I've noticed, when on a journey more than a few hours, how the way back goes much quicker, but feels much, much longer.
It goes quicker on account you know the road, and your packs are lighter what with all the provisions you've used up, and because you aren't making lots of stops on account you already made them. This time of year, it also goes quicker on account the days are longer, so you can ride more afore making camp, and making camp don't take as long in mild weather. Maybe it goes quicker too on account you're more eager, as your eyes are fixed on a point farther ahead, so you walk quicker, or ride harder.
But it feels long because of the same thing, that your eyes are fixed on a point far away. As we headed south, I were always thinking of one place or another that were fair close, only days or weeks away. The pass to cross, then the visit to Dwimordene, then the Mark, and home -- no, not home no more, just Marton now -- then on to Gondor, and then the Sea, and then Dol Amroth. It's easy to mark the days atween now and a place what you'll see under the same phase of the moon.
But on the return journey, your thoughts are fixed on home, and you want to be there so bad. At least that's how it is for me, and especially now. Feels like we already done what this journey were about, so now, why we got to plod through all these leagues, when it's all finished? There's nothing much going to happen on the journey, most like, so there's nowhere for my thoughts to be but home. Seeing people I miss. Especially Beoda, but many others. I worry sometimes about how Miss Brynleigh is, how she's recovering, but the selfish stone in my heart also wonders if it'll be the same when I return as in the month afore I left, where I couldn't even see her, because the hurt of that I don't know how I can bear if it's still to be that way. Also that'll make being her apprentice hard, and I also miss the horses in Hookworth, and Snow, and Biscuit, and Ben. I think about things I mean to do when I return, like paying for the house so it's finally mine, sealed and settled, and I just want to get them done. I daydream of how I'll tell folk the tale of our journey, going over it in my thoughts, getting eager to start the telling so I don't get it too wrong. And day after day as I see Adri staying so quiet in her hurt, or trying so hard not to, I wonder whether being home will help her, being amongst her friends what can help her like I can't.
Now we've crossed back into the Mark, and I think how this is probably the last time ever I'll be in the land what I always figured would be my home for my whole life, I'm scared of the day we leave it, but also, I want to get it done. Sooner started, sooner finished. Got to keep my eyes on the home ahead of me, and that'll be easier once the home behind me is truly behind me.
There were no trouble coming in. The guards remembered last time they saw us we was coming from within, so they figured we must be allowed in, and that were that. Just to be sure, we're camping on our own, not taking inns, as we follow the Snowbourn to the crossing. Lucky we got that lembas or that'd be a hardship, as we brung enough Bottle Cakes only by counting on keeping to inns and barracks here and in Gondor, but the lembas makes up the difference without us having to hunt or fish. And them Elf-cakes do seem to make you want to ride longer, which is another thing helps the journey go quicker.
Quicker, but not quick enough. Part of me is already there, and I just want to get caught up with it.
