Well he was right of course, just as we struck camp, it began to
drizzle. At least it wasn't a full out storm.
I rode behind the elf lord; grateful I had remembered to bring warm gloves. We rode most of the day, though when we stopped for a quick midday meal, the elf lord wandered off and Galareon, Calaniel and I stood under thick oaks, wrapped in our cloaks, trying hard to keep the dripping rain off ourselves. But you know what. It was still pleasant. I mean here I am sitting on my elvish mare, with two nice looking elves, waiting for the elf lord to come back so we could move on. Trust me---much, much better than waiting at a bus stop!!!
Anyway, he was only gone an hour. He returned, looking a bit soggy. His long hair was clumped into dark wet strands, and rain dripped off the edge of his cloak and his nose. But he was cheerful enough. He hefted a bulging sack and smiled, saying, "Gandalin. A rare and much needed herb for my supplies."
We all nodded and he cheerful spurred Rhean on into the rain, the rest of us following.
He did not call a halt until almost twilight. We stopped under a cluster of oak trees, near the river, which now was running noisily and swift with the all the rain.
As we all dismounted (I a bit stiffly), Lord Elrond commented as he hopped gracefully down from his stallion, "If the rain tapers off some, we should be able to cross here, as this is the shallowest point of the river for some miles."
"Well, it looks a bit tricky right now." I could still see many rocks poking their heads through the rush of water, so I knew the water wasn't that high..yet.
"That it is why we are halting. We need to see how high the water rises."
Nodding, I went and helped the elves set up the pavilion. We were all grateful for its warmth and the brazier that Elrond was able to get started with a handful of coal. Calaniel and Galareon were able to find a goodly pile of dry enough wood and so the four of us were cozy and dry enough. Of course, the minute the lamps were lit, and Calaniel began reheating a large flask of soup and Galareon was slicing cheese and bread, the elf lord got out his journal. Sitting cross-legged among the furs and rugs, he began to write in his.
I just shook my head at his dedication. Glorfindel was certainly right. The rest of the evening passed very pleasantly. Lord Elrond finally put his journal away, and Calaniel brought out his small harp and the three began to sing. I lay on the furs writing here.
Once again, I fell asleep to the sounds of elvish singing and the wind lufting the sides of the pavilion.
The rain continued during the night, but when we got up, it had tapered off to a drizzle.
The three elves discussed fording the river at the point we were at and decided it would be okay. It was a bit scary I'll tell you, because I could feel the force of the water pushing against Carenloth's legs and she was nervous as we went through the foaming water.
We all reached the other side, the trail following the contour of the hills. There was room for two of us to walk our horses abreast. Calaniel and Galareon walked ahead of Lord Elrond and I.
An hour or so later, I stretched in my saddle. Lord Elrond had been quiet most of the trip and I was content to be so too. Occasionally I'd hum something, but I was mostly quiet and happy despite the rain.
I mean; I'm with the elf lord. Duhhhh.
Looking over the heads of the softly conversing elves, I could see the hills narrowing ahead of us, but through the shifting misty rain, I could see the landscape opened up into a wider valley. Thank goodness we were almost upon Clearfell. We were all pretty soaked. And I bet the horses were looking forward to dry stalls.
Just as we reached the narrow part of the defile, I heard a bit of a rumble. Thinking it was thunder, I shook my head, looking forward to a warm fire and some dry clothes.
Wrong.
The rumble was NOT thunder, but half the hillside sliding into the river below us.
"Run !" Elrond shouted and we all took off. But a boulder careened into the elves before me and they went off the trail and down into the water. Terrified, I spurred Carenloth on, praying we would not be swept off the trail. I could not see the elf lord in all this. A big rock crashed into my shoulder and almost knocked me off Carenloth, but she labored on. What a great horse. But the slippery mud about her feet finally made her lose her balance and she and I went off into the river. I kicked free of the stirrups and hoped for no rocks.
I landed in the roaring muddy water and faintly heard the splash of my horse. And then I swam with all my might, trying to get away from the landslide.
No problem, the river rushed me through the defile and into the little valley where Clearfell was. Luckily the river spread out some here, and I was able to pull myself out of the current by grabbing boulders and pushing myself sideways through the water. It felt like forever, but soon enough, I had reached the shallows.
