A memory of Bree

My story is a common one for those that lived at the end of the third age. As I am getting toward the end of my time, I feel that I should write down my story of the night of Black Riders as I was involved. My name is Galea Stoor. I have lived in the ancient town of Bree all my life. Although I am not a hobbit, my last name is also of a large family of hobbits in the shire. I am not sure whether the humans took a hobbit name or vice versa but both sets of the Stoors get along swimmingly. The fact that many of the humans and hobbits in the area of Bree share last names points out the ancient origins of Bree. I think I will give a short history of Bree as a preface to my story. I hope it is helpful in setting Bree and all of our citizens in context. Bree is an ancient town that has seen its fortunes rise and fall with the ages. Bree was founded by men in the middle of the second age and was a particularly important city on the crossroads of the North Road and the Great East Road. It is located at the foot of Bree-hill. It is one of four small villages located in the countryside around Bree-hill and in the adjacent valley. As the kingdom of men dwindled so did the fortunes of Bree. The cities on the Great North Road had all been destroyed in wars and only the few men that used it were the Rangers and the wizard, Gandalf. Our inn the Prancing Pony HAS BEEN HERE SINCE THE FOUNDING OF THE TOWN and has been in the capable hands of the Butterbur family. It was and still is the main source of the social life of Bree. As I said, Bree is an ancient city, but hobbits have only been residents of Bree since the middle of the third Age. By that time, the use of the Great North Road was almost nil and East Road was the mainly used for the trading of the excellent wines and pipe-weed of the hobbits. The families that settled in Bree had family in the shire that were the main producers of these much in demand products. For many years they visited and stayed close sharing the news of the larger world with Eriador and the surrounding area. As time passed the trade began to dwindle as men began to become more and more insular. The big folk, as the men of Bree are called, are Brown haired, short and broad of shoulder. They tend to be cheerful and independent, but they are also more friendly with Elves, Dwarves and Hobbits than most men. There are Little folk as the hobbits of the area are called, mostly living in the village of Straddle, higher up in the hills above the men. Although there were now a few little folk living in Bree itself. By the time of the Night of Black Riders Bree was just another sleepy town in the middle of Eriador and I was a bar maid at the Prancing Pony.
I was born to the Stoor family of Bree, no relation to the hobbits of either Bree-land or the Shire. I spent my early years living of a small farm to the North Bree on the old North Road. We were raising sheep and horses that provided my family with a good living until suddenly the north was crawling with orcs and other wrights. We had no idea why they were suddenly there. They would steal our horses and killed our sheep. No matter how many times my Da asked for help from the local Sherriffs nothing helped and so we moved into a small house on the edge of Bree. My parents had a small garden that provided for us and a small income for the family. I got a job at the Prancing Pony as a maid that came every morning before classes and eventually took a promotion to barmaid. There are about houses of both big and little folk in Bree proper. all surrounded by a high hedge with a gate at the West and south road of the village. Each gate had a small house near it for the gate keeper to shelter in while on their watch. Being a barmaid was interesting and every night I came home with news that kept the family and neighbors talking for weeks. There was news that there was a huge party in the Shire for the 111th and 33rd birthdays of Bilbo Baggins and his adopted nephew Frodo. Of more and more there was evil happenings all over Middle Earth and a rise of the evil tower of Barad-Dur. One night in the spring, the wizard, Gandalf came to the inn and spoke to Barliman Butterbur. I saw him pass a letter to Barliman who promised to give it to Mr. Baggins. Then Gandalf left promising to return in a few weeks to meet with Mr. Baggins.
After he left more and more strangers began to come up the east road. Most of them went directly to the house of Bill Ferny. There they seemed to plan things that as far as we knew never happened. Every night Bill and some of his guests sat at a table in the Pony like they were waiting for someone or something to happen. They never ordered anything and after a while Barliman asked him to either stop coming or need to purchase drinks for him and his friends. Some of the men that accompanied Bill to the Pony were definitely suspicious. One in particular made me think of the wizard, Gandalf but instead of his kind gentleness this man gave me the feeling of angry obsession for power. He only came once and stayed for about a week during which he spent lavishly, impressing many of the men of Bree. Barliman was alternately impressed and disgusted with the men but the amount of money that was coming into his coffers kept him from expressing any discontent in regard to the behavior of bill's friends. Along with the strange men coming over the East road there were the Rangers of the North. When I first started working at the pony, they only came down the North road once or twice a year bringing news of the outside world. after Gandalf's visit there seemed to a ranger in Bree every month. I am not sure what the job of the Rangers is but having them around was creepy. Their reputation in both the shire and Bree-land is disreputable. It is rumored that their leader is a direct heir of Isildur but after all the centuries since the fall of Gondor who can say this is true.
Nights went on and the crowd did not change much, Bill ferny brought in different people every week, some of them were distinctly different. their skin was very shallow and yellowish, and their features were different, even sinister. Others swarthy and the appeared to be from what one patron said was the far south. Why were they here, what did they want?

