In An Age Before – Part 214
Unlike the lords of the Eldar or the Dúnedain, the Mâh-Sakâ Khan did not rise from his chair, nor did he return the bows of his guests. Rather, he dipped his head to acknowledge his daughter and then offered thanks for her safe return and the return of her warriors. Helluin had concluded by then that Kiana and Ashti were detailed as Tahmirih's bodyguards, based on the princess's words to the sentries at the ford; I am Tahmirih, and with me are my warriors Kiana and Ashti. She also marked that the khan's chair was no throne, but rather of the same folding variety that she had seen in Tahmirih's tent.
"The Confederation thanks ye for the safe return of Alun Sultan," he said. "I shall hear your tale shortly."
Obviously, a debriefing of their mission was to follow, but first he shifted to the only truly great unknown, Helluin herself.
"Daughter, thou hast returned with a warrior from the west, Helluin of the Host of Finwë. Upon hearing that title, I questioned my viziers, but none knew of the Host of Finwë."
"Father, I had thought them a host from far in the west, though I too have not learnt more of them," Tahmirih replied. "Perhaps I should have asked more of her, yet at our first meeting, she slew the Medes who pursued us, and later, the Rhoxolāni as well."
Targitai waved away any suspicion of dereliction on her part and instead addressed the Noldo directly.
"Helluin of the Host of Finwë, thou hast the thanks of the Mâh-Sakâ for protecting the princess and her warriors. By thy actions hast thou reapt esteem born in blood spilt. I would call thee ally, as my daughter does," he said. "To know my ally, I would ask after thy allegiance and thy lord. Whither ride the Host of Finwë?"
Helluin offered the khan a bow in respect for his words and proceeded to answer his query.
"Targitai Khan, I am of the Elvish kindred of the Noldor. Amongst my people, 'tis one's privilege to name their first lord. As part of the Host of Finwë, my original allegiance was to King Finwë, the first sovereign of the Noldor, who trod these lands ten millennia ago and led his people to the land of the gods in the furthest west. There, the greater part of my people still abides, and no great host of the Noldor still rides in the mortal lands."
"Helluin, thou abide in the land of your gods no longer. Whyfor came thee back to mortal lands and when?"
"At the first rising of the moon and sun, my people returned to wage war for six and a half centuries on Morgoth, the slayer of King Finwë and the thief of his treasure. Morgoth was the original God of Fire. After his defeat, when most returned west, I remained in the mortal lands. For the last fifty-four centuries, I have opposed Morgoth's servants, Sauron foremost, and his nine ghosts."
"Of the God of Fire's nine ghosts we have heard tell. Fell foes thou oppose, Helluin. Captives have said that he haunts mostly the west, far beyond our lands. Why then hast thou come east?"
"Targitai Khan, I have come seeking allies of old who also oppose my enemies. One was a prince of my people whom I thought dead for tens of centuries 'til I met him in battle a thousand years ago. I saw him last o'er five centuries past in the south realm of the Men of the West. He may be in the company of two wizards dressed in robes of blue. 'Tis said that their citadel lies 'nigh the river Rā."
"And what of the Medes and the Rhoxolāni who are my enemies?"
"Those thou call Medes are known in the west as Wainriders. They are the enemies of the Men of the West whose kings are my kin, and of the Men of the North, my allies. These I would slay on their behalf. The Rhoxolāni I knew not aforetime, yet I have slain them on behalf of my new allies and would do so again."
Targitai nodded and a grim grin shaped his lips, an expression Helluin knew well from her own face. Then he turned and whispered a few words to his grand vizier and the official hastened away. The Noldo deemed him akin to a King of Gondor's Lord Steward.
During his interrogation of her, Helluin had marked a scribe writing furiously on a scroll, recording all that had been said whilst the trio of viziers paid rapt attention.
"I shall make a request of thee, my new ally, but ere that, I would hear my daughter's tale."
