Chapter 11
"Too late," said Brethildur, "The battle is all over."
"We weren't needed after all," said another elf, "But we may as well see if they need help with the wounded."
Lindil gave up looking for Mithlhach among the dead when he realised all the corpses were orcs. He had never seen orcs like these before. Several knights were busy heaving the Uruk-hai bodies onto the fire while the rest were busy in tents tending the wounded. Lindil saw Melfalas and hailed him.
"Lindil, is it not?" said Melfalas.
"Yes," replied the elf, "What has occurred here?"
"Uruk-hai came upon us. Fortunately, we were warned by a ranger beforehand or this would have ended very differently. The ranger left some time ago before any had a chance to show their gratitude."
Lindil knew not what to do. So he decided to go back to the boat and decide what to do from there. Bidding Brethildur and the rest farewell he hurried northwest. As he neared the boat he heard a strange scraping sound. Then he saw the cause of it. Mithlhach was sitting in the boat, carving away at something with her dagger. Every now and again she'd take a bite from some bread before carving again as she chewed. She seemed to sense that he was coming for she looked up and put away the piece of wood.
"I looked for you on the battlefield," said Lindil, "Why did you leave it so soon?"
"Melfalas thought it prudent for me to go and as the battle was drawing to an end I was no longer of use there."
"So you followed his counsel. Why did you not follow mine?"
"Counsel is given as a suggested course of action, not as an order."
"Yes, perhaps you are right. I did not mean to order you"
"How did the men fare after I left?"
"Very well indeed. No man has fallen though some were injured."
Mithlhach nodded and looked down the river before looking back at Lindil.
"I still wish to proceed to Rohan by boat as I had planned," she said, "Do you come with me?"
"Yes. I still have many things to ask you."
"Is that reason enough to stay? Why do you really stay, Lindil? Why do you delay your departure to the havens when you so much desire to be with Nimril and your kin?"
Lindil sat beside her in the boat and looked up at the fading stars as day crept into the sky. He seemed to be pondering the question within himself and Mithlhach waited patiently for him to speak. She had almost closed her eyes to sleep when she heard his voice.
"I am not yet ready to leave middle-earth," he said.
"What do you mean? Do not all elves feel weary of the world now?"
"I have heard others speak of their weariness but my heart has not had its fill of these lands. The forests, the rivers, the mountains…I have not the heart to leave them just yet.
"The world ever changes and I have seen it grow but I wish to see it grow further. On my travels with you I have seen and experienced things I would never have known otherwise. I desire to see more.
"I love these lands dearly however, it is seemingly unnatural for me to feel so attached to them. My home is said to be over the seas but I do not desire to see it. Not yet. I do not know what to do."
"Then stay as long as your heart desires, though I deem, the nearer to the sea you become the less you will desire to stay.
"Perhaps there is a reason why you do not wish to leave that is beyond the comprehension of us both. A larger design that we shall not see complete until the end."
"When is the end?"
"We shall know when it comes."
"You could just as easily have said that you did not know."
Mithlhach smiled.
"True, I do not know when the end will be. I am just thankful of whatever brought you on this journey with me and bids you to stay a while. Now you must forgive me for not waiting to hear your questions but I can hardly keep open my eyes."
"They can wait."
"Good. Then while I sleep, take us down the river and wake me when we reach Rohan."
"Is that an order?"
Mithlhach laughed and settled down to sleep, curled up in the boat.
"Well, it is not counsel," she said making Lindil laugh.
When Mithlhach awoke they were swiftly making their way down the river with the Wold on their right and the brown lands on their left. She yawned and partook of a quick breakfast as Lindil kept glancing at her and she knew he had much to ask. She had hardly taken her last bite when he spoke.
"Are you ready for my questions?" he asked.
Mithlhach took a final gulp of water, settled down comfortably to row and nodded.
"Do you remember the dragon in the misty mountains?"
"Lovely, was it not?"
"Yes indeed," said Lindil, not allowing himself to be sidetracked by mirth, "I went back to the cave while you slept and the dragon was gone."
"That is bizzare but I had naught to do with it. I did indeed slay the dragon and I assure you that it was quite dead, but other fell beasts inhabit those mountains aside from orcs and decrepit dragons. Perhaps he made a tasty meal for one of them."
