~~ Chapter Six: Strategy ~~
Finrod, Orodreth, Aegnor, Angrod were back in Menegroth by sunset the next evening, accompanied by Galathil and Uncómien. The city guards met them at the gates, where the Noldor parted ways with their escorts. Orodreth, Aegnor, and Angrod were tired, both from the journey and from not sleeping the previous night because of the amount of things that needed to be done, so they went to the rooms that had been provided for them almost immediately to rest. Finrod was tired, too, but there were several things he wanted to attend to before the day was over.
He wanted to see Thingol, but after learning from one of the guards that the king could not be torn away from affairs of state, Finrod sought out his second choice: Artanis. He checked her room first, which was empty, and then searched Menegroth's massive library for most of an hour. Having no success, he went back to the room he shared with Orodreth, woke his brother from his state of slumber, and asked if he had an idea as to where Artanis could be.
"No," the groggy Orodreth mumbled, none too delighted at being awakened. "Ask Lúthien. Or Celeborn."
Finrod had not seen Lúthien either, but he knew where Celeborn's audience chamber was, so he decided to look there. Thingol had pointed it out to him a few days earlier. Even though he was blind, Celeborn was second only to Melian in authority below that of the king's, and as he made his way through the palace, it occurred to Finrod that he could probably learn more from Celeborn than the whereabouts of his sister. Surely he, as a prince of Doriath and former captain of the marchwardens, would be able to give him some advice.
He arrived at the entrance to his destination, a large, ornately carved door, and knocked. He heard the muffled sound footsteps echoing against the stone floor on the other side, and then the door opened. "Lord Finrod," said the elf who opened the door. "Please, come inside."
Finrod thanked him and did. He had not seen the inside of the room before, and took a few moments to look around. It was far smaller than Thingol's audience chamber, naturally, or any other major rooms in the palace, but noticeably larger than the bedrooms, which were of no modest size themselves. The vaulted ceiling made the room seem larger than it was, and on the wall opposite the entrance, a tapestry was hung. The room had no windows, but the many candles positioned at various locations did a fine job of providing more than enough light. In the center of the room was a rectangular table carved of a dark-colored wood. At the far end of the table, in a high-backed chair of the same material as the table, sat the silver-haired Celeborn. A scribe stood nearby, holding a scroll in one hand and a quill in the other. A vial of ink rested on the table. The scribe had been writing something when Finrod entered, but stopped after taking notice of him.
"Prince Celeborn," the doorkeeper said, "Lord Finrod is here."
Celeborn placed his hands on the table and rose to his feet. "Mae govannen, Finrod," he said. "I trust your journey was worthwhile?"
"Yes, it was," Finrod said. "Forgive me; I did not know you were preoccupied."
"Nonsense," said Celeborn. He turned his head toward the scribe. "I believe that will do, Antalin. If you could please take that to Queen Melian and have her look it over before we give it to the king, I would be very thankful. I believe she is in her study."
"Of course, my lord," Antalin said, and left the room.
"Please, sit down," Celeborn said to Finrod, gesturing toward another chair that Finrod hadn't noticed before.
Finrod thanked him and sat down. "If I may ask, what were you doing?" he inquired.
"That was a proposition for a new law," Celeborn said, sitting down as well. "One of my duties is to act as a mediator, if you will, between the king and the people. If something is of concern to them, it reaches my ears by means of the local authorities. If it requires something as significant as a law, I pass it on to the king; otherwise my advisors and I take care of it."
"How clever," Finrod commented. "Is this system efficient?"
"Very. The king has the final word in the most important decisions, but he is not troubled by the minor issues."
A silence followed those words, and then Finrod asked, "Have you seen Artanis?" Then he realized what he said and slapped himself on the forehead. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"
Celeborn laughed. "I know what you meant, Finrod," he said, "and it would be foolish of me to take offense at such a common saying. She and Lúthien are with Daeron, although I do not know where."
Finrod relaxed, but something else was lingering in the back of his mind. "Galathil told me about… about your lieutenant."
Celeborn's face slowly turned serious again. "He did?"
"He was our other escort," said Finrod.
"How much did he tell you?"
"A great deal."
Celeborn closed his eyes and nodded. "Do not be quick to judge Aranesen," he said. "In the heat of battle, not everything is as it seems."
Finrod nodded, knowing how true that could be. "You have a compassionate spirit," he observed. "I can think of many who would do well to have someone like you on their side."
"Perhaps," said Celeborn. "Is there anything else you wish to know?"
"Yes, actually," Finrod replied. "What call you tell me about the Pass of Sirion?"
"The Pass of Sirion?" Celeborn repeated. "The only route through the Ered Wethrin and the Crissaegrim? What do you want to know?"
"My companions think it would be beneficial to our cause if we were to establish a stronghold at that location," Finrod explained. "Would you agree to that?"
Celeborn leaned forward, rested his elbows on the table, and turned his head in the direction of Finrod's voice. "If you were to capture the Pass of Sirion," he said quietly, "it would be the single most vital point in your war for as long as you could hold it."
Finrod smiled triumphantly. "Perfect," he said. "Thank you, my friend. Now, if you'll excuse me…"
He stood up to leave, but Celeborn's voice stopped him. "Wait a moment," the prince said. "You do not really mean to capture this pass, do you?"
"Of course I do," Finrod said, feeling slightly alarmed. "You said yourself that it would help us."
"Ideally, yes," said Celeborn, "but it would not be worth the losses you would suffer in your attempt to take it."
