Our increasingly respectable and burdened hobbits eventually reconvened in The Three Pigs tavern at the end of Astron 1345. Gorboduc was pleased to report that all spider victims had recovered well over winter and the two youngsters might even get betrothed. He teased Tobold about Miss Anjelica Swayle, but learned only that their self-taught smith was constructing something for Tobold. Isenbold shared the happy news that Poppy was expecting their first child and downplayed news that Jass the dragonling had moved his little hoard to a secret new location. Halfred had become formally apprenticed to Dame Hatilde Oldbuck, a healer, and Mungo had become the assistant to Dame Cynthia Jowett, their town archivist. Mungo had impressed her by diligently restoring what he could of the rotted Cawland records with much happy assistance from Miss Lily Baxter. Edgar had been especially convivial over winter and had found himself accidentally elected to the town council as its youngest member.
The friends settled down to an extensive dinner and eventually, over the cheeseboard, got around to an overdue examination of their quest for pirate treasure. They were inspired by recollections of four-player careen boards and a resemblance to the parting sigil on Grandad Otto’s letter. After much speculation and a considerable amount of scribbled paper they concluded that their quest was indeed a multi-player game originally designed for Otto’s four children. They had already got:
- Wiseman (a half map) + Bertram (half map) => The Golden Key from Gosgraft
- Rowan (shanty) + Carloman (kiddie rutter) => The Ship in a Bottle (shelved) at Bywater
- Rowan (key fob) + Bertram (knotted reel) => The Jewelled Compass from Stock
- Carloman (hat band) + Wiseman (rolling pin) => A Telescope in Tuckborough (pending)
They found they needed:
- Carl (silk eyepatch) + something from Isenbold’s dad => ?
- Something from Aunt Rowan + something from Halfred’s dad => ?
They thought silk was a peculiar material to choose for worn-out old eyepatch, and indeed on inspection its leather fastening was anchored onto something stiff and solid inside that silk pouch. Ripping it open they discovered a fine transparent crystal lens which, when peered through, made some of the colours within the tavern more vivid somehow. Interestingly, when they examined other Otto objects, a number of the pale gems set around the outside of his compass grew dark or light as it was rotated. “Elven magic,” the hobbits sagely declared. Clearly this had to be paired with something that Bertram, Isenbold’s dear old dad, had or knew about.
They set off for Mugglewort smial the following morning just as soon as they finished second breakfast. The increasingly familiar road provided a splendid hike in warm spring sunshine and they strolled into Wooperton without incident. Theo Boulderhill was delighted to see them at The Tinkers’ Inn once again and plied them with good food, strong beer and comfy rooms for the night. Next morning found them strolling into Mugglewort where Poppy was pleased and surprised to see them. A rapid search through the glittering rooms revealed nothing obviously pirate-related. Over a light luncheon they chatted with Bertram about memories of his dad and any possible heirlooms of a nautical nature. Bertram couldn’t think of any; this smial being purchased new when he was a young, self-made hobbit out to impress his lass Viola with the prettiest delving he could find. “Course, rooms have been added since then, and we used glass instead of mineral crystals for windows later on. But I still like the light in the old front hall that Pa helped us set up.” They all went out to the front hallway to admire the effect. The two round windows (behind trays of seedlings) did indeed let in a lovely golden light which shone on the tiled floor and lit up sparkling bands of purple and gold crystals covering their far wall: a very pretty and impressive sight for visitors stepping through the front door.
Poppy wandered in and was happy to share her gemsmith expertise. The smial crystals were a cubic type called ‘Blue John’ and were quite soft. The clearer sections made good winter windows as they let in light which plants seem to like better than glass filtered daylight. Poppy thought that Blue John might be the same as something called Myrrhine in old lore. Marroc, meanwhile, was busy inspecting everything in the hall through the eyepatch lens. The Blue John wall appeared to increase in intensity for him except for a number of black splatters. On closer inspection those dark patches had distinct shapes:
A constellation perhaps? Poppy was much more intrigued by the lens crystal which was of a type she had not seen before. She speculated that it might be an incredibly rare item called Himling Icespar. Mungo strove to recall his old lore and thought that Himling might be the name of somewhere in the old Drowned Lands of long ago.
