Carrying the Past - The Hobbit

Chapter 4

The rain had stopped and Freya awoke her face still stained with tears of the night. She quickly washed and dressed and made her way downstairs, Gandalf sitting calming opposite her father smoking a pipe.

"Old Toby?" Freya said from the stairs.

"Yes" Gandalf laughed "You have quite a nose for pipe weed"

"My father used to smoke, he would sometimes share it with me if I begged him, most the time he'd make up stories why not to smoke it" she laughed at the memory.

"Come" ushered Gandalf "The rain has cleared we may lay him at peace"

...

The two made their way to the cemetery carrying Old Henry in a coffin Freya had purchased with the last of their money. It was no big funeral, only Gandalf and Freya, and then later Thorin, had come to bid the old man farewell. Once the coffin was buried Gandalf turned to Freya.

"There is still a week until the company set out on the quest?" he looked at her "It is your choice"

"There is nothing for me here anymore, I will like to come" she turned to Thorin. "...If that is ok?" he nodded back.

"Well then" Gandalf smiled "Our fourteenth member of the company" he cheered. "See you in a week".

"Where are you going?" Freya asked.

"I have other business to attend to in the meantime, regarding the quest." He turned to her "You will be fine, Freya, I will see you very soon" he put her hand on her shoulder and walked away. He looked to Thorin. "Where will you be?" he asked.

"I will be heading further North, just in case..."

 "Thorin..." Gandalf looked at the dwarf who shot him a determined look back. "Very well" he said "But don't run into trouble and be careful..." and with that he was gone. Thorin nodded his head towards Freya to bid his leave and then he was gone. Freya stood there by her father's grave. Are you nuts? One part of her said. You will get yourself killed! The other part was saying go, get away from here, begin a new life again. She agreed with that part of herself more than the other.