The Trees Remember

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Aftermath"

Legolas collapsed onto the cool earth, unable to take another step. The world swirled blue and green and stars danced in front of his eyes. Darkness threatened to drag him into deep sleep, but the black smoke billowing high into the air kept him awake. Soft footsteps echoed against the ground and a gentle hand touched his back a moment later.

"Legolas," Elrohir called softly. "Are you badly injured?"

Legolas made an attempt to shake his head. Elrohir must have taken that as a positive sign, because he was being pulled to his feet a moment later. He swayed with vertigo as the world slowly came into sharper focus.

Elrohir had sustained the least damage in the car crash and subsequent explosion. By sheer luck, he had avoided the spray of glass and hard knocks as the car had careened down the hill. Elladan had a long cut on his left forearm, but was likewise relatively uninjured. Blood had congealed around Legolas's left temple and bits of glass were still embedded in his face and shoulders, but nothing overly large or life threatening. Sárëawë was similarly wounded. It would take time and patience to patch them up, they would both heal quickly.

"There is a copse of trees on the horizon where I think we can find shelter tonight," Elladan said to his twin. "Did you manage to salvage anything from the car?"

Elrohir looked darkly at the burning car. Just seconds before the explosion, Sárëawë had ordered the Elves to run. They had done so, unaware of what was about to happen. The aftermath was almost as bad as the explosion itself. A ton of metal and rubber had blown apart and flown into the air. The cow pasture was littered with jagged metal shrapnel and strips of rubber tires. Nothing had survived intact.

Elladan sighed. "We should head for the trees then."

The walk across the meadow was slow with Elladan supporting a nearly unconscious Sárëawë and Legolas leaning heavily on Elrohir's shoulder. It took almost all afternoon to reach the trees, but the gentle song of the elms urged the Elves to come closer.

The sun had already begun its decline along the western horizon when Elladan eased Sárëawë to the ground. Legolas had recovered enough to walk without aid, but being the trained healer he was, Elrohir was not convinced that his friend was fully healed.

"We must hunt," Elrohir said quietly to his brother. Elladan's scoff answered his declaration. "You think it is not wise to feed our injured friends?"

"Of course it is wise, but we have no bows, no arrows, no fire. I think it is impossible."

Elladan turned away, peering into the trees. Elrohir rolled his eyes, having already located the running water that Elladan listened for now.

"Impossible?" he repeated, annoyance seeping into his voice. "It's impossible that you've not yet discovered the location of that stream. It is not impossible to hunt a rabbit with a knife, which we so cleverly kept on our belts, and start a fire with stones. Need I remind you how often Glorfindel made us start such fires in the High Pass simply because he wanted to laugh at our frustration?"

Elladan turned to his brother, irritation playing over his identical features. "Firstly, I do know where the stream is. I was only trying to determine if the water was sanitary." Elrohir stifled a derisive snort. "And secondly, Glorfindel always had a tinderbox?"

Elrohir laughed heartily at his brother's expense. "Yes, dear brother, Glorfindel always carried a spare tinderbox."

Several hours later, Elladan knelt in the center of the tree copse banging flint together and muttering curses while Elrohir jovially healed Legolas's and Sárëawë's wounds. It was slow work for both twins, as neither had the proper tools.

Legolas was propped up against a tree trunk, whispering softly to the tree in Silvan. Occasionally, after removing another sliver of glass from Sárëawë, Elrohir would pause and listen to the foreign Elvish tongue. The trees responded much better to the Silvan tongue than Sindarin, just like they responded more favorably to Legolas than to himself and Elladan. The wood-elf seemed only too happy to continue conversing in the old language.

"I thought the Silvan folk learned Sindarin when Oropher became their king," Elrohir commented.

"They did, but not before he learned Silvan," Legolas answered. "The royal tutors taught my brothers and myself Silvan. Although we rarely used it, it was symbolic of our dedication to Eryn Lasgalen."

