Chapter 5: The Hall Of Menglar

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"Your presence has been requested before the lord Menglar." Spoke the cleric woman. Darenth put his feet on the floor for the first time in four days. He slowly stood and lost his balance and fell back onto the bed. "The poison may still be affecting your body." Said the cleric woman with a concerned look on her face. "No No, I am fine." Said Darenth with a smile on his face as he stood once again and kept his balance. "It's just been a while that is all." Darenth spoke as he looked over at the cleric woman. "Well if you are sure you are ok…" Said the cleric woman still with a concerned look. "Yes I am fine and I from what you tell me I must really be going." Spoke Darenth as he turned and went to walk out. He stopped just before the door and turned around to look at the cleric woman. "Thank you." He said with a smile on his face. The cleric woman nodded and Darenth turned and left the room. He walked out of the room into the hallway, which went both left, and right. "Great." He thought looking both ways "Now I'm lost…but at least I am out of that bed." "You look like as lost as the moon in sun's light." Darenth turned to see the woman who had told him where he was. "I am Algale," She said before Darenth could say anything. "I am one of the hunting party that found you. The king wants to see you. Come on." "I-" Darenth began to speak but was cut off by Algale. "Just come on." Darenth nodded and followed her.

As he walked behind her he could hear talking and laughter and other noises coming from the many halls that branched form the one they walked down. He looked up along the top of the hallway to see mirrors. Many mirrors made of silver that was spaced about the same distance. The mirrors line every hall he saw. Each mirror glowed as bright as the sun, however they did not hurt the eye to look upon them. "What are the mirrors for?" Asked Darenth breaking the silence. "Ahh the mirrors… Well I will let you find out." She spoke then turned around and smiled at him and continued to walk again. They came to a spiral staircase that went both up and down. He noticed that the mirrors also went both up and down. The stairs continued to wind down and began to make Darenth dizzy. "Wow…" He said putting his hand on his head. "Dizzy huh? Its best not to look at the ground." She said with a snicker in her voice. "Are you laughing at me?" Darenth asked. "Yes, yes I am." Algale said now laughing out loud. Darenth smiled and then began to laugh as well. Finally they came to an archway leading out of the stair well. They walked through it, however Darenth noted that the staircase continued downward. They walked down a long hall, the mirrors on both sides of them. The long corridor had doors on both sides. "What…. Where are they?" Asked Darenth curiously and breaking the silence that had once again settled on them. "Oh, The doors?" Darenth nodded and she continued. "This is where the people live. Most of the rooms are full but there are a few empty ones." Algale said looking back at Darenth and slowed her pace so they were walking next to each other. "What about-." Darenth began to speak but was cut off by Algale. "Shh, Lord Menglar will answer any questions you may have." Algale then put her arm out in front of Darenth stopping him and grabbed his hand and pulled into a small hallway that broke off of the main corridor. "What?" Asked Darenth. "I want to ask you something but you cant tell anyone I asked you." She said very quietly almost whispering it. He nodded to her. "What was your fathers name?" She asked Darenth as both excitement and anticipation built up in her eyes. "Dar-Nuth…Why?" He said wondering why she would want to know. Algale smiled and then spoke, "I can't believe it…but you would have to no reason to lie. Come we must be on our way." With that she walked back out of the hall and into the main corridor and continued onward. The hall went on for some time, as did the mirrors. Many halls split off and went different ways. The hall finally came to an end. Darenth turned around to see the stairs they had came down but could not it was to far away. Darenth turned back around and looked at the end they had come to. It was a huge Archway laced with gold and a shining black metal. At the top of the Archway was a huge golden circle and written below it in elvish were names. That laced up and down the interior of the Archway. He tried to read the names, but was interrupted by Algale. "It is the Archway of Fel-Dunel." Darenth turned and looked at her. "What is all this?" "It is the names…" Algale said looking at a particular one then looking back down at Darenth. "The names of those who fought and died to create this place. The live on forever here…come on, Lord Menglar wanted to see you several days ago." They walked toward the staircase. "Its ok." Darneth thought " I will look at it more later."