Then, expecting the debriefing to take some time, the khan ordered chairs and refreshments brought for his guests, and he settled to hear Tahmirih's rede. The princess began by relating her journey west and the freeing of the slaves, all deeds of which Helluin had known 'naught. She listened with her full attention, as did the khan and his remaining two viziers, whilst the scribe recorded all in a subdued frenzy of quill on parchment.
After the passage of a quarter-hour, the grand vizier returned with one dressed in long robes of white, one of the Avari whom Helluin recognized immediately.
"Helluin of the Host of Finwë, pray meet my mage, Halatir, one of thine own people," Targitai said.
Halatir bowed to the khan and then looked at Helluin, first with shock and then with joy.
"Long it hath been since last we met, Helluin Maeg-mórmenel," he said, offering her a deep bow, "and still thou hast my thanks for delivering me from the Black Land."
Helluin dipped her head to him and said, "Mae govannen, mellon nín, 'tis a joy to see thee well after so many years."
Targitai and the other Mâh-Sakâ had been watching their exchange and the khan asked, "How come ye to know each other?"
Helluin was about to reply, but Halatir turned and addressed the khan.
"I first met Helluin Maeg-mórmenel in the year 415 of the Second Age, in the great forest of the westlands. She had come to my king with tidings of danger and trained my people to battle goblins. Alas, the victory was too horrifying for my folk to abide and we abandoned the forest. After long wandering, we were taken prisoner by the Dark Lord Sauron and held as thralls in his fortress in Mordor. Then, in 3435 of the Second Age, Helluin found us and freed us from the dungeons, conveying us to the Host of the Last Alliance and freedom. I had not seen her since."
"I had thought that as one Elf to another, thou could provide me with insights, for though my people have long known thy people, I had ne'er heard of the Noldor," the khan said.
Halatir dipped his head and provided the khan with what he knew of the Calaquendi.
"Ere the days of the sun and moon, the Noldor left the mortal lands and went to dwell in Aman, the Realm of the Valar. There in the Undying Lands they acquired powers, enchantment through song, subtlety of mind, and prowess in battle, though I know not the full measure of such. They returned bringing war, and for that reason, many of my people distrust them.
Of Helluin, I have heard that she engaged in personal combat with the God of Fire and his nine ghosts, having invaded his lands and even his own keep, and afterwards, winning free."
He offered his lord another bow and stood to the side, regarding Helluin and the khan.
Whilst silence reigned, a pair of soldiers arrived, bringing with them a prisoner. He appeared somewhat the worse for his captivity, sporting a blackened eye and other bruises on his face. By his raiment, he appeared to be 'naught more than a trader.
"Here is a foe taken captive," the khan said, "and he has refused to name himself or state his purpose in these lands. Helluin, I would request thy aid in obtaining truths."
With a dip of her head, the Noldo accepted the task, and she walked to stand close in front of the prisoner. The Man regarded her with a sneer. Quick as a snake, she snatched his jaw in one hand and forced him to meet her eyes. There his will was constrained and his mind laid bare. Helluin saw plots and schemes, peeling back the layers of his subterfuge and resistance. After an initial attempt to recoil and a soft whimper, he stood still as a rat hypnotized by a cobra.
"What is thy name?" Helluin asked, loud enough for all to hear.
The Man struggled a few moments, clenching his jaw, but finally, he complied and said, "I am Namgênos son of Oarozbalakos of the Rhoxolāni."
"Art thou a soldier?" Helluin asked.
The Man gave a restrained nod 'aye' and said, "I am a scout of the second rank."
"Whyfor art thou in these lands, Namgênos?"
"I was sent by Bidakês, Third Lieutenant of the East, to observe the movements of the Mâh-Sakâ army that was expected to ride west to attack Wahat Binya."
"On what day wast thou to offer thy report?"
"On the 27th day of the fifth month I was expected to report."
