Beside the Undying Fire

Chapter 3

The sun had just come up out of the east, it shone on my back, warming me slightly, not that it was needed as it was a hot day to begin with. The sky shone a glowing blue, only few small clouds were in sight. The trees all around offered some cover from the bright sun. They were spread on either side, forming perfect lines between the worn-in path.

Farin and Barin poked at each other's nerves. Dwalin walked along side Thorin, occasionally mumbling something. And I walked behind, at a great distance. A great enough distance in which I was out of sight and could hide as I needed. But I was still able to faintly hear them.

"We have to cut through the forests of the Greenwood." The short, brown-bearded dwarf grieved.

Thorin turned as he clutched his sword "You mean to say you are not willing to cross the forests of the Greenwood to defend our brothers, Farin? How shall you be as we reach the Misty Mountains?"

The dwarf continued trudging along. Thorin turned, continuing as well.

~

Around midday the company reached the forests of Mirkwood. The forest was thick, diminishing the hot rays of the sun. The tree's stumps were thick and appeared weak as they held a ginormous tree, some of them had been misshapen from battle, time and the weight of the tree they carried.

The forest was a pale colour, it was hard to even tell it had once thrived as a forest. It carried many obstacles, from trees to rocks to roots spiralling out of the ground.

Thorin and the company ventured on into the forests of Mirkwood. It was quiet, besides Thorin's powerful footsteps cracking branches, Dwalin's grunting every now and again, and one of the two brothers occasionally tripping over the big roots of the trees.

The air was heavy. All light was drowned from the trees. It was hazy, dark, and overall dead. The air placed a burden upon my shoulders, just as it did to the others, Dwalin showed a touch of exhaustion and hallucinations as he nearly walked into a tree and mumbled a curse in Dwarvish. Thorin kept his eyes on the trail, occasionally beginning to drag his feet and hang his head. But stopping not a few seconds later.

"Aye, this place is filth." The brown-bearded dwarf broke the line of silence.

"Shut up Farin" Barin blurted.

"Both of you keep it down." Dwalin said walking past the two dwarves now in a scrap.

There was a fair amount of babbling throughout the quest, but Thorin didn't seem to take much notice in it. In all honesty, it looked as if they came on this quest because they were facing punishment in their homeland and had no place to go, let alone stay, so they saw an opportunity to get away and on the road with the company of two mighty Dwarves that would ensure their safety. Unless they were just idiots. Who knows.

I treaded behind the dwarves, occasionally obliged to hide beneath a tree root as Thorin looked back. My knees would get dirty and torn from the mean forests. Bloody knees would not stop me for any amount of time.

Thorin stopped dead in his tracks, glaring up ahead.

"What is it?" Dwalin walked up behind him.