Figwit takes on his duties as Chamberlain to the Last Homely House.
Who Let the Cows Out?
Imladris, Tuile, T.A. 140
Dear Journal
It has been a while since I last had time to write. I am adjusting still to the calendar system they use here in the valley. That pompous ass councillor Erestor had the nerve to suggest I could do with more lessons in Quenya. Elrond has appointed me to the role of Chamberlain after the last one quit for the Grey Havens. I will be in charge of managing the household, things our great councillor is too wrapped up with his scrolls to notice.
One thing I can say is that with Lord Elrond's ring, the valley is most temperate and quite comparable to Lorien, with less mallorn trees and more waterfalls of course. Firewood should not be a problem, until Erestor neglected to inform me of our human guests- some visiting Mannish prince and his party. The Second-born still require a fire at night at this time of the year. The little brat came down with pneumonia, no doubt aided by the fact he had been swimming so early in the year. The good news is that Lord Elrond expects the lad to live. So there is no messy diplomatic incident with Gondor to be dealt with.
Kinslaying or not, I would like to throttle the last elf who had my job. The place is a mess. The household baths are absolutely filthy and the plumbing's all clogged up. It's no wonder everyone washes in the Bruinen, except for Lord Elrond, his family and honoured guests, who get hot water lugged upstairs for their fancy bathtubs. Loss of grain from rot due to a leaking roof in the granary and the stables look set to fall apart in the next stiff breeze. Glorfindel has been bugging me today about a draft in his poor horse's stall, again.
Tried to find the carpenter elf only to find he has run off to the Grey Havens with the milkmaid. Where are the cows of Imladris? Spent a wonderful and utterly useless afternoon bashing through the forest looking for those cows. They must have wandered out of the valley and become food for some orcs, wargs or bandits. Now I need to get a carpenter, a milkmaid and some cows…
Our Lady Celebrian tends to get cranky without her bedtime milk. Unable to secure cows at short notice but we have a mare with a foal in the stables. Hopefully she will not notice the difference.
(The morning after, Lady Celebrian awakes with a very upset stomach. She remains both sick and cranky for the rest of the day. Figwit ends up babysitting her sons, who are just as cranky because they were supposed to go on a picnic by the waterfall with Nana instead of being stuck at home with Figwit. Meanwhile, Glorfindel is astounded to find Rivendell's cows whilst out patrolling her boundaries. The guards herd the cows back home.)
Author's Notes:
Tuile- Spring (Quenya, Rivendell calendar)
Fresh mare's milk can cause a strong laxative effect in some, hence Celebrian's tummy-upset.