'Twas the late afternoon of 27 Lothron and he was not yet o'erdue, and perhaps not yet missed.
Without breaking her gaze Helluin asked, "Is there 'aught else thou would know, Targitai Khan?"
"The location and count of his company," the khan said.
"Whither wast thou to return and what is the compliment of thy company?"
"A company of two dozen scouts awaits me by the riverbank seven leagues north of the ford."
"Thou may release him, Helluin. My thanks for thine aid," Targitai said. "'Twas impressive."
He then gave his grand vizier a nod and gestured for the guards to remove the prisoner. The vizier rose and bowed, and again left the tent. Looking bewildered, Namgênos was taken away quietly, though after having provided his information, the Noldo deemed his remaining life would be short. If Targitai was disappointed at not having witnessed some torture or corporal punishment, he showed it not.
Without further attention to those proceedings, Targitai Khan returned to Tahmirih's tale of her mission to recover Alun Sultan and the subsequent events during her return. At her mention of Suat, he seemed to give a restrained nod, whilst the recounting of the attack of the mummies caused him to shake his head and send another vizier off to convey whispered orders. The episode of Shulgi and the creatures in the huluppu tree provoked no reaction from him at all save a blink when she spoke of Helluin's dance with the 'angel' and the subsequent disappearance of that being into the night sky.
The khan deigned not to question Kiana or Ashti. He evinced complete faith in his daughter's recitation and asked for no corroborating details or opinions. Helluin deemed that any such had been discussed aforetime 'twixt the three warriors and Tahmirih, as commander of the mission, was rightly expected to present their report. When the princess completed her rede, she bowed to her father and resumed her seat.
The council had run to 'nigh three hours all told, and by then dusk had fallen, yet there had been no evidence of flagging attention on the part of the khan or his attendants. Not even the guards posted within the tent had twitched, but rather had stood silent and unmoving as statues with only their eyes snapping to the tent flap at the merest sound from without. In the brief silence following Tahmirih's report, only the final scratching of the scribe's quill on the parchment of the scroll broke the silence, and then he too stilled and look to the khan.
'Twas only then that Targitai Khan rose from his chair, and he bowed to those assembled and dissolved the council.
"I thank ye for your attendance and for the knowledge gained this afternoon. We shall resume at the second hour following dawn. Pray enjoy your evening meal and may the blessings of peace be upon ye."
Those present exited the tent in a prescribed order, the viziers first, then the guests, and finally the guards, to be replaced with those of the next watch. Targitai remained in his tent, taking a moment to lave his face and hands with clean water, and then moving his own chair to the table 'nigh the central tent pole. Shortly later, a priest and a train of servants were seen entering to lead the evening prayers and serve the khan his supper.
As they filed out of the tent, Helluin pondered her impressions of Targitai Khan. Despite his ominous title and the little she had heard regarding his reputation, what she had observed was a focused and disciplined commander whose example translated into conscientious action by those 'neath him. He exhibited no pointless compensatory behaviors; she had seen no bragging, no grandstanding, no flaunting of authority, no attachment to opulence, and no undue cruelty. He was conscious of showing respect to those he commanded, and he held family in high esteem. In return, his subordinates conducted themselves with disciplined efficiency and did his bidding without question. Targitai was a leader worthy of respect and the respect he accrued was evident in the order of his camp. She had little doubt that his forces were deadly, well trained, and committed, and they would be formidable as allies or foes.
Tahmirih led Helluin, Kiana, and Ashti back to her tent. There they found that a fourth cot, trunk, and armor stand had been arranged within for the Noldo. The table was set with a fourth chair. Ewers of drinking water and apple cider had been provided, along with a bowl of fruit.
