The Green Dragon Inn #11 - The Last Chapter

[Nogrod]

“If it depends on my origins, rest assured, that you really have had some travels. I do dwell on these northern lands, have dwelled here, most of my life.”, said Reddie Sundry, some amusement in his smile for his newly-found comrades’ speeding high spirits, and continued: “But to be truthful with you both, I’m not a local. I come from lands east from here, and as such, I am a stranger as you are. A cheer for that to begin with?” He smiled openly to both gondorians and they smiled back. It seemed, they felt at ease together and they drank together. Reddie felt good just to sit here with these strangers.

Just as Reddie was about to make a question concerning the two gondorians’ being here at the northern outposts of civilized Middle-Earth, a loud crash went into the air. They all turned to look for the cause of this distraction and saw a young lady laying at the floor with a broken chair. They looked at each other and smiled, snickered a bit, and toasted again. Reddie shook his head and said jokingly “You should never tend a young lady more than one beer, after that they both lose their legs, and forget their heads. That’s an old saying around where I come from. I have sometimes wondered, whether it really is true, but the world seems to be proving it, day after another”. They all laughed again.

Then there was an odd silence. It started from Bredan, who was the first to notice. Then Farael got up to the situation. Reddie came to understand the reason of the quick silence only after hearing soft words being uttered quite near to his head: “Hello. Sorry to distract you. My name is Naria”. Reddie blushed somewhat, but concealed it bravely. His hand didn’t shake noticeably when he shook hands with Naria in his turn.

[Eowyn Skywalker]

"Was it so bad to live there? I thought that the king was improving things?"

Ariane waited until the hobbit had returned from the crowd of people, her glass refilled, and accepted it gratefully, sipping at it. "I'm sorry I appeared so down about it. Gondor isn't such a bad place... I suppose my negative view is from more personal issues. The king did improve things greatly, that I can honestly say."

She offered a half-hearted grin. Around them, the party carried on, music playing, people going back for seconds, and even thirds now of food. And, of course, the ever carrying hum of other voices chattering, forcing the human to have to raise her voice just a bit more to be comfortably heard over the sound of the music. "But enough about my issues. I can't help I'm this way. What's interesting about life in the Shire?"

Was it her imagination, or did the hobbit seem bored of the idea? Perhaps so. Ariane recalled a time when living in a quieter town had seemed so dreadful when there was an entire universe beyond her sights! Who knew, perhaps even the stars would be different if she were to leave Bree...

They had been, she remembered with a faint smile. Along with so many other things.