Ffionn and the Talking Donkey
(Subtitle: Wybert runs out of Original Ideas)
(This story was read by me in episodes at the Green Dragon Friday roleplaying event between April and July 2024.
Ffionn McCool sat down on the ground and wept. For three long months he had searched high and low for the girl of his dreams – and by the girl of his dreams I mean, quite literally, the girl he had met in the wonderful dream they had shared, none other than his Twilight Princess, who went by the everyday name of Eve. He had always known, for she had told him in the dream, that she lived quite close to his own home in Mossward, which lies in that part of Eriador known as Swanfleet. So, he had begun his search almost from the moment he awoke and at last, after three long months, he had tracked down her family home – only to be told by her family that she had vanished quite mysteriously a week or so earlier and they had received no message from her, and no one had come forward to say they had seen her.
Word of her disappearance had been put out across Swanfleet and in that close-knit community one might expect that if she were still in the region someone would have seen her or know of her whereabouts. Ffionn therefore concluded that she must have gone elsewhere, though whether that was of her own volition, or she had been taken against her will, he could not tell – but he feared the worst! I should tell you that Ffionn’s own life had not gone so well since he awoke from his dream – for he had quickly discovered that the bear mask, given to him by a bear in his dream, was still on his head and just as had happened in the dream he was quite unable to remove it. This had quickly made him an object of ridicule among adults and children alike, and life had very quickly become quite unbearable!
As he dried his tears, Ffionn made a momentous decision – Eve was the only one who hadn’t laughed at his bear mask – indeed, he remembered fondly, she had called him her bear – and he had called her his Twilight Princess and when a princess is in trouble she needs a bold knight to rescue her and that’s exactly what he was going to do. So, he ran home, put on the fine red tunic and trousers which the bear had given him in the dream, and which he had found he was still wearing when he awoke, said farewell to his family and set off.
About a mile down the road, he stopped and thought. He suddenly realised that she could be anywhere in Middle Earth, and he had no idea where to begin his search. As he sat at the roadside, his head in his hands, he heard ponies’ hooves approaching. Drawing up before him came two strapping hobbit lads, each riding a pony and each with another pony tethered behind.
‘You looks like yer in some kinda trouble, Mister,’ said the one.
‘Aye, can we help you in any way?’ asked the other, kindly.
So Ffionn told the lads his story and they told him that they were transporting these fine pieces of horseflesh to the Shire on a contract for a famed scholar and horse breeder. Both listened attentively while they shared their elevenses with Ffionn. When he finished his story, the one said:
‘Yer could do worse than start yer search in the Shire. After all, it’s a hobbit lass you’re looking for.’
Ffionn didn’t notice that he raised an eyebrow to his companion as he said this. So it was that Ffionn was allowed to ride one of the spare ponies and to accompany the two animal dealers on the long journey to Michel Delving in the Shire.
I won’t pretend that Ffionn didn’t attract quite a lot of attention as he made his way around the streets asking any who would listen if they had seen a princess recently – even without the bizarre bear mask, a fine red tunic and trousers was hardly everyday wear even in a place as grand as Michel Delving. Just as he was beginning to lose heart, he came across one of the prettiest young lasses he’d ever seen (other than his princess of course). She turned out to be one of the kindest and friendliest souls he’d ever met too. When he told her his story, she gave him a big hug and suggested that he make his way down the road to the Green Dragon Inn in Bywater, for she said that anyone who was anyone went there on Friday nights and if his Eve had been seen or heard of, someone there would be sure to know.
Ned Cotton had been the stable hand at the Dragon since he was a boy and he had seen many strange sights in his time there. Nevertheless, he was just a little surprised to see a lone traveller approaching on foot, wearing very fine clothes even though by now they were a little dusty and worse for wear, and strangest of all wearing a bear mask which entirely covered the tall stranger’s face. Once upon a time he would have run to the bar to ask his wife, Orchid, what to do – but Ned had become much more confident since he and Orchid had been involved in a most remarkable adventure involving a strange lad named Adelbold Puddifoot a year or so earlier.
Ffionn approached Ned straight away, enquiring whether Ned had seen anything of any princesses passing through, and I’m a little ashamed to say that having said that he hadn’t, as he watched Ffionn enter the inn he shook his head and said:
‘Not another one! What’s the Shire coming to?’
Ffionn certainly attracted attention at the inn, and as he stood up on the rug when it was time for the news and told his story he attracted many smirks and not a little suppressed laughter. In fact, some of the rowdier guests laughed out loud and cheered, believing his tale of woe to be part of the entertainment. Sadly no one there could help him in his quest, and he returned to the stable yard where he found Ned lovingly grooming an old donkey.
‘I wonder,’ enquired Ffionn, ‘whether I might borrow that animal. For I’ve far to go and my shoes are worn.?’
‘Borrow Rattles!’ exclaimed Ned. ‘Oh, no, he’s a very special donkey and everyone owes so much to him.’
Ffionn couldn’t see what was special about the creature, but he nodded understandingly.
‘Ned,’ whispered Rattles, ‘I’d like to go. That lad looks like he needs looking after just like young Adelbold did – looks like looking after young fools is my mission in life! Besides, it’ll do me good to get out on the road once more.’
Ned looked astonished – he knew full well that Rattles could talk, but he hadn’t heard him utter so many words at once in years.
‘If that’s what you want, Master Rattles,’ said Ned.
So it was that half an hour later Ffionn was riding Rattles up the path to where it joined the Great East Road
Now then, this will be continued but before I finish I should like to make it quite clear that the Rattles in this story is in no way related to the pony of that name belonging to a very famous pipeweed trader. Although Rattles the donkey was cruelly abandoned at the inn by some other quite famous pipeweed trader in exchange for a pony of the same name!
******************************************************************************************
At a leisurely walk, Rattles the donkey headed up the track toward the place where it met the Great East Road. As the Green Dragon faded into the distance behind them, Ffionn suddenly realised that he had no idea where to go next in his search for his missing princess and that it was time to put his thinking cap on. Fortunately, he had remembered to slip it into the pocket of his bright red trousers before he had set out on his journey.
Suitably behatted (it really is a word, I looked it up!) he got down to some serious thinking about where the lovely Eve might have gone – or, as he feared, where she might have been taken. Now Ffionn was one of those people who, when he’s thinking hard and has his thinking cap on, speaks his thoughts out loud – this trait had often led to the accusation that he was talking through his hat! But on this occasion it served a useful purpose, for as he gave voice to the wild ideas which raced through his head, Rattles, who up to this point had remained silent, overheard all, and was able to form a better understanding of his new young master’s state of mind.
