As we approached the city walls, I started to get anxious. What if they don't let us stay? I know in the story that Tuor is allowed to stay because he marries the princess, but maybe I messed it up by being here. My thoughts race around my head and I start to panic now.
As we approach the gate, Ecthelion leads us and gives his horse over to a smaller elf. As we start to walk I take a few deep breaths and exhale loudly. Voronwë notices and reaches out to squeeze my shoulder.
"It will be alright, lady Kiera. I'm sure the king will allow you to stay. If not, I promise I will lead you to Círdan's kingdom myself."
"Thank you, that means a lot to me," and he gives me a reassuring smile.
As we pass through the main gate Ecthelion leads with Tuor right behind him. They drop our bags but I don't even pay them any notice as I drop mine. Voronwë and I are side by side and I get my first look at the hidden city.
The streets are the same cobbled stone, but they look well polished and clean. The houses on either side are made with polished marble and white stone. The doors and shutters are made of golden wood. Each house has elves sitting out front or wandering in the street. Some are leaning out second-story windows just to watch us pass. It seems the whole city came out to catch a glimpse at us.
As we walk, the street starts to rise higher and higher. The road splits and in between are beautiful gardens of flowers. More and more elves are lining each side of the street. I can feel the stares and hear their elvish whispers. There are so many people and things to look at. I get overwhelmed and try to focus on Tuor's back.
Voronwë must notice because he reaches for my hand and squeezes. He doesn't say anything and for that I am grateful. We walk for a while and the crowd of elves becomes increasingly curious. They reach out to brush Tuor's shoulders and mine. Their tinkling laughs blend with the whispers. Soon they are reaching for my hair and I jerk my head up to focus on the incoming swarm of elves.
It bothers me that they touch my hair and brush across my shoulders. I know I must be exciting and strange but it becomes increasingly uncomfortable. Tuor takes it in stride, but I'm struggling. I don't like the attention or the grabbing hands. Ecthelion says something in elvish to the crowd and they recede from Tuor and me. I breathe a sigh of relief, I will have to thank him later for that.
Voronwë squeezes my hand again and starts to make circular motions with his thumb. The soothing motion helps me calm my breathing and I start to relax. We keep walking and I try to get a good look at the surrounding elves, but it just looks like a sea of beautiful faces. The crowd is thickening as we approach a large archway.
The archway is made from white stone and it is expertly carved. The pillars look like a tree trunk that is wrapped in vines and flowers. On each side of the archway is a tree that wraps up until it reaches the middle. It is so beautiful that I am at a loss for words. I gasp in amazement as we walk under it and continue to look back as we pass.
I can't see much after as the elves continue to follow us and close in around the archway behind. I turn to look ahead and I am hit again but another marvel. The open courtyard is filled with elves but at the center is a large fountain. The tiers are all stacked together each with different carvings. The top is overflowing with water and I am lost again in the architecture and beauty of this place.
We move around the fountain and make our way to the front of the palace. We walk up a few stone steps and I gasp at the sight before me. Two trees are delicately carved and stand tall in the courtyard. Behind them is the tower of the king and the palace. I finally glance back to the elves and notice that they are arranged in a semicircle with a large elf with a crown standing tall in the front.
I glance around the courtyard and am shocked by the number of elves there are. There must be thousands, and they are all watching us approach. I'm gonna be sick.
Ecthelion leads us through the courtyard and bowed in front of the king. He speaks in elvish to him, which instantly annoys me. I guess I won't be part of this conversation.
Voronwë must have seen my face and translated for me. "Lord Ecthelion is introducing us to the king and informing him of what he knows so far."
When he was finished, he walked over to stand next to a tall blonde haired elf. Tuor stepped forward and bowed to the king. He then spoke in elvish. As he spoke Turgon's face fell.
"Tuor is delivering Lord Ulmo's message, that king Turgon needs to abandon the city and seek refuge in the area protected by Lord Ulmo. Should he refuse to heed this warning, Gondolin will fall."
"Tuor is now telling the king about his travels." I watched as Tuor was talking and looking around at everyone to tell his tale. While he spoke, I got my first good look at the king.
He had an air of superiority about him. His clothing was very finely made and adorned with many jewels. His crown was also adorned with many jewels and delicately carved branches, intertwined with gold and silver. His long dark hair was braided and his face had high chiseled cheekbones. He had grey eyes and a thin smile.
As Tuor continued speaking, I focused back on him. Eventually, he pointed to Voronwë and myself and I knew I was going to be introduced soon.
After a few more words, Voronwë spoke to me "Come, the king wants to meet you."
Tuor stepped out of the way and I walked up to the king. I didn't know if I should bow or curtsy, but I bowed like everyone else and addressed the king.
"Your majesty, I am honored to meet you. I am called Kiera Sutherland and I am grateful to be allowed in your city."
The king spoke to me in the common tongue. "Well met, lady Kiera. I am king Turgon, and I welcome you to the city."
Voronwë bowed and said some words in elvish. The king replied and then addressed the crowd of elves. Afterward, they dispersed except for a small group of elves. The king turned and beckoned us all to follow him into the tower.
We followed the group of elves in. I noticed I was the only female besides a blonde-haired elf. She walked next to the king, so I guessed it was his daughter or maybe his wife.