The walked down the stairs and to another archway. After they walked through the archway, which Darenth studied with his eyes as he passed under, he looked in front of him and had to wipe his eyes to make sure he wasn't going crazy. "I-…can't believe it…." Darenth said as his eyes widened. "Hm? Oh the Trees? Yes we can grow them here…This is the hall of Menglar." She said and her eyes gazed the whole area. Darenth did not respond only he stood there and looked…Trees in front of him as far as the eye could see. He felt better than before, stronger…back to his old strength. The trees went about 200 yards to the left and the right. The ceiling was almost impossible to see. "You know…We could stay here all day or we could move on and I could show one of the most amazing things you will ever see." Algale said with a small smile on her face as she began to walk forward. Darenth smiled and moved forward after Algale. Darenth continued until they came to a halt in the middle of the room. He looked down at the ground and realized his shadow was gone. He felt a warmth inside him, one that he hadn't felt since it had been tore away when he entered this underground kingdom. He looked up to see the brightest thing he had ever seen. It was bright but did not hurt to look upon. It was a giant disk of pure light that sat flat on the ceiling and filled the whole room with light. The light raided into his very being and filled him with warmth and strength. "Its where the mirrors light comes from…They all reflect from this." Said Algale looking up at the giant disk and back down at Darenth. Darenth simply stared at it. "We call it the Star Mirror." Algale spoke once again. "It holds the light of the evening star." Algale spoke and walked toward Darenth. "It…is amazing…" Darenth finally spoke. He smiled and looked at Algale. "Well, We should be going correct?" "Yes we should be going…" Algale said as she turned and began to walk once again. He felt like he was moving more quickly and fluidly now that he had been filled with that blissful energy. He had wondered how all these elves could bear to be away from the sunlight and the trees underground. It would seem that both of those questions had been answered. They came to a halt in front of two giant double doors that arced at the top. Two royal guards, at least that what he was guessing they were, stood in front of them. Algale walked up to them and said something to the guard on the left. They made some kind of a salute where they brought their left arm across their chest to there right shoulder and bowed. The guard yelled some word Darenth did not recognize and the doors slowly parted. Algale did not wait for the doors to open; she walked through the opening crack and Darenth followed. The doors began to close and did so with a boom. The walked through the barely lit halls until a mirror came from some part of the ceiling into the room farther down the hall. The came finally to another double arced door. Only this door was shorter, it only came about ten feet off the ground. Algale pushed the doors open and stepped into the room.

There stood Celenas or whom he thought was Celenas. And next to him sat an adult elf. He sat in a throne that appeared to be made of wood that grew from the floor to the ceiling. The wood had elvish words engraved in it in some shinning silver metal. The elven man finished speaking to Celenas and stood up. He stood about 5'10", He wore a Black rode laced with gold around the cuffs and the collar and a great elven symbol in the middle. "I am Menglar King of Fel-Dunel." Spoke the elven man in a calm cool voice. "I am Dare-." Darenth began to spoke but was cut off by Menglar. "Darenth you need no introduction. I know who you are…Darenth Fleer of Gondolin and Son of Dar-Nuth." Darenth stopped a second and wondered how this man knew so much about him. "Yes..I am, But how do you know that?" Darenth asked curiously. "I knew your father of course. And how is your mother? Still in Gondolin?" Menglar asked with deep concern in his eyes. "No…I am afraid … she did not make… she was claimed by the river Sirion." Darenth said hanging his head. "Wait…" Darenth said almost excitedly. "You knew my father?" Darenth spoke now looking up with hope in his eyes. "Why yes, I knew your mother as well. I used to live in Gondolin. Until me and your father and several other hundred elves all left the city late one night. Your mother could not make the journey because she was pregnant with you. We went searching for a place to call our home and found a cave in a mountainside. Originally the cave was a straight path to the area we now call the Gel-Thak. We believe that this place was some sort of a orc mining site." Menglar stopped and took a breath of air. "Why didn't my mother come sooner?" Darenth asked, as Menglar was about to speak. "She could not with a young child and she didn't want to risk the journey with you so young." Menglar said and turned back around and sat in his chair. "How did my father die then…If this place was abandoned when you found it?" Darenth asked. He never knew how his father had died his mother has always told him it was while he working. "He… Fell in combat…You see your father had just returned when."…