To Rûndis, my Moonlight,
I am sorry for not writing to you sooner. These last few weeks I have barely had enough time to rest, and most of that time has been spent trying to keep Kharsi from eating all our supplies. So, here is a quick update.
After that strange encounter in Celondim, we set out to Bree-land. I had only heard tales of that place, back when our folk had been forced out of Erebor! It was the busiest place that I have ever seen, and you know I have seen many a busy place. Frimsi was in his element.
It turns out there is an entire Quarter inhabited by Dwarves! Well, not entirely by Dwarves, but they seem to spend most of their time there. You could tell by how good the stonework was!
It was quite the eventful day. A strange Elf came over, bringing with her a creature I had never seen before, which she called a ‘scorpion’. This Elf seemed to be an acquaintance of Frimsi, much to his dismay, and he was not unused to being terrorised by her. He seemed to enjoy it, though. That Dwarf will never cease to surprise me. Fortunately, she did not stay for long, but Narali still felt something was amiss.
The topic of frustration, and the fact that Yule is just around the corner, prompted Frimsi to share one of his tales. I did not get much of it —I was still shocked by the strange creature, and also by this ‘scorpion’—, but I did catch his name. Sinti Snowbeard, famed distributor of stolen gold. No wonder Frimsi hated the guy!
We faced more immediate threats, unfortunately. A very tall and strong Man walked towards us, big scar on his eye, and with a beard that would make many a Dwarf jealous. He hailed us, never smiling, and stopped beside us.
He asked if we were the Company that had set out for Moria. Word had been out for a few weeks by then, and, while it brought us very valuables allies, it had also reached the less… Pleasant folk, so to speak. The Man warned us that he had been tracking such a group, and he had located them on the road to Bree. They had been following us for some days, and they were getting ready to strike.
“Not if we strike first!” cried Kharsi. I cheered, proud of the young boy. Could you believe this is the same Kharsi that you once held in your arms, almost sixty winters ago? He still misses you, even if he does not remember you. But I digress.
Much to the surprise of Frimsi, we prepared to, as Kharsi put it, strike first. Narali, Mahal bless her heart, agreed to come with us. The lass hates fighting, but she hated the thought of us getting hurt more. She wanted to be there with us, and do all in her power to protect us. I regret putting that weight on her shoulders, even if she did volunteer herself. Nyr, that quiet Dwarf that joined us in Gondamon, also followed. He’s a good Dwarf, too. Garfi decided to stay with Frimsi and the rest to keep the Caravan safe, since you never know what might happen in the streets of Bree!
We set out with this Man, or, rather, Beorning, as he revealed himself to be. His name was Valhart, and he came from the Vales, wherever that may be.
It turned out that the brigands were not that far from us. I doubt they will be preying on any Dwarves anytime soon, since the battle was very short. While Kharsi and I were debating what to do, Narali let out a shriek that would make even you run away scared. Several bandits even dropped to their bums, crying and hurrying to hide in the most absurd places! In any case, we took that as our signal to rush in. Steel flashed, claws swung in the air, and Narali’s lute strung many an inspiring strum! Kharsi showed much progress in his training, too. He has completely mastered our family’s secret technique! Songs of his headbutts will be sung in feasts to come.
Once we cleared up what was left of the bandits —which was not much, as Narali’s shriek had made most of them fly in terror—, we stopped to count our losses. A grand total of none, not even the tiniest scratch! Poor Nyr was left wanting some of the action for himself, having decapitated a mere two bandits. He will have more chances, I am sure of it!
Kharsi was very intrigued by this Valhart. They took to talking, and talking, and talking, and the sun began to set. The boy decided he would travel with him for a while, and come back to us next week in Ost Guruth. Garfi and I were heartbroken to see him go, but we knew this day would come. He is long past the point of needing me, and can make his own decisions. This Valhart seemed trustworthy enough, after all. He had given us a most valuable warning! We took the bandits by storm, but a different story might have played out had they taken us by surprise. I hope our Kharsi learns much from this Beorning!
That is all I have for you today. Sorry again about not having sent many letters lately, but, as you can see, there is just no time to stop for a good write! Do not worry about Kharsi, either. He is becoming a powerful Dwarf, much more so that I could have ever hoped to be! He would make Narsi proud.
Miss you more each day,
Your Thrarfi.
