Chapter Six: Fireside
"We had best make camp." Luinrhos called as the sun sank low in the sky on the fifth day of marching. The rest of the escort nodded their agreement and began to search for a suitable place to spend the night. We found it in a small cave in the heart of a dense thicket and quickly settled down. The sun was sinking below the hills and if we were not quick we would run out of time and be stranded in the dark.
Glorfindel and Vanaweth soon had a decent sized fire burning at the mouth of the cave. I watched as Enhith flew off to a nearby tree for her night's rest. It was a cold night and we huddled around the fire with cloaks wrapped tightly around our narrow shoulders. Haedo opened his pack and passed around the day's rations.
Conversation over dinner was light and sparse. We talked of earlier days, never once bringing up Arawing or my task at hand.
"Anyone for a song?" Vanaweth asked after we had finished the meal. For a moment all was silent save for the sound of the trees rustling in the night breeze. Then, quite suddenly, a clear voice rang out over the bright flames.
"Twas long ago, mid towering peaks, Fairer city never was.
Holding secrets, shading lives. But alas, betrayed by Kin and friend.
With Treachery comes destruction, Moutains Encircling lost to the Dark
And Escape in the night To Morgoth's Doom
City in Stone, Hidden and protected. When his sister ventured forth.
Returning with chi-"
Luinrhos abruptly stopped singing, keen ears listening to the darkness of night, which was now alive with more then that sound of wind.
"Orcs." Glorfindel breathed and our circle became alive with activity.
Vanaweth extinguished the fire in such a way that it would be invisible to the passers-by while I pulled the cloaks from the ground. We rushed to the back of the cave. Having reached the wall the unarmed Celebrían crouched behind us. Haedo silently notched an arrow to his bow, the other Lords and I following suit. We kneel poised and ready in the darkness as the sound of many heavy feet drew nearer and nearer. No one dared move as a dozen heinous looking creatures rushed past the opening of the cave. My heart was clenched in fear and I could feel the fear of the others as if it were my own. One by one the foul creatures past us by until the last one stopped, turning his head slowly to look in the cave, I closed my eyes, praying that he would not see a reflection from the head of one of our arrows. We hardly dared breathe until finally, after what felt like hours, the beast passed by. Slowly, very slowly, I exhaled and felt my friends do the same. Glorfindel was the last to lower his bow. When he had at last done this, and the sounds of Orc feet had faded into the distance, the escort began to unroll extra cloaks along the floor of the cave. Glorfindel was to take the first watch and slowly, one by one, each Elf drifted of to sleep. I lay on the ground, staring at the ceiling of the cave for the longest time before I stood up and walked over to where Glorfindel was building a new fire. "How goes the night Lord?" I asked, coming up beside him wrapping my cloak tightly around me. "It goes well." He responded, not taking his eyes away from the rekindled orange flames. We sat in silence for a moment before he asked a question that seemed to have been on his mind for quite some time. "Why come East?" "Pardon?" I responded. "You came East from Mithlond to seek answers, but would not more answers have been found in the Havens, or over the sea?" He asked, putting a branch on the growing fire.
"There were no answers left in Mithlond." I responded slowly, "Círdan would tell me no more then what I already knew and it appeared that he was the only one who knew anything about me. I would have much preferred to find it out with my own eyes as opposed to having it told to me by the Valar in Aman."
Glorfindel nodded, glancing up from the fire to make eye contact with me across the flames. His gray eyes shimmering in the fire's reflection.
"You should return to your sleep Lady." He said, looking back at the low fire, "I will wake you for the next watch if you wish."
"Yes, that sounds ideal." I replied, standing up and returning to my space on the cave floor. My last sight that night was of Glorfindel placing another log on the fire. Then my eyes drooped shut and exhaustion took me.
"We had best make camp." Luinrhos called as the sun sank low in the sky on the fifth day of marching. The rest of the escort nodded their agreement and began to search for a suitable place to spend the night. We found it in a small cave in the heart of a dense thicket and quickly settled down. The sun was sinking below the hills and if we were not quick we would run out of time and be stranded in the dark.
Glorfindel and Vanaweth soon had a decent sized fire burning at the mouth of the cave. I watched as Enhith flew off to a nearby tree for her night's rest. It was a cold night and we huddled around the fire with cloaks wrapped tightly around our narrow shoulders. Haedo opened his pack and passed around the day's rations.
Conversation over dinner was light and sparse. We talked of earlier days, never once bringing up Arawing or my task at hand.
"Anyone for a song?" Vanaweth asked after we had finished the meal. For a moment all was silent save for the sound of the trees rustling in the night breeze. Then, quite suddenly, a clear voice rang out over the bright flames.
"Twas long ago, mid towering peaks, Fairer city never was.
Holding secrets, shading lives. But alas, betrayed by Kin and friend.
With Treachery comes destruction, Moutains Encircling lost to the Dark
And Escape in the night To Morgoth's Doom
City in Stone, Hidden and protected. When his sister ventured forth.
Returning with chi-"
Luinrhos abruptly stopped singing, keen ears listening to the darkness of night, which was now alive with more then that sound of wind.
"Orcs." Glorfindel breathed and our circle became alive with activity.
Vanaweth extinguished the fire in such a way that it would be invisible to the passers-by while I pulled the cloaks from the ground. We rushed to the back of the cave. Having reached the wall the unarmed Celebrían crouched behind us. Haedo silently notched an arrow to his bow, the other Lords and I following suit. We kneel poised and ready in the darkness as the sound of many heavy feet drew nearer and nearer. No one dared move as a dozen heinous looking creatures rushed past the opening of the cave. My heart was clenched in fear and I could feel the fear of the others as if it were my own. One by one the foul creatures past us by until the last one stopped, turning his head slowly to look in the cave, I closed my eyes, praying that he would not see a reflection from the head of one of our arrows. We hardly dared breathe until finally, after what felt like hours, the beast passed by. Slowly, very slowly, I exhaled and felt my friends do the same. Glorfindel was the last to lower his bow. When he had at last done this, and the sounds of Orc feet had faded into the distance, the escort began to unroll extra cloaks along the floor of the cave. Glorfindel was to take the first watch and slowly, one by one, each Elf drifted of to sleep. I lay on the ground, staring at the ceiling of the cave for the longest time before I stood up and walked over to where Glorfindel was building a new fire. "How goes the night Lord?" I asked, coming up beside him wrapping my cloak tightly around me. "It goes well." He responded, not taking his eyes away from the rekindled orange flames. We sat in silence for a moment before he asked a question that seemed to have been on his mind for quite some time. "Why come East?" "Pardon?" I responded. "You came East from Mithlond to seek answers, but would not more answers have been found in the Havens, or over the sea?" He asked, putting a branch on the growing fire.
"There were no answers left in Mithlond." I responded slowly, "Círdan would tell me no more then what I already knew and it appeared that he was the only one who knew anything about me. I would have much preferred to find it out with my own eyes as opposed to having it told to me by the Valar in Aman."
Glorfindel nodded, glancing up from the fire to make eye contact with me across the flames. His gray eyes shimmering in the fire's reflection.
"You should return to your sleep Lady." He said, looking back at the low fire, "I will wake you for the next watch if you wish."
"Yes, that sounds ideal." I replied, standing up and returning to my space on the cave floor. My last sight that night was of Glorfindel placing another log on the fire. Then my eyes drooped shut and exhaustion took me.