In An Age Before – Part 144
In the Peredhel's study some hours later, the two ellith appraised the document. 'Twas a pretty piece of penmanship, sure, but atop this, the names, (save the final two entries by Galor), were aligned perfectly, centered perfectly, the letters all precisely of the same size and set at the same angle of inclination, and with the same weight upon the pen. 'Twas wholly uncanny.
"I know of none who could render so perfectly their letters for the entirety of such a document," Elrond confessed, "and yet for all that, 'twas hidden in a volume only poorly related to its subject matter."
"So we have a master scribe ignorant of libraries?" Beinvír asked, just to be sure.
'Twas a most vexing point. The Lord of Imladris sighed and turned away, reaching for a decanter to pour himself another glass of wine.
"Aye, so t'would seem," he said o'er his shoulder to the two ellith seated behind him 'cross his desk, "a master scribe and a novice bibliothecographer,"
Helluin and Beinvír blinked at his back, failing to comprehend the unfamiliar word.
If 'tis indeed a word at all, Helluin silently muttered to Beinvír, eye to eye.
Novice or no, I deem I should not like to be one…at all, the Green Elf replied as Elrond turned back to face them with his refilled glass.
"I have suspected the two art not one and the same," Elrond said. He looked at the two ellith as they looked questioningly at him. "Ah, more wine, my friends?" He offered.
Both shook their heads, 'nay'.
"'Tis vellum, or a fine parchment, and appears old, yet not ancient," Helluin observed shortly later, "for the creases whither 'twas folded art set, yet not highly worn as from long years of repeated opening and refolding, and it hath a lack of many fingerprints."
"'Tis neither yellowing about its edges, nor dog-eared upon its corners," the Green Elf observed, "and to my eye 'tis previously unused."
Elrond lifted the page and viewed it with a lamp behind. He then flipped the page and closely examined the back. He rubbed it to feel its texture and even sniffed it.
"I agree, 'tis virgin vellum, not a palimpsest, and it hath been starch grained. I see no ruling upon it," he declared, "and so 'twas copied fair and freehand. By its content we know 'tis from the time of Ivandir, and I know 'twas not present in 1409. As Galor has claimed that 1419 was the year of his father's ascension, we can posit that this chart appeared 'twixt 1409 and 1419, a space of but ten years."
To this the two ellith nodded in agreement, wondering, palimpsest…is that a word?
3,650 days…a vast improvement already, Beinvír thought. We shalt solve this riddle in no time.
Having discerned the parameters perplexing the Peredhel, little else was achieved that night and no further conclusions were reached. Still, they thought they were making a start. Alas, the answer to that riddle would be long in coming and was not found 'til many years after Galor's was no longer the last name upon the chart of lineage.
During that same time, the Lady Lainiel and King Galor shared a night of dancing in the company of the Elves of Imladris, who showed no sign of ceasing in their revels 'til dawn, though by then their mortal friends had excused themselves due to fatigue and the consumption of copious spirits. 'Nigh the time that Helluin and Beinvír were wondering, palimpsest…is that a word?, Lainiel and Galor had parted company for the night in the hallway outside her chambers, he ceasing his questionable rendition of an Elvish song and she her giggling, to share a first, but long and eagerly anticipated kiss good night, thereby advancing their courtship.
Galor offered the lady a formal bow, saying, "I wish thee a pleasant rest, my lady. Thy company has made this evening dear."
"I thank thee, my lord king, for the wonderful night I have enjoyed. I deem 'tis thy company which has made it so." Lainiel offered a proper curtsy as she had learnt at court in Fornost. "I bid thee a good night, and shalt look to see thee in the morning."
Lainiel opened her door and entered, but then turned back to offer him a final smile ere she closed it gently. Once alone she rested her back against the closed door, let her eyes slip shut, and breathed deeply as she listened to his footsteps recede down the hall. Her life was changing and she felt happy. 'Twas welcome, exhilarating, and her heart was afloat. She smiled, and as was her nature, gave thanks to both her families, the friends she'd made, and the Valar for the life she had found…prosperity, purpose, and now love. Torn I was from my right time and place, orphaned, ne'er knowing my blood kin, and yet I stand hither in a blessed house 'neath the brightest stars in Middle Earth, and now all pales before the light in my heart. 'Cross time and space I have come, and finally I am home, for nowhere else could I have found such joy. Whether the days ahead grow dark or bright, they shalt be e'er bright to me so long as they pass in his company.
Galor turned to take his leave, and though 'twas his duty as a gentleman to see a lady safely to her door, he would hath gladly lingered longer if he could. Ne'er had he met anyone who so captured his interest, his attention, his admiration, and yes, he easily admitted, his heart. And he realized that these feelings were not something new found, but had been slowly growing since the first time he had met her, in his own hall when she had come to his town to help train his Rangers.
