The night seemed to pass quickly and yet at the same time it took forever for the sun to rise again. Zandrianna tossed and turned, memories of her past and present clashing in her mind like a brewing storm.
The room bathed in the soothing light of morning, Zandrianna opened her eyes and looked around the room. She momentarily thought about going back to sleep for longer but, knowing the caravan was leaving to return to Bree, she sighed and got out of bed to tend her daughter. Althessia herself seemed a bit fussy, as though she could sense her mother's mood, and whined softly while Zandrianna dressed and fed her. Cradling her daughter in her arms, she rocked her gently as she hummed an old rohirric tune that seemed to calm the baby down once more. Finally she was able to settle the child down in her crib and, moving quickly, Zandrianna packed their bags.
A sharp knock at the door preceded one of the caravan workers. "Letting you know ma'am, that we'll be leaving shortly. If those are ready," he pointed to the bags, "I'll be taking them to the wagon for you."
Zandrianna looked down at the bags and nodded. "They are, and I thank you. I'll be ready in a moment myself."
The man nodded at her. "You have a short time, but we're on a schedule. The spices and herbs we picked up need to get back to Bree. The sooner we leave, the faster we can get them there."
Assuring the man that she and her baby would be quick, Zandrianna left the room to say good-bye to Edhelnir, and thank him for the generosity and hospitality she had received during her stay. She found him in the Scholar's Enclave, going over some paperwork as he spoke to the caravan master. "Yes, these papers are in order and you should be all set to leave," he said, noticing the movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned to look up at the the pair and nodded. "Mae g'ovannen Hiril Zandrianna. I take it you both slept well?"
Smiling, Zandrianna replied, "Yes we did, and I wanted to thank you again for everything while we were here. Your people were most kind, and the visit was a pleasure."
The elf smiled back, standing to look down at Althessia. "It was a very little, hiril, for you were both a joy to help. And, as we were able to reestablish our contracts with your association, I would say that the pleasure is ours."
Leading her out of the archive, Edhelnir walked with her to the caravan, where one of the men took Althessia and settled her into a small basket for the journey. Before Zandrianna could join her daughter, the elf took her hand, pressing into it a small book. "It is elven poetry, hiril, perhaps someone will be kind enough to read it to you. Or, if you should wish, you might learn Sindarin and read it yourself. If you choose the latter, I would be happy to assist you."
Looking down at the cover, Zandrianna pondered this and smiled. "Thank you, I will treasure it. And mayhap, if I do find myself with the time, I will learn how to read it myself."
Seemingly pleased by her response, Edhelnir smiled and helped Zandrianna up into the wagon. "Then I shall look forward to seeing what you have learned the next time, hiril," he replied, bowing to her before he went off to tend his duties for the day.
Before long, the caravan was on the move, heading across the bridge and towards the Shire, as Zandrianna dozed in the back with her baby.
A hard jolt, and the sudden stop of the wagon, caused Althessia to cry out and jarred Zandrianna from her half sleep. Looking around at the swampy expanse in which they had paused, she wondered where they were. One of the caravan workers saw her and motioned her back inside. "Ma'am," he said, "Best to stay inside the wagon. We've got a broken wheel, but won't take any time to fix and we'll be on our way again."
Seeing the men hard at work pulling another wheel from the back of the second wagon, Zandrianna nodded and thanked him, before settling back down in the wagon to calm Althessia. As she hummed to herself and the baby, she listened to the men talk back and forth as the worked on removing the broken wheel.
Thump! Something hit the side of the wagon, startling Zandrianna just as one of the men shouted out "Brigands! Brigands!" She could hear the shouts in the distance of several men, and the caravan master's cry of "defend the wagons!" Not daring to look out and see what was going on, she could only hear the ensuing battle, as she grabbed Althessia from her basket and quickly hid with her between the crates of spices, covering the baby's body with her own as she held her breath and waited ...
