In An Age Before - Part 154
Chapter One Hundred-three
Calenglad i'Dhaer – The Third Age of the Sun
O'er the next two days, Helluin and Beinvír enjoyed the company of their friends when their friends duties allowed, for though the folk of the Woodland Realm still looked askance at them, the two ellith enjoyed the favor of the king, and none attempted to mince them or feed them to the spiders. Helluin deemed that most of the counselors still hated her guts, but with her guilt assuaged, she found she cared not.
Now the preparations for the wedding of Thranduil and Inthuiril continued, and like many Silvan celebrations, 'twas to take place outdoors 'neath trees and sky. A grassy clearing there was in the forest, just south of the Forest River, and a scant two furlongs from the bridge. It lay amidst old growth hardwoods, oaks and maples mostly, where a rare hump of bedrock came 'nigh the surface, hampering the rooting of the trees. 'Twas a pleasant meadow sloping upwards to the south, and forming a natural theater with its stage to the north. On its eastern side, a small creek bordered by willows and cattails ran down to the river. And as is the way with trees, many tilted trunks and large branches o'erhung the margins of the clearing as they sought for sunlight, creating a broad ring of shade 'round the meadow's edge.
Ere the dawn of 21 Nórui broke, many of Thranduil's folk gathered in the clearing to greet Anor, for the festivities would begin with the sunrise and continue through the night. T'would be a revel in the grand tradition of the Tawarwaith of Calenglad i'Dhaer, and so many kegs and casks and laden trestle tables had been set to stage the wedding feast. The o'erhanging boughs were bedecked with lamps, glazed in a multitude of hues, to be lit as evening fell, whilst a bonfire had been laid in the center of the clearing for the night's cheer. The vows of marriage would be taken and witnessed at high noon, when Anor shone down full on the longest day of the year, thereby to bless the union with bright longevity e'er after. And in this year, T.A. 1551, the Andwain Aurin coincided with the full moon of Nórui, as auspicious a day as could be imagined.
Helluin and Beinvír joined the throng leaving the gates of Thranduil's Halls in the dark, so to come to the clearing ere Anor brightened the east. All 'round them walked joyous Wood Elves, and for once they felt no animosity, strangers though they still were to most. Indeed few paid them even passing heed and this was quite welcome. In the pre-dawn hours, they were but two amongst many of their kind, walking 'neath the stars, for Ithil had already set. 'Twas a time of night that all esteemed for its soothing beauty, and for Helluin, 'twas reminiscent of a walk taken 'cross Middle Earth Ages aforetime, when as part of a far greater host, she had followed a Vala's call into the West.
Now the happy crowd came to the clearing, and rather than the silence in which the Gondolindrim had awaited the dawn on the Tarnin Austa, the Tawarwaith chatted or sang, whilst others played music on harps and flutes and horns. Only when all felt the approaching sunrise was there a brief silence, but when the first light of Anor lifted the black of night and dimmed the stars, then the people broke into song, all of them together as with one voice greeting the dawn.
A comfort art thy twinkling lights,
Through Ages most beloved of sights.
Elbereth's lamps begin to fade,
'Neath leaf and bough grow light and shade,
The eastern sky is all aglow,
Whilst colors on the clouds doth show.
The vault of night e'er black turns blue,
And white clouds show their colors true.
On forest, mountain, lake, and stream,
New daylight renders all agleam.
Queen Fanuilos, e'er white as snow,
Of old she made the stars to glow.
To look down on us from above,
A symbol of the Aenil's love.
Yet comfort though they were to all,
Beneath them evil made some thrall.
So night became a blessing mixed,
Where many fought in dark years 'twixt,
Our waking and the first day's dawn,
Anor reveals the ungol's spawn.
Then daylight granted us new hope,
To master Orch 'neath beech and oak.
And smite those of the flingiloth,
Whose threat to home has made us wroth.
And so we welcome each new day,
And revel in such good as may,
Be gifted us when bright times come,
To our beloved woodland home.
So to the Aenath and the One,
We give praise for what they have done.
