Once off Weathertop, Candaith instructed us in what to find to make healing poultices for his wounds and how best to bind them up after so that he could function more normally. Dandelion chose to do most of the nursing work while I fetched and carried and then cooked. She made the tea for him and demanded I check myself to make sure that my throat and limbs were still healthy. “What about you?” I countered, setting my hands on my hips and glowering down at her from high above. “If you’re wounded, too, then you’ll be right next to him, Gammer.” Half of me hoped she’d taken a knock or two that would keep her here while I moved on. The other half was exhausted and probably hallucinating everything since it felt that Dandelion’s care and attention was nice. Maybe you took one too many blows to the head, too, I chided myself as we finally settled down for the night to rest. None of us were going to have it in us to stand guard for long. Dandelion and I took turns in four hour shifts in order to snatch a bit of sleep where we could and tend to the admittedly half-conscious Ranger.
By morning, Candaith had stabilized enough to sit up by the fire rather than sleep in his tent alongside whichever of us wasn’t on watch. Only then did we feel safe enough to sleep more fully, with Candaith keeping an eye on things while we both rested as if dead. It wasn’t until closer to evening that I finally stirred awake to stay, though Dandelion had been awake and helping Candaith for a few hours by that point. We ate our meal before he finally got down to business.
“You should prepare to leave tomorrow,” he offered to us in a most solemn manner.
Dandelion had none of it, though. “Pish-posh,” she fired back. “Leaving you here injured for the other orcs to fall upon and tear to bits? I think not!”
“She has a point, Candaith,” I added. “You’re in no shape to defend yourself should they find you here, and I would bet hiding away isn’t going to be an option yet.”
He waved one hand. “I am well enough,” he began, but the hobbit growled at him to interrupt. “We carried you down that hill not a night ago because you couldn’t walk on your own for those wounds,” she told him. “Until you can move without tearing them open and bleeding all over the place, we can stay right here. In fact, I would much rather we find somewhere with better lodgings for you to recover in.”
“Gammer Digweed,” Candaith said, “I appreciate your concern, but by the time we reached the Forsaken Inn, I would be well enough to move around on my own once more. If I can slip away from orcs on my own, I can be on my own completely.”
I grimaced. “Orcs can smell Men. I’m sure they know the scent of Men’s blood, too. They’d be able to track you.”
He graced us with a bemused look. “Do you think Rangers have survived this long fighting our enemies without considering that very thing? You should worry less, Morchandir. I know what to do to protect myself until I’m fully healed again.” He sighed. “Besides, I should be in relatively safe surroundings now.” At my confused expression, he elaborated. “Do not concern yourself with the Orcs that remain. This far removed from the Southlands, they will dwindle and become only a small danger to travelers through the Lone-lands.” He spread his hands briefly. “Travelers and lamed Rangers, both, really.”
He grew more serious. “But to the bigger issue at hand. We have won a pivotal battle, my friend. You have earned some rest, I think, for the great threat posed by these orcs is now finished! Now, let me aide you in your endeavor to find Radagast the Brown.”
In the great push to help the Ranger, I had completely forgotten that the entire reason we’d had to was so that he would give us the information he had on Radagast. The reminder narrowed my eyes in irritation at him. I should’ve stabbed him once, too, for all of this trouble, I told myself. “Good of you to fulfill your part of the bargain after we did,” I said instead. “All considered.”
“I take pride in keeping my oaths,” he replied a touch drolly. “It’s almost a family trait, you see.” He took in a breath and then continued. “I managed to track Radagast south and there met friends, the Eglain, who make some ruins here in the Lone-lands their home.” He leaned back on one hand with a wince and Dandelion moved to find the poultices that would help numb his pain. “They are a solitary and quiet people, having shunned societal obligation for a simple life eked out here. The few that do venture towards the more civilized areas of the world are still different than most you will ever meet.”
I looked over at Dandelion and then back at Candaith again in a very obvious manner and he looked down with a barely contained smile. Different, I said with my look. “Oh, I’m sure they’re just fine,” I drawled. “I’ve met far stranger.”
He shook his head and didn’t comment on what I’d said. “Because of this nature, they are truly wary of anyone who wishes to traffic with them or their allies, and it seems that Radagast has enlisted their aid, not only now, but at some time in the distant past.” Not surprising, I noted internally. Radagast may as well be the Brown Pilgrim from the way he travels. But Candaith hesitated, and as he offered me an apologetic face, I knew I wasn’t going to like what he would say. “I fear that you will need to earn the right to speak with Radagast.”
I groaned. “What? No…” I rubbed at my temples as I felt my head start pounding slightly. “Did he hire them as his guard dogs? Can you even do that? Hire an entire society of people as guards? What does that take?”
“Not money,” Dandelion chimed in gruffly from where she prepared a poultice. “The Eglain struggle to survive out here. If Radagast had wealth enough to pay them, they wouldn’t need to live so poorly. You would see one now and then in Bree, sometimes just passing through and other times bringing wares in to sell from the Forsaken Inn.”
