Seasons changed, and Liffey with it. Her feet took her all over Middle-earth, over lands she had never seen before. She had left, choosing her own adventure, deciding to see where it would take her. Liffey felt like she had already lived a thousand lives, and by the time she returned home to Bree, she felt like she had lived a thousand more. She wondered at the long lives of elves and how ancient they must feel, if her little life made her feel old already. But her days in Bree grew heavy, as they often did when she lingered in one place for very long.
When the call to adventure came, Liffey decided that she had best heed it. She had left home months ago, their travel slow as they made their way down south. She'd been down this trail twice; once with Fenley when they went around Tharbad to go to Enedwaith, and once after that, when she had left with Sedryn and gone through Tharbad, where they had fought their way out and been rescued. Suffice it to say that this time, they went around it.
The trip was slow but easy. They fell into pleasant companionship, no expectations or desire except to watch one's back and have their back watched in turn. Enedwaith was beautiful, just as it was last time. They had been stuck in Galtrev for nearly a week due to inclement weather, but Liffey had only been grateful that they'd had somewhere safe to stay while they waited out the storm.
By the time they reached the gap of Rohan, autumn was just beginning to spread, turning leaves golden and orange. But as the air turned colder, nipping their cheeks and noses, they trudged along even as the snow began to fall. It was truly their own fault, lingering in areas where they did not need to linger, and choosing comfort over speed. But war had wreaked havoc across the Riddermark, and there were many homes abandoned to the wilds, left by families who did not return after all was said and done. But Liffey worried still, eyes always on the horizon.
They would hunker down under the first sturdy shelter they could find, or they would have to trudge on to Helm's Deep.
