Stories of Arda Home Page
About Us News Resources Login Become a member Help Search
swiss replica watches replica watches uk Replica Rolex DateJust Watches

At Tharbad's Greenway Spring Faire  by Dreamflower

    B2MeM Challenge: This prompt by : Are the Rangers ever seen in the Shire? If so what do the Hobbits make of them? Do the Rangers ever openly help the Hobbits or have the Hobbits ever helped a sick or injured Ranger?
Format: format:multi-chapter
Genre: genre:adventure, genre:gapfiller
Rating: PG-13   
Warnings: Violence and one passing mention of cannibalism among orcs
Characters: Ranger OMC, various hobbits, Bandobras "Bullroarer" Took
Pairings: Bandobras/OFC
Creators' Notes (optional):
Summary: Wounded and in peril of his life, a Ranger of the North carries a dire warning to the Shire: invasion!

The Invasion

Part 6

Edro and Arrow rode full out for a good long time, with brief stops for water and to give Arrow a breather. Since it was Forelithe, the Sun did not seek her rest for a good long time, but finally she was low in the West, and full night came on. It was not a bright evening, so Edro stayed on the road. It was in good repair, and better not to risk going cross-country in the dark.

He slowed Arrow to a canter, and then a walk, and back to a canter again. Even in the dark he was familiar with this stretch of road. It was not his first journey to the Southfarthing, after all. By an hour past midnight he had reached the first crossroad. There was a single turn-off to the West leading to Nobottle; scarcely a league further on was the road leading East to Needlehole, which was only about a league and a half after that. He allowed Arrow to canter again, and gave him a pat on the neck. "By moonset you'll be in a nice cosy stall, lad! But I'll have to keep on going..."

It was quite dark by the time they came cantering into Needlehole. The only light still burning in the village was the lantern next to the sign of The Golden Goat. He swung down from Arrow's back, and his knees almost buckled. But he quickly got his bearings, and went to knock on the inn door. He pounded the big iron knocker. He knew that Hasty Puddifoot, the innkeeper, always had someone near at hand however late it might be, to answer the door to benighted travellers.

He knocked once more, and heard a voice grumbling, "I'm coming! I'm coming! Just hold on!"

The door was flung open by Hasty's son Mallard. "Ed! I've not seen you on a while!"

"I'm glad to see you, Mal. But I'm on an urgent message run to the Thain. I can stay only long enough to change ponies and then I must be off again. It may be that the Thain will need to call up the Shire muster!"

"Bless me! You don't say?" Mal stood back to let Ed in. "Well, come in for a moment, and rest for a few minutes anyway--it will take a bit to find you a good pony, and this is news I need to wake Da for. Do you have a letter of credit with you?"

Ed nodded wearily. "It's from Uncle Jago."

"I'll go roust Da. You help yourself to ale from the tap, or if you'd druther, there's hot water on the hearth and the tea canister's on the mantel." Mallard did not wait for an answer, but headed back toward the passage that led to the family's own quarters within the inn.

Tea sounded good to Edro. If he were stopping for the night, he'd have the ale, but he needed a clear head; he had a long ride before him, on an unfamiliar pony. He hoped the pony he got was sturdy and had plenty of go in it. He found a mug on one of the shelves above the mantel, and poured in hot water. He had just set the tea to steep when he could hear voices, and Mal returned with his father Hasty.

"Mr. Edro! Mal says you have a message for the Thain!"

"I do, Hasty. I must go on with my journey as soon as another pony can be provided. Here's my letter of credit." He took the letter from within his jacket pocket, but Hasty waved it away.

"I know you, and I know your Uncle Jago will stand good for it if the Thain don't pay. What's this emergency?"

"We've had word from the bounds; there is reason to believe that enemies are coming here to the Shire, over the North bounds. Uncle Jago wished me to prepare folk as I went--it is more likely than not that the Thain will call out the Shire muster, so be ready to spread the word in the village tomorrow. I'm sure we will pass through here on the way back!"

"Aye, Mr. Edro!" Hasty turned to his son. "Mal, see to getting Toffee ready for him, and take care of the pony what he came in on."

"Yes, Da!" Mallard immediately went out to take care of the task.

"You finish your tea, now," said the innkeeper. "Would you care for a bite to eat while he's taking care of the ponies?"

"If it is something that I can eat quickly, I won't say 'no', Hasty, for until I get to the Great Smials, I'll likely just be eating fruit or journeybread as I ride."

Hasty went into the kitchens behind the bar, and returned with a platter containing bread, sliced cold ham, a round of cheese and some pickled onions. He placed it on a table, and Edro joined him with his tea. Ed took up the knife that was on the platter, and used it to slice some of the bread and cheese. He slapped the cheese on the bread, added a slice of the ham, and a couple of the small onions that he speared with the knife. Then he folded the bread over and took a bite. Hasty took a slice of the ham himself, to keep his guest company.

"So, how sure is your Uncle that an enemy is coming? What sort of enemy?"

Edro had taken a large bite of his food just as Hasty spoke. He pointed to his mouth, and took his time in chewing, as he considered his answer. Finally he swallowed and took another sip of tea. "Uncle is very certain. He would not send to the Thain if he was not; you know the  sort of fine we'd have to pay if he sent out a false alarm! And though he has asked me to only give the details when I arrive at the Great Smials, I can tell you that we can be sure these intruders will be extremely dangerous."

