Many days and nights, even weeks had past now since Cenwynne and Caithrin had sat out to find Komatsu. Their journey had taken them from Bree to the Red Horn pass and through Eregion and through Enedwaith and via Trum Dreng into Dunland.
Waking up outside Trum Dreng they prepared a light meal,sitting by the campfire in the brisk winer morning. "Did you sleep well Cait?" Cenwynne asked her,Caithrin sighs and looks down at her stomace that had now grown and were starting to be hard to hide. "No, I guess I will have truble to sleep for some time now but I can make it" Cenwynne looked at her and smiled "You will be fine Cait, I know it.." he said to her. After a while Cenwynne looked at her and said "Well..In Dunland are we now so be careful here...the locals is not that fond of strangers.." hearing this Caithrin nodded and replied "I will have my eye´s and ears on guard". "Thats good...lets head out...over this ridge and down to the road towards Galtrev...I hope we can find any traces of him there.." Cenwynne said as they kept on walking from Trum Dreng towards Galtrev, whispers had been told them that Komatsu had been seen in Galtrev, when no one knew..
"I wonder how they have it back home..Zandy..Althessia..and a few other firends" Cenwynne said after a while, They are safe and warm. And they wait for us." Caithrin said. Cenwynne nodded in reply as they kept walking. As they come up against a ruin, Cenwynne then suddenly stops "Schh...Cait...listen.." he whispers as he points towards the ruins "I think we are not alone here.." Caithrin looks at Cenwynne with fear in her eye´s but she stays and listens. "Come..lets take a closer look, but keep low" Cenwynne says as he then sneaks off closer to the ruin and then points towards a small camp of some Dunlendings, as they sit and talk with each other, four in total. Caithrin walks after Cenwynne and stands just behind him. She have a carefull look around. "See them down there Cait?" Cenwynne asked her, Caithrin looks down at the way he points. "Do we need to take them out?" she then whispered to him, Cenwynne nods carefully "I think we need to do so...they are watching the ridgeline...the way we need to go to get to Galtrev..." he then thinks for a moment before unslinging his bow "Are you good with a bow Cait?" Caithrin raise her arm over her head and takes the bow in her hand. "I guess.."
Cenwynne nods as he nocks one arrow "Can you hit one from here?" Caithrin raises her bow and load it with an arrow. She aims and holds it still. "Yes.." Cenwynne nods as he pulls his bowstring as well before aiming down on one of the dunlendings "Take your shot Cait" he whispers as he releases his bowstring with a "thud" noise and watches as the arrow flies towards its target
. As soon as Caithrin hears Cenwynnes arrow leave his bow, she lets her´s go as well. Cenwynne growls as he sees that his arrow misses the target while the man next to his target slomps down to the ground, he nocks a new arrow and pulls the bowstring tight again and releases the string. Caithrin smiles as she see the arrow goes though the head of her target. She takes a new arrow fast and shoot on the next one. Cenwynne sees the man slomps down on the ground as the other two are now running towards them, he quickly nocks a new arrow and pulls the bowstring before letting go of the arrow. Caithrin growls as she see the target just move so her arrow just misses. He looks up on Caith and she sees that and draw her sword and run down to him with a raised sword. She swings and aims for the mans head. Cenwynne looks towards Cait as runs down and swings her sword, the head goes flying off to another directionand shouts "Are you alright Cait?" Caithrin turn her head and nod´s. "We better not linger around here for too long Cait.." Cenwynne said to her as he came down to take a look on the dead dunlendings. "No. Let´s go." Caithrin said "You are pretty good with the bow Cait, I must say..." Cenwynne said sas they moved on, now faster than before afraid of being spotted by more dunlendings. "Thanks. I have been in some training so." Caithrin replied to him.
"Good good.." Cenwynne replied to her and then looked over his shoulder "Hmm.." Caithrin looked at him and asked "What?" "I..it was nothing...Come..this way..It is nice around these lands" Cenwynne replied to her as they moved on as Caithrin looks around her. "Yeah it is". After a while a few towers could be seen "Ah..the towers of Galtrev" Cenwynne said "I hope we can find any sign of him here" Cenwynne added. "Me to." Caithrin added as well. "The people inside can be...hmm..not that friendly so try and kep a low profile" Cenwynne said to her as they moved through the gate, Caithrin looked at him and nodded "I hope...that they have seen him" Cenwynne said as they made their way up into the village "Yes so do I" Caithrin said while she was looking around.
