In the Shadow of the Star: Part 1

[Child of the 7th Age]

Cami squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. "Not yet, not yet." She raised one hand and flipped her palm upward, as if tossing aside an unimportant detail that could be dealt with later.

To be truthful, Cami felt increasingly uncomfortable about her deception, but saw little alternative to secrecy. She knew Maura too well to think that her husband would be unaffected by what she would tell him. The balance they had achieved had come at great cost, and such a piece of news was sure to upset whatever peace of mind they had managed to wring out of the present situation, with its stipulation that they each return to their own time. Once again, Cami pushed Pio's words to the back of her mind, and told herself that she would deal with the problem later.

Neither did she feel comfortable with the tone and content of Pio's own response to her. She knew the Elf too well. Cami had no idea what secret her friend was hiding, but she was certain some dangerous plan was being hatched that Piosenniel and Mithadan had decided to keep secret. Cami knew that pressing and pleading would probably get her nowhere, but she resolved to do a bit of sleuthing on her own at the Inn to see if she could discover any hint of what was actually going on.

As she turned to go, she gave Pio a final piercing look, "Your twins are to be born in just a few days. Make sure Mithadan does not go rambling off on some errand away from the Inn. The Shire is too dangerous for him right now. It's not just the bandits. I truly wish I could tell you otherwise, but any hobbit who sees him could bcome frightened and take a swing with a pitchfork or shovel." With that, Cami left to go back to the kitchens and try to talk with Prim.

[ April 20, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[Child of the 7th Age]

theWhiteLady's post

Rose’s hazel eyes shone with excitement, the tears of last night long forgotten. “That’s a terribly wicked idea, Gilly! I’m surprised that you would come up with something like that!”

Gilly dropped her eyes and began to mutter a reply, but Rose cut her off with a soft giggle.

“We’d better start packing! There isn’t much time to get ready.” Gilly’s face broke into a huge grin and the two young women began to eagerly plot their adventure. Packs were brought out and Rose wished furiously she had thought to sharpen her sword just one more time. She was just about to mention this aloud when a loud knock upon their bedroom door interrupted her thoughts. A wave of panic washed over her small body, leaving her first hot then horribly clammy.

“Quick!” she cried in a desperate whisper, her curly hair nodding nervously. “Hide the packs under here,” and thrusting her sword under the closest bed, she motioned to Gilly who had frozen guiltily next to her dresser. Gilly moved quickly but, in her haste, spilled the contents of her bag onto the floor. Rose groaned to herself and by the time the mess was cleaned and hidden, Rose was sure Cami would know something was up. Still, she tried her best to look perfectly innocent and moved to the door with what she hoped was a winsome smile

Child's post

Cami had gotten absolutely nowhere with Cook and Prim and Hob. It was not that they were hiding anything from her. They simply didn't seem to know about any wild plans hatched by Pio or Mithadan for the rescue of hobbit children. Cami had hinted here and there without actually divulging anything of importance, but she had sensed complete and unfeigned ignorance on their part.

"Gilly, where is she?" Cami queried after scrutinizing the recesses of the kitchen.

Cook responded with a casual toss of her hand. "Gilly was up late, taking care of Inn guests. She was supposed to clean the kitchen before she left, but that didn't quite get finished." At this point, Cook wriggled her nose and pointed distastefully towards a sinkful of dirty tankards and mugs that had been left for the morning crew to wash.

Prim piped in with an explanation, "I've given the girl the day off. She was working yesterday from dawn till midnight, so she's not expected here any time soon."

Armed with that piece of news, Cami hastily thanked the hobbits and scurried over to the chamber that her daughter shared with Gilly. Cami knocked insistently on the door. Inside she could hear two voices earnestly whispering to one another. Then, there was an inordinately long wait before either of the girls answered the door.

When Rose finally came to say hello, she had a sheepish grin on her face, as if she'd been doing something she'd rather not let her mother see. Cami walked in and sat down on the bed, casting a quick glance around the room, then continuing on to recite the tale of her dream. The two girls snuck a furtive, nervous look at one another as Cami spilled out her entire story.

Gilly shook her head and shrugged her shoulders, "It probably means nothing. I'm always dreaming of this and that, and nothing ever comes of it. Anyways, you're not an Elf, or even a Took or Baggins. Harfoot folk don't have true dreams like that."

Cami snapped back. "For your information, my mother was a Brockhouse. In any case, that's not important. What's important is that Mithadan stay here and be near his wife's side when she has her babes instead of gallavanting off into the woods somewhere."

Rose sat on the bed saying nothing. Unlike Gilly, she realized that Cami's dreams were a serious matter, and not to be shrugged off with a jest. Yet, Rose also sensed that, if she opened her mouth and confided their secret, she was likely to encounter stiff resistence from her mother. It was certain that Cami would insist that her daughter stay here and do nothing rather than slip off on a dangerous errand. Rose stared furiously at the floor and clamped her mouth shut, uncertain what to say.

As Cami's eyes searched the room for a second time, she caught side of Rose's travel pack stuffed hastily under her bed, with just one strap spilling out. Right next to the bag was Rose's sword, with its tip barely showing from under the coverlet that was draped off the bed. Cami's heart sank as she instinctively guessed what her daughter was proposing to do. Her instincts told her that, whatever danger Mithadan was facing, Rose and her young friend would not be far behind.

But what was the sense of saying anything or arguing with her? The girl had a mind of her own, and was sure to object. She was too old to discipline in the manner of a child. Cami knew that nothing she could say would dissuade Rose from her chosen task.

It was Gilly who finally broke the silence that had fallen between Cami and Rose....

[ April 20, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[ April 22, 2003: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

[piosenniel]

Gilly resisted the urge to snap back at Cami. She was, after all, her best friend’s mother, and Mistress Piosenniel’s closest friend. Instead, she stood up from Rose’s bed, stepped back, averting her eyes, and busied herself in making up her own bed. She managed a quick glance at Rose, who sat staring at the floor, saying nothing.

Cami spoke only briefly, then swept her mother-eyes about the room, missing nothing. Gilly’s pack sat innocently between the door and the tall dresser, her stout oak walking stick leaning against the door-jamb.

The silence in the room grew thick as the gravy in Cook’s rabbit stew. Gilly chafed under the tension. It prickled against her. She gave her shoulders a twitch as if to shake it from her, then stepped up near to Cami.

‘Begging your pardon, Mistress Cami, but we don’t know what Mistress Piosenniel and her Mister have planned. Whatever it is, it’s their own business, and they won’t be sharing it with the two of us.’ Her eyes slid over to Rose, then returned to Cami’s face. ‘With all due respect, it’s best you ask Mistress Piosenniel about her business.’

Gilly grabbed Rose’s hand, pulling her to her feet. The morning was wearing on, and they needed to be on their way if they were to catch up to Mithadan.

‘And now if you’ll excuse us, Rose has promised to go over some of the lessons she’s been giving in blade work with me and some of the locals . . .’

********************************************

Child's post:

Cami did not believe a single thing Gilly was telling her. The girl's eyes were shadowed with deception, and her words rang hollow. Yet, the tone of her words reflected nothing evil, merely Gilly's boundless youthful determination to have her own way and avoid interference at any cost, especially interference by a parent.

Cami wondered if Gilly had left something unresolved behind her at home. But that was neither her business or concern. She focused intently on her own daughter. Rose kept her head down, unwilling to look up and meet her mother's eyes.

Cami understood she could put an end to all this by forbidding Rose from venturing out of the Inn. Her daughter might have grudgingly acceded to this demand. But Rose was no longer a child, and she deserved some measure of privacy and trust, even if she had her heart set on some madcap scheme.

If Pio had been forthright about where Mithadan was going, Cami might have turned back and confided in her. But Pio evidently had worries of her own, to say nothing of the birth of the twins that was slated to happen in just a few days.

With a heart burdened with worry, Cami forced herself to put her hand on the door and push outward, but then gave one last longing glance backwards over her shoulder. "Rose, be careful. Keep your sword with you at all times, even when you sleep. And may the Powers guide you on your path."

With that, Cami slammed the door behind her and stalked down the hall, glaring and speaking with no one. But inside, in her own head, she was carrying on a heated conversation. What have I done? If anything happens to Rose, I will never forgive myself....Secrets! I've had my fill of secrets. There are enough secrets floating around this Inn to last anyone a lifetime. With that, she headed back to her burrow, hoping to be able to speak with Maura.

[ April 21, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[piosenniel]

Cami walked away from her unsatisfied by her answer and uncomfortable with her question in return. There was nothing Pio could do about either, at least not at the moment.

Taking a jug of cool water from the kitchen and a glass, Pio returned to her quarters, and settled herself down in her chair by the window. Her map case lay on the floor beside it, and she picked it up, riffling through the parchments in it, looking for her quadrant maps of the Shire. Each Farthing had been divided into four sections, and each section lined with a fine grid of lines that divided it into discrete parcels.

When she had first come to the Inn, she had more time to wander about the countryside on ‘Falmar. They had ranged far and wide, riding the bounds and poking through the interior country of the Farthings. And everywhere she rode, each hillock, and gully, body of water, rocky outcropping, everything that caught her eye was meticulously placed on her gridded map sections.

She pulled out the maps that detailed Bywater and Hobbiton, and standing up, tacked them carefully on the wall. Next came the maps for the northern quadrants of the East Farthing, and the less detailed map that showed the country from Buckland to Bree-land. These, too, were tacked on the wall in proper orientation to each other. She studied them closely, moving her finger along the line of pursuit she might take if she were out hunting these Men.

Her belly bumped up against the wall as she moved in closer to look at some detail. She laughed, thinking how ludicrous it was for her even to be thinking about this. There was nothing she could do until the babies were born.

Cami’s dream images came back to her, sobering her mood. Pio sat back down in her chair, head leaning against the padded back of it, eyes closed. Mithadan should know about this dream, she thought to herself. Cami was frantic with worry about it. Pio’s mind quested out seeking his, and made a brief contact.

Cami fears for your life, Mithadan. She has had another dream.

Pio sent the dark images the Hobbit had given her.

You, in a black cloak, and Bird, though Bird is not clearly seen. Surrounded by evil Men who are suspicious of you, and one who draws a sword and holds the edge to your throat, then draws back his arm as if to strike.

Be heedful, beloved, and take care.

She opened her eyes, refocusing them on the ordinary, bright summer’s day scene outside her window, pushing away the shadowed images of Cami’s dreams. Her thoughts lingered on Mithadan and Bird, and the danger they rode into.

Mithadan’s earlier thoughts came back to haunt her. ‘Duty before desire,’ thought Pio to herself.It was an apt description of how he made his choices. She could see it now, picked out in silver against black on some imaginary banner of his House.

A shiver ran down her spine, though the day was already starting to heat up. She shut her eyes and sent out a silent plea.

By the grace of the Valar, let it not be his epitaph.

[ April 20, 2003: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

[piosenniel]

The two young women waited until they saw Cami leave the inn and stalk off. Gilly mouthed a ‘sorry’ at Rose and shrugged her shoulders. She threw a few more items into her pack and picking up her walking stick, motioned for Rose to head down the stairs with her.

‘Let me stop and tell Mistress Piosenniel that we are going out for blade practice and will be gone most of the day.’ Rose wondered if the folks at the inn might begin to worry about them and send for the Shiriff if they didn’t return that evening.’