Now after they had cleansed their hands and faces, the four warriors sat 'round the table and helped themselves to drink and fruit. Tahmirih had some questions regarding the information Helluin and Halatir had revealed, for though the Mâh-Sakâ were indeed long acquainted with the Avari of the east, even the three who had traveled 'cross Rhûn with her knew little of the Noldor. At some level, they accepted that Elves aged not. Halatir had served Targitai as mage for decades and the current khan's father and grandfather ere that, but the spans of time the two had spoken of were hard to digest.
"Helluin, thou fought the God of Fire long ago? We know the name of Mordor, but none of our folk have seen that land, nor the God of Fire. We know him and his Nine from lore only and at first deemed thee to be one of them, but none I know have actually seen them," the princess said.
"Would thou see them? I can share with thee my memories if thou would have it so," Helluin said. At the confused expression on the princess' face, she said, "Thou hast but to look into my eyes and thou shalt see my memories. Thereafter, they shall be as thine own."
Tahmirih exhaled sharply and sat back in her chair.
"Is that how thou coaxed hence from the prisoner all that my father would know?"
"Aye. I showed him somewhat of the methods of inquisition used by the Yrch…the goblins. He was resistant at first, indeed defiant, but I showed him the flaying and salting, the vivisections, the expanding cavity pears, and the bronze needles inserted deep into the ears or eye sockets to bring vacant looks. Thereafter, he capitulated and spoke truths."
The three warriors looked ill and remained silent for a time.
"These goblins, we have seen few in the east. Are they many in the west?"
"Aye, thousands of thousands have warred against Elves and Men and Dwarves. Morgoth created them ere the rising of sun and moon and now they serve Sauron and his nine ghosts, or do evil on their own account."
Tahmirih nodded to herself, having made her decision.
"I would see thy memories of the God of Fire and his nine ghosts," she said.
Immediately Kiana laid a hand on her forearm and said, "Allow me, princess."
But Tahmirih said, "'Tis for me to see, Kiana. There may be much that my father should learn."
After a pause, the warrior gave a small nod of acquiescence and withdrew her hand, and then the princess looked into Helluin's eyes and said, "I am ready."
For a moment, she saw the Noldo's eyes, and then she felt herself falling into a cloudless sky of endless blue that swallowed her up. In the next heartbeat, she stood upon a rough and narrow bridge of stone, a high causeway hewn from the top of a pier of rock that lunged out o'er the volcanic lake of fire within Orodruin. Darkness lay thick 'round her, but at her back was heat, the stench of sulfur, and the uneasy percolation of lava in the mountain's heart. A dull and ruddy glow projected her shadow down the ramp towards a dimly seen doorway from which terror seeped.
'We stand within the Mountain of Fire in the Black Land of Mordor. 'Tis the year 3434 of the Second Age,' Tahmirih heard Helluin's voice say in her mind.
A line of nine shadows in tattered black robes advanced warily towards her, sniffling, searching with empty hoods for a foe they could sense but not see. Fear preceded them. In their gauntleted hands, they bore long swords and parrying daggers of black steel. Then she felt something familiar. In her hands, she held a bow, a great bow of white wood, long of limb and powerful. Three arrows were knocked upon the string and their heads glowed as she held them hidden behind her knee. The Nine approached and she heard in her mind, 'they are the Nazgûl, damned and accused by Sauron's sorcery through the Rings they bear, though once they were Men'.
The Nine reached the midpoint of the causeway and then the central figure let forth a shriek of warning and hatred. In response she stood, and 'round her leapt the brilliant flaring of Light she projected. It blinded the Nazgûl just long enough for her to draw and release, and her arrows struck down the three leftmost in their line. She watched as the stricken foes crumpled, leaving 'naught behind but empty rags and the withered shafts of her arrows.
The remaining six charged, but still she had time to fire again, and like lightening, three more arrows struck down the rightmost trio leaving only the central three. Then they were upon her. She abandoned the bow and drew her sword and the ring-bladed weapon that had stilled the mummies. 'They are Tindomul, Khamûl, and Adúnaphel who was slain and replaced after.'
