The Silver Birch Inn

[silverdream]

"Is it time, Silver?"

The voice of Robin Brandybuck, otherwise known as the cook, floated up to the second floor of the empty Inn, known as the Silver Birch. Robin was a young hobbit, fun loving and good natured, and would be cook in the Birch. A second later, a head appeared over the banister, crowned with a halo of long, straight, black hair. Her green eyes sparkled, but her voice was quiet when she replied, her voice slightly lilting with a slightly faded Rohan accent, like that of one of the Rohirrim who had been away for a while, and indeed Silver was and had, although much about her remained a mystery. Those who met Silver would guess she was somewhere between 15 and 25, but her eyes told of more- they were the eyes of a dreamer, of someone who had been far away, both in mind and spirit, and every day returned.

"Aye, 'tis time, Robin. 'Tis time."

"Well come along already! Eruanne, Leowen and Elentari are already ready- come away from your books and bring the key with you." Robin answered, exasperated but grinning. The head disappeared and Silver began to descend the spiral stair cases, first to the first floor, then the ground floor.

The Silver Birch Inn was original in design, built on three levels but not in any usual way, and the entire building completely circular, but large, and with adjoining rooms at one side as well as stables. The bottom level was the highest, higher than a usual floor, about four metres, spaciously arranged, the bar and common room area. The second and third level, where the bulk of the rooms were placed, the second for customers and the third largely for the staff, were almost like very very wide platforms, as in the centre was a wide hole, surrounded on the second level by an elegantly carved birch banister. The floors were connected by spiral staircases, one at each side of the Inn, and supported by four pillars, evenly spaced at quarter intervals around the room.

But this hole: what is the reason for this space, it was asked?

Because of the huge, beautiful silver birch growing up the middle of the Inn, the thing that gave the Inn its name. This tree was a beauty, and at the bottom had only a low banister, so it could be touched; the banister on the second floor was mainly for safety, and on the third floor there wasnt one. When you leant your back against the tree and looked up, with your head resting against the tree, you could see right up to the very top of the third floor, the floor which was mainly used for staff- Silver, the Innkeeper, Eruanne, the other Innkeeper, Elentari, the Inn's owner, Leowen, horse-handler, and Robin Brandybuck, the cook. Also on this floor was a floor to ceiling library, which used up a large area of the space, but only half of this was used, with Silver's precious books, tomes and scrolls.

Silver jumped the last step, the child in her coming out for a moment and surprising the others, even Eruanne- she had known Silver for longer than the others, yet still her friend never ceased to surprise her. From one of the pockets in her wide skirt, she produced a silver key, walking to the door, from behind which the sounds of people could be heard, eager to see the opening of the Inn. Silver took a deep breath and placed the key in the lock, poised to turn it, before she turned back to the others.

"Ready?"

They all nodded, eager and excited. Silver turned back to the door and almost began to turn, before looking back.

"Sure?"

"Oh Silver, stop teasing!" Leowen burst out, grinning. Silver smiled back, then looked around the room once more. Around it hung banners of past adventures and experiences of herself and the others, for they had travelled far, or knew others who had. She found herself looking at the birch once more and nodded to it, as if it was a deity- it was a sign of good luck. Then, for the last time she turned back, and turned the key in the lock, and, with the help of Eruanne, pulled back the double doors to let in a stream of excited customers to the Silver Birch Inn where it was placed on the Greenway, accesible for all peoples.

"Welcome to the Silver Birch Inn!" She cried with a flourish, bowing melodramatically to the first of the newcomers, a grin on her slim, pretty face.

[Nurumaiel]

Robin felt her heart pounding wildly. For a moment she dared to hope Dinodas, her betrothed, as you might say, would be one of the first guests to arrive. A blush stole to her cheeks and she glanced quickly at Silver, hoping her thoughts hadn't been read. But Silver was standing by the door, waiting to welcome guests. Don't act like a silly little love-crazy hobbit lass, Robin Brandybuck, she scolded herself. Of course you'd love to see Dinodas, but don't let it affect the way you work. Again she scolded herself. Dinodas always affected the way she worked. Before they had become engaged, she had become nervous whenever he was around, therefore affecting her work in a bad way. But now when she thought about him it gave her determination to work and work well. After all, wasn't he working even now and for a few more years to earn enough money to support his family well when they were married at last?

She had known Dinodas nearly all her life, but they had only recently fallen in love and been engaged while travelling to Rivendell to bring food back to the Shire during the Long Winter.

Robin left the doorway of the kitchen to stand by Silver's side for a brief moment, catching a quick glance at their first guests. Then she hastily retreated back into the kitchen. They were an inn. And inns were normally the houses for weary travellers and the like. And weary travellers wanted food. And who cooked the food? Robin gave a little laugh and she set a pot on the stove and went out into the chicken yard (which was, by the way, unknown to Silver. Robin wasn't sure what the innkeeper's reaction would be when she found out a secret chicken yard had been planted at her inn) to get some eggs, whispering, "I hope Silver likes chickens."