I won’t trouble you with details of all the fantastical notions Ffionn came up with about what might have happened to his Twilight Princess – suffice to say that as he listened Rattles’ eyebrows were raised on more than one occasion, and he quickly formed the opinion that in his desperation to find her the poor lad had completely lost touch with the reality of the situation and was no longer able to come up with any kind of practical plan for doing so.
One idea the lad kept coming back to in his musings was the idea that Eve might have been abducted by pirates. As a boy, Ffionn had heard many tales of the Corsairs of Umbar and how these wild sea raiders would seize innocent folk, keep them captive in the holds of their ships, then sell them into slavery in far off lands. Despite the fact that there had been no reports of any such raids in Swanfleet in many a year, this was what Ffionn concluded was most likely to have happened, and with a little tug on the reins he almost shouted:
“To Umbar we must go!”
To be fair, Rattles had no idea where they might start looking either – in the absence of any clues, it might be like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack or, as Rattles preferred to put it, like looking for a carrot in a turnip field. Although he was a kind donkey and would not wish to hurt the young master’s feelings, he felt it was his duty to point out that Umbar was a very long way away and that as his name wasn’t Shadowfax it would take them a very long time to get there.
Ffionn did not immediately express surprise that Rattles had spoken. Perhaps, given all that happened to him since he set out for the Red Queen of Hobbitry’s masked ball some months earlier, a talking donkey was not especially remarkable. However, as the implications of the donkey’s words sank in, he fell into despair. By the time they could reach Umbar the pirates might be long gone, and Eve could have been sold into slavery. Not for the first time in this story, Ffionn sat down and wept.
Rattles grazed quietly by the roadside as the youngster cried out all his sorrows and frustration. He had no answers to comfort him and waited patiently for the lad’s tears to dry up. When at last they did, Ffionn looked over to Rattles and said:
“So, you can talk?”
“Yes,” replied Rattles.
“You don’t say much, do you?”
“Only when I’ve something useful to say.”
Oh, how many of us might learn from that wise old donkey!
By now it was dusk, and Ffionn shivered a little and started to gather a few dry branches as his thoughts turned to a campfire and settling down for the night. Suddenly they were startled by a bright flash on the road ahead and there before them in the gloom stood a beautiful lady dressed in a long silver robe. As she approached the pair Rattles observed that her face wore a worried expression, but as soon as she saw Ffionn she fixed the lad with a steely stare.
“Hmph! So, it’s you that’s the cause of all this trouble, is it?”
Fionn looked at her with astonishment.
“What do you mean?” he blurted.
“Oh, don’t pretend you don’t know. What have you done with her? What made her run off like that?”
“Who?” he asked.
“Why Eve, of course. I heard you’d been asking around after her and now she’s disappeared. So where is she?”
“I…I don’t know,” gasped Ffionn, cringing slightly under that formidable lady’s critical gaze. “But…how do you know Eve?”
“Because I’m her fairy godmother,” came the sharp retort. “And fairy godmothers should always be able to know where their fairy godchildren are. And I can’t! I’ve tried everything but I just can’t see where she is and I want to know why,” she added in a somewhat less assertive tone. “I’m worried about her.”
“Oh – and so am I!” said Ffionn.
As Ffionn began to explain that he and Rattles were also on a quest to find his Eve, the lady snapped her fingers in the direction of the wood Ffionn had collected and soon all three of them were warming themselves beside a bright campfire.
Ffionn told the lady of his belief that she may have been taken by pirates and of his wish to go to Umbar to find her – but explained that it would take far too long to get there.
Eve’s fairy godmother was not at all sure about the pirates, but as Ffionn had spoken she was impressed by the lad’s determination to find her, and she could hear in his voice that he really cared for the girl. After hearing his story, she asked Ffionn to find more wood for the fire, and when he went off to look for some she whispered softly in Rattles’ ear:
“He needs to feel useful. If I help, you’ll look after him, won’t you?”
“I will,” the old donkey replied.
She knew full well that her best chance of finding her little princess was by using her own powers of magic, and she would never dream of sending a foolish boy such as Ffionn into danger alone, but she knew from the moment she set eyes on him that Rattles was much more than he seemed and knew that the lad would be safe under his watchful eye.
When Ffionn returned to them carrying more kindling she called him to her.
“I have a gift which will help you in your search,” she said. “But first you must promise me that you will use it wisely and that you will listen carefully to anything Master Rattles here tells you.”
“I promise” cried Ffionn at once, both intrigued and eager at the same time.
With that she seemed to draw a shape in the air before her and there appeared out of nothing a small package, bound in leather and secured with thick cords.
“Open it,” she said and as Ffionn loosened the cords there appeared before them, spread out on the grass in the campfire light, a beautifully woven carpet in many colours, decorated with many magical symbols and sigils, and far greater in size than it seemed possible to contain within that small package.
“This,” said the lady, “is a very special carpet. Say the magic word, which I will whisper to you, and it will rise slowly from the ground. When you step up on to it and think of the place you would wish to be, it will transport you there at great speed. Roll it up and you will find that it will fit once more inside its leather wrapping. I believe it will fit quite easily into one of Master Rattles’ saddlebags.”
The lady drew close to Rattles once more and whispered in his ear, then did the same for the excited hobbit.
“Oh, thank you,” cried Ffionn but before he could say any more the lady disappeared before their eyes, leaving behind a small puff of smoke.
“Come on,” cried Ffionn, as he extinguished the campfire, and without further ado he spoke the magic word, the carpet rose up off the ground and he jumped aboard.
Rattles hesitated. He remembered an occasion some years earlier when another young lad had exhorted him to climb aboard a raft to cross the Brandywine – he had not been happy then, and he was not happy now, for he had no more experience of flying carpets than he’d had of river rafting. At last, with a heavy sigh, he jumped aboard and shut his eyes.
So it was that Bodo Burrows, wending his way homeward from a visit to see his cousins at the Ivy Bush in Hobbiton, stared up and saw what he swore was a flying rug streaking across the Water, with the forms of a tall hobbit and a donkey clearly outlined in silhouette against the moonlit sky.
“Maybe one Thistleberry Brew too many,” he muttered to himself the next morning, as he recalled Daisy Burrows’ reaction when he returned home to wake his wife in the middle of the night with his story!
