The beginning of a journey was always a hassle.
It had all started when they picked up the stray young girl, Mariym, at Kayrin's insistence. Despite a few initial objections and the heavy cloud of suspicion that had followed Alex around, he reluctantly accepted Mariym coming with them after shouldering Kayrin with responsibility for the girl. Malruin did not say much but simply smirked as they returned to the room at the back of the Pony with the young adolescent in tow.
Then there was the pointy-eared follower who had been following them since... actually, Alex could not remember from where Reffas had come. All he remembered was Malruin suddenly declaring they stop due to a sneaky figure suddenly trailing behind them. As it turned out, the elf turned out to be mostly harmless, if not chok-full of herself and smug. Kayrin was the first to suggest having her among the group - Alex agreed thereafter, but only did so out of fear of rebuttal; He did not know how to properly deal with an actual, intelligent Elf - his grandmother's stories of the Dwimordene rang in his thoughts.
The moment they arrived at the Brandywine Bridge, Alex was glad for the rest. The trek there was a toil in itself, although they surprisingly did not encounter any ruffians or brigands on the road. The sight of the Brandywine itself was a rare treat: Calm, muddy brown waters carried downstream from where he knew lay Lake Evendim. Over yonder were the hills of the Shire, the lands of the Halflings, and beyond that were his destination lay.
Staying at the bridge brought about the traditional campfire story-time, sans actual stories. Alex found himself being questioned about the purpose of the journey. Not willing to disclose that he had picked Evendim for the sake of what his sister had once told him on a sunny day spent lazing around in a pile of hay years before, he instead chose to confide in them his insecurities over Rhyva, her sudden declaration, and his panic.
"And what if she is with child?" Reffas questioned, a light amused smirk playing on her lips.
"She ain' gonna be." The thought made Alex's stomach turn, "I'll marry 'er t'save 'er."
"And running away will help those heroic intentions, hmmm?" Reffas mocked.
Alex said nothing. Coward, Reffas and Malruin mocked. Mariym even hurled an apple at him and questioned the faults in someone loving you, but soon after the girl admitted she would run from her troubles as well.
The faults, he thought bitterly, There's so many of 'em, if y'say it t'someone after only a few weeks.
He said nothing, instead letting them ridicule his decisions for the rest of the evening. While Reffas and Malruin carried on throwing their righteous morals about, Kayrin at least understood the logic behind his decisions.
He was glad, however, as it gave them reason to be merry on this truthfully pointless journey.