He opened his chamber door and went inside, not yet lighting any lamps, but taking a seat on the sofa before the fireplace. In the silent dark he was alone with his thoughts. A king I have become this day, and yet when I look back in years to come, I shalt recall most our first kiss. Even against all the horror of Mordor I would now raise my arms to keep her safe. As a king I should give thought foremost for the betterment of my people, and yet…my first desire is simply to make her happy…fore'er.
Such an outpouring of joy could not go unmarked by those who truly sense the world. In Elrond's study Helluin and Beinvír took note.
Forward moves the prophecy of Iarwain, meleth nín, Helluin said to Beinvír silently as they looked into each other's eyes. They have acknowledged their feelings for each other.
Aye, and most strongly, t'would seem, the Green Elf replied. I am happy for them.
And I as well. 'Tis always a blessing when love grows. Now I deem the House of Balan shalt be restored, and one day all shalt come to pass in its proper time.
I shalt keep watch as the years pass, melethril, yet I have no doubt that what should be shalt be. Now I wonder if the king who lays low the Dark Lord shalt be an Aran In Dúnedain, or an Aran Eriador.
Who is to say that he shalt not be both?
The Lord Elrond sipped from his glass of wine. So strongly had come the joy of his mortal friends that he needed not his Ring to perceive it. Sauron is doomed to fall one day, and perhaps Arwen as well. And so the Age of Men shalt begin just as the love of Galor and Lainiel has been declared in their hearts this night. And we who have so long labored upon the Hither Shores…we shalt fade and take ship, our legacy eventually dwindling to a twilight of 'naught but myth. T'will be long in coming, and yet t'will come indeed…ahhh well. 'Tis the Song, and e'er the years shalt bring what they will. This night I am happy for them and wish them well, whatsoe'er their union begets.
It took 'nigh a week to properly copy the chart of lineage that Galor had found, and then, upon 11 Nórui 1482, King Galor and Lady Lainiel, with her protectors Helluin and Beinvír, bid the Lord Elrond and the people of Imladris farewell for a time and rode for Celenhár, for they had many tidings to share with the townsfolk. Their journey passed uneventfully, save for the growing love of the lord and lady, and indeed ere they had reached the seventh league west upon the road from Bruinen, they were met by a company of Rhudaur Rangers 'neath the command of their old friend Leginbór.
"My lord, 'tis good to see thee well," the captain said with obvious relief as he rode up. He strove to cover his worry, for few mortals stayed as guests in Imladris. Indeed the only other he knew was the Lady Lainiel, and like his lord, only in the company of the two Elves. No one from Celenhár had e'er ventured thither aforetime so far as he knew.
"'Tis good to see thee as well, my friend," Galor said, clasping the captain's arm in greeting as their horses drew side by side. "How stands the town?"
"All is well, m'lord. 'Naught has changed since thy departure, though thou hast been missed." He cast his eyes east, down the road from whence the four riders had come, as if seeking for 'aught he might regard as peculiar, yet the road and the woods to either side appeared as normal as at any other place in this part of Rhudaur.
"I am glad to hear it," Galor said. "Come, let us ride, for we have tidings to share."
With an encircling gesture Leginbór arranged the Rangers as an escort and they rode west at an easy canter. The miles disappeared with small talk, the Ranger captain obviously curious about the Hidden Valley.
"'Tis populated largely by Noldorin Elves, Helluin's people, and thither much ancient wisdom is preserved. Days pass quickly it seems, and days which passed long ago art spoken of from recall, a strange thing at first, but soon familiar. But of 'aught that thou would call magick I have marked 'naught, and if such is indeed, then 'twas too subtle for my eyes," Galor said some hours later.
Leginbór nodded, accepting this, for he had no knowledge to gainsay his lord's words, only the popular rumors created to fill the void of ignorance.
The company arrived in Celenhár in the early afternoon of the 13th, and the Lord Galor bid the Rangers announce a meeting at the town hall that night. Most of the townsfolk would have shown up anyway, for word of their lord's return had traveled fast, and they wished to assure themselves that he was unchanged by his stay in the reputedly unnatural Hidden Valley. He was not unchanged, of course, though 'twas for different cause than they imagined.
"Indeed much has changed," he began by saying that night, causing a nervous stirring and many whispers that he allowed to pass ere he continued, saying, "myself not the least, for though I am well, I deem none abide in Imladris and return as they were aforetime."
The muttering and whispering of the townsfolk increased, and again Galor waited for them to settle. An air of expectant apprehension gripped the throng. Soon enough, he knew, their curiosity and agitation would lead to questions voiced and patience lost.