Gilly thought for a moment, then answered. ‘Your mother seems to have an idea of our intentions anyway. Let’s just leave a note with Hob to be given to her and to Mistress Piosenniel late tomorrow. It’ll be too late for anyone to follow, and we don’t have to say where we’re bound, only that we’ve gone to offer our aid to Mister Mithadan.’

Rose sat in the sunshine on the bench next to the kitchen door, waiting for Gilly to return from Pio’s quarters. Her brow was wrinkled as she thought how best to word the note. She wanted to reassure her mother that she would keep herself safe, but she could already see her mother’s worried look when she read between the lines.

Gilly burst into Pio’s rooms with barely a knock, calling the Elf’s name. Pio had apparently stepped out as no one answered. She was about to turn and exit from the room when she saw the maps on the wall. Curious, she stepped closer. ‘I wonder if this is where he is going?’ she thought to herself, seeing the area from the Inn to Bree-land on display.

Her foot bumped against the sheaf of maps that lay on the floor at the base of the wall. Squatting down, she leafed through them quickly, her eyes widening with delight at one small, less detailed one that showed the Eastfarthing in its entirety and the lands beyond to the Last Bridge. She rolled it carefully and stuck it in the waistband of her breeches.

‘I’ll apologize to her when I get back,’ she promised herself. ‘But right now, we have the greater need of it.’

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

The note was duly delivered to Hob by the two of them. He looked at them curiously, but promised to follow their instructions. He wondered, too, at their request for ponies to take on their ‘errands’, but kept his peace and helped them to saddle and bridle their mounts.

And then they were off, down the path from the Inn until it met with the Great Road. Then, they turned their ponies east . . .

[Birdland]

The two travelers finally entered the shelter of a wood, which was good, especially since it afforded some relief from the afternoon sun.

But the woods bordered the slopes of the Green Hill Country, which was not so good. Mith strode up the sides of the rounded hills as if he were climbing the stairs at the Green Dragon; if he could have, he would have taken the hills two at a time, without stopping or breathing hard.

But he had to wait for his smaller companion, who was bitterly rueing the months she had spent on the wing. She had no breath for grumbling, but doggedly continued to climb, almost pulling herself up with her hands as they reached the top of the little mound.

Here Mith stopped for a moment, and Bird took the opportunity to plop down on a rock and catch her breath. She looked south where the smoke from the chimneys of Pincup lay, and was surprised to see to the west the shimmering outlines of the Mountains of the Moon. The Green Hills were higher than Bird had expected, and gave a fine view of all the countryside around. She was surprised that some wealthier Halfling had not build a fine smial at the top of this hill. "But then, I don't suppose there are too many hobbit folks who would appreciate such a view. Much rather not be reminded of the great world beyond the borders." she thought.

Then she realized that as clearly as the two could see all the Shire from here, so could all the Shire see them. Their silhouettes must be standing out clearly against the backdrop of the waning sun. "As it should be," said Mith, when Birdie pointed this out. "Hopefully if someone informs the Sherriff that we were seen in the Green Hills, they will think that we continued South. But now, if those seldom-used legs of yours have had enough rest, I think it is time to continue on."

Mith turned east, keeping to the edge of the wooded slopes, following some faint pony track. After a little while, Bird heard the trickling music of the Shirebourn, whose headwaters ran from the slopes of the Green Hills on its way to the Brandywine. Bird, sweating and itching from the slap of small branches, longed to turn off and plunge herself in its cool waters. But Mith, as if sensing her lagging steps, only handed her a warm water skin, and kept on.

"Will we be stopping in Woody End for the night, do you think, Mith?"

"We'll see," he said, without looking back or stopping.

" 'We'll see' ", grumbled Birdie under her breath. "That's as good as a 'no' with him". She sighed, wishing, (not for the last time) for wings, and trudged on.

[Auriel Haevasawen]

After many very unpleasant threats from Old Stoat, Fosco had been allowed some limited freedom in the cave-cum-room that was his cell. Ferny was out on some other business and the other men he had seen about the place were either outside or with him. Stoatie had no feelings for the boy, just pleasure in upsetting his erstwhile employer. He tethered the child like a gypsy pony and finally ungagged him.

"S'long as Ferny's out yer can wander on that young'un. Give me a ounce of trouble and I'll knock each of yer teeth out one by one, got that?"

"I'm not afraid of you, you stinking wretch. My Daddy'll come and roast the both of you!" Fosco shreiked and aimed a kick at the old villain.

"Well, I'm not paid to feed yer, so I'll be off then. I've other work do round here besides be a nursemaid to halfling vermin." He swore a oath beneath his breath and turned to leave.

"Oi, Stoatie, that is your name isn't it? Mr Ferny wouldn't want me to starve now would he? He said last night how important I was. He even said I needed a playmate."

"He also said yer needed yer ears boxed yer varmit." Stoatie snapped from the doorway.

"But I haven't had a thing to eat since last night."

"So, neither 'ave I. I've a good mind to gag yer again."

"If you do I'll bite yer finger off."

Stoatie half laughed, half coughed. "I'll leave that job to Ferny shall I then young'un?"

Fosco ran forward on his tether to reach Stoatie and inflict whatever childlike damage he could. He rope stopped him short and he was spreadeagled upon the stone floor. Old Stoat laughed heartily at the winded boy.

"If I gave you owt to eat young'un yer'd throw it in me face so yer would. No Ferny can have that honour as well. I've given yer more freedom than my old dog used to have and she was less likely to bite than you are." Old Stoat left the Hobbit child in the windowless room with no light except the lantern on the table. Fosco was unafraid of the dark. He walked round in a circle as far as this bondage would allow. Near the back wall and well within his little territory he came upon a pile of bags and sacks such as would be packed upon a pony. Fosco began to search them to find something to break his bonds but destroyed everything he could along the way. He was cold, hungry and beginning to get more than a little scared but Fosco Muddyfoot was made of sterner stuff than many an adult, nevermind a Hobbit child.

[piosenniel]

28 Nárië

‘I can’t believe you took that map without asking her!’ Rose rolled up her bedding bundle and lashed it to her pack. Gilly and she had gotten up just a few moments earlier, and after a brief look at the map Gilly ‘found’ in Pio’s rooms, they were up and almost on their way again.

‘She wasn’t there, and we were in a hurry!’ Gilly grinned back at Rose, her own bedding bundle already rolled up tight and secure, her pack once again lashed to her pony. ‘She should get the note we left today. She’ll figure out we needed the map.’ Rose rolled her eyes at her friend and placed her own pack back on the fat little pony that was her mount.

They had made good progress so far on their journey to find Mithadan and Bird. The two they sought were on foot and had been sighted by a number of the local citizens going east down the Great Road and then dipping south of it when they came to the Three-Farthing Stone. Sightings had been less frequent then, and at one point both the young women despaired of ever figuring out which way Mithadan and Bird had gone.

‘Well, we know they were heading east, and east is where this whole thing started.’ Gilly ran her finger from the Great Road south, stopping abruptly at a small line that ran through the area called Green Hill Country. ‘Look!’ she said to Rose. ‘Here’s some sort of passage through this hilly part that heads east. Let’s give it a try. If I were out on an adventure, it’s exactly the sort of less traveled way I’d take.’

Rose shook her head and laughed out loud. ‘You’ve never been on an adventure, Gilly! How do you know what you should do?!’

Gill looked chagrined, but only for a moment. ‘But I’m out on an adventure now, and this is what I think we should do.’ Rose shrugged her shoulders and urged her pony after Gilly’s.

‘Stock Road’ was the name of the path they came to. The name was painted on a weather-beaten sign, with a directional arrow beneath that pointed east and west. The mileage to Stock had once been on the sign, but the rain, snow, and bright sun had long ago erased it.

The two companions rode down the road a few miles, stopping the few Hobbits they passed to inquire about any suspicious looking Men they might have seen. But no one had.

‘Let’s get off the road,’ recommended Rose. ‘At some point they won’t want themselves to be seen and possibly stopped. Let’s go a little further south into the hilly country, and head east from there. See if we can pick up any clues to where they’ve camped. We should be able to catch up to them soon. Our ponies can travel faster than they can, I'm sure.’

Rose turned her pony off the dusty track and into the cover of the trees along the lower foothills, heading east once again. Gilly followed . .

[ April 22, 2003: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

[piosenniel]

Child's post

Cami looked out across the pond and sighed. She had so little time left to be with Maura. All she wanted was for the two of them to go somewhere where they could share each other's company for whatever days or weeks remained. To journey far away from bandits and wayward daughters and confusing problems that seemed to have no real solutions.

Yet, they could not just pick up and disappear when there were still so problems in the Shire. She wasn't sure what she and Maura could do, but she couldn't imagine them turning their back on the situation without at least trying to help.

When Cami had awoken in the Inn many months before, she'd assumed the Shire was a safe and secure place, a homely refuge from all her cares and worries. Her initial assessment had obviously been wrong. Even the Shire could not shut out the real problems of the world.

A great many things at the Inn seemed to be spinning out of control. People were keeping too much hidden, not bothering to trust or confide in one another. Pio and Gilly and Rose.... Even Frodo had slunk past her earlier that morning, dropping his eyes to the ground and remaining strangely silent.

Cami glanced guiltily back inside the burrow. Maura was washing up the last of the luncheon plates and cups, with Holly playing nearby at his feet. He was so patient and caring, so obviously dedicated to herself and the children, and to the band of hobbits he'd met a short time ago. Her husband had not questioned the endless hours he'd spent cajoling Gamba out of one of his moods, patrolling the roads, or working with her daughter to train the Shirelings in defense. He had always been scrupulously honest with her.

Cami sidled up to where Maura was working. He turned and met her eyes with the slightest of smiles, then halted his work, waiting for her to speak. She placed her hand on top of his, looking up into his grey eyes, which seemed at that moment to be infinitely kind.

"We need to talk. There's something I must tell you.

Maura tossed the tea towel over the dishpan and walked over to the table, pulling out a chair for her and another for himself. He leaned back casually and stretched out his legs, resting his feet on top of the basket of firelogs. Then he stared intently over at Cami.

She was fluttering about inside her head, searching for the right words to explain about the baby and why she'd chosen to keep this secret so long. It was Maura who gently prodded her with a question, "This thing you need to discuss. Is it something about the bandits, or perhaps more personal than that?"

"Personal, definitely personal. Actually, it's not just me. It's the two of us."

A slight ghost of a smile began to spread over Maura's face. His eyes held a glint of sparkling silver, with an underlying hint of both amusement and approval. She looked up in surprise and bewilderment as realization dawned in her mind.

"You know! You already know. How long have you known, and how?"

"Cami, I was with my sister for the birth of both her children. You remember how we lived together in that tiny burrow, almost on top of one another. So I've had some experience with this."

"Plus, for the past few weeks, anyone with half a head might have guessed. Your stomach has been playng tricks on you every morning, and you've been poking at your food instead of eating it."

"Then, why didn't you say something, or ask me?"

"Because I knew you had a reason for your silence. And I suspected that reason had to do with the fact that we're not supposed to be together very long. And you knew how hard this would be on me. and how I would feel not even being able to help...."

