[Child of the 7th Age]

As the horses and riders made their way down the road, the miles slipped by in rapid succession with the company moving steadily westward. Their first stop came near the Bridge of Stonebows that passed over the muddied waters of the Brandywine and led the travellers along the thickets and weald of Buckland.

After that point, they had no difficulty finding comfortable lodgings in several Inns that stretched out beside the Great Road from one end of the Shire to the other. Each night they settled at different Inns and hostelries to rest their tired bodies and replenish their supplies. The Shire towns of Frogmorton, Bywater, Waymeet, and Michel Delving quickly sped by on Elentari's map.

The local hobbits stared curiously at them and seemed surprised to see so many different Elves, Dwarves, and Men all marching onward in a single band. Many of the friendly hobbit lads and lasses crept up closer to have a look at Elentari and the other Elves. With her bright Elven eyes and the great broadsword resting on her hip, Elentari quickly drew the attention of all, especially since many had never seen a woman attired in this fashion.

Leaving the cheerful comaraderie of the Shire behind, the companions forged on across open fields and hills in the direction of the Lhun. There was less talking and laughter now, and more faces that had grim, serious expressions as they came nearer their destination. Elentari seemed reflective and withdrawn as she rode by herself at the head of the column without looking back at any of the others. When Selvern gently questioned her about this behavior, she'd shrugged her shoulders with a hint of a sad smile, and refused to say anything else.

One evening when everyone was seated around the campfire, she broke her silence and tersely explained more about where they were going. "Before we can tackle the mountains and the dragon, we'll need to stop at the Havens. It's been a long road. The Havens is the only place where we can get the supplies we'll need."

Curious to learn more about a place that seemed so utterly mysterious to Men and Dwarves, Rowan and Falin began asking questions about what they might see in the Havens. Elentari still sat silently apart so Alcyaveiel tried to explain a little about what the Havens meant for those of Elvish blood.

"It is a place of great hope, yet also of sadness. Hope, because for many, it is the final step in a journey that began a thousand years before. They are returning to a land of light and beauty. A place where the Elves were summoned by the Ainur many eons ago."

"But you spoke of sadness," Vráin ojected. "How could there be sadness in such a beauteous place?"

"Ah, the sadness lies not in the land but in the Elven kin themselves. For while some may decide to sail, others elect to stay behind. And there is sadness when friends and family are sundered from each other."

More than that Alcyaveial would not say. But by the next afternoon, the company reached the outskirts of the Havens and everyone could see the blue water of the Bay of Lhun lying just ahead. And, much to everyone's surprise, they could also see the outline of a great Elven ship waiting in the harbor which was scheduled to depart on the Lost Road for the Blessed Lands the very next day. The Men and Dwarves in the Company were curious to go down and have a closer look at the harbor, but Elentari quietly shook her head 'no' and insisted they concentrate on the business at hand and purchase the needed supplies so they could depart the very next morning for the dragon's lair.

It was late afternoon when they mounted the steps of the Swanship Inn, and went up to the proprietor to ask for a meal and lodgings for the night.

[ June 27, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]