The warm Shire sun shone brightly in the clear blue sky, as swallows and swifts; finches and fowl; grouses and geese all danced in the sky. Besides the Brandywine, young otters -who spent the winter away from the once-cold water-, were frolicking and splashing around whilst their mother watched the youngsters carefully from the riverbank with a fish in her jaw. Halflings got about their usual day in the sleepy village of Stock, where the tweens were rushing home to make it to elevensies on time or else they face their mothers wrath!
A young hobbit lad, with a head of bright yellow curly hair rushed through the round door, with his younger sister following behind. Each with wide smiles on their face, cheeks red from running and breathless.
"Ma! Ma! Goats are coming ma!", the young lad named Largo said, to which his sister, Rhoda, backed him up with a few quick nods!
"Goats? Farmer Maggot's goats have escaped?", Rosemallow, their mother, said as she set down a plate of sausages and boiled taters onto the table.
"No! Goats and a rider!!", Rhoda squealed out as she turned to point towards the Brandywine Bridge.
The family rushed down the path, a sausage in the mouth of Largo as he waved viciously towards the passing! Nearly all of Stock had come out their homes and stood in their gateways to look in wonder, as four brown goats with golden tips decorating their horns pulled along four caravans, and sitting at the front of these was a short stout figure, with a dark beard pointing out from underneath a blue hood. He pushed it back with his arm that shone dull despite the sunlight, revealing dark locks that fell to his lower back and his beard that was still short in comparison to most of his kind. He waved his iron-hand with a smile towards those that gathered to watch the procession of beast and wagon.
The hours passed by like ale drained from a keg, and soon the dwarf had arrived at his destination just a few miles away from Tuckborough along the path that ran into Green-Hill Country. A well used road, especially for those wanting to visit the Southfarthing and Eastfarthing. Rubbing his gloved and iron hands together, he started to get to work and to start with he reached into the first cart and pulled out a sign and a hammer.
THUNK!..... THUNK! .....THUNK!!
A sign was soon erect at the entrance to the estate on which the dwarf had recently purchased, reading:
NO ADMITTANCE,
EXCEPT ON TRADE BUSINESS
And so the weeks passed on since his arrival, and talk spread across the Shire of a longbeard settling within them. Most accepted, and those that did not accept him would soon as well.