Elrohir nodded. "Yes, we were taught Quenya for the same reason."

On the other side of the glade, Elladan gave a triumphant cry as the flint sparked and the kindling blazed to life. Elrohir rolled his eyes, turning back to Sárëawë's wounds.

"I think that's all the glass. Unless you feel ill otherwise, I think we're done," Elrohir said.

The Maia only shrugged. "I feel as fine as one can after a car crash. Thank you."

Elrohir hesitated to leave Sárëawë's side. No matter what he said, the Maia looked sickly. His skin was pale and dark shadows circled his weary gray eyes. He would have mentioned the Maia's condition, but Elladan appeared a moment later and thrust a dead rabbit at him.

"I started the fire, you can skin the rabbits."

He settled against the tree trunk next to Legolas, smiling inanely at his brother. Elrohir moved away, grumbling, and began to clean the rabbits for their dinner. The sun had fully set, but the fire provided enough light for him to work effectively, if somewhat slower than normal.

"Sárëawë?" Legolas asked tentatively. "May I ask you some questions that have gone unanswered thus far?"

The Maia shifted into a better position to look at Legolas, nodding while he did so. "Of course, and I will answer if I may. I wonder at what I might answer that Elaneth could not."

"It is not a matter of who could answer so much as who will answer. I have never known my father to speak evasively, yet he dodged my questions artfully. Elaneth does not even bother to conceal her trepidation."

Sárëawë sighed deeply. "I thought you would ask me this sooner or later. Go on, then. If I know the answers, I will give them honestly, but I must warn you that there are some questions only Elaneth could answer, and she will not."

Elladan perked up at the shift in topic, having ample questions about Elaneth as well. Like Legolas and Haldir, he had known the elleth was hiding something from the moment he had met her in Boston. Similarly, Elrohir scooted closer towards Legolas and Sárëawë, dragging the half-skinned rabbit with him.

"What happened at Eryn Ellvalan?" Legolas asked.

Sárëawë sighed. "Alas, the first question you ask is the one I cannot answer. No Elf who was present at Eryn Ellvalan when the Ostrogoths attacked survived longer than one year in Finland. Each and every one of those Elves faded. That is, except for Elaneth. What could affect sixty Elves so much that they faded? I cannot say. Only Elaneth knows the answer, and she has never told a living soul.

"I do recall overhearing a conversation that she had with Olórin once. She asked him how he had defeated the Balrog of Morgoth. He asked why she wanted to know. Elaneth answered that she had her own demons of fire and shadow to battle. That is all I ever heard her say."

"You mentioned that Mithrandir named Elaneth," Elladan interjected. Only afterwards did he realize how rude this was, but Legolas didn't seem to mind. "Why is it that he, instead of her father, named her?"

"Yes, and you've called her Idhriniel several times. Mithrandir is wise and has the gift of foresight. Why did he choose that name?" Elrohir added.

Sárëawë chuckled lightly. "Elaneth would be appalled at you all. Never tell her I am answering these questions. She'll have my head for sure. Yes, Olórin named her Idhriniel. Her father did name her, but only after hearing Olórin's suggestion. I cannot believe you do not know why he would chose that name. Shame on you all if you have to ask that. She has made some questionable decisions on this journey, but she has kept you safe nonetheless. If she had not insisted that we stay in the finest hotel in Rome, her friend could not have warned us about soldiers in our room. If she had not stolen a vehicle and bribed a soldier, we would still be in Italy within the enemy's sight. Even in this dark situation, we are hidden from Alatar and Pallando because Elaneth had the sense to buy a sporty car."

The Elves accept the scolding with dignity, but it did not curb Legolas's curiosity.

"What about my brothers? And my sister. Why did adar and naneth have another child so late in life?"

