LOTR: The problems with Thursday - Merry Brandybuck FF

The Market - Chapter 6

Alora rubbed her eyes and sat up. Her bedroom was now filled with warm summers air which had drifted in through her window and her closed curtains let in a pool of sunlight. She padded over to her window and opened her curtains, the brightness causing her to wince and blink a few times as her eyes adjusted. 

After quickly getting dressed into a deep purple laced dress, Alora headed into her kitchen. Her father sat at the dining room table clutching a mug in his right hand and a piece of paper in his left. He looked up at his daughter with wide, green eyes and smiled.

"good morning Alora, how do you fare on such a beautiful morning?" he said cheerily. Alora yawned loudly and rubbed the back of her neck before she nodded towards him. 

"Yeah, I'm good thanks dad, how about yourself?" she said, still half asleep. He father pulled out a chair and put the kettle on again to make Alora a warm cup of tea to wake her up more. 

"You still fancy going to the market for me?" he teased, tilting his head. Alora looked up at him sarcastically.

"Of course I still want to go!" she laughed as she took the cup from his hands, "I've been looking forward to it since Thursday!" once Alora had heard herself say Thursday, she stopped speaking and looked down at the table. 'What if I run into Merry at the Market? what do I do?' she said to herself. Her father noticed the concerned look that had come over his daughter.

"You sure you're ok?" he asked again, this time he genuinely wanted an honest answer.

Alora shook herself out of her day dream and stood up, "We're out of bread now aren't we?" she asked suddenly. Her father was taken aback by the quick change of subject, but quickly thought nothing of it.

"Yeah, you're going to have to go now if you want a piece of toast before lunch!" he joked as Alora crossed her arms across her chest.

"Just because I love toast doesn't mean you can tease me about it!" she teased her father, who in tern began to laugh heartily.

"We do have some strange inside jokes Alora my love" he sighed as he handed her some money. "That should be enough for what we need."

Alora looked down at the palm of her hand, wide eyed. "Dad! I don't think I need that much!" she said in surprise at her fathers mistake. She went to give it back, but her father closed her fingers around the money first. 

"Buy yourself something nice, a book or something. Maybe a new Map?" he insisted. 

Alora thanked her father dearly and kissed him on the cheek before she headed for her front door. She reached for her satchel and opened her front door. A soft breeze rippled through her neat brown curls and Alora breathed in the cool air silently. 

"See you later dad!" she called back through her door as she walked out onto the gravel path. Alora heard her father say goodbye faintly as she plodded down the steps outside her house. She trudged down the gravel path straight into the heart of Bywater, the song of birds ringing sweetly in her pointed hobbit ears. 

Alora spent at least half an hour looking for Tilia, as she wasn't at her house. Eventually, Alora spotted her sat on the river bank of the water. Alora was just a good ten yards away when she noticed something else. Tilia was sat with someone, a boy in fact. Alora blinked twice and poked herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Tilia was sat with Frodo baggins! Alora couldn't help but think 'AWWWWWWWWW' in her mind.

Not wanting to disturb her friends chance of finally finding a lad for herself, Alora headed to the market on her own. It was now around half past ten, and the streets of Bywater were starting to get busy. Alora walked quite slowly for once and began to take in all the sights and sounds that she possibly could. The sound of the children laughing in the streets, the strong smell of pipe weed that drifted through the air like a leaf in autumn.

She neared the bread stall and began to wave at the stall owner, who she knew quite well.

"Good morning Elossa!" she called to the stocky hobbit woman who was stood behind the stall. The woman was quite stocky with bright ginger hair and blue eyes. she was also covered in flour.

"Morning Alora!" she greeted her happily, "The usual?"

Alora nodded and smiled widely, "yes please Elossa!" she said as she handed over the money to the smiling stall owner. A lightly browned, still warm loaf of bread was then placed into Alora's open palm. 

"Thanks Elossa, how do you fare?" Alora asked, placing the loaf neatly into her bag. 

"I am well Alora, how are you and your father coping... I noticed you haen't been at the market for a while. With your mother and-" Elossa started but stopped as she saw a hinto of sorrow beginning to well in Alora's shimmering, blue eyes.

"Never mind.." She trailed off as Alora began to smile again. "Have a nice day!" Elossa waved Alora off as she walked out of the market and into the centre of Bywater.

It was now around 11 o'clock and the sun was almost in the middle of the clear blue sky. The solitary trees that could be found within Bywater, gently swayed in a silent and warm breeze, as did the grass.

Alora took a deep breath and then sighed heavily. As she was on her own, the only thing that had really troubled her mind was the thought of running into Merry. Then she thought to herself, 'He wouldn't come to Bywater in the day you silly! He lives to far away unless he has a reason to come..' she frowned at her thoughts and carried on walking, Past the florists, past the small mill and down to where the library sat quite happily on its own surrounded by  few birch trees and patches of thick grass. 

Alora had also thought about which book she was going to buy as she went along her travels. She had once come across a thick book with dwarfish writing and the picture of a mountain and a dragon carved into its black front covering. Or would she find new maps? She had wanted one of Gondor or maybe Rohan for a while now. 

As she neared the large, mahogany door of the library, she peered through the window. She could just make out the rush of colours that were the books and maps that scattered through out the building, and a tall, fair haired woman in a red dress.

It was Cynthia, the young librarian who Alora had befriended many months ago. Cynthia's back was turned to the window and she appeared to be talking to somebody, but before Alora could see who it was, the window finished. 

Alora flicked her curled fringe from her face and reached out for the door handle. But she stopped as it began to turn, somebody was opening it from the inside. Thinking it was Cynthia, who had probably seen her, Alora stopped and smiled up at the door.

As it opened widely, Alora took a step forward without even paying attention. She felt herself bump into someone who was walking out the door. "Sorry" she quickly apologised as she  looked up. Her heart thumped into her mouth and her stomach tied itself in knots.

Her eyes met a pair of bright blue, sparkling and sorrowful eyes. Curly, thick golden hair, a copper coloured waist coat, a deep green jacket and pointed hobbit ears.