***************************************************************************************************
On through the night the magic carpet flew. Ffionn marvelled as they raced above the clouds and he felt he could reach out and touch the myriad stars above, spread out against the dark canvas of the night sky. Rattles remained steadfast, his eyes firmly closed, wishing only that this nightmare would end soon, and he would waken with his hooves firmly on the solid stone floor of his stable back in Bywater.
Ffionn soon noticed that although it was still dark it had grown appreciably warmer, and before long the tendrils of gold which had started to grow in the sky off to their left bloomed into a blaze of light, and the bright beams of the morning sun illuminated the world below.
“Oh look!” cried Ffionn.
Below them lay miles and miles of sand, dotted with what looked like palm trees (Ffionn had seen pictures in story books) and other strange plants he could not name. The land was not flat, for the sands were gently contoured by the rise and fall of great dunes in every direction and up ahead they saw the sparkling blue waters of a great sea stretching to the horizon.
“It’s wonderful!” gasped Ffionn in awe.
Against his better judgement Rattles ventured to open one eye and at once wished he hadn’t. It had been bad enough with his eyes closed, but the sight of the world rushing by below caused his tummy to churn and his head to spin and was made worse as the carpet began a bumpy descent towards a patch of greenery close to what must be the coastline.
Rattles wasted no time in jumping off and lurching groggily into a nearby stand of palm trees. Ffionn, meanwhile, stopped to take in his surroundings. The carpet had brought them to a grassy patch of ground at the centre of which was a small reedy pool of water, which was circled by trees. The presence of the pool explained this green oasis amidst the arid desert sands. Not far away he could see the sea through the trees, but he couldn’t see a beach which suggested they were on a clifftop.
At last, very slowly, Rattles returned from the trees. His head was still spinning and as he drank a little water from the pool and idly nibbled at a few blades of grass he cut an abject figure. Ffionn felt truly sorry for his companion’s discomfort as he rolled up the carpet and secured it in the saddlebags.
“You wait by this pool while I go and see what’s over there,” he said, pointing towards the sea. “There must be a reason the carpet brought us here.”
“The lady said it brings you where you wish to go,” groaned Rattles. “What did you wish for?”
“I asked it to take us to the pirates,” replied Ffionn.
And at that very moment a deep, rough voice rang out behind them and they turned to see a man standing there.
“Well shiver me timbers, me hearties! What do we have here?”
He was tall and broad and his weatherbeaten face sported a bright red beard. A gold earring hung from one ear, and he wore a black tricorn hat, white linen shirt, black breeches, hose and sea boots and a bright red jerkin. Ffionn realised that the man must have approached them from the cliff edge while he was packing up the carpet.
“Well, here’s a strange to do and no mistake,” he went on, his dark eyes narrowing as he looked Ffionn up and down appraisingly. “What sort of a creature might you be? And what business might ye have in these parts? I don’t reckon you’re here to see the sights of Umbar in yer fancy bear mask. Though me and my mates could maybe take you on a little tour.” And with that he gave a throaty laugh which Rattles thought was not at all friendly or pleasant.
It was clear to Ffionn that the man had never seen a hobbit before but felt it would take too long to explain and he simply blurted out in reply:
“I’m looking for the Princess!”
When he said this the man’s tone changed sharply.
“The Princess, eh?” he said. “And what would a little bear cub like yerself know about or be wanting with the Princess?”
“I’ve just got to find her,” said Ffionn. “I don’t know what I’ll do if I can’t.”
Rattles observed the man closely as he gave Ffionn a long stare. The wise old donkey thought he detected a calculating glint in the man’s eye as he forced his mouth into a smile.
“Well, me bucko, mebbe you’ve come to the right place after all, oh yes indeed matey. I can take you to the Princess right away if you likes.”
“You can?” asked Ffionn incredulously. “Oh yes, please do.”
“Come along then matey. Bring yer donkey along too.”
At this Rattles took two steps backward and stubbornly planted his hooves in that manner which all donkeys have that says I am going nowhere.
“Oh, he’s not feeling well,” said Ffionn. “He can wait for us here.”
The man made a small move towards Rattles as if thinking he might take his reins but when Rattles pinned his ears back flat and briefly flashed a set of very powerful teeth as he emitted a short bray, the man quickly changed his mind.
Ffionn accompanied the man to the cliff edge leaving Rattles wondering whether he should have done more, but in truth he was still disorientated after his experience on the flying carpet. There at the cliff top Ffionn saw below them a long stretch of silver beach at the edge of a bay where, riding at anchor a little way off from the shoreline, was a great ship with two tall masts and two rows of oars on each side.
“There she be,” said the man proudly. “Now look sharp, me lad, the captain’ll be wanting to welcome ye aboard, and no mistake.” With this, and an ominous chuckle, he guided the young hobbit down a steep cliff path to the beach, bundled him into a dinghy, rowed them to where the great ship lay and urged him to climb the rope ladder dropped by a couple of deckhands.
As soon as they arrived on deck the red-bearded man disappeared and Ffionn found himself surrounded by a noisy crowd of sailors. These fearsome looking men wore cutlasses at their side, and they towered over the hobbit lad, spinning him around, leering and jeering, tugging at his bear mask and uttering strange oaths. Suddenly they fell silent and Ffionn saw the red bearded man had returned accompanied by another, this one wearing an unkempt black beard, who was clearly the captain.
Ffionn was shocked to see that where his right hand should have been was an ugly iron hook protruding from the sleeve of his dark blue tunic, and beneath the left leg of his short breeches he carried a worn wooden pegleg. On his right shoulder sat a green parrot.
“Belay there, ye dogs,” he cried, “let’s see what we’ve got.”
“Says he’s lookin’ for the Princess, Cap’n,” said the first man.
The captain gave a throaty roar of laughter. “Well you’ve found her, me hearty. What should we do with him lads?”
“Make him walk the plank!” roared one.
“Keelhaul him,” from another.
“Hang ‘im from the yardarm!”
“Tickle his toes!” squawked the captain’s sadistic parrot.
“Bilge-sucking fools the lot of ye!” cried the captain. “I reckon he’s worth a tidy sum. Why that mask alone must be worth a pretty penny back in port.”
Ffionn had by now begun to realise he might be in trouble, but even so the lovestruck lad didn’t forget his mission.
“But sir,” he murmured, “where is the Princess?”
The captain once again roared with laughter. “Oh, these lads’ll show ye the way to her. Throw him in the hold!”
