Now it came to pass that upon a certain day in the middle of winter did yule of Shire Rose ride boldly to Overhill for a secret meeting in the hidden room on the house of Master Gerebaldo Took. Tree-cladded hills, Yule's rode fast, content in her heart and garbed in a garment of luxurious white fur. Gerebaldo's orders concerning the fate of Shire Rose had already been executed, the secretive hobbit kin had been reformed and all his members recalled. And so she came on a crisp and freezing mid-winter morning unto Overhill. After leaving her pony to the local stables, she refreshed herself from the rigors of the journey, and entered the low-beamed home alight with candles.
Gerebaldo Took welcomed her warmly before leading her to his studio , by a tall and heavy bookcase filled with old dust-covered tomes and parchment rolls. " Quite a lot of knowledge on this bookshelf, Uncle," said Yule by examining some of the books. " Indeed so, dear Yule. Now be careful, please..". Gerebaldo moved his hand against the wall, gently pushing a brick, and triggering the heavy bookcase to move sideward to reveal a dark corridor behind it. The old hobbit smiled at Yule, then lit a candle and his pipe again.
"Come, Yule...we need to talk in private." The two hobbits disappeared in the dark corridor as the bookcase went back in his original position behind them. The hidden room was something unexpected. The ceiling was high , the walls decorated in Elven style. The whole look of the place reminded Yule of one of the guest-rooms in The Last Homely House. "This is where my elf friends stay when they come to visit," Gerebaldo said while lighting the furnace.
Yule sat on a comfortable bench covered in soft cushions and waited for Gerebaldo to begin to talk about the Shire Rose pendant and the meaning of it, and for the first time in her life , Yule was left almost unable to talk for the secret of hidden inside the Shire Rose , was indeed greater that what she could expect. She had many questions she wanted to ask...why were simple hobbits entrusted with it ? In a world at war, with dangers lurking ever closer to the bounds of the Shire, it was vital to keep the pendant, or rather what was hidden inside, safe.
Now it came to pass that yule of Shire Rose did ride back down The Hill and towards Waymeet and her wagon after the secret meeting with her uncle Gerebaldo Took, in the hidden room. Looking forward to meet with Byco again, she felt the need of his reassuring presence and his love.
" Many will try to take the Shire Rose away from us, Yule. Many will try to hurt us, even our own kind cannot be fully trusted. But keep it safe, we must! "
