Not Forsaken

Chapter 4

They had started early the next morning. They had stopped to take a short rest, and a quick bite of something to eat, Luliana finally having dug some dried meat from her pack. She hadn't eaten yet that day, had missed supper the night before, and found herself quite famished. She filled her water skin with water again, and ate a small cake that she had from a few days before.

She ate quite well for being on her own in the wilderlands. She had learned much from her mother, as they would spend days foraging for berries and such, roots, whatever could be found. Her father had taught her to hunt, which was a valuable skill. She only had a dagger, and had to rely heavily on trapping, but it was a skill that Luliana had honed almost to an art. She would have to rely mostly on the dried meat she carried with her, now that they were on the move.

They travelled now for several days, and hadn't stopped for more than a night at a time, and that had not afforded her the time to track or trap anything. They were making good time, however, and Gandalf was sure they would make it to Bree by nightfall. Luliana was frightened at the prospect of venturing into this new place. She had never lived in a village, or near anyone, for that manner. The rain that was still pouring down in buckets did nothing more than dampen her spirits even more.

"Gandalf, who is it that you are meeting in Bree?" She asked cautiously, almost not wanting to know. "And, pray tell, what does this have to do with me?" Luliana was beginning to have second thoughts about this whole journey, although it felt like this is what she was supposed to be doing. Especially after what Gandalf had revealed to her several nights ago. She still hadn't spoken to Gandalf about what she had been feeling, sensing, and now it seemed like they were running out of time. Would this person travel with them? Would they accept her the way Gandalf always had, with her being half man, half dwarf?

"My dear, if you pull your braid any harder, I fear you may pull it clean off your head!" He laughed almost out loud. She hadn't realized she was pulling on her hair again, and her cheeks flushed with sudden embarrassment. "What ever is wrong, young one?" Gandalf asked, that twinkle in his eye once more.

"I must admit, I am nervous about this journey. I guess I best tell you, I have felt uneasy these last few weeks. I feel like I have been searching for...something. Only I'm not sure what. I don't know why, but I have felt that I need to head north, and..." Luliana trailed off. She wasn't sure what else to say. Gandalf had told her that she had been born for a purpose. What else did he know about her heritage? Was there more he was not telling her?

Gandalf seemed to sense her uneasiness, and stopped. "My dear, you are headed north. And although I cannot be sure, I may know something of what you are searching for. I asked you to come with me because I may have a quest for you, if it is agreeable with the one we are going to meet in Bree. I cannot tell you more now, so I can only ask you to please trust me. I will not lead you astray." He looked down at her with an understanding smile. He knew it was hard for her to trust, but he also knew that she had always trusted him.

"Very well," Luliana stated simply. "I will trust you. You have always been faithful to me, friend. I will not doubt you now. Even if I still believe you have more to tell me."

Gandalf smiled down at her again, and with a little wink, started off again towards Bree.

It was close to dark now, and the rain continued to fall. She feared she would never be able to dry out, and it was growing colder. They approached the outskirts of the place, and she could hear the voices of the people in the distance. Luliana began to tense.

As they entered the town, it was dark. The old buildings were cramped and close together, and lamp light shone out into the muddy streets. The smell of this place was overpowering to her senses. It smelled not of the forest, nor of the fields that she was used to, but of the filth of men and of sweat. They passed a stable, the smell of straw and manure wafting out to greet them. There were men, and dwarves, and what appeared to be tiny dwarves with hairy feet and no beards.

"Gandalf," Luliana whispered, not wanting any one to hear her. "What are these strange, beardless creatures? I have never seen the likes of them!"

Gandalf chuckled quietly, clearly amused. "Those, my dear, are hobbits."

"Hobbits?" She repeated back. It was such a strange word. "Are they friendly?" She asked, quite unsure of this new breed of folks.

"Quite!" Gandalf replied, happily. "They are a delightful folk, you will quite enjoy their kind, I think."

"Oh. The one you are meeting, is he or she a hobbit?" Luliana was now becoming curious. They did seem to look quite agreeable, with plump little faces, and bright eyes. Although she thought their feet were quite horrid.

"Oh no, my dear. The one WE will be meeting is a dwarf." Gandalf glanced at her, almost trying to gauge her reaction to this new piece of news.

"A dwarf?" She squeaked. "The only dwarf I have ever met is my mother." Luliana suddenly felt quite on the verge of tears. "She told me that her father and her brother had turned her away because of my father! What is this dwarf to think of me? Oh Gandalf!" She cried, almost in despair, stopping to stand in quite a deep puddle, pulling at her braid once more. What had he been thinking, she wondered? How could this be? Oh, why hadn't she just stayed hidden in the woods. Why had she agreed to come with him?

No longer able to bear the weight of the questions that were burning in her mind, she began to weep. She felt foolish for doing so, but she could no longer hold the tears back. Gandalf placed a large, gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Come now, don't cry!" He said in a gently, almost pleading tone. "Here. Try some of this, it will settle your nerves." He held out his pipe to her, after wiping it on his long beard. She gingerly took a puff at it, inhaled too deeply, and began coughing.

"How can you stand this? Yuck!" Luliana finally choked out, once she had gotten herself under control. She smiled at him through her tears. Gandalf had to hold back a chuckle, holding a hand up to his mouth as if covering a cough himself.

"Why, my dear!" he exclaimed. "You do not enjoy Longbottom leaf? It is a favorite of the Hobbit folk! And most sought out by many people in Arda no less!"

She simply glared at him, trying to regain her composure.

Once he was satisfied that Luliana was sufficiently calmed down, and would jot choke to death, he urged her to move on. They had stopped in the middle of the muddy road, and were beginning to draw some unwanted attention.

They began moving on towards their destination, which Gandalf explained was an inn called the Prancing Pony. "Does this dwarf know that you are bringing a...that you keep company with..."Luliana stammered, not quite knowing what else to say.

Gandalf shook his head. "He does not know I will be meeting him at all, nor does he know I am traveling with a companion."

She looked at him, utterly confused and confounded. "What do you mean? How do you know that he will even be there? Oh, I am so confused!"

"Oh, dear one," smiled Gandalf, "you still have much to learn of keeping company with a wizard!"