[Lëowen]

"Welcome to the Silver Birch inn!" shouted Silver, throwing open the doors to the inn. As visitors streamed though the doorway, Lëowen dashed off through a plain wooden door near the back of the inn. This door led to the stables, Lëowen's favorite place. Lëowen worked in the inn's stables, taking care of any and all horses that stayed there. Her own horse, a black stallion named Raven, currently took up residence in the stables.


Smiling, Lëowen opened the stables doors, welcoming any guests who wanted to lodge their mounts. Sounds of happiness and festivity drifted from the inn's main room. A wonderful opening for a wonderful inn, she thought. Still smiling, she greeted the guests, and their steeds, to her stables.

[Elentari]

Elentari, after the initial crowd of people had entered the inn, dissapeared into her 'office' - a small room behind the bar. She sat, trying to work out some orders of food and drinks, and when they would need to be made.

"Elentari!" said Silver, in her stern, teacher-like voice. "You can't sit in there! The inn's only just opened. Come, meet the guests!"

Without needing to be told twice, Elentari walked through the door into the main common room, and greeted anyone who walked by.

[Eruanne]

For a few moments, Eruanne had greeted the new guests as they had arrived, but then she had slipped away to the garden, for a few moments of peace before the real work began. Sitting on one of the benches, she admired the rose in her hand. The crimson petals fluttered ever so slightly as a breeze blew past. Plucking a petal from the blossom, she admired the softness of it, then let it float away on the air. Above her, the sky was a beatiful blue, the kind only seen in early summer and fall.

She should go back inside though, there was work to be done. Even as she thought this, Silver appeared from around the side of the inn. "Anne! There you are! Are you going to come inside and help, or sit there all day?" Eruanne smiled, and replied to her friend.

"No, I'm coming, don't worry! Just a moment." She straightened, the rose still clasped in her hand. Inhaling the scent, she laid in on the bench, and brushed her skirt off. Checking that her hair was still in place, (it was elaborately braided around her head) she walked towards Silver. "I'm ready! Now, where shall we start?"

* * *

111st RPG post! Wheee!

[Alatáriel]

Alatariel rode up to the Inn on her black stallion, her dark blue hood towering over her face. She placed him into a stall in the inn's stables and walked back to the inn's main entrance. "Welcome to The Silver Birch Inn, thank you for coming," said a hobbit lass. Alatariel said hello and walked inside. The Inn was still empty, only a few people there.

She had ridden a long ways and wanted to rest. She walked up to the Inn's bar and ordered a glass of wine, and then took it back to a table in the corner. She was an elf with long brown hair and stone grey eyes. She kept her hood on and sat back and relaxed, drinking her wine.

[silverdream]

Silver served the hooded elf a glass of red wine, although the Innkeeper did not see her smile due to the dark hood, which shadowed her face. Strange, to be wearing a hood on such a fine day, but Silver shrugged awy the thought- here on the Greenway, they were bound to get all sorts.

The Inn remained moderately empty, and the elf sat on her own. Silver could not see her expression, and so decided to go and see whether she needed anything else, and to make a little conversation.

Approaching, she ran her cloth over the window sill beside which the newcomer sat, cleaning away some speck of non-existent dust. Half turning, as if to go back to the bar, she addressed the elf.

"Welcome to the Birch. Where is it you have travelled from, miss...?"

[Nuru]

Before Alatariel could reply, a shout came from the kitchen. Both Alatariel and Silver turned, the latter trying to keep the smile on her face. But her eyes were frowning, because Robin had shouted loud.

"Silver, who's there? What kind of food do you want me to cook?" the hobbit lass called, poking her head out the door. "Just let me know and I'll get to work right away."

[Alatáriel]

Alatariel had only been sitting for a few minutes when a lady walked up to her asking her were she had traveled from. She was about to speak when she heard a loud shout from the kitchen. Someone asked the fair mistress standing before her if anyone was there.

"I am from many places. A wanderer if you will," Alatariel replied before the lady could answer the voice in the kitchen, "I have no home."

[Mippin]

Eruanna looked around, and walked up to the Silver Birch Inn. She was greeted kindly at the door, and thus she smiled, feeling comforted from her travels, and strolled inside. Eruanna was a tall elf-maiden, with long flowing hair as dark as midnight, and deep blue eyes.

She walked up to the bar, and asked the barkeep for a mug of ale. "Thank you," she said as the barkeep handed her a mug. She then searched for a place to sit.

She kept her silver cloak about her, her hood draped over her head, hiding her royal blue raiment. Then, she sat at a table in the corner, alone. Eruanna was keen on observation, and watched the others. She saw an Elf maiden, who seemed quite familiar, sipping a wine and talking to another person.

Eruanna comtemplated the familiarity of the elf, and took a drink of her ale.