Though the three Nazgûl were tireless and fear flowed from them, she felt no fatigue, only contempt and an o'erwhelming desire to destroy these enemies. When they tried to flee, she slung the Sarchram at the lintel o'er the entrance and the end of the tunnel collapsed, trapping both her and them within the mountain. In a flash of successive scenes, Tahmirih saw the combat, heard their boasts and Helluin's taunts, and somehow she knew that months passed in vigorous combat. After 'nigh a year of fighting something caused them to falter and in that moment, Helluin struck. The Sarchram clove the neck of one of the Nazgûl, and with a howl, its spirit was banished to the Void. The remaining two capitulated, their swords and raiment falling away, abandoned. As unhoused spirits, they fled back to their master in disgrace to join the six that had been wounded aforetime.
A month passed and she invaded the dungeons of the Barad-dûr. Ne'er had Tahmirih imagined such an abode of horrors. In a quick succession of scenes, she saw Helluin's discovery of Halatir and the Avari in a dismal cell, and their liberation. She saw Helluin return and climb the 'nigh endless stairs within the Dark Tower, and finally her assault on Sauron in the topmost chamber, having beheaded the grotesque Mouth of Sauron on the threshold.
'He was a herald of sorts,' Helluin told her, 'and as thou see, Sauron corrupts all he touches, for he was once a Man.'
She came against the Dark Lord blazing with the Light of Aman, the Black Sword in one hand whilst the Sarchram clove the air seeking to send his spirit to the Void, and both weapons joined their voices with hers to curse their enemy. After losing his body in the Whelming of Númenor, Sauron could take no form fair to the eye. By the power of his Ring, he wore the body of a giant, immensely strong, hideous, and far too slow to land a blow with his mace, for Helluin moved like lightening through a storm cloud. It took little time for both of them to realize that neither was likely to prevail, and in consolation, Helluin snatched a spoil of war, a globe of dark glass that Tahmirih did not understand, but whose loss enraged the Dark Lord, and then she fled.
In spite of her own terror, Tahmirih realized that throughout it all she had ne'er felt fear. Rage, contempt, hate, pity, and determination, she had experienced all those feelings secondhand. Just ere Helluin blinked and released her, what she felt charging down the steps of the tower was glee.
"Now thou hast seen Mordor, the Nine, the Barad-dûr, and Sauron Gorthaur," Helluin told her. "Few do so and remain alive, and fewer still remain free."
Tahmirih nodded. She was still digesting Helluin's memories when servants entered, bearing a steaming kazon of palov and kebabs on skewers, with small dishes of yogurt and tahini for dipping. The Mâh-Sakâ thanked the servants for the meal and then whispered short prayers of thanksgiving ere they started eating. Helluin joined them, finding the food no less appetizing than what she had enjoyed in Khazad-dûm. Tahmirih, Kiana, and Ashti ate at a leisurely pace now that they were home and at ease. Helluin could see that they took time to savor their food, unlike their quick consumption of the rations whilst on the road. It made perfect senses…they were killing time.
As Helluin expected, when they finished their meal, Tahmirih excused herself. She walked out of her tent and o'er to her father's. The sentries at the tent flap announced her and the khan bid her enter. The dishes from his meal were stacked on the table and he sat sipping a fragrant tea from a rustic, ash-glazed stoneware bowl.
"Father, I have information regarding the exploits of Helluin in Mordor to which Mage Halatir made reference in council," she said.
"What hast thou learnt, daughter," he asked.
After she had related her experience with the sharing of memories, Targitai only asked how she felt after.
"Shocked, horrified, and amazed," she told him, "but otherwise, I feel as I have e'er felt. Father, I saw with her eyes and heard with her ears, and I felt what she felt. Still, I do not believe any ill effects linger from her enchantment."
Targitai Khan sat thinking a few moments, and then said, "Take me to her."
