The Green Dragon Inn #11 - The Last Chapter

[Aniriuq Raevla]

"I remember!" Anjareen sat up quikly. She could remember! She had had a dream about that night,the night she had forgotten everything.....
She had left her home on her seventeenth birthday,finally being the age at which her parents would let her go on her own. She had wanted to see the world outside of the small village in which she had lived. She rememberd waving to her mother and father,Anit and Yillib,goodbye, she remembered her little brother hugging her leg,her reaching down to ruffle his hair and pull him loose. She remembered walking up the grassy hill near her house,taking one last look at her family and home,and turning away,already thinking of where she should go first.Wherever the road leads,and beyond.She remembered thinking.

A week later,she had found herself in a dark forest. The previous seven days had been full of adventure. She had gone through the most beautiful fileds of flowers she had ever seen,and she could have sworn she had seen some faries. The day before she had found a campsite,which obviously belonged to a thieft. A large,dusty,brown bag,full of jewels,pottery,and clothing lay near a pile opf firewood. A man was snoring from beneath a dirty blanket. Abja had been hiding behind some bushes,and was about to walk away when a blue sparkel caught her eye. It was a dagger ,its' blue handle gleaming temptingly in the bright sun. It lay atop the bag full of stolen items,and called to Anja,telling her to take it,take it away from the ugly idiot who had stolen it.She thought for a while,battling with herself whether to take it or not. It wouldnt be wrong,she told herself,it doesnt belong to him,so it wouldnt be wrong to take it.

BUT,argued her good side,what if the man wakes up? He'll kill you! Or worse,he could-...Hey! What are you doing?STOP!Anja had gotten up slowly,and made her way towrds the dagger quietly,The man twitched a couple of times,but other than that,he didnt move. Anja finally made it to the bag. She snatched the dagger from its place,and began to run away,when she tripped over a rock and fell.

"OOF!"

The man jumped up, and looked for the cause of the noise. With his small,black eyes,his bony face and body,and his pale skin,he looked like a corpse. He turned to Anja,who had got shakily to her feet,and raored
.
"Who the 'ell are you?!"He said in an all too familiar voice.

""I'm warning you!"Anja had said pointing the dagger at him."Dont come near me!I'm armed and dangerous!....Believe it!"

The man stared stupidly at the dagger,and his eyes got wide with anger."'Ey! Thas mine,ya little booger!"He lunged at Anja,who screamed and ran away.The man followed her,and had been for the rest of that day and into the next,trapping her in the dark forest she was in.

She had leaned against a tree,gasping for air,thinking:I've lost him,ha cant have followed me all the way here!

"Where are you 'ittle gul? Come 'ere,I wont 'urt you much!"Came the voice of the man,laughing as he came closer
.
Before Anja could run againg,his hand came from around the tree and wrapped its fingers around her throat.She gagged as he cam around and wrapped his other hand around her throat."Gotcha!Now,time to show 'uo wha' 'appens when ol' Dilly get mad!"

He bent down and picked up a large,jagged rock."Buh bye."He raised the rock over his head and brought it down to her forhead,at the same time Anja,who still had the dagger in her hand,had stabbed Dilly in the stomach.Everything had gone black for Anja as the rock connected with her head,and the last thing she heard was a grunt and a curse coming from the man.

In the present time Anja gently touched the bruise on her head,wincing from the throbbing pain which had just suddenly started.And his voice...it was the voice in her head that had been mocking her,making her talk to herself,looking crazy....

The next few days after the attack,she had wondered around the forest, disoriented, and had stummbled onto the Green Dragon.

Anja laughed and stood up. She rolled up her cloak and put it into her pack,and placing the dagger lovingly into one of the side pockets.She started to hum a happy little tune and danced her way back to the inn.She was happy,no matter what had happened to her a few nights ago.She couldnt help it,she could remember!

She reached up and scratched her head,and stopped dead in her tracks, She could feel her hair,it was wild,sticking up here and there,her curls fluffy,hardly looking like they used to.

I cant have that,now can I?She thought.Within a few minutes,she had her hair more behaved,and with just that little adjustment,she looked much better. Her eyes shone gleefully in the suns' light,her lips looked full and nolonger chap,she looked much healthier.

She skipped into the inn,still humming,greeting other costumers with a smile and a wave.She sat at a table in the middle of the room,One of the maids came to ask her order.

"Ay,a nice large mug 'o ale would do me fine miss,thank you!"She said in a loud merry voice,which was no longer harsh.She leaned back and propped her feet on the table,still humming and smiling at passing people.

Mulawin watched a group of men getting ready to depart it seemed. The other patrons were still busy with their morning meal, and the serving maid was busy attending their needs.

A young boy was at another table. The young lad seemed oblivious to his surroundings and didn't notice the figure walking towards him.

That was when Mulawin noticed the elf maiden coming towards him with a polite smile. She was tall, her long hair braided and she was attired in a green tunic. Although he had seen elves before he'd never seen one this far from Loudwater, or Bruinen as the elves of Rivendell called it.

"May I join you?" She asked politely.

He had to catch himself from staring too long at her. Mulawin was thankfully glad his friend was not around just yet. His friend had an irritating way of teasing him when it came to "mingling with females"- as Thanatos would term it. As if being a ranger gave him time to do that.

He stood and politely offered the empty chair.

"I would be quite honored, my Lady", he said, clearing his throat.