At that point, his voice almost broke as he looked away and struggled for control. His voice took on a bitter edge.

"What hobbit father could step back from this situation and walk away to his own time, as if none of this ever happened?"

"Maura, stop. We have no choice. That's why I was afraid to tell you."

Their eyes met and locked for a single instant. One pair insistent, the other imploring. Then, they both dropped their gaze and carefully stepped back, afraid to cross the line or say anything more. Maura shook his head, "Alright, we won't talk about this now. But that won't change the way I feel."

At this moment, there was a knock on the open door, and the sound of shuffling feet. Hob coughed loudly, and peered inside, "Miz Cami, I've a note for you from your daughter."

Cami reached out to take the folded paper. It's alright Hob. We were just finishing. Come in for a bit of tea."

"Sorry, missus, but not now. I've another copy of the same note to deliver to Miss Pio."

Cami put her hand up to her head. She could virtually predict what the note was going to say. The real mystery at this point was not what Rose and Gilly were doing. The more serious question was how Pio would respond.

Maura looked over as Cami glanced over the note. "From Rose?" he queried.

She nodded yes. "It's what we discussed before."

"You're going to speak with Pio." It was not a question, but a statement. "If you need help, or someone to ride after them, Ban and I would be more than willing. He's an excellent tracker, and I'm not bad myself."

Cami thanked him and was about to leave, when he tugged one last time on her arm. "I didn't even have a chance to say this before. Whatever happen to you and me, I can't tell you how pleased I am about this child." Then he pulled her close to his chest and kissed her gently on top of her curls.

Pio's post

It was late afternoon, and a warm, lazy one at that. Cook had just left Pio’s rooms, leaving behind one of the tempting snacks she was forever supplying her favorite ‘project’. Thimbleberry tartlets, just the size for popping whole into one’s mouth and washing down with some cool milk. Pio sighed happily in her chair by the window, a small plate of the little gems perched on her belly, a mug of cold, foaming milk on the floor by her side.

It was practically a straight shot from her belly to her mouth sitting in this position, and before she knew it, half the little hillock of treats had disappeared. She coughed on a wayward crumb of crust and reached for the mug of milk, to wash the stray crumb down. Her hand slipped on the slick surface of the mug, made more slick by the moisture beading on it from the cold contents.

The mug slipped from her grip - the milk running out along the wooden floorboards. She sat upright, the plate of tartlets now crashing to the floor to join the spreading milk. A string of Umbrian invective rolled from her mouth in an obviously well practiced manner, as she snatched up her map case which had unfortunately been in the direct path of the white tide.

She took the maps out, sponging them off carefully and placed them over the back of the couch and across the tables and chairs to dry. ‘There is one missing,’ she thought to herself, frowning, as she tried to remember where and when she might have had it out.

Pio was cleaning up the mess, and pondering the riddle of the missing map of the East Farthing and beyond, when a soft knock came at her door. ‘Come in,’ she called. Hob appeared, a bemused look on his face at the sight of the ungainly figure on the floor, mopping up the last of the spill.

‘Here,’ she said, laughing at the look on his face, ‘help me up, if you would.’

Hob came near and offered her his strong arm. She hoisted herself to her feet, and stood brushing the mashed crumbs from one of the tartlets from her knees. ‘Nice to see you, Hob. Anything in particular you came to see me about, or is this a purely social visit?’

‘Well, Mistress Piosenniel. I’m thinking maybe I should have brought this to you earlier, but Miz Rose and Miz Gilly made it real clear that I was to deliver it to you today, and at this time.’ Hob handed the folded and sealed note to Pio and stepped back a little, giving her time to read it with a modicum of privacy.

‘Rose and Gilly? Why are they sending me a note? Are they not upstairs in their room, or at least somewhere in the inn? This is most strange!’ Pio opened the note and began to read.

‘Those little fools!’ She crumpled the short note in her fist, her grey eyes narrowing at the implications of what Rose had written. ‘They have no idea what they are doing or what they might encounter.’

Hob stepped forward, a look of concern on his face. ‘What’s happened? What have they done?’ he cried, a look of alarm spreading on his face.

‘Run and fetch Cami for me, Hob. She should know what they have done.’

‘But, Mistress, I just delivered a note into her hands before I ran here to give you yours. I didn’t stay to see her read it, but it was given to me by the two young ones yesterday, same as yours, same instructions.’

Pio sat down on the arm of her chair, rubbing her temples. ‘Why can nothing go smoothly!’ she muttered to herself. She looked up at Hob, fixing him in her gaze. ‘Go get Cami at once, Hob. I cannot fix this, so she must figure out how to do it.’

Hob turned on his heels and ran out the door, heading back to the burrows by The Pool . . .

[ April 22, 2003: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

[ April 23, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[Child of the 7th Age]

By the time, Cami and Maura managed to pull apart, it was already the latter part of the afternoon. Cami ran a comb through her curls, then trundled off in the direction of the Inn. She soon ran into Hob. He'd been sent back to the pond by Pio over an hour before, but had managed to get waylaid by the Shirriff who had carted him off to the Lockholes for questioning as to the recent whereabouts of Mithadan and Bird. He had responded to those queries with only a few terse words and had finally managed to win his way free again.

The hobbit was panting from running back and forth and barely managed to stumble out a greeting. He quickly explained the purpose of his visit, "Miz Pio told me that she couldn't fix this mess and that I was to bring you back so you could figure out how to do it."

Cami's eyes widened with apprehension. Then she clutched her hands to her stomach and began to laugh. Not just a small delicate laugh, but an uproarious belly buster that didn't stop till ten minutes later when Hob picked her up from the ground.

So I'm to fix this mess? Neither my best friend or my daughter bothered telling me what's happening. So how can I possibly fix anything when I haven't even been told what's wrong? It's one thing making guesses, and another thing coming up with plans.

It was true that she and Maura could carefully track the girls and gallop across country as fast as they dared. But Rose and Gilly had enough of a head start that even Maura was unlikely to catch up with them. Maybe the best thing would be for Pio to speak mind-to-mind with Mithadan, as the two of them had done before in other urgent situations. That way, Mith would at least be apprised of the problem and keep an eye out for the girls, and chastise them as he saw fit.

And then another thought struck Cami. Her last wish had been that the Valar would guard over Rose's path. Maybe that wasn't such a bad idea. There were several rumors about the Inn as to where Lorien was spending his days and evenings. Cami didn't believe half of what was being said. Still, the Vala had certain advantages over everyone else. He should be able to locate the girls quickly and reach them in an instant. Maybe, like Bird, he could transform himself into another creature. or perhaps someone else could help him. Cami thought of Bilbo's story how the great Eagle had come down to carry them away. Something of that sort would also work.

Other than that, Cami was fresh out of ideas. She sighed and knocked on Pio's door wondering exactly what the Elf was expecting her to do.

[ April 24, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[piosenniel]

Frustrated by her inability to go after the two Hobbits herself, Pio sat in her chair, fuming. ‘Eriador be damned!’ she muttered out loud. She wished herself away from here . . . far away, and out on the open sea.

Her mood had not much improved when Cami came to see her. In fact, it darkened again, as she listened to Cami say how she really couldn’t see what could be done by her or Maura. Couldn’t Pio just contact Mithadan to let him know what was happening, she had asked. It was an innocent enough question, but it touched a nerve, and the Elf rounded on her.

‘And why should Mithadan have to contend with any more Hobbit problems. Or for that matter why should I? I am sick with worry that his children will never see him; that I will never see him again . . .’ Pio’s voice cracked, and she willed herself not to cry.

Cami, a look of horror on her face at the Elf’s words, stood stunned before her.

Collecting herself as best she could, Pio took her friend by the hand and bade her sit down in the empty chair next to her. She spoke to her of the conversation that she and Mithadan had had just before he left the Inn, and gave a bare outline of his plan to find the men responsible for the kidnappings. She was, she said, clinging on to the hope that all would work out well and that the problem would soon resolve.

But it was a thin thread that held up such hope, and it had snapped when she found out Gilly and Rose had gone after Mithadan and Bird in what seemed to her a dangerously foolish move.

‘I know they meant well,’ she said, her grey eyes gone dark. ‘But I swear that if they have put him in greater peril by their ill-thought actions, they will both pay a dire price for it.’ She regretted the words as soon as they left her lips.

Pio moved uncomfortably in her chair. She felt as if a giant band were tightening itself about her middle. Her breath was driven from her as the discomfort grew greater and then slowly relaxed.

‘I need to rest, I think.’ Face gone pale, Pio stood and saw Cami to the door. ‘Go home to your Maura, Cami, and to little Holly, and your son to be. Cherish them while you can . . .’

[ April 24, 2003: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

[Mithadan]

Mithadan and Bird halted their journey late in the afternoon, long before they would have reached Woody End. They moved off the road to the north and settled into a little hollow hidden from sight by tall grass and a tree that overshadowed the road. There they rested and prepared a camp for the evening in a liesurely fashion.

Bird stood and returned to the road to seek out a brook that they had passed not long before. A few minutes later, she returned at a run and threw herself down in the hollow next to Mithadan. "I hear a pony or horse coming along the road behind," she panted. The two ducked down behind the tall grass and peered out at the road as the sound of hoofbeats approached...

[piosenniel]

It was cool under the trees, but not cool enough. The trees were packed close together along the road, their dense crowns arching over the narrow passage. No breeze penetrated, and the air was hot and still.

Gilly and Rose stripped down to shirtsleeves rolled as high as they could and breeches rolled above their dimpled knees, affording their limbs what little air there was from the ponies’ slow gait. Both were cranky from the sticky atmosphere and from the short rations they had put themselves on, since each thought the other had cadged food from Cook. Rose had just taken a linty half apple she’d found in her front pack pocket and offered to share it with Gilly, when both ponies stopped dead in their tracks.

‘Oh, bother!’ said Gilly, kicking her mount’s flanks in an effort to urge her on. ‘Don’t tell me these two want to share the apple, too!’

‘I don’t think it’s the apple,’ replied Rose, watching as her pony’s nostrils flared and she shook her mane vigorously.

As if by some prearranged signal, the two little horses turned off the path and picked their way determinedly through the underbrush. Both girls pulled on the reins in an effort to stop them. But it no use. The ponies had a mind to get somewhere in particular. Taking the bit in their teeth they plunged on, uncaring that their path through the underbrush scratched and bruised the bared legs of their riders.

When they did finally come to a halt, breaking through the tangles of bush and tall grass, it was a sudden stop. The riders, by this time sitting cross legged on the saddles to avoid more scratches, lost their balance and tumbled ungracefully into the water of a brook as the ponies bent their necks down to drink greedily from it.

Rose and Gilly sat up, spluttering in the midst of the cool water, angry looks on their faces. Gilly glared at her pony, who wandered away from the bank to graze on the tips of the tall sweet grass, unconcerned that her rider was wet and smeared with mud.

Gilly stood up, to clamber back on the bank and was hit on the back by some soft missile. Turning she saw Rose bent double laughing, another ball of mud in her hand. Rose looked up with an impish look in her eyes.

‘We’re hot,' she said, laughing. 'The water’s nice and cool. Let’s let the ponies eat and rest. We can catch up to Bird and Mithadan soon. They can’t be that far ahead of us.’ She looked at Gilly beseechingly. ‘Come on, Gilly. There’s no one around to bother us. Let’s have some fun!’