And without further ado Ffionn was roughly seized by several pairs of hands, led to an open hatch and after a short fall found himself lying in darkness on a pile of hessian sacks in the ship’s hold.
Shortly after Ffionn left him Rattles had begun to feel better – and realised that he should not have let his master go with the man alone. Quickly he made his way down the steep cliff path, but as he did so he saw movement on the deck of the anchored vessel and two black sails were hoisted at its masts. He clearly heard the cries of the sailors on deck as he trotted to the shore and saw that the anchor had been raised.
He stood there helpless as the ship began to move rapidly out into the bay. He could clearly hear the commands issued by the galley master to the slaves at the oars, he saw the black skull and crossbones flag of the Corsairs atop the foremast and there, painted clearly on the stern the ship’s name:
‘The Black Princess’.
********************************************************************************************
Rattles stared dejectedly as the pirate vessel, the ‘Black Princess’, headed away from the shoreline at an ever-increasing rate, the wind filling her black sails and augmenting the efforts of the oarsmen labouring under the watchful gaze of their unsparing master. More than ever, he blamed himself for allowing young Ffionn to go alone with the red bearded pirate and he knew that had he not been suffering so badly from the effects of his ride on the magic carpet, he would never have done so.
While he knew that there was little to be gained by dwelling on past mistakes, Rattles, being a wise old donkey, was used to coming up with solutions to most problems he faced, but for once he could see no way out of the predicament he found himself in. He was alone on the beach and the carpet, the only means he could think of by which he might be reunited with Ffionn, was safely rolled up in his saddlebag from which he had no means of retrieving it. He was, to put it simply, well…rattled!
By now the sun was high in the sky and beat down relentlessly upon the treeless strand. Rattles knew that he should get out of the sun and so he forlornly made his way back up the cliff path to the pool and its shade. There was no sound save the incessant buzz of the many flies which Rattles found a constant irritant and he was close to despair when another faint sound reached his ears.
First in one ear, then the other, came a faint tinkling, as if of tiny silver bells, and then a ripple of high-pitched laughter which seemed to rise and fall in the air all around him. At first, he could not discover the source of these sounds but at last he spotted a tiny point of light moving in and out of his vision at great speed, now up above, then under his nose, now at one side, then the other. Finally, the light disappeared, and he felt something land ever so lightly on his head and begin to gently tickle his left ear, still giving forth gusts of mischievous laughter as it did so.
Finally, the tickling stopped, the laughter ceased and, clear as a bell, a voice in his ear whispered:
“Hello.”
“Er, who are you?” asked Rattles. “And, if I might ask, what are you?”
“I will answer you, but you must answer me one question first. Where is the boy you were with earlier? I saw you both land on that rug.”
“Why do you need to know?” asked Rattles, the wise and ever cautious donkey.
“He looked nice,” came the giggling reply. “I’d like to meet him.”
Rattles sighed but realised that he had no option but to take a chance and to relate the whole story of how Ffionn had gone with the pirate and was now held aboard their ship, presumably as a prisoner. He also explained that he had no way of reaching the carpet in his saddlebag.
“I will help you,” replied the creature, and Rattles felt it leave the spot where it had sat near his ear and there came into his vision, hovering at eye level, a minute figure in the shape of a young girl, fair-skinned with short blonde curls and wearing a short lime-green dress and a pair of tiny green slippers. From her back grew two shimmering rainbow wings which held her aloft. “I am Tippywinkle,” she said, “but you may call me Wink. As to what I am, you can see for yourself.”
“But how can you help?” asked Rattles, doubtfully.
“I know where the pirates will be taking him, and I can get us there before they arrive. Besides, I have a score to settle with that captain. Now then, I can get that magic mat of yours out of the saddlebag for you and we can go on that if you’d like…”
Rattles groaned.
“Thought so,” she said, “Or I can try a little trick my more famous sister taught me. It definitely works on humans, but I’ve never tried it on a donkey before. The thing is, you have to trust me and believe it’s going to work.”
“Anything but the rug!” exclaimed Rattles. “And yes, after all the things that have happened to me in these stories, I’ll believe anything!”
With that, Wink produced a small powder shaker from the pocket of her dress and at once shook liberal clouds of silvery dust over the donkey, after which, with a cry of ‘Believe!’ she gave the order ‘Follow me!’
As she rose high into the cloudless blue sky Rattles felt just a moment of incredulity about his ability to do as she asked, but mustering every iota of resolve he willed himself to believe and in an instant he was borne aloft and found that he could will himself to swoop and glide and fly in any direction he pleased.
As he followed the tiny fairy Rattles was surprised to find that he was quite enjoying this new experience and felt none of the discomfort he had endured on the magic carpet ride, probably because he felt he was now in full control of his movements. The first star shone brightly on the horizon when they started to descend, Wink’s tinkling laugh ringing clearly ahead of them as she swooped joyfully towards a high rock looking out on to a bay beyond which twinkled the lights of a great port city.
They stood side by side in the twilight, looking out across the bay to where they could make out many great ships moored at the dock.
“Umbar,” proclaimed Wink. “Those pirates should be here by morning. And I have a plan!”
Ffionn had spent an uncomfortable night in the hold of the ‘Black Princess’ – he didn’t suffer from seasickness, but he was kept awake all night as he lay on the thin sacks in darkness and foul air listening to the sounds of a ship at sea and the faint cries of the pirates on the decks above.
At last, after many hours, he felt the ship come to rest and heard the lowering of the anchor chain and soon afterwards the door of the hatch above his head was lifted and a chink of daylight could be seen. For the first time he was able to observe his surroundings and he realised that he had spent the night surrounded by chests, boxes and filled sacks – evidently the treasure the pirates had plundered on their recent voyage – a treasure of which he now formed a part.
A ladder was lowered into the hold and a pair of brawny sailors descended – ignoring him completely they began to hand their booty up to their shipmates on deck. Finally, they turned to him and with not a word they pulled him roughly to his feet, bound his hands behind his back with a sturdy rope and pushed him up the ladder. As he fell on to the deck, blinking in the morning sunlight, he saw that the whole crew was assembled there awaiting the captain’s order to load their treasure on to a wagon waiting on the quayside to take it into the town where it could be sold to the highest bidder. The captain gave an unpleasant laugh on catching sight of Ffionn.
