21
The Search
Unfinished Tales: P. 393: Cirion and Eorl: "'Is this then a tomb? But what great man of old lies here?' 'Have you not read the letters?' said Cirion. 'I have', said the Prince, 'and therefore I wonder; for the letters are lambe, ando, lambe, but there is no tomb for Elendil, nor has any man since his day dared to use that name'. 'Nonetheless this is his tomb', said Cirion; 'and from it comes the awe that dwells on this hill and in the woods below'."
When Legolas did not arrive back in Moria at his stated time, Gimli became worried, and asked Mene-mil if the root-man would take over the supervision of the reconstruction, while Gimli prepared to make the journey to Ithilorien, to see if he could find out what had happened to Legolas. Mene-mil agreed to do this, even though he dearly wished to join Gimli on his journey out of worry for his new friend, the Elf, and the desire to travel in the out-of-doors once more.
Gimli embarked on the journey on foot, because of his aversion to riding horses, especially when alone. He soon discovered that walking was the worst way to undertake such a quest, because it was very slow going. Dwarves did not need to rest at all; however, Gimli would stop occasionally to refresh himself with food and drink. He thought that he would follow the river, walking south first along the Entwash until he came to the Mering Stream, and then follow the stream to the outskirts of the Firien Wood. Then he planned to follow the foothills of the White Mountains southward until he came to Minas Tirith. He planned to stop first in the White City before traveling to Legolas's home in South Ithilien, just in case Aragorn may know of any reason why Legolas would have been delayed, or why he had decided not to return to Moria.
In this way, when Gimli came to the place where the Mering Stream flowed out of the Entwash, he was very close to the Firien Wood - he was only about fifty miles north of Legolas. However, because Gimli had no knowledge of Legolas's whereabouts when he reached the stream, he changed his mind about the course he was on, right at that point, having thought about Aragorn for days and wondering what the King of Gondor might be able to tell him. He decided to take the more direct route to Minas Tirith along the banks of the Anduin River.
When he finally reached Minas Tirith about ten days later, he was welcomed with open arms by Aragorn and Arwen. He told Aragorn of his concern that Legolas had not turned up in Moria, while Arwen went to have a meal prepared for him.
"His last words to me were "I promise," and he meant to return in six months' time. It has been more than six months, and I have not seen hide nor hair of him. That is not at all his way, Aragorn, and I am worried about him."
"You have given me most distressing news which has come on the heels of prior sad tidings," said Aragorn. He sighed heavily and sank down into his chair. "I believed that he would have stopped at Moria to say goodbye to you. He told us that he would do so."
"He told you that he would say goodbye to me?" asked Gimli, deep concern in his voice. "Sand and clay! Why would he want to say goodbye to me, and what sad tidings are you talking about?"
Aragorn put his hand to his brow. "There is much you do not know, Gimli. First, he told me that he was determined to take the Silmaril that you found in Moria to the Undying Lands by himsElf, after he had missed Lindaril at the Grey Havens."
"No!" cried Gimli. "Oh, no! It would be my last wish that he go to the Havens! I thought he could leave the jewel here for safekeeping, in your vaults!" The Dwarf was tearing at his beard in frustration.
"Gimli, please calm yourself and listen to me!" exclaimed Aragorn. "I had wanted him to leave it here, but he refused to do so!"
"Oh, the stubborn fool!" cried Gimli, pacing the room.
"Wait. There is more," said Aragorn, passing a hand over his brow. "When he came to see me he had with him a woman called Fingalas."
"Fingalas? Oh, yes, Fingalas! I know the lass! She was of his household, but he had told me there was nothing in the way of romance between them!"
"Well, there was certainly something, Gimli," said Aragorn, leaning forward in his chair. He had brought her here with him when he came to seek my counsel and told me of his dilemma. He felt he had to choose between going to Valinor with the jewel or staying in Middle-earth so that she and he could build a life together ."
"Harrumph! Well, as usual, I am the last to be told about anything!" Gimli huffed. "Even though I had suspected there was something between them! He tried to deny it, of course, but I knew better!" The Dwarf was shouting.
"Gimli, if you could just be quiet for a moment, then I could finish my story," said Aragorn, exasperated.
"All right, all right, go ahead," said Gimli. "There is no need to be huffy. I am just concerned for the Elf, that is all."
