[Nurumaiel]

Primrose looked at all the weary hobbits with a little frown on her face. "Cheer up," she said. "We got attacked by bandits, but we'll notify the Shirriffs of them, and we'll be fine. Have some ale and think of the party ahead. I'm going to get a room and see if I can find anyone to tend to your wounds."

They had stopped at an inn halfway to Michel Delving. The sky had grown dark too fast, Prim thought as she stepped up to the counter, her hand in her pocket and her fingers touching the little money she had left. I don't know how we're going to pay for the decorations at Michel Delving, she thought grimly. Hopefully Bilbo will have the children make some, because we're not going to be buying very many.

"Miss, if you want to say something, then say it. I've got a lot of hobbits waiting for their ale."

Prim looked up, startled, at the innkeeper. "I am so sorry, sir," she said. "We'd like two rooms, please. How much will it be?"

The innkeeper named the price, and Prim slowly pulled the coins out of her pocket, again thinking to the shopping they had ahead of them. She got the number of the rooms, then spoke up again, "And do you know of someone who could tend to my companions' wounds?"

"There's someone in the room below yours that could take care of that."

"Thank you." Prim turned to go, then stopped and stared wide-eyed at the innkeeper. "What do you mean, below ours?"

"The only rooms available are on the second story," said the innkeeper. "Now is that all?"

"Second story? Why do you have a second story?"

"When my father built this inn, he was too poor to buy enough land to have just one wide building, so he had to build a tall one. Now is that all."

"Yes," said Prim. Even second stories are better than bandits, she thought. I hope we won't run into anymore of those.