Gilly grinned, and scooped up a mudball of her own . . .

[Mithadan]

The wind whispered through the tall grass as Mithadan and Bird waited for the arrival of the horse and its rider. Suddenly, the sound of hoofs clopping on the path was silenced and no further noise could be heard. When several tense minutes had passed, Mithadan turned to Bird and said, "The rider has either halted or left the path. We must find out where he is. Could you...?" He glanced skyward.

Without a word, the petite woman melted away to be replaced by a jackadaw. The bird hopped down into the hollow, spread its wings and took to the sky. After wheeling overhead, it proceeded off to the west.

Mithadan rolled onto his back and drew his sword. Then he arranged himself in a crouch while he awaited Bird's return. He did not have to wait long. In a matter of minutes, the black and white bird returned and changed back into a woman. She stood, shaking her head, then spoke. "You will not like this," she said. "Its Rose and her friend Gilly. They've followed us."

Mithadan uttered a colorful but vile imprecation concerning the social habits of Orcs. Bird stepped back in shock. "Take care," she quipped. "Another such curse and you'll wilt the grass and destroy our hiding place."

He stood and brushed off his clothes. With a wry grin and a wink, he said, "I am a sailor, after all." She pursed her lips in disapproval. "I wouldn't wish that even on an Orc."

The two made their toward the Hobbits, avoiding the road and sticking to the underbrush. After a moment, they could hear the sound of splashing and laughing. Mithadan scowled and shook his head in annoyance. Then he stepped forward toward the brook, only to be struck in the face by a flying dollop of mud. His next curse did wilt the grass and stunned a nearby squirrel as well.

[piosenniel]

Gilly’s mouth dropped open and she gasped as the imprecation rebounded off the trees that lined the brook’s edge. She wiped mud, from the hand that had just flung the missile, on the thigh of her breeches and backed up cautiously to where Rose stood. Keeping both eyes on the mud spattered man, she whispered to her friend. ‘This doesn’t bode well for a good start, does it? I doubt he’ll take kindly now to our wanting to help him out, now, will he.’

‘Will he?’ Gilly repeated. ‘Rose?!’ Gilly turned her head slightly to the left to see what had stopped her friend from speaking. Rose’s face was lined with a smile of pure impish delight. In her hand was a large globule of thick brook sludge.

‘We have you at our mercy now, Man!’ Gilly heard her friend call out.

‘Rose! No!’ Gilly watched in horror as Rose launched the muddy orb . . .

[Child of the 7th Age]

Cami instinctively sensed that Pio had called her to the Inn with no real intention of talking with her. She had been mistaken to think that the Elf might find her ideas at all important. She was to be used as no more than a small and convenient target for her friend’s anger.

Cami forced back her initial outrage, standing mutely in the room with her eyes hollow and face blank, her feelings trained to cold indifference. Her folk were very good at that, living in a world where everyone was bigger than they were. Over thousands of years, they’d learned that sometimes the best choice was simply to withdraw and be alone, going silently about your own business and disregarding what the big ones said or did. Behind the new laws prohibiting Men in the Shire, this single reality stood starkly apparent. Old habits and ways died hard. Cami had used that tactic often enough in Gondor. In fact, she was quite good at it. The old walls went clicking back in place.

Ironically, it was not what Pio had said in anger that left its mark. No hobbit had begged Mithadan to go running off to the bandit’s lair or even to come to the Shire. If he and Pio felt a sense of duty that compelled them to make such choices, that was their decision, not her own, or any of the other hobbits who lived nearby.

The part that hurt a little was hearing Pio’s fears about Mithadan. Pio was afraid that her husband might leave and she and her newborn children would never see him again. A justifiable fear given the danger of the situation that Mithadan faced. Yet it was far more than a fear to Cami. It was the central reality of her life. To know that she and Maura had no future, to be certain that her child would never see or know his father. Beside that, Pio’s fears somehow seemed remote.

To cherish meekly whatever time she had left.... No, she could not do that any longer. Maura had been right. As she headed down the corridor and made her silent way towards the back of the Inn, she tried to shake off her own sense of futility, but found it nearly impossible. Cutting across the courtyard, Cami stopped for a moment at the rusted gate, leaning back to stare upward into the black skies of night.

A deep melancholy and sadness gripped her heart that could not wholly be explained by the events of the day, as upsetting as these were. She could see the outline of the trusty Plough, yet its familiarity brought no peace or comfort. The stars stood in their usual position to mark the days of midsummer, that month which the hobbits called Forlithe and the Elves Narie.

There was so little time. She had obediently bowed her head to the dictates of Gandalf and the Valar, but that was before she had brought Rose, Gamba, and Holly into her home. Now there was another child on the way. Everything seemed bleak and overwhelming. Her body shivered, although the night air was hot, and no breeze blew.

She hurried forward, having at last reached a decision. Maura was indeed right. They would leave this place and go off on their own, away from bandits and well-meaning friends who struck out with little warning. They would go quietly to Tukborough where there'd been no talk or sign of bandits, and finally get a well deserved rest. And when it was time for them to leave the Shire, they would go together to whichever age they decided would be the best to make their new home.

Cami instinctively sensed that this was not an idle threat but a real possibility. The Valar could not force them to live apart without their active consent. She was tired of cooperating, tired of being manipulated, and she no longer cared about the consequences of her choice. This whole thing was too hard for her to comprehend. Let them get some Elf or Man or Ainur to repair the damages to the fabric of Time. Surely, they could find someone who wanted to be a hero. She and Maura had no desire to play that role. They only wanted to have a life and family together. That was not such a terrible thing.

Cami ran as fast as she could towards the small burrow near the water's edge, and slipped noiselessly into Maura's arms. With little warning, she burst into tears. He held her softly to his heart. Two sailors adrift on the winds of time without a true port to call their own. The two of them spoke softly to each other, sharing their hopes and plans, and resolved that they would keep their family together when it was time to leave the Shire, whatever anyone else might say. Maura also agreed more reluctantly to Cami's plan that they start out the very next morning for Tukborough as soon as it was light.

[ April 25, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[Mithadan]

The second handful of mud struck Mithadan square on the forehead, sending streams of muck into his eyes and through his hair. He gasped, then calmly wiped the filth from his face. With measured motions, he laid his sword on the ground, then undid his belt and dropped it as well, along with an additional sheath that was tucked into his boot. "Mith..." said Bird with concern, but the Man ignored her and stepped forward.

Rose had scooped up another handful of mud, and as her target approached, let it fly. Mithadan stepped aside adroitly and the missile flew by. A curse from behind him suggested that it had nonetheless found a mark, but even as Bird cried out, Mithadan leapt forward into the water with a roar, seized the two Hobbits, one under each arm, and pulled them to the banks of the stream. He set them down none too gently and scowled at the lasses. Gilly cringed, but Rose stood her ground with chin held high.

"What do you think you're doing?" he spluttered. "Why are you following us?"

"I might ask the same of you," answered Rose. "What are you doing, leaving your wife behind when she is about to go into labor? You will come back with us or we will tag along with you, scolding you for your poor judgment."

Mithadan's face turned red and Bird was concerned that the veins which stood out on his neck would pop. "It is you who will be returning to the Inn," he cried. "You know nothing of my errand or its gravity."

"We do know," Gilly blurted out. "I heard your conversation with Pio in the common room. You're going to Bree to look for the kidnappers, but you should be with Piosenniel!"

"Don't you think I want to be?" shouted Mithadan in anguish. "Don't you think that I want to be with Pio as our children are born? But to do so is to consign the victims of the kidnappers to captivity or worse! Shall I allow your precious Shirriff to do this task? Halfred the half-wit? He cannot. Only a Man might gain the confidence of these rogues and Bird and I are the only ones of our race about who care enough about you and your people to do this!"

Bird cleared her throat. "Actually, technically speaking, I am not..." Mithadan interrupted her , his voice taking on a hard edge. "All you are doing, by following us is placing us at risk. If the kidnappers were to see us together they would never trust us. If you arrived in Bree and asked for us it might mean our deaths. Go back! You, Gilly, are supposed to be caring for Pio and the babes. How will you do so from miles away? You also have abandoned Pio. Get on your ponies and return to the Inn!"

[piosenniel]

Gilly stepped nearer Rose, her eyes wide. Taking her cue from her friend, she blinked back tears that threatened to roll down her cheeks. Mithadan had frightened her with the intensity of his anger. Her lower lip quivered, but she pushed her chin out in an attitude of defiance and looked him straight in the face.

‘I haven’t abandoned Mistress Piosenniel or the babies. I’m looking out for them right now. It’s you they need, not me.’ She stepped toward, him her voice a little firmer. ‘Begging your pardon, Mister Mithadan, but we Hobbits aren’t as helpless as you Big Folk seem to think. We can take care of ourselves, in our own way. And as for ‘allowing’ Shiriff Halfred to handle this task – well, I don’t really think that’s up to you, is it? After all he’s our Shiriff and we all know his limits. We would never think he could handle this all on his own, so we’ll all help him out to see it done.’

She looked up at him gauging the effect of her words on him. Taking courage from the fact that he had not yelled at her again, she stepped forward and touched him lightly on his sleeve, ‘Perhaps I don’t understand because I’m not one of the Big Folk, and maybe I don’t see the larger picture that you and Mistress Piosenniel do, but when you say you and Miz Bird are the only ones of your race who care enough about us to place yourselves in danger and help us, I wonder why you think we would want you to abandon your own family to do this. Not that I’m ungrateful that you would offer your help, but you didn’t ask if we needed you to do this for us, and at such cost.

‘It seems to me you place them in danger by being away from them. You’ve left them unprotected from the threat of ruffians in the Shire. Left them to the protection of the Shiriff you so dislike. Surely Mistress Piosenniel cannot be expected to take up her sword and defend herself and her babies alone. I know Mistress Piosenniel is depending on me, and I’ll go back, to be with her. But you should be there, too, Mister Mithadan.’

Gilly stepped away from him and finding Rose’s hand, gripped it tightly. Mithadan was very quiet, and she was grateful he had not lashed out at her again. A light evening breeze had sprung up and the two Hobbits huddled together, shivering.

‘He can’t expect us to turn around and head back to the Inn in the dark, can he? whispered Gilly to her friend . . .

[Mithadan]

Mithadan sat heavily down on the ground beside the stream and flicked absentmindedly at some dirt which had clung to his breeches. He rubbed his eyes tiredly then looked longingly back at the road which led towards the west. Bird placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a quick squeeze, then shook her head when he looked up at the touch.

"Pio and I have discussed this," he said quietly. "This is not my choice alone. She wants me to do this as well. We do not belong in the Shire and I can do nothing to help while I am there; your people do not trust me. The danger is equal if I stay or if I go that these bandits may kidnap another child or even assail the Inn. So I choose the course I have taken."

He turned to Gilly with a hint of a smile on his lips. "But you are needed at the Inn," he continued. "You must help care for the twins. And Rose, you should be with Cami to share in her joy and to support her in the weeks to come, for her happiness is bittersweet."

Rose looked over to Gilly who seemed now resigned that she must return to the Inn. Then she looked back to Mithadan and raised her chin in defiance. "I am no longer a tween that I must rely on Cami to make my choices," she answered. "And I have made my decision as well..."