A small chuckle escaped Finrod's lips. "You underestimate our strength, Celeborn," he said. "My cousin Turgon in Nevrast-"
"Is not a native of Beleriand," Celeborn interrupted. "Even if you had a force ten thousand strong, you would be at a disadvantage."
"How so?"
"The Pass of Sirion is not a place you can just walk up to and claim," Celeborn said. "The Enemy will be guarding it. I would advise stealth. Do not go by the river. Attack from two fronts: the Ered Wethrin and the Crissaegrim. Swiftness and cunning are often better strategies than strength alone."
"Will you help us?" Finrod asked softly.
Finrod's request surprised Celeborn. He, a lord of the Noldor, was asking a blind man to help their battle strategy? It was a strange request, but an eloquent one. He spent a few more moments in thought, then gave his answer. "I will do everything in my power to make sure you take that pass."
Finrod and Celeborn talked for a few more minutes, then left the room together, with Finrod's objective to seek out Artanis and Celeborn's to find Melian and discuss his law. They didn't have to wait long before the former's task was fulfilled; they had only taken a few steps away from Celeborn's audience chamber when Artanis, Lúthien, and Daeron appeared, walking toward them. Artanis and Lúthien were talking to each other, and Daeron's attention was focused on the two women. Finrod was unable to hide his amusement.
"You would do well to watch where you're going," he said with a chuckle, "or you might run into someone."
"Finrod!" Artanis exclaimed, then ran forward and embraced her brother. "When did you return?"
"About an hour ago," he said. "Where have you been?"
"Outside," said Lúthien as she and Daeron joined the other three. "Daeron was singing for us. Your sister is a fine dancer, Finrod."
Artanis smiled and blushed slightly. "No, I'm not."
"I'm sure you are," Celeborn said quietly.
He was the only one of them to not see the affectionate look she cast in his direction.
Finrod cleared his throat, effectively causing everyone's attention to turn to him. Then he spoke. "Celebrimbor suggested we capture the Pass of Sirion. It is a vital location, and thanks to Celeborn here, we are already formulating a strategy."
"The Pass of Sirion?" Artanis asked. "What is that?"
"Imperative," her brother said. "Oh, I have something for you." He reached into his pocket and pulled something out; what it was, she could not see because his fist was closed around it. "Celebrimbor made this. He would have given it to you himself, but since you did not come with us, he asked me to give it to you on his behalf."
He then took her hand in his and placed in it the object he had been holding, a golden necklace; each link in the chain meticulously crafted into the shape of a leaf. "Thank you," she said slowly, feeling, though she did not know why, more than a little awkward about accepting a gift from a known admirer in front of those present, especially Celeborn. "It's… lovely."
It was more than "lovely." It was exquisite, as Celebrimbor's work always was. And yet, for all his skill, he could never understand that she did not see him as anything more than a friend and probably never would. She looked up from the necklace at Celeborn, and noticed that he seemed more aloof than usual. Both hands were on his staff, his eyes were closed, and his head was turned away from the rest of them.
"Well, put it on," Finrod encouraged.
She did. The metal was warm against her skin from being in Finrod's hand. She'd never been too fond of wearing gold; it was always outshone by her hair. Finrod, however, looked pleased, and she would wear it for his sake.
Celeborn excused himself, saying he needed to find the queen. Daeron took his leave then as well, leaving Finrod and the two women. They did not stay long, either; Finrod was tired, and he left to go rest. Lúthien asked Artanis if she wanted to go to the library, and the other woman promised to meet her there soon; there was something she wanted to do first.
It didn't take her long to catch up with Celeborn. "Are you all right?" she asked, reducing her pace to his when she caught him.
"Of course I am," he replied calmly, and stopped walking. She did, too. "Why do you ask, my lady?"
"You just seemed… distant."
He sighed. "I fear for your brother," he admitted. "I do not believe he knows what he is getting himself in to."
"With his plan to take the Pass of Sirion?"
Celeborn nodded.
"But he said that you were helping them to formulate a strategy," she said. "Surely, with your guidance, the attempt will be successful."
He sighed again and said, "Really, Artanis, how much help do you think I am going to be?" His cloudy, expressionless eyes stared directly at her, and she could feel the burning desire of his soul to see through them once more.
"You are blind, my lord," she said, "but your wisdom is great."
"Ah, yes, the blind wise man," he said dryly. "How poetic."
"Not even the wisest can see all," Artanis replied. "Besides, the eyes deceive. You cannot always trust them." Then he heard her voice again; not through his ears, but as though she was in his head: So little to be seen is through the eyes of the flesh.
"And what do you trust, my lady, if not what you see?"
"I trust my heart."
She took her leave of him after speaking those words. He knew he should continue on his way and speak with Melian, but he could not move. She called him wise, and yet in her words was a greater wisdom than even she knew. Perhaps that is the purpose of women, he thought. To remind us of the difference between knowing what we see and seeing what we know.
From that moment on, he forever loved the noble woman of the house of Finwë.
~~~
Celeborn's kind of… moody.
Chips and salsa for my reviewers: Nevdoiel, Skycat14, Miss Aranel, The Ruler of the Elflings, Guard Elf of Lorien, Galorin, and Querida!
Had to throw in Celebrimbor. As if being blind wasn't a big enough challenge for our favorite elf lord.
Well, gonna shut up and post now because I suddenly got in this I-must-do-my-physics-homework mood. Which is a big thing for me. Really. :o)