Shivering so hard my teeth chattered, I got up quickly to look for the others. Carenloth I saw wading towards me, her head hung low, reins trailing, the saddle askew about her middle. I went to her and immediately undid the tack so she wouldn't trip. My numb hands could barely work, but I finally got her free and the tired mare went to shore and stopped under a willow and shook herself several times. I dumped the tack above the waterline.
I had already started scanning the river for the others. I couldn't see Galareon and Calaniel or their horses. I prayed they had been able to pull free of the river and made it to shore.
The elf lord! Where the heck was he? I stared out into the boiling noisy river, brushing the still falling rain out of my face. I wadded back out into the water, just short of the strong current and squinted at a tree or large branch downstream from me several yards. There looked to be something bobbing there. Someone's head?
I ran wincing as my left hip twinged painfully from being slammed into rocks. In a few minutes, I was level with the tree branch, which had thankfully tangled in some river reeds and scrub.
I wadded out into the icy water.
It was Elrond!
His face pale and scratched was held above the water because his hair had tangled in the small branches. He was floating, pointed downstream, his hair the only thing keeping him from whirling off.
Pulling out my dagger, I went out to him.
The water got a bit deeper and I had to swim. When I got level with him, I put a trembling hand on his throat and almost dropped my dagger when I could feel a faint pulse.
Biting my lower lip, I only hesitated briefly before carefully cutting his beautiful hair to free him from the branch. Positioning myself before him just as I cut the last strands, his body bounced into me and almost made me go under. Griping my dagger pirate-style between my teeth, I got a hold of the elf lord under his arms and began tugging us towards shore.
It was a tense few minutes, I'll tell you, because I kept expecting the river to pull us apart and back into the rushing current.
But we made it finally to the shallows. Once I pulled him completely out of the water, I turned him over and pushed on his back, to get out any water.
It actually worked, and he coughed up some and moaned. Thank God! I sat back a moment, quivering with adrenaline and cold and looked about us.
The rain was slacking off, thankfully, the clouds beginning to shred apart. Behind us was a meadow of grass, dotted with a few trees. Up near the hills to the north, I could see the roof of Clearfell. Looking at the still unconscious elf lord, I took a deep breath and fumbling about, bent to pick him up, almost dropping him! I finally got him in a fireman's hold. Bent over I stumbled to Carenloth, as there was no sign of Rhean.
Once I reached the mare, I had her follow me to a riverside rock. It took me a few tries because she was understandably afraid of the water. Shaking and breathing hard, I clambered on the rock and concentrating hard on not falling, I called to Carenloth again. Finally she ambled over and I was able to drop the elf lord over her withers. I tiredly mount and clucked to her, heading her towards the ruins of Clearfell. Hopefully, there would be a warm dry place where I could build a fire and tend to Elrond.
About a half an hour later, we reached Clearfell. Carenloth and I were exhausted.
The house wasn't falling apart. It just looked deserted and empty. I couldn't see anything wrong with the roof in the late afternoon light. The sun had come through the clouds, and everything shone with raindrops. There were even lilac bushes by the front door in bloom.
For an elvish construction, it was simple. Made of roughly dressed stone, it was two stories with peaked, grey tiled roofs. There were mullioned windows overlooking the simple courtyard we stood in, only fenced on two sides by a stonewall. There was a well in a corner near the cobbled path that no doubt led behind to the stables.
I slid off the mare, and leaving poor Elrond to dangle, I went to the door.
It was locked of course. So much for being "abandoned."
I took out my dagger and tried to get the lock to turn with the sharp point of my blade.
Ha. Another movie tricked revealed. Now what? I had to get us inside somehow.
I looked at the windows nearby but saw no way save smashing the glass to get them to open. I went around the house and indeed, the cobbled path lead to stables. Carenloth followed me and headed straight for them. I went and looked at all the back windows and then stood in front of what must be the kitchen door.
It hung in its frame a bit crookedly. It looked as if someone had tried to kick the wood or used a rock or something. I tried my dagger again, and "snick," the door opened with a creak. We were in! I whistled to Carenloth and she walked over and entered the house with me.
It was the kitchen door and the large open room was bare of anything save a large table and one bench. A quick inspection revealed a few pots hung by the huge hearth, but that was all that was visible.