The tune was haunting with harmonies interwoven, its rhythm slow, and many verses followed describing the transition 'twixt the e'er twilight 'neath Varda's stars of old, and the new uir, (days of 24 hours, pl. of auth), divided into nights and days ruled by Ithil and Anor, those last vestiges of Yavanna's Trees contained in Aulë's vessels, and set aloft to traverse the skies of Middle Earth. There was sadness, for many cherished their memories of the comfort of starlit nights and the world as it had been when the Elder Children first awoke. But there was joy and thanksgiving too, for Ithil's beauty and the hope that each new day could bring. By the time the last verse was sung, Anor had cleared the horizon and bright morning sunlight streamed down into the clearing.
The Tawarwaith broke their fasts at a temporary kitchen set upon the eastern side of the clearing 'nigh the creek. Many bowls of fruit and berries were there, and stacks of flatbreads baked the night before. Vessels held steamed grains with nuts and spices. Fresh water from the creek, and some watered, fruity wines they had to drink, and o'er a grill, links of sausages cooked. Helluin and Beinvír ate, comfortably seated upon the grass, and traded greetings with those passing 'nigh. So the morning passed with much cheer, lighthearted conversation, and many songs.
As the morning grew older, many began to cast glances towards the northern verge of the clearing, hoping to catch their first glimpse of the king and his betrothed entering the meadow in their wedding finery. An hour ere noon, they were rewarded at last, for Thranduil and Inthuiril came forth, dressed in long robes of foliar patterned damask in gold and green, and wearing the circlets that Helluin and Beinvír had gifted them from Khazad-dûm. Their subjects delighted in their presence, and a long receiving line formed to wish them well.
The two ellith had taken places towards the rear of the line, but finally they came before Thranduil and Inthuiril, and they bowed to them and were received with smiles.
"My Lord Thranduil and my Lady Inthuiril, we bear to you the good wishes of the Laiquendi of Eriador and the Lord Elrond in Imladris," Beinvír said, "and our wishes for a long and blissful life together in the wood."
"My Lord Thranduil and my Lady Inthuiril, we bear to you the good wishes of our friends in Khazad-dûm, and of course our own hopes for a most prosperous and joyous union, with the eternal blessings of those in the West," Helluin said.
"'Tis a source of joy to me that you have come to celebrate this special day with us," the king said, "for it seems to me that seldom have we met for joy's sake, rather than to face some threat. It lifts my heart to face the good with you now as well."
"For your aid to my home aforetime, I give you thanks," Inthuiril said to them, and to Helluin she added, "and for my deliverance from the Sorcerer, I cannot thank thee in sufficient measure. Be e'er welcome in our woodland home, my savior."
Now the noon hour drew 'nigh, and King Thranduil and Lady Inthuiril took their places in the sunlight on the northern side of the meadow, whilst their subjects and guests sat upon the upslope to their south, and all were silent with expectation. Then, when the king's giltiridir¹ marked that a slender stick's shadow pointed due north, he cued his monarch. Thranduil took Inthuiril's hand in his, and both were glad as they recited their vows for all to hear. ¹(giltiridir, star watcher (astronomer) = gil(star) + tiri-(v. watch) + -dir(masc. agent, n. on v.) Sindarin)
"Elo! I, Thranduil Oropherion of Doriath, King of the Woodland Realm of Calenglad i'Dhaer, shalt now and fore'er after call my gwaedhil Inthuiril Erynúriel herves nín¹. So say I before my people and Eru." ¹(Elo! Behold! Oropherion son of Oropher, gwaedhil (f.)betrothed, Erynúriel daughter of Deepforest, herves nín my wife Sindarin)
"Elo! I, Inthuiril Erynúriel of Calenglad i'Dhaer, Counselor, Ferien a Tirien, of the Woodland Realm, shalt now and fore'er after call my gwaedhos Thranduil Oropherion herven nín.¹ So say I before my people and Eru." ¹(Elo! Behold! Erynúriel daughter of Deepforest, Ferien a Tirien Huntress and (f.)Sentry, gwaedhos (m.)betrothed, herven nín my husband Sindarin)
When they followed their vows with an embrace and a kiss, all leapt to their feet and cheered. And so, after a courtship of 550 years, their hearts and fëar were joined 'til world's ending, or death take them upon the Mortal Shores, and thence their bliss to share 'til the Second Song is sung upon the Shores Undying in the West.
