You live and learn; or in my case you live, learn and suffer.
I am endeavouring to learn the ways of Hobbit life after spending so much of my life outside of the Shire in the company of Elves. Master Elrond said that it was important for me to become an asset to my community (and my eventual kin - whoevery they may be).
I have gladly taken on work to support myself being alone as I am now with no family or Kin. The jobs are now taking me further afield.... Most are in Bree-land at the moment but I am starting to be sent to more desolate environs like The Forsaken Inn and a place called Ost Guruth in the Lone-lands and Orc-beseiged Trestlebridge in the North Downs. Consequently, I am spending increasing amounts of time away from the Shire and beloved Birchtunnels home. Though I prefer to do all of my shopping and trading at the Michel Delving Market, there are occasions where I am forced to rely on grossly overpriced items of lesser quality in my travels.
Venturing outside of The Shire on my own is already causing me no end of problems - a prime example of which is an incident that took place just this week.
My work had taken me to Trestlebridge and I was loathe to spend another night there or on the road. Being low on coin and feeling most unwelcome at that den of iniquity known as The Prancing Pony, I hid behind a large jumble of crates in the Bree Auction House where I spent a fitful night of tossing and turning. So it happened that no sooner than I ventured from my hiding place the following morning, I had a request to assist someone in what seemed to be a nice little earner.
Little did I know.
It turned out that this gentlemen had already assembled what on first glance seemed to be a rather motley crew of folk to help him with this job. I was far from happy when I realised I had agreed to go to a great maze in the Barrow-downs. I was even less happy to realise that I was the sole outsider in a group made up of this man's Kin-folk, none of whom looked pleased to see me.
As I'd made an agreement I carried on as best I could. But my suspicions were confirmed when I was abandoned several times with debilitating injuries. Indeed - Two of the Kin merely looked on while I was savaged by some loathesome creatures of death and walked in the opposite direction. Another stood over me as I lay incapacitated and then ran away, despite having it within their power to heal me. One of these was a hobbit - and that I found most distressing.
Another culprit was an Elf, but her behaviour didn't quite come as much a surprise because there were many who did not approve of my Guardians taking me out of the Shire. Like many Races, the Elves have secrets that are meant to stay entirely with their own. Haing Elvish Guardians it was inevitable that I might learn a thing or three -- things which by rights could have lead to my confinement in Rivendell. It is a mark of the wisdom and kindness of Master Elrond that I am able to try and make a home for myself with my own Hobbit-kind in The Shire. Others of his kind don't think as he does.
So there you have it, almost another week has passed and I am a lot less trustful of long-legged strangers and their Kin. I loathe Bree-land even more.
This experience alone has made me a lot more appreciative of the good hobbits of The Shire and especially those I am coming to know from the Michel Delving Market. Thoough I could use help with my jobs, it seems that I will have to manage on my own until such time as I have Kin-folk - good hobbits that I can trust and who will value my loyalty.