"I am proud to announce the courtship of myself and the Lady Lainiel, head of the First House of the Edain of Beleriand," he declared in order to focus their attention.
Alas they knew 'naught of Beleriand, for 'twas too distant and its history too ancient to be common knowledge amongst the farmers and craftsmen of this small Rhudaur town. Most assumed only that the Edain were synonymous with their lost Dúnedain lords, the last already two generations past, and little enough save the direct lineage of the kings had been their concern anyway. To them, Lainiel was the adopted daughter of the Lord of neighboring Cardolan and a trainer of their Rangers. The further details were lost upon them. Save for some muted applause, the townsfolk attended Galor in confusion.
"During our time in the Hidden Valley our hearts became entwined," he said, "whilst sharing many hours and many interests. Thither, in the library of Elrond Peredhel, we discovered somewhat of the history of Celenhár and its founding, and somewhat of my own lineage."
Finally the townsfolk had heard tidings to which they could relate. The muttering ceased and they harkened to their lord with their full attention as he drew forth and displayed a lengthy chart of lineage.
This should be interesting, Helluin commented silently to Beinvír. I pray he exercises a measure of restraint with the tone of his announcement.
T'will be much for his folk to digest, I wager, though subtlety may cushion the impact, the Green Elf replied, hardly able to imagine his tidings not creating a major stir.
"This chart recounts my ancestry 'cross three Ages and thirty-six generations," he said.
And now the silence was complete. None moved and no few held their breaths, for not even the Dúnedain King Araphor in Arthedain claimed so many forebears.
"The first name is that of Balan who led his folk o'er the Ered Luin into Beleriand in the First Age, and took the name Bëor when he allied himself with Finrod, son of Finarfin and Lord of Nargothrond. His people were the first to enter that land and the first to meet the High Elves. They became the First House of the Atani, and Balan was their first chieftain. In time, his people won great renown in the wars of Beleriand, and followed their valor to their destruction. The blood of the First House flowed in the veins of the greatest warriors of the First Age, Barahir and Beren, Túrin and Tuor, and Eärendil the Mariner. Though a strain of Balan's bloodline survives in the royal line of the Dúnedain, today the lordship of the First House is held by the Lady Lainiel, who is Balan's daughter of the tenth generation and was born in Beleriand during the First Age.
The second name upon the chart is that of Balar, eldest son of Balan, who would have been the rightful chieftain after his father, but he was lost to his people in his time and came only to Eriador in the late Second Age. 'Tis a very strange tale in which our friends, Helluin and Beinvír had a part, yet I shalt not repeat it here save to say that the Lady Lainiel came to the Third Age in like fashion. Of Balar I shalt say that after being returned to Eriador, those of his father's people who had returned out of Beleriand ere the destruction of the First House, and those who had ne'er crossed the Ered Luin acclaimed him King of Eriador."
Though many turned to glance with new curiosity at Lainiel and the two ellith, all remained silent, waiting on their lord's words. The tidings that there had once been a king of Men in Eriador who was not a Dúnadan from o'er the sea filled them with mixed feelings; pride for one, but also confusion, for they knew 'naught of it. A few marked that if Balar had been the first King of Eriador, their long familiar lord was his last descendant.
"The lineage continues," Galor declared, "through all the following years of the Second and Third Ages. The seventh king was Bolger, who reigned in the years of the founding of Arnor. In the time of Olthor, the twenty-fourth king, Arnor was divided 'twixt Arthedain, Cardolan, and Rhudaur."
And now the townsfolk resumed their whispering, for this event was a part of the ancient history they all recognized.
"Eight generations later our realm of Rhudaur fell, in the time of Tuior, my great-grandsire, whilst Cardolan was lost in the time of my grandsire, Ivandir," he concluded o'er a rising tide of comments and speculation, for a handful of the town's elders had known Ivandir in their youth.
"Thou art KING!" Someone cried out from the crowd, whilst others joined in with shouts of, "our lord is King of Eriador!" and, "at last, a king of our own!"
The notion took hold as a wildfire might, and with similar exclamations they hoisted the protesting Galor upon their shoulders and paraded him through the town at a furious pace, the chart of lineage clutched in his hand, flapping in the breeze of their haste, whilst Lainiel and the two ellith trailed behind rolling their eyes.
Subtle, very subtle, Beinvír observed, watching the jubilant mob carry off their friend.
Aye, 'twas well done indeed…a reception befitting the decorum and dignity of his office, Helluin replied, nodding in approval as she compared the current scene with her memory of Eldacar's second coronation in Osgiliath following the Kin-strife.
"Think thou that he shalt be unharmed?" Lainiel asked, following the crowd's progress with worried eyes.