"Cait.." Cenwynne said all of a sudden "Yes?" she replied. "I will have a word with the stable master here...Could you ask around over by the tents if they have seen him or if he has left any note?" Cenwynne said. "I will" she replied to him. Cenwynne walks up to the stable master and talks to him, sometimes bobbing his head in agreement as Caithrin walks up to some of the tents. Looking around her and try to not look scared.
"Oh..so he has been here...5 months ago you say? Did he leave any note?" Cenwynne asked the stable master as Cenwynne continues to nod as the stable master talks to him. Caithrin talks around but she seems disappointed. Cenwynne nods as he taks a little parchment from the stable master "Cait!" he calls out, "Thank you sir." he then says to the stable master. Caithrin hears Cenwynne call for her and she run back to him, "What did you found out?" she asked him as she comes up to him. "He has been here...not 5 months ago.. He left this note...to be sent back home with a message or a caravan.." Cenwynne then shows her the note which reads
"It's been months since I left home with my regiment, to join the battle in gondor. Some days, I debate the wisdom of my decision to join, as my age has made me slower than many of the younger men. However, my knowledge of potions and bits of lore has proven useful to the captain, to the point where I find myself being called on for all manner of strange maladies and information about new areas. At least, in this, I feel as though I am useful.
Dunland has been a beautiful land so far, but also wild and dangerous. Three men fell just a pair of days ago, as we were ambushed by a band of roving dunlanders, angry with our intrusion into their lands, all of them sworn in allliegance to Sauroman. They fight like heathens, wild and unexpected in their attacks, their weapons often dipped in poisons that slowly eat away at the person unfortunate enough to get hit by them, if not killing them almost instantly. One man, a young man with a wife and two babes at home, barely survived such an attack, but is no forever unable to use his right arm or hand. It appears physically fine, and yet it no longer works.
And, speaking of wives, I find myself frequently thinking of my own sweet Zandrianna, missing her terribly and wishing more than anything to be home with her and our baby. I'm sure that she's had the babe by now, but I've no idea how the two of them fare, or even what name she gave to our child. I can only pray that they are safe, and that our friends and associates in Bree are looking after them, as i beseeched them to before I left. Some nights, I dream of her, hearing her voice as she tells me some new tale, or feeling the brush of her lips against my cheek, encouraging me to stay strong despite my triedness and my worries. She always was my rock in the storm, the one I could talk to that made me feel better. Above all, this is what I miss about my sweet, gentle wife.
For now, I am called away again, as the men have discovered a small clearing of strange plants, and the captain wishes me to examine them ..."
Caithrin looks down at the note. "He is indeed going towards Gondor by the looks of it.." Cenwynne said to her "Gondor..." Caithrin said to Cenwynne "Yes..Which means we still have a long way to go.." he replied to her. Caithrin looks at Cen with her head tilted. Then lower her head. "I know.."
"Dont you worry Cait..I will see to that we are not going to fast but we might need to hurry at some point so we might need to buy a horse each.." Cenwynne said when he noticed her look "I can´t help it... But I start feel worried and I have thought of that too.." she replied "Worried?" Cenwynne asked her as Caithrin looks down at her stomach. "That I made a mistake to follow you.. I will slow you down at some point. And now it going to take even longer..." "Cait..dont worry for that now..it is a long way back as well..." Cenwynne replied to her "I know.." she said quietly back to him. "Can we rest for now?" Caithrin asked Cenwynne "That we can.. there are a few tents over there, come lets go and take some rest" Cenwynne replied as they walked up to the tents and sat down, Caithrin placed herself on her back and fell asleep, Cenwynne sat and looked around the landscape. From now on everything changed for them as Caithrin fell into a fever condition, why and what caused it Cenwynne had no idea.
