When I woke in the morning, I could see the sun coming just over the horizon. Voronwë and Tuor were talking in Elvish, in whispers. I also noticed that I really had to pee. We didn't even stop once yesterday or maybe the guys did once we made camp.
Tuor saw that I was awake "Good morning, I hope you slept well. We must leave soon as we need to reach the stream close to the forest to refill our water packs. Voronwë says that it will take most of the day. I am sorry we are moving at a faster pace but these lands are not safe, and I would prefer not to run into any of the enemy's minions."
I nodded and crawled out of my bag. I didn't want to run into any orcs or goblins, although I remember this age has far worse things as well. I packed my bag again and brushed out my hair. Hopefully, I can wash at the stream, but for now, I will just stay in my leggings and sweater from the day before. I pull on my boots and Voronwë breaks me another piece of bread. I eat quickly as they are both waiting for me.
Before we left our camp I asked awkwardly "I need to pee but I don't have anything to wipe. Do either of you have leaves or anything?"
Tuor blushes like mad, but Voronwë chuckles and reaches into his bag. He pulls out some large leaves and gives them to me. I expected them to be stiff and hard but they are soft.
"Thanks," I say. "I will be right back and then we can leave." I walk a good distance away from them into the tall grass and they both turn away from me. I certainly don't want Voronwë hearing me pee, but there's not much else I can do. I do my business and walk back to my packs. I put the rest of the leaves into my bag for later. We head out with the sun on our backs.
Voronwë offers to carry my day pack and Tuor takes my tent bag. They want to move fast today so they want me to carry less. I'm not complaining. Tuor only has a small pack, with his armor and shield. Voronwë is only carrying his small side bag which holds the bread and one change of clothes. He has a small knife and Tuor a sword. I only have a small swiss knife, so we would be screwed if anything unsavory finds us.
We leave our camp and Tuor leads us today, as he wants to set the pace. Voronwë walks beside me and we fall into a comfortable rhythm for a while. I'm still a little sleepy and don't have much to say at the moment. After an hour or two of walking in comfortable silence, I break it.
"I can't stand the silence any longer. Could you two tell me more about yourselves seeing as we will be traveling together? I will tell you about myself in exchange." I offer.
Voronwë perks up at this and says "Certainly, my lady. I was born to a Noldor father and a Sindarin mother. My mother was akin to Lord Círdan at the Mouths of Sirion. The Noldor are the elves who left middle earth and lived in Valinor across the sea. They lived for a long time before Morgoth killed the trees and fled to middle earth. The Noldor followed after. Many tales there are of this time, both sad and tragic. I will be glad to tell you more about our history."
I nod eagerly and he continues "my father came to the Mouths of Sirion where Círdan and his people lived. There my father met my mother and they married. My father Aranwë and my mother Vena left with King Turgon's people to the hidden city. I was born in Neverest but I was still small when we left. I grew up in Gondolin and trained with my father in his craft of jewelry making. However, I had no love for it and longed for the sea and the tales my mother would tell."
He paused and a sad look came over his face. "My father and I fought in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, where my father was slain during the retreat. My mother faded from grief as many did during that time. A year later, Turgon called me to travel down the river and to the sea. Then I was to build a boat with the others and sail to Valinor, to plead to the Valar to help fight Morgoth."
"However, I tarried in a clearing for some time and didn't make it in time with the others. Instead, Círdan helped me build the last boat. Then I sailed with just a few other elves, as none had come back that had left before. We sailed for years searching, but the shores of Valinor are well protected. We were trying to sail back to middle earth when our ship got caught in a storm. I was spared by the grace of Lord Ulmo to be your guide."
"I'm sorry about your parents and your fellow companions on your ship. I am glad I got to meet you and I hope we can be friends." I smiled at him and his sad face turned into a bright smile.
"I am honored to meet you and my heart is glad to have met you."
"You will have to tell me more about yourself later, like your hobbies or interests. What about you Tuor?"
"I am Tuor son of Huor of the house Hador. My father also perished at the Nirnaeth Arnoediad while my mother who was with child fled. She fled to stay with the elves at Mithrim. I was born and fostered by the elves as my mother died of grief as well. I am grateful, for they taught me much and I learned a great deal while I was growing. When I became of age, I wished to fight the servants of Morgoth, but instead, we had to flee our home from the evil men who serve Morgoth."