"Me, huffy?" asked Aragorn. "You, of all people, are calling me, 'huffy'?" He shook his head, staring at the Dwarf in disbelief, and continued. "Legolas and Fingalas had left Minas Tirith and had just reached his home when they were attacked by two horse thieves who had burned down his stables, and a struggle ensued, during which Fingalas was tragically killed." He explained the details of the attack to Gimli.
"Killed by a pitchfork?" said Gimli, shocked by the news. "Oh, no! But wait—how could an Elf be so easily killed?"
"She was not an Elf," said Aragorn. "She was mortal."
"Was she?" Gimli asked. "What a tragedy! What then did Legolas do?"
"According to members of his household who came to see me afterward, he told them he was going away. He was headed north, they say. I believe he did, in fact, intend to head for the Grey Havens as he had said he would. However, what puzzles me is that he did not go to Moria first to say farewell to you."
A great wave of sadness swept over both Gimli and Aragorn. Aragorn embraced the Dwarf, and they both wept for the loss of their friend, and for his tragic loss of Fingalas. After a while, when they both had mourned for Legolas, Aragorn steadied himself and went in search of Arwen, to tell her the sad news that Gimli had brought them. Upon hearing it, Arwen was overcome with grief.
"If only I had known that he carried one of the Silmarils at the time I last spoke with him, I would have given him some much different advice than I did. Oh, why did you not tell me about the Silmaril then, Aragorn?" She gazed upon him not with anger, but with sorrow.
"For several reasons, my beloved," said Aragorn. "For one, Legolas had asked me not to tell you. Next, it was awkward with Fingalas being there, as he had not informed her yet of his plans, and she should have been the first one to be told. He wished to take her back to their home in Ithilorien to tell her. Lastly, you would have been upset by his decision and you may have tried to stop him and he knew this." Aragorn put his hands on her shoulders and gazed into her deep grey-blue eyes that filled with tears.
"Yes, of course, I would have tried to stop him!" cried Arwen. "I would have told him that there was another place he could have taken the jewel where it would have remained safe until there was a need for it to be moved!"
"I offered to let him put it into the deep vaults here," said Aragorn, "but he would not heed my advice. He was so sure that it would have brought harm to us."
"So it could have. He was right," said Arwen. "I would have told him to take the Silmaril to Imladris. In fact, I would have gone with him to show him exactly where it could be kept in a safe place, and no harm would have come to anyone."
Aragorn stared at her solemnly. "In your father's secret tomb for unsafe things? The place where he would not let us put the One Ring? If the jewel could have been taken there, then perhaps Fingalas's death could have been prevented. I am so sorry, Arwen."
"No, dear, perhaps this was a fate that was meant to be for all the Valar know. In the matter of the One Ring, of course you know that it had to go away to be destroyed. It is a different situation that we have with the Silmaril. The jewel cannot be destroyed, but as long as it is given to its rightful owner, none should come to harm. If the rightful owner cannot be found, then by placing the jewel in a safe place its curse cannot harm anyone. Imladris is such a safe place, as is Valinor, of course. I am surprised that Círdan did not tell Legolas at the Havens to take the Silmaril to Imladris. He was a great friend of Father's, and must have known about the tomb for unsafe things."
"Alas, Legolas informed me that he did not tell anyone about the Silmaril outside of Moria," declared Aragorn.
"So be it," replied Arwen. "Fate shall decide. I felt that danger surrounded Fingalas, but not Legolas. However, it is my hope that he can be found before he reaches the Havens."
"Do you believe that he has not yet reached the Havens?" Aragorn asked her. He raised his eyebrows in astonishment.
"Yes, I feel that he is not there, and has not been there," she said. "But I do not have a sense of where he may be."
Aragorn then acted very quickly, and sent out twenty men on fast horses to go in search of Legolas, in hope of being able to overtake him. The men galloped away, riding as swiftly as they could, but flew past the Firien Wood, not knowing that he was within, and rode all the way to the Grey Havens without finding him.
Later that day, Gimli took his leave of Aragorn to return to Moria. He had told Aragorn about the root-people and their work in the mines, and about the rebuilding of the Dwarf architecture there. Aragorn promised that he would pay them a visit as soon as he was able, to meet the root-people and tour Moria. Gimli then set forth on the long road back. He was not looking forward to the lonely journey, since he was grieving the loss of his friend. As he walked, he turned over and over in his mind the memory of the last time he had seen Legolas. The Elf had been in a low mood when he arrived in Moria, yet by the time he left he had seemed to have come to a decision, which Gimli tried to analyze. What had Legolas said, exactly? He tried to recall their last conversation. He felt sure that Legolas had no intention of going to the Grey Havens at that time.
