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The sun was still hiding below the horizon of the distant tower hills in the east when he arrived at the ferry dock. The city of Forlond was not yet awake and the morningmists rolled in from the bay of Lhûn. The wind was chill and made him pull his cloak tighter around his body. It couldn't be long before the dawn ferry arrived from Harlond on the other side of the bay. He sat down on the paved ground and peered into the fog to see if he could spot the mast of the ship in the distance, but it wasn't there yet. He suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to leave a note for his parents who were not yet awake when he had left their house north of the city. He didn't think they would become too nervous, afterall he had been known to go on hunting trips early in the morning before and this morning he was just going to Harlond to buy some goods. He expected to be back before evening. The mast and triangular sail of the ferry appeared as a blueish field in the grey. It pulled silently in to the dock and he stepped aboard. "Goodmorrow, Ithilorn." said Daegil the ferrycaptain an old elf, wise in navigation and shipcraft. "Going hunting again are we?" "Nay, just going to the shops today. We are in no great need of meat or furs since my last trip in to the Ered Luin." Ithilorn sat down as the ship began moving out on the Gaer Lhûnen. The waves lapping against the side of the boat made him feel comfortable, as if he were lying in a cradle. The wind was fresh, the rising sun chased away the dense fogs and a blue sky appeared over them. It was bright morning as they pulled into Harlond and Ithilorn left the ferry with a greeting to Daegil.
He walked down Old Ropemakers Street where the shops had not yet opened. He passed the Herbalists Shop, Faldor the weaponsmiths Shop and the old ropeworks And came to Ossës well in front of the Seagull Inn. Here stood a young elf, looking utterly confused. "Pardon me, Good Sir." he approached Ithilorn courteously. " I am looking for the Rangers guild, where I intend to learn how to ride. Could you by any chance direct me to it?" " Surely. I am going that way myself." Ithilorn replied with a smile. He led the young elf to the entrance rangers guild just north of the Havens park. "fishing is allowed in this park. I suggest you get your self some breakfast on the carps in that pond there, before you begin your training. They are quite docile and easy to catch." Ithilorn pointed towards the guild. "That is where the ranger teaches his art. Im sure you will find his lessons useful. Now you must excuse me.Good morning." Ithilorn went to the fountain square where he intended to wait for the bakers and grocers shops to open. There he rested and enjoyed his breakfast of jerky and wine brought from his parents vineyard and his own meat storage.
He leaned back against the fountain enjoying the sun that by now was climbing higher in the sky. Suddenly a strange couple of travellers came walking towards him. One was a dwarf walking with a stout gait and supporting the weight of the other traveller that leaned upon his shoulders as she walked. She was a young woman. Her hair was black and long and her garments were grey and torn from long travels. Both of them were obviously in a fairly bad shape but the dwarf having a stronger built would clearly pull through. The woman however looked sorely wounded and the paleness of her eyes suggested that something other than her wounds were ailing her too. A strange couple of travellers indeed. They came towards the fountain , filled their water skins and drank from the with great thirst, then they turned towards Ithilorn. "I am in a dire need of a healer for my companion here" The dwarf began "Please assist us immediately if you have any skills in healing." Exactly the kind of politeness one could expect from a dwarf even if he hadn't been in such distress. Ithilorn smiled and pulled out some patches of cloth and some herbs from his backpack. He started tending to a gaping wound that the young woman had received to the shoulder. "What else ails her?" Ithilorn asked as he had finished preparing the bandage. "Snakebite." The dwarf mumbled. He leaned towards ithilorn and muttered "I'm afraid its the worst kind too." Ithilorn nodded. He had seen the effects of the lethal snake venom before. The woman moaned in pain as the poison gradually made her body turn numb. "I know of an herbal concoction that would cause the venoms effects to recede." However I am short of a few ingredients and I dont think that the local Herbalist sells the herbs that I need. We'll have to leave her under Círdans care and head out for the herbs." They went to Círdans home and laid the woman on the bed in front of the fireplace. The maids said that Círdan would do everything in their power to help the lady when he returned from the shipyard that night. But Ithilorn knew that that might be too late considering the speed with which the young woman already sank deeper into unconsciousness. The maids promised to keep her till they returned with the herbs. "Come Master Dwarf, We have a long way to travel before sunset." And they headed out the gate and walked eastwards with as much speed as their feet would lend them.
They had not walked very far before it became clear to both of them that the dwarf even though he was stocky and enduring had the disadvantage of very short legs. "I fear" said Ithilorn to the dwarf "that your stout legs and body that in battle was you friends safeguard against harm may now very well become her demise. We need mounts or we will not reach even the far downs before she draws her last breath." The Dwarf made a weak attempt at a protest " but ... dwarves can't ride." "Then they will have to learn or travel alone very soon" The dwarf gave in. " I know a farmer around here that might very well lend us a horse." Said Ithilorn chuckeling at the dwarfs stubborn attitude. They turned south from the road and walked on a path through fields of wheat, still green. It was early spring and swallows were in the air. They arrived at a small farm and went under a covered passageway into the yard of the farm. An elven farmer greeted them and Ithilorn explained their predicament. "So if you have a horse or even a mule to spare it would be of great help to us and our unfortunate friend." The farmer pondered awhile then said "I have an old working horse by the name of Petunia, she needs some exercise she has been idle all winter. You can have her if you promise to have her back by nightfall." "That we do!" exclaimed the dwarf. "And now lets get going. Time is dear now." They took the old pack horse in the stall, Ithilorn mounted it and lifted the dwarf up behind him. "Noro Lim Petunia! ride as the wind!" And they rode east. The sun was high in the sky. It was noon.