"And what of the spiders?"
"Ah, so you no longer believe them to be my fell minions?"
Lindil laughed.
"Minions perhaps, but not so fell," he said.
Mithlhach stopped rowing and leant back with her brow furrowed as if she were trying to see something in the far distance.
"It was when I left Bree," she said, "I met an old man, dressed all in brown. He had an uncanny skill of conversing with animals."
"Radagast the Brown?"
"I do not recall his name though that seems to be correct. I thought it would help me were I to acquire his skills but as a pupil I was not very successful. The only language I mastered was that of spiders which is perhaps the simplest of them. Yet I am glad of it for it has held me in good stead ever since. They were extremely useful when I passed through midgewater."
She had another drink of water, as did Lindil, before starting to row again.
"I know what your next question is," she said presently, "You wish to know of Ohtar."
"Yes. How do you know him?"
"He is a comrade of my brother and Amrothos. I have known him since I was a child. He once accused me of sorcery when we were very young and my brother took him to task for it. After that he never said anything like that again, in fact he was as sweet as honey. It was his over familiarity that made me steer clear of him. He was no friend of mine yet he tried to become my confidant. Well, now we know what path his intentions took and we need not speak of him anymore."
They rowed on in silence, looking towards the west as the vast meads of Rohan came into view. Lindil saw the Entwash in the distance and further than that, Edoras, where King Eomer sat upon his throne. They let the boat climb the bank a little before they got out of it and ate a little by the riverside.
"Do you see any horses or Rohirrim?" asked Mithlhach.
"Yes, though they are very far. We shall have a long way to walk. It would take a great many days and even were we to acquire horses we would have a long ride to Minas Tirith."
"Then perhaps we should continue down the river to Minas Tirith?"
"And what of the Falls? No doubt you will survive the great drop."
He was jesting yet he sounded unsure.
"No doubt," replied Mithlhach getting back into the boat, "I am sure as an elf you will not suffer much hurt. None that will not be healed...in time."
She looked up at him expectantly so he stepped into the boat and sat down apprehensively.
"You mean to go over the falls," he said slowly.
Mithlhach nodded and pushed the boat back into the midst of the current with her oar.
"Come along." she said, "Take up your oar, we must hurry if we want any chance of survival."
"Do we even have a chance of survival?"
"We shall find out."
Soon, great towers of rock loomed on either side of them, closing them off from the outside world. Closing them off from life, thought Lindil. 'Twas a long way to the falls yet the sense of impending doom rushed at him with the air as it passed them swiftly by. Mithlhach could not see it but he could; the start of the falls where the flow of water stopped abruptly and seemingly disappeared as it fell away far far onto the rocks below. As the day drew on a mist filled the air and the roar of the falls became by far more thunderous though still distant.
It was nightfall when they passed the argonath, glowing in the moonlight, and Mithlhach had them bank on the right for a rest.
"So you wait for morning to leap from the falls?" said Lindil.
"Surely you did not truly believe that I meant us to go over Rauros," chuckled Mithlhach, "I would not so risk the life of my new-found brother."
Lindil laughed too and not without relief.
"We won't go over the falls but around them," said Mithlhach.
"You mean over the mountains?"
"Yes. Then once we reach the other side and pass the falls we can continue our journey down the river."
"Are we to carry the boat with us all the way?"
"It sounds ridiculous but fear not, for I have a plan and for now my only worry is for my sleep."
"Rest well then."
He watched in amusement as she climbed into a nearby tree and made a bed of it hidden among the leaves.
The next day, Mithlhach's plan was put to test. She tied end-to-end all the coils of rope the elves of Greenwood had given them and knotted one end to the centre seat of the boat. The other end she secured to her wrist as she and Lindil climbed up the mountain towards the nearest and largest ledge. Once they reached it they pulled the boat up onto it before continuing their climb to the top. Once they reached the first peak they saw on the other side a shallow valley with a stream running through it. This time, they first lowered the boat gently to the ground before climbing carefully after it. It took many a weary day, travelling from peak to peak, bringing with them the boat full of supplies until they reached the final mountaintop. But as they looked down at the plains below their hearts were filled with dismay for not only was it by far taller than the others but it was steeper and the ledges were none of them large enough to rest the boat on. The rope was not long enough for the boat to reach the ground and even if they lowered it as far as possible and dropped it the rest of the way the boat would surely smash to pieces at the foot of the mountain.
