In An Age Before – Part 62
Chapter Forty-four
Calenglad i'Dhaer - The Second Age of the Sun
Now following their short sojourn in Lórinand, Helluin and Beinvír made their way 'cross Anduin and returned to Greenwood the Great. There they again paid their respects to Oldbark and indeed were summoned before a gathering of the Onodrim in his halls. 'Twas a long and frankly boring affair, a true 'moot' rather than the circle of Enyd they had encountered long aforetime in Fangorn Forest. Oldbark had called out a deafening chorus of words in the Lamb Enyd, the Speech of the Onodrim. O'er the remaining day and night a congregation of no less than three score Enyd arrived, filling the hall of Laiquadol with an array of bristling and branching forms, and forcing the two Elves to scramble partway up the path to the summit lest they be inadvertently trampled.
"Some have managed to arrive, I see. Not nearly all, but enough…yes, enough," Oldbark told them in a stage whisper as their eyes swiftly examined the gathered figures. The Enyd were standing 'nigh motionless, and packed so close together that the thicket they formed was wholly impassable. It gave the two ellith the impression of a dense wood filled with large and ancient eyes.
"Whyfor hast thou summoned so many hither?" Beinvír asked, for Oldbark had explained 'naught of his purpose in gathering the moot.
"Why so that you can tell your tale, of course," Oldbark had replied, as if the reason were self-evident. "Hooo-hoooom…great matters are coming to pass in such a short time," he declared, carefully hiding his grin at the Green Elf's expression of dismay, "and none know the particulars of them better than you two. I am sure Helluin also called Maeg-mórmenel explorer of the Host of Finwë can at least give us a hasty synopsis of it all in little more than several days."
Beinvír's eyes widened comically at this assertion, and Oldbark turned to Helluin and gave her a wink. Helluin groaned. She hoped her voice didn't give out ere her tidings were heard.
The Green Elf had expected a harrowing dose of boredom and she had not been wrong. Her greatest miscalculation was that there would be speech during the day and rest at night. In fact, the Enyd ne'er ceased speaking. 'Twas worse for Helluin, forced to use the burdensome Entish Speech whilst maintaining her attention for what ended up being 84 hours straight. Beinvír would throw herself down upon the path nightly, for she understood not a word that was said, indeed perceiving little but a random and endlessly droning dirge.
Upon the fourth day Helluin finally collapsed as the Enyd discussed her tale 'twixt themselves, slowly swaying to and fro, all of them speaking at once and without a break. For a half-day she lay unmoving as her tidings were debated, resting her mind whilst Beinvír paced in rising annoyance and gnawed viciously on rations. The Enyd appeared wholly oblivious to them both.
They speak thus all at once, for I should wager much of what they say is repetition of things already said long ago, Beinvír thought uncharitably, and like as not would we have been the sooner upon our way had we repeated 'aught once to each ear in the Elven tongue rather than surrendering to them thus our rede in theirs.
So great did she find the tedium that she could only liken it to watching grass grow. 'Twas outright mind numbing. She marked a millipede's progress as it slowly crawled up and o'er an unmoving Helluin's chest.
By the Valar they have well 'nigh killed her, the Laiquende fumed as she looked upon her catatonic partner, 'tis enough and too much, I say.
As if reading her thought, Oldbark sidled up at that very moment. Looking down at Helluin and shaking his head.
"Well, it is as I had always thought. It is very difficult to say anything of true importance properly when one is given thus to wanderings of the mind. Where do you think she has taken refuge, young Beinvír friend and companion upon the road of Helluin?"
The Green Elf's bright grey eyes narrowed in aggravation as she spun 'round to face the Onod.
"Wandering mind?" Beinvír sputtered. "Her concentration flagged not for four days, during which time thy tongue compelled her to 'nigh brain death by thy insidious grammars and infernal conjugations. Howfor can thou fault her? By the Valar, even the continuation of thy parliament has encouraged the maintenance of her refuge, as though her spirit doth desperately seek for each moment of deliverance from thy debate." Here the Green Elf took a deep, cleansing breath ere she contained her tirade and concluded with forced civility. "I pray thee, Lord Oldbark, grant us thy leave…to leave. I shalt take her far beyond the hearing of thy speech and thus the sooner return her to wakefulness."