Gimli trudged onward. He remembered that Legolas had said that he would come back to Moria. In light of Fingalas's horrible death, Gimli could understand why Legolas may have wanted to leave Middle-earth, but he would not have left without coming to say goodbye to Gimli. Gimli was stubbornly sure of that, because Legolas had promised it, and he knew that the Elf would never break a promise to him. But what was it that Legolas had said that would prove that to him? The thought nagged at Gimli's mind.
"Oh, think hard, Master Dwarf, think hard! You know that he said something very definite!"
Mile after mile, Gimli marched along the road, along the line of beacon-hills, from Amon Din to Eilenach, and then he came to Nardol. The scenery along this edge of the valley of the White Mountains was exceptionally beautiful, but in his worry, Gimli did not even notice the majestic vista. He stopped eventually to eat, and sat down on a flat rock. He opened his backpack and took out some bread and cheese, and a flask of water. As he ate, he dropped some bits of food, and watched as a column of ants moved toward the crumbs as they lay scattered on the ground.
"Ants! That was it!" he thought. "He said that he would try to get some poison for the ant lions and bring it to Moria!" Gimli jumped up from his rock, scattering the rest of his food.
"That does it! I am sure that he did not go to the Grey Havens! I must try to track him. He did not come to Moria, so where did he go? This road is the only one he would have taken if he did mean to go north, as he would have been riding Arod, so I shall stay on it until I come to a village, and then I will ask someone there if they saw him passing!"
The sun was just starting to set in the west as Gimli walked northwards. It was a fiery red ball in the blue-grey sky, and cast a glowing golden light over the lands to the north. At any other time, the sight would have been uplifting to his spirit, but Gimli was too worried to notice the light. He eventually arrived at the place where Legolas had killed the five coyotes. Their carcasses were still there, partially eaten and dragged off by scavengers, and the remains were decayed almost beyond recognition, but there were still some bones scattered about, and Gimli noticed them. His sharp eyes saw part of one of Legolas's distinctive-looking arrows lying on the ground.
"He came this way, then!" he thought, and was pleased to have found the clue. He continued along the same route, and three days later, after he had walked past Erelas, Minrimmon and Calenhad, Gimli came to the outskirts of the Firien Wood at dusk. He noticed some firelight in a small settlement near the road, on the opposite side to the Wood, and decided to approach it with the purpose of asking some questions of the people there. As he drew closer, he could see that there was smoke rising from near one of the huts, and he could hear men's voices. They were speaking in the Westron tongue of Rohan.
"Hello!" he called out as he approached three men sitting around a small campfire, warming their hands. The group consisted of two men and a boy of about fourteen. The men mumbled a welcome to Gimli. They did not seem too surprised to see a Dwarf, which was normally a rare sight in their lands, but these men were rangers and hunters, and had seen dwarves before in their travels.
"I do not wish to disturb you," said Gimli, "but I am looking for my friend. I believe he may have come this way some time in the past few months, and I wonder if you may have seen him."
One of the men laughed. "We have seen many travelers in the past several months. Did your friend look like you?"
"No. He is an Elf," said Gimli. "He is fair-haired and tall. He would have been riding a spirited white horse."
One of the men shook his head. "I have not seen anyone matching that description," he said. "An Elf would have been remarkable in these parts. A white horse, though, I have seen, although it was dead and lying at the side of the road. Killed by wolves. There were wolf carcasses near that of the horse."
Then the young boy said, "It was found close to where the Star Man has been seen in the Wood."
"Who?" asked Gimli, his voice sharp.
The men told him about the apparition in the Firien Wood, which had become legend of late in the area.
"It is a dark figure but you cannot see its face. It bears a bright light, like a star, upon its back. The light is so bright that you cannot look straight at it. We believe that he is a ghost. He wanders to and fro in the woods, andt never speaks or comes out. Sometimes he sings."
"Have you seen this person yourself?" asked Gimli. His heart was beating very fast.
The boy answered. "Yes. Although all I really saw was something like a rainbow coming from between the trees. I heard wailing, and the light was so bright that I could not bear to look at it, so I ran away."