They spent the afternoon searching sea charts and star maps but got nowhere until they recalled that Grandpa’s clues were designed for children. They got out their kiddies’ learner maps instead and messed around with scale until they found a couple which produced an interesting match: if the small stars were placed over Pitterfield and Mugglewort smials, then the larger stars matched up with the three towns of Kings Worthy, Oatbarton and Hardbottle. If correct that would place their ‘target’ shape just east of the village of Camley on the banks of the Brandywine. Plus or minus a small amount of copying error, of course. It might even be where Grandad went fishing. They headed out with glorious purpose.
Next day they arrived back at Kings Worthy in time for Edgar to snooze through a town planning meeting and for Halfred to get Dame Hatilde’s last minute instructions before she left for a family event. The chums reconvened at the Three Pigs for a well-earned ale. While ordering a round at the bar Gorboduc noticed a Quick Post messenger arrive, out of breath, to deliver a letter for Mungo. Gorby stood Joe Boulderwood the Postie a tankard of refreshment before he departed to deliver the rest of his letters. While Mungo was still examining the postmark on his letter, Gorby had already learned that Joe had travelled up from Bucklebury to deliver a batch of invites for ‘the Baggins Wedding’ next week. Gossip was that it would be a party of especial magnificence. Mungo’s letter, while also postmarked Buckland, did not contain an invite but a letter fom Lily. Reminded of Bilbo’s reputation as a master burglar, Mungo started to panic. The letter itself did not mention any wedding but was a hasty note penned entirely without Lily’s usual flourishes:
“This translation appears to be a kenning. What do you make of the answer?
Long is my night, long is my sleep,
Darkling ’tis lone and dreamless and deep–
Long as the evils that mortals endure,
As long and as sure;
Helpless in gloaming and starshine I’ve lain,
Wrapped by the runes that bind like a chain–
Helpless ye find me:
Wight hast bound me–
Pinned me in sleep where I lay.
Hail to bloom of morn!
Hail to first blush of dawn!
All hark to the babble and purl!
Hark and O heed, beholding us twain,
And give what we hope now to gain…
Hail ye brightest and first dear,
And Green, the mother of all!
Give us of wisdom and valour here,
Hands that shall delve and hearts without fear
Till sunlight at length on us call… “
All agree that it sounded ominous. Mungo wondered if Bilbo had accepted a nixie deal. Marroc speculated that some sort of undead enchantment might be implied and make an interesting twist on the ‘til death us do part’ part of the marriage vows. Mungo panicked harder. “Not helping,” Edgar asserted. The hobbits knew from experience that a hike to Buckland (some 50 leagues away) would usually take about a week. But Halfred realised that Dame Hatilde Oldbuck was probably attending this same wedding and she certainly wasn’t hiking at her age. She was travelling by river!
There was a rapid exit to the Kings Worthy wharves where several gaff-rigged wherries were tied up. They learned that these would travel downstream at a fair old clip and could probably reach Bucklebury within three days, bar hazards. The Diligent, Arcadia, Sunbeam, Bittern, Solace and Hernshaw were all goods vessels but The Bittern and Hernshaw also accepted passengers, and Dame Hatilde was already installed in the most comfortable cabin on The Hernshaw. Edgar and Gorby politely negotiated for passage aboard The Bittern, crewed by Segaric and Tasha Bogcotton, who intended to leave next morning at first light. They directed their passengers towards the bunks “at the blunt end” and requested that everyone try to stay out of their way.
The first day was spent riding the Norbourn current down to Hardbottle through familiar territory. The Bogcottons worked at tiller or poled around rocks or the occasional tree tangle. In the afternoon the dales fell behind and their wherry floated past wide open meadows and rushes of Greenfields. The hobbits had nothing to do except admire the vast sky and scudding clouds. By evening The Bittern arrived at Hardbottle and tied up next to the glasswork warehouses. Isenbold, Halfred, Edgar and Gorboduc hopped off to investigate the local hostelries, of which they found three. The Black Bell, The Hop Sack and The Seven Stars all sold fine ale with distinctly different characteristics, and if they could have remembered which was where the following morning their diligent sampling would not have been wasted. They meandered back to their boat late that night to find their colleagues still puzzling over Lily’s urgent letter. Their new leading theory was that it indicated a dramatic fake suicide plot to elude family obligations. The others thought that it sounded exceedingly risky and foolish, although Edgar allowed that it might make a fine melodrama for the stage. Mungo slept badly that night.
