The Green Dragon Inn #11 - The Last Chapter

Having looked back on his days events, Faeradel took out a relatively old looking parchment. To a stranger it was barely recognisable, as it was a map of Eriador, drawn and annotated completely by Faeradel. Marked with a curious symbol was little known village, to the West banks of the Gulf of Lhûn. Also marked with this symbol was Rivendell. Faeradel began plotting the route which he planned to embark on come sunrise. His expedition hadn't been at all challenging as of yet, other than losing his horse there had been no trouble. Faeradel decided the next stop in his journey would be Bree, where he could set about finding a new horse. After all, he was already three days behind schedule.

Faeradel returned the parchment to his backpack, and looked around the bar at some of the locals. He was generaly a sociable person, so he decided it was time for a drink. He got up from the table leaving his backpack by his chair, and approached the bar. stood behind the counter, smiling graciously was a respectable looking lady, who Faeradel assumed was the landlord.
"Good evening ma'am, are you still serving dinner?" Asked Faeradel, politely as possible.

"It's been a long day, and my horse ran off with what little food I had left still tied on his back." said faeradel, trying to initiate a conversation. As if the bar maid wasn't already rushed off her feet.

"One moment please, I'll take your order as soon as I've dealt with this poor hobbit." She replied solemnly.

"Of course." Said Faeradel, expecting such a response. He glanced around the room, when the hobbit he'd noticed earlier caught his eye again. The gash in the poor chaps foot was secreting blood, and soaking the handkerchief wrapped around it. Faeradel almost walked over to him, but thought it better to wait and order his drink and meal first. Afterall, he didn't want to appear impatient or rude to the bar maid.

[Aniriuq Raevla]

A tall,cloaked figure stepped into the Green Dragon,unintentionally slamming the door behind it.It turned its' head slowly from side to side,taking in its' surroundings.After a while,seeming satisfied of what it saw,it lowered its' hood to reveal a young woman.

She was in her late teens,and her appearance was that of a beggar.Her tanned face looked as if it had endured many years of tragidies all crammed into one.Bags sagged under her dark brown eyes,which were in a way that always made her look sad.Her long,light brown hair lay in curls about her head,and looked as if she had not bothered to care for it in days.Her cloak,a dark green,was torn in many places,and looked five sizes to big for her.But the thing that people took the most heed of was a large,livid bruise on her forhead.It looked as though someone had banged her head on a stone floor.

She took a seat at an unoccupied table in a shadowy corner and started to pick at her fingernails.The server came to her.
"Can I get you something to eat or drink miss?"

The young womans head jerked up at the sound of 'eat'.
"Eat?"She said quickly.Her voice was harsh,as though it pained her to talk."Eat?Drink?....Yes,I would be much obliged if you were to bring me some chicken...alot of chicken,and water...alot of water.Please."

The hobbit stared at her for a moment."May I ask your name miss?"She asked.

The young woman looked confused for a moment,staring at the hobbit with eyes that suddenly looked as though they were trying to remember something far off.....Then her body jerked slightly,and she was back at the present.

"My name?"She finally said,"Name?....Ah yes,my name.....I know my name,it's not like I dont!"She said angrily,as though the hobbit had occused her of not."It's Anjareen,but you can call me Anja.Thats what my friends call me."

The hobbit nodded and walked away quickly to get the order. Anja stared at her for a while.....My friends.....I DO have friends...right?

Ofcourse you do.Said a sly voice at the back of her head.Well,atleast you DID have friends.....

Did?She asked the voice.Why 'did'?Where are they?Are they not my friends anymore?

Dont you remember?The sly voice said,plainly amused.

No,I dont remember.She answered,angry that the voice was amused while she was still confused.

"I dont remember anything. I dont remember leaving home,I dont remember not having friends.I cant remember a single thing....."In fact,the only thing she could remember was that four nights ago,when that terrible thing happened.....The voice just laughed at her.

"Why are you laughing?"Anja said angrily."Stop laughing at me.....Stop it.Stop it I said!"

It was a while before she realized she had been talking out loud.People had paused their consversations to stare at her.She stared back at them for a while,then turned her attention back to picking at her nails.

The hobbit broght her food,and she began to wolf down the chicken.She didnt care about the stares she was attracting at the moment.She hadnt eaten since that night....

[Amanaduial the archer]

Cook shrugged lightly, shaking her head. "Sorry, Aman, I haven't seen her since she went out with Falowik some time ago-"

"Haven't seen who? Someone I should know about, I trust?" Uien's cool, smooth voice was followed by the sound of the kitchen door closing with a light click. Aman turned to see the beautiful elf standing wraithed ghost-like in the steam from Ruby's buns and smiled openly at her, moving forward to take the other's hand.

