The Green Dragon Inn - Part 4

[Osse]

Peering over the rim of his earthern-ware tankard, Ferdibrand Brown of Waymeet found that the inn, which he had known since he was a lad, was full to the brim of the most outlandish folk he had ever laid eyes upon. A group of what he suspected were Dwarves were rourcously singing a drunken shanty in opposition to some fantastically tall and majectic looking strangers who were playing harps and lutes, creating a magnificent din which echoed profusely in the smoke-wreathed common room. "This lot." he said with a lopsided wave of his tankard indicating the Elves and Dwarves. "Are almost as bad as when Sharkey and his 'Men' took over." "Now you know i don't have anything against foreigners, some of me' best friends are foreigners, it's just that these particular foreigners aint' from 'round 'ere!" He stated matter-of-factly to his compatriot.
"Aye uncle. Just as you said last week and all."
"I was at the battle of Bywater I was! I was there...we gotta be careful lad. One or two dwarves now and then is nice and proper, if you can call that lot proper, but we ain't no bloody colony. We just want to be left in peace, don't we lad?" Merimac Brown nodded obediently.

There was a load crash, and the unmistakeable tinkle of breaking pottery. One of the dwarves had jumped onto a table and was doing a hearty jig to the accompany of his clapping comrades, in fact most heads in the inn had turned to watch the spectacle and many were clapping along. A fiddle was pulled out of a travel bag and one of the dwarves banged out a fast jig. The elvish piper started to toot again and soon most people were standing clapping or dancing along. Ferdibrand regretted to see that many of the dancing parties were indeed made up of hobbits, some of which he knew personally.

He lighted his long, clay pipe and began to noncholantly blow smoke rings up into the already smoke encircled rafters. "What of loyalty eh? Lad, go and pay the barmaid, I'll be outside getting the cart!"

And with that he strode through the jostling, dancing crowd and out into the summer night.

[ July 22, 2003: Message edited by: Osse ]