Next morning Sedge and Tash cast off, carefully turned the wherry onto the wide Brandywine river, and raised sail. Now the land started to race past at an impressive rate. The right bank (which the passengers learned was now East Farthing) was green and hilly with many prosperous smials and some quarries visible in the distance. The left bank looked dismal by comparison with its brown marshes or scraggy bushland rising to the east. The wide skies were as impressive as ever. The spotted sparkling fish, a few Bigfolk out on boats and some interesting old masonry as an underwater hazard. After lunch a distant shadow of woodland appeared on the eastern hills and marched closer and closer until it crowded the left bank. The Bittern slowed as it manoeuvred past Girdley Island and the hobbits spotted some curious canoes pulled up on its shore, but no sign of people. By evening the wherry tied up at brickside bank, an informal field stop just before the rapids at Stonebow Bridge. The Hernshaw and Diligent also moored nearby. The hobbits got off to stretch their legs and admired the fine dwarven work of the bridge.
The following day, when it was light enough to navigate the rushing water under the bridge, The Bittern set off once more. On this stretch the landmarks began to grow familiar to the hobbits again as they recognised places from their hiking holiday last summer. They sailed past the Golden Perch at Stock without stopping, instead pulling in just before the Bucklebury Ferry crossing. The Hernshaw was already moored there to disembark Madame Oldbuck; Mungo accosted her and asked to see her invitation “just to see if we are in the right place” and was so courteous that she of course agreed. Mungo was somewhat relieved to read that the wedding was for one Posco Baggins to marry lovely Gilly Brownlock, but still suspected that his rival was up to something… nefarious. Madam Oldbuck and her entourage of North Farthing hobbits joined the merry stream of guests heading toward colourful marquees set up on a meadow in front of Brandy Hall. All except Halfred who disappeared in the other direction to secure rooms back at The Golden Perch.
At Brandy Hall the wedding party was in full swing — a great many Brandybucks, Goodbodies, Bolgers, Bunces and Chubbs milled about the food tables as well as most of Buckland as gatecrashers. The North Farthing hobbits acquired drinks and fit right in. Mungo established that Bilbo, as head of the Baggins family, was certainly around and that Lily was his ‘+1’ for the occasion. Edgar took to busking among the guests. Isenbold presented Posco with a round of cheese as a wedding present and tried to introduce himself to the local bounders. He was a little disconcerted to learn that there were no bounders and that Buckland was not really part of the Shire. Gorboduc mingled with gossiping guests and sooned learned that eccentric Bilbo was still hiding away in Brandy Hall library, likely with Lily. Mungo discovered that miscellaneous wedding ‘hangers on’ do not get entry to Brandy Hall.
Isenbold was not deterred. He snuck into the lower passages of the Hall and, despite severely distracting smells from their kitchens and pantry, scouted around until he found the stairs. He stealthily made his way up, past the great dining hall and main family rooms while dodging the notice of various Brandybucks. Up more stairs, onto the top floor and past the Master’s main suite of rooms he crept, ducking into hiding when he heard someone approaching. This turned out to be Bilbo, wandering back to the library with a cup of tea in hand. Isenbold waited a few minutes then very, very quietly opened the library door and eased in with noiseless steps. To his great surprise he could see nobody in there and no other way out of the library — obviously it had a secret door somewhere. He quietly trod over to the desk where two work spaces were set out. The book pile next to a still-steaming tea cup were translations of elvish poetry. Isenbold couldn’t read the elven scrolls but pocketed Bilbo’s version in Westron. The adjacent place was presumably where Lily had been working but it seemed only to have tales for hobbit children, all of which were very familiar. He left those and stealthed away, moving back out and downstairs with even more skill than he had entered.
The friends reconvened outdoors behind a tent and compared findings. Lots of guests had seen Lily around as a guest of Bilbo’s although their last confirmed sighting was the previous evening. Marroc was keen to learn the exact layout of Brandy Hall from Isenbold and was especially intrigued that many of the doors had locks on them; a precaution found rarely in other parts of the Shire. Mungo and others worked to decipher Bilbo’s dreadful handwriting and made their own copy of his scroll:
The Shadow Man
There was a man who dwelt alone
beneath the moon in shadow.
He sat as long as lasting stone,
and yet he had no shadow.
The owls, they perched upon his head
beneath the moon of summer;
They wiped their beaks and thought him dead,
who sat there dumb all summer.
There came a lady clad in grey
beneath the moon a-shining.
One moment did she stand and stay
her hair with flowers entwining.
He woke as had he sprung of stone.
beneath the moon in shadow,
And clasped her fast, both flesh and bone;
and they were clad in shadow.
And never more she walked in light,
or over moonlit mountain,
But dwelt within the hill, where night
is lit but with a fountain.