As they both sat down, curiosity got the best of him. Before he could stop himself he asked, "What brings you to these parts?"

[piosenniel]

GREEN DRAGON INN FACTS:

It is the 4th Age, year 12. By the Shire Calendar it is year 1433 S.R. (Shire Reckoning).

King Elessar is on the throne of the Reunited Kingdom of Arnor and Gondor.

Mirkwood has been reclaimed by the Elves and is now called Eryn Lasgalen.

Paladdin Took, Pippin’s father, is Thain of the Shire. (Thain is an honorary title for the military leader of the Shire. The title has been held in the Took Family since the position was first established in 3rd Age 1979 with Bucca of the Marish as First Thain.) Paladdin Took dies in year 13, and will be succeeded by his son, Peregrin, ‘Pippin’, Took.

Samwise Gamgee is Mayor of the Shire, having succeeded Will Whitfoot in 1427 S.R.

The Innkeeper, in the Green Dragon Inn of this forum, is: Aman – a young woman from Rohan.

Before her, the Innkeeper was Piosenniel, and before her it was Dwarin, the Dwarf.

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Other ongoing characters in the Inn:

Ruby Brown, Hobbit – not married – server and maid

Buttercup Brownlock, Hobbit – not married – kitchen assistant and maid

Vinca Bunce, widowed, Inn Cook (character played by Piosenniel)

Derufin, the Stablemaster (played by Envinyatar)

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Ongoing characters from outside the Inn:

Halfred Whitfoot – local Shiriff from Bywater and Postmaster for this area of the Shire; his pony’s name is Dumpling.

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Please Note:

No 'SAVES' are allowed in the Inn (except for modifications needed to be made by the Moderators or Innkeeper).

With the exception of the Innkeeper and the Moderators, no OOC (Out Of Character) comments are allowed in the Inn.

Only the Innkeeper, Amanaduial, or the Moderators move the timeline for the Inn forward.

Visitors to the Inn will need to read the posts that come before theirs to get an idea of what time it is in the Shire, what the weather is like, and what is happening.

No violence is allowed in the Inn or on Inn grounds.

Please be familiar with the rules for the Inn and Games in The Red Book of Westmarch, the first topic in the Shire.

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About Elves in Shire RPG's:

Please use this description from Tolkien when crafting an Elf:

Return of the King – Appendix F: Tolkien’s description for the Quendi (The Speakers) – the name given to the Elves by themselves after they first awoke in Middle-earth.

“They were a race high and beautiful, the older Children of the world, and among them the Eldar were as Kings, who now are gone: the People of the Great Journey, the People of the Stars. They were tall, fair of skin and grey-eyed, though their locks were dark, save in the golden house of Finrod; and their voices had more melodies than any mortal voice that is now heard . . .”

Please use this as a guideline for describing your Elven character’s appearance.

[piosenniel]

It is nearing noon-time at the Green Dragon Inn. Breakfast is still being served.

The day is proving to be a fair one so far . . . no clouds on the horizon as yet.

[starkat]

Gwenneth thanked him and took her seat. Before answering the man’s question, the elf maid quickly ordered her breakfast. For a moment she fiddled with the jewel that she wore around her neck. She noticed that he was trying hard not to stare at her.

“My name is Gwenneth. I hail from my family home near the Grey Havens.” The man across from her sat waiting for her to continue. “It was my turn to travel and the Shire is the first stop in my journey. My only companion is my horse, Elenath. She was a gift from my father a couple of years ago.”

Her breakfast arrived and Gwenneth spent a few moments eating. She took a sip of her tea and turned to the man. “What is your name? What brings you to these parts?”

The young ranger was silently listening and continued to eat his meal while the elf maiden spoke. He remained silent, still wondering why an elf of Grey Havens would be journeying this far. Most of his elven friends were journeying to Grey Havens.

That's when he remembered why Thanatos would be meeting him here. His friend was accompanying a small group of elves. They had agreed Thana would meet him here while their friends continued onwards to Mithlond.

He gazed around the room and saw a young female who seemed distracted and was humming to herself. The young boy he'd noticed earlier stood up with his companion and left.

"What is your name? What brings you to these parts?" The Gwenneth asked.

"My apologies. They call me Mulawin. A simple ranger journeying from the Ford of Bruinen near Rivendell. I was to meet with a friend here." He paused and smiled." Do you know then, Lord Cirdan? What news in the Grey Havens?"

[starkat]

“I am afraid that I do not know him. I have met him briefly, but have not spent much time near the shore. My interests have always lain with our horses. I have spent most of my time with them.” The elf maid smiled as an astonished look crossed the Ranger’s face for a moment. “I know what you are thinking, an elf who does not wish to cross the sea. I will one day, but not until my journey is over.”

Gwenneth fiddled with the jewel she wore on a chain before continuing. “In my family there is a tradition. Once we reach 100 years of age, we set out on a two year journey through Middle Earth. Right now my only companion is my horse, Elenath. She was a gift from my father. He brought her back from one of his trips to Rohan.”

Ruby Brown came by and asked them if the wanted refills. After their glasses were filled, Gwenneth and Mulawin sat in silence for a few moments. Gwenneth looked around at the goings on in the inn. She heard Mulawin tapping his fingers against the table and realized that he was waiting for her to continue.

The elf maid tucked a few strands of loose hair back behind her ear. “Would you tell me about some of the places you have been? As a Ranger, you must have journeyed far.” She waited for his reply.