Hasty looked thoughtful. He also took his time eating that slice of ham. Then said, "Well, if the danger's likely to be so great, I'll speak to Mal. We can call up our local muster anyhow, drill 'em and such, so as they'll be prepared if the Shire Muster's called. I think we've got about a dozen sturdy hobbits. Some of 'em can even shoot a bow, and most is really good with slings and stones."

Needlehole was too small a village for a proper mayor, but Hasty was a leading citizen there and was usually the one looked to when the village had need of someone to speak for them. Ed nodded, and told Hasty it sounded a good plan. Then he concentrated on eating, and asking polite questions about Hasty's family. He had just finished a second sandwich and was sipping on another mug of tea when Mal came back in.

"You're all saddled up and ready to go, Mr. Edro!"

He scraped his chair back, and stood up. "Thank you, Mal! And thank you for the supper, Hasty!" 

Toffee awaited him outside the inn. She was a pretty little mare, and looked like she'd be up for a nice long run. She ought to at least get him as far as Hobbiton. He was sure to be there by first breakfast, and he would stop at The Ivy Bush and have a real meal, before changing ponies for the last leg of the journey. Since it would be daylight, he could risk going cross-country, and cut a good long piece from the trip.

He waved farewell to Mal and Hasty, and urged Toffee into a canter.

-oo000oo

Hirluin blinked. Where was he? The room was dim, the ceiling low. A small flickering light was to his left. He was very sore, especially in his side where he had been wounded. But it no longer throbbed and burned. His head felt foggy and he found it hard to shake off sleep. He also had a mild headache. He slowly turned his head and looked at the small light. It was a candle on a small table, and as his eyes began to adjust, he could see a small figure sitting in a chair next to it. It was a hobbit-woman, her hands busy with a hook and some thread or fine yarn, though she was not looking at it. She was looking at him. "Ah, you've wakened, have you?" She smiled at him and he realised she looked familiar to him.

Oh! Now he recalled the face bent over him out in the courtyard where he had arrived. "H-healer?" he rasped. His throat was dry.

She placed her work on the small table and stood up. "Yes. I am Mistress Beryl Longhole. My brother Jago is the Master here." She moved across the room silently, out of his line of sight, and he heard the sound of liquid being poured.

After a moment, she  stood by his bedside, and held out a small tumbler. "Here, drink this, Hirluin."

The vessel was small and held only a couple of mouthfuls, but he drank it. It tasted of honey and vinegar and mint, and was quite refreshing. "Thank you," he said, as he handed the small cup back to her--to Mistress Beryl.

She took it, and said, "That's not nearly enough for a great strapping fellow like you." She stepped away long enough to bring him another. "I am afraid we are not used to hosting Big Folk here. We shall have to see if we cannot find something larger for you to drink from."

Now that he was waking his mind was not quite so foggy. "My message?" he asked.

"My brother sent it off to the Thain with a Quick Post rider. Even as swiftly as young Ed can ride, it will be sometime tomorrow before it could arrive. Normally it would be the day after tomorrow. But Ed is fast."

Reassured that all that could be done, had been done, Hirluin lay back against the pillow.

"And how are you feeling?" asked the healer.

"I have felt better," he said wryly.

"Tcha! None of that. I want to know exactly how you feel!"

"My side is painful, but not so painful as it was. I feel rather weak, and my head is foggy and aches. Yet I know I felt much worse when I arrived here!"

"I'm sorry about the headache and fogginess," said Mistress Beryl, "but I'm afraid we had to give you poppy before I began work on cleaning out the infection in your wound. Never having dealt with a patient your size before, I fear I may have given you too much. You slept longer than I expected."

Well, poppy explained it, thought Hirluin. He'd had to take poppy after an injury before years ago. It sometimes had the same effect as overindulging in ale.

"It's only a bit past midnight," she said. "I suggest you go back to sleep for a while. Your headache should be gone by morning.."

She gave him a gentle push as he started to raise his head and ask something. He felt her small hand, like a child's hand, smooth his hair back from his forehead, and a cool compress that smelled of lavender was laid across his brow. She stroked his head and hummed a soft, slow melody. Soon he was sound asleep once more.

-oo000oo-

Dilly was saddlesore. The plowpony was never meant for riding. She pulled up alongside the Bounder. "Well, Bil Lightfoot, how soon'll we get there?"

"We should be at Northcleft by dawn or a little after, Mrs. Greenhand." The Bounder worried what her husband would say to him, him letting her come along. But she wouldn't be left behind, and that fool Shirriff had put her back up so when he found out Hob and that Man had gone to warn the Squire even though he'd said the warning was naught but fever dreams. Shirriff Rob was full of his own importance, he was! But then Bil had come along to say that the report was true after all. Two of his fellow bounders had seen them awful creatures. Now as many of the North Bounders as Bil could find had been set to go north of the Brandywine, stay out of sight, and do their best to set snares and traps to slow the goblins down.  But if they couldn't slow them down, they'd be at the River sometime late tomorrow.

At least the Ranger's warning had come in time to evacuate Greenfields. Anyone not part of the local muster had been sent to flee away to Oatbarton. Livestock had been freed--with any luck the goblins would spend a few days there, looting and chasing down and hunting the various sheep, cows, ponies and so forth. He hated to think of the hardship it would cause, but better the animals than the hobbits.

Bil looked to the East; dawn was coming, and they were approaching Long Cleeve.






<< Back

Next >>

Leave Review
Home     Search     Chapter List