Barad Lomin
Chapter II
Stumbling Upon Elves
In her father's house, Keren learned to walk silently, for heavy steps of a woman angered him and he often shouted for the cows to go outside where they belonged, until she and her sisters learned to walk softly. Now this ability served her well, for she journeyed into the woods that grew along the south bank of the Baranduin, disturbing not even a twig on the ground. Once she heard the baying of hounds behind her, but she doubled back on her tracks, leaving a curving, winding trail so as to confound them if they followed her. Thinking it best to confuse what would soon be an old trail and hard to follow, she did her best at this stage to use her time wisely so that she could make greater distance in daylight. Though tired from the day's work, she was a hardy sort and had spent many hours of her childhood playing with her brothers and sisters in these same woods. She knew them better than any hound could. And she had to admit to herself, the prospect of a long journey was invigorating.
When she came to the river, she walked across the rope bridge. Once on the other side, she took her map from the pouch on her belt. Now the land became less familiar for she had ventured beyond the north shore forest only twice with her mother and father and elder brothers, to visit her mother's family near Lake Evendim, far to the north. The map had been drawn by her mother's father and, though some things had changed, the same landmarks and mile posts stood out in the pale moonlight. Steering in the direction she knew to be due north, she made her way to the Old Highway and followed it. At this time of night she saw no one and set a quick pace, heading for an old inn called The Blue Foot, near a crossroads, which once had been crowded and noisy but now served as a tavern frequented by local farm laborers. In these days few traveled this road, most travelers preferring the New Kingsway which followed the Baranduin, bearing northeast toward Fornost and avoiding the Toe of the Blue Mountains.
She was admitted at the door and shown to a small garret room where she could leave her belongings. Two travelers held places at the bar, eating their dinner in quiet. Several small clusters of workmen talked, dozed or gazed into space listening to only they knew what. She found a corner and ate, unnoticed by any for her clothes were her brothers discards and she appeared to be a youth on errantry. When two youths asked to share her table, she jerked her chin toward seats, in imitation of her brothers, and finished her meal as they talked and ate. One was dark haired with grey-green eyes and the other had sandy colored hair and blue eyes.
"So where you headed?" asked the dark haired one, using that truncated speech laborers use with each other.
"North," she replied after swallowing a bite.
"What's north?"
She shrugged, chewing a bit of meat, not willing to answer.
"So what's your name?" asked the blonde.
"Just call me Teli. I'll answer." As a child her older brothers enjoyed teaching her how to pass for a boy, though had her parents known how far they went with the game, they would have forbidden it. Her eldest brother especially liked to try to fool others into thinking she was a visiting cousin from another town. Teli was the name he called her then.
"Well, Teli, I'm Jack and this is..." began the dark haired one.
"I'll tell my own name, if you don't mind," said the other. "I'm Sam. We're going south, otherwise we'd ask you to join us. Don't see why you want to go north though. Not much there."
"That's why I'm going that way. Not much there," said Keren
"Runaway?" asked Jack, looking keenly at "Teli's" face.
"Sent away," said Keren.
"What for?" asked Sam.
"Good of the family. What about you? Where you from?" responded Keren.
The two boys answered evasively and Keren chuckled. "Now that we all know none of us want to be known, let's talk about something else." She couldn't help but laugh at the boys, for their behavior was so like her own brothers.
Presently the other patrons began to yawn. The main room was clearing as the two guests went to their rest and laborers went home. A very small boy with fuzzy feet scurried to collect the dishes and Keren wondered who, and what, he might be. After a closer look, she saw he was probably her age or older. She heard of such tiny people from her brothers who had seen them only in quick glimpses as they dashed out of sight. This one seemed not at all inclined to speak to her, and being tired, Keren did not wish to force the interview.
"The inn keeper fished him out of the river last year," said Jack when he noticed the direction of her glance. "Poor fellow was nearly drowned. They think he was washed away at a ford when his family tried to cross. He won't say much about it though. He's a halfling. They call themselves Hobbits."
"Heard of them. Never seen one. Poor fellow, to be left alone like that," said Keren
"We'll be seeing more of them," said Sam. "Trouble in the East sends them looking for safer, quieter lands. Dragons, goblins, strange happenings. His people might come looking for him, if they're still alive."
"If they want a place to live and be left alone, as I've heard, I'm sure there's room for them somewhere," Keren yawned and rose from her seat. "Well, good night," she said and waved to her new ,though brief, companions, thinking she would not likely see them again. They also saluted her good night and sat drinking their pints and talking softly.
Keren slept no more than three hours and rose shortly after midnight. As silently as she would in her father's house, she gathered her things and went down to the tavern. Her two new friends were nowhere in sight and others slept on benches at the table where she and the two boys had eaten or occupied pallets on the floor. No one stood watch at the door so she left a few coins on the bar and passed into the night. None marked her exit, nor would any care after seeing that she left payment where the barkeep would easily find it. Few cared about the passing of a traveler on this lonely road and she walked at a good pace. Once she heard singing but not wanting to stumble upon an isolated homestead, she continued on until the road forked. She took the road to the left, which was overgrown and dark and bore directly toward the Toe of the Blue Mountains.
The day dawned and still she traveled, not passing anyone on the road. At about noon she stopped and ate a light meal of waybread, dried meat and wine, leaving not a sign that anyone had been there once she resumed her journey. The day passed and twilight came. The road which once had been clear of trees was now overgrown with young saplings sprouting along the center between the wagon ruts. She pondered the speed with which nature reclaims abandoned places, and was rather glad of it, for it helped conceal her path. She remembered this road was kept clear just fifteen years ago. The dusky approach of evening found her making a bed in a dry, out of the way place near the road and she lay down and slept. When she woke it was still night but the moon shined its light so that she could see her way between the trees.
Her journey continued in the same manner for the next three days, the scenery changing but little. Sometimes up hill, sometimes down hill, she traversed the countryside, thinking of her family at home and wondering what would befall them when her wedding date came and they could not deliver her to Millerson. She hoped the man would do no more than gossip and threaten but could not be easy in mind about him. As