Despite any misgivings, Tahmirih bowed to her father and led him from his tent to hers. When they entered, Kiana and Ashti bolted upright and bowed. Helluin rose and bowed as well. 'Twas as she had expected and now she deemed the khan would wish to see for himself the measure of his enemies. What commander would not wish to know better his foes? In this, he surprised her, yet afterwards, the Noldo realized that she should have anticipated his request, for he was not like most Men. His daughter had already seen their enemies and Helluin alone bore memories of what no other could show him.
"My father would speak with thee, Helluin," Tahmirih said.
Helluin and the others had remained standing, waiting 'til Targitai seated himself first, and she said, "Targitai Khan, what would thou have?"
"First, be seated, Helluin," he said as he took a seat at the table and made a gesture for her to take the chair 'cross from him. "My daughter has told of thy gift for sharing with others that which thou hast seen aforetime. Is thy recall of even very old memories clear, as 'tis oft not for mortal Men?"
"Aye, my memories diminish not in clarity with the years," Helluin said.
The khan nodded to her and for some moments sat silent in thought, but finally he looked back up, his mind decided.
"Were I not to ask of thee after that of which Halatir spoke, I should regret it e'er after, though I know t'would be a great boon. I shall not command it despite my desire, and if such is forbidden to mortal Men, then I shall understand. The Gods intended not for Elves and Men to be equal in all things, else in their wisdom we would indeed be of one kindred. Yet still, I would ask of thee what no other may grant. Show me Aman, the Realm of the Gods."
Helluin sat silent for a moment in surprise. 'Twas indeed a great boon the khan asked; something that no king of the Dúnedain would dare. Yet the Khan of the Mâh-Sakâ was not a Man of the West. His culture was neither steeped in awe of Valinor, nor laden with regret for the Fall of Númenor that had resulted from their trespassing there. That he valued the vision he sought was not in question, nor was his reverence for it. This he had made clear when he declined to command her to reveal it.
She recalled Halatir's testimony; in the Undying Lands they acquired powers, enchantment through song, subtlety of mind, and prowess in battle, though I know not the full measure of such. He had seen her break a prisoner without using physical coercion. His daughter had reported the vision of Mordor and Sauron that she had seen. Helluin hoped that Targitai was not seeking to acquire such powers himself, as Ar-Pharazôn had once hoped.
"My memory of Aman I can show thee, Targitai Khan, but t'will be my memory only and 'naught more, and whilst that vision may enrich thee as a witness to what once was, t'will not do more. As thou hast said, thou art a mortal Man, and even the Blessed Light cannot confer upon thee that which the One has not."
"If a Man prays, his devotions may bring him wisdom, but t'will ne'er make him a god," Targitai said. "I would see and try to understand that which caused a people to spend centuries marching west, for I cannot believe their inspiration was in vain."
"Then gaze into my eyes and I shall do the rest," Helluin told him.
The khan set his elbows on the tabletop. He took a deep breath and then looked squarely into Helluin's eyes. She felt in him no fear, only curiosity and a vague longing. For a moment, he saw the blue of her eyes, the fine striations of her irises, and then he was falling as if into a deep pool of clear water, and for a time thereafter, the mundane world disappeared.
Upon a flawless carpet of fine, green grass he stood, and before him rose a city upon a hill. Its tower jutted skyward as a spike of crystal, reflecting brilliant Light of silver and gold. 'Round it clustered buildings tall and shapely, glistening with scintillating highlights reflected from their polished marble walls, brighter than the expanse of the White Desert far to the south.
In the distance past the city, bracketed 'twixt the headlands of tall cliffs, lay a pass lit by a beam of that same Light which projected through it and beyond, a bright stripe cast upon the dark and seemingly endless sea. Just offshore, it lit a single isle that lay in a bay beyond the cleft.
Tirion atop the hill of Túna, the city of the High King Ingwë, most noble lord of all my people. Beyond lies the Calicirya, the Pass of Light, and Belegaer, the Sundering Sea. Far 'cross that sea lay the Mortal Lands, but alas, no more.
