The Green Dragon Inn #11 - The Last Chapter

[starkat]

" Avaro naeth. Don’t worry about it. My oldest brother can be pretty grumpy until after he has had his breakfast.” The younger of my brothers can be pretty grumpy too, she mused.

“Yes, my parents are travelers. My mother weaves rugs and my father is a wood carver. They travel so that they can sell their goods.” Taking a drink of water Gwenneth paused for a minute. “If they were able to stick to their traveling schedule, they should be in Rohan by now. Unless of course they stopped somewhere along the way,” she smiled.

“Do you have any siblings? You told me about your parents, but you did not mention any brothers or sisters.” Gwenneth looked across the room at where Deva was eating, “How did you meet Deva?”

[Firefoot]

Lily returned a couple of hours later. She was slightly flushed from the activity and Clover had a thin sheen of sweat covering his body. When she reached the stable she dismounted and removed her saddle. She walked Clover around for about five minutes so he could cool off and left him in his stall with fresh hay.

"Eat up, boy. You earned it," she said. Lily walked back towards the Inn. I wonder if Willow, Mira, or Daisy is up yet?, she thought. She went inside and looked around for her friends. She smiled, spotting Willow talking to a woman at one of the tables. But before she walked over there, she went to get second breakfast. She didn't get a lot, just enough to tie her over until the next meal. Then she made her way over to where Willow and the woman were sitting.

"Good morning, Willow," she said cheerfully. "And good morning to you too," she said to Willow's companion. "My name is Lily Thistlewool." Lily sat down next to Willow, and noting the serious expressions on both their faces wondered vaguely what they had been talking about. She hoped she wasn't interrupting.

[Kitanna]

"I have two older brothers. One is a guard of the Citadel and the other has moved to Rohan and become a farmer. I do not see them as often as I would like, but I guess that's the way the world turns."

Peony looked over her shoulder for a second to see Deva eating his breakfast. "As I said my father is a wanderer and he met Deva on one of his adventures years before I was born. Deva is a close family friend and volunteered to take me across the lands. Though one day I'm hoping to be able to go out and explore on my own.

"My mother would have me return to Minas Tirith and marry, but I can't say good-bye to the open road."

[starkat]

“My mother has similar hopes that I will find someone on my journey as my brothers did and settle down. I don’t know though. At the end of my sister’s journey she had decided that she no longer wanted to remain in Middle Earth and sailed from the Havens." Looking down at her hands, Gwenneth continued, “That to is one of my choices, but I hope to travel for many years and make many new friends along the way.”

With a slightly embarrassed look on her face, Gwenneth pushed a stray strand of her hair out of her face. “Would you tell me more about your horse? You said that he was raised in Minas Tirith. Did you know him as a foal or after he was trained?”

[Kitanna]

Peony smiled, she loved her mare Surefoot so much. "Her name is Surefoot and she is about three years old. She was a present from my oldest brother. I raised her for the most part, but my brothers would help me every now and then." Peony remember breaking Surefoot. Such a fiesty horse who was almost impossible to break. No man could do it. Surefoot only trusted Peony to ride her.

Peony hoped Surefoot was alright in the stables over the night. "And your horse? You said he was from Rohan? How did you come across him?"

[starkat]

“Surefoot sounds like a wonderful mare," Gwenneth said. “I did not raise my horse from a foal, but we have been together since my father brought her home.”

Thinking back to the day her father brought Elenath home she continued, “Elenath, my mare, is five now. I first saw her when she was two years old. My father had made a journey to Rohan and when he returned he brought back three horses. He gave me first pick of the horses. I went out into the pasture amongst them and Elenath came directly up to me and wanted to play.”

Giggling at the memories of her first days with her horse, Gwenneth smiled. “You might say that Elenath chose me. We were together from that day on. She will not let anyone else on her back but me.”

“My father let me name her and because of her night-dark coat with a small sprinkling of white hairs, I named her Elenath or stars.” Smiling again at Peony, Gwenneth asked, “What does Surefoot look like?”

[Kitanna]

"She's a lovely shade of brown with a few white hairs in her tail. My oldest brother always said the only thing more stubborn than me was Surefoot." Peony thought of all the places she had seen with Surefoot. Aside from Deva that mare was her best friend.

“Elenath," She said, "That's a beautiful name and I have no doubts she is a beautiful horse." Peony couldn't wait to go for a ride. "I love horses so much, they make great companions. They can keep you warm on long cold nights and are always there when you need them the most. Don't you agree?"