Save once a year when caverns yawn,
and hills are clad in shadow,
They dance together then till dawn
and cast a single shadow.
Mungo hunted for any recollection of shadow men in Hobbit lore or how this might link to Lily’s strange kenning but he drew a blank; frustratingly he lacked context. At this point the Brandybuck clan started to round up all their guests for afternoon tiffin inside the marquees. There were some preliminary speeches about the happy couple and their wedding which, the interlopers gathered, would take place later that day. A smartly dressed Bilbo was at the top table but his attention was mostly on the North Farthing contingent; he looked merely displeased at Mungo’s presence but his hard stare at Isenbold was scathing. There was still no appearance by Lily.
Isenbold passed Bilbo’s scroll to Marroc under the table and Marroc slipped away from festivities while Bilbo was distracted. He surveyed Buck Hill from the outside and located the library windows from Isenbold’s description of the layout. One of them had been left open and it occurred to Marroc that he could access it directly from the outside. He climbed up out of sight on the northern side of the hill and stayed low in the grass as he approached, shimmying quickly through the window and dropping to the floor. He replaced Bilbo’s scroll on a rug where it might plausibly have been blown by a draught from the window. Marroc suspected that Lily might have been imprisoned. He decided to investigate locked doors while the Brandybucks were busy outside. He started with the Master’s private rooms, skillfully picking the lock to reveal a richly fitted suite with antique polished furniture. No Lily. He relocked the door and methodically worked his way down all closed doors, ending up at the guest ladies’ quarter of the Hall, but still with no result. He snuck back to the party undetected.
Meanwhile the tea party had broken up and Bilbo began to look worried. He circulated amongt the guests very obviously searching for Lily. He was no longer keeping an eye on the North Farthing gang so Mungo decided to approach him directly. Bilbo was not especially courteous, “What are you lot doing here?” After some verbal sparring Mungo decided to speak plainly. “Lily summoned us but now she’s missing. Might she have been curious enough to look for the riddle answer alone?” Bilbo allowed that she might do since he’d perhaps been too dismissive of her hypothesis that their two poems were connected. Mungo shared the contents of Lily’s letter and proposed that they combined forces to find her. Bilbo agreed immediately; he needed five minutes to arrange things and suggested that they get themselves ready to travel. While the others gathered their kit Marroc trailled behind Bilbo and watched him collect a pretty shortsword from his rooms, argue with an annoyed bridegroom, and sign some papers with his lawyer Mr Burrows. Marroc realised for the first time that Estella Burrows must be in the crowd somewhere.
It was time to set out, but in which direction and was a boat or path better? A brisk debate ensued, solved only when Halfred went over to chat to the ferryman who, in a stroke of great luck, recalled seeing Lily setting out down the road to Haysend that dawn. They debated some more during which time Halfred went back for extra supplies like lanterns and camping gear in case they were benighted. Bilbo impatiently hired a boat on the grounds that it was faster and the afternoon was wearing on, and they agreed to get swiftly to Haysend and backtrack from there if Lily had not been seen. Mungo asked if Lily would be safe travelling on her own, but Bilbo replied that she was only safe from hobbits. He explained that Buckland folk had locks on their doors because ‘things’ came out of the Old Forest. “She’ll probably be alright in daylight.”
Paddling rapidly downstream they reached Haysend and pulled up at the Mithe Steps by Haysend; a landing stage of ancient masonry marking the confluence of the Brandywine and Withwindle rivers. They asked around for sightings of Lily and learned from locals that a lady had indeed taken refreshment in the village a few hours earlier. She had set off again determined to hike up the Withywindle, although a couple of the fishermen had warned her not to go past the Grindwall, a bank of stones that pushed out into the Withywindle. Now seriously worried, and with the sun lowering in the sky, the hobbits trotted on along the Withywindle path tracking her recent footprints. They heard the Grindwall before they saw it; riverwater tumbled over the edges of this natural weir. The stones created a natural landing point where a cluster of simple huts and shelters implied that a few non-farming hobbits lived here at least. Unfortunately, the huts appeared deserted. The hobbits contemplated a small hill of thorns beyond the stones and the Old Forest looming nearby. On Bilbo’s maps this place was labelled Breredon which, he explained, meant Briar Hill — another link to the hobbitling’s tales of sleeping beauty. Isenbold crossed the stones and noted that Lily’s footprints disappeared into this tangle of briars.