Just after sundown in the fall we got our answer. There was a knock on the West gate that led to the green-way, Old Harry was lounging in the gate house when the knock came. He jumped up and grabbed his lamp, peering over the gate he was surprised to see four hobbits and five ponies. "What do you want and where are you from," he asked. One of them answered in a decidedly weary voice, we are travelers heading East and our business is our own. Harry then challenged them that their business was their own, but it was his to decide if they would be allowed into the town after sundown.
finally, one answered that he was Mr. Brandybuck from Buckland and he and his companions required lodging for the night at the Prancing Pony. With that Harry slide the bar on the gate and allowed them in, directing them to the pony and with a slight apology. I meant no offense, but strange folk have been about and when you reach the Pony you will see what I mean.
The four headed to the Inn. Harry kept an eye on them as he felt they were being all to suspicious acting for any hobbit he knew. Arriving at the inn they saw what appeared to be a large two storied house with large windows on the ground floor. Candlelight could be seen through the cracks in the curtains. It appeared to be a warm and friendly place. Passing under the sign, that read Prancing Pony B. Butterbur, Prop. they tied their ponies under the archway near the door and entered the inn. We were crazy busy that night, even Butterbur was having to wait tables. As one of them came in the door he and Butterbur nearly collided. "can we trouble you.... was all he could say as Butterbur bustled away with a tray laded with drinks. Upon delivery of his drinks and the taking of more orders, Barli came back asking what can I do for you little sirs, as he wiped his hands on his apron. They required a room for four hobbits and Stabling of 5 ponies, if you please and meals if there is still food being served.
Barli called to Nob, one of hobbits we had on the staff and asked him to see that a room was ready for their guests while they signed in. Barli also called for Bob to come see to the ponies but when he did not come, Nob was sent to find him as soon as the room was ready. Our guests signed in as Meriadoc Brandybuck, Buckland, Peregrine Took, Great Smails, Tookland Samwise Gamgee, Bag-shot Row, The Hill and Mr. Underhill, Edgewater Cottage. As Barli read their names the groups of Straddle hobbits, also named Underhill picked up on the and immediately decided that they had to be related in some way. The group was invited to join them at their table and after a quick visit to their room to wash off the dirt of the road, they joined the other hobbits at their table. One of the Hobbits went out for a while and when he returned, he reported that their mounts had been bedded down for the night and their baggage STOWED IN THE ROOM. Barli brought the food to the table and as he set it down, he asked if they were from the Shire. They said yes and Barli got a puzzled look on his face as if trying to remember something but then it was gone and so was, he whisked away to serve more tables and order up more food from the back as others entered. Every one of the Bree-landers were warm and friendly and could not wait to hear new stories from the large world outside. While they all ate the Underhills from Straddle plied them with questions and stories trying to find out if there were any ancestral links. As the evening wore on and the pints flowed Pippin told several tales of the shire that had everyone in stitches. One in particular was the tale of the collapse of the roof of the Town hole at Michel Delving and how the mayor, had been so covered in chalk that he resembled a floured dumpling when finally freed from the Hole. Sam was also feeling quite comfortable and was freely chatting about the events of the shire, including the recent theft of mushrooms from one of the large farms by two rascals, only for them to be invited to supper at the farmer' s table a week later and be served a huge bowl of the mushrooms by the farm wife. on the downside the Bree-land folk had tales of more and more men moving up the Green-way looking for land to settle and peace as there was not much of it to the east. One squint eyed fellow said that if those that were here did not make room, room would be made. But the hobbits and Bree-landers paid him little mind as a man could barely stand in a hobbit hole, so they had no worries.
That evening the ranger, Strider was at the inn and as the evening wore on, he watched the hobbit Underhill with open curiosity that drew the attention of Barli. Barli took Mr. Underhill aside and pointed out s Strider and cautioned him about him. Barli was called away at that minute and as Mr. Underhill looked up, he saw Strider staring right at him from under his hood. Screwing up his courage, he walked over to Strider and introduced himself. Strider said, nice to meet you Mr. Underhill, if Barli has your name right. You need to reign in your young companions before fire-side stories, drink and chance meetings.... well, this is not the shire. There have been many strange travelers through Bree lately and well you never know. The Hobbit squirmed uneasily under the gaze of Strider's grey eyes. Nothing more was said because, Pippin spurred on by the success of the Michel Delving story was now recounting Bilbo's farewell party. As he drew close to the part of Bilbo's disappearance, Frodo interrupted Pippin and started to make a speech about how wonderful their reception had been when he burst into a nonsense song about the cow jumping over the moon. all the while he fingered his ring. When the song ended everyone cheered and Barli was drug into the room to hear it. Frodo began to enjoy the attention and was prancing on the table. As he danced on the table toward the end of the song the ring slipped onto his finger, as he appeared to fall from the table he disappeared.
This caused a huge commotion among the Bree hobbits and several of the men slipped out the door.