Candaith shrugged gently. “I have done what part I can. My horse will take you south and east to The Forsaken Inn. There, you should seek an audience with Gadaric Munce. He will know your name. Be safe, Morchandir.” He tipped his head. “When you go, that is.”
“How will this Munce fellow help me find Radagast if you couldn’t even track him?” I asked him with growing frustration. “If they wouldn’t even talk to you and you KNOW them?”
He shook his head. “I know them well enough to get the information from them, but because I know them that well, I know that I can’t ask them to tell me when I’ll be offering that same information to someone they’ve never met. I spoke well of you, friend, but Gadaric wants to speak with you himself. They protect Radagast and want to know that you have good intentions. Can you blame them when so much in this world is given out for nothing, and often, that knowledge hurts people unintentionally?”
I suddenly recalled the words of the orcs of Weathertop. Saruman, I noted. I had looked away when it struck me, but looked back at Candaith immediately. I opened my mouth to ask Candaith who Saruman was and if that might be the orc leader in the south at the head of things, but Dandelion interrupted me. “We’ll go once you’re fit enough.”
The Ranger shook his head. “If Gandalf has tasked Morchandir with finding Radagast, you need to hurry along and do so. The Eglain will have you working to earn their trust. That will take time that you may not have.”
“So says the man who bartered time for aid, himself,” I growled while pushing the question away. “You should switch him for that, Gammer. It’s highly disrespectful.”
She leveled a look at me. “I’ve half a mind, but he’s had his punishment with his injury. No need to compound it.”
I felt my jaw gape open. “Wh… you…” I sputtered. “My throat hadn’t even healed when you switched me for even less!”
She pointed at me. “And I’ll do it again if you don’t hush, grandson. He’s not my family and most certainly hasn’t chosen a life of crime and villainy on top of the disrespect. I may have no call to curb his bad habits, but it’s my duty to do so for yours!”
I shot Candaith a black look that he merely smirked at in return. “Fine. We leave tomorrow morning, then,” I agreed with him grudgingly.
“Morch…” began Dandelion, but it was my turn to interrupt her. “No, Gammer. Candaith is right. We need to hurry along and even if he could come with us, he’ll be in no shape to fight and will only slow us down.”
The Ranger nodded. “My duties lie here in the Lone-lands, Gammer Digweed. I chose to protect this place with my knowledge and skills or I would never have discovered these orcs’ plans. Rest and take your leave tomorrow. You may use my horse. I’ll collect it from the inn as soon as I’ve healed enough to travel.”
I frowned at Dandelion. “We’ll need to find a mount for you,” I pointed out. “Neeker carries me and anything I have to pack along with me.”
“You may find one for sale at the inn or in Ost Guruth,” Candaith said. “The Eglain may not have much, but they do sometimes have horses and ponies for sale just as they trade in other goods.”
Dandelion sighed. I could see by her expression that she knew she was outnumbered. “Very well. Let’s eat and get you settled, young man. That way we can rest up overnight, make sure you’re comfortable tomorrow, and make it to the inn before nightfall.” She paused. “Though, are you sure that we can’t take you with us…?”
“Very,” the Ranger said. “In fact, I should be mobile enough to change my dressing and do what’s necessary without help thanks to your nursing skills today.” He flashed her a smile and she looked mildly flustered. I found myself reminded once more of her comment only a few days past about how handsome she found the Ranger. It was almost cute in a strange, disturbing fashion, much like the Guardian herself.
By the time morning came, I found my old set of clothing had been mended, though not yet cleaned, and my mask had dried out enough to wear once more. We had covered my packs by putting them in Candaith’s tent while we’d been gone, and afterward, we used the tarp we’d carried him down upon to cover them further in case of more rain. Neeker didn’t seem to mind being wet, but all the same, I had removed his tack and used some of the brush to curry him before and after he had dried. It wasn’t the best solution, but we had little choice in the matter. I slipped the mask through my belt once Neeker was ready to ride once again, and I had mounted. Candaith offered a reminder to us in his last words: “The Forsaken Inn is located south-west from here on the border of the Midgewater March and the Lone-lands along the Great East Road.” He had risen to his feet by then and pointed in the direction we needed to go. It was the same way that he had vanished when we needed a translation of the Black Speech in the message I’d brought back for him, I noted.
We rode for most of the day over the hills of the Lone-lands in Weathertop’s shadow before spotting a rundown building near the road in the late afternoon distance. “That must be it,” Dandelion said as he pulled our steeds to a temporary halt.
“Gadaric Munce,” I murmured as a reminder. I had to blink as something about the inn struck me. “Is… that a giant hole in the roof?”
Dandelion leaned forward on the horse, which was honestly much too big for her, and squinted ahead. “It is,” she determined. “You’re not seeing things.”
“How in the blazes is it an inn if it floods whenever the rains come?”
“And the snows,” she added. “It’s impossible to keep warm at night. It’s open to travelers, though. Or it used to be.”
I shook my head. “Has it always had that hole?” I asked as I started Neeker trotting ahead once more.