They passed the Greenholm junction and continued east on the road. North of them was the far downs and south of them was a bushy prarie that strecthed south towards Sarn Athrad. They entered the Shire and rode into Michel Delving, the hobbit bounders looked utterly astonished to see an elf and a dwarf riding through their little town at that speed. One of them fell backwards as he looked up at the large pack horse and its passengers. He quickly got on his feet and put on a serious face. "The plant I need grows east of the Shire near Bree. It is a swamp plant and has brilliant effects when it comes to curing and healing. They passed through the villages of witfurrows and Frogmorton before they came to the Brandywine Bridge, The Hobbit name for the bridge over the Baranduin river. Here they decided to rest and have a small lunch before they rode any further. Ithilorn got some Bannocks from his backpack and gave one to the dwarf. The dwarf had some cheese and bisquits which he shared with Ithilorn to his pleasure. After this short break they mounted old petunia again and continued east on the Old East Road. South of them lay the Old Forest of which many strange tales were told. It was said that only those with great knowledge of the wilderness could enter there and come out alive. They came to the junction were the Old East Road meets the greenway that runs south towards Tharbad. And they turned north on the wide path known as the lane. East of them they could see the walls of the city of Bree, where men and hobbits lived together in harmony. They rode North for a few minutes and them turned east again into a swampy area. Mosquitoes and blowflies buzzed around them and annoyed the dwarf so much that he almost fell of the horse. They searched the marshlands for awhile but to no avail. They could not seem to spot the plant for which they were looking. "It has grey leaves and grey flowers" Ithilorn told the dwarf. "And it usually is very common here in the Midgewater Marshes." The dwarf got off the horse and started looking through the weeds and flowers growing in the mud.
They came to a small spring and on the other side they saw some flowers that stood tall in the afternoon sun. "There" pointed ithilorn "That look like just the place to look, it loves the wet ground near springs. The dwarf was getting back on the horse so they could cross the shallow stream when suddenly a human figure appeared among the short bushes on the other side. "Who are you? Friend or foe?" Demanded the dwarf. There was no answer and the silhoutte of the man disappeared behind a young hazelnut tree. " We had better check on that." Said the dwarf. "I dont like people sneaking around like that. Especially not men. They are not to be trusted." Ithilorn nodded. and pulled the horse towards the hazelnut tree where they had last seen the man. As they aproached the tree the man lept down from a branch on which he had been hiding. His movement was so sudden that it caused the dwarf to fall backwards off the horse in to a pool of mud. The man was clad in leather and fur and he wielded a shining dagger. He wore a cloak made of a black rough fur that Ithilorn recognized as a warg fur. He gnashed his teeth and snarled at them with a grim look. " Prepare to die, fools!" And he immediately assaulted Ithilorn trying to wrestle him off the horse. Ithilorn swiftly grabbed his bow from his back but before he could wield it the man began mumbling strange words that Ithilorn at first thought was merely curses in his foul language. But then he was hit by a ball of fire that completely enveloped him in flames. The pain was excruciating and ithilorn realised that against this magus he and the dwarf stood only a small chance, their only chance was to take flight or hope that their superior numbers would make the sorcerer flee. The dwarf got on his feet and immediately attacked the man with his large battleaxe, giving the man a deep wound to the thigh. The man Snarled a curse and retreated slightly as he began mumbling again. The dwarf pressed forward letting Ithilorn get on his feet, preparing his bow for a shot. The dwarf attempted to push the man backwards but as he swiftly dodged to the side the dwarf fell over again. Ithilorn fired a single arrow that hit the man in the shoulder. It was enought to break the concentration of the man so that he could not cast another spell. Seeing that he was outnumbered the man cursed again and took flight throught the wilderness, fleeing eastwards. The dwarf got on his feet cursing, he hollered through the swamp " Come back you vile Warlock! See if your spells can stand against dwarven Axes!" Ithilorn moaned. His burns were severe and he was now as much in need of medical attention as the dwarf had been when they first met at the fountain square in the Grey Havens. He quickly looked through the the flowers that grew in the mud. "Ai! Utúvienes! I have found it!" he held the grey plant with grey flowers towards the sky. "Now we must ride fast and you shall have to ride and I ride behind you. My burns are to painful for me to be at the reins." "But dwarves...." the dwarf began but then changed his mind. " I shall ride you whereever you want to go, but don't expect a smooth ride!" "That, I would never expect" laughed the Elf merrily. They made it through the Shire in the late afternoon the sun was low over the faraway Blue Mountains. " I hope we are not too late." Said the dwarf. "If only that Numenorean Magus would have attacked someone else so you could have ridden. My backside is tender like a roast of pork!" Ithilorn smiled. "I think we will make it. Perhaps Círdan will have already cured her when we make it back. Then this entire trip will have been in vain."
They reached the Gate of Harlond as the sun set over the great western sea. Its last rays were red as blood and coloured the trees and bushes orange. Quickly they made it to Círdans home where the woman still lay sleeping. Ithilorn mixed the antidote from the herb they had gathered and some he had already had in his backpack. They gave it to the woman to drink. The dwarf gently poured it in between her lips, as she opened her eyes and smiled. "I feared I would never see you again" she whispered. " Nah!" said the dwarf. "You weren't even very ill. This young elf has been showing me the sites around town all day while we were waiting for you to wake up." The woman smiled and enfolded the dwarf in a long embrace. "How very nice of him, be sure to take him to dinner later as a small token of gratitude."