[piosenniel]

theWhiteLady's post


Rose looked over at her new friend, who had also become her constant companion. She felt a pang of guilt, hoping Gilly would understand her decision and as Rose spoke, she could feel the blood rushing to her face and her eyes burning with an frustrated passion. “With all due respect, I feel my place is with you and Bird. Cami’s got her short time to spend with Maura, and Pio has plenty of capable help at the inn. Surely I wasn’t brought all this way, from my home and through time, just to sit around and watch things happen! My kinfolk are being threatened in the worst way and I cannot - I will not - sit passively by while this happens. Mister Mithadan, I know you feel it your duty to help the people of the Shire, even when it takes you away from Miss Pio when she needs you most. Well, I feel the same. My duty is right here: to do what I can to help Bird and yourself, and maybe I’ll be of some small use in the end. Whether or no, you can order me back all you want, but the only way I’m going is if you truss me up to Gilly’s pony.”
Rose’s plump lower lip trembled but her hazel eyes gazed steadily at the tall man’s face before her. For what seemed like several minutes to the passionate, young hobbit, Mithadan simply looked back; only the plaintive call of a bobwhite broke the silence and Rose was just beginning to lose her last hope when Mithadan’s face broke into a assenting, though not thoroughly happy, smile.
“All right, I know when I’ve met a will as determined and stubborn as my own. You may come.”

Rose felt a rush of relief run through her like an electric shock but she forced herself to make a small curtsy before giving Gilly a gigantic hug, sad that she must part from her friend but excited to once again be on an adventure.

[ April 29, 2003: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

[Child of the 7th Age]

29 Nárië - note new day

Cami scurried about the burrow, packing up the few belongings that she and Maura had brought with them, or managed to acquire during their stay. Her husband hurried over to the Inn, rummaging through the supply closets and filling his bag with nuts and cheese and journey bread that could be easily carried on the road. He'd borrowed a mount from Samwise, with the promise that they'd leave it with Pippin, if anything prevented them from returning to the Inn.

They had decided to strap their supplies onto the pony's back, and walk alongside him, since they were in no rush to reach a particular destination. Much to Holly's delight, Maura set the small girl up on the pony, keeping a hand on her back. Just before setting out on the road, he glanced over towards Cami. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Of course, I'm sure." she quickly retorted. "Remember last night."

Maura shook his head, "We definitely decided to keep our family together when it's time to leave the Shire. But I'm not certain about this. Cami, Piosenniel is going to have her babies in a few day's time. Do you really think you should leave now?"

Cami hastily averted her eyes. "I'm sure Pio will manage without me. She's extremely well organized."

"I wasn't thinking about organization," Maura persisted. "She's your friend."

Cami stared stubbornly ahead, and tersely responded, "I don't want to discuss this."

"Have it your way then. I did talk to Gamba and Ban, to let them know we'll be gone for a bit."

They continued along in silence. Despite her initial resolve to remain miserable, Cami found her spirits unexpectedly rising as they trudged along the road. The day was beautiful, cool and crisp, under a broad blue sky and a bright golden morning sun. They stopped once or twice to look at a coloful field of flowers or show Holly some rabbits scampering away, their small puff tails sticking up for an instant as they disappeared headfirst down secret holes.

It did not take long until they cut south across the Great East Road and left the main path, veering to the West. Cami was so engrossed watching the birds and animals and trees that it took her a moment to realize exactly where they were.

"Maura, stop! This isn't the path to Tukborough. I know this area well."

He smiled, but confided nothing more and kept going on until they arrived at a shady grove, a delightful nook with a small lake and flowering vines intertwined below a cool green hill. He lifted Holly off the pony's back. "We'll stop here for the night."

Cami looked up with surprise. "But we've only been on the road three hours. It's barely mid-morning."

"It's pretty though, don't you think?" She looked around. It was indeed pretty, extraordinarily pretty, even for the Shire. She laid down amid the tall grass, listening to the intermittent lull of bees and crickets. She found herself nodding off, since she'd had very little rest the night before. Waking up a little later, she heard the sound of a pony cart approaching, as its wheels slipped in and out of the ruts, making its careful journey along the meadow.

"Maura, what's that?" She looked up puzzled at her husband, but he seemed very relaxed as if he had been expecting this arrival for some time.

[ April 25, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[piosenniel]

29 Nárië

Halfred mopped his brow with his red bandana, and loosened the collar of his shirt. It was only midmorning, and already the sun was glaring down balefully. Waves of shimmering false water played across the roadway in the distance, and Halfred could feel his face growing red, his nose blistering.

Dumpling, his faithful pony, clopped along slowly, head down, ever so often casting a wistful glance toward the shade under the trees set back from the road side. Halfred himself had half a mind to head off under the trees. His dear wife had packed him a snack to tide him over until lunch, and he longed to sit in the cool grass, his back against some smooth barked tree, and enjoy the savory offerings.

Instead, he sighed, steeling himself against temptation, and gave a little kick to Dumpling’s flanks, urging him on. Today was the day he would clear that one item from his list that he had put off. It was time for another try at questioning the Big Folk at the Inn.

Hob came out to take the reins as Halfred dismounted. ‘Have you seen Mister Mithadan?’ he asked the quickly retreating stabler.

‘Can’t say as I have,’ came the fading reply as Hob took the pony into the stable.

Halfred wiped his brow one last time and stuffed the damp cloth in his back breeches pocket. Slowly he climbed the steps and pushed open the door to the Common Room. Ah! There was Prim, standing by the bar giving some last minute instructions it looked like to Buttercup, who deftly balanced a tray of pints on one hand, while shaking her head yes and no as Prim talked.

‘Think I could get one of those?’ he said, sidling up to the bar and standing near the two.

‘Depends,’ said Prim, hands on her hips, a steely gaze in her eyes. ‘You’ve not come to bother Mistress Piosenniel, have you?’

[Child of the 7th Age]

Cami watched intently as the cart pulled into view, revealing two familiar faces. Much to her surprise, she saw Frodo Baggins perched up front, with Bilbo lounging behind him on a soft pile of hay. Beside the older hobbit sat a wicker basket filled with all type of hobbit delicacies, ample food for a leisurely picnic on a warm summer's day.

Cami turned and rounded on her husband, "Maura Took! You rascal! You set this up."

Maura shrugged his shoulders and laughed, "You already had me traipsing out in the middle of the night to get Sam's pony. So I stopped at the Inn, and talked with Frodo."

"We both wanted some time away, so we agreed to meet here. They'll return later today. We'll stay on till morning. Then, you decide, Cami. If you want to continue, we'll head south to Tukborough. If not, we'll retrace our steps."

"You thought my decision hasty?" A slight smile played on Cami's face.

Maura's voice came back, half playful and half serious. "Pio's not the only one with a hot head. But I thought we could both use a break from the constant worry of the Inn."

For the next several hours, the hobbits' only concern was relaxation. They ate, reminisced about old times, and went paddling or wading in the cool waters of the lake. Maura managed to rig up a fishing pole and caught several trout that Cami cleaned and roasted over the fire. Towards mid afternoon, Maura drove Holly and Bilbo in the cart over to a grove of wild cherries that were located not far from where they had camped. The hobbits promised to bring back a bag or two of fruit that could be taken to Cook and made into pies.

Cami and Frodo stayed behind to clean up the remains of lunch. Finishing their chores, they'd walked down to the water. Frodo sat quietly on the shore, tossing small pebbles into the lake and watching the rings ripple out in concentric circles. His eyes looked longingly towards the water.

"You miss it, don't you? The Sea, I mean" Cami looked across the lake, a tiny body of water but the largest she'd seen since coming to the Shire. "I do too, Frodo. I miss it. Somehow things seemed simpler then. At least we knew what we had to do." She pulled the words out with difficulty, remembering the voyage of the Star, and how she'd been so determined to find the lost sea hobbits and some traces of her people's own history. She recalled Maura's own home, the lonely isle of Tol Fuin, and the hobbits' first joyous arrival there. Now, nothing seemed as certain as that.

Her confused thoughts must have communicated to Frodo, for he looked up and smiled at her. "So here both of us sit in the middle of the Shire trying to make sense out of this and wondering where we belong."

He sighed and lowered his voice, "I've heard what they're saying on the streets. How none of this happened until I returned. How Saruman's come back to plague us, and how all the bandits would stop if only I'd go away."

Cami stared at him aghast, "But, surely, you don't believe that nonsense."

"I'm not certain. There's some truth in it, but something's missing. Maybe I'll figure it out later."

Suddenly, he looked her squarely in the face. You, I, and Maura, the three of us.... We're in Hobbiton for a reason. And when I figure out that reason, I'm going to step forward and do my part, whatever that might be."

Cami said nothing. She felt like a child beside his wisdom and certainty.

Then he prodded again, "What about you?"

She looked at him with confusion in her eyes. "I'm happy you can see that. But the part about Maura and I being here for a reason, I don't understand. The marriage, what Bilbo set up, that's one thing. But now there's this." She put her hands protectively to her belly.

"The baby?" Frodo nodded and smiled. "Yes, Maura told us about the child."

She sighed and then continued. "I probably shouldn't have left Hobbiton. It was an impulse. I was just tired of problems and wanted to put them behind me. It's not Pio's fault. She has enough on her mind."

"But the other.... That's different. We've lived with separation so long, Maura and I. Why should we be blessed with a child, simply to be ripped apart again? Why should Gamba begin to confide in Maura, when he'll only have to face separation and disapointment one more time? It's not fair. Whatever the Valar have in mind, I want no part of it. What do you think we should do?"

Frodo thought a minute and then responded, "Only the two of you can find that answer together. But, perhaps, there is something more. Something beyond a wedding ceremony or even the birth of a child." He thought of Bilbo's resolve to go beyond the circles of the world and the strange look of determination in his uncle's face. "Keep searching, Cami. The two of you. But you can't do it here." He glanced around the shady grove with all its beauty and seclusion. "You have to go back to Hobbiton, to return to its problems and frustrations, to be with the people you love even when they get upset. I'm certain of that."

He hesitated a moment and then plunged in again, "You know Bilbo's not going to be around forever, and he worries about both of you."

"I know," Cami responded. "And you're right. I can't be with Bilbo out here in the middle of the forest. And I owe him more respect and time than I've given him lately."

"So it's back to Hobbiton?" Frodo asked.

"Yes, in the morning."

With that, their conversation ended. The cart with Maura and the others had come lumbering back into camp, and there were bags of sweet cherries to be washed and eaten.

[ April 27, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[piosenniel]

To be honest, Halfred did not want to talk to any of the Big Folk. The Elf seemed scornful of him in his previous encounters with her, and on the verge of menacing, in fact. And as for the Man, he seemed dangerous, too, in his own way. The Shiriff sat at the table in the Inn that Prim had led him to, and sipped thoughtfully at his ale.

All he needed to know, really, was whether the Man had been out of the Inn at the time of the kidnapping of Angelica’s son. He drummed his fingers on the table, considering who might have this information. Halfred raised his hand and waved Prim over to him. If anyone would know it would be her or Cook. A few words with Prim and the two of them were soon heading to the kitchen to speak with Cook.

