Bryony stood at the doorway of the kitchen, watching her siblings quarrel over who has to do the dishes for the night. She had gotten away with it, having helped her mother cook. Taking a deep breath, she slowly inched away from the squabble, quickly hurrying past where her mother and father were standing. She looked back, feeling a bit sorry for leaving Yorric behind to deal with her family, but she needed some peace. As quiet as a field mouse, she made her way to the door, silently cracking it open and slipping out before closing it behind her, listening for the slight click that it had closed.
Free from the chaos, she walked through Stock. The night was growing cold, and she tightened her scarf around her neck. The houses were all alive, warm lights bathing the streets as she heard the clanging of pots and pans, laughter and the clatter of cutlery. In contrast, the roads were quiet. As she walked, she heard the plants rustling in the wind. Even the animals were sheltering away from the cold.
She walked to the Brandywine Bridge and climbed up on the stone wall, letting her feet dangle beneath her. The soft gurgle of the river beneath her brought a certain peace over her, lifting her small worries off her shoulders and carrying them away down the river.
She felt a presence, and didn't have to look to know who it was. Yorric lumbered up and took a seat next to her, taking out his slate and writing "Sneaky sneak." Bryony chuckled, feeling her ears redden. "I genuinely am sorry for leaving you with those terrors, but I needed some quiet." She turned her head to gaze outwards, at the twinkling stars above, small ripples in the river, the trees swaying to and fro in a dance with the wind.
She finally found her voice again. "I'm feeling what my ma calls an itch. I love it here. I love exploring with those terrors I call siblings. But I've seen it all here, and the Shire is so peaceful and quiet. I want an adventure, like our friends at the tavern! I want to see creatures I've never laid eyes on before, to see mountains so tall they're caressing the clouds." Bryony paused for a moment, her gaze moving towards the dark looming forest which had almost claimed her once.
"I- I'm afraid that I wouldn't last two seconds out there. I had to be rescued in the Old Forest. It was a foolhardy adventure, I see that now. But that excitement when I first entered..." Her voice trailed off.
She looked to Yorric, who was writing something on his slate. "Good with hatchet, and not alone." He cleaned his slate and wrote again. "We can wander, I'll keep showing you how to fight."
Bryony shook her head. "I can't ask that of you, uprooting you once more when you've finally found some peace! Well, as peaceful as it can be with us." She heard Yorric chuckle next to her before he cleaned his slate once more. "I want to travel, see more places. Also need to keep an eye on Benjenn. For family. Complicated."
Bryony scrunched her face in a frown. "You two should really shake hands and get along. My ma used to put Daisy and Milo in one of da's shirts until they apologised to each other. Perhaps I'll do that to you two!" She let out a laugh, covering her face with her hand as she burst into a myriad of chuckles, imagining two large beornings stuck in a giant shirt, frowning at each other. She heard Yorric huff through his nose at the suggestion, which made her laugh even harder. As she calmed down, Yorric wrote, "Won't work, would make things worse."
"I'm telling you, the shirt never failed," Bryony said, trying to keep her face serious as she fought back her chuckles. Yorric continued to frown, which only made her chuckles worse. She gave him a shove, telling him to stop before taking a few breaths. "Alright, alright I'm calm."
Yorric tried to hide his smile as he wrote "Where are we going first?" Bryony thought for a moment. There were so many places they could go. North to Evendim, north west to Ered Luin, down to South Farthing. She finally nodded, making her decision.
"We'll go east. Past Bree, through the Lone Lands. Perhaps, we should make our destination be Rivendell!" Yorric nodded in approval, showing his slate. "I have never been, so we shall find out."
Bryony clapped her hands together. "It's settled then!" She dangled her feet beneath her, her smile growing. "I think ma's already suspected that I want to leave. She "coincidentally" found her old backpack and gave it to me two days ago." The thought of leaving the Shire scared her a little, but the little glimmer in her heart that had bloomed in the Old Forest seemed to be growing stronger.
She looked at Yorric, finding him staring pensively ahead. She had a feeling there was a lot her dear friend wasn't telling her about his feud. The dislike between them seemed to have roots deeper than the Party Tree itself. She was about to ask before deciding not to. He would tell her himself, and she would not push. She rested her head against his broad arm as they continued to gaze outward. One was full of deep thought, the other full of excitement.