Carenloth stopped by the table and as gently as I could, I pulled the still unconscious elf lord off the mare and onto the table. The moment he left her, Carenloth whinnied and trotted back out of the house. She whinnied again once outside. No doubt hungry, poor dear.
But to the elf lord.
Obviously, I am no healer. But heck I did have first aid a million years ago when I was a Girl Scout.
I took his jerkin off very carefully, trying not to hurt him further. I folded it up and put it underneath his head. I gingerly felt his face and through his hair, wincing not only at the gash I found on his left temple, but the nasty bruise at the back of his skull.
I felt his arms and legs and didn't notice anything obviously broken. Nor did I see any bleeding. I lay my head on his chest. His heart and breathing sounded slow, but even. No stuttering or hitching. I picked up one of his hands. It was so cold!
I reluctantly left him and decided to see if the house had anything I could wrap him in, sheets, curtains, towels, anything.
Oh those elves, you can always rely on them to not only be beautiful and fanciful, but earthy and practical as well.
In a cupboard in the hallway that went towards the front of the house, I found three neatly folded blankets.
Thrilled, I pulled them out, not bothering to shake off the dust and rushed back to Elrond tucking two of them around him, saving one for me.
Then I looked to the fireplace. There were a few logs stacked by the hearth, but certainly not enough to last the night. Rats! What was I going to do? I eyed the bench. But still, I had no axe.
Sighing deeply, which ended with a shudder, I went over to the fireplace and looked in the cupboards near it, hoping to find some tinder and flint, which I did. I peeled some bark off the few logs and got a small flame going. I did look up the chimney, but it turned or something so I could not really tell if it was blocked. I prayed not.
Once the little flames held steady, I put the smallest log on carefully and blew on it until it caught. Then I added a few more logs.
I sat back on my heels, staring at the flames. I was SOOOO tired suddenly. I rubbed my neck and turned to Elrond, who still lay there unconscious. What to do?
Well, hopefully, when he awoke, he could tell me what to do for him. And maybe he knew a few things about what was here in the house. Perhaps tomorrow when it was lighter out, I could hunt along the river and see if any of our supplies had washed ashore.
I yawned again and got up stiffly. Grabbing the blanket, I wrapped myself in it and sat on the bench. I lay my head on my hands.
Just for a moment.
And fell deeply asleep.
I rode behind the elf lord; grateful I had remembered to bring warm gloves. We rode most of the day, though when we stopped for a quick midday meal, the elf lord wandered off and Galareon, Calaniel and I stood under thick oaks, wrapped in our cloaks, trying hard to keep the dripping rain off ourselves. But you know what. It was still pleasant. I mean here I am sitting on my elvish mare, with two nice looking elves, waiting for the elf lord to come back so we could move on. Trust me---much, much better than waiting at a bus stop!!!
Anyway, he was only gone an hour. He returned, looking a bit soggy. His long hair was clumped into dark wet strands, and rain dripped off the edge of his cloak and his nose. But he was cheerful enough. He hefted a bulging sack and smiled, saying, "Gandalin. A rare and much needed herb for my supplies."
We all nodded and he cheerful spurred Rhean on into the rain, the rest of us following.
He did not call a halt until almost twilight. We stopped under a cluster of oak trees, near the river, which now was running noisily and swift with the all the rain.
As we all dismounted (I a bit stiffly), Lord Elrond commented as he hopped gracefully down from his stallion, "If the rain tapers off some, we should be able to cross here, as this is the shallowest point of the river for some miles."
"Well, it looks a bit tricky right now." I could still see many rocks poking their heads through the rush of water, so I knew the water wasn't that high..yet.
"That it is why we are halting. We need to see how high the water rises."
Nodding, I went and helped the elves set up the pavilion. We were all grateful for its warmth and the brazier that Elrond was able to get started with a handful of coal. Calaniel and Galareon were able to find a goodly pile of dry enough wood and so the four of us were cozy and dry enough. Of course, the minute the lamps were lit, and Calaniel began reheating a large flask of soup and Galareon was slicing cheese and bread, the elf lord got out his journal. Sitting cross-legged among the furs and rugs, he began to write in his.
I just shook my head at his dedication. Glorfindel was certainly right. The rest of the evening passed very pleasantly. Lord Elrond finally put his journal away, and Calaniel brought out his small harp and the three began to sing. I lay on the furs writing here.
Once again, I fell asleep to the sounds of elvish singing and the wind lufting the sides of the pavilion.