The hobbits geared up for trouble and, by the light of the sunset behind them, started hacking and slashing into the mound of thorns. To no-one’s surprise the vines animated and started to slash back. Gorboduc exchanged minor damage with his plant but found a way to wind his cloak about his left arm to improve his parry. Tobold became tangled, causing no damage but getting some nasty cuts in return, Bilbo lunged forward urgently to no effect but received a deep wound to his shoulder. Isenbold opted for slashing attacks and very effectively destroyed the tangle in front of him to move forward up the hill. Marroc and Mungo were more cautious and made no progress, but did manage to dodge returning blows. Halfred also upheld the Hackenbottom name by destroying his vine and moved up, much to his surprise. Edgar shot an arrow into the briars to no visible effect, so he opted to change weapons.
Gorboduc’s next parry allowed him to cut his vine to the ground without receiving damage so he too moved upwards. Tobold stumbled on his attack and was wounded by his briar, causing him to reassess the situation. Bilbo, by contrast, ignored his wound and pressed his attack in a very effective frenzy of sword slashes, pushing up into the press of briars. Isenbold made a more considered slicing attack and pruned his vine into compost. He moved up too. Marroc closed in for an attack which was just blocked by the vine, but its return jab pierced his jerkin to inflict a deep wound. Edgar joned in the fray and cut another vine apart, moving up the hill. Halfred missed his blow, but his vine had drawn back and both paused. Tobold and Marroc dropped rearward out of the fight as they were both bleeding heavily.
Gorboduc slashed away recklessly at his vine causing it severe damage; its weakened return attack failed to land. Edgar got the hang of pruning and dealt a piercing blow to his briar, blocking its returning cuts. Bilbo cut apart his thorns, disappearing further into the tangle. Mungo tried to keep up but only partially damaged his plant, narrowly dodging its return blow. Isenbold also got tangled up, hitting his next vine but getting cut by it in return. Halfred dropped out of the fight to patch up Tobold and Marroc.
Gorboduc pruned back his vine even further; it was looking decidedly weedy and could not manage to attack him back. Bilbo completed a complicated set of feints and slashes with his fancy sword to demolish a third briar. This opened up a clear line of sight to the top of the hill where some shadowy shape was bending over a slumped Lily. He yelled and charged through, vanishing out of sight of the others. Mungo was determined to follow him but, even with both Edgar and Isenbold changing their attacks to assist him he still failed disasterously. The vines closed up once again, shredding Isenbold’s leather jerkin in the process. Further back, both Tobold and Marroc were ignoring Halfred’s rapid bandaging in favour of assembling fire arrows. This new threat added an extra incentive to those battling inside the briar patch.
The sound of more thrashing vines came from somewhere up ahead in the gloom. Edgar, Gorboduc, Isenbold and Mungo renewed their attacks. Gorby, Isenbold and Edgar all manage to land deadly blows to the thinnest patch of thorns which enabled Mungo to yell “follow me, hobbits!” and run into the moonlit clearing at the top of Briar Hill. Crowning this hilltop was an ancient longbarrow, its stones carved around with crude, snaking scratchings which might be some sort of writing or spell. In front of the capstone was a very cold Lily Baxter, collapsed and pale. She appeared to have been digging at the cillstone. On the far side of the hill, within the deep dark of the Old Forest, sounds of a violent skirmish were fading away. Behind them the first of the fire arrows from Tobold and Marroc landed in the briars and set them sparking alight.
Mungo ignored everything except the prone figure of Lily. He rushed over and scooped her into his arms. She was very cold and pale and hard to revive, but all around them the briar patch was starting to blaze hot and bright — she began to regain consciousness. Bilbo was still nowhere in sight. “There’s no way you are dying without me,” Mungo declared when Lily finally opened her eyes, “why don’t you live and marry me instead?” She tearfully accepted, much to everybody’s relief. By now the top of the hill was encircled by leaping flames blocking both retreat and advance, so the hobbits decided to take a look at the longbarrow instead. Edgar confirmed that it appeared ‘chained by runes’ under moonlight. Gorboduc and Isenbold urged caution but Lily was very keen to rescue the inhabitant who, she was sure, was the origin of sleeping beauty tales and the reason why the Oldbucks moved to Buckland all those centuries ago.
