Chapter twenty nine.
They continued traveling for days. The cribs and in the wagon with Cornflower and they had the bags filled with clothes as pillows to try and make it more comfortable for her. Cornflower hated to knit more than anything, but since they had no blanket for the baby she decided she make one since she had nothing else to do while sitting in the wagon. Lain found two sticks the same size and carved them with a knife he had. Then he smoothed them and gave them to Cornflower. She had some old yarn of her mother's that her father gave her thinking she'd enjoy knitting someday, but never did.
"What color?" she asked Lain.
"I don't want to say pink and it being a boy or the other way around." He joked.
"Well, what is a color that would work for either one?" she asked.
"I don't know. Tauriel?" he asked his sister, who led Fastwind along.
"Green." She suggested.
"I do have some Shire Green. Thank you Tauriel!" said Cornflower.
"You're welcome." She replied.
The rest of the journey was very quiet. They'd try to stop, but Cornflower would insist on going onward. Tauriel seemed to be able to do so and never sleep, but Lain grew tired. He forgot to get a new pair of boots before leaving Bree so the ones that grew too small for him pinched his toes.
It grew cooler each night, Lain pulled his dark blue jacket closer to try and stay warm.
His least favorite time through the journey was going through the marsh. He fell in the mucky water more than once and mosquitoes began to eat him and Cornflower alive, Tauriel didn't seem to care. They had to push the wagon at one point because it got stuck in the mud. Lain was glad to be out of such a horrid place!
After a several days, they reached Bilbo's trolls-as they were referred to in the Shire. Lain was amazed at the size of them and was grateful that they were stone.
Tauriel climbed on top of one of them and looked out. A strange sound was in the air, one he had not heard for a long time.
"Orcs draw near!" Tauriel called down.
"Orcs?!" gasped Lain.
"Finally, a little more action in this adventure!" said Cornflower as she finished another row, not even looking up.
"We must hurry! How far is Rivendell?" Lain asked.
"Six days if I remember correctly." Cornflower replied for Tauriel.
"We must not stop tonight." Said Tauriel looking at Lain, "Lain, get on Fastwind's back."
"I do not want to tire him." Lain replied.
"By tiring yourself?" asked Tauriel, "If we end up having to fight these orcs I will need your help."
"I don't even have a sword!" Lain replied.
Tauriel held out a sword. The hilt was black with white gems as bright as the moon, and special carvings in it that only the light of the moon could reveal; it was a clouded night that night. He took it out and saw that the blade was bright gold, shaped the way normal dwarf blades were.
"It was forged by our kin. First sword to be forged in the mountain since Smaug took it." Said Tauriel as he admired it.
"It is beautiful!" he exclaimed putting it back and attaching it to his belt.
Lain decided Tauriel was right and got onto Fastwind's back. For a while he fell asleep without knowing it! When he realized he did it was dawn of the next day.
They never stopped. Lain would walk in the mornings and ride Fastwind at night. Tauriel seemed lost in thought. Every day she wouldn't say much, was it because of their fight? He tried to engage her in conversation, but she seemed to be in another world.
They rested at Weathertop-against Tauriel's wishes-because Cornflower admitted to feeling unwell, so they helped her out of the wagon to lay on the ground and then started a fire. While Cornflower slept, Lain had to know what was on Tauriel's mind.
"Tauriel, you have been lost in thought much lately. What are you thinking of?" Lain asked as the fire burned bright.
"After I lost you, Lyra and I traveled through Mirkwood for many miles. Then she fell into the river and I thought she drowned for I did not see her." Tauriel explained, "Then I traveled alone and when orcs attacked I met the Elves of Mirkwood. King Thranduil found me and brought me back to Mirkwood. The Prince Legolas and I became good friends, practically inseparable. After the Battle of the Five Armies, he left."
"Why?" asked Lain.
"He...I do not know. He had to leave. Go where the wind took him." she replied. He figured there was something more to the story, "Rest Lain, I will take first watch."
"You always take first watch and then never wake me up for second watch." he pointed out, "I will take first watch."
"Are you sure?"
"Tauriel, you talk to me and act as if I was still that young dwarf that orcs took. I know danger and survival, remember that I was on my own for the longest time before I reached the Shire." Lain replied.
Tauriel smiled, "You are right Lain. Alright, you can take first watch."
She fell asleep faster than Lain ever had at his tiredest. He shivered whenever he heard the sound of an orc. At one point he thought he heard wolves howling.
The night was quiet after a while and then he thought it was a good time to wake Tauriel so she could take watch, but when he did so wouldn't wake. He knew that she hadn't slept at all since they left Bree, he thought it best to let her sleep and he would continue to keep watch.