"Come Uien, I have someone I need to show you..." Uien smiled back widely, and Aman noted the dreaminess in it, and the way she simply couldn't have helped herself - whether Aman had given her reason to or not, she would have smiled. The Innkeeper raised an eyebrow as they moved out of the kitchen and Uien laughed, wagging a mock retributary finger at the other. "Now, now, Aman, what was that look for?"

Aman replied with all innocent eyes, holding a hand to her chest as if deeply wounded. "What, me? Oh, but Uien, I didn't say a word..." she let her facade melt into her more usual grin and beckoned with a tilt of her head. "There is a hobbit who needs your help - he has-"

"Wounded his foot?"

Aman stared at the elf for a moment, flabbergasted, until Uien laughed once more and pointed over towards the fire. "Not psychic, Aman - there are these things called eyes..."

The Innkeeper replied with her eyebrow raised again and the pair made their way over to Tom Cotton. As Uien seated him in the armchair again (he had risen, for some reason) and lifted his foot to the footstool once more, Aman felt a hand touch her arm and turned inquiringly, then looked up to the new customer, a tall...gentleman? The rough looking man seemed almost elven in his appearance, because of his height and some other aspect in the way he carried himself, but his unshaven appearance and tattered longcoat made him look a sight more roguish. Still, when he inquired as to whether dinner was still being served, his voice was perfectly polite, and manners would do just fine for Aman.

"It's been a long day, and my horse ran off with what little food I had left still tied on his back." The man's second comment seemed a little random, but he was evidently trying to start up a conversation. Aman shot him a quizzical glance, then excused herself. "One moment please, I'll take your order as soon as I've dealt with this poor hobbit."

"Of course."

Tom will be fine with Uien for a few moments... Aman turned away from the elf and hobbit and back to the man. "My apologies, sir - you would like to eat? And a drink as well...pardon me, may I ask what your name is?"

[littlemanpoet]

Falowik watched as Uien was whisked away by Aman. He excused himself to Cook and ambled back into the Common Room. He returned to Eodwine and company, and settle back next to his half finished ale mug. He turned to Eodwine.

"Master Eodwine, it is getting late, and I recall a tale you promised for late in the night."

"Ah, that I did," Eodwine smiled, "but only if there are ears willing to hear the tale, and no young and innocent ears must hear, for it is a harrowing story."

Falowik nodded and drank from his mug.

Falco Boffin spoke up. "What do you s'pose that thing what killed him was, Master Eodwine? The thing you pushed him into?"

"Don't be giving away the tale before it is told, Master Boffin!" laughed Eodwine. "I'll tell what I think when the time comes, which will be soon. In fact, why not go round up a few bodies who might want to hear the tale, Master Falco? And grab Ruby or Buttercup while you walk, for my mouth is just about dry and could use a wetting before I begin."

"So it shall be, Master Eodwine." Falco got up and moved to the bar.

[Umwë]

On distance Tom could see Aman coming back with an elf on her side. He rubbed his eyes and looked again to be sure that it was an elf. As he realized that his eye’s wasn’t wrong he started to feel nervous again. He tried to not blush and tensed himself so much that his body started to shake. He took a deep breathe just before they approached him.
“This is Uien, Tom. Uien, this is Tom.” Aman said and smiled to them both. Uien looked scary to Tom, she looked ghostly in a way he couldn’t describe. Uien’s face yet looked warm and kind but Tom still couldn’t get the thoughts about her being a ghost out of his head. Tom could see how Aman suddenly disappeared and helped another customer.

“M-my foot...” he said with a low voice. His throat felt dry and Tom squirmed and started to sweat.

“Don’t worry. It will be fine.” Uien said with her beautiful elven voice and tried to calm Tom down.

She picked up a plant with long leaves and crushed it softly in her hands and it spread a delightful fragrance in the room. He sniffed and tried to remember the smell from the plant. “I know t-that smell... It is...” Tom started. He began to feel exhausted and he just got more tired. “It is Athelas“ Tom said and closed his eyes and sniffed again to be sure. Uien looked at him and her face turned into a surprised look. “You know about this herb?” she said softly and tried to not sound too surprised. “Well... Yes, I know quite a lot about plants and herbs.. This plant is very useful when it comes to healing, yet not many know’s about it’s healing powers.” Tom paused for a few seconds. “My father was a gardener and I’ve been his apprentice for a time now, in hope that I could settle myself somewhere and work with gardening.” Tom said and closed his eyes again. He sighed deeply and looked at Uien again that still looked at him and he could see the shape of Aman coming up behind Uien and looked at Tom too.

