The Green Dragon Inn - Part 10

[nynnd1]

Bredan of Gondor walked through the door, he had heard the noise from afar and did not know how his entrance would be taken, as it happened nobody even seemed to notice him, but that wa snot necessarily a good thing. It looked like the scene he expected from the stories of the Hobbit's and their land which he loved to hear, small people dancing and singing merrily, but he had not forgot his troubles, the troubles that he had since leaving the white city where he grew up.

It had been a peaceful journey from Gondor, until he was attacked at Sarn Ford by the wild men, he was still hurting, even though he had fought them off. The fact that they had stole his horse, Sam (for he had named him after his favourite character from his favourite tale) had not helped, for the walking had put back the time in which his body had to recover.

As he went to sit in the corner he smelt the room, the atmosphere just seemed to lift his worry, the shire was just what he needed, he just hoped they liked him.

[Amanaduial the archer]

Aman surveyed the room proudly: once again the Green Dragon has put on a spread worthy of any Gondorian hall. And it will be a party fit for any part of the Shire too, she added to herself, despite the non-halfling nature of the Innkeeper. But it wasn't quite ready yet, the Innkeeper was convinced; something was missing...Aman narrowed her eyes as she looked around the tables, sure she had missed something out.

Darting back into the kitchen, the woman visually checked everything. The rest of the cakes for later were laid out, hundreds of little teacups lined the surfaces for when coffee and tea would be served, jugs of squash, readily prepared to be brought out when the drinks already there were finished, sat covered in a clump in the middle of the central table: orange, apple, cranberry, summer fruits, pear. In the gaps and on the shelves were perched various sweet, sugary and savoury delights to be brought out on the trays stacked at the side later. Hands on her hips, the Innkeeper finally had to conceed, as she stared around the immaculately prepared kitchen, that maybe it was all ready...

Fiddling with the fine, cream-coloured linen sleeves of the long-sleeved underdress she was wearing under her pale blue dress, the Innkeeper then absent-mindedly straightened the slanting, elbow length sleeves of the overdress, mentally going through the arrangements for the party. Hawthorne is in the Common Room, Ruby and Buttercup getting ready upstairs, barrels filled behind the bar, food out on the trestles, extras in here, musicians notified and practised, Vinca arriving this afternoon!...I'll just get the trays of sweets ready now, to save time afterwards-

Aman's fidgety mind was caught mid-sentence as the silver bell at the door, not often used because the Inn was so rarely closed, pealed out clearly through the ground and first floor. The Innkeeper heard Hawthorne run for it and closed her eyes, steadying herself for a second, before opening them, a smile spreading onto her face. Think, Amanaduial - how many times have you really messed up at the Green Dragon?

With that reassuring thought in mind, the Innkeeper opened the kitchen door and swept majestically into the Common Room as the visitors entered, flowing around the small figure of Hawthorne, who, Aman could now see, was just parting from an embrace with another hobbit...

"Master Meriadoc!" she exclaimed, delightedly as he turned. Forging forward through the generally mid-torso high crowd, Aman then knelt down in front of the hobbit so as to be on his level, shaking his hand warmly. "Welcome to the Dragon, Master Brandybuck."

"Master Brandybuck? Goodness me, Aman, how distant - it's still Merry, as it ever was," came the pleasant reply accompanied by the mischievous twinkling of his bright eyes as he added, "Unless I am to call you 'Miss Amanaduial'?"

"It is Aman, as it ever was, Mast- Merry," Aman replied, smiling back, then straightened up. "Welcome again - I'm glad to have you here. I must greet the first influx of guests at least, but I hope we shall talk later?"

"Aye, Aman, I hope so," Merry agreed then, nodding politely, he turned back to Hawthorne as Aman made her way to the door, shaking hands and exchanging smiles, comments and compliments with the newcomers, human, elven and halfling. Through the elegant new door, the sun could be seen hanging nearly halfway between it's peak and the horizon - midafternoon, and as the party began, Vinca, Zimzi and Derufin drew ever nearer...

[piosenniel]

~*~ RPG Discussion Thread Open To Take On Players ~*~

The Discussion Thread for Himaran's new RPG, Search for Rhûn , is now open for prospective players to take a look at.

Please read the proposal carefully.

Follow the instructions for the characters that Himaran requires and submit your character proposal directly to the Discussion Thread - don't send them to me.

Should be a fun game!

~*~ Pio

[Witch_Queen]

Aduthondiel
Aduthondiel looked around to see if she could find Crystal. She had seemed to reluctant to leave the Shire earlier that day. Evidently she doesn't know her father as well as I do. After all I have spent more time with him than she has. The party was coming along good. Aduthondiel was suprised to see so many people there. Count was with the other horses, so Aduthondiel had nothing to worry about. It would take General Dorian a few more days to reach the inn. "Crystal?" Aduthondiel looked at the figure in front of her. The girl looked so different than she did earlier. "Can I speak with you for a little while?"

The look on her face changed, she was no longer thinking of her own safety. "Crystal there is one thing I must tell you before I leave tonight. You have to promise me that you will not leave the Shire. You have to stay here with Mr. Angry. You have made something out of your life. That is one thing I dont' want you to give up on." Aduthondiel shifted her position. "You have to stay here. I'm leaving and you can't stop that. After all I have eternity to make peace with the world. You only have now." She knew her words sounded like commands, but she couldn't figure out a way for them to seem sincere. "Crystal you must stay here. Maybe some day I can return. Perhaps to see the day in which you are to be married to some lucky man. On that day I will return with news of your fathers death. Then perhaps we can both move on with what life has for us."

Aduthondiel looked at Crystal and tried to force a smile but couldn't. Aduthondiel remembered when Crystal was a little child and had none of the worries she had now. Yet she knew times had changed and Dorian had only became cold hearted and cruel to everyone but her. She couldn't figure out why Dorian had always beens so kind to her but evil to everyone else. Aduthondiel had so much to look forward to in her life that now she knew she had to stop Dorian from coming to the Shire. "Crystal, have you seen Hama?"