CHAPTER THREE
Setting off
Farren had been awake for not even an hour when she spotted a stream of fur-covered dwarves heading her way, chatting happily and laden in food and supplies.
"Good morning my lady," Thorin greeted her but it was obvious that he forced himself to say it and she nodded in reply, concerned that a violent argument would start out somehow if she were to even talk to him. Although the rest of the Company shook her hand once again, greeting her in a friendly manor and complimenting her on Abe.
"He's very large isn't he?" the youngest of the pack, a dwarf named Ori, asked curiously, "I mean, for a Man, or you even," Farren had to admit that he was rather similar to Bilbo, the Hobbit whom apparently had rejected the offer to come on the quest and she felt another sudden weight land on her shoulders, as another creature she had to protect.
She had been debating whether or not to slip away quietly and be on her way, wandering alone again but from the mysterious looks Gandalf was sending her, she had reluctantly veered Abe so they were trailing the pack. And Balin had insisted on bringing an extra pony, just in case the Hobbit caught up with them and indeed wanted to take part in the quest, so the tiny mare was tied to Abe's saddle and was trotting happily along next to the massive iridescent black stallion, tearing up grass and daisies when they passed a particularly large clump.
Then she heard the patter of feet, the hoarse panting of someone and the fluttering of parchment,
"WAIT!" a distant shout sounded through the trees and Farren called out to the rest of the pack, tugging on Abe's reins so he halted and she turned her torso around, spotting the familiar grape purple jacket and head of fair curls racing towards them.
"I signed it!" Bilbo said triumphantly and caught up to them, panting slightly and handed what seemed to be the contract from last night to Balin. There was a small silence as the elder dwarf read the contract with a crystal pocket glass and then smiled,
"Well, everything seems to be in order," he concluded, folding the parchment and hiding it away in his cloak, "Welcome, Master Baggins, to the Company of Thorin Oakenshield,"
All but Farren and Thorin cheered happily,
"Give him a pony," he grunted and Farren fought the urge to roll her eyes at his dismay, dropping down from Abe and untying the chestnut mare, leading her over to the open mouthed Hobbit,
"No, no, no, no, that-that won't be necessary," he stuttered nervously, "thank you, but I-I'm sure I can keep up on foot. I-I-I've done my fair share of walking holidays, you know. I even got as far as Frogmorton once-WAGH!" Farren had heaved a frustrated sigh and had grasped the Hobbit under his arms, settling him as comfortably as she could on the horse,
"This is Myrtle, play nicely," she growled and hoisted herself back on to her own horse, urging him onwards. Bilbo simply stared at her, firstly in embarrassment for he had never been touched so carelessly by a woman, and secondly in wonder because he had spotted two almost wing shaped traces of black ink on the back of her neck. Obviously it was a tattoo but he had never witnessed one on a woman and he wondered how she could've stood the pain, he had heard about tattoos and how they were applied,
"When did you get your tattoo?" he asked curiously before he realised what he had actually done and Farren, surprisingly, smiled at him and his desire to know about something no one really noticed,
"I was about seventeen summers old, I think?" she recalled, almost dreamily, "I was the youngest in the family to get one, and the last sadly,"
"What happened?" she didn't mind his curiosity but she noticed Thorin's eyes dart towards them with an air of – concern?
"We were ambushed by Night Crawlers one night in winter. I was the only survivor so I left, and I became a Wanderer," and she began to unbutton her surcoat, only three of the buttons at the bottom and revealed the bare skin of her waist where, Bilbo forced himself to look with red cheeks, a winding serpent-like tail was imprinted into her fair skin. He swallowed thickly and nodded, not being able to say anything,
"I'll show you the rest one day," and Bilbo suddenly felt sick with nervousness, suddenly realising that she would have to remove her shirt to show him her back, where the rest of the tattoo lay.
Farren laughed at his reddening cheeks and fell back behind the pack once more, patting Abe helpfully on his neck,
"We've got a long way to go my friend," she told him and subconsciously sent Gandalf a smile, but he did not return it.