Gandalf sat down heavily on a broken boulder near where the Dwarves were burying their new found riches. Curse Trolls, and Dwarves with their love of treasure, Gandalf thought as he watched them filling in the holes carefully. They scurried around with a serious demeanor that Gandalf sometimes wished they would show during meal time, it would mean much less broken dishware.
He sighed and pulled out his pipe, tapping it on the stone seat before filling it up and pulling in the smooth smoke. They had not been on the trail long but they had already encountered more problems than not, he blew out a few smoke rings and watched them drift off. The Dwarves were strong and hardy that was for sure, and Bilbo was smart enough for all of them, but they were missing something.
This time when he exhaled he watched a small elven rune till it bounced off the rings and disappeared. Gandalf knew who they needed, but knew that neither party was going to be happy about this arrangement. As the last of the dirt was laid and the Dwarves seemed happy with their work Gandalf bit down on his pipe and pushed off the rock.
It wasn't far from here and he knew he was going to need all the help he could get to help keep this rowdy group out of trouble.
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It was the beginning of summer, still cool enough to wear a jacket but not completely necessary either. Alyse didn't care, she dressed head to toe in her leathers, cloak draped to her knees, the hood pulled up obscuring her eyes, and a scarf tied around her face. She enjoyed the weight of the fabric, it was a feeling of security. Not that she really needed to hide, she was out here alone, the closest city was Rivendell and while they were kind to her in her younger years, they generally left her well enough alone.
Alone, that word bounced around Alyse's mind, it seemed as of recently she was feeling more and more alone. At first it wasn't a bother, alone meant peace, serenity, and a life she could live without judgment. Now she was starting to feel the weight of the word weighing on her shoulders like her cloak, heavy and unnecessary. Alyse told herself it was also a reassuring and safe feeling to be wrapped up in ones cloak.
Alyse had never traveled much, just enough to know of the cruelty of judgment from those who are set in their ways. No, the cloak was safety, as was Alone, she was going to live this way forever she thought, as she began trudging to the river to collect this days water.
Her home sat down in a maze of winding paths cut deep into the earth and stone, if one didn't know their way around they could find themselves hopelessly lost. Set back into one of the many tendrils Alyse had carved out her own small retreat from the outside world, much like her cloak it was security.
Idly Alyse ran her hand along one stone wall and thumped the bucket on her leg, her mind still muddled with thought. Maybe she should leave? What would she do if she did? Or what would happen if she didn't? What should she have for dinner? Were people any different after all these years? How did lightning bugs glow? She had walked these pathways many times, that part of her mind worked on its own to sort out her profound and random thought process.
Harsh guttural calls pulled her out of her own mind and instinctively Alyse flattened against the wall. Her heart jumped into her throat, she had heard those calls before when she used to adventure farther from home, Orcs. A shadow passed overhead followed by another then a third, reaching to her side Alyse cursed when she felt the empty space where her sword should be. A forth figure jumped over the gap and Alyse knew she wasn't getting any water today, not with those things out hunting and definitely not without her sword.
Just as she turned to creep back one of the orcs failed to find their footing and crashed down between the stone walls. Alyse watched in horror when it jumped back up, screeching and clawing at the sides trying to climb up. Turning to leave she felt the heat drain out of her body when the orc stopped trying to climb. Its disguising knotted head cocked sharply to the side as he turned to face her, its screech filled the pathways when it realized she was there.
Alyse threw the one thing she had, her bucket, nailing it in the face she turned and ran desperately away. The bucket had given her a few second head start, but she could hear the orc screaming down the path after her. The situation didn't look good but Alyse had the speed and dexterity to out maneuver this thing she thought. But that feeling was short lived when she rounded the next corner and she was stopped short by a burly man with blonde hair.
A cold pain swept across Alyse's side, gasping she took a step back and felt the blonde man's blade slid out from her side. The Orc tore around the corner, grabbing her and tossing her against the wall before noticing the others. I just needed some water, Alyse thought as she fell to her knees, what the hell was going on?