The Home Stone

Treymane watched the comings and goings of the barbarian army all day, while he plotted how he would cross the bridge after dark, but the more he watched the more he was convinced that the crossing would be next to impossible. There were just too many guards holding the bridge. At one point he got close enough to here one of the leaders tell the men guarding the bridge how important it was to keep it intact so their supplies could get through. The halfling crept back out of sight and began to rethink his plans. It was obvious that he would not be able to cross anywhere near here. Then an idea came to him. What if he followed the river north and searched out the valley, where he and his father used to go. The one he had shown to his friends some twenty years ago. If it was clear of barbarians, he could pass through and come down the secret pass and land on the other side of the East Border River. Blick and his army would surely be there by now.

Yes! That is the way he would go. Quietly he left the area and began following the river north. It was not an easy trek for the river wound and twisted like a snake making walking over boulders and fallen trees difficult. He would have much preferred to walk on the road, but Treymane knew that it would be watched. It took the halfling almost all day before he reached the lake where he would find a nice secluded spot and bed down for the night. With little supplies and an empty waterskin he waited for darkness before he dared approach the lake. He had managed to fill his stomach with berries that grew in the forest and now he had enough water so he crawled into a thick bush and fell asleep.

Early the next morning he awoke with the sounds of men and horses that have come to the lake to drink and wash. Staying hidden, Treymane learned that Haggle Ville had been taken, but that the harbor had been blocked. There were war ships from Enderby and Maitland patrolling the straights between the Hillshire and the outer islands. Pleased with what he heard he stayed until the patrol left. Only then did he dare to expose himself and walk out into the open. It was clear to him that there were many soldiers in this part of the Shire and so he decided to cross the river and make his way north from the other side.

The water was cold, but he told himself that it was necessary in order to stay safe and as far as he could away from these demons that have ravished his beautiful homeland. Once on the other side, he stripped off his wet clothes and laid them out on the grass to dry. No sooner had he done this, when another patrol came to the lake. Sitting behind a bush and shivering from the cool weather, Treymane watched to make sure that no one saw his shirt and pants out in the middle of the meadow. Luckily he had chosen not to wear his usual collection of very colorful clothing, as they would have been spotted immediately. Then the patrol, as the other one, left the area, allowing the hobbit to grab the still damp shirt and pants and rush off deeper into the forest. When he was far enough away from the lake he stopped and dressed letting the damp clothing dry from the heat of his own body.

The little man headed north until he reached the foothills and then turned east. He would follow this route until he saw the secret path that led to the hidden valley deep within the Northern Divide. Finally on the morning of the fourth day he came upon the pass. Looking about to see if anyone else was near he sat down to rest. When it was clear to him that he was quite alone, he stood up and entered the pass.

Like twenty years ago, the pass had not changed much. The loose pebbles threatened to send him over the side and a few hundred feet down to his death. The path twisted and climbed higher and higher. Every so often he came upon a spot that allowed Treymane to sit down and look over the Hillshire that he had left some hours before. He was not in any rush so he took his time so that he would not tire himself out so quickly. After all he had plenty of time to reach Maryton, for he could not do much to stop this war anyways. Thinking that way eased his mind somewhat. To think that he could stop this conflict only made his head spin, but if he could help Blick or Kirin in anyway, probably would make him the hero of the Hillshire again, as he was twenty years ago. Smiling to himself, Treymane found some more strength to keep on going.

Up here in the mountains, evening came more quickly than in the Southlands. The sun sank behind the crested peaks and the temperature began to drop. Now the halfling realized that he had forgotten to bring some warm clothes with him. Angry with himself the little man decided to try and keep going and hope that he could reach the valley before he froze to death. Wrapping his blanket around his shoulders he continued.

Treymane walked all night and only stopped when the sun came out and warmed his bones once more. Only two more nights like this and I’ll reach the valley he thought to himself, but the higher he climbed the colder it got. Even with the sun out he was still shivering. Finally he crested the last peak and there before him lay the secret valley that he and his father had come to so many years ago. Down there was food and shelter. He could even light a fire to cook his food. He sat and stared down at the lush green forest and the tiny river that the fed lake at the far end of the valley. He sat there for some time and when it was obvious to him that no one else was in the forest or at the lake, did he move down the last slope and entered his paradise.

It was already evening when he arrived at the lake. Making camp here sounded like a good idea, but he knew that if he was caught out here in the open they would take him back and send him to the ice mines, so he decided to bed down for the night hidden within the trees and forage for food tomorrow. Finding a nice spot Treymane wrapped himself into his blanket and lay down on a carpet of soft pine boughs and went to sleep.

The next day Treymane hunted and killed two small rabbits and dug up some of his favorite roots that tasted like potatoes and had a grand feast. The only item that was missing was some wine or ale. All he had was water, which he heated and brewed some tea form leaves that he had collected after his successful hunt. Tomorrow he would catch some fish and roast them over an open flame. He always enjoyed eating fish that way. With his belly full, Treymane bedded down and was asleep in no time.

The following day he rose just after the sun warmed the valley floor and set out find some more roots for tonight’s feast. Gorging himself on sweet berries that grew on the bushes that lined almost every clearing he found what he needed and then returned to his happy little camp. After washing the roots, he dug up some worms and went down to the lake to catch some fish. He tied one end of his fishing line to a large stone and baited the hook on the other end. He attached a small piece of wood to act as a bobber and threw the baited end out into the lake. He then went back to the tree line and sat down under the shade of the tall pine tree. By now he had forgotten all about the war in the south. He told himself that he would remain here forever if need be. After all here he had all the food and shelter he needed to survive. Every once in a while he opened his eyes to check if the bobber was still there, when a noise of people talking brought his attention back