Two half pints later, and a plate filled with bread and cheese, mustard and thick sliced ham, and Halfred was satisfied that, indeed, Mister Mithadan had never left the confines of the Inn.

‘In fact,’ said Cook, serving him up a generous wedge of Shire apple pie with clotted cream to fill in the empty corners, ‘Mister Mithadan has been quite ill and practically bed bound all this time.’

‘Perhaps I should just check in on him then,’ said Halfred, rising from his chair.

‘Oh, now I wouldn’t be doing that, Shiriff!’ Prim tugged hard on his sleeve until he was once again seated. ‘He has some horrid spots on him. All over him. Itchy, too!’

‘And a terrible fever – been nigh burnt up by it,’ commented Cook, pouring Halfred a frosty glass of hard cider to wash down the last crumbs from the pie.

‘Oh, and don’t leave out that phlegmy cough of his. Poor man can hardly breathe for it all.’ Prim bowed her head and shook it sadly. A moment later she had her hanky out and was coughing into it vigorously.

Halfred drew back from her, wondering if the contagion was spreading. His eyes strayed to Cook, who stood by the hearth scratching herself on the back energetically with a long wooden stirring spoon. He felt his temperature rising, he was sure, and a tickle began to nag at the back of his throat.

The stout Hobbit stood up quickly, knocking over his chair. It clattered on the floor, and Prim rose to help him set it upright. Halfred backed away quickly as she approached, and in doing so bumprd into Cook. He began to feel a certain prickly sensation creep up and down his limbs, as if litlle bumps were just on the verge of popping up. Halfred checked his forearms quickly, and heaved a sigh of relief when he found no spots appearing.

Gathering up what dignity he could muster in his hasty retreat, he bowed quickly to the obviously afflicted women, and raced out the door and to the stable, saying he wished them well.

Hob came into the kitchen a few moments after seeing the sheriff off, only to find Cook and Prim doubled over with laughter. Once they had caught their breaths, they told him what had happened, and he joined in the merriment at the poor Hobbit’s expense.

‘Serves him right,’ said Cook, ‘thinking that Miz Pio and her Mister would have anything to do with this bad business of the kidnappings. He needs to turn his eyes elsewhere and find the real kidnappers, he does! Halfred’s a fool if he thinks he’ll find the culprits here in the Inn. Our little joke, though, should keep him away for a while!’

The sound of their merriment masked the soft footfalls that drew near.

‘Keep who away?’ came the quiet voice.

[piosenniel]

‘Who was that you were talking about?’ repeated Piosenniel, pulling back a chair at the kitchen table. Hob had risen when she sat down, and pouring her a cup of tea from the pot keeping warm on the hearth, placed it by her hand. She smiled up at him, then glanced round the table. ‘Well . . .?’ she asked again, taking a sip of the sweet brew.

‘Now Miz Pio,’ answered Cook, passing her the plate of cookies from the sideboard, ‘no need to concern yourself with Inn business any more. Prim took care of it just fine, didn’t you.’

Prim nodded her head in agreement. ‘It was just some pesky tradesman with something we didn’t need. Cook and I sent him on his way. I doubt he’ll be back soon.’

Piosenniel frowned at the look that passed between the two Hobbits, but let it pass. She set her cup down clumsily on the table as a wave of pain gripped her round the middle. It surprised her with its intensity and she was glad when it retreated.

She looked up from it, to find Prim looking at her with concern, while Cook nodded her head up and down as if she expected something like this might be an expected occurrence. ‘Been having them long, dearie?’ she asked in a kindly tone, watching Pio’s hands unclench and her face smooth out once again.

‘This is only the second one today. In fact the first one is why I came out to see you. What can you tell me of these pains, and what comes after them. What can I expect and when. It will help me plan for it.’

‘Plan for it!’ Cook chortled at the thought of planning for something that followed its own course at its own time. But there was Miz Pio leaning forward, her elbows resting on the table, waiting for an answer. Cook sighed, and collected her thoughts. She laughed again. Here she was, a simple Hobbit, instructing an Elf on something. The thought tickled her no end.

‘All right, Miz Pio, now listen closely, and stop me any time you need to . . .’

Cook launched into her lesson on the ways of childbirth, as Pio sat taking in every word. Her eyes growing wide at some of the details and examples that Cook gave to emphasize certain points.

‘You sure you want to be here, Hob?’ asked Prim. Hob said he’d helped with many a foaling, and his sisters had all had babies so he knew some of the details. But he and Minta hoped to have a family soon, and he might as well know all of what was to happen.

‘Suit yourself,’ said Prim, getting up to make a fresh pot of tea and heap the cookie plate once again. This could last quite a while, she thought to herself. Settling herself down, cookie in hand, she listened closely to what Cook was telling the Elf, throwing out every so often a fact or story of her own.

[piosenniel]

29 Nárië

Morning came early for the two Hobbits. Before the sun’s light peeked through the trunks of the trees surrounding their encampment, Mithadan and Bird were already up and speaking of their plans for the day. Mithadan was eager to be off. The sooner Bree was reached, the sooner this task could be finished.

Gilly raised up on one elbow from the depths of her bedroll, hoping to hear some sort of fire crackling nearby and the smell of breakfast or at least hot tea. But all that came to her were the low voices of the two Big Folk in the predawn silence.

‘Wake up, Rose,’ she whispered to her friend, reaching out a hand to poke the blanket-covered lump that lay next to her. ‘The others are up already, and you’ld better get up, too, before Mister Mithadan decides to go on and leave you here with me to go back to the Shire.’

The muffled grumblings of someone pulling themselves up from the comforts of sleep issued from beneath the blankets, followed by the tousled curls and then the head of Rose. She yawned, and sat up, throwing back the blankets.

Bird motioned them over to where she and Mithadan sat. Way-bread and some dried fruit were handed round, followed by a skin of brook water to wash it down. ‘Best get your bedrolls squared away as soon as you’re finished,’ said Mithadan, pulling his pack toward him. ‘We’ll leave when you do.’ He fished around in the side pocket of the pack, and grunted in affirmation when his hand found what it sought.

‘Gilly, here is a small knife for you to use. And here is a bit of food.’ He handed her a small packet of bread and fruit and a few nuts. ‘It’s all that we can spare. You did bring a skin for water, did you not.’ He grinned when she shook her head ‘yes’. ‘Well, at least you two were somewhat prepared.’

Rose and Gilly sat together quietly and hurried through their meager rations. Mithadan had loaded the ponies by the time they had finished, while Bird went to scout the way ahead.

Breakfast done, Rose fastened Gilly’s cloak for her and gave her friend a farewell hug. ‘Keep safe, Gilly. I’ll see you when I return.’ Gilly returned the embrace, saying, ‘And you stay safe, too, Rose. I’ll tell the twins you’ll come soon to see them.’

Mithadan held the reins of Gilly’s pony for her as she mounted. ‘Tell Piosenniel I will return soon to her and our children. Be watchful and cautious, Gilly.’ He handed her the reins, slapping the pony smartly on its hindquarters.

He watched her for a moment as she headed west; then turned, and without a further look back, headed east once again . . .

[Auriel Haevasawen]

Old Stoat sat smoking on a grassy bank some distance from the hovel they had made their camp. Ferny and others had come and gone over the past day or so leaving him to mind the children.

He was no sitter for babies and left them much to their own devices, occasionally hurling food in their general direction, much in the style of a pig farmer with a sty of particularly bad-tempered pigs. He had put all the hobbit children together in the same room as Fosco that morn, not to give the trying child company. Stoatie was as weary of the child and the regularly assaulted Ferny but just to make his own job easier. He was tired of doing his rounds to check on them so by putting them all together in one room he need only leave one tray of food then leave them while he busied himself stealing from the other men or smoking in the sunshine.

At that particular moment he was not merely smoking. He had set himself a little snare for a cony and was waiting patiently as she approached the cabbage leaves he had set his trap with. Stoatie watched, still and silent as his dinner approached. The young rabbit stepped within the snare. Stoatie grasped the end of the cord. A shriek cut through the morning air. The rabbit ran free.

Stoatie turned sharply toward the shack doorway. A filthy Fosco stood arms akimbo while the two other hobbit children ran off into the trees. The man cursed himself for putting them together. The evil little creatures had freed themselves.

"Ha-ha, smelly-stoat!" Fosco yelled and made to dash away as well.

Old Stoat charged toward him. The boy was fast but the man had a good turn of speed for he was acostomed to being chased. In a matter of minutes he was grabbed and felled by the full weight of his persuer.

He heard laughter above him. Stoatie looked up and saw another of Ferny's men standing with the hobbit escapees tucked beneath each arm. "You be lookin' for these'uns?" He enquired.

Stoatie pulled the squirming Fosco up and under his arm in a similar manner, being kicked several times in the process. "Aye, little rats. I thought they were firmly tethered in there."

The other man laughed again. "Na, don't put the varmits together. They're clever and cunning those halflings, even the bairns. Wait till Ferny hears about this Stoat. He'll have yer guts for garters. We could have lost all of them 'cos of you."

Stoatie was not impressed with being told how to do his job by a mere underling. He grunted bad-temperedly and turned back toward the shed.

[ April 27, 2003: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

[piosenniel]

Mithadan's post

29 Nárië

As they proceeded on towards Stock, Mithadan and Rose exchanged a few thoughts. Bird listened in silence; she had not entirely approved of allowing Rose to travel to Bree on this errand.

"Rose," said Mithadan. "You may travel with us for now, but you must not be seen in our company. Before we reach Bree, we must part so that we do not arrive together. I'm told there is a fine Inn there and you should head for it when you enter the town."

He withdrew his purse and handed Rose several coins. "Here. This should allow you to stay at the Inn for some time. You may do your share of snooping, particularly among the Hobbits, but keep in mind that we will not be able to come to your aid should you find trouble. Bird will visit you now and again to exchange news."

Rose looked up at Mithadan with concern and a bit of annoyance. "Other than snooping," she asked. "What will my role in this play be?"

Mithadan's face grew grave. "If Bird and I get into trouble, it will be up to you to find help..."

[ April 29, 2003: Message edited by: Mithadan ]

[ April 29, 2003: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

[piosenniel]

theWhiteLady's post

29 Nárië

As the trio hiked over the countryside, Rose began to reflect more deeply upon the seriousness of their mission. The young hobbit had set out determined to pull Mithadan back to the inn, but now she found herself moving farther away from the Shire she had grown and played within and closer to a danger crafty, deceitful, and desperate. Rose had been accustomed to fighting foes that openly defied her; these men were, in comparison, either cowards or very clever. Or perhaps a bit of both.

Rose gazed at the beautiful land they were passing through: a towering oak spread strong arms to the sky, as though bidding the passing birds to rest within his strong embrace and beneath his sheltering shade was a very fat and contended cow, who gazed with lazy curiosity at the three passing strangers. To the horizon, the land rolled away. Some hills were cleared and smoke could just barely be seen curling from a home to the west, but much of the land was still wooded and wild. Rose shuddered at a sight she would normally have felt her heart lighten. Her free spirit generally loved old forests that had not been subdued by human hand, but now she could only wonder if bandits used the wood for shelter and where in the shadows they might be hiding all those poor babes.