[Dragoneyes]

A hobbit came down the road on a pony. The pony was, perhaps, a little large for the hobbit but neither seemed particularly concerned about it. The hobbit noticed the inn. He had, of course, noticed it while it was being built as he often travelled down this road, but he noticed that it was open this time.

He was very thirsty and he thought it about time that they opened an inn on this road, his journey always took him on a route that avoided all inn-like activity in the area. His dad always said that it was probably best that way but he was of a different opinion, it would also save him camping out by the roadside. Usually, when he came down here, he would be delivering things, but today he was just visiting and could afford to spend a little more time than usual in this inn. He was also curious as to why it was called 'The Silver Birch Inn', he could see nothing like a silver birch anywhere near it, unless one was half blind and could mistake an old oak for a silver birch.

He dismounted from his pony, quite a drop for him and led him round to the stables. They were deserted. He heard a snort and a stomp from one of the stables and beautiful black stallion poked his head out of the door. Hal, for that was the hobbit's name, was in awe of the great horse. He wouldn't want to ride it or look after it though, he would much rather stick to the smaller ones. He only rode the pony he had now because it was such a gentle natured thing.

Hal walked towards the furthest end of the yard where the smaller stables were. He hesitated at the door of one, he wasn't sure if you had to pay to put your horse into a stable, it wasn't that he didn't have any money, it was that he'd done this before and been told off when he hadn't paid for the stall. He shrugged and put his pony into a stall anyway. The straw was clean and there was plenty of water for his pony, whom he gave a carrot out of his pocket. He removed the saddle and bridle and left them on the ground outside, not knowing where the tack room was.

He put his hands in his pockets and wandered around to the front door, from the size he could definately tell there would be more more big people in there than he was used to but he didn't mind, so long as they didn't tread on his feet. He pushed the door open and walked in.

Once he was inside he was drawn to the bar as a moth to a candle flame. He sat down on one of the stools and watched over the rest of the inn as he waited to be served. He now understood why the place was named after a silver birch, he'd go over and look once he'd got himself a drink.

[Alatáriel]

The hobbit (correct me if I'm wrong) scurried off into the kitchen. Getting on the the other hobbit for making such a big scene. Alatariel sipped her wine, searching the scene. The only seemed to be about five guests. There was an elf that looked very familar. She had a silver cloack on that Alatariel remembered seeing somewhere, but where? She contemplated over the elf maiden, searching over all the places she had been in her, what seemed, short life. Then she saw it, the same exact figure. It was very clear now. She saw it all.

Alatariel took her mind off of the elf maiden, and watched the few people in the Inn again. A hobbit was sitting chugging his ale. Alatariel took off her hood, letting her the light from the window shine off her dark brown hair. She took antoher sip of her wine.

[Lëowen]

Lëowen walked back into the stables, discovering that someone had put a little hobbit pony into one of the stalls. Its tack lay on the ground nearby.

Smiling, Lëowen gathered up the tack, storing it carefully in the tack room at one end of the stables. The hobbit pony snuffled contentedly, and she gave it an apple from a barrel nearby. It snuffled again, and Lëowen walked over to where her own horse was stabled.

Raven stuck his head out of his stall as Lëowen approached. Patting him on the nose, she gave him another apple that she had gotten from the barrel in the back. Making sure there weren't any guests in need of a place for their horses, Lëowen went inside to the inn.

[Alatáriel]

Alatariel felt lonely in the corner of the room. Knowing that the fact that the Inn had just opened and the number of guests were few, she walked up to the bar. She sat down on a stool. A hobbit, eager to serve her, walked towards her. 'Is there anything I can get you?' Alatariel ordered some lunch and then took it back her table in the corner. She ate it slowly. The hobbit came up to her, 'Is there anything else I can get you, Ma'am?'

'No thank you, I'm fine," Alatariel answered.


She finished her food, and returned the plate back to the counter. Strolling out of the Inn and into the stables, a summer shower sprinkled down from the sky. The sun still pouring down on her dark brown hair, she walked in the stables to see that a pony was in a stall over in the corner. She walked over to her stallion, and began to pet him gently. He snorted. 'Okay, I see,' she said. Alatariel reached into her pouch and took out an apple. She reached out the apple to him, He ate it happily. The pony in the corner neighed loudly. Alatariel walked over to the pony. She held out the rest of the apple for him to eat, which he did.

After the pony finished the apple, Alatariel walked back inside the Inn, and over to the same table. She sat and watched the other guests.

[Elentari]

Elentari walked out of her office to see that the inn was begining to fill with people from the various races of Middle Earth. She smiled, knowing that this would be a good place to stay for those who wandered the lands with no real goal in life.

A whinny sounded from the front of the inn. Elentari turned a smiled even more. It was Moon, her faithful mare and loyal friend. Running to greet her friend, Elentari tripped on a bump in the rug over which she ran. Elentari fell flat on her face, but got up instantly and laughed it off.

"Moon!" said Elentari as she walked through the inn door. "You were meant to be back yesturday." Elentari checked Moon over for injuries, then took her to the stables for some food.