The people congratulated their monarch and their new queen, and voices were raised in songs of celebration. A circle of dancers took the center of the meadow as musicians played, and all took their turn, even the newlyweds. Helluin and Beinvír too joined the circle, having quickly absorbed the steps after watching a while, and for that afternoon the Tawarwaith accepted them simply as wedding guests. When evening finally drew down, the bonfire was lit, the kegs tapped, the bottles uncorked, and the wedding feast began. The revels progressed in earnest after darkness fell, and 'neath the full moon, the singing and dancing and merry making continued 'til 'nigh dawn, whilst 'neath the moon and stars all made fair memories to revisit in future times, even when the days again grew dark. And if 'aught was lacking, t'was that Nimrodel, the bride's only living kin, had remained in Lórinand.
Now following the wedding, Helluin and Beinvír remained for some days in the Woodland Realm, for the celebratory mood of the Tawarwaith was slow to pass, and the two ellith intended to partake of it for so long as t'would last. The party atmosphere slowly trailed off o'er the remainder of the month as everyday concerns reasserted themselves, and so, just as they had deemed their departure fitting at the end of Nórui, word came to the king of doings in the lands south of the forest. These tidings he shared with his far-roaming friends, for he sought their counsel regarding possible threats which could spill o'er into his realm from a war in Harad.
"My friends, I seek your counsel regarding tidings I have heard of late, for no others that I know art so well traveled. T'would seem King Vinyarion presses the fight with his Haradrim foes, and so he hath moved ships and soldiers of Gondor against that nation. We had heard that Vinyarion's father, King Aldamir, fell in battle with these same foemen eleven years past. I wager he seeks vengeance for his house as much as a halt to their hostile acts against his people. Have ye any thoughts upon the possible jeopardy to this realm, far seeming though it be?"
The two ellith regarded Thranduil's words for some moments ere answering. 'Twas the first they'd heard of outright war 'twixt Gondor and Umbar, hereditary enemies though those peoples were. Rather, there had been a lower level conflict, of raid and counter-raid, well 'nigh constant o'er most the past century.
"I deem the causes thou hast stated for the war to be sound, O king" Helluin said, "yet I doubt thy realm shalt be endangered. The battle shalt be waged far to the south of Gondor, and therefore even further from the Greenwood. Were I to seek for threats, I should look to the Hithaeglir for warrens of Yrch, or to the east, from whence came many evil Men in times past, as to the service of the Sorcerer in Dol Guldur."
To this assessment the king nodded, for it mirrored much of his own thought.
"I too should look closer to home for dangers to thy realm, meldir nín," Beinvír added, "for the Orch we found bewebbed by the spiders still followed commands given to his ancestors ten generations past. I deem many such, both Yrch and Easterling Men, still count themselves in service to the Nazgûl."
Again Thranduil nodded his agreement. The war 'twixt Gondor and the Haradrim was far and the hazard to his realm slight. None of the Dúnedain's battles aforetime had carried north into the Greenwood. Indeed the closest fighting had been 325 years ago, when Rómendacil II had driven the Easterlings beyond the Sea of Rhûn. So t'would remain the ongoing contention 'twixt his hunters and such Yrch or Easterlings as tried to encroach upon his borders, and the e'er present skirmishes with the spiders.
"I thank you once again, my friends, for your counsels have set my heart at ease," the king said. "One need not seek out trouble when trouble finds one oft enough."
Helluin and Beinvír bowed to Thranduil and took their leave of the court. 'Round the king the counselors passed on to the next order of business.
"I deem that with the month of Cerveth we should make our way west, back to Eriador," Beinvír said, recalling Thranduil's last words as they left the throne room.
"I agree, for if Vinyarion moves his forces to battle in the south, then he deems his strength sufficient. He needs no aid from us," Helluin said, also recalling Thranduil's last words.
They bid Thranduil and Inthuiril farewell for that time on 1 Cerveth, and began their journey home. The first leg of that journey included their introduction to a paved way, newer and narrower than the Men-i-Naugrim, that ran east-west through Calenglad. It led from King Thranduil's halls, beginning on the far side of the bridge o'er the Forest River, and made its way in a southerly curve, crossing the Enchanted River and then passing west to the, (in Helluin's opinion), unimaginatively named, Forest Gate. Upon learning the name of that exit to the lands beyond the wood, the Noldo had shaken her head in consternation. When she had heard that the path was actually called The Forest Path, she had groaned aloud. The only facts of interest had been the warnings about the 'Enchanted River'. 'Twas a sluggish stream which came down from the Emyn Duir, and whose waters had accumulated, o'er its meandering, roughly hundred mile course, a sufficient level of mushroom toxins and spider venom to be a functional contact stupefacient to mortals. The Wood Elves knew this because of the number of animals, (and the occasional Orch), that fell in and then drowned in their sleep.