The rain continued during the night, but when we got up, it had tapered off to a drizzle.
The three elves discussed fording the river at the point we were at and decided it would be okay. It was a bit scary I'll tell you, because I could feel the force of the water pushing against Carenloth's legs and she was nervous as we went through the foaming water.
We all reached the other side, the trail following the contour of the hills. There was room for two of us to walk our horses abreast. Calaniel and Galareon walked ahead of Lord Elrond and I.
An hour or so later, I stretched in my saddle. Lord Elrond had been quiet most of the trip and I was content to be so too. Occasionally I'd hum something, but I was mostly quiet and happy despite the rain.
I mean; I'm with the elf lord. Duhhhh.
Looking over the heads of the softly conversing elves, I could see the hills narrowing ahead of us, but through the shifting misty rain, I could see the landscape opened up into a wider valley. Thank goodness we were almost upon Clearfell. We were all pretty soaked. And I bet the horses were looking forward to dry stalls.
Just as we reached the narrow part of the defile, I heard a bit of a rumble. Thinking it was thunder, I shook my head, looking forward to a warm fire and some dry clothes.
Wrong.
The rumble was NOT thunder, but half the hillside sliding into the river below us.
"Run !" Elrond shouted and we all took off. But a boulder careened into the elves before me and they went off the trail and down into the water. Terrified, I spurred Carenloth on, praying we would not be swept off the trail. I could not see the elf lord in all this. A big rock crashed into my shoulder and almost knocked me off Carenloth, but she labored on. What a great horse. But the slippery mud about her feet finally made her lose her balance and she and I went off into the river. I kicked free of the stirrups and hoped for no rocks.
I landed in the roaring muddy water and faintly heard the splash of my horse. And then I swam with all my might, trying to get away from the landslide.
No problem, the river rushed me through the defile and into the little valley where Clearfell was. Luckily the river spread out some here, and I was able to pull myself out of the current by grabbing boulders and pushing myself sideways through the water. It felt like forever, but soon enough, I had reached the shallows.
Shivering so hard my teeth chattered, I got up quickly to look for the others. Carenloth I saw wading towards me, her head hung low, reins trailing, the saddle askew about her middle. I went to her and immediately undid the tack so she wouldn't trip. My numb hands could barely work, but I finally got her free and the tired mare went to shore and stopped under a willow and shook herself several times. I dumped the tack above the waterline.
I had already started scanning the river for the others. I couldn't see Galareon and Calaniel or their horses. I prayed they had been able to pull free of the river and made it to shore.
The elf lord! Where the heck was he? I stared out into the boiling noisy river, brushing the still falling rain out of my face. I wadded back out into the water, just short of the strong current and squinted at a tree or large branch downstream from me several yards. There looked to be something bobbing there. Someone's head?
I ran wincing as my left hip twinged painfully from being slammed into rocks. In a few minutes, I was level with the tree branch, which had thankfully tangled in some river reeds and scrub.
I wadded out into the icy water.
It was Elrond!
His face pale and scratched was held above the water because his hair had tangled in the small branches. He was floating, pointed downstream, his hair the only thing keeping him from whirling off.
Pulling out my dagger, I went out to him.
The water got a bit deeper and I had to swim. When I got level with him, I put a trembling hand on his throat and almost dropped my dagger when I could feel a faint pulse.
Biting my lower lip, I only hesitated briefly before carefully cutting his beautiful hair to free him from the branch. Positioning myself before him just as I cut the last strands, his body bounced into me and almost made me go under. Griping my dagger pirate-style between my teeth, I got a hold of the elf lord under his arms and began tugging us towards shore.
It was a tense few minutes, I'll tell you, because I kept expecting the river to pull us apart and back into the rushing current.
But we made it finally to the shallows. Once I pulled him completely out of the water, I turned him over and pushed on his back, to get out any water.
It actually worked, and he coughed up some and moaned. Thank God! I sat back a moment, quivering with adrenaline and cold and looked about us.
The rain was slacking off, thankfully, the clouds beginning to shred apart. Behind us was a meadow of grass, dotted with a few trees. Up near the hills to the north, I could see the roof of Clearfell. Looking at the still unconscious elf lord, I took a deep breath and fumbling about, bent to pick him up, almost dropping him! I finally got him in a fireman's hold. Bent over I stumbled to Carenloth, as there was no sign of Rhean.