"But we may have…questions," the Onod said with a straight face.
"Bah! Answer them thyselves," she spat, "thou now know'th all that we can tell, I wager."
Oldbark clucked his tongue and sighed. He didn't believe 'twas in anyone's best interest to reveal that in her four days of speech, Helluin had only managed to establish the backgrounds 'twixt the different tribes of Elves from which she and her beloved came, and the time of their setting out, during the rains in 1847. 'Naught had yet been said about anything that had occurred since and only he knew more, having heard the "hasty" version they'd originally reported to him in Sindarin. He looked at the unmoving Helluin and the spitting mad Beinvír. Ahhh, the impatience of youth, he mused, still, my people will come to appreciate Helluin's opening remarks. They proved…comical.
"Very well," he finally said, "I suppose there's little more that you two can add at present. If anything truly pressing comes of our moot, I shall send a mockingbird to summon you. In the meantime, perhaps you should just go up onto Laiquadol. It is peaceful there and a path runs down from the heights towards the north. It may be best for all involved if you two make your way to the people of King Oropher. He should know this tale of yours as well."
Beinvír practically choked at his words. Had they not been trapped for the last four days they would have been well upon their way to King Oropher's realm already. She shook her head and then nodded, schooling her features and saying, "my thanks, Lord Oldbark. We shalt take then our leave at once." She finished with a stiff curtsy.
"Be well upon the road, young Beinvír friend and companion of Helluin," Oldbark said.
Without pausing a moment lest some question be voiced, the Green Elf snatched up their travel gear, and in an impressive show of strength, hoisted Helluin upon her shoulders and staggered off up the path. Oldbark watched her go before he returned to the moot. They were still debating Helluin's 'accent', and at the rate they were progressing, he deemed they would spend two or three seasons speaking of all there was to tell. The Green Elf was far out of sight ere he allowed himself a chuckle.
Now Beinvír managed to carry Helluin and all their gear to the top of Laiquadol, but there she could go no further. She laid Helluin down upon a patch of bracken and collapsed beside her gasping for air.
'Twas already mid-afternoon ere she recovered, and so she set up their camp and contrived to relax. The hours passed in silence and finally evening drew 'nigh. Beinvír found deadfall and started a fire; Enyd be damned, she wanted tea and hot food. She was still seething mad inside, but managed a calm exterior as darkness fell. Finally with the rising of the moon, Helluin gave a convulsive jerk and sat bolt upright. She stared 'round at a loss for a few moments, and then noticed her friend seated next to her before a campfire. 'Twas so familiar a sight that she found great comfort in the scene and calmed herself.
"Ugh! The most horrible dream¹ have I endured," she said, and chewed her lip. Beinvír handed her a cup of tea and Helluin gave the Green Elf a warm smile as she accepted it. "I dreamt that we had become the butt of some joke of Oldbark's, yet I understood not the punch line and perceived not his humor," she admitted after a few sips. "'Twas most unsettling." ¹(The term dream was loosely used in conversation for a vision unsummoned and from a source unknown that appeared during a period of rest. In this case t'would appear that Helluin's conscious mind was actively churning o'er recent events whilst disconnected from her body. The norm for the Eldar during rest is the lapsing of the consciousness into memory wherefrom no new stimuli come).
At this, Beinvír ground her teeth. She had suspected just such, that absent Galadriel and Celeborn, they had become the subjects of the Onod's perversity. She sat fuming.
After an hour Helluin appeared recuperated and she looked about with her usual perceptiveness, sampling the night. She knew her partner was seething and thought any course better than to remain thither and steep in angst. Therefore she weighed the hour and the way and made a suggestion, deeming action better than reaction.
"I should feel better, I wager, were I to spend this night afoot 'neath the boughs and the stars," she said. "What say thou, meldanya?"