"Mind ye stay on the bridge," said the Wood Elf providing their directions.
"T'would be the Forest Path Bridge?" The Noldo asked with a straight face.
"Aye, just so," he said, and after a moment's reflection, added, "indeed, mind ye stay on the path at all times."
Being thus forewarned, Helluin and Beinvír started west, and their days spent upon the Forest Path were far more enjoyable than their prior journey on the Men-i-Naugrim. For one thing, there were no spiders. The pavers were well laid, being clean and set stable upon their bedding. No limbs dangled low o'erhead, nor was there deadfall lying upon the track. The air was wholesome too, as though a fair breeze followed the path so that it remained e'er fresh. The Green Elf would have sworn that she caught the faint scent of tall grass in the fields on the east bank of Anduin, nine score miles away.
Now the Forest Path soon diverged from the Forest River, and thereafter it took many a twist and turn. 'Twas soon obvious that it had been laid to discomfit the minimum number of trees. In this 'twas the antithesis of road building as practiced by Men or Naugrim, but 'twas very much in character with the Tawarwaith. It made for an interesting walk, and easily doubled the mileage. It also made maintaining a sure sense of direction more difficult, for oft times the path doubled back upon its course to avoid outcroppings, gullies, or dense stands of trees.
Were I mortal born, I should soon be completely lost, Beinvír thought.
As if party to her mind, Helluin muttered, "'tis little wonder they said, mind ye stay on the path at all times…what a maze they have made of this wood."
That night, (and indeed each night after), they spent in a paved campsite at the side of the path, with a raised fire pit of masonry o'er which an iron grill had been set for cooking. There was even a stack of firewood in the protected alcove 'neath it. They would discover that 'twas the first of many such, spaced some score and five miles apart, so that travelers would have no need to leave the path at their nightly camps.
In the late afternoon of their second day's march, they came to the bridge o'er the Enchanted River. The stone obelisk engraved with En Iant Rád Eryn¹ standing 'nigh the hither footing brought a bark of laughter from Helluin. Upon a stone plaque affixed to the rail at the apex of the span was carved, E-Chelon Lúthas². ¹(En Iant Rád Eryn, The Forest Path Bridge Sindarin) ²(E-Chelon Lúthas, The Enchanted River Sindarin)
"Pray offer a guess as to whither we art come?" Beinvír asked with a grin.
Helluin rolled her eyes, but a chuckle escaped her.
"Were I ignorant of my letters, I should be completely lost," she finally said.
Yet they did not become lost, for the stayed on the path at all times, and upon 8 Cerveth they came to the Forest Gate and stared out from 'neath the trees to the wide grasslands that lay 'twixt the eves of the Greenwood and the east bank of Anduin. And whereas they had enjoyed fine weather throughout the whole of their stay in the wood, as they looked on, a bolt of lightning and a crack of thunder came from the heavy clouds that had gathered o'er the past hour, and a heartbeat later, torrents of rain poured from the leaden sky.
"T'would seem Lord Oldbark's sense of humor remains," Helluin muttered, recalling their leave taking from the Greenwood in S.A. 1847, when the Onod Soursap had declared that it, "feels like rain…tomorrow or perhaps the next day." In fact it had rained steadily thereafter for weeks.
"I suppose t'would be prudent to set a camp 'neath the cover of the trees and wait out this storm," the Green Elf said, "for we have no schedule to keep."
Being already mid-afternoon, Helluin agreed, "so long as 'tis not 'neath the tallest tree." The lightning and thunder had quickened as the storm moved in o'erhead.
They backtracked down the Forest Path a furlong 'til they came to a pleasant place atop a slight rise where a curve gave them a view in both directions and the pavers were dry 'neath a stand of mid-sized maples and oaks. Helluin collected deadfall, though she was required to leave the path by some handful of fathoms, whilst Beinvír dug a shallow trench outside the curb and settled in to take stock of their rations.
