Another chapter! NaNoWriMo is really pushing me to get chapters out quicker than I have been for years now. I am going to push to try to keep up with this story after this month! Thanks for the support everyone.
The sun rose quicker than Elrond had expected as he awoke and quickly helped pack things up before moving on. They did not talk much on the return trip as Elrond enjoyed the sights and sounds of nature. There was animals getting a morning meal as they moved through the fields as well as ponds of water that Elrond must have missed on their first time through.
"Maybe one day I will let you see the waterfalls to the east," Andreth said with a smile as he watched Elrond looking around.
"I would love to see them. I would love to see as much as I can," he admitted. "I bet you there are tons of places that are rarely seen."
"There are," Andreth admitted. "I have seen a lot of those places in my travels over the years. I have even seen parts of Middle Earth that are no longer here. Just as you have seen a few of those places."
"Do you really think I will get to travel to places like you have?"
"I have no doubt that you will. I see you doing great things, Elrond. Things that some people can only dream of. Why do you think I am so hard on you during training and lessons?"
"I did not even think about that," he admitted looking at his mentor. "I thought, at times, that you just wanted to push me to be better."
"That too. You have so much potential. You just need to learn how to use it."
"Thanks," Elrond smiled as he watched a deer get spooked and run off.
They continued their journey in silence as the world around them seemed to surprise Elrond more and more. At one point, they passed a group of traveling dwarves who seemed shocked by their presence. Their words being 'it is not every day you pass traveling elves in these areas'. Elrond just smiled while Andreth talked with them for a moment to calm their suspicions and fears. Elrond sat silently as he listened to them talk, hearing Andreth speak in their own language which seemed to help. Elrond recognized some of what was being said, but not all of it. When the dwarves finally lowered their heads and spoke safe travels, Elrond and Andreth returned the gesture before heading on their way.
"Will you teach me?"
"Teach you?" Andreth asked confused.
"Their language," Elrond answered looking at his mentor.
"If you would like, I will. It is not an easy language for elves to learn, but in the long run, it can be beneficial."
"That is exactly why I would like to learn," Elrond admitted as he watched Andreth smile. "Especially if you feel I will travel."
"You will and in that case, learning more than Sindarian and common tongue will be very beneficial to you. You never know who you will cross paths with and what language you will need to speak."
"Will you teach me every language that you can?"
"I will teach you every beneficial language that I can," Andreth answered knowing that there were some languages that would not help Elrond in these days. "There are a few languages that are dead or only spoken by a select few. Those will not help you and I will not teach."
"That is understandable."
"The one that I spoke to my aunt is one of those languages. I think there may only be a handful of people left that speak it. Those people have learned other languages along the way to communicate with the people of today's age."
"I figured. Was that language spoken in the first age?"
"Early first age, yes, but as the years went on, fewer and fewer spoke it. By mid-first age, about a couple hundred still spoke it and it started to become less and less frequent. If you go farther back, the people from The Years of the Trees spoke it all the time. The people who still speak it today are the few that came to Middle Earth all those years ago."
"You have seen Valinor?" Elrond asked in shock.
"I was born there, but do not remember it," Andreth said softly. "My family remembers it and they refuse to talk about it or their crossing. It was not a pleasant time. So many died and so many betrayed by their kin."
Elrond nodded not sure what to say to this. He knew those years were rough, but he did not know to what extent.
"Maybe when we get back, I will tell you what I do know about those times. That is if you want to know."
"Please," Elrond responded. "I will admit that I love learning history."
"I know you do. You love learning in general and if you had your choice, you would lock yourself in the library to read and learn everything you could and never come out."
"Yeah, probably," Elrond laughed hearing this. "Elros said that to me once too."
"Then I know for sure that I am right," Andreth grinned. "We will start learning some dwarvish when we get back."
"Thank you very much."
That night seemed to be just as uneventful as the first night on the road which put them just about half way home at this point. When morning came, they packed up just as the day before and proceeded on their way silently. There was not much to talk about so Andreth started to point out places on their way and tell Elrond the dwarvish word for that item. Some of them were as simple as lake and mountain while others were names for animals or correcting Elrond's pronunciation of a location. Some of the locations were harder than Elrond had imagined as he struggled with the words. Andreth stayed calm and he would repeat the phrase with emphasis on the part Elrond had messed up on. This went on for majority of the day until Andreth would ask for the word for lake or mountain or a location and let Elrond answer in dwarvish. He was not doing bad and each time, Andreth would let him know how he did. Thankfully, Elrond was very good at learning new things and retained the words without much effort which made Andreth confident that Elrond would be able to speak dwarvish without much effort. The constant focus on words made the entire journey that day seem to fly by without much effort.