They pondered over the difficulty as they rested and ate. The day began to wane and still no plan presented itself to Mithlhach. She looked at Lindil as he peered over the peak at the lands stretched out below, in his eyes a mix of admiration and affection.
"If only you had wings," said Mithlhach and he turned to smile at her.
"What of your minions?" he asked, "Can they not help us?"
"Their web is not strong enough."
"Yet their web can hold your weight as it did in the mountains when you slept. Can they not make a hammock for you now and lower you to the ground?"
"I do not ask them to do things for me that are not necessary."
"I suppose making a bed for you was necessary as well as the shield they made to protect you from midges?"
"I did not ask that of them, they did it of their own accord."
"Do you not think it necessary for us to get down from the mountain with the boat?"
"Yes," she sighed and then looked around to see if any spiders were nearby.
She could not see any and when she called for them they did not come. She was idly twirling the rope in her hands when a sudden thought came to her. Seeing the spark back in her eyes Lindil prepared himself for her plan and hoped it was not a jest. He watched her find the centre of the rope and undo the middle knot so that they had two ropes. She left half the rope tied to the boat and tied the other end to the peak as she told him what they would do. It would be lengthy and risky so they had to hurry. The sun was low in the western sky when Mithlhach began the climb down in the full glare of it against the mountainside. As she climbed down Lindil gently lowered the boat to her right. Once he had run out of rope, Mithlhach made her way to the boat and slowly put one foot into it, testing the strength of the rope. It held very well so she stood in the boat and took out her sword. She stood with her hand against the cliff for a few moments and then drove her sword into it. She had to stand in the boat to do so for she could not draw her arm as far back while clinging to the cliff. Lindil blinked. He could scarcely believe that the sword had not broken. He looked at his own sword and frowned.
Mithlhach had knotted and wound the other rope round the hilt of her sword. She tied it to the boat and then untied the first rope from the boat so that Lindil could pull it up and secure it to the hilt of his own sword. As Lindil climbed down, Mithlhach carefully unwound the rope and let the boat down. By the time Lindil was level with her the boat was hanging from the hilt of her sword on the whole length of the rope.
"Now slide down it," said Mithlhach.
Lindil did so and when he reached the bottom he drew back his arm and plunged his sword into the mountain with elvish prayers on his tongue. The wall here was softer and his sword went in easier than he had thought. In this way, the maiden and the elf made their slow and tiresome way down the mountainside. Mithlhach's hands felt sore and scratched as the sun disappeared and a pale moon rose in its lingering light, but the climbers did not stop. As the night drew on and stars appeared in the darkening sky Mithlhach felt grateful for the love with which Vror had carved the blessing into her sword which kept it from snapping. Yet also she felt blessed for the strength of the rope and the lightness of the boat. Looking up, she saw Lindil climbing down towards her. When he was level with her he looked down and smiled.
"It seems this is our last climb," he said.
Mithlhach gave a sigh of relief and Lindil told her to get into the boat.
"I shall lower you down with it," he said putting his own sword in the boat.
Mithlhach nodded, too tired to speak, and lay down in the boat to rest her weary limbs. When she finally heard the soft thud of the boat touching the ground it was as though she had reached the shore after years on the sea. Suddenly she felt something heavy fall on her for Lindil had untied the rope and let it drop. She untied all the knots in the 2 ropes and coiled them as Lindil climbed down. He sat in the boat with her and took gladly the food she offered him. There the two tired companions supped and looked up at the mountain they had conquered with an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction and relief that it was all over. Once they had eaten, Mithlhach curled up in the boat to sleep and Lindil lay down beside it, gazing at the stars above him.
"Mithlhach," he said, "I said once that I was not yet weary of the mountains of middle-earth."
"You did indeed," she replied sleepily.
"I am weary of them now."
Mithlhach laughed.
"So am I, Lindil."