“Ahoy there, matey, I hopes ye slept well down there and enjoyed the hospitality of our Princess!.” At this the crew roared with laughter. “A fine prize ye be, ye little bear man, and I reckons a curiosity such as ye’ll fetch a fine price at market!”
******************************************************************************************
Rattles had spent the night grazing quietly, then sleeping, in a small meadow just outside the port city. Wink had led him there on foot – since the sight of a donkey in full flight might have attracted undue attention – but the little fairy girl had then flown off into the night, telling Rattles that she had to have a word with a couple of friends and that he should be ready to move when she returned early next morning.
When she did return, she sat perched on the donkey’s head and whispered in his ear as she directed him through the already bustling streets of the busy port where the sight of a donkey loaded with saddlebags was hardly noticed, even though the animal appeared to be unaccompanied. They stopped outside an old stone cottage close to the docks where a giant of a man waited, almost as wide as he was tall with long, bushy black hair and a tangled black beard. In his hands, which were the size of soup plates, he held a very large canvas bag which he immediately secured across Rattles’ saddle and the donkey at once felt the weight of what was inside and, somewhat to his alarm, he felt whatever it was move.
“Look after ‘im won’t ye,” roared the man in a deep sing-song voice. “I’ll collect ‘im later.”
“Don’t hurry,” tinkled Wink, giggling uncontrollably. And as the pair continued their journey to where the ‘Black Princess’ was moored, she whispered her plan into Rattles’ ear.
As the pirates prepared to carry their booty down to the dock where their wagon awaited, they were stopped in their tracks by the sight of an old donkey, with a large sack strapped to its saddle, blocking their path at the bottom of the gangplank. This creature slowly made its way up the plank and stepped on to the deck.
“Get that flea-bitten bag of bones off of my ship at once!” roared the captain.
Two of the sailors made a move towards the donkey but they were stopped in their tracks when a calm, clear voice said:
“I shouldn’t do that, if I were you.”
“Who said that?” demanded the captain, looking round at his crew.
“I did,” said Rattles, glaring meaningfully at the dumbfounded sailors and baring his teeth slightly. “Now then, I’ll do a deal with you.”
“Get ‘im!” yelled the captain but something about Rattles’ stance and the powerful set of teeth on display caused the pirates to show reluctance to obey.
“How much do you think a talking donkey would fetch at the market?” asked Rattles. “More, or less than a skinny little halfling in a bear mask? “
The red-faced captain seemed to reflect on this for a moment and his angry expression was replaced by one of shrewd calculation.
“So what are ye suggestin’?” he said.
“Let him go and take me,” said Rattles. “And what’s more there’s another treasure in this sack across my saddle.”
“Let me see,” demanded the captain.
“Not until you let him go,” replied Rattles.
It is worth mentioning at this point that Rattles had spoken more words in this exchange than ever before in his lengthy and eventful life.
The captain’s greed had by now got the better of him, and he wondered for a moment whether he could find a way of getting hold of Rattles and this mysterious new treasure as well as keeping Ffionn, but as if he read his mind the donkey said sharply:
“Better not!”
“Better not!” squawked the parrot, “Aaark! Better not!”
This seemed to be the decider, for the captain immediately made up his mind and ordered the sailors holding Ffionn to untie him, which they did, and pushed him past Rattles to the top of the gangplank
Ffionn, still blinking in the sunlight, stumbled forward and at once heard a bell-like voice whispering in his left ear:
“Follow the light! Be quick!”
Up ahead he could detect a tiny pinpoint of light which led him down on to the quay, across the road and into a narrow alleyway.
Back on the deck the captain ordered his men to untie the sack across Rattles’ back, which they did and laid it at their captain’s feet. Eagerly he bent down, anxious to discover what this extra item of treasure might be. No sooner had he loosened the cord securing it at the neck than he stepped back in horror at what emerged.
Out from the sack came a long, bright green, lizard-like creature whose entire body was covered in thick plates. Its tail was massive and powerful, and it had clawed webbed toes at the end of its four short legs. But its most prominent feature was its powerful jaws, displaying row upon row of gleaming white teeth and it was these which held the gaze of the terrified captain. For its part, the creature’s beady yellow-green eyes relentlessly returned his stare and seemed to focus especially on the captain’s good left hand and his good right leg, while all the time its jaws opened and closed as if in eager anticipation.
“Take it away!” gasped the captain, as he stood rooted to the spot, but his equally terror-stricken crew showed no inclination to obey.
At leisurely pace, Rattles ambled down the gangplank, across the quay and into the alleyway Ffionn had entered earlier, leaving the pirates held at bay aboard their vessel by that bright green monster which showed no sign of intending to depart any time soon.
Inside the parlour of the little stone cottage down by the docks the giant, black-bearded man stood at the head of his table at which Ffionn was seated. Perched on top of Ffionn’s head was Wink and just inside the front door stood Rattles. The man seemed to regard it as perfectly normal to have a donkey inside his home.
Ffionn, who was still coming to terms with the little fairy flitting about him and whispering tinkling endearments into his ear, stared at the giant towering over him.
“Who and what are you?” he asked.
“Well,” came the reply, “I is what you might call a collector – I is a keeper of rare beasts. And let me tell you, I am what I am, and I is not ashamed!” The man leaned forward to inspect Ffionn’s mask more closely. “Let me tell you, I ain’t come across a creature such as yerself before!”
It is probably just as well that before he could pursue his interest in Ffionn further the front door flew open and there stood the tall figure of a beautiful lady – it was, of course, Eve’s fairy godmother.
The minute she appeared the giant bowed deeply before her, and she responded with a slight curtsey. She then turned her attention to Ffionn.
“Quite a mess you got yourself into, wasn’t it? I don’t know what I was thinking when I gave you that carpet!”
“And as for you,” she added, turning to Rattles, “you said you’d look after him!”
When she started speaking Wink had disappeared inside the pocket of Ffionn’s tunic, but the lady had obviously noticed and she ordered the fairy girl to come out at once, and when she obeyed, she addressed her with:
“As for you, Miss – well! I never thought I’d hear myself say this, but for once it looks like you’ve done some good! However, we don’t need any more of your mischief and you can stop making eyes at this poor lad here, so you’ll take no further part in this, I’m taking over now. Off you go!”
As the lady turned towards Rattles, Ffionn noticed out of the corner of his eye that before she left through the half-open front door Wink stuck out a tiny pink tongue behind the lady’s back.