Mithadan called for Rose to catch up, his voice breaking through her gloomy thoughts like the midday sun. The young hobbit hurried along and began to apply her mind to more practical matters, such as how to get a message back to the inn if Mithadan were in trouble, and her own alibi for being in such an odd part of the Shire.

[ May 01, 2003: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

[piosenniel]

Late evening 29 Nárië

The journey back to Bywater seemed longer than the road to where the two Hobbits had found Mithadan and Bird. Gilly’s pony plodded along the Stock Road, then turned north at the great oak tree, heading across the open country between the pathway and the Great East Road.

At a tiny inn, set back in a small dell to the west of her route, she took her late evening meal, trading her skill at washing dishes and mucking out stalls for a hot supper and a place to sleep in the small barn.

‘Best we rest up well, Nettle,’ she said to her companion. ‘It will be a long walk back to the inn tomorrow.’ Nettle, it seemed, had picked up a stone along the way and was now limping from the bruise on her hoof’s tender quarter section. Gilly combed and curried her, treating her to a small carrot and an apple she had wheedled from the cook.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

30 Nárië

Early morning found her up and ready to go as soon as the sun peeked above the eastern horizon. Gilly took a cold breakfast from the food Mithadan had shared with her, and set out north from the inn, leading the slow gaited pony along behind her. With luck and fair weather, she would reach the Inn late in the evening . . .

[ April 28, 2003: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

[piosenniel]

30 Nárië – 1 a.m.

The wind gusted, blowing in dark clouds from the west. They covered the fat, yellowed moon blocking out its light for a moment. Capricious, the wind blew holes in the very clouds it had herded before it, and the silvered light shone through once more.

Pio gathered her cloak in tightly, fingers of wind wanting to snatch it from her with each step. The air was thick with the promise of rain. ‘Ulmo keep you,’ she murmured to the heaviness that pressed in about her. The trees stirred against her words, leaves thirsty for water in a long hot spell of summer.

Her laugh, light as the sound of tiny, silvered bells on the ankle of some dancing maiden, wove in among the rustlings of the wind and leaves. ‘Only for a small space of time,’ she said, touching the smooth, papery bark of some great birch that stood along the path to The Water. ‘Let me just walk unhindered by care for a little while, then let the rain come to you, when I am safe again beneath the roof of the Inn.’ The soughing of the wind through the leaves and slender branches was her only answer as she walked on.

Her destination this night was the unnamed stream that slipped down from the north and emptied into the Bywater Pool. In early days she had walked it to its source, but now, laden with child, she hoped only to push herself as far as the widened section of it. There, in the midst of it, a great, flat rock sat, just inches above the rushing stream, dividing it for a moment into two thin strands of foaming water. They pressed against the sides of the rocky fastness and wore it away slowly, carrying the flinty grey chips like little treasures to the keeping of the pool.

It was dark again when she came to it, the heavy clouds obscuring the moon and stars. Still she found the path of stepping-stones, and made her way carefully to the rock, clambering up to its top. A gust of wind blew the trailing clouds away, the moon’s light now illuminating the rocky surface and the rushing waters.

Her eyes narrowed, seeing a figure sitting at the northern tip of the platform, legs dangling down into the foaming waters. She drew back to the edge, thinking to cross the stream to the bank. Words, not spoken aloud, held her in her place.

I often come here, Piosenniel. The sounds of the waters obscure the noises of this world and for a time I can shut my eyes and think my self in my garden, amidst the waters of lake. Estë sleeps there, on the small isle that lies in the waters of Lorellin.

Perhaps it was just a trick of his mortal body, the way it slumped over, fingers reaching down to trail in the foam, but she thought she heard a great loneliness in his voice as he spoke to her. She drew near and sat beside him, her shoulder a bare inch away from his.

Lórien, she asked, I had thought you gone from us. How is it that you stay? Confined to a clumsy body, and the slow ways of the Shire folk, I should have thought you would have left us long ago.

And so I might have, save for the fact my business here is not yet finished . . .

[ April 28, 2003: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

[Child of the 7th Age]

30 Narie - 5 a.m.

Cami awoke while tiny stars still glittered in the sky. In the distance, the reflection of a faint, rosy light was barely visible along the eastern horizon. The ground was soft and moist. The collected moisture seemed to be more than just morning dew. Perhaps it had sprinkled gently during the night, leaving behind a few telltale signs. But, strangely enough, Cami's hair and bedroll felt dry.

Holly still lay asleep on the ground close beside her mother. When the wind had whipped against the trees shortly after midnight and come clattering through the tangled boughs, the child had been thoroughly frightened and crept over to hide within Cami's cloak.

Anxious to set out on the road as soon as they could, Cami walked over to Maura, bending down and placing her hand on his shoulder to shake him awake. He stirred slightly, stared groggily upward, then rolled back down, closed his eyes, and covered his head with a blanket.

A stern voice came from under the covers. "Cami, go back to sleep. It's too early."

She stubbornly tugged at her husband's sleeve, "Too early? No, it may be too late. We have to get back to the Inn as quickly as possible."

Maura looked at her seriously and sat up, rubbing his eyes one at a time. "So you've decided to return?"

"Yes, I was wrong. I should have listened to you. I've been awake half the night worrying about Pio. The twins are almost due. Gilly ran off with Rose, and Angelica Baggins must be beside herself with upset over Fosco. There's someone else who's supposed to help Pio....Peony somebody. But I don't know how reliable she is."

"If we're lucky, Mithadan will have enough sense to send Rose and Gilly back to the Inn. But, as much as I'd like to believe that, I can't be certain.

Within a few moments, Maura had grudgingly risen, shaken off sleep, and begun to organize things for their short trip home. Cami strapped the sleeping Holly in a sling on the front of her chest, while her husband loaded up their few belongings on the back of the pony. For the next few hours, the pair walked swiftly and deftly along the trail, retracing their steps northward, stopping for only a few moments to rest or take a cool drink from the waters of a brook.

Only an hour or so after the sun had risen fully in the sky, they made it to the steps of the Green Dragon Inn. They could hear the familiar sounds of breakfast being prepared and served inside the Common Room. Maura pushed against the door and the couple trudged inside, looking a bit bedraggled from their journey, with a toddler slumped in their arms who was still half asleep.

[ April 28, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[piosenniel]

30 Nárië

Pio left Lórien to his musings when the moon began to set. ‘I should go now, and try to get some sleep, while my little ones are quiet.’ She rose, using his shoulder to steady herself. He smiled up at her, a playful look on his face. ‘Go to your rest. I’ll give them sweet dreams, and they’ll sleep a little longer then.’ He waved her off when she turned to look at him from the river bank, and fell back into his own thoughts.

She hurried back through the still dark night. The wind had blown the clouds away and no rain had fallen. The trees seem to chide her as she passed, that she had been in some way responsible. ‘Sorry!’ she murmured as she passed the beech tree once again.

Reaching the back door to the inn, Pio passed through the kitchen. She nodded to Cook, busy with her baking for the day. A posset of warmed milk and honey was gratefully accepted, but an offer of sweet buns declined. Cook shook her head, saying she would send a plate of breakfast round later.

‘Much later, if you please. I am tired and the babies are quiet for now. Let me sleep as long as I can.’

Cook nodded, saying that she would see to it she was not disturbed for a while. Pio turned back from the door into the Common Room just as she swung it open. ‘If you see Cami, by any chance, let her know I have news of Rose for her . . .’

[Child of the 7th Age]

Maura helped Cami over to a table and gently set her down. His wife's nervous energy so clearly apparent earlier that morning had totlly disappeared. Cami keeled over on the table, cradling her head on top of her arms. She had dark circles under her eyes; her face looked drawn and haggard. Maura shook his head and sighed. This was the same hobbit who'd given long lectures to her friend for gallavanting about the countryside on horseback or otherwise trying to do too much when she was pregnant. Maura ruefully thought that Cami might need a dose of her own medication and advise.

He walked over and popped his head inside the kitchen door and managed to catch Cook's eye. "My missus is a little tired. We've just come from the wooded area north of Tookland. It was quite a stretch. We left this morning just before sunrise."

Cook's eyerows went up. "Three hours time? You came all that way? Those lands stand some twelve miles south of here. Whatever possessed you to race Miz Cami along like that, her being in such a condition and all?"

Cook raised up her ladle as if she was about to strike Maura's head. "Talk to Miz Cami," he quickly retorted. "She's the one who pushed me along the road. She was so concerned about Pio that she spent half the night awake in bed and the other half running back to the Inn."

Cook went over to a cupboard and reached inside, drawing out a key. "Here, you take this. There's a room under the staircase set aside for the staff. It's very tiny. None of the big folk can even fit inside. You take your missus there and tell her to sleep a bit. She can't see Miz Pio now. The Elf was up walking half the night herself, and is tucked in bed now."

Maura thanked Cook and slipped the key in his cloak. She handed him a warm posset to relax Cami a bit as well as two steaming bowls of porridge for Maura to carry back to the room. Then Cook took Holly from Maura's arms and promised to have Ruby keep a close eye on her, while the couple managed to get some rest.

Just as Maura turned back to the Common Room, Cook tugged belatedly at his sleeve, remembering the message that Pio had left with her early that morning. "Begging your pardon, but when Cami wakes up, tell her to have a talk with Miz Pio. She has some news of Rose."

"Thank you, Cook. We're much obliged to you for your kindness." Then Maura quickly ducked out to help Cami make her way to the small chamber where she could get some rest.

[ April 28, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[piosenniel]

30 Nárië

The face to face meeting was not destined to be that day. Cami was still sleeping when Pio awoke. Mithadan had spoken briefly to her earlier, that Gilly was on her way back to the Inn, coming north from Stock Road on the small track to the Three-Farthing Stone.

Going to her desk, she pulled out a piece of clean paper and dipping her quill in the inkwell, wrote a short note to Cami.

Dear Cami,

Have gone to fetch Gilly. Will be back later this evening. Mithadan has told me Rose is safe with him and Bird, and will continue on with them to their meeting place with the troublemakers. I am sorry, but that is all I know at present.

~~ Piosenniel ~~

Maura was nowhere to be seen as she passed through the Common Room and out to the stable to find Hob. He was busy shoeing one of the horses which had cracked a hoof, and was a little apprehensive when she asked him to make ready the pony cart for her.

His eyes darted up at her from his work on the hoof, and he raised his eyebrows in question at her request, wondering what Cook or Prim would have to say about it.

‘Never mind what they may have to say about it, Hob!’ she admonished him. Her words echoed his thoughts, startling him. ‘Yes, ma’am,’ he replied, setting the horse’s leg down gently to the ground, and watching as the owner walked the horse for him, while he checked for eveness in the gait.

The pony was soon in harness, and Hob lent Pio an arm as she climbed to the seat of the cart. Bending down, she handed him the folded note, asking him to give it to Cami when she awoke.

‘I will be back before supper, I think – with Gilly in tow. Tell Cook and Prim I will see them then.’

She clucked to the pony, flicking the reins gently on her flanks, and headed south.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Cami awoke several hours later, feeling somewhat better, but disappointed to learn that Piosenniel had already left. She and Maura had risen early and rushed homeward in the hope that she could see her friend. Now that was impossible, since the Elf had taken the pony cart and was off somewhere searching the roads for Gilly.