"While fleeing, I was captured and sold as a slave to the Easterlings. I was a slave for many years until I escaped. Afterward, I lived as an outlaw, killing orcs and Easterlings who crossed my path. But alas, the sea called me, and two elves showed me the way to Nevarest and to the city of Vinyamar. Once there, I was entranced by the city and found this suit of armor. Eventually, the sea called me again and Lord Ulmo found me and gave me this task."
"I am also sorry about your father and mother. I'm sorry that you were a slave for many years. Nobody deserves that. I'm glad to have met you as well and I hope we can be friends."
"I thank you for your kind words. I don't have any friends anymore and would like some again," he said with a smile.
"You'll have to tell me more, but I'll tell you about myself. Like Lord Ulmo said, I come from another world except my world doesn't have any magic, elves, or evil creatures. My mother Susan is a nurse who is like a healer and my father Robert is an architect who designs buildings. I have two siblings, an older brother Greg and an older sister Jennifer. I lived in Duluth, Minnesota where I grew up. It is a beautiful place next to a very large lake and full of nature. I was going to school to be an architect like my dad."
"We were on a break for the holiday, and my friends and I were camping when I ended up here. I'm still sad and a little confused about why I was brought here and what my purpose is. Although, one of my favorite mottos is onward and upward so I'm just taking it as it comes. I am glad to have met you both. I was freaking out a bit, as I didn't know where I was, but I am glad we are together."
Both of them smiled at me and Tuor called for us to have a break. I shared a granola bar with them and we each ate a smaller piece of bread.
As we continued walking Voronwë asked, "Do all humans look like you, where are you from?"
"Kind of, I guess. I'm not sure what you mean?"
He blushed a little and continued, "You are very beautiful. Your hair is soft and I have never seen brown hair with streaks of gold. Your eyes look like some of the Eldar, who have seen the trees. Your blue eyes have a ring of gold around them that reminds me of water reflecting on the sea. Sometimes they appear green instead of blue and it is quite strange. Your clothing is also strange but fits your body well which is also very lean. I admit I have not met many humans, but the few who live in the mouths of Sirion do not look like you."
It was my turn to blush now, "thank you, but I guess it is normal. My hair has highlights which are quite common for women in my world. My eyes are hazel which is rare where I'm from but not special. Everyone in my family has the same color eyes except my father. We get them from my mother's mother. They can change color depending on what I am wearing but they are usually blue or green with a gold ring around the center. My clothes are pretty normal for my world. I'm sure we have some clothes that would be considered odd here. This is what I normally wear. I was hiking when I came here so the clothes I have were built for the outdoors."
As I finished talking Tuor turned around and winked at us and laughed. "You are quite a beautiful woman. I too agree that your eyes, hair, and clothes are strange. I have met many humans and I have never seen anything like them before. It's not a bad thing though, it makes you unique."
I laughed at them both, "I suppose I can't say much, as I haven't seen any other humans of this world. But I'm considered normal in my world. I'm certainly not thin like an elf, but I like to hike and kayak with my friends so I'm in fairly good shape. I think it is important to take care of yourself and to do some of my hobbies you need to be in decent shape."
The conversations turned to less awkward topics. I had to explain a few things to the two, like what school was and what some of my hobbies were like kayaking. We spent the rest of the afternoon asking each other questions. Voronwë was most curious about my job and the nature surrounding my home. He said the crafters and builders in Gondolin would welcome me if Turgon accepts us. He told us about the city of Gondolin and the things he has seen on his travels.
Tuor was surprised by the lack of creatures and other beings. "Your home seems like a paradise if there are no servants of evil. Although the world sounds sad without elves," said Tuor.
"I too, am saddened by my lack of kin. Your world seems like a fine place if there are more people like you," Voronwë said with a smile.
We continued to talk as there wasn't much to look at except the grassy plain. Voronwë said Turgon chose the location for Vinyamar because you could see anything or anybody coming for miles. He told us the history of the area and the city, but it was short as they left shortly after he was born. Sometimes we would walk in silence and sometimes Voronwë would sing softly. We had to stop a few times for bathroom breaks, which were awkward for everyone.
Finally, as the sun was getting close to setting, we reached the edge of the forest. Voronwë led us from the edge, a short distance to a nearby stream. There was a small clearing with dense foliage covering the other sides. The place was secluded, and this is where we will make camp for the night.