Chapter Six

 When Marmadas and Lila had decided that they should move into the Shire, Lila wrote to her cousin Saradoc the Master of Buckland, to tell he and his wife Esmeralda of their plans. Lila had always been close to Saradoc and Esmeralda, they had all been playmates as children, so it was no surprise to Lila when she received an invitation from them, to come and live in Brandy Hall for as long as they needed or wanted to. This pleased Lila greatly, Marmadas had been feeling reluctant to sell the small holding they lived on, but he felt it was necessary to make the move to the Shire affordable. There had also been the concern of possibly having to put the move off until they could find a buyer. With the invitation from Saradoc and Esmeralda Marmadas and Lila could put off the sale of their home indefinitely. Lila was also hoping that living in the large community of Brandy Hall would help bring Linwe out of her shell, and maybe she would finally get married.

On the first day of October, Linwe woke up sandy eyed from a sleep filled with terrifying images of dark ghostly figures. It was not the first time she had dreamt of these spectral figures, they had been making their frightful appearance for at least a week or more. However last night had been the worst as they felt so near to her, and made her feel as though they were looking for her. To Linwe it was all very strange and frightening, but she kept it to herself so as not to worry her parents.

That same morning all of Bree woke to all manner of strange and exciting tales. Marmadas heard all, when he made his way into the heart of town to tend to some final arrangements for the move. It seemed that the night before, four hobbits arrived at the Inn of the Prancing Pony, asking for Gandalf the Gray and then requested rooms. Later in the evening the hobbit that gave his name as Mr. Underhill, mysteriously vanished before the eyes of everyone in the common room. Then as if that were not enough late in the night when all was still someone forced the windows on the rooms taken by the hobbits and destroyed everything in it. Sinister looking riders in black were seen riding through town as well, striking fear into the hearts of anyone whose eyes happened to fall upon them. The following morning, the four hobbits who had escaped the destruction of their room by the good fortune of having slept in a neighboring parlor, left Bree in the company of the ranger known only as Strider.

"Lila, I think it is time that we leave Bree." Said Marmadas who had just returned home and had told her all that he had heard in town.

"And we are leaving dear, we will be in Brandy Hall in five days." Replied Lila.

"No Lila, I mean it is time to go now or at the very latest dawn tomorrow. I just have this feeling that we need to go now. I know we are supposed to go in a few days anyway, I can’t explain it, but I will feel far better when you and Linwe are somewhere safe."

"Marmadas you have become too fussy in your old age, nothing is going to happen in so few days besides some of the cousins from Brandy Hall will be arriving soon to help us move our things, we can’t possibly do that on our own."

"And they will still come, Lila dear." Argued Marmadas "But not till after I have seen you and Linwe safely to Brandy Hall. If we leave tomorrow morning I can come back with the lads to get the rest of our belongings."

And so it was that early on the morning of the second day of October, Marmadas, Lila, and Linwe, climbed into their small pony cart with what little they could take with them and started off for Brandy Hall. They made good time the road was dry and the day sunny and comfortably cool. It was a pleasant day to be out and traveling.

Shortly after sunset the family arrived at Brandy Hall to find the place in an uproar. It seems that the adopted heir of Bilbo Baggins, Frodo Baggins, had recently bought a house in the neighborhood, after selling Bag End. Frodo, Samwise Gamgee, Peregrin Took, and Saradoc and Esmeralda’s son Meriadoc had apparently all arrived at the Crickhollow house about eight days before, only to leave in secret the next morning, heading into the Old Forrest. They left Fredeger Bolger at Crickhollow to keep up the illusion that all of the lads were there. Then on the evening of the 30^th of September, black riders came to the house demanding entry, the same sort of riders seen that very same night in Bree. Fredeger raised the alarm and before long everyone in the neighborhood of the four lads heading into the Old Forrest, and now all feared for the very lives of the four lads. It was welcome news when Marmadas related the tale of what had happened in Bree and the departure of the previously unidentified hobbits, in the company of Strider.

"Tell me, Marmadas, what of this ‘Strider’, is he trustworthy?" asked Saradoc.

"I know most in Bree do not trust him, he keeps to himself and that makes fold suspicious. But I have talked with him a time or two and I believe him to be a decent sort myself, and he is on good terms with Gandalf the Gray."

"Being friends with that old wizard is not necessarily a recommendation here in the Shire, Marmadas" said the worried Esmeralda "Most of the Shire considers him to be more than a disturber of the peace. My guess is that he is somehow behind this wondering the lads have taken to, just as he was behind Bilbo leaving all those years ago."

Saradoc sighed "What ever can those boys be up to?"