“I have been making some enquiries of my own,” said the fairy godmother, “and I have reached the conclusion that if we are to find Eve we need to go back to where all this started.” At this she reached into Rattles’ saddlebags and withdrew the magic rug which she proceeded to carry into the front yard, summoning the others to follow, which they did.
“Get ready for another ride,” she said to Ffionn and the donkey. Rattles groaned, then, hoping to delay a little asked the giant collector of creatures:
“What was that in the sack? And will it be alright?”
“Oh aye,” replied the man reassuringly. “He’ll be fine! I’ll collect him later. He loves to be the centre of attention and he’s very good at influencing folk. Them pirates won’t be able to take their eyes off him!” The man chuckled wickedly.
“What’s his name?” asked Rattles.
“TikTok,” said the man.
“Come on, Master Rattles,” urged the lady. “Stand on the rug.” As soon as he did so the lady snapped her fingers and the donkey immediately fell into a deep sleep. “He’ll be more comfortable like that,” she said.
A little later the magic carpet rose into the air above the port city and sped north across the desert carrying two seated figures and a sleeping donkey. Had there been anyone to see, which there wasn’t, they might have observed a tiny point of light following close behind.
******************************************************************************************
The carpet flew on for the whole of the day and all through the night. At last, with dawn breaking in the eastern sky, it began its descent towards an area of forest through which snaked a sluggish river. With a gentle bump it landed beside a path which ran along the riverbank and Ffionn at once rose to his feet, jumped off and looked around him, glad to stretch his legs. He had slept during the journey and, fully recovered from his experience at the hands of the pirates, felt ready to face anything in his search for his ‘Twilight Princess’.
Rattles, of course, had snored gently through the entire journey under the spell of Eve’s fairy godmother, but that lady now brought him to wakefulness with a snap of her fingers and the old donkey stumbled, a little groggily, on to the path.
“Wait!” exclaimed Ffionn suddenly, “I know this place. It’s where that bear found me and gave me this mask and these clothes when I was on my way to the Red Queen’s Masked Ball.” He shivered slightly as he remembered how the bear and his wife had imprisoned him in their house until he was rescued by Eve, his Twilight Princess.
“Correct,” replied the fairy godmother. “As I said, we need to go back to where all this started if we are to find my Eve.”
“I can’t remember exactly how to get to that house – it’s deep in the woods, but we should start our search at once!” cried Ffionn.
“Not yet,” said the wise lady, “Only fools rush in!” She stared at Ffionn pointedly. “We need to find out as much as we can about those two bears and their home – and if there is one person who will know, it is she who rules in this place – the Red Queen of Hobbitry!”
So it was that in a short while the company arrived at the elaborately carved portal of the Red Queen’s smials, from where she held court over all of the surrounding country. However, there they were stopped by a strange figure dressed in a sheep costume and Ffionn immediately recognised the Red Queen’s court jester, whom he had seen at the masked ball. “You can’t come in,” baa’d the figure, “her majesty is not receiving visitors.”
“We’ll see about that,” retorted the fairy godmother, and as if by magic (well, it actually was magic) she produced from the folds of her robe a paper bag from which she took handfuls of assorted biscuits which she threw up into the air, liberally scattering them on the ground in all directions.
Immediately the sheep lost interest in the new arrivals and instead began to run around, frantically gathering biscuits and stashing them somewhere within her fleece.
Now you might find it strange that they should have found a sheep barring their way – but as Rattles pointed out, that’s what sheep do!
Once inside, they quickly found their way to the Red Queen’s throne room. As soon as she caught sight of the fairy godmother, whom she clearly recognised, the queen welcomed them warmly and, following an exchange of formal greetings, she said that she was more than willing to tell what she knew of the two bears living in the house in the woods, although she knew less than she would like.
Ffionn hid shyly behind Rattles in the presence of the Red Queen, for she was very beautiful, and the lad was quite abashed.
“Those bears came to the woods some years ago,” explained the queen, “and since that time my people have not been able to go near that place. Any who try are led astray by strange noises or put in fear of their lives by terrible roars and growling. There is a dark magic in that place, mark my words, and it’d be hard to find unless those bears wanted you there.”
“Oh, how ever will we find Eve?“ cried Ffionn forlornly.
“Do not despair,” said the Red Queen kindly. “For now, you should rest here awhile, as my guests.”
For the next two days the company remained at the great smials of the Queen of Hobbitry, and a more hospitable host you could not imagine. They were accommodated in the most luxurious quarters and every meal seemed like a banquet to Ffionn, who was not used to such lavish fare, and like any hobbit worthy of the name he made the most of the luscious meats and pies and sweet treats that were laid before him. Rattles was not forgotten either, and he was put up in a spacious stables strewn with the sweetest straw and hay and was brought a seemingly endless supply of the juiciest carrots he had ever tasted.
On the night before the company had agreed they would set out for the woods in their search for Eve and the house of the two bears, the Red Queen had called for a great feast. There was singing and dancing, with music and entertainment provided by her woolly sheep jester, who had been much more civil to the company since their first meeting. She turned out to be an accomplished musician and songstress and she led an ensemble dressed as singing badgers, each of whom played different musical instruments, and a wonderful time was had by all.
At the end of the evening, the Red Queen called the fairy godmother, Ffionn and Rattles into an anteroom and stood alone before the three.
“I believe that you go into great danger,” she said, “and it is beyond my power to know how you will fare. For each of you I have a gift, which may aid you in your quest.”
At this, she called the fairy godmother to stand before her, and spoke thus.
“I know the magic that you wield, and it is great. However, the enemies you will confront are, I believe, masters of deception and if you cannot see the precise nature of the threat they bring against you, your own powers will be diminished. Accept now this mirror.”
At this she held up a small, silver mirror, with runes and sigils carved upon the handle.
“This is the Mirror of True Seeing. You may be sure that that which is reflected in its glass is real, for it has the power to dispel all enchantments laid to cheat the eye. Take it now.”
The fairy godmother gave a low curtsey and accepted the Queen’s gift with gracious thanks.
Next the queen bade Ffionn step forward and come before her. The blushing lad did so but found he could not look her in the eye. Smiling, she laid a gentle hand upon the cheek of his bear mask and turned his head towards her.
“For one so young, you have a bold heart,” she said. “It comes from the great love which resides there, but you must find yet greater strength to overcome the perils you will face. I believe that you can find that strength and I offer you this gift to aid you in the battle you must win if you are to save your beloved.”
At this she held out before him a silver sword. “Take it in your hand,” she instructed.
