Another chapter for you all. Sorry if you're finding these author notes dull, I can't really say much because there's only really an hour difference between these chapters being updated. Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit or any of Peter Jackson's or JRR Tolkien's work. I do own Aramere.
The next morning arrived crisp and cold even though it was now officially summer. After a frantic quarter of an hour, Frida and Aramere set off for the centre of Luin Magdul with a wheelbarrow for the goods that they were going to purchase and the coins that they were going to purchase them with. Soon, they started to hear the tell-tale sounds of horses braying and stamping impatiently and the voices of citizens bartering for lower prices in the cobbled market square that signified that they were nearing the stalls. You could never quite be sure where the market would begin from week to week but this week it seemed particularly large and rowdy for the time of year. Knowing that the fabrics were around the other side of the bazaar, Aramere set out for them, leaving her Amad to try and bag them the lowest price on some flints and rope that they would undoubtedly need on their journey.
With one hand on her knife and another on her coins, she pushed her way through the crowds until she got to a tiny, tumbled down shop in the far corner of the square. The woman running the stall was well known to her, as Aramere would often get new material for bags or insoles for her Amad's old boots so that they would fit her slightly flatter feet better. Because of this Aramere would sometimes get discounts from her. In stature, Olga was quite like her mother: small and dumpy with a kind, round face, and long sturdy hands worn from many years of manual labour. The main difference was that you could instantly tell was that Frida had been through battle, she still had the air of a warrior about her, whereas a crisis to Olga meant running out of buttons or thread on a busy market day.
"Hello there!" Cried Olga with a chuckle when she spotted Aramere trying to make her way over to the stand. "And what can I do for you today, young Ara?"
"Good morning to you too." Answered Aramere when she got to the counter." I was wondering if you could do me a deal on some strong, sturdy cloth and thread. The kind that you might use to make a bag for on long journeys." She continued, trying to sound inconspicuous and as though this was a perfectly average request. "It would help as well if it was at least semi water proof. Do you have anything like that?"
After rummaging around for a while under the table, Olga reappeared with a roll of resin-backed hessian, which looked both strong and water tight. "You're in luck ginger." She said. "We got this in yesterday all the way from Mirkwood. Light weight, durable and water proof. How much do you want?"
Aramere thought for a moment. "Two and a half feet across and eight feet up please." She answered.
Olga raised her eyebrows at her request but said nothing as she cut the cloth to the specifications that her young customer had requested. When she had finished and rolled it up in a couple of metres of thread she turned back to Aramere. "Anything else?" She asked.
"Yes please." Said Aramere quickly. "Can I please have some softer fabric as well? For blankets and such but in quite a dull colour… so as to keep down the cost." she added to try and keep her true intentions secret. "Same dimensions as the last please."
Olga's puzzled expression faded at Aramere's last words, thinking that she just wanted to make a coat for her horses or something of that sort. "Here you are then dear," she chirped, "that will be twenty-nine gold coins and twelve silver pennies please."
"Oh." murmured Aramere. She hadn't expected it to be cheap but she was still surprised at quite how expensive it was. "I didn't think that it would be quite that much. I only have twenty-five gold coins and ten silver pennies."
"That's okay, lass. I can trust you, you're an honest girl." Smiled Olga. "Have a nice day!"
"You as well." Replied Aramere as she turned to try and worm her way through the masses back to where she could see her Amad waiting for her by the gate.
When she reached the gate, her Amad showed her the two coils of rope that she had managed to buy and the virtually unused flints that she had got on a half price deal." All we need to get now are some decent ponies." She said, putting her goods back in the barrow. " I spoke to Jimmie, Farafnor's stable hand, earlier and he said that he might be able to sell two of the newer mares, around three years old I think he said, for around forty gold a-piece and that he could seal the deal today. So I said that we would come over to the stables and have a look at them at noon-ish." Then looking up at the sky, " We should probably get going over there now, looking at the sun, come on."