"I deem that he should be safe even from a dragon at present," Helluin said to reassure her whilst the Green Elf nodded in agreement.
"I foresaw that not," the Ranger Captain Leginbór said, shaking his head in amazement as he came up beside them, "and in spite of all reports, hereafter I shalt ne'er doubt that there is magick in Imladris."
The town of Celenhár was manic with celebration long into the night, and indeed the dawn lay close to hand ere the last townsfolk staggered off to their beds. The Lord Galor had barely survived, for the mob had soon repaired to the tavern whither well 'nigh every townsman had bought him a drink as the toasting continued without respite for the rest of the night. Not since their meeting with King Lüdhgavia and the horsemen 'twixt Celduin and Carnen had they seen a regent and his companions so intoxicated. The Lady Lainiel fretted o'er his condition whilst the two ellith labored to contain their mirth. All were late arising the next morn and little was done upon the morrow, that being 14 Nórui, 1482.
Now though little of labor or commerce was accomplished that day, t'would be wrong to say that 'naught occurred, for one event of import did indeed come to pass upon the 14th.
The Lord Galor finally rose 'nigh the noon hour, with a pounding headache and the suggestion of nausea. He staggered from his apartment in the rear of the town hall to find the two ellith admiring the Lady Lainiel's left hand. Curious, he wove his way thither.
"Our congratulations, my lord," Beinvír said as the three turned towards him, "for 'tis not oft that a Man is acclaimed king and plights his troth in the same night."
"T'will surely be cause for another night of celebration, O King," Helluin added with a wide smile. Beside her Lainiel was aglow, displaying a band of heavy gold adorned with a sizable stone of cut adamant upon her third finger, a wry grin shaping her lips.
For a moment the Lord of Celenhár was thoroughly incapable of comprehending how his mother's engagement ring had found its way onto her hand. A buzzing took hold in his ears and his vision sizzled with black speckles whilst his heart pounded in his chest.
Lainiel came to him and took his hand, and leading him a few steps away so that they might speak privately said, "my Lord Galor, I suspect thou recall not thy proposal in the later hours of last night's revels. Before thy townsfolk I accepted so as not to dampen the mood, yet I would not take such advantage of thee if thou feel the time improper for so serious a commitment. Still, I stand by my answer whether now or later."
Galor gulped and looked into her eyes, whither he had always found a light that uplifted his heart. He would not have chosen to ask her hand whilst inebriated, for he felt she deserved no less than his full and sober attention. Yet he was certain of how he felt; that he would gladly spend all his years in marriage to the one whom he had come to love as no other. And so he had brought his mother's engagement ring with him the previous night, intending to propose after the meeting when they were alone at last.
"My Lady, though 'tis as thou say and I remember 'naught of my proposal to thee this night past, I deem that drink gave my tongue free rein to speak the words of my heart, for there is nothing that would bring me greater joy than to take thy hand before family and friends in the union of matrimony. I regret only that I spoke my desire whilst impaired, for I wish no doubt to stand 'twixt us on my account."
"I doubt thee not, my Lord, for thou chose to bring this ring apurpose long ere the first drink passed thy lips, and I know thee to be noble of heart," Lainiel said, "yet t'would have been nicer to have thy proposal come such that we could both carry it as a fair memory through all our years together. I deem that we art in agreement in principle, though the execution could have been better."
Such privacy as the two had attained with a few paces was an illusion at best, for the sharp ears of the two ellith reported all. The solution was plain to them both.
"By thy leave, my lord and lady," the Noldo said to capture their attention, "so far as the townsfolk know, thou art now engaged, for surely some have reported 'aught dimly remembered."
"A more fitting betrothal might be had in Cardolan whither dwell the lady's family," Beinvír suggested, "for the Lord Húngan knows 'naught of thee, Lord Galor, and little enough of Celenhár."
"Aye, and t'would bring great joy to thy parents and thy brother, to see ye together and come to know their prospective son-in-law. I suspect that some plans for thy impending wedding may be enjoined as well," Helluin said to Lainiel, "for such occasions require many decisions and arrangements to be made."
"With a bit of planning, this could work," Lainiel said, a broad smile upon her face, "and I would love for my family to meet thee ere receiving an announcement that their daughter has taken a stranger for her husband whilst afield."
Galor nodded vigorously in agreement, despite the pounding of his head, happy with the prospect of meeting the man who had arranged for the aid of the Cardolan Rangers, and the family who had fostered his wife to be. In truth he would have gladly ridden to Gondor if t'would have brought Lainiel joy.
"My sincerest thanks for this wonderful suggestion, my friends. We can leave as soon as may be," he said, taking the lady's hand and bringing it to his lips
To be Continued