1601
King Argeleb II met the halflings at the Brandywine bridge. They were fifty in total, men, women, and children. The two brothers Marco and Blanco lead them. The king welcomed them into his realm.
One of the brothers said, "We have travel from Bree, hoping the King would grant us stay in his realm"
The King answered, "You are welcomed as subject of the king of Fornost. You shall live at practice your customs as you did in the wilderness. West of the forest is the royal hunting grounds. Live there, but be my subjects, that is trust our judgements of the outside and we will protect you."
The men surrounding the king laughed when they saw the little people.
"I understand why these people want us to protect them," one said.
Another added, "if they exist without making an impact on our lives, why should the enemy care about them?"
However, the grey vizard who was with the king said, "does anyone protect the trees? You hardly noticed them even when walking in the forest. Yet the enemy burn them, and it saddens you when they are gone. Because you know that when they are all gone, your fate is sealed too, and it will be too late to do anything about it, and who know they might be the ones give us a brighter spring after the darkness."
Argeleb stated, "It is our duty to protect those who cannot protect themselves, even if they cannot speak for themselves. From the newborn to the hurt and the old."
The wizard said, "Wise words, my king. Yavannah sows but Este heals, Nessa hunts for the future but Nienna remembers the past. We should learn from what once were and care for what could be."
Elrond, who was there as well said, "I remember a time when everything east of the Blue Mountains were forest. Annatar burned much of it and the men of pride fell much of it too. The only forest that remains from that age is the 0ld Forest that just south of here. "
One of small people who were passing heard Elrond. He stopped and said, "the blue man of the forest told us that hen the first acorn dropped eternality started, and even though wood burn, seeds will live, and the story of life will continue."
The master of Rivendell could not find an answer. However, Mithandir said, "there you have it master Elrond. The gift of man is bigger than then any one of us understand. Not the Valar, nor the enemy will understand the reason for their own creation."
Elrond said, "my brother died so many years ago. I did not understand his choice, I have lived as I expected with Celebrian and my children afterwards, but what is his fate. Does this blue man know our fate?"
The Wizard answered, "I do not know. He apparently knows more than us. He is older than me, he knew when the dwarves arose, and the trees blossoms at the first spring. I heard about him from the dwarves and the tree shepherds. His works and reasons are beyond me, but the men called him Orald before any history were written."
