Bard of Laketown

Part Ten

PART TEN

FLASHBACK
Areya snuck quietly outside and mounted her horse, a grey stallion with a black mane and tail. He wasn't one of the strongest, or fastest horses in Middle-earth, but she loved him just the same.
She jumped on his back and they galloped faster and faster, until they were finally out of Mirkwood.
The wind whipped Areya's hair into tangles, and lashed at her face, but she laughed at the exhilaration of it all.
She had never felt more free. Hours later, they stopped at the river and drank deeply. Areya had water in her water skin, but she wanted to save it in case there wasn't a water source later on in the journey.
She still didn't have any idea of where she was going, or where she wanted to go. As they rode further, the air started becoming cooler, and it nipped at her ears and nose. She pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders and shivered slightly.
The trees were still thick as in the forest, growing along the riverbank, their branches stretching out into the cloudless sky.
When Areya woke the next morning, there was a thin layer of frost covering everything in sight. It melted as the day went on, but it was there again the next morning.

I look up quickly at the sound of a horn blasting far over the trees.
"What was that?" I ask Bard.
"I don't know, and I don't care to find out either."
We try and move faster, which is easier today because Bard doesn't sink into the snow with every step he takes.
"I do not think our good luck will last," I say finally.
Bard turns to me, his eyes piercing. "Why do you say that?"
"Was there ever a journey in history that was quick and easy, with no troubles to slow the adventurers down?"
Bard looks at me keenly. "You're probably right," he says, "but I don't want to have the shadow of that matter hanging over us. I've got enough on my mind as it is."
I nod. "I may be wrong."
The horn sounds again, nearer this time.
I feel short of breath, which is unusual for an elf. "I know the horn that is calling," I say.
"Who is it?" Bard asks me urgently.
"Orcs. The same ones who chased me from Mirkwood."
I can still feel the bite of their dark blade as it pierced my shoulder. I wince, and Bard looks over at me. "Areya, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing," I say, fighting for air. I need to pull myself back together. If the orcs find us, I need to be ready.