Somewhat apprehensively, Ffion took the sword and as he held it, he felt a sudden surge of power course through his entire body, which visibly shook. The queen smiled.
“It is well, “she said. “This sword was forged with powerful magic and was made for one of our people long ago. For now, place it in this scabbard and keep it by your side. Use it when evil looks to strike, which I fear may be all too soon!”
With this she kissed him softly, leaving the poor lad speechless.
Finally, the Red Queen called Rattles to stand before her.
They were all surprised, not least the donkey himself, to observe that as he stepped forward the queen curtseyed low before him.
“Master Rattles,” she said, “there is no gift I can offer you to match your kindness, common sense and resourcefulness. However, I am giving you this.”
Whereupon she took from a table nearby a neatly folded, unremarkable-looking, grey blanket which she carefully placed in the donkey’s saddlebag which had once held the magic carpet which, to Rattles’ relief, the fairy godmother had now reclaimed.
“It has powers,” the queen said, and gently stroking his short mane she whispered a few words in his ear. “You will know when it is needed.”
The next day the company set off down the path leading towards the woods. The Red Queen came to graciously wave and wish them good fortune as they departed. As they moved away into the distance her keen eye detected a tiny spark of light which followed closely behind, and her keen ear caught on the breeze a soft tinkling, as of bells, and the queen smiled wryly to herself.
*******************************************************************************************
Refreshed after their stay as the guests of the Red Queen the company came to the edge of the wood in good spirits. Ffionn spotted a break in the line of bushes alongside the road which formed its boundary, and upon further inspection he discovered it to be the start of a much narrower trail leading deep into the trees.
At first it was easy for the company to follow the course of the little path. Birdsong greeted them from the branches of the trees through which bright sunbeams shone to light their way. However, as they moved further into the wood it became denser and darker, and the path more overgrown and uneven, brambles and tree roots hampering their progress. At last, it was not clear where the path lay and, after two hours, they knew that they were lost.
The fairy godmother said they should rest a moment, and, crying out in despair, Ffionn moved away from the other two and, not for the first time in this story, he sat down and wept. His crying was interrupted by a soft tinkling voice in his ear.
“Don’t cry, dear. She isn’t worth it you know.”
“Who’s there?” exclaimed Ffionn and into his vision flitted the tiny figure of the little fairy girl. It was, of course, Wink.
“My name is Tippywinkle,” came the reply. “Do you think I’m pretty?” The little fairy pouted and pirouetted before the astonished lad’s eyes.
“Oh! Of course, yes,” the confused lad blurted.
“You’ll never find her, you know. Why don’t you come away with me? I could teach you to fly and we could have so much fun together. I can take you to places and show you things beyond your wildest dreams. Can she do that? And aren’t I just as pretty as she is? Come with me now and forget about her.”
“Oh, I couldn’t,” replied Ffionn. “You are indeed very pretty, but she has won my heart, and she needs my help. I could never just leave her for another.”
Ffionn felt quite sorry for her as he observed the effect his words had on Wink, who was at once crestfallen, and it seemed she might take herself off in a sulk, but her expression quickly changed to one of resignation.
“Oh, bother!” she said. “This is always happening to me and my sister. I suppose I’d better help you then. I know the way to where those bears live.”
So it was that Wink, ignoring the disapproving stares of the fairy godmother, led the company through the trees and tangled undergrowth to the clearing within which the bears’ home lay.
All seemed quiet, and the group cautiously made their way across the open ground to the little house. The fairy godmother reached out and at the very moment she grasped the wooden door handle a terrible noise arose from behind them, and as they turned, they saw emerging from the trees what seemed like an army of the most terrible creatures imaginable.
A pack of huge wargs was there, their enormous jaws slavering as they eyed the company, baring pointed yellowed teeth. There were giant spiders oozing obnoxious fluids as they scuttled across the ground, weaving this way and that to cut off all hope of escape for the company. Most terrible of all came cowled wights dressed in ragged clothing which barely covered their fetid, emaciated flesh, who stared ominously at the companions from dark, hollowed eye sockets, their mouths hanging open loosely.
The howling and growling of the warg pack rose and fell, punctuated by the hissing of the spiders and the eerie moans of the undead.
“Inside, quickly!” urged the fairy godmother and at once she turned the handle of the door which opened and then closed behind them once she and Ffionn had passed through. Rattles, however, had turned to face that unwholesome host and while they came closer and spread out further to ensure there was no retreat for anyone emerging from the house, they seemed strangely reluctant to come any closer to Rattles, who stood his ground resolutely in the face of that terrible horde, his ears pinned back as he was assailed by their infernal cacophony.
What happened to Wink at this point was unclear to Rattles but as he could see no sign of her outside, he assumed that she, too, had entered the house with the others.
When the door closed behind them the noise from outside could scarcely be heard and Ffionn and the fairy godmother found themselves in a sparsely furnished room which was quite empty save for a plain wooden table with four chairs. Ahead of them was a narrow flight of stairs leading to the upper floor. Ffionn remembered his first visit to the house and how he had been imprisoned in one of the upstairs rooms, and he shuddered.
At that very moment a great roar filled the room and two enormous brown bears appeared, towering over them. The bears stood up on their hind legs and immediately advanced on the two intruders, driving them back against the wall as they swiped at them with huge paws, their sharp claws barely missing their target. Ffionn fumbled for the sword hilt at his side as he was driven back, but he was unable to withdraw the weapon as he fell awkwardly to the floor against the wall. He looked up in horror at the open mouth of the larger of the two angry bears, its long, pink tongue and neat rows of teeth with two long, pointed fangs only inches from his face.
The fairy godmother had been driven to the floor next to him by the slightly smaller bear and just when Ffionn felt all was lost she withdrew from the folds of her dress the mirror she had been given by the Red Queen and held it up before the bears.
“Look into the glass!” she cried to Ffionn and as he did so the image of the two bears reflected there dissipated, and the glass clouded over before a very different picture emerged. Turning to where the bears had stood, Ffionn saw before him two figures, one male, one female, who at once withdrew to the foot of the stairs, barring the way to the rooms above. He and the fairy godmother rose to their feet and faced their adversaries across the room.
The taller of the two, the male, wore a long black hooded robe which covered most of his face, but Ffionn was unable to take in more details as he could not look away from the two red eyes which seemed to glow from within the cowled visage and rooted the lad to the spot.