Cami shook her head and wondered about the wisdom of Pio going off on her own so close to the birth of the twins. Still, Pio was an Elf, and perhaps she could tell exactly when these things were and weren't going to happen. Cami even considered whether she should try to saddle up a mount and go racing after her so that the two of them could talk. But a sharp glance from Maura disabused her of that notion.

Cami was not pleased to hear about Rose being with Mithadan and Bird. Once or twice, she scowled and asked what the Man could have been thinking when he agreed to let Rose go into such a dangerous situation. But Cami couldn't complain too much. She herself had turned a blind eye when Rose and Gilly left, altough she had suspected what her daughter was up to. Rose could be terribly stubborn, and Mithadan may not have had an easy time with that any more than she had.

Cami resiged herself to going back to the pond with Holly. For several weeks, she'd been working on two baby presents that still weren't ready. She promised herself to spend the afternoon putting the finishing touches on those, just in case Pio's twins came a bit earlier than expected.

Before Maura left for Bag-end to return the pony to Samwise, he leaned over to Cami and suggested, "We're not sure how much time we have here after the birth. We still haven't done a public handfasting. Let's do that right after Pio has her twins. Perhaps, we could do a joint party to celebrate the birth and our marriage."

Cami said she'd agree to this idea, as long as Pio felt comfortable with it. She hated to do a party when Rose and Mithadan and Bird were missing, but there seemed to be little choice. She told Maura to keep the guest list small. Given the sad situation in the Shire, it seemed appropriate that their festivities be quiet and intimate, with only close friends in attendence. Maura promised to talk with Samwise imediately after the birth and see what they could do.

[ May 08, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[piosenniel]

30 Nárië

‘Come on, Nettle. It’s only a little bit further. I want to get back tonight if we can.’ Gilly spoke encouragingly to the little pony, but to no avail. Nettle, never one for protracted periods of activity, balked, slowed down to a snail’s pace, and finally halted all together. She limped to the side of the road and began pulling at the tufts of grass and lovely dandelions that grew in abundance beneath the arching trees.

Gilly walked on down the path, hoping that the pony would be inclined to follow her. It was a vain hope, as Nettle eyed her curiously, once, and then returned to her grazing. The Hobbit trudged back to where the pony stood and sat down on a stump, prepared to wait out the stubborn animal.

She must have fallen asleep, she thought. The sun’s light was now from a decidedly western slant as her eyes flickered open, and there was something poking her sharply in the back, as she lay on her side. Strange, she thought, but try as she might with her hand she couldn’t seem to brush the offending object from her back.

‘Are you going to lie there all afternoon, Gilly? I do not relish the thought of having the babies here in the road.’ Pio nudged her once more in the back with the toe of her shoe.

Red-faced, the Hobbit scrambled to her feet and faced the Elf. Pio looked down at her, an amused look on her face. ‘Mithadan told me you were on your way; I came to meet you.’ She looked to where Nettle stood, obviously favoring one of her legs. ‘Just in time, too, I see. It looks as if your mount is in need of some coaxing and you could use a ride . . . yes?!’

Gilly shoved the question of just how Mister Mithadan had ‘told’ Mistress Piosenniel to the back of her mind. She could ask that later. Instead, she filled the Elf in on the events of the past two days, and thanked what lucky stars she had that Pio had the foresight to come with the cart for her.

They tied Nettle’s reins to the back of the cart, and plodded slowly back to Bywater. Gilly was afraid that Pio would be angry with her for running off, but the Elf spoke kindly to her, drawing her into a conversation on last minute things to be done before tomorrow.

It was late in the evening by the time they returned to the Inn. Hob unhitched the ponies and took them both to the stable, clucking his tongue over poor Nettle’s hoof.

[ April 29, 2003: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

[piosenniel]

Loëndë

It is Loëndë and Isil rides low on the horizon, beloved. Your son and daughter will come today.’

Isil hung barely above the plum tree in the Inn yard just beyond Piosenniel’s window. It was just past midnight and already the babies were moving restlessly, as if feeling the pull of the silvered full moon on them. Rhythmic, like a slow tide easing up on the waiting sand and then retreating, the contractions came and went, spread far apart, gentle still.

Cook had told her this would happen first. And she pulled up some vague memory of other women and their births. But it was too far in the past, and to be honest, she had not paid attention, thinking it would never be her lot to fall in love or have children. ‘Get up and walk a bit when this part comes,’ Cook told her, recalling the births of her own children and their children. ‘Takes your mind off things, and the wee ones tend to drop down quicker if you do.’

Going to her desk, she wrote two notes, folded them in half, and stuck them in the inner pocket of her cloak. She drew the folds of her cloak about her, and went quietly out the door in the Common Room, walking northeast toward The Water and the Bywater Pool. Her steps were unhurried, and she watched the moon glide through the branches of the trees, following along just over her left shoulder as she walked along.

A short space of time brought her to Cami and Maura’s home. The front window was dark, and she could sense the four of them sleeping, snug under their covers. Approaching the front door quietly, she tucked the first of her notes, addressed to Cami, into the crack where the edge of the door met the jamb. ‘Come to the Inn when you get up,’ it said in her hurried script, ‘the twins will be here to greet the world today.’

She walked west, then, and followed The Water to the small ford near Bag End. There she turned her steps north, up the path toward Sam and Rose’s house and just a little beyond and to the east again. Up the path to Amaranthas’ dwelling. Again she left her old friend a note, asking her to come see her later in the day.

[piosenniel]

Loëndë

Anar climbed into the sky as she made her slow way back to the Inn. The pains heralding the approach of the birth were becoming more insistent. ‘Send Cook to me,’ she said to a surprised Ruby, who opened the kitchen door to her knock. ‘And Prim, too, if she’s about.’

Hob rose from his seat at the table and let her lean on him as she made her way back to her quarters. ‘Best get the cart and pony ready, Hob,’ she said to him, ‘you will need to fetch Angelica and Peony.’

She threw her cape onto the back of the sofa, and sat down carefully in the rocking chair, pushing the small of her back against cushions there. Her hands gripped the chair arms lightly, and she took deep breaths, blowing them out slowly.

Her countenance was serious and her concentration intense as she felt her children wonder at the pressures pushing at them. Do not worry, little ones. she assured them. Soon you will be in your ammë’s arms.

Cook and Prim had come in, and stood nodding their heads at her. ‘So, it’s begun,’ said Cook, ‘and just when she said it would!’ she slapped Prim lightly on the back. ‘I told you it would happen.’ Prim grinned and rolled her eyes, remembering that Cook had snorted at Pio’s announcement of the exact birth date.

‘Yes, well, I suppose it doesn’t matter who was right or not,’ returned Prim, ‘we’d best get things in order. Stack some blankets in the warming oven for the babies, Cook, and get some water heated up in case we need it.’ She turned to Ruby and Buttercup who had come scurrying up behind her and stood in the doorway. ‘Quit gawking you two! Ruby run and fetch Miz Pio a cool glass of water to wet her mouth. And you, Buttercup, come with me, we’ll stack the pillows against the headboard of the bed so she can lean back against them when the time comes.’

The bed was readied and the room put in order for the arrival of the midwives, Angelica and Peony. Hob had gone on his way to get them.

Cook cruised through the Common Room, asking all to please keep their voices down. Many raised their eyebrows when they heard what was going on, and one asked where the father was. ‘None of your business, Hamfast Burrows,’ she said fixing him with a baleful glare. ‘If Mister Mithadan could have been here, he would have. He had important business to take care of.’

‘Big Folk business . . . hmmmph!’ said Hamfast to his tablemates. ‘Can’t be nothing good about that!’ They laughed nervously at his statement, as Cook now drew very near their table, arms folded across her ample chest.

‘Well, now, that’ll be enough talk like that today,’ said Cook in a low voice. ‘You finish up your drinks right quick, and get back to your own families. I won’t have Miz Pio hearing anything bad today.’ Under her watchful eye, the wide-eyed Hobbits drank up and then hastily departed. ‘Anyone else have something to say?’ She looked round the Common Room in a decidedly challenging manner. But the only replies were a few, ‘No, ma’ams’. And the wisest of the lot simply kept their mouths firmly shut.

[ April 29, 2003: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

[piosenniel]

Nurumaiel’s post:

Angelica sat on a little wooden stool in the kitchen, watching Peony cook. The hobbit-lady seemed so at ease and confident, while Angelica was so extremely scared. She had heard no new news of Fosco, and it was a tremendous strain. Thank goodness for Peony, who was so wonderful that she came over every day to do most of the housework.

"It was too kind of you to come, Peony," said Angelica. "You really shouldn't have, you know. You must have so much to do at home…"

Peony shook her head firmly. "I have no family of my own, you know, and you and Merimac really need me now," she said. "I was more than happy to come, and I'll come whenever I feel like it to help you out with things."

It was the early morning and Angelica had awoken from a bad dream, so Peony had brought her into the kitchen and was cooking her some warm mushroom soup to calm her nerves.

There was the faint sound of a pony cantering coming through the open window. "Now who could be the fool to go so fast when children might - " Peony stopped and stared, wide-eyed. "Angelica, it's Hob!" she said. A little knowing smile came to her face. "For him to come riding up here at that speed at this time can only mean one thing."

"What does it mean?" Angelica asked, puzzled.

"We'd best leave the soup," said Peony. "There will be no need for it now. Angelica, go get your coat. It's rather chilly out and I don't want you catching cold."

"What do you mean? Where are we going?"

Peony looked faintly surprised. "To the Dragon… for Pio." Then she left the kitchen and went down the hallway to the front door, where Hob was knocking firmly but quietly, trying his best to make them hear but not wake the two children. "Angelica!" Peony called. "Wake the children and have them get dressed and bundled up. Hob will take them. We can take my cart to the inn." Then she opened the door with a smile. "Hello, Hob. You'll need to take the children to wherever they're staying… Angelica will tell you. I have my own cart and pony here so I can bring Angelica and myself over." She was pulling on her own coat as she spoke. "What exactly did Pio say?"

"Not much to me, Miss Muddyfoot, but she told me to get you and Mrs. Muddyfoot."

"The babies, I suppose?"

Hob nodded. "Yes. She told Cook they were coming."

"Oh no!" a little cry from behind Peony was heard. "They can't come now!" Peony turned in surprise to see a pale Angelica. "Pio isn't supposed to have the twins until after Fosco is home."

"Is that what you agreed?"

"I never got to speak to her about it, but I assumed…"

"You know well that Pio has no control over the matter, Angelica Baggins Muddyfoot," said Peony firmly, taking her sister-in-law by the arm and leading her outside. "You've had three of your own, so you should know. Speaking of which, are the children ready yet?"

"Yes, they'll be coming soon."

"Hob, when they come, tell them that they're going over to wherever it is - " Angelica interrupted to let Peony know where exactly 'wherever it is' was " - and then bring them there."

"Yes, Miss Muddyfoot," said Hob. "Tell Pio good luck for me."

The two midwives got into Peony's cart, which Hob had made ready for them, and the former made the protesting and sleepy pony move at a quick trot down the road. Soon they arrived at the inn and made their way through the Common Room, Angelica insisting weakly that she had no idea where Pio was. Cook met them and led them up to the room, where Pio lay on the bed, her face sweaty and her hair damp. She smiled at them then gritted her teeth as another contraction gripped her…