"Like a rainbow?" asked Gimli. He became excited and grasped the boy by his shoulders. "A rainbow of light! It must be the Silmaril! Thank you, gentlemen, and especially you, my lad! Now, would you please point me in the direction of this spectre?"
The men looked at him with skepticism. "Are you sure you want to go in there?" one of them asked. "This apparition is certainly not your friend. It cannot be human, or even Elvish. It is surely a ghost. You must be careful about wandering in those woods, or you may not come out alive. There is an ancient burial mound in the Wood called the Hill of Awe. You must not approach it. There are evil spirits there that dwell on the Hill. They render speechless any who come upon them. They alter the mind." The man shuddered, and Gimli could see the whites of his eyes. The boy groaned in fear, and continued groaning in a low voice.
Gimli paid them no mind, and ran in the direction to which the boy pointed. As he entered the wood, the sky was becoming very dark. The sun had gone down behind the trees and the hill. Gimli did not like being in the woods at the best of times, and less so at this moment. He tried not to heed the stories he had been told. He gripped his axe, but held it low. He moved forward very slowly.
The woods were dark and close, and smelled of the earth, musty and dank. A whispering shadow drifted softly past Gimli's shoulder as he moved slowly forward. He tried to suppress a gasp. He had been searching for several minutes through thick moss and weeds, trying not to stumble over fallen logs, when he thought he saw a glimmer of light approaching from afar, among the tree branches. It was on the higher ground. "Ah, save me, is it coming from the hill?" thought Gimli, trying not to shiver as he remembered what the man had said about evil spirits.
He stood still, trying not to let his nerves overcome his senses. The light, wavering, moved downward slowly. Gimli sensed that it was moving closer to him, but stood his ground, hoping that it would turn out to be Legolas, and not some ghastly apparition. He tried not to think that it would, when finding him, pick him up and carry him away to the burial mound and do something horrible to him. His heart was pounding in his ears. The light grew gradually brighter and brighter as it came toward him. He began to hear a high, thin, wailing sound. Just before the light became too bright for the Dwarf to continue looking at it, he thought he could make out the shape of someone silhouetted in the brightness. Gimli had to close his eyes in that moment, but he was sure that the light was from the Silmaril.
"Legolas, is that you?" he called out, blindly, hope sounding in his voice.
Suddenly, he felt the warmth and the slight sound of someone breathing very close to him. Then something brushed against him and he heard and felt it fall to the ground. He felt something gripping him around the knees and he willed himself to keep his eyes shut. He had been holding his breath when he felt the apparition close to him, and he almost fainted. But, still holding the thought that this thing could be Legolas, he mastered his nerves and remained alert and upright.
Gingerly, he reached behind him to open his backpack, and pulled out his old Elven cloak from Lothlorien that the Lady Galadriel had given him. He always carried this cloak with him wherever he went. It invoked the memory of the Lady, whom he loved dearly, and the thought of her helped him to gather his nerves. He threw the cloak over the figure grasping his knees, and it successfully blocked out the blinding light that issued forth from its back. Some light still shone dimly through the weave of the cape, but it was now bearable to look upon it. Gimli glanced down at the figure on the ground, and he was shocked by what he saw.
It was definitely Legolas, but how changed he was! His hair was a tangled, disheveled mess. He was dirty and was covered in partially-healed wounds and dried blood. Gimli drew in his breath sharply at the sight of Legolas's face. It looked terrible, like a mask. It was pale, with sunken cheeks and huge dark circles under its eyes. The eyes were staring, but they were not looking at anything. The face looked sharp and was cold in its expression. Its lips were drawn back in a grimace of horror. Gimli almost screamed in terror when he saw this apparition that was once his dear friend, and he could not imagine what terrible trauma had caused such a change in the Elf.
Gimli struggled to keep himself composed, and put his hands on Legolas's head. He stroked the Elf's tangled, dirty hair as tenderly as he could muster.
"Legolas, old chap, have I really found you at last?" he murmured.
He felt much emotion, as he stroked his good friend's hair. Legolas finally relaxed his grip on Gimli's knees as the spell of the Wood was broken, and dropped his head in weariness. His shoulders hunched as he relaxed his arms, and he buried his face in his hands. Then he began to weep. He wept, and wept, and he could not stop.
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