[Amanaduial the archer]

Brief introductions having been made between the pair of them, Aman brought out a meal for Faeradel, a trencher of rabbit meat and potatoes. The man gratefully recieved it and tucked into it eagerly, whilst poring over a rather withered piece of paper - a scroll of some sort. As she passed, Aman let her eyes flicker surreptitiously down towards it and sneaked a quick glance at the paper and found it was a map of some sort - she recognised several names from around Eriador, also noting Rivendell on the map. Intriguingly, the Last Homely Home was crossed neatly with charcoal.

Pushing aside her piqued curiosity - alright, nosiness - the Innkeeper moved over to where Uien knelt beside Tom's foot, and saw the elf was regarding her hobbit 'patient' with a curious look.

"...father was a gardener and I’ve been his apprentice for a time now, in hope that I could settle myself somewhere and work with gardening." Aman caught the end of the hobbit's words, and noted that something seemed to come over him as he spoke about this, a sort of quiet confidence in what he was saying

"Well, that sounded like a flat out hint," Aman laughed, and the hobbit looked up to her, a stricken look on his face, all politeness once more

"Oh, Miss Aman - I didn't see you there-"

Aman waved it away, handing the hobbit the refill of ale that she had brought. "Don't worry, master Cotton, I wasn't offended. No, but what you are saying is interesting - you say you have been looking for work around about here as a gardener?"

Tom's face lit up very slightly. "Aye...aye, Miz Aman, that I have," he replied carefully.

Aman nodded, her head on one side contemplatively. After all, since Beren had taken off some months ago, having to see to some business with family somewhere in the region of Gondor, they had been without a full time gardener. There had been Hawthorne in the past few weeks until a few days ago, of course, but she had gone back home to the Brandybuck family seat, Brandybuck Hall, a few days ago - and with the best wishes of Aman, Ruby and Buttercup, of course, for she had been invaluable since the fire, throwing herself into everything with great enthusiasm. It had been a pity to lose her in many aspects - gardening being one of them, for Miss Hawthorne Brandybuck had turned out to have surprisingly green fingers. But now...well, it was always useful to have the garden well tended, especially the vegetable garden, and Hawthorne had often said that it would have been excellent to keep chickens there, if there had been someone to look after them on a more full time basis...

"I will speak to you later, Master Cotton," Aman said at length. Then, with a smile, she took his empty glass and went away on her rounds, caught up in thoughts.

[Rinfanawen]

Anabell was engulfed in the moment at the fireplace, though the stranger remained silent for quite some time. Ana felt almost a shy quality come over her, which was strange indeed. Never before had she spoken so quickly to someone and not have the person reply with at least a shocked statement about her tendency to keep talking. This stranger just sat there. He was quiet, and yet Ana saw a thousand words spring forth out of this man's intense, green eyes. The stranger did not tell his background or story, but Ana found a history of tales from merely the scar on his right cheek. For once, Ana was silent as well.

Many moments passed by without word or movement by either character. Just as Ana felt as if she could stay silent no longer, her first word was interrupted by a scream in the other room.

"Why are you laughing?" a voice yelled angrily. "Stop laughing at me.....Stop it. Stop it I said!"

Whether just out of curiosity, or if for some reason she was concerned for the person who yelled, Ana found herself deserting the silent stranger she sat with. She wandered quickly back to the main room in the inn to see almost everyone who was present staring at a particular table in the corner. The small table was occupied by a young woman, who seemed to be a bit troubled. She sat fiddling with her fingernails, while also engulfing a piece of meat faster than anyone Ana had ever seen. Ana walked up to the bar but kept her eye on the woman at the table. Ana ordered a drink. She began to walk towards the table, but she felt something was telling her to return to the bar. The Hobbit woman, Ruby Brown, walked by, and Ana stopped her to order one last thing.

"What can I do for you, miss Ana?" Ruby asked in her usual pleasant voice.

Ana ordered the food she wished and made her way towards the lonely table at which the woman sat. As Ana approached the table, she could tell that this young stranger was troubled by some great event; The tattered clothes and discoloring of her skin seemed to show that themselves. Ana sat in the chair opposite the woman, though she had not even been seen sitting down. The woman was concentrated hard on the large piece of chicken. Ana waited. She waited for a moment that the stranger would possibly stop eating for a moment, but the moment seemed to not be coming until the whole chicken had been eaten. Ana thought for a moment, and then spoke.

"I...I brought you a small loaf of bread," Ana said in an unusually slow tone. The woman looked up at her in curiosity, and Ana continued, "I thought you might be hungry, so I decided to see if I could join you. My name is Ana, I...you're not from around here are you?"

Ana waited for a reply.