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Chapter Four……………..THE LEAVE TAKING

            “Theo! Oi! Theo!” Danny darted among the surge of eager young hobbits, his eyes scanning the crowd for the familiar mop of brown curly hair. Unfortunately, brown curly hair goes for most hobbits, and Danny had a difficult time finding his friend.

                He sighed in exasperation, and stood in the middle of the busy Hall, jostled about by other hobbits hurrying to get their breakfasts.

He felt tired after last night. He decided to turn around and find a table to sit at, when… Bam!  He collided with another young hobbit.

He found himself staring at a pair of charismatic blue eyes, and a tidy mess of shining blonde hair – Wilson.

                “Watch it, Brandybuck!” spat the handsome youth, the blue eyes narrowing. “You almost made me drop my breakfast,”

He held a plate of fresh, crispy bacon and toast. Danny’s own breakfast – an apple – was held uneaten in his own hand.

                “Sorry,” he mumbled, taking a large bite out of the apple and chewing slowly. Wilson shook his fair head.

                “So, you’re coming along too, I suppose?” he said. “I’m going to see the Elves – I hear their ladies are quite attractive,”

A sly grin crept across the good-looking face.

                “No doubt, they’ll find that I am an excellent example of our fine species,” he drawled, his eyes roving Danny’s ordinary features.

                “Hmmm,” Danny took another bite, and pretended not to be bothered. A dark head popped up beside Wilson’s elbow. It was Tom Gamwich, Wilson’s shadow. Tom was small and slight for a hobbit, and his hair was so darkly shaded, it looked almost black. Wilson was hardly ever seen without Tom tagging along, and Tom was Wilson’s source of information. He gathered all means of talk and gossip, and his knowledge allowed him a higher rung in the social ladder.

He smiled snidely at Danny.              

                “Hullo, Brandybuck. Having trouble with where you’re walking, eh?” he sneered. “Maybe Wilson can teach you how to eat and walk at the same time! Ha! Ha!”

                “Shuddup,” muttered Danny, shooting him an irritated glance. Tom pouched his cheeks.

Danny shuffled around them, and found an empty space at a table to sit at. He ate the rest of his apple absentmindedly, looking around to see who all was there with him. He saw Samwise Gamgee’s pretty daughter, Elanor, holding the hand of her younger brother, Frodo, and old Fatty Bolger talking fervently to a bored-looking Fred Proudfoot.

                Danny got up to throw out the gnawed core of his apple, when a hand gripped his shoulder. He spun around, expecting to see Wilson’s smirking face.

Instead, it was Merry, and he looked faintly amused at Danny’s reaction.

                “Morning, Danny,” he said. “You ready for today?”
                “Yeah, I guess,” answered Danny.

                “That’s good.” Merry smiled at him with a sheepish expression. “Listen, I just wanted to apologize about last night. We didn’t intend on starting a row between you and your father – I never dreamed that he would react like that. I’m sorry for getting you into trouble,”

                “Nah, that’s alright,” Danny shrugged. “Harvest is boring, and we have an argument about it every year either way. It’s hardly what you would consider a harvest. We sell a few husks, and that’s about it. And don’t worry – I get into trouble easily enough on my own anyhow,”

Merry chuckled.

                “I’m glad to get that cleared up nonetheless,” he said. “We plan to leave soon, in about fifteen minutes. You might want to find a travel buddy. If you have any questions, ask Sam or me,” he winked. “Pippin’s a little busy fighting with the Burrowses over there – only one piece of bacon left,”

                “Okay,”

He left, and Danny finally found Theo standing idly by the window.

                “Hey Theo!”

                “Danny!” Theo looked surprised, but he grinned widely. “I didn’t expect you coming!”

                “Why not? Do you want to be my travel buddy?”

                “Sure. Don’t you have that little harvest thing of yours this time of year? I thought you would have to stay behind for that,”

Danny groaned. “Don’t mention harvest, or my father,” he said. Theo raised his eyebrows, but kept quiet.

                “Attention please!”

Samwise Gamgee, the mayor of Michael-Delving, cleared his throat, and spoke into a loudspeaker in the front of the Hall.

The Hall fell silent.

                “We are getting ready to leave now,” he announced. “It is recommendable that everyone has a travel buddy. Pippin and I will be leading the party; Merry will be walking in the back if anyone needs help. We will board the ferry and should reach Bree by sunset. We will stay at the Prancing Pony for an evening, and then leave the next morning. We should meet Glorfindel by Weathertop– there, he will provide several ponies and horses that will take us to Rivendell,”

A cheer rose among the younger hobbits. Danny felt his spirits rise.

                “Elves,” whispered Theo excitedly. “I can’t wait to see them! Can you, Danny?”

Danny thought of Wilson’s words, and grinned.

                “No, I’d like to see them too,” he replied.

                “You’d better behave yourself,” reminded Theo sternly, but he was smiling too.

                “Oh, stop worrying. I will.”

                “You’d better.”

                The party left soon after. The entire crew consisted of thirteen hobbits. The Burrows twins, Harry and Holger, were bickering over who would get the upper bunk once in Bree. Wilson was readily talking about himself and what he planned to do when they reached Rivendell. Tom listened avidly, and Fred Proudfoot nodded once or twice to something he said. Sam was describing Rivendell to Elanor and Frodo, and they listened with wide eyes. Pippin was deep in a conversation concerning Bree’s ale with Fatty Bolger.

                Danny and Theo talked lightly about things at home. Danny said that he hid Sandyman’s stolen crops under his bed, and regretted not bringing them along. Theo reminded him that Wilson was on the trip, and that it would be very unwise to bring his father’s plundered potatoes with him.

                “It would give him an even bigger reason to dislike you,” he said reprovingly.

Danny laughed darkly.

                “Theo, he dislikes me just because I’m not…gorgeous…like him. Too plain. Plus, I’m smarter than him, and he doesn’t like the fact that someone is better at something than he is,”

Theo had to agree. Wilson was very talented at many things; he had a beautiful singing voice, he was good with the ladies, he was confident and popular, but he wasn’t especially bright. Danny was perfectly ordinary and inconspicuous, but he was fairly intelligent for the hobbit standard. Theo was too, but he would rather be as normal and as unremarkable as any other young hobbit.  He said that he preferred the quiet life of good eating and decent drinking as to some rowdy sort of existence where one could not find the peace.

                “But then why’d you come on the trip?” insisted Danny. Theo shrugged.

                “I dunno. Guess I just wanted a change of scenery, and I would like to get a glimpse of the Elves. That probably is what motivated everyone else to come; the Elves. Why’d you decide to come, Danny?”
                “To get away from dad. And because you were going - I wasn’t going to be left behind! I’d probably never live it up, knowing you,”

At this, Theo grinned.

                They got on the Buckleberry Ferry near midday, and made it to Bree shortly after. The sky was darkening, and the sun cast orange-pink rays across the horizon.

Sam signed everyone in at the Prancing Pony, and the landlord introduced himself as Barliman Butterbur. He was a rather rotund man with a balding head and a wide, half-toothless grin.

                “We’ve got some nice accommodations for you little ones,” he said. “I’ll have Nob show you the way, sir,”

Sam thanked him, and a Bree hobbit, Nob, hurried to him and led them to their rooms.

Harry and Holger resumed their argument over who got the top bunk. Pippin finally broke apart the dispute by making them sleep on the armchairs – he got a bed that way.

                Later on, a group went down to the bar, led enthusiastically by Merry and Pippin. Danny followed, much to Theo’s dismay.

                “But you’re not old enough!” grumbled Theo.

                “It doesn’t matter!” insisted Danny. “What’s the worse that can happen?”