So they set off to the stables at the back of The Master's house on the outskirts of the richer and more elaborately decorated half of town. Aramere had rarely been to this half of Luin Magdul, usually only seeing it from a distance from the top of the climbing pillar at the training grounds. As they walked along the quaint brick cobbled streets, they received frowns through the lace curtains of the red brick houses that stood sturdy and firm, each one the same space from the two next door to it, giving the impression of soldiers all stood to attention on parade.
Finally, they arrived outside the grandest house of all, The Master's manor house. Five stories high and clad with white marble it was an incredibly impressive building. Around the side were a set of twelve mud brick stables, each housing a chocolate brown stallion apart from the end two which held jet black mares. The Lord's private riding stallions weren't there either, for they were kept in a luxurious paddock within the inner walls of the mansion.
"Ah-ha!" cried a voice from behind the two women, startling them. "If it isn't my favourite ladies! Lady Frida. Mistress Aramere." The boy greeted them courteously with a low, sweeping bow as though they were already back in Erebor where their heritage and titles would be recognised with the due respect and nobility that they warranted.
"Honestly, Jimmie." Sighed Aramere, smirking slightly at the greeting that their arrival had yet again prompted from the young stable-hand. "Why do you always insist on welcoming us as though we are royalty? Here we are almost the exact opposite; we're refugees, dwarf refugees, none the less. Everyone here frowns upon us as though we are scum from the bottom of their boots. Why in the name of the Valar don't you?"
"Truthfully my lady, it is because I know that you are much, much more that what you seem. You are not only a princess but also, a warrior, a strong-minded person in tough circumstances and a fierce protector of that which you love. And I respect that in you." He muttered shyly, as though embarrassed about what he was saying even though he obviously meant it.
"Oh Jimmie. " sighed Aramere giving him a hug. He clearly knew what was going on and wanted her to know what he thought of her before it was too late. "I don't know how to respond to that."
"You don't need to m'lady." Whispered Jimmie sweetly but with an undeniable tinge of sadness. Prising himself away awkwardly "I understand. Now." He said, swiftly changing the subject after a deep breath. "The two ponies that will accompany you on your journey shall be the pair on the end, the sisters Vahul and Forwan."
Upon hearing their name, each of the beautiful ponies whinnied in turn. Apart from Vahul possibly being slightly larger and Forwan having longer hair all round, the two were equally majestic and Aramere simply couldn't fathom why The Master wouldn't want to keep them as the stars of his stables. Then it dawned on her. These were never seen by the master or the noble men and women. The ponies that Aramere and Frida gazed upon were the working ponies. They were only there to pull loads of wood or coal or food or water rather than to pull the Master's carriage on important business. 'A complete waste of such a stunning beast' thought Aramere silently as Jimmie pulled bridles over their heads.
"Well then. If you like what you see, should we discuss a price for them lady Frida?" Asked Jimmie.
"Of course." Replied Frida with an inward sigh leaving her daughter to stroke and pat the ponies' heads. Goodness knew how much a pair of bright, fit, capable ponies would set them back. Not too much hopefully. And with that they walked over to a little bench to come to an agreement on the price and to check that there wasn't anything the matter with either of them. At last, Jimmie offered the maximum that she could afford and then refused to budge. She had everything she could have wanted in Vahul and Forwan along with the free bridles, saddles, and reins that went with them. After a minute of trying to persuade the boy to go even ten golden coins lower, she gave in and gave him all of the coins in her purse.
"Right then, we should probably go and park these up in the public stables seeing as you no longer own them master Jimmie." She said dismissing herself and beckoning for Aramere to follow her. With one last hug to an abashed looking Jimmie, Aramere guided the ponies single file through the gate way at the end of the narrow court.
"Good bye Jimmie." She whispered almost inaudibly.
"Good bye Mistress Aramere." Replied Jimmie as though he had heard every word that she had said. Smiling sadly, she handed Forwan's reins to her Amad and together they set off for the public stables by the training centre.