The female figure was also dressed in black and wore a tall, pointed hat. Strands of lank, greasy hair fell about the pock-marked face of the ugliest creature Ffionn had ever seen. Her yellowish, wrinkled skin hung loosely about her eyes and mouth, from which she directed a shrill, menacing cackle towards the fairy godmother.
“So,” boomed the taller of the two, staring fixedly at Ffionn, “you have returned. You will not escape us so easily this time!”
And with this he produced from beneath his robe a carved black staff and pointed it at Ffionn. Fixing the lad once more in the gaze of those glowing red eyes he spoke a single word which, although it was in a tongue Ffionn could not identify, seemed to drip with evil. At once flames flew from the tip of the staff with loud explosions, striking Ffionn’s body and throwing him to the floor.
At the same time, the witch-like creature began to utter dark incantations and, as she drew a shape in the air before her with a crooked forefinger, a giant snake appeared and at once rose up before the fairy godmother, its deadly fangs dripping venom.
As Rattles had surmised, Wink had indeed slipped into the house unseen when the other two entered. As flames issued from the evil mage’s staff, for evil mage she knew he surely was, she saw her opportunity and flitted swiftly up the stairway unnoticed. There she found three doors, two closed, but one left slightly ajar, and it was from behind this door that she could hear someone weeping softly. She entered at once and found herself in a sparsely furnished room with bars at the window and, in one corner, dressed only in rags, a young girl sat crying, her wrists shackled to the wall by rusty chains.
The girl looked up in amazement as Wink hovered before her for a moment, then perched on her shoulder, addressing her in tinkling tones.
“You must be Eve. I suppose you are quite pretty, but I could have shown him so many wonderful things and we could have had so much fun together. Oh, well, he loves you and they do say that love knows no reason, so I suppose I’d better help you.”
With this Wink sprang into action and with a wave of her wand and liberal sprinklings of fairy dust the shackles slipped from Eve’s wrists and the bars at the window melted away. Wink flew down from the window to where Rattles stood, still facing the hordes of wargs, wights and spiders.
“What did the Red Queen give you?” asked Wink.
“A blanket,” replied Rattles, who seemed not at all surprised by the return of his little fairy friend.
“Stand beneath that window,” urged Wink, “and tell her to use it. Then get her away from here.”
Rattles did as he was told and moments later Eve clambered from the upstairs window and dropped lightly into his saddle. As she did so the howls of the wargs, the moans of the wights and the skittering of the spiders rose to a crescendo.
“Look in my saddlebag,” said Rattles calmly. Eve was by now in a state of utter confusion but, realising that she seemed to be being rescued, she did as she was asked when she heard the instruction. She took the dull grey blanket the queen had given to Rattles and, shivering slightly in the rags she wore, threw it over herself.
The effect on the threatening throng was immediate. With howls and cries of rage, all at once began to swarm around as if searching for something. Rattles immediately realised what had happened and very calmly he wended his way through his frantic enemies completely unobserved and, guided by Wink, made his way back to the riverbank, Eve riding safely in his saddle.
Back in the house, buffeted by the blows dealt from the tip of the mage’s black staff, Ffionn reached for the sword at his side and the moment his hand grasped the hilt he felt the power which lay there.
The fairy godmother reeled for a moment before the giant snake which rose before her, but once more she held up her mirror to the apparition and at once it vanished. The witch-like creature snarled angrily and as she drew more shapes in the air the fairy godmother was confronted with a dragon, a boar and finally, most dreadful of all, a balrog, but every one of them evaporated when the mirror glass was turned upon it.
Finally, the fairy godmother raised her arm and pointing directly at the witch she uttered a whispered incantation. Its effect was instantaneous. With a shrill scream the witch flew up into the air and sped to the door, which cracked and splintered before her, and once outside she rose above the trees to be seen no more.
Ffionn rose to his feet and, withdrawing the sword from its scabbard, held it up before the mage, who gazed upon it with horror. Desperately, he raised his staff once more and tongues of blue, green and orange flame issued from its tip directed towards Ffionn. Yet as these bolts of power flew towards the lad it seemed that they were drawn to the sword as if by some magnetic force, and, as they struck its silver blade with percussive detonations, it seemed to magnify their strength before re-directing them to their source.
The black staff split and fell from the mage’s hand, and he seemed at once diminished before, with a harrowing cry, he vanished altogether.
*********************************************************************************************
Ffionn and the fairy godmother emerged through the broken door to find no sign of the creatures who had confronted them earlier.
“Come,” she said to Ffionn. “I can find the way.”
An hour or so later the company were re-united on the road beside the river. “I must return this mirror to the queen,” said the fairy godmother. “But before I do, we had better get you looking decent young lady.”
Eve, who seemed to have recovered somewhat from her ordeal, had returned the Blanket of Invisibility (I’m sure you guessed that that is what it was) to Rattles’ saddlebag, and was still dressed in the rags she was given when she was imprisoned.
“Please will you return this sword as well,” asked Ffionn. “I’m not really cut out to be a wielder of magic swords. But I should like to keep this bear mask as a souvenir.” With this, he removed for the first time the mask the bear had given him all that time ago, and which until now he had not been able to take off.
The fairy godmother took the sword and with a wave of her hand both Eve and Ffionn were wearing new clothes. Nothing fancy mind – just ordinary clothes such as hobbits from Swanfleet might be seen wearing every day.
“Let’s walk home,” said Ffionn taking Eve’s hand. “It’s not too far.”
“Well. we could always go the long way,” said Eve smiling fondly, and with that the couple set off hand in hand along the road.
“Forgive me, Master Rattles,” said the fairy godmother, “but I have a pressing engagement.” With that she vanished into thin air leaving Rattles seemingly alone.
“It’s a long way home,” came a tinkling voice from his saddlebag. “Come on.”
After another sprinkling of fairy dust and the command to ‘Believe!’ Rattles was flying through the sky following Tippywinkle all the way back to Bywater, where it is probably just as well that Ned Cotton was spared the shock of seeing them land in the stable yard, as he was off on his break.
The next day Rattles was resting comfortably in his stall when he was greeted by a bell-like voice.
“Oh, I thought you would have left,” he said.
“Oh no,” came the reply, “I like it here. There’s some very handsome hobbit lads come to the inn. I think I’ll stick around.”
I should tell you that Rattles still has that Blanket of Invisibility and Wink has not left yet, so should you attend one of them Green Dragon Fridays you never know who might be lurking close by!
