Afird Splitax
"There's no stones, no pretty gems,
But a plate of tasty hams!
There are no heavy rocks, no picks or packs
But a mug of ale, amber-coloured, frothy, cold!"
The last word, "cold," escaped Afird's lips, and suddenly, a bluish misty light swept the scene before his eyes. The air spun and turned, and everything vanished - the pub, the mugs, the chairs, the tables, the bar, and the dwarves. All that remained was a puff of pipe smoke grey in the dissipating mist and a faint, faraway cry in a deep dwarf voice.
'Hoi! Oi, where is my ale?'
In the dead silence that followed, Afird breathed heavily, becoming flummoxed and speechless momentarily and then called out in an unsure voice,
'Fuchsia? Rilla? Where are you at, lasses?' He turned around and wrung his beard worriedly. The peaceful meadow seemed less enchanting and somewhat lonely.
'Fuchsia Meadowsweet? Rilla Banks? Tarquinius, lad? Elanor? Anybody?'
The sound of a far-off crow calling made the reality of what had just happened hit home for Afird. He was alone. They were gone and transported to who knows where (hopefully not Scary). He bowed his head and let out a low sob. He was a soft-hearted dwarf, mainly where lasses were concerned. When he had let his disparate emotions take their course, he lifted his head and wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve. The sun suddenly peeked through a floating fluff of clouds at that moment. He began to reason again and remembered how this place had enchanted him. His eyes fell on the greenery and the sparkling pool in the sunlight. It was a magical place. All he could hope was that the lasses had found their way home through the gate that had just opened up. After a few days of rest and reflection in this glade, he would make his way North and then turn West towards his home in the Blue Mountains, leading him down The Old Road to the Shire.
Just the thought of heading home made his step lighter, and now that the whole ordeal of the gates appears to be over (hopefully), the chance of seeing the Hobbits again may become a reality. He had grown quite fond of them through the ordeal, starting in Gondor and ending here. He smiled and hummed the few lines to the song Fuchsia Meadowsweets had started.
'Oi, and when I arrive in the Shire, I will look for my travelling gate companions,' he thought, hoping he would find them there.
Rilla Banks/@Lail,Fuchsia Meadowsweet /@Pele Alarion,Tarquinius Fieldhopper/ @Akhenanat,Elanor Starsley/@Lady of Shadow. Thanks for playing!
