it and then at him. At first she seemed confused, but then she seemed to understand.

Isaac stood and cleared his throat, getting the attention of the group. "I'm sorry for leaving so abruptly, but I must be going. Crystal, Arty, Bartholomew, Lily, Aduthondiel, I wish you nothing but happiness in your future." he said. He bowed deeply, picked up his travel-bag and slung it over his shoulder all in one motion. He slowly walked over to the doors and stopped. "Goodbye, my friends." he said just before exiting the inn.

He began to walk back down the path that had led him there. The early evening air was calm but it chilled Isaac to his bones. It started to hurt his throat to even breathe, but he soon adjusted. He drew his cape up and over his mouth and nose, leaving only his eyes exposed. He stopped and looked back at the inn. He half-expected Adu to try and get him to stay, but she wasn't there. He chuckled lightly at his own foolishness. With a heavy sigh he continued walking down the path. "Back to the road with me," he said, "back to being nothing more than a lonely wanderer." Isaac didn't turn back again. He'd second-guessed his actions enough for one lifetime, he wasn't going to anymore. With a renewed sense of direction and strength, he continued his path. A path of loneliness, a path that he must walk alone...

[Alatariel Telemnar]

Finëwen started to eat her soup, for she could not recall the last time she had eaten. Surely it wasn't that long ago, but then again, the whole trip seemed to her a blur. Stopping only to take an occasional sip of wine, Finëwen enjoyed watching the others talk. There seemed to be a merrier mood in the bunch now. Reunions between Eodwine and those he knew from long ago seemed to be the merriest.

Finëwen smiled occasionally at something the hobbits would say, or how Eodwine reacted to someone he had not seen in awhile. But what interested her was watching the other people around the inn, for she had seen the same people for most of the journey, except a few others that tagged along with them. Despite the fact that she enjoyed the company of the others (even if she didn't say much), Finëwen was tired, and looked forward to sleeping in a bed tonight.

[littlemanpoet]

"Ahh," said Falco, patting his belly, "three bowls of stew and three mugs of ale to go with 'em. Now that's what I call good Shire fair and better portions!"

Gorby and Anson grinned, having followed Falco's example to the final swallow.

Falco turned to Eodwine. "And now, Master Eodwine, I think it's time for that tale. And you can be sure that we'll be quick to fill in any details you've missed!"

Eodwine grinned, feeling quite full himself from two bowls, and working on his second mug of ale. "I am happy enough that the Master of Brandy Hall saw fit to pay you well for your services, not leasting of finding me! Else we'd be beggars this night!"

Word spread that the tale would be told, and even the kitchen staff filled the doorway to get an ear of it. Aman came out and sat in the eighth chair around the table. The Great Room quieted, and Eodwine began.

"It is no longer a secret that I was lent to King Elessar by my own lord, King Eomer. You may have heard the rumors that surveyors and builders were sent from Gondor to the Hills of Evendim, to see what could be done to rebuild Fornost and Annuminas on the Lake. Four years in a row, no report came back from Evendim, not even one soul. All the builders were never heard from again. So I, not being of Gondor, was sent north to see what I could learn.

"On a day in mid summer, I road out of Bywater and left the Great Road, heading north over open country. It was not long before I was beyond the settled realms of the Shire. And not long after that, close to the Hills, I was of a sudden surrounded by two dozen and more men, and taken prisoner, but my horse escaped. They beat me and crushed my lyre, and took me, bound hand in foot, to a settlement along the shores of Lake Evendim.

"But before I was taken away from that place, I saw a wild wanderer hiding in the brush - our faces were no farther apart than Gorby's there across the table from me. And I begged him with my eyes to do something to aid me. I did not know if he did anything at all, and I confess that I did not count on it, and so made matters worse for myself than I had need to.

"For Falowik Stonewort here, was that wanderer, and he came straightway to the outskirts of the Shire, and reported what he had seen."

Falco interrupted. "I admit that I did not believe Falowik at first, not until I came to the Green Dragon Inn, where this man of Rohan that I thought Falowik had dreamed up, had been seen and heard of, and they had his horse. I return the tale to you, Master Eodwine!"

"I was made a slave, along with more than a hundred other men at the settlement. These men, as it turned out, were the very same surveyors and builders that had been sent north by Elessar. Not all were still accounted for, and ugly rumors there were as to what happened to some of them. We were made to farm the fields of their Master, and to husband their cattle, getting very little gain from it ourselves, for they almost starved us.

"There came a day when I lost hope and ran away from the settlement, only to be caught before I'd passed over the first hill, partly from my own weakness. My captors decided that I must pay the worst price, and be sent north to the Master."

"Who is this Master out of the north?" asked Aman.