The sensible members of the group (which did not include Mungo by this point) persuaded Lily to at least wait until they could regroup. Luckily briars burned bright and fast so the rest of party were soon able to rejoin them bringing lanterns, shovels and the rest of their camping gear to the top of the hill. Here Marroc supplied riddling expertise and deduced that the ‘thorn’ rune was the key to whatever sorcery lay on the longbarrow. They crudely chiselled it away with a shovel. Now the stones just looked old and eroded under moonlight. They dug out the cill stone and pulled it away to reveal a dark passage. Isenbold, Gorbaduc, Tobold, Lily and Mungo all crept inside with lanterns lit. In a chamber in the centre of the barrow was a stone bier cushioned by dessicated petals. On it a fair hobbit lass was just waking up. She was dressed in archaic clothes weighed down with many silvery ornaments and was very confused, but grateful for Lily’s reassuring presence and a warm cloak from her rescuers. Lily confirmed that she was Eglantine Oldbuck and talking to her it became apparent that she was 35 years young and 750 years old.
Most of the group escorted the ladies to safety at Haysend. Edgar, Tobold and Gorboduc were very worried by Bilbo’s failure to reappear and stayed on the hill to wait for him. On the walk back along Buckland, Eglantine started to understand when and where she was but remained very reserved and not yet ready to talk about what happened to her. She was very pretty and remained courteous with all their questions. They got back to Brandy Hall at lunchtime as wedding guests were beginning to re-emerge after last night’s celebrations. Lily arranged for them to enter discreetly and obtained a private interview with the Master of Buckland: Gorbadoc ‘Broadbelt’ Brandybuck. Eglantine was a known, indeed a legendary member of their family and was heartily welcomed. The hobbits immediately became most honoured guests but were asked not to spread news of Eglantine’s return. The Brandybucks would take thought of how to reintroduce her.
Meanwhile, the three hobbits still at Breredon had some hard choices to make. They called, searched and waited for Bilbo Baggins all morning. As lunchtime approached they even ventured into the edges of the Old Forest itself in an attempt to find footprints or any sign of his body. There was no response to their calls and the ground was too churned up to find tracks. This concerned them. By Midday they decided it was a lost cause and made their way tiredly back to Brandy Hall only to find that Bilbo had returned a little before them, washed, changed and was lurking sombrely aloof at the edges of the wedding festivities. Isenbold asked if he was alright but received only a quelling “yes” in reply. Bilbo was clearly struggling to stay courteous with news of Mungo and Lily’s betrothal. Posco and Gilly’s wedding had gone well, but the gossip was all about Bilbo’s scandalous abandonment of familial duties. Marroc and Isenbold went to chat to Aunt Rowan and impressed the Burrows family (especially Estella) with an edited account of Lily’s rescue. Eglantine was not mentioned. Lily and Mungo joined them looking very besotted with each other.
That evening the hobbits were invited to privately dine with senior Brandybucks. The dinner was to celebrate Eglantine’s return and for Master Gorbodoc to thank their North Farthing guests. Bilbo was included but remained stiff and distant. Eglantine refused to keep any of the reminders from her time in the longbarrow and insisted on giving away all the old ornaments that she could. Lily received her necklace, Edgar got an elaborate cloak clasp, Halfred a belt of silver plaques, and Marroc a ring of briar roses. Isenbold, Tobold and Gorboduc were all presented with very fine swords from the Buckland armoury. Bilbo refused any reward and retired as early as could reasonably be deemed polite. Halfred had been watching observantly and slipped out to find Dame Hatilde who was staying with family nearby. Together they cornered Bilbo in his rooms and Halfred received a masterclass on how to deal with obstinate patients who won’t admit to injuries. She sewed Bilbo’s wounds and strapped up his other injuries — judging from all the bark and lichen they cleaned out, it must have been an epic battle. Bilbo accepted her instruction meekly and promised to stay out of trouble. Dame Hatilde and Halfred departed after a brief recap on patient confidentiality.
Everybody settled in for a well-earned night’s sleep, but in the early hours of the morning all were woken by the Horn-cry of Buckland – the forest was attacking the hedge! Brandy Hall was in turmoil as every able-bodied Buckland hobbit grabbed a torch and blade and joined battle. Guests were invited to help or assemble at the Ferry to defend the women and children. North Farthing hobbits chose to help, of course. There was a noisy, confused, prolonged battle throughout the night under the direction of the Bucklanders and Young Rory. After immediately clearing trees back from the hedge, Rory organised a sustained assault deep into the forest creating a wide avenue up to a hill where there was a grove of black yew trees, or perhaps one very old one spread out. That was where they dumped all the lopped timber and set fire to it. The resulting bonfire was immense but there was no celebrating. The friends from Kings Worthy were not entirely sure what they had just witnessed, but all agreed that it was a very memorable wedding.