What they did not expect is that come nightfall, it would start to rain gently. Andreth seemed almost on edge with this weather as he set up the tent with urgency and insisted on keeping watch all night. Elrond offered one last time and Andreth insisted again that it was not an issue. When Elrond went into the tent, he had a hard time getting comfortable unlike the nights before. The wind blew hard and the rain pelted the tent with force. Normally the combination would put him to sleep, but with Andreth being uneasy, this only kept him wide awake. Elrond laid there silently as the wind howled around him, listening to the world around him for any sign of what was making Andreth uneasy and he soon got his answer when he heard Andreth's sword unsheath. Not hesitating, Elrond jumped up, grabbing his sword as he left the tent and stood next to Andreth silently.
"I think there is only two of them," Andreth said so softly that if Elrond had not been intently listening, he would never have heard.
"They sound very heavy in their walking. Maybe it is a good thing that there are only two," Elrond said as they stayed still as Andreth simply nodded.
They stayed silent as they listened carefully. They were thankful to hear the steps move right past them in the dark. Seeing the shadows in the dark made Elrond very thankful for the rain because this was the first night they did not make a fire. He knew from the shape and height that the two figures were mountain trolls and not something that either one of them could take down without the help of others. Elrond started to relax a bit as he heard Andreth's sword resheath.
"Rest," Andreth said softly.
"I doubt I can," Elrond admitted. "I knew something was off by how you were acting."
"I did not know that they were mountain trolls, but I knew something was close. They are moving more and more these days and this weather is the perfect situation for them to move long distances."
"Why?"
"I am not sure. I just know that you need to rest for tomorrow. We have a long day ahead of us. We are going to make it the rest of the way home," Andreth said causing Elrond to nod. "I will see you early."
"Same," Elrond said making his way back into the tent without another word.
Laying down, he promised himself to write to Thranduil about tonight and warn him of this threat. This was something he knew was a real threat and that Thranduil would definitely tell Oropher about. Rolling onto his side, he closed his eyes as he listened to the storm rage on around him as the rain continued to pelt the tent even harder than before. Under the current situation, it did not take Elrond long to close his eyes and fall asleep.
Morning brought even heavier rain than last night as Elrond took special care in packing his supplies to make sure they did not get ruined. Taking down the tent proved to be even more challenging than normal and Elrond knew that today was not going to be easy by any means. He now understood why Andreth insisted on him resting last night after the troll incident. When they finally got everything packed, Elrond could tell that about twice as much time had passed than normal. He was not use to moving so slow to get going and with the heavy rain, the horses seemed to travel slower than normal as well. Elrond now understood even more so why the normal half a day would take all day to get there. As much as he loved the rain, he had to admit that he did not like traveling in the rain.
The trail was very slippery for the horses the farther they went and at one point, they ended up getting down and leading their horses up the trail. Every two or three steps ended with Elrond slipping a little. As much as he was helping his faithful horse get up, his faithful horse was also helping him get up as well. Thankfully when they reached the top, Lindon came into view and Elrond knew that this trip was almost to an end.
"We are almost there," Elrond smiled looking at the city with a smile.
"For once, are you happy to see Lindon?"
"Very. I cannot wait to be in a warm bath, relaxing and not out here in the chilly rain. I am ready to be out of these soaking wet clothes and these muddy boots," Elrond admitted.
"I understand every bit of that," Andreth laughed slightly. "This has got to be a real eye opener to what travel can really be. Just think, I have been on trips where the entire time, it has stormed like this. I have also been on trips where I have been stranded a day on the road due to the storm being too bad."
"What was the worse situation you have ever traveled in?"
"There was one time, before you and Elros came to Lindon, where I needed to travel towards the Misty Mountains. On my way, I got caught in a blizzard and ended up stuck in a cave for four days before I was able to travel the rest of the way," Andreth explained.
"That sounds like a complete nightmare," Elrond laughed. "I think I would have cried before being able to accept that there is nothing I could do about my situation."
"Yes, but at the same time, it gave me four days to stop and enjoy doing absolutely nothing for once. I did not have to work or worry about anything. I was free to enjoy the snow and the wilderness."
"When you put it that way, it does sound nice."
"It was," Andreth simply said as he watched the city come closer and closer to view. "When we get to the stables, go ahead and grab your stuff and head on in. I will get the horses taken care of."
"Thank you, Andreth," Elrond smiled. "Also, I cannot thank you enough for everything this week."
"Not a problem at all. Just remember that tomorrow, your lessons start back up and you have a lot to learn that you agreed to on top of what you still have on your plate."
"Yes sir. I promise to do my best," Elrond nodded excited about what was to come as the gates came within touching distance.
As they crossed into the gates, Andreth did not dismount for once and Elrond figured this was due to the rain. The streets were empty except for a rare person here and there as they made their way quickly through the town. Each person they passed paid them no attention probably due to the fact that they were busy trying to get where they needed to go and stay as dry as possible. Due to the lack of people in the streets, the stables were reached quicker than normal and when Elrond dismounted, he stretched, trying to release the ache in his bones. Grabbing his stuff, he nodded to Andreth before making his way quickly to his room where he removed every bit of clothing as quickly as he could. They fell in a pile with a heavy slosh as he made his way to his bath without another thought.