Lindsie looked at me, “Have you slept at all?”
I scrubbed my face, “bits here and there. It's that dream again.”
Lindsie picked up her fiddle. She nodded toward the door. “Taffy and I were going to practice. Your mum said she needs so much more. Why don't you join us?”
I stared at her, the homesteads might soon be under siege or worse burning and she is going to practice playing a fiddle?
“Music soothes even your monster.”
She tends to know what I think, even though we only knew of our relationship when she kidnaped my brother from our common father and brought him to me. Two years now. Three people, three different mothers, and only my brother was not base-born. Lindsie is the daughter of my father's cook, while my real mother was a farmer's daughter here in Bree-Lands. My sire was a horrible man, and who knows how many part-siblings we have in Dol Amroth alone.
“Come, it will soothe you of your worries and you can tell us of your dreams.”
I went to my room and picked up my Lonely Mountain Fiddle. My adoptive mum bought it for me when she and Nimbi went to Dale. What could it hurt? Maybe talking about the dreams would stop them and let me sleep. The gods knew I needed it, especially if all the information piling in head to an attack came true. I had to think of my people, those under my care, my Lost Ones and of course my Birdies.
I walked outside and the sun was much too bright. Light hurts my eyes so I closed them and walked to where I heard them. My tendency to do this terrifies many, but not Taffy and Lindsie. Ever since I was bashed in the head and left for dead, light has caused me trouble, as has my monster. Is it giving me my dreams? I wonder.
“What song did mum say you needed to practice Taffy”
“Arry didna say an particular one.”
So like Arry, Taffy plays in Technical Difficulties and Nimbi is very much a perfectionist. “Very well then, let us work on our song for the opening of mum and dad's library.”
“Can I play second fiddle?” Taffy asked.
“No play third as you always do.”
“Why do I always get the baby parts.”
I laughed and shook my head, “There are no baby parts in music. Each note is important.”
“You mean the song won't be good if I taint playin' my part?”
“Exactly.” I didn't need to look to know she was now smiling. Hobbits rarely frown, but she also rarely smiled, so I looked down at her face and sure enough, she was.
We tuned our instruments to each other, and started on the count of three.
“I dreamed I walked freely through Mordor, Then I returned to Angmar and submitted to those there.”
“Bah, you'd nevah do such a thing.” Taffy, ever loyal, thinks too highly of me.
“Moe would.”
“But you won't let Moe do it, I know you won't!”
“Dem, could this be caused by Kristophor going back to Angmar?” Lindsie asked.
“Let's play it again, Taffy you missed a few notes--”
“I did not.”
“When you were defending my honor, and Lindsie you mixed the fifth and twelfth stanza up, and I completely missed ten notes.”
“Oh well, in that case, I guess I did miss a couple of notes.”
We worked through the piece quietly several times. I lost myself in the melody, but my mind kept wondering on Lindsie's question.
“I think you may be right. I am worried they will pull him back to them and he will become their tool once again.”
I sang the words, but my mind kept seeing instead bits and pieces of my dreams. As hoped this did not help, because now I saw them while I was awake too. When will these vision leave me?
((Video for this can be seen at:
https://youtu.be/bkavkChszKI
Rough but we are new at this. And no I will not sing.))