She bounced on the oversized saddle as she caught up to me. “It didn’t when I passed through ages ago when I returned to Bree to settle down.” She chuckled breathlessly. “You can offer to fix it for them. Maybe that will help them trust you.”
A small group of people stood outside of the inn as we made our way across the East Road from the stable set off several paces away. I didn’t stop to ask them anything, and they didn’t stop us to talk to us, but I had settled my mask over my face once more and that may have kept their curiosity at bay. I noticed that the Forsaken Inn had a mail area just off the steps leading to its front veranda. Next to it stood a board not unlike the one in Bree, and as I had a better look at the sodden postings on it, I saw they were generally some forms of task or bounty. They would need reposting now that the rains had marred them all. A man in a rocking chair sat whittling as we moved through the creaking front door into the darkness beyond.
The only lights inside came from the fireplace and the hole in the roof above, but the sun was headed for the horizon at this point, and it left the interior gloomy. A single barmaid roamed around and, as I surmised, the central area sat mildewed, warped, and generally uninhabitable. I peered up at the roof regardless and Dandelion commented, “I wonder how that happened?”
“Small dragon, I’m sure,” I replied with a snort. Turning my attention to the room once more, I found a barefoot dwarf with his feet on a table leaned back off to one side along with a few Eglain. More of them dotted the area here and there with the innkeeper at the bar in the far right side from the doorway. The closest man to use glanced away from where he stood speaking with his partner and then turned back to him.
Bold of them to assume I won’t just march up and say something, I mused as I did just that. “Pardon me, but I’m looking for a man named Gadaric Munce.”
Both men stopped to eye me with more than a little hostile wariness. Like a ripple effect, others in the area went quiet and studied me with the same suspicion. “Nobody here by that name,” the first man’s companion snapped at us. “You should move along, now.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, sure, cleared orcs off of Weathertop and got sent here to find Munce, and now I’ll just hop right back out the door based on your word.”
Dandelion tugged at my sleeve gently. “Grandson,” she murmured, causing the two men to frown at her in confusion, “perhaps you should remove your mask if you mean to earn their trust as Candaith warned.”
The second man seemed to perk up his ears at mention of the Ranger. “Candaith, you said?” he asked as I sighed and removed the mask. He flickered a look up and up at me, held it for a moment, and then looked back at Dandelion as if trying to piece together some puzzle.
I smirked at him and ran a hand back through my dark hair. “You won’t figure her out. Trust me.”
He blinked and looked up at me again as his eyes narrowed. He was on the defensive again. “You must be the one the Ranger spoke of. I’m Gadaric Munce.”
I lofted a brow at him. “You just said he wasn’t here, though. Now, which of those is the lie? I can’t very well trust you enough to earn your trust if you start out like that, can I?”
The hobbit sighed. “Morchandir,” she said firmly before turning back to Gadaric. “I’m Dandelion Digweed, a Guardian. This is my grandson, Morchandir. Candaith sent us to you saying you know where Radagast the Brown might be. We’re searching for him urgently on a mission.”
Gadaric’s mouth twisted up slightly. When he finally answered, it was to say, “Candaith is a good man who has taken a chance by giving us his word that you can be trusted.” He crossed his arms at his chest and glowered at Dandelion. He attempted to do so for me but our difference in height made it as ludicrous as it felt for me. “For his sake and our continued friendship with him, I hope that you are worth the risk.”
“For his sake and everyone’s continued safety, I hope we can find Radagast quickly,” I growled. “I don’t make it a habit to go traipsing around after wizards on missions from other wizards, trust me.”
Gadaric’s frown deepened. “You mentioned orcs on Weathertop and now two wizards. What madness have you….” He shook his head. “No matter. It’s not for us to say or get involved in, though we might help you on your way. We are simple people who wish to remain apart from society, but there are efforts that all must undertake to survive, and we will ask you for assistance to prove that you are worthy.”
There’s that “worthy” bit again, I noted internally with growing irritation. “Everyone is worthy of helping,” Dandelion said with a curtness that meant business. “Your reasons for remaining apart from society are your own, but we wouldn’t be here bothering you if it weren’t important, just as my grandson stated.”
“Then you’ll have no reason not to help us in order to earn our trust,” Gadaric’s friend interjected with a single nod. “And from the sounds of it, if you managed to clear out orcs from Weathertop…”
“A mountain troll, too,” I remarked distantly. “Some wargs. Bloody big one.” I looked back at the men. “Do you have a pail for washing clothes, by the way? Mine are still… filthy with warg guts.”
Dandelion rolled her eyes. “Morchandir…”
The man speaking faltered at the additional information before recovering. “If that’s the case, then helping us with the goblins and wargs and spiders in Minas Eriol should be no trouble for you. But it will show us that you mean us no harm while aiding us in our survival. If it’s important that you find Radagast the Brown, then it’s important that you help the Eglain in their struggles.”
“Fine,” I replied stiffly. “But we’ll be staying here at the inn until you’re satisfied. Hopefully not before whatever evil is east of here spreads to us and makes it a moot point.”
“Good luck,” Gadaric replied as he dropped his arms back to his sides. “You’ll need it, long-shanks.”
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