The rain continued after the fall of full darkness, though not so vigorously as aforetime. Helluin and Beinvír were reclining on the curb to either side of their trench fire, revisiting pleasant memories. O'erhead, the canopy spared them a drenching and only an occasional drop fell 'nigh their camp. Indeed the pavers remained dry for the most part, whilst the pleasant sound of falling rain came from beyond the curbs. Though Ithil should have been 'nigh half past full, the cloud cover obscured most of his light, leaving the understory of the forest in dense shadow. So the night passed, peaceful and subdued.
Morning came gradually, still dim 'neath a thinning o'ercast. Helluin and Beinvír broke their fasts at what was sunup above the clouds. The rain continued through the early morning at a stately and penetrating pace, and the forest received a nourishing soaking. Both of the Elves could sense the contentment of the trees, which seemed to uplift their branches and hold their leaves horizontal, the better to receive a washing from the sky and to funnel the runoff down to their roots.
Somewhat later, the Green Elf said, "I deem the rain shalt soon abate, and we should be away."
Helluin cocked an ear to the canopy, and marking the reduced patter of drops falling upon the leaves, nodded in agreement.
A half hour later, that being some four hours after sunrise, and having erased all trace of their camp, the two ellith passed the Forest Gate and made their way into the grasslands bordering the Greenwood. The rain had stopped and the o'ercast had broken up, and now 'twas but patchy shreds of clouds blown east upon a breeze from the Hithaeglir. Before them a vague and o'ergrown path led due west towards Anduin, whose eastern bank lay some score and five miles ahead. Alas, they knew of no crossing thither and expected to make a trek of five score miles to the Ford of the Men-i-Naugrim. Thus they took their way west on the path, looking for some branch leading away to the south.
Ere they had gone two furlongs, the path disappeared into the grass, as if it had simply lost interest in itself. Helluin and Beinvír stood amidst a rain dampened field looking this way and that, but no direction displayed 'aught of a traveled way. Lacking any clearer options, they started off cross-country heading south.
"T'would seem few travel to the Woodland Realm these days," Helluin remarked after an hour, "or at least not so many as to create any visible track."
"Aye, 'tis strange indeed that Thranduil's folk would labor to construct a path which none would use," the Green Elf replied. The Tawarwaith tended to be happier upon footpaths than upon paved ways, for such were far more natural amidst the forest.
"I deem that if we stay in sight of the wood, we shalt eventually strike that path upon which I met the Northmen, ere they rode south to Dol Guldur," Helluin said.
Having 'naught better for a plan, the two ellith continued upon their way.
The same breeze that had driven the clouds east also served to dry the tall grass, and by the early afternoon, 'twas but some soggy patches 'neath their feet as gave testimony to the past night's storm. Thankful for the long days of Cerveth, the two ellith walked 'til nightfall, covering some eight leagues ere making a camp for the night.
So too passed the 10th and 11th days of Cerveth, as Helluin and Beinvír walked south from shortly after dawn 'til shortly ere dusk, covering some three dozen miles a day. In the early afternoon of the 11th they espied a column of smoke rising to their west that they took to mark the cabin of a settler. Being out of their way, they passed it by. An hour later they marked the flight of an Eagle in the high airs o'er the eastern rampart of the Hithaeglir. If they could see him, they knew he could see them too, and far more clearly, but 'twixt he and they there was 'naught to prompt a meeting, and so the two ellith continued on their way. When next they looked west, the Eagle was gone. 'Twas shortly thereafter that they finally found a track leading south, though by this time they reckoned they were barely a score miles north of the Dwarf Road.
"'Tis a well traveled track at last," Beinvír said, looking down it in both directions and seeing evidence of long usage.
"Aye, and I wager we have walked alongside it for the better part of two days," Helluin grumbled. "I doubt not that 'tis the north arm of that path upon which I once met Captain Ërlick and his company of riders."
"T'would then be the same path we followed 'round the north of the forest on our way to the lands of King Lüdhgavia," the Green Elf added.
They stood for a while, each enmeshed in memories of their time amongst the Northmen and the great changes in that people, which had later led to Eldacar, Aldamir, and now Vinyarion. Like the many years spent mending the evil of Angmar in Eriador, Gondor still warred with the scions of Castamir in Umbar. At some point, both ellith wondered how long t'would take ere the Dúnedain had peace with the south and the residue of the Kin-Strife was finally laid to rest. T'would be very long indeed, for the "residue of the Kin-Strife" was but a recent manifestation of the lingering conflict 'twixt the Faithful and the King's Men of old.
To Be Continued