"I should be well satisfied to be on our way from this place at any hour," Beinvír spat, "lest they come hither having contrived some questions for thy torment."
With that, the two ellith disassembled their camp, doused the fire, and went upon their way northeast. 'Twas 90 leagues to the Emyn Duir and the realm of King Oropher.
So 'twas that in the early afternoon a fortnight later, Helluin and Beinvír came upon a company of Silvan Elves who had made a campsite 'nigh the Men-i-Naugrim, or Way of the Dwarves, the new east-west road which the Khazâd had built to connect the Hithaeglir and the Ford of Anduin¹ to the River Celduin². 'Twas yet further evidence of the grandeur of Durin IV's reign. Traders from his mansions now brought goods throughout Rhovanion, even east of Greenwood. In fact some of these wares had eventually made their way secondhand to Gondor far to the south. ¹(This ford, located south of the Carrock mentioned in The Hobbit, 'twas later called the Iách Iaur in Sindarin, or the Old Ford in the Common Tongue. The Men-i-Naugrim was by then called The Old Forest Road, and upon it Gandalf's party entered Mirkwood.) ²(River Celduin, this is the Sindarin name for the River Running, as 'twas later known in The Hobbit in 3rd Age Westron.)
"'Tis a moderate camp," Beinvír said softly, "and yet more surround us amidst the boles. I should say not less than 50 total." Helluin nodded, trusting her partner's senses.
"Suilaid vín¹," one of the Silvan Elves called out with little enthusiasm whilst the two ellith were still some distance away. His greeting had the double benefit of alerting all his company whilst welcoming the strangers. He noted that Helluin was wearing battle armor and that the newcomers bore swords, knives, and bows. ¹(Suilaid vín, Our Greetings,= suilaid (greetings) + vín (1st pers, pl, pro, our) Sindarin)
"Suilannam cin sui mildis¹," Helluin called out in return with a wave of her hand, showing it to be empty of weapons. Beside her Beinvír contrived a reassuring smile and projected it towards the strangers She too waved. ¹(Suilannam cin sui mildis, We greet you as (female) friends = suilanno-(greet) + -(a)m(3rd pers, pl, pro, we) + cin(2nd pers, obj, pro, you) + sui(as) + meldis(f. friend) + -i(pl by internal vowel replacement, mildis) Sindarin)
Despite all the pleasantries there was some tension. The Efyr¹ would probably have welcomed Beinvír easily enough, for they were kin from opposite sides of the Hithaeglir, but the Light of Aman they discerned so bright upon Helluin marked her as a Calben² and therefore a golodh³. Rejection of the Noldorin culture of Beleriand was central to the identity of the people of King Oropher. ¹(Efyr, Silvan Elves, pl. of Afor. Sindarin) ²(Calben, Elf of Light, sing., syn w/ Amanya. Sindarin) ³(Golodh, Exiled Elf, sing., syn w/ Noldo. Sindarin)
Long aforetime the folk who had followed Lenwë and parted from their Teleri kin had roamed the forests and shores of Middle Earth in peace 'neath the stars. Their lives were for many long years much as they had e'er been since their awakening at Cuiviénen. Then Morgoth had returned to the north, bringing with him those treasures of the Noldor, the Silmarils, and war. When the Exiles had come to wrest Fëanor's gems from the Enemy of the World, all other peoples had become enmeshed in the conflagration, to their immense suffering.
Because of that conflict, no longer was there peace, and no longer was there only the soothing and twinkling light of the stars. No longer was there the comforting continuity of passing Ages. Now time was broken into days and nights, moon phases, seasons, cycles, and yen. With the counting of days had come awareness of the Fading. The sun and moon were garish, obtrusive, and terrible in their majesty, and much like Helluin's people, they had changed Middle Earth fore'er and destroyed a peaceful way of life. In the camp 'nigh the Men-i-Naugrim, there was no soul who felt not at least a twinge of resentment at Helluin's presence.
