The night passed without incident. My clothes dried and I eventually fell asleep, only covered by my cloak, which began to warm up once I had curled into it.
The next morning I woke up to the smell of smoke and fresh earth. My vision was blurry, as it always was in the morning, especially after having slept well.
Huh, maybe I should set another forest on fire and try to figure out if the forest fire was the reason I slept so well. Or maybe it was the cloak.
Speaking of the cloak, it had taken on a grey and brown hue giving of the smell of rain and wet wood.
Remembering the cloaks description explained why it had changed colour. It would soon begin to rain, or at least drizzle a little bit.
I quickly put on my clothes, which had dried by now, put on my boots, padded as they were and then began to depart. But not without throwing a look over my shoulder to see how much damage the forest fire caused...
Damn. Just .....damn. Just yesterday the treeline was just two, maybe three meters away from the shore. Now? Now I could almost see the other side of the damned forest. Seriously. Okay, maybe I lied. The forest was burned, badly. I could see for kilometers from the original treeline and the fire hadn't stopped yet, not completely anyway. Because off in the distance, I could still see the embers of a dwindling fire.
But disregarding that, I believe I completed that peculiar piece of objective. Only three remaining.
1.Making Gandalf laugh
2.Tripping Golum 3 Times
and
3.Delivering that "prophecy" to Bilbo Baggins.
I wonder how far they are by now.
[Attention: Bilbo Baggins has received the one ring.]
[You better hurry unless you want that delivery to be late.....Intercept the expedition during their travel to the forest elves, before they meet Legolas.]
[New route calculated. Please follow the Exp notifications.]
Damn. Those fellows are moving fast. Faster than I had expected. But they would still need about a year to reach the lonely mountain. The only actual problem I have is not knowing how far apart each major plot point is. Will it take them weeks to find the forest elves? Days? What about months?
The Golum Quest will be problematic, too. After Golum lost the ring to Baggins, did he immediately follow him? I had to be quick. Can't risk Golum getting caught before I can trip him. After that however, he is free for all.
I began my long marsh, picking up speed quickly and heading towards the mountains behind Rivendale. And by doing that, unknowingly running directly towards the very valley the expedition had stayed in.
After another day of running and then finding a certain silver rod stuck behind my ear, I began to notice the trees growing taller and thicker. More alive and greener than before. Soon my footsteps weren't the only ones running through the forest. Two more had joined me, a few steps behind me, hidden by trees blocking my vision.
And yet I didn't need to see them to know what they were. Elves, the old folk. I didn't stop. They didn't seem to want me to either. So I just continued.
And then, finally a few hours later, in the middle of the night while I sat in the dark, because I still didn't know how to start a fire, the elves finally showed them selves.
They were..... joyful. Their songs, those about dwarves and Bilbo Baggins made me bend from laughter. I could not keep a straight face.
"Child, where are you headed? Certainly not towards the misty mountains where orcs and goblins dwell?" one elve asked me. His face pale and clear, almost ethereal. "No. Certainly not. My destination is on the move."
Another elve, tall blond and crystal blue eyes, responded:" And where to does it move?"
"The lonely mountain it seems. You see, I have a package for one Bilbo Baggins to deliver and it has to be there with him soon."
"Then it appears you are in luck. They have left only three days ago. Headed for the misty mountains first. If you hurry, you might catch up quickly."
"The day has already passed, may I rest here tonight, stock up on supplies and leave in the morning?" I asked. But not the two elves that I was just speaking to. I spoke to the one hidden behind me, hidden behind a tree and hundreds of meters away.
And yet, mere moments after I spoke, while the two elves were still considering their answer, the third had already appeared by the fire.
"You must be Lord Elrond, it is a pleasure to have met you."
And there, whether it was because of my age or polite greeting, the lord inclined his head in greeting.
"You may fine with us tonight, child of the faraway stars. Tomorrow you may stock up on supplies and tonight, we invite you to rest within Rivendale."
And with that invitation, I followed them into Rivendale. The food, various types of meat salad and bread, drinks ranging from refined wine to crystal clear water (which was the only thing I got to drink. Thanks a lot Elrond) were better than what I had ever tasted. Once the small feast, as there was no other way to describe it, was over, it was no wonder I fell asleep as soon as my head touched the super soft mattress.
The next morning I was woken up by the sun shining in my face. I had a light breakfast with Lord Elrond, one where he asked me a lot of questions such as my name age and where I came from. I told him I came from outside, a world vastly different where elves had either vanished already or simply never existed to begin with. I spoke to him of my current job and my newly acquired home, even about Inko. The lord seemed off put by that woman's behaviour but was all the more happier for me.
I was then allowed to stock up on rations, fruit. meat and even some lembas bread. After I had packed my shoulder bag, another elf taught me how to start a fire. I mistake on her part, since I had recently discovered my love for fire.....