They turned south and looked upwards. There stood a white mountain taller than any other to be found in Arda. Beside it, the Tower of Ingwë seemed but a toy. Atop that peak was a radiance that only Helluin's memories could pierce. There upon the summit, oft wreathed in clouds, stood Ilmarin, the palace of Manwë and Varda.
Oiolossë, the E'er Snow Crowned, where dwell the Elder King, Manwë, Lord of Arda and Regent of Eä 'neath the One, and his wife, Varda Elentári, Queen of the Gods and Kindler of the Stars.
The vision of the Holy Mountain rose out of sight as Helluin dipped her head in reverence. When she looked back up, she directed their line of sight west, and in a disorienting flash, they stood at the head of a great plain that spread beyond the pass. Straight ahead lay a brilliance o'erwhelming to mortal eyes, and only when Helluin dimmed her memory of that Light did the khan perceive a hill upon which stood two mighty trees. The Light radiated from them, and from the surrounding vats that held their dews. 'Twas the source of all light save the distant stars.
Telperion the Silver and Laurelin the Golden, the Two Trees of the Valar that lit all the world upon a time. Alas, they were destroyed by Morgoth's evil long ago, and of them 'naught remains save Telperion's last flower, the moon, and Laurelin's last fruit, the sun.
The sorrow Targitai felt from Helluin was heartbreaking, and unbeknownst to him, tears ran down his cheeks, causing fear in the three warriors carefully watching the Elf and the Khan.
Within Helluin's memory, their eye point leapt closer, and now they stood on the turf of Ezellohar 'neath the Trees as their dews of liquid Light rained down all 'round them. Targitai felt the heat of them as a furnace close before his face. And then they stood encompassed within that fall of Light, and where aforetime it had been the reflection of Helluin's sorrow that ruled the mortal Man, now 'twas bliss unimaginable that he felt. His heart soared, and to him it felt like being held in the loving hand of god, wherein his spirit rejoiced.
A mighty voice whispered, "Ibrîniðilpathânezel Tulukhedelgorûs Aþâraphelûn Amanaišal¹." ¹(Ibrîniðilpathânezel Tulukhedelgorûs Aþâraphelûn Amanaišal, Telperion Laurelin Appointed Dwelling Unmarred Valarin)
For a moment ere she blinked and ended the vision, Targitai saw a female figure with arms uplifted, lit by an indwelling radiance of the same Light he had seen 'neath the Two Trees.
Then he was back in the mundane world, sitting at the table in his daughter's tent. Tahmirih, Kiana, and Ashti hovered 'nigh, deeply troubled, with worry etched on their faces, and as he recovered himself, they pelted him with questions concerning his welfare and safety. 'Cross the table, Helluin was silent, seemingly deep in contemplation of what they had seen, yet all had been her own memories and he could not fathom why she would be perturbed.
"Art thou well, father?" Tahmirih urgently asked. Beside her, Kiana and Ashti held their breaths awaiting his answer.
"I am well, daughter and have taken no harm. Fear not. Rather, I have been gifted visions of paramount profundity," Targitai said. After a pause, he continued, declaring, "All that was done aforetime in defense of our homelands and for the suppression of hereditary foes gains a greater import. 'Tis 'naught less than a holy war that we shall wage, and what evil was opposed long ago by Helluin's people now falls to us upon the latter arc of this place and time. Those who worship the God of Fire I cast out from the consociation of Men; they are the enemies of the Mâh-Sakâ, now and fore'er."
The three warriors stared at their khan in shock. In a few words, he had redirected the purpose of their army and the perspective of their culture. From this day forth, those they fought would no longer be thieves, invaders, or hereditary foes of vendettas. They would be devils, infidels, idolaters, and blasphemers.
"I have been moved by a vision of paradise," Targitai said, "and I would not that our world be a vision of hell."
