The Green Dragon Inn #11 - The Last Chapter

[Sett]

The sky was so clear that it felt right to discuss the end of that tale to the two hobbits now eager to hear what happened next. Galither however was not in a hurry as the day was still bright and there was no need to rush after this day. He pulled out a rug from his pocket filled with crushed up pipe weed. It had been crushed from all the adventures since Bree where he bought a whole new sachet. As he put his hand in the pocket he also felt a crisp note in the bottom of the deep hole.

Meet me under the oak tree
Love Esmerelda

It had been there for many months but Galither rarely emptied his pocket. There was so much junk and useless items that he couldn’t be bothered to empty it. He let out a tear upon reading the note but swiftly wiped his eyes as the two hobbits were sipping their ales.

“You call that pipe-weed?” Hamfast laughed
“I that I do, all they sold in Bree, of course it looked better back there” Galither replied

Hamfast then pulled out his very neatly tied rag. He unhooked the string that was binding the edges of his sachet. It rolled our like a parchment and out fell fresh pipe weed. It has so much colour compared to the weed found in Galither’s pocket. Hamfast then offered the other two to share in his very rich and luxurious pipe weed. Galither pulled out from his other pocket a shiny silver pipe that had been gently wrapped in a little case. He obviously has taken great care of this item, as he had kept this in the pocket near his heart.

“This was a present from my love Esmerelda for my birthday” said Galither

Galither then poured the fresh pipe weed into the pipes opening and lit up the pipe. It tasted rather sweet for pipe weed. It has a musky and rough texture in his lungs yet still filled them with the sense of fulfilment he had come to expect from the pipe weed. He was not addicted but did enjoy the taste very much, especially from his own pipe.

“Ah yes that tastes good. I forgot the taste of such things after what happened this morning. Thank you Hamfast for this rare treat. Now the story let me begin…”

[Arry]

A Hobbit never declines a bite to eat. And Ferdy was no exception. He took the bread and borrowed her knife, spreading a thick layer of blackberry jam on the chewy, whole-grained surface. From a passing server, he obtained a mug, while from another he got a small pitcher of cider. Around his mouthful of food, he smiled and tried to answer her question.

‘Well, actually, Miz Aranel,’ he began, taking a big gulp of cider to wash down the bread and jam. ‘Actually, I don’t work here at all. I was sitting with my friends . . . we were planning something we were going to do, when Ruby, one of the servers here, pressed me into service.’ He took another swallow of cider. ‘I’ve been here often enough to know what they have in the larder, so I though I’d give it a try. How hard could it be, after all, I thought.’ He chuckled at his misapprehension. ‘Luckily one of the serving lasses in the kitchen helped me out a bit and your food was got to you before it was stone cold.’

He’d finished his bread and jam and now looked covertly toward the basket of bread. ‘My goodness!’ he thought to himself she eats just like a little bird. ‘If I’d known, I would have made the helpings much smaller.’ He reached for another slice of bread, and seeing as how she did not object, he took a nice slice of ham. Wiping the knife off carefully on the bread, he plunged it into the crock of mustard and slathered the bread with it, placing the ham neatly atop it when he was done.

‘My Da and I and a few of my friends just finished helping out at the groundskeeper’s cottage. Added a new room, and redid the cupboards and windows,’ he said conversationally. ‘The new couple that live there just got married a few days ago . . . right here in the Inn yard.’ He smiled, remembering the dancing and drinking and food and fun. ‘Too bad you couldn’t have shown up earlier. I think you would have enjoyed it.’

‘What about you?' he asked, not wanting to seem as if he were talking too much. 'If you don’t mind my asking - what brings you here to Bywater?

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Dwaline eyed John with a lessened suspicion. John seemed nervous and jumpy and looked to be avoiding Dwaline's gaze. The dwarf folded his arms and stared directly at John sternly. John shifted his weight uneasily and looked everywhere but at the dwarf.

"I do not know where Aman is." said the dwarf at last, "Nor do I know who she is. I have not been here long enough to know everyone." he chuckled to himself and stroked his beard. John looked nervously towards Dwaline and seemed defensive as if trying to hide his eyes, lest the dwarf some how read his thoughts. Dwaline had no such powers, but John was suspicious all the same.

Avalon, who was now sat on the table, seemed more and more disturbed by John. She seemed uncomfortable as if she had a foreboding about him, but did not know what it was. Dwaline noticed this and was worried.

"Tell me, John, if that is you're true name, whence did you come from, and what business brings you to the shire."

[elf-girl-63]

The young hobbit eagerly helped himself to the food but Aranel didn't mind at all. He had given her hobbit-sized portions which were a contradiction in terms. To a new traveller, it was amazing to watch. She had thought that she was eating a lot and very greedily, as her family would've happily pointed out but compared to this Ferdy... Well, she was simply glad they weren't there.

Aranel listened as he talked easily and confidently about his life. When he mentioned the wedding the few days before, his eyes lit up. Ferdy clearly remembering the enjoyment he'd had.

"Oh, well I'm sure you don't really wish to know. Afterall, you hardly know me."

"But you don't me either Miz Aranel. And besides, I long to hear of far off places. Someday I hope... I hope to travel," Ferdy blushed at the admittance of such a secret longing. The young lady simply nodded but behind her bright eyes, he saw something darker. As Pa always said "the eyes are the window to the soul".

"Well, if you insist," she put the spoon of soup down and stared into the fire, recalling the memories that she had tried to forget. "I was born in Minas Tirith, in Gondor, 23 years ago. The first half of my life was mixed. My family was wealthy, we enjoyed company with Denethor and his sons, but we (well I) knew that this life could soon disappear. I suppose we lived in fear, but my father ignored that aspect of our life and continued to have us believe that Sauron was legend, a distant fear, nothign to worry about. Then Gandalf came to the city.

I saw him arrive, in secret, and watch him being lead to the libraries of all our writings. When he had gone, I slipped down (for our family had great power and influence) and read what he had. Somehow I knew that the end was coming, whether for Middle-Earth or Sauron. Anyway, time passed. Sauron grew stronger, Osgiliath was taken and then came the end. Denethor died, King Elessar was crowned and we lived in peace once again. My family remained prosperous, in good humour with the royality but I was not satisfied.

I am the middle child of my family. The lost one as they say. I was expected to marry but I didn't wish to. As you, yourself have admitted, I wished to travel, to see the world. My fmaily often criticised me. I do not know why, but perhaps it was inevitable. My older brother is a strong fighter and very loyal, my younger sister a great beauty and sociable, pleasant, open. I preferred knowledge, to open my mind, but in my parents' views that isn't the right path for a young lady of respectable class.

Eventually, I was ignored. Left to myself. I became bored with the city, wonderful though it is. One day I told my parents I was leaving. Honestly, they weren't surprised... but neither supportive. They gave my some money, a horse and off I set. I have been travelling many months since that day. Stopping in villages to work and increase my funds. I have travelled over fields and mountians and met many folk along the way. And now, I have arrived here. But I feel i have said too much."

She looked up and saw understanding, not judgement. Blinking back several tears, Aranel continued eating.

[Witch_Queen]

Jon chuckled a bit before turning his total existance into a very serious matter. He bent forward so the dwarf could him a bit better."Jon is my real name and as for where I come from...." Jon reached up and pulled the hood off his head revealing the look of a very young man. "I come from Rohan seeking counsel with the one named Aman. She's the innkeeper of this place. As for my business in the Shire... well I seek counsel with Aman. The details are not important and neither is anything else dealing with my existance.

Jon decided it best not tell the dwarf the entire story. The mystery behind his journey, Jon like to keep a mystery. He didn't need to tell the dwarf everything. "Master Dwarf, you seem a bit too curious for your kind. You should watch where you stick your nose cause you never know when someone will come along and cut it off." Jon set back in his set with a smile across his face. "I mean no harm to either of you. As for Avalon.." Jon looked at the white crow. "As for you my child, I have seen your kind in my dreams. I'm haunted by the elf crow bearer." The look on the crow's face told Jon everything he wanted to know. "So you are the crow that was with her? Weird how in my dreams you look so different. Master Dwarf where is her old friend? What has become of the female cursed elf."

Avalon looked at the man. She didn't know what else to think. He knew about Cree and Avalon thought some how something bad had happened to her. No all is good. Cree is still alive. I know he wouldn't hurt her. He promised me that she would be safe. Avalon turned her head to gaze at Dwaline. "Go ahead and tell the human what he wishes. After all I feel as if he may know something about our elf friends. Perhaps Cree someday will come back to me."

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Dwaline nodded at Avalon and cleared his thought. Taking a deep drink of ale he turned his attention to John again.

"Cree, the elf who once was Avalons accomplice, has gone off to far off lands." He cracked his neck and leant forwards, "She went with an old friend of mine, Fáinu, who is cursed by a dragon. Or so he thinks. They are going to the grey mountains to seek a Dragon. Rumours have grown there of a fiery death that has swept the land. Fáinu in the hotness of his heart made it his business to go off in search of it, thinking it a dragon.

"Cree, who apparently had known Fáinu from a long time back, insisted on going with him. She knew it a dangerous mission and so did not let Avalon get caught up in it. That is how I read into it." Avalon nodded slightly. "And as for sticking my nose in places," sniggered Dwaline, "I have been doing that since childhood. Call it a hobby, or more an addiction now. Collecting news has always been my joy. But now I am old and rambling."

The Dwarf peered into John's eyes and smiled, "You wish to keep you’re history and identity secret? That is fare enough; many do the same for their own reasons. But this dream of yours..." John turned sharply towards Dwaline detecting some thing in his voice, "It interreges me. I may not claim to know the minds of men, or elves or even Dwarves. But I know one who does. Tell me of it and I shall tell him. Perhaps you shall know the meaning of it."

[piosenniel]

Notice of Time Change in the Inn

It is now early evening; the skies are clear.

~*~ Pio