Once I reached the mare, I had her follow me to a riverside rock. It took me a few tries because she was understandably afraid of the water. Shaking and breathing hard, I clambered on the rock and concentrating hard on not falling, I called to Carenloth again. Finally she ambled over and I was able to drop the elf lord over her withers. I tiredly mount and clucked to her, heading her towards the ruins of Clearfell. Hopefully, there would be a warm dry place where I could build a fire and tend to Elrond.
About a half an hour later, we reached Clearfell. Carenloth and I were exhausted.
The house wasn't falling apart. It just looked deserted and empty. I couldn't see anything wrong with the roof in the late afternoon light. The sun had come through the clouds, and everything shone with raindrops. There were even lilac bushes by the front door in bloom.
For an elvish construction, it was simple. Made of roughly dressed stone, it was two stories with peaked, grey tiled roofs. There were mullioned windows overlooking the simple courtyard we stood in, only fenced on two sides by a stonewall. There was a well in a corner near the cobbled path that no doubt led behind to the stables.
I slid off the mare, and leaving poor Elrond to dangle, I went to the door.
It was locked of course. So much for being "abandoned."
I took out my dagger and tried to get the lock to turn with the sharp point of my blade.
Ha. Another movie tricked revealed. Now what? I had to get us inside somehow.
I looked at the windows nearby but saw no way save smashing the glass to get them to open. I went around the house and indeed, the cobbled path lead to stables. Carenloth followed me and headed straight for them. I went and looked at all the back windows and then stood in front of what must be the kitchen door.
It hung in its frame a bit crookedly. It looked as if someone had tried to kick the wood or used a rock or something. I tried my dagger again, and "snick," the door opened with a creak. We were in! I whistled to Carenloth and she walked over and entered the house with me.
It was the kitchen door and the large open room was bare of anything save a large table and one bench. A quick inspection revealed a few pots hung by the huge hearth, but that was all that was visible.
Carenloth stopped by the table and as gently as I could, I pulled the still unconscious elf lord off the mare and onto the table. The moment he left her, Carenloth whinnied and trotted back out of the house. She whinnied again once outside. No doubt hungry, poor dear.
But to the elf lord.
Obviously, I am no healer. But heck I did have first aid a million years ago when I was a Girl Scout.
I took his jerkin off very carefully, trying not to hurt him further. I folded it up and put it underneath his head. I gingerly felt his face and through his hair, wincing not only at the gash I found on his left temple, but the nasty bruise at the back of his skull.
I felt his arms and legs and didn't notice anything obviously broken. Nor did I see any bleeding. I lay my head on his chest. His heart and breathing sounded slow, but even. No stuttering or hitching. I picked up one of his hands. It was so cold!
I reluctantly left him and decided to see if the house had anything I could wrap him in, sheets, curtains, towels, anything.
Oh those elves, you can always rely on them to not only be beautiful and fanciful, but earthy and practical as well.
In a cupboard in the hallway that went towards the front of the house, I found three neatly folded blankets.
Thrilled, I pulled them out, not bothering to shake off the dust and rushed back to Elrond tucking two of them around him, saving one for me.
Then I looked to the fireplace. There were a few logs stacked by the hearth, but certainly not enough to last the night. Rats! What was I going to do? I eyed the bench. But still, I had no axe.
Sighing deeply, which ended with a shudder, I went over to the fireplace and looked in the cupboards near it, hoping to find some tinder and flint, which I did. I peeled some bark off the few logs and got a small flame going. I did look up the chimney, but it turned or something so I could not really tell if it was blocked. I prayed not.
Once the little flames held steady, I put the smallest log on carefully and blew on it until it caught. Then I added a few more logs.
I sat back on my heels, staring at the flames. I was SOOOO tired suddenly. I rubbed my neck and turned to Elrond, who still lay there unconscious. What to do?
Well, hopefully, when he awoke, he could tell me what to do for him. And maybe he knew a few things about what was here in the house. Perhaps tomorrow when it was lighter out, I could hunt along the river and see if any of our supplies had washed ashore.
I yawned again and got up stiffly. Grabbing the blanket, I wrapped myself in it and sat on the bench. I lay my head on my hands.
Just for a moment.
And fell deeply asleep.