"Those questions I can answer. Your eldest brother Caledan fell in the Dagor Helcheth, the last battle between Arnor and Rhûn on the steppe in Russia. After that, the Easterlings remained isolated for many years. Faelon perished in Ithilien, defending what as left of Emyn Arnen. The line of Stewards was saved by his sacrifice, and to this day Faelon is counted as a hero among the men of Númenor.

"I think Thranduil and Adonniel had another child because there was a stretch of peace in the West, and a King, even an Elven-king, needs an heir. Your sister was called Aerlinn Sea-Song. She was born on the shores of the Aegean where the music of the Ainur is especially strong in the costal waters. She married Celebdil when she was young, only fifty-one years, had Elaneth the very next year, and died one yén later."

Legolas dropped his eyes to the dewy grass. "I am beginning to understand why adar and Elaneth would not speak of the past openly."

After several minutes, Sárëawë looked up at Elladan. "Is there anything you would like to know?"

Elladan and Elrohir exchanged glances and nods.

"Elaneth mentioned something in Switzerland that we have discussed in private throughout the journey. We are unsure if her wording was intentional or simply past tense, only indicating that Middle-earth has changed." When Sárëawë nodded, encouraging him to continue, Elladan asked the question he and Elrohir had wanted to ask for months. "Elaneth said that Imladris once stood in France. Does that mean it is no longer there?"

Sárëawë sighed. "I'm afraid Elaneth meant exactly what she said. Just as Eryn Lasgalen was destroyed by Easterlings, Imladris was burned to the ground by Barbarians invading the Roman Empire."

"But … but the Bruinen," Elrohir stuttered, appalled that their childhood home, the cherished refuge built by their father, was destroyed.

"The Bruinen, like Celebrant and Anduin, dried up long ago."

"Well, now that we're all in a thoroughly depressed mood," Elladan said dryly. "I think the rabbit is done."

Light, sardonic laughter rippled through the group, but no one's mood was actually lightened.

As Elladan passed around the rabbit on a spit, Sárëawë opened another topic that was sure to cause only more worry and sadness.

"In the morning, we'll have to leave this place. How close to recovery was Haldir?" he asked Elladan and Elrohir.

"He should not walk for two days at least, but knowing Haldir, he will insist that they set out for Konstanz before he is fully recovered," Elladan answered.

"Then we should count on them departing the cave tomorrow night at the latest?" When the twins nodded, the Maia continued. "That puts us in a very difficult position, friends. We are more than two days walk from Konstanz. It is likely that Elaneth and Haldir will beat us there, not find us, and head for Berlin on their own."

"But we cannot be that far from the city," Legolas argued. "We barely left the main road."

The Maia shook his head. "The time we spent off the main road was not very long, but I assure you, we are miles and miles away from it now. I was driving at least seventy-five miles per hour."

The Elves collectively sucked in their breaths. They had noticed how rapidly vehicles traveled, of course, but had never considered the actual speed. On a good day, even an Elven-bred horse could travel only ten miles in one hour. Traveling seventy-five miles in one hour was beyond comprehension.

"I estimate that we left the main road for at least fifteen minutes, plus the mile we drove from the cave. If I was going seventy-five for fifteen minutes, we are now almost twenty miles from the cave."

"We could not cover that in one day," Legolas admitted. "Perhaps with lembas and adequate water supplies, but not as we are now."

Sárëawë laughed softly. "I could not ever cover twenty miles in one day. I may be Maiar, but when we come to Arda, our powers are restrained by our physical forms. We are back at our starting point, however. If Elaneth and Haldir do not find us in Konstanz, I believe they will go to Berlin." The others nodded their agreement. "What then do we do? Do we make for Konstanz in hopes of meeting them? Or do we go to Berlin without going to Konstanz?"

"Why can we not look for them in Konstanz and then go to Berlin if they are not there?" Elrohir asked.

"All our supplies are with Elaneth and Haldir. Without them, we do not have much chance of reaching Berlin. We need to find Elaneth. She will have some way of gathering the resources we need," Elladan agreed.

"But if we miss them," Sárëawë argued, "we are even further away from our goal. We are relatively close to Munich, and I have reason to believe that we have an ally waiting for us there. If we can meet him, he can help us on this quest."

"What ally?" Elladan asked excitedly.

Sárëawë surveyed the Elves carefully, but finally shook his head. "I should not say in case our luck does not hold."

"What luck?" Elrohir demanded. "We're nearly been captured or killed from the moment we began this quest."

"And you're still alive," the Maia said firmly. "That is the luck of which I speak. Few Maiar have had such luck these last years. Eternal beings have begun weighing days as preciously as Ages. Luck only lasts so long, my friends. Trust me when I say that there is a powerful ally in Munich who will aid us if he can, but we must make all haste."

"It sounds as if you're already of the opinion that we should abandon Haldir and Elaneth," Legolas said crossly.

"Abandon?" the Maia chuckled. "I do not think anyone can abandon those two Elves. They are too headstrong and arrogant to believe that anyone could chose to leave them behind."

Elladan and Elrohir exchanged nervous glances. "I agree with Legolas. We should meet with Elaneth and Haldir."

"Doing so would be putting ourselves at greater risk. Undoubtedly, we will be forced to fight Nazis. Hunting knives will do little good against machine guns, and if one of us is injured, we have no medicinal resources," the Maia argued.

"Even still," Elrohir pressed. "Warriors do not abandon their fellows in hostile territory. It is the code of honor we all took when he joined the guard in our respective realms. We have held true to it in Mordor, we will hold to it now."

Sárëawë sighed sadly. "All right, I will be candid with you. My powers left me yesterday night, as you know. My powers were all that held my physical body together. Very soon, it will dissipate into the matter that I created it from. I will become dust, my spirit will fade, and I will be like all the other Maiar who are trapped in the circle of Arda, unable to return to Aman. If we hurry to Munich, I may be able to gather resources for you to continue the journey. But if we return to Konstanz and do not find Elaneth, the three of you will be left utterly alone without any supplies, money, or weapons. Without any hope of success."

Ringing silence followed his words and cold fear gripped the heart of the Elves. Without Sárëawë's or Elaneth's knowledge of the modern world and languages, they would become easy prey for the enemy.

"This ally," Elladan began slowly. "He is surely in Munich and prepared to help us?"

"Without a doubt," Sárëawë said firmly.

"Then we must go to him."

"I cannot leave my niece to fend for herself!" Legolas exclaimed.

Elladan tried very hard to fight back his smile, but Elrohir was laughing too loudly for him to succeed entirely. "Legolas, it is not Elaneth we should worry about. She is more intelligent and cunning than any Elda I know, and I am including my father and grandmother in that. She has led us as well as any Captain or Marchwarden could have without even the most basic Elven magic. She and Haldir will be fine. We are the ones in danger now, mellon nin."

Legolas was not entirely placated, especially not when Elrohir doubled over with laughter, but he did acknowledge that Elaneth was more than capable of looking out for herself. He agreed with what Elladan said. Elaneth was a powerful Elf indeed, but not in any traditional sense. She did not have the presence or power of a Ring bearer, but she had managed incredible things all the same.

"It is decided then?" Sárëawë asked, glancing at Legolas.

"There are three against me," he grumbled. "We will go to Munich. We have no other choice but defeat and death."

They could not know that twenty miles away, Elaneth was crying on Haldir's shoulder and days were passing like minutes. The Princess and the march warden would not leave their hiding place for three more days, and if the Elves and Maia had set out at once and encountered no delays, they would have met Haldir and Elaneth in the lake town.

But every choice has consequences, and Legolas, Sárëawë, and the sons of Elrond had unwittingly made the wisest choice of many dismal options that would have certainly led to defeat. Very soon, Elaneth and Haldir would embark upon the darkest leg of the entire quest.


Author's Note:

Dagor Helcheth: Battle of the Bitter Cold, Sindarin.