chapter 26

Raising himself to his feet he followed the sound a short distance through the trees. There, in a clearing with a beautiful sparkling pond, was Melda. She was singing to herself while she twisted flowers up in her hair.

Surrounding her were various animals, seemingly listening to the wordless melody. He stood there, just watching her for several minutes, amazed by the magic of elves. Finally, she ceased her singing and stood up. In the lyrical language of the elves she spoke the animals and they went in their way. Without turning around she spoke...

"Sometimes you just need to enjoy the world around you. I would love to see more of it. Run in the forests, climb the mountains, ride a horse over the great plains of Rohan, and even delve into the underground halls and kingdoms of the dwarves. To be truly free, like the eagles in the sky. And unless evil is stopped, I shall never have those chances and neither shall my children." She turned towards him, "Are you well rested my love? It is time we headed into Beorns territory. I do not wish to be caught on his land in the dark and we shall have to hurry. Can you run well enough to keep your hide out of a bears mouth?"

"I can run," he said as he moved up to her, "I may not be as graceful or as silent as you but I will manage." He took the flowers from her hair as he kissed her, carefully wrapping them in a scarf and slipping them into a pocket in his rucksack. "For your hair when we stop for the night," he continued, "however you certainly don't need them to make yourself any more beautiful than you already are. But I've learned females are females and they must have their decorations."

"Besides, you'll be needing this," he added, helping her with her elegant engraved helmet, buckling the soft leather strap under her fair chin with his thick clumsy fingers. As he did so he couldn't help but admire its cunning handiwork, the engraved inlays of runes and silhouettes of forest animals. He sighed, mentally comparing it to his thick and heavy helm, brightly burnished but dented and showing long years of wear.

"But please keep me in sight so I can follow easier, the day is growing long and the lengthening shadows often disguise the path."

"Fair enough my slow noisy fat dwarf," she replied stroking the back of his huge hand as he finished the buckling, "I will slow a bit but not too much. I want to be at Beorns BY supper, not FOR supper."

"I am not noisy..." but his reply died on his lips as he watched her delicious rump disappear again into the forest understory. I am not noisy, he said to himself, his gear clattering as he started off in the direction she had taken.

She was good to her word. Running it seemed endlessly and without stop, he would always just barely catch a glimpse of her at the far edge of a clearing or at the top of a rocky ridge looking down at him.

Soon the land leveled out and the trees thinned slightly as he pounded after her in their race for the setting sun.

She skirted trees and rocks with ease, being able to see them great distances in advance. She took the easier paths for her overly large companion, trying to keep from reducing his speed. She had told him it was important to run, she just hadn't mentioned exactly how important it was. They had just passed the border of the skin changer's territory. She knew Beorn would know the exact moment they crossed. The very trees of this forest spoke to him. And he would not come gently or quietly. She needed to get them as far as she could before he made it to them. Because once he found them, their chances were slim. In his bear form, Beorn would be slow to recognize her and by the time he did it would be too late. But to Gamli's credit, the dwarf was keeping a good pace. Just by looking at him a person wouldn't think that he could even walk, but he was holding his own. Her legs ran as her mind wandered....he was strong, very gruff, and oddly gentle.

His strong jaw, the long intricate braids that his hair and beard were in, his stocky form. He was a perfect male specimen in her eyes, as strange as that seemed. But she was happy with it, thankful that those spiders at affronted her that day.

A distant crashing of undergrowth drew her out of the deep pool of her own thoughts. Something large was coming their way, and quickly. She looked ahead and could see the house. She yelled behind her to hurry and doubled her speed.