Philophobia - Thorin Oakenshield - English version

Part 33

After a week, Terwyn had gotten to know the family well and also knew Hobbiton much better. Thanks to Gorbadoc, she had even managed to get a job at a blacksmith's to earn some money. So, one morning, she was walking on the market when she suddenly saw dwarves crossing the bridge. She immediately recognized Dwalin and Morin, so she hid behind a stall and tried to breathe deeply to stay calm and come up with a plan.

Panic surged through her body, making her unable to even think clearly. Amaranth was the one who came to her rescue. "What are you doing here?" she asked, laughing when she saw Terwyn hiding like that. "Oh, Amaranth, help me!" Terwyn begged immediately before quickly trying to explain her problematic situation. Amaranth seemed to remain very calm and quickly called her brother Rory and sister Primula to her. "You guys need to come with me to cover Terwyn!" she ordered them, causing the two to look at her strangely but still follow her while Terwyn kept hiding.

She saw the three confidently approaching the dwarves, after which Amaranth greeted them cheerfully. The dwarves also seemed clearly impressed by Hobbiton and were so busy looking around that Terwyn dared to sneak closer. This allowed her to immediately hear what was being said. "Can I help you with something?" Amaranth asked kindly, causing the dwarves to nod. "We're looking for a dwarven woman who's traveling alone, her name is Terwyn, she's a young woman, has a full head of reddish-brown curly hair, bright blue eyes, have you seen her?" Morin asked. Primula pretended to have to think very hard. "Uh yes," said Amaranth, causing Terwyn to almost panic again; would the girl betray her now?

"Where can we find her?" Dwalin asked in a loud voice, causing Terwyn to step back behind a stall. She almost thought this would be her last day and the dwarves would kill her here in such a peaceful land. Fortunately, Amaranth was not betraying her at all and told the dwarves that she had moved on yesterday morning. She assured them that she didn't want to tell anyone who she exactly was or what her plans were. Primula nodded, "Still a shame, such a young woman alone on the road, I believe she's heading to the Blue Mountains, or even further to the sea!" she said, causing the dwarves to sigh. "Well then, we must also move on," they said hastily. "You're always welcome to come back here, we have an inn, food, and drinks aplenty!" Amaranth said, but the dwarves shook their heads. "Once our task is completed, we will return home, the mountains are our home," they assured her before turning around and crossing the bridge again. Terwyn could hardly believe she had gotten away with it so easily, how could she ever thank those young hobbits. After almost crushing them in a tight hug, she retreated to her room in the inn and pondered the events just now.

Was Thorin really so angry that he sent dwarves after her to have her killed? That must have been their task, why else would they come all the way to Hobbiton to ask about her? Had they already been to Elrond? The sad thoughts immediately resurfaced, and the realization that Terwyn could never return home or to her family weighed heavily on her shoulders.

Terwyn remained in Hobbiton for a long time, forgetting to count the weeks; she enjoyed her time among these small folk with their cheerful demeanor, beautiful houses, and delicious food. Yet, there came a morning when Terwyn knew she had to move on. It was a warm spring day, and Terwyn felt the urge to continue her journey. She had spent the cold days with warm people and was filled with new energy.

Now that the days were getting longer and warmer again, Terwyn missed the coolness of the mountains. After having one last cup of tea with the Brandybuck family and enjoying a hearty breakfast in their dining room, it was time to leave. The children were naturally sad to see Terwyn go and continued to dream of having adventures themselves. Gorbadoc and Mirabella also felt sad at the thought of Terwyn having to continue alone, so they gave her a whole bunch of supplies she might still need, such as a blanket for the cold nights, some cookies and dried meat, and a water flask. Terwyn thanked them profusely and set off again, with the morning sun.

The journey first led her to the Blue Mountains, but she did not stop there, afraid that Dwalin and the others had already been there and she would not be welcome anymore. She walked through the mountains until she could go no further and looked out over the cliffs to the sea. Mixed feelings arose in her at the sight of the endless blue water; it looked so wild and dangerous, yet also so enticing, so mysterious.

Eventually, Terwyn found a way down and soon walked over the sand. Without much thought, she took off her shoes and curled her toes in the warm, grainy sand. With her shoes in hand, she walked towards the water and let her feet cool in it. The waves that regularly hit her feet caused her to sink deeper into the sand, but this did not scare her. The tranquility emanating from the sea brought peace to her mind. She stayed on the beach for hours, listening to the sound of the sea, listening to the seagulls, and ultimately enjoying the sunset. When she closed her eyes, it almost seemed as if Teylin and Frerin came to her, as if they sat down next to her and took her hands as a sign that she was not alone.

With these warm thoughts and feelings, she looked up one last time at the sun, which was almost completely gone, and then decided to sleep on the beach. She found a spot higher up where some soft grass was to be found and made her bed there. The next morning, she had breakfast while enjoying the rising sun. Once the sun was fully above the water, she gathered all her belongings and set off again.

This time, she walked along the water to the south of the mountain range to venture deeper into the land. She walked for weeks across plains until she passed the Misty Mountains to the south, which brought her into human territory. In Rohan, she stopped again to rest and work, earning some money and buying food instead of hunting. The people were friendly but nowhere near as hospitable as the hobbits; they preferred to mind their own business and didn't spend too much time with the dwarf.

For Terwyn, this was obviously not a problem and she worked without complaint for a few weeks at the blacksmith's and stayed in his stable. The only thing that frightened her were his horses. She had seen horses before, or should she say ponies, but the animals here with the humans were gigantic! She had never seen anything like it. After spending a few weeks with the humans and proving her worth to the blacksmith, Terwyn moved on.