And… Tug. And…Tug. As Aramere wrenched the thread through the material that she had bought from Olga a week before, her heart and mind started racing along at twice their normal pace, seemingly at random. She had recently learnt to associate the tense, but joyous, feeling with excitement and being overly happy in short, concentrated bursts. It had become an all the more familiar feeling over the last few days as the date of her departure with her Amad from Luin Magdul had drawn ever closer.
"Done." She panted as she tied a strong, unmoving knot in the last stich of the last saddlebag that they were now to fill with fresh produce and dried meats and spare clothes and anything else that they might require for their perilous mission. Heaving the six bags on to her shoulders she stumbled through to the kitchen where her Amad was waiting agitatedly for her. Hastily, they piled high the bags with supplies.
"Too late to turn back now." Frida muttered as she dumped a steaming pile of flat breads on the top of the second bag, laying a blanket over them and then pulling the draw string as tight as it would go. "Ara. Go put this one by the door please. It's finished."
"Yes Amad." She chirped excitedly. Then upon taking the bag, "Wow! I am so glad that we don't have to carry these ourselves."
"Me too Ara. Me too." Managed Frida through a massive yawn. She had been up since the wee hours of the morning preparing for the long ride ahead. "Actually, go and put them over in the stables would you? I'll be over with the rest in a minute."
"Yes Amad." Repeated Aramere in a much more forlorn tone. Adjusting her grip on the heavy bag, she stumbled out of the door into the crisp, early air of the precise conditions that she was hoping for. There was a fine layer of cloud to protect from any glare and a cooling westwardly wind so that in would be at their backs for the best part of their journey. Perfect.
Stumbling down the ladder, she felt many eyes on the back of her head, waiting to see if she could make it to the ground without falling. Ignoring them, she concentrated on her feet until they hit the dried, dusty mud (how can mud be dusty?) below. She turned and saw who had been watching her so intently. It was the boys who had caused her to make up her mind to practise with her weapons.
"Alright ginge?" The leader asked with a smirk. For all the world he looked confident and smug; like a predator who had just cornered his prey and had his whole pack at his back, but Aramere saw straight through this façade. His eyes were constantly straying to knifes and sword at her hip. To prove that they weren't just there for show, Aramere drew one and looked at in mock thoughtfulness.
"Mmm. Of course. Why do you ask?" She inquired, raising an eyebrow challengingly.
"No reason." Answered the boy quickly.
"Oh good." She grinned, "Now, if you don't mind then I really should be going. Excuse me."
The gang of boys were only too happy to part respectfully before the knife wielding girl who came up to their waists. The sight was quite one to behold and Aramere never forgot it; remembering it as a lesson, that, despite appearances, no one should be seen as a weakling or easy prey, nor should you ever be scared of something bigger than yourself purely because of that factor. The big that rely purely on size to assert dominance are foolish and are easily bowed to the will of the small and skilled.
After her meeting, she shouldered her bag with renewed strength and quickly made her way to the stables. Once she arrived, she sat down patiently next to the bag to wait for her Amad to join her. Wanting something for her hands to do, she separated her hair like her Amad had taught her and began to plait it tightly in such a way that it wouldn't go in her eyes even if she wanted it to. By the time that she had gone all the way down to the very tips, by her waist, her Amad had arrived with the other bags in a wheelbarrow.
"Very nice." She commented upon seeing her daughter's hair. "You know that that is the very style that I wore to the battle for Erebor? It has always had a special place in my heart my heart for that. It makes me happy that you should wear it when you take on your mission for Erebor. Come. Let us saddle our steeds Ara, and begin our journey."
And so, as the sun rose up and over the horizon, two mounted steeds could be seen galloping to the west where they and their riders would forever remain, never to be seen by any of the citizens of Luin Magdul again.
Thank you all for reading and don't forget to like, comment (even negative comments gladly welcome) or favorite or FOLLOW. PLEEEEEAAAASSSSEEEE. It IS the new year after all?