"Was, more like, for he is no more, but that gets ahead of my tale. He called himself Herugor, an Elvish sounding name, which I am told meant something akin to 'lord of horror'. That title was true enough. But I have not yet told you who he was. He was the Dark Lord's Lieutenant of Barad-dur, and he was known to us who were at the Battle of the Morannon in the War of the Ring. He was called the 'Mouth of Sauron'."

The name brought a hush, for even though that Dark Lord was no more, his evil Ring destroyed, his name was not spoken lightly.

[Nurumaiel]

"Blanco and Posco there are not related to me in any way at all. Blanco met up with me one day and was so very kind and introduced himself to me at invited me to his house for tea. I met Posco later. Marcho is a relative of theirs who I did not meet until just a few days ago. Blanco and Posco left to visit their aunt -isn't that so kind of them? They always were kind- and Marcho went with them, and Blanco decided to take me along. It was most gracious of him to invite me, and his aunt is so very kind. When she corrects one when one does something wrong she does it in a very good-natured manner. Blanco and Posco are so very patient about her corrections as well."

His eyes travelled to the table of the seven newcomers where Blanco now stood and he smiled fondly in that direction. "Blanco is one of the kindest people I know," he said. "He is always so very friendly to everyone, even to me, just a little fool at most times. It delights me to see the way he goes to befriend all people. Posco is also very kind, though he is rather shy. Marcho, too, looks upon everyone with a good eye. I have never seen him disapproving or annoyed, though Blanco often says he is." He paused and reflected upon this. "Yet I don't think Blanco would ever tell a lie, so I conclude that he is merely joking when he says this."

Marcho was sitting not far away and he heard Bingo's words. He started and gazed at the young hobbit in complete awe, as he had done many times since he had met Bingo. Never, ever had he heard Bingo speak an unkind word to or of anyone. Marcho knew he was annoyed often and almost always disapproving of everything, and it was a stark impossibility the way Bingo never noticed it. He gazed into Bingo's eyes and saw a light in them, the light that he looked at everyone in... a sweet, friendly light, a light full of trusting and kindness and innocence, a light that showed that the lad thought of nothing but supreme goodness in everyone and of no evil.

We're stark opposites, that's what we are, he thought with some regret. Bingo can't help but see everything as being good and pure, even the things that aren't. And even the good things I see as being wicked and annoying. Bingo has such innocence. Ignorant little fool. But there I go again! I think at innocence in a dark light and think of it as foolishness and ignorance. If anyone were ever foolish Bingo would not blame them for it, but he would attribute it to perhaps drunkeness, and if he knew the one was responsible for their foolishness he would smile sweetly and forgive them patiently. As for ignorance he would smile the same sweet, innocent smile and say, 'It is a pity that one was never instructed better, but does it really matter, Marcho, that he is ignorant when his heart is full of goodness?' And to him every heart would be full of goodness. Why, I doubt if he could find evil in Sharkey himself, or in the 'Dark Lord' that Falco Boffin spoke of.

Bingo was continuing in his charitable words about his friends, and Marcho shook his head. Bingo never ceased in his repetitive use of the word 'kind.' How difficult it would be to always refrain from sharp words, to never gain the satisfaction of saying something bitter against one who annoyed you. Yet Bingo was always satisfied. And Marcho... he always spoke sharp words and he was never satisfied. The more often he spoke unkindly the more dissatisfied he became. Bingo was always at peace with himself and all the word, always smiling in that naive, charming way and always speaking kindly of all.

"And so," Bingo continued, "in conclusion, for I am sure I have rambled on long enough, Blanco, Posco, and Marcho are the best friends I have ever had in my life and the kindest hobbits I have ever met. I know they'll delight you when you meet them and you will see why I call them kind. You are very kind yourself, Miss Twylight, to invite me to dine with you."

[Firefoot]

Their walk had led them around towards the back of the Inn. The weather was getting chillier, and Lily was starting to feel cold, even with her cloak wrapped tightly around her. She was ready to head back insided and warm herself by the fire with a hot cup of tea.

"You see what I mean?" asked Willow.

"Yes, indeed," said Lily. "There is nothing wrong with strangeness - in fact, some of the most interesting people are also the strangest." Lily turned subtlely back towards the path, intending to make a full circle around the Inn before heading back inside.

Willow coughed, and Lily wondered if she was feeling all right. Mira was quiet, seeming content to listen to the conversation rather than take part. They had almost completed their circuit of the Inn when Lily again spoke up.

"I'm ready to head back inside. If you two would prefer to stay out a while longer, that's all right with me, but I am in desperate need of warming up." She headed off for the Inn, half hoping they would follow but not wanting them to cut short their own walk because of her.

Warmth greeted her at the door way, and she headed inside to get a cup of tea and see what awaited her there.