'Cross the table, Helluin regarded him with a measure of surprise. The 'Red Khan' sounded more zealous about bringing down the Wainriders than Frumgar of the Éothéod or Eärnil King of Gondor, and he was arguably in a better position to do so, having a more formidable army than the Northmen and lacking the threat of the Haradrim. Whilst she would not oppose his intentions, she found the totality and rapidity of his conversion unexpected. She could only imagine that viewing Aman had clarified what already existed in his heart; opposition to the worshippers of the God of Fire.
"In the morn I shall inform the council of the Mâh-Sakâ and then travel to address the sultans of the confederation. They must know what I have learnt."
With that, Targitai Khan bid them a peaceful night's rest and withdrew to his own tent. He was barely out the tent flap when Tahmirih sat in the chair closest to Helluin and hissed, "What didst thou show him?"
"He saw the Blessed Realm of Aman, Tirion, city of the Elves, Ilmarin the palace of the king of the gods, and the Light of the Two Trees of Valinor," Helluin said.
Unfortunately, those places and names meant little to Tahmirih who had no real concept of their potential effect on one susceptible to supernatural beauty, nobility made manifest, or the impact of awe on the spirit. Where her father sought for inspiration beyond the trials of his world or the preoccupations of attaining and flaunting the trappings of power, the princess was far more practical. The focus of her life had been to excel at the tasks set before her and to achieve those results in an honorable fashion as dictated by her lord's example.
Perhaps at her age, Targitai had been much the same, Helluin could not be sure. All she could do was recognize that in the present, Tahmirih might not understand the depth of evocation that viewing her memories had brought to the khan. He was of an age and temperament at which he sought for meanings, not just results, and in seeing what had inspired her people, he had found inspiration himself.
The worshippers of the God of Fire had been enemies to both the khan and the princess and they were still, but to Targitai, they had taken on guilt by association in the destruction of something high and fair that existed not in the mortal world, and which he as a mortal Man would ne'er see. By cleaving to Sauron, and by extension, to Morgoth, they were accomplices in the destruction of the Two Trees whose beauty had brought him to tears and catalyzed a love in his heart for things long gone from the world.
Seeing that confusion still ruled the princess, Helluin asked, "What did thou tell him of the visions I showed thee?"
Tahmirih broke from her contemplation and looked back at the Noldo.
"I told him of the battles thou showed me, with the Nine in Mt. Doom, and with Sauron in the Barad-dûr," she said.
Helluin nodded to her, for 'twas as she had expected. Targitai had not desired to learn more of the war. Rather, he had been most curious about her process. Though learning of her combats may have sharpened the khan's familiarity with the enemy, Helluin deemed that such knowledge would not have predisposed him more strongly to the feelings of awe and reverence that had come from seeing the noontime of the Blessed Realm. That, he had specifically requested. Where Tahmirih the warrior had sought for knowledge of her enemies with which to defend her people, Targitai the ruler had sought for inspiration with which to lead his people.
Given that she had Tahmirih's attention, Helluin asked after something that had bothered her aforetime, but had become far less important now that she had met Targitai Khan.
"Tahmirih, in the west thy father is called the 'Red Khan', for I doubt that any there know his true name. I had first deemed that epithet derived from a bloodthirsty nature, and yet he is reserved, disciplined, and thoughtful. Whyfor then dost thou think such a moniker would be appended to thy father?"
In response to Helluin's question, Tahmirih burst out laughing. At first, Helluin was shocked.
"My father's line comes from the foothills of the mountains; the Orocarni thou hast called them, as do we in our own tongue, the Red Mountains. Amongst the Mâh-Sakâ, Targitai's ancestors took their clan name from the color of the rocks, and so his title is Targitai, Khan of the Red Mountains. I doubt not that our foes have shortened that to the 'Red Khan', for he hath brought them much bloodshed."
To Be Continued