Now Helluin and Beinvír came to stand before a gathering group of ellyn and ellith who were forming a semi-circle before them. About two dozen were present, though as Beinvír and Helluin knew, yet more lurked 'roundabout in the wood. 'Twas a certainty that at least some of these bent bows towards their unexpected guests.
"Whyfor come'th thou hither, O Golodh dark?" The ellon who had first greeted them asked.
"Indeed we have come hither to beg audience of King Oropher, for he was known to us aforetime, and we unto him," Helluin answered.
"If indeed thou art known to our lord and he to thee, then far in the past must be thy acquaintance," the ellon replied, "for none here know'th thee."
'Round them many heads nodded in agreement. Helluin and Beinvír searched the arc of faces and saw not a single one that was familiar from their past visit.
"'Tis indeed as thou say," Helluin admitted, "for it hath been 1,580 years since last we shared company with thy lord and his heir. Yet upon a time with many of his household did we wander in summer season hither 'neath the boughs. Now we art come with grave tidings for his ears, and we art come at the request of Oldbark, Lord of Calenglad i'Dhaer."
To this, the gathered Tawarwaith¹ began a debate in the Silvan tongue, as if by its use they could retain some measure of privacy. Beinvír spoke Silvan as a native tongue and Helluin had learnt it so long ago that she spoke it more authentically than the far younger Elves surrounding them. Indeed she noted that their speech had absorbed some constructions typical of Sindarin. ¹(Tawarwaith, Silvan Elves, coll. pl. Sindarin)
It became obvious from their converse that the company was seized by indecision. If these two travelers, strangers unto them, were indeed known to their lord, then they were committing a breach of etiquette by delaying their errand. Worse, they themselves had almost no contact with the Onodrim. They knew well of their presence in the forest and some also knew of their Huorns, but none they knew had e'er actually spoken with them. What penalties would follow the frustration of an errand from such a lord was beyond their experience.
"I pray thee, wilt thou not take us to King Oropher, or send word hence of our coming?" Beinvír finally asked in Silvan. The Elves turned to her in surprise.
"'Tis Lord Oldbark's wish that thy lord have such knowledge as shalt shape events to come," Helluin added, also in Silvan, "for war shalt again find ye and your realm must be prepared."
The Tawarwaith's surprise turned to shock and they fell into silence. Here again was a Noldo come amongst them bearing tidings of impending war. 'Twas their collective nightmare. The horrified expressions on their faces were almost comical.
'Twas as the assembled group stood indecisive that they heard a trill of birdsong and the beat of hooves approaching. A trio of riders were making their way thither through the woods, but leading them came a mockingbird reciting the call of the lis ince, the honey bird of Valinor. Shortly the riders broke into the clearing and reined their mounts to a halt. A spare horse they had led thither as well.
To these three the assembled Tawarwaith bowed. Helluin noted that the riders wore broaches shaped like a cluster of green oak leaves, the symbol of Oropher's house. By then the mockingbird had taken up a perch on Beinvír's shoulder and carefully relieved itself, leaning far out to spare her cloak. It called one last time, drawing the riders' attention and then commenced to preening its feathers.
"So hither lies the ending of our chase 't'would seem," one rider said, eyeing the mockingbird and then letting his gaze linger on Beinvír.
"I see thou hast heeded the summons of the Herald of the Lord of the Onodrim," Helluin said, ignoring the first rider's smitten stare.
"Indeed such was the command of our lord," a second rider said, "to follow hence the call of yonder bird wheresoe'er it should lead."
"So thou art come from the court of King Oropher?" Beinvír asked hopefully.
"Aye, that we art," the rider said, "and to him came this herald upon yestermorn. We have ridden thence through yesterday and today in pursuit. I confess we thought it but a wild bird chase, and yet to a destination in fact it hath led."
The riders quickly dismounted and questioned those of the company who stood 'nigh and so came to understand the situation they had come upon.
"T'would seem our errand is to ye, and that yours is to our lord," the lead rider said. "therefore I bid ye ride with us to our lord's halls."
To Be Continued