In Dreams

Chapter Ten

A Whole Lot Of Packing Going On?

Amarie watched as the last of the boxes containing looms and other equipment was carried out of the final workroom. She followed slowly and turned at the door to check that nothing had been overlooked. All that remained were the empty storage shelves against the near wall. Sighing she turned resolutely back to the group of people and boxes in front of her in the large gathering room next to the covered porch.

“Well, that’s everything from here. We can organize and start loading the boxes.” She looked over at Sadi who was making notes on an inventory sheet. Sadi nodded and continued to check boxes against the list.

“Beran,” she called to one of the men standing out near the gate. “We can move the wagons into the courtyard anytime now for loading. We don’t need to keep it clear now that everything is packed.”

“Very well, Lady Amarie, but it is getting late and the horses will be coming in soon from the upper pasture to the stable for the night. Can we do it first thing in the morning?” he responded.

“I don’t see why not. We are a little ahead of schedule. We can do the final breakdown and organizing of both loads before we stop this afternoon and load all of it into the wagons first thing tomorrow morning. The household things are ready as well.”

Amarie and her remaining workers began sorting the boxes and stacked them into two piles. Sadi continued to update the inventory as the afternoon progressed. Amarie pointed to the boxes containing the records and design files.

” Make sure these go with me on my wagon.”

Beran noted which boxes she indicated and nodded.

They turned next to the various groupings of household items remaining and divided them in half. The results were pretty even, Amarie noted. That, along with food, camping supplies and replacement gear for the horses and wagons should leave just enough room for their small bundle of personal items they would need during the trip.

Later that afternoon when they had finished as far as they could, Amarie called everyone together.

“This has been a good days work, everyone. Thank you for all your efforts. We will load everything on the wagons tomorrow morning then we will rest for the next two days and get an early start on the third.”

She smiled at them, “Everyone get a good nights sleep and be here as soon as you can after breakfast.”

Chorusing their agreement and wishing her a good night, they dispersed rapidly to their temporary living quarters eager for dinner, a hot bath and bed.

Amarie watched them as they departed and said a prayer of thanks to the Valar for the wonderful people she had inherited from her grandparents. They made her job so much easier and she was grateful that all of them were willing to accompany her to Imladris

She remained unaware of how proud of her and grateful to her they all were. She had become their heart and it was her leadership that kept the workshops together and operating. The demand for their skills was certainly there, but without her willingness to take on the guidance and management of Bar-Meneg-Mir-Lain upon the departure of her grandparents there was no question that everything they had established would have simply withered away.

She returned to the gathering room door and locked it before joining Sadi in their rooms at the village guesthouse. Although Amarie appreciated their availability, she was finding it difficult to sleep in a strange bed and Sadi was missing her own kitchen. She also found the bathing facilities barely adequate and her tired sore muscles missed their nightly soakings.

As Amarie entered the guesthouse, she found Sadi muttering in the small kitchen area as she heated leftovers from the day before.

“The worst kitchens at Imladris have got to be better than this,” she grumbled. She pulled the singing kettle off the fire and placed it on a hot pad on the table. Turning back to the oven at the side of the fireplace, she removed a pot of stew and warm bread, placing them on the table as well.

Amarie chuckled and hugged her waist from behind. “I am sure they must be, pen vuil, you will soon be queen of your new kitchen and will create marvelous things again.”

Sadi smiled back at Amarie. “Dinner will be ready as soon as I make the tea. I might even be able to scrounge up a glass or two of red wine.”

Placing a hand on her heart and one on her forehead, she pantomimed shock and gasped “Be still my beating heart. How lucky can one be?”

Sadi chuckled at her antics. “You are in much better humor tonight, penneth.”

“I think relieved is the proper word, Sadi. As much as I really hate to leave here, we won’t survive much longer under these conditions and they are just getting worse. We need to be somewhere a real effort at defending the community exists so that we can do our work. We can’t be both the only defenders and do our work as well. Unfortunately the resources for that aren’t here. I know our leaving will weaken the villages’ ability to defend itself further but it may force the elders to finally get serious about relocating everyone to a safer area. It should have been done decades ago.”

“I know, penneth, but it is still hard to leave the only home we have known for so long.” Sadi reflected. “Dinner is ready.”

Amarie joined Sadi at the table. As they ate, she thought about the future that lay ahead. She wondered what it held for her and if she would finally meet someone as wonderful as the elf lord of her dreams. At least her horizons were widening and after looking over all the delicious Imladris warriors that had recently crossed her path things were definitely looking up!

penneth – young one
pen vuil – dear one
Imladris - Rivendell