As we walked into the tower, the elves all traveled to certain chairs that were arranged in a semicircle. The king took his place on the center throne and the women stood next to his chair. The room was large with lots of windows, but besides the chairs, there was nothing else inside.
Once the remaining elves were seated, my companions and I were the only ones left standing in the center of the room. Afterward cleared his throat and looked at me "We understand that you do not speak elvish. We will try to talk in the common tongue. Your companion Tuor spoke little about you, but that you also had the blessing of Lord Ulmo. Could you tell us more about yourself?"
Standing in front of all the elf lords was very intimidating but I took a deep breath and started to tell my story. "Well, I'm Kiera. I am 23 years old and I was in my last years of schooling for my architecture degree. Last week I was camping with my friends in the Black Hills and when I woke up, I found myself on a beach. There is no ocean anywhere near the Black Hills and I was quite confused. I saw a castle in the distance, so I walked towards it because I was lost."
"Once I reached the castle, I ran into Voronwë and thought I was dreaming. In my world, there are no elves except in stories. Once I finally accepted that I was here, Voronwë offered to take me to an elf named Círdan, to see if he might be able to get me home. Or at least offer me a place to stay."
"However, a figure rose out of the water and spoke to Tuor who had come walking onto the beach. Voronwë and I went to him, where he told me I was brought to this world by Eru Ilúvatar and he couldn't send me home. He said my destiny was to follow Tuor and Voronwë to Gondolin. He gave me his blessing and disappeared. I have no idea why I was brought here. I have no special powers or any magic. I'm just a normal human girl. Afterward, I traveled with Tuor and Voronwë here."
Nobody spoke for a second, as I think I shocked most at them. The first to break the silence was an elf seated next to the king. He had black hair and shifty black eyes. He was dressed in fine material but that too was black.
"Lies!" he shouted. "This is preposterous, other worlds do not exist. Uncle, she is a servant to the enemy, do not believe her lies. Eru Ilúvatar would not bring a useless human woman to this world. She is a witch and she has entranced her companions," he shouted.
I opened my mouth, but Voronwë beat me to it. "How dare you accuse her of being a witch. I was present when Lord Ulmo spoke of her destiny and gave her his blessing. He admitted she is from another world. You would dare question a Valar and the one himself," he raged.
"Lies," he spits. "Eru Ilúvatar does not intervene in the affairs of this world. Why would he bring this woman to us, while Melkor is ruling and terrorizing these lands? He would leave us to ruin, yet brings this worthless mortal to this fair city. Nay, uncle. Hear me now. She is a spy, sent by the dark lord to bring ruin to this city. The Valar have been mistaken before. Did they not believe Melkor and let him cause chaos and destruction?"
"Listen to me, my fair lords of this city, she is a witch. She used her dark magic to warp the minds of Voronwë and this man. How do we know that they have even spoken to Lord Ulmo at all? Maybe she bewitched them into thinking they met him. Perhaps this is all a ruse to gain entry into this hidden city and to feed information to the enemy. I don't trust their words and I say we kill them."
I stood gobsmacked as he finished his rant. The other lords of the city begin shouting in a mix of common and elvish. As I stood there in shock, I had to admit that the elf had made some very convincing arguments and I could see some of the lords were swayed by his words.
I looked over to Voronwë and could see the fear in his eyes as he could understand what they were saying. My heart was in my stomach now and I began to realize that they might just kill me. All of my dreams were crushed in that instance.
"Silence," yells the king. The hall quiets and he continues "it is a strange tale that you have spoken, lady Kiera. Tell me more about your world and your family. Do you have a husband or children?"
I gulped and answered "my world is very advanced. It's different from this world, but we share some common things. However, my world doesn't have any magic or gods that we know of. No elves or evil creatures, just humans. My mom is a healer and my dad is an architect. I have two older siblings; a brother and a sister. My sister is also a healer and my brother builds houses. I have no husband or children."
The king waits a moment then speaks "You are quite old for a mortal woman to be unwed and one as beautiful as you. Your world is a strange place if a woman does not need a husband or escort to be camping in the wilderness. I find that part of your tale to be questionable. Most mortal women in this world would not last a day in the wilderness by themselves. Most human women are married and wed by the time they reach their 16th year and already have children."
I open my mouth to respond but Voronwë interjects "my king, during our travels the lady Kiera did not complain once. She was a wonderful traveling companion and showed myself and Tuor great kindness. She answered all of our questions and shared her food with us during our journey. She never complained as we ran for days and helped out whenever she could. She has been brought to this world without her say and has taken everything in stride."
"I know many elves who would have crumbled to be separated from their kin forever. While her tale may be strange, she has always been honest and forthcoming with information. The Lord Ulmo gave her his blessing like he did when he saved me from the sea. Tuor, lady Keira, and myself were all brought together for a reason. We risked our lives to make it back to this city so Tuor could give you Lord Ulmo's warning. We are not lying and I hope that my words will convince you as such."
The king pondered Voronwë's words, as did some of the other lords. I looked over to Ecthelion and he was whispering to the blonde-haired elf who I realized must be Glorfindel.
The dark-haired elf spoke again with a snarl "you are certainly bewitched with her. I hear mortals have looser morals. Tell me Voronwë, did she welcome you into her bed? Is that why you are defending her?"