I never heard any more from the Watch about the matter of Miss Owena's parents and the ransom, so I suppose that means they don't need anything more from me. But with things settled, Miss Adri and I started discussing our delayed journey to Imladris. We wanted to get it done before the weather got too cold. It's too late for that, but any longer we wait, the colder it'll get. So we're planning to leave tomorrow.
If everything goes as we hope, it'll be about ten days before we return. That means food's not a great challenge; we can carry enough food for the trip, which is how it can be so short, no need to stop to hunt. Food for the horses -- well, my horse, and Miss Adri's goat Rascal -- we couldn't carry, but we'll be able to forage enough even in this season, and they can both go a few days through any shortfall. Water is more an issue; large stretches of the road after the Forsaken Inn have very little, so we'll be planning our camps, and thus, how far we go in a day, based on where we can get water.
The first two days will be long rides. Instead of stopping at the Forsaken Inn, which isn't fit for man or beast, we mean to push on to a spring on the base of Weathertop. We can camp there in the shelter of the hill itself, and have clean water, enough for us and Kestrel and Rascal. Then another long day's ride to cross to the Last Bridge, where we'll have the River Hoarwell to drink up from. Hope that's a warmer night as we won't have very good shelter. The third day we travel through the woods, and camp near the Bruinen, at the fords; not as hard a ride, thankfully, though again, only modest shelter. The fourth day makes us to Imladris, arriving late in the day. Then two days there, which will hopefully be enough for Miss Adri's business and my inquiries. The return trip follows the same pattern in reverse, so again, each night's camp is near a source of clean water.
I've spent the last couple of days trying to prepare. I've done all the work ahead I could at the stables to ensure that the burden won't fall too heavily on Miss Brynleigh, though she told me she is feeling better these days. And I've packed everything I can think we might need. For myself, food, my waterskin, the fine tunic that ma told me to have when I see important people, the comb and scissors for trimming my hair and beard for the same reason, my hatchet, my butchering knife, some rope, a fire-starting steel, my tent and wool blanket, and three dozen extra arrows. Just in case we need to fend off any dangers, but this time of year, the wildlife is likely to be hunkered down, and we'll do all our traveling by day, so any orcs, goblins, and trolls won't be out. But best to have plenty just in case. I can fix them given time, but there might not be time, not if we mean to keep to that plan. For the animals, I've packed Kestrel's blanket that Miss Sareva made, in a fancy burgundy color, and the full set of curry combs and hoof picks to care for them on the road, along with some bandages and suturing materials in case of injury.
I keep going over the journey in my thoughts and trying to be sure I'm ready. Mostly though I'm just relying on Miss Adriellyn. The road is clear enough to follow as far as the Ford of Bruinen, but after that, only she knows the way. And she knows the dangers, and is ready to defend against them. And when we get there, she's the one what'll introduce me, and lead my way to the right people to ask the right questions of. She tells me that I don't need to worry about that, that I'll just need to know the question I want to ask, but the whole thing seems fraught with uncertainty, and in its way, more frightening than the journey itself.
