Lady Red Cloak

Thaw My Flesh

An hour later

If there was ever an occasion to not waste a second of time, this was it! Thousands of dwarves wanted claim to the mountain, and there was no doubt they'd be moving too from whatever dark place they crawled out from. All belongings were piled up on the carts and regardless of ownership, all dwarrowdam in the middle cart with a thin sheet of fabric to keep us hidden from the world as we travelled

I had one last look around my childhood home, the laughs shared here almost echoed through the various rooms. I could still see the concerned look Balin accidentally shot my way as Thorin came to the door, up until that point - I'd never been alone. Dwalin had left first in comfort that Balin would make sure I was stable here with food and emotional support...they only thought they'd be gone a few months

The scent of our home cooking disasters stained the walls, how they'd braid my hair in front of the fire on frostbitten evenings. I almost didn't want to leave, but Dwalin mattered more to me than four walls did - it was time to really believe my own stories that we belonged in Erebor and not the blue mountains, that the company would welcome us home with open arms...but Erebor didn't hold the memories this place did

"Hey lassie! The carts will be leaving soon! Get on before you get left behind" I breathed in that musky scent mixed with ale and burnt wood one last time before the door closed for good, I was once told 'greater things are waitin' for ya'...how could I ever find out if I never stepped outside the door? Surely Dwalin would miss this home too but if he could push on for the sake of our kin, so could I!

I crawled up on the last remaining space snug between two other women who seemed stunned at my difference in build, then they closed the gap for warmth reservation. For the beginning of the journey, they all gossiped about what they thought the lonely mountain would be like when we returned, and how they'd gawk at our future king from afar. It wasn't that I didn't want it but romance had never been an interest of mine - very few that I knew had such luck

After a little while, the snowy territory I'd been raised in slowly allowed small patches of green to peep through as we moved across into warmer areas - the views from the cart were astonishing! With the height of the mountains still available, we could see across the land for miles- little farms and everything! A few of us were pointing at animals and civilians as they came into view

Once the sun started to rise, I shuffled a little more under the cover leaning my head on the side of the cart as I got comfy - this was no short journey, and I likely would go back to being sheltered inside so this sight was something that was to be soaked in fully. We were allowed to sing as long as it didn't get too rowdy, that included stories too but after months of doing just that...it was the last thing I wanted to do

Those tales of folk had gotten these dwarves on the wagons and carts, and we were well on our way - I'd done my part as far as I was concerned. No one had asked me to do such a thing in the beginning however our kin had a history of turning to acts of war when they had the slightest of doubts in one another, a fact I wasn't proud of nor did I wish to repeat. "Oh look, lass - rams!" A familiar smile came across my face as the horned beasts ran in the distance

Something Dwalin and I had always done as a game was 'rams'. He'd lower his bald head and pretend to charge at me in the house, and I'd giggle profusely hiding behind table legs and chairs in order to 'defend against the ram', it would go on for hours and hours until my bedtime rolled around and he'd tell me I was 'too fast for the beast'...he'd later regret that game in my adolescent years...

But it was everything to me...