Raising The Shire

Holidays seldom last very long – certainly not in these dark times in Middle Earth, so Tearose was resigned when she received word from an Elven messenger, that Elrohir and Elladan, the sons of Elrond of Rivendell, requested her assistance at the Ford of Bruinen. Word had reached Rivendell that the enemy was spotted at the banks of the Bruinen and so preparations were made for battle.

It would take quite some time for Tearose to get to the Ford from Ered Luin, so she sent word that she would depart immediately. Tearose felt anxious right away. She didn’t want to fight anymore yet she could not let Elrond down. He had been so kind and understanding to her when she asked to be relieved of her duties in Moria. So she made a decision that after this battle at the Ford of Bruinen, she would fight no more, unless her life in the Shire was threatened. She would travel no further than Bree, for she was weary of traveling, too, if the truth be told.

Tearose laughed to herself. “All my life I wanted adventure. Now that I’m in the middle of all these adventures, I just want peace and quiet. It’s funny how sometimes what seems exciting isn’t that great after all.”

At the Ford of Bruinen, Elrond’s sons welcomed Tearose and Tearose’s companion, Madeleine. Madeleine, a stalwart herbalist from Breeland, was sent to accompany Tearose and to watch over her. For Elrond knew Tearose was hurt in the past far more than she was willing to admit, and Madeleine’s skill as a healer and boundless energy was exactly what she needed.

Together, Tearose, Madeleine, Elrohir, and Elladan, as well as a whole army of highly-skilled archers from Rivendell, fought long and hard that day in the Ford. And when it was all over, Tearose received praise from the princes and all the Elven warriors. Madeleine was thanked for helping to keep them all alive, for she had prepared strong healing draughts for everyone to the surprise of the Elves, for her duty was only to take care of Tearose. Madeleine was a generous sort, though, so she humbly accepted their thanks, and prepared hers and Tearose’s packs for the long journey back to the Shire.

Tearose hugged Elrohir and Elladan, and they smiled kindly at her and said “Rivendell will long remember those who came to her aid in her time of greatest need. Your deeds shall not soon be forgotten.”

Tearose bowed and replied: “Please give my regards to your father and tell him that Tearose Underhill of the Shire shall battle no more, unless trouble comes to her in the Shire. For I am weary of battle and my hurts have plagued me since Moria, as your father knows. My heart will always remain with the brave warriors I have come to know and fight with, and I have complete faith that someday the enemy will fall – when, I do not know. But I do know that the time will come when all of this will seem like a distant memory. For it is said that good always prevails against evil, and it is that thought which I hold onto. Namárië, Elrohir and Elladan.”

And the Elven princes and their army of archers saluted Tearose, and she and her companion departed in silence. Tearose sighed. It was a long way back to the Shire. Maybe she would stop in at the Prancing Pony for a visit with her cousins. After all, there was nothing like a good gossip session with hobbit family along with a few flagons of fine red wine, was there?

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This entry was posted by a Hobbit on Thursday, April 7th, 2011 at 12:51 pm and is filed under LOTRO Adventures. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.