The Green Dragon Inn #11 - The Last Chapter

[Dairym]

Heather nodded shyly and rearranged herself into a more comfortable position on the grass. She wasn't entirely sure if his smile was for or because of her, but she returned it anyway.

"'Tis a lovely night. I'm Heather--of the Gorseblooms, near Chetwood." She looked sideways at the young man as she waited for an introduciton. He seemed pensive on this festive evening, almost sad. Perhaps he would tell her why.

[piosenniel]

Cook stood, hands on hips, and gave the Elf sitting so mournful looking on the bed a once-over look. “Well for one thing, you can get up and wash your face a bit, tidy your hair so it doesn’t look so wild, and put on a fresh tunic. She turned about while he accomplished these tasks she’d set him.

‘Now my old Gammer always said that if you don’t feel happy inside, your our outside shows it, too. And it goes both ways.’ She looked up at him as he towered over her, his brow furrowed. ‘Smooth out your brow and put a smile on those grim held lips.’

‘No . . . a bit bigger, I think. And let’s see just a bit of teeth. So as you don’t look like someone grimacing as he holds back the contents of a sour stomach!’

She led the Elf downstairs, instructing him that they would find his sister and see to getting things smoothed over. ‘And no grumbling under your breath, laddie! We are going to be pleasant and speak lightly.’ She glanced back over her shoulder at him as she made her way down the stairs. ‘Come along now!’

[Witch_Queen]

The arrows silently and quickly crept through the air until they found their prey. Cree’s memory was slowly becoming clearer and clearer….. The arrows that had killed the goblins came from her and not the others. Avalon squawked, Cree knew what the white crow wished to know. Fáinu looked at Cree, she knew what the two of them was waiting on. Avalon squawked again. “I know Avalon, you wish to know which one of us fired the arrows. At first we had thought that it was Fáinu but he was never willing to admit to it. I knew I had released one arrow but after taking an even closer look I was the one to kill the goblins as they were fleeing for their lives. Goblins are goblins… Even a child knows that a goblin is not going to keep his word…”

“We had no choice….” Fáinu looked at Cree… “What do you mean “we”? You were the one that fired the arrows.” Cree let out a little chuckle. “Your right, I had no choice, if the goblins escaped then they would go back to their “master” and we would have been fried up… Personally I wouldn’t taste that good….” She leaned closer to the table so the other two could hear her. In a whisper she said, “Rotten meat…” Cree sat back up in her chair laughing all the way. She picked up her mug only to realize she was out of ale…. “OH BOY!”

Her two companions looked at her, their faces blank but showed some concern. She turned the mug upside-down, “My mug is empty!”

[Dimturiel]

Ravennar smiled more widely, trying to make his figure more aproachable, to get rid of his thoughtful mood. And he knew all too well that he was more than able to do that. Ravennar had rarely shown what went on in his heart. He could be storming and raging inside himself, but on the outside he was always calm. Only those that knew him best had realised his srategy, and were not taken in by his appearence anymore

"I am Ravennar." he told Heather, "And I come from Dale."


And I should not be here at all, he wanted to say but he stopped. Why should he say that? It was not something to be proud of, not when so many could suffer from his foly. Also, his errand had to remain a secret known only to those concerned. And, the way things had gone so far, it was likely that even they would not know it. No, he should not shout his blunders in every corner of Middle-earth, it would only make matters worse than they already were.Therefore, he continued in a casual tone:

"Indeed, it is a fair night. Fairer than many that I have seen. The stars are bright and the air is cool and wholesome. What could one want more?"

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Fáinu raised an eyebrow. This was unusual. But it was not unheard of. Cree was renowned at Thranduil's halls as a deep drinker; most wood Elves were from that area. He shook his head and drank some ale, but it tastes bitter in his mouth, maybe the memories were having an effect on him, or maybe he was catching a cold.

"The cold steel blade," he muttered, but Avalon heard him and stared into his eyes, "yes, I remember what happened next. All too well." His voice sank and became dark, as he clasped his chest, "We should have known! Those-" he swore, "-goblins and their ways. They had a scout with them that we did not see, he must have taken news to the Dragon, and he knew we were coming... He knew." Fáinu rose quickly and dashed out of the door.

Cree and Avalon followed him, they saw him leant forward over a patch fence. Blood came from his mouth and he shivered. "It burns!" he said over and over. Fáinu looked at his hand and saw the burn return, the others saw nothing. In his mind, Fáinu could see the flames cascading around his hand and fingers. He cried out and wreathed on the floor, Avalon streaked and pecked him on the leg. Fáinu drew his knife and looked to stab the bird, but he stopped, and fell back, his eyes glazing over and his breathing returning to normal.

His eyes opened onto the warm light of the In several minuets later, a few old gaffers shook their heads and spoke of the strangeness of Elves. Cree gave to Fáinu a warm cup of tea and brought some toast, the elf sat up and drank it slowly. "I am sorry," he said, "I fear, this may happen again one day. That is why-" he stopped, "-never mind... I shall continue the story."

Avalon sat up and seemed anxious to hear more. "We travelled the rest of that day and night, seeing no sign of more Goblins, or the Dragon. Fundin and Killi lead the way up a steep climb towards the great basin, wherein lay the Dragon. The climb was a hard one; many of the footholds were far too small, even for the Dwarves. The rock fell apart in our hands, and we were conscious that they made a loud sound as they fell, so we had to be extra careful.

"Eventually we came above the climb and could see a small ridge ahead of us, behind which was our quarry. All we could see at that time was smoke, but we could smell the Dragon, oh yes, that vile worm..." Fáinu stopped himself, "So we climbed on top of the ridge and lay down to look into the basin.

"The ground was black with hard rock, whether the rock was black to begin with or the flame of the Dragons had turned it so, none could tell or dared to find out. Geezers were dotted around everywhere and the land seemed to be a barren wasteland. Smoke filled the air and we had to try hard not to cough for the stench was wretched. The air was stifling hot, and so we took our cloaks off and put them in our packs, these we left behind the ridge, taking only our swords, shields, bows and arrows. The blackness of the land made everything seem all the more dreary and horrid, this was how I imagined Mordor. But this was merely a small jest compared to that land.

"Cree and I went first, holding our shields before us, and keeping our Elven eyes open for anything unusual. But the main thing that confused me was the fact that there was no sound, the land lay in a deadly silence..."

[Dairym]

“Ravennar,” Heather murmured to herself so she wouldn’t forget. It was an odd name, but she liked how it rolled off her tongue.

Ravennar smiled a little wider and seemed to forget his preoccupation. “Indeed, it is a fair night. Fairer than many I have seen. The stars are bright and the air is cool and wholesome. What could one want more?”

“A clean bed and a cleaner conscience--or so my Da would say.” Heather smiled, but a little corner of doubt tugged at her mind. Why had her father let her go now, of all times? Why so abruptly? Was it to clear his own conscience?

Heather thrust such puzzling questions aside and looked up at Ravennar. “You journeyed all the way from Dale?" She could hardly imagine such a distance. "You must have had some wonderful adventures.”

[JennyHallu]

Losse stayed still, quivering slightly, unaware of Teluviel's and Emlin's departure, waiting for Farael to say something, anything. But he didn't, just stayed firm, frozen, not even meeting her now-tearful gaze. With a strangled sob, she shot away like an arrow, running helter-skelter through the crowds of party-goers, knowing she was making herself conspicuous, and not caring.

She fled to the safety of the near-empty inn, knocking into a hobbit and an elf in the doorway, and choking a one-word apology through tears. Uncaring, she pushed on, and found herself in a deserted common room. Eyes burning, she chose the table in the darkest corner and slid into the booth, clasping her arms around her knees and sobbing with absolute abandon, sure that no one would look for her or find her here.

[Dimturiel]

"A clean bed and a cleaner coscience.", Heather had said. A clean bed, that he could obtain easily, especially at this inn. But a cleaner conscience? Now most of all his conscience felt anything but clean. Heather, of course could know nothing of this. But he had recieved so many accusations, even when he deemed himself to be innocent, that he had come to regard almost every speech as an attack. Still, he hid his suspicions, knowing that they were wrong and unjust. He even managed to say:

"Your father is a very wise man, if he thinks thus." But then he stopped. Heather had seemed to become thoughtful when she had spoken of her father. Had he also, unwillingly, touched something that would make Heather feel as he had felt when she had told him about the clean conscience or about the wonderful adventures that he must have had during the journey from Dale?

"I am sorry." he said quickly. "If I am wrong when saying that your father is wise. I should not speak of what I know nothing. As for my journey here, well, Heather, I cannot deny that I did have some adventures, although I would not go as far as too call them wonderful. Not when...not when they have left me so tired."

Not when their devastating consequences weight so heavily upon me, he had wanted to say, but he had checked himself and continued on what he thought to be a much lighter note.