Eiki the Blacksmith

Chapter 3

  Preparing for the journey to Hobbiton was the most stressful thing Eiki had experienced. She was no young and wild female that dashed around the village in an attempt to find a husband while still in the flowers of youth. Nor was she an old maid with no hope of marriage, doomed to die alone, however this blacksmith has gone through her years filled with plenty of stress. Wondering, will father wake up today or will I find him gone to meet mother, is he in pain? Did I forget to make lunch? If I don't get this job finished will I have enough to pay for all our daily expenses? How much is this material going to cost, or should I skip it all together?

Yet none of that so much as compared to the thoughts of leaving Askru, my father, and finding someone suitable to care for him in my absence. Packing up all the tools needed for on-the-go blacksmithing, packing flints and other fire starters, small scraps of different metal for small repairs, finding a way to carry my hammer without weighing myself down too much. Buying a new coat as my old one is unsuited for the unexpected, picking up my books, extra thread and needles for cloths repair, oh speaking of clothes I need to make sure my travel boot still fit.

So simple to say I procrastinated best any worthwhile Dwarrowdam should and more. I was worried, could you blame me, this would be this first time I would not be here to care for my father in his sickness. Balin had left the money to hire a caretaker but that made me no less uneasy. It took almost a week before my father, irritated with my hovering, threatened to send a message to Dain and have him force me out of the house. "I hear he has a messenger in the next town over, it will take little effort to inform him of the situation and get him here if I must." He would say, I was unsure how he knew such things but I preferred not to take that risk.

And so on this early morning I found myself bidding my father goodbye, not before giving his new caretaker, a blond friend of mine by the name of Lexsly, the run down on his care. Tossing my large bag of supplies over my shoulder I meandered my way to an old field fenced off just above the city exposed to the mud and rain, waving to local merchants along the way. Arriving at my destination a let off a loud, hawk like call, allowing the wind to carry my voice with it.

Within moments a small stampede could be made out from over the noise of the ever falling storm. And so three ponies could be seen making their way over; the stud of the group just ahead of the other two, his chestnut coat splotch with a bit of cream around its eye and backside. Following close behind was the mare, a beautiful vanilla color now caked with a bit of mud. Off to her side stumbled a young colt, built much like its father with a lighter coat, now dirtied from an earlier roll in the fresh made puddles this rainy climate provided. Stopping before me I gave each a pat and an extra apple or two, before walking the Male away from the others to saddle up. Bringing back fond memories as I did so, these horses were once a favorite of my mother, though that was quite a few horses ago, their offspring continue under my care and once long ago my father's as well.

Mounting the handsome pony, and giving a quick check that I had all I needed, I set off on my way to Hobbiton.

Downpour eased off into a drizzle, moving along to cloudy skies, and at last sunshine and warmth. After 2 days of trails and the occasional stop to ask directions our favorite smith was finally within a fair distant of the company meeting point. Pulling the jacket close to shield against the nippy breeze of the night, Eiki dismounted and led the pony from here on as to be at a better level to notice the mark that signaled the randevu point of the company.

However Eiki would soon find that she was not the first to arrive. Inside the home of one hobbit Bilbo Baggins, the young princes had struck up a conversation and are currently comparing muscles.

"Ha," the large warrior known as Dwalin scoffed flexing a muscle of his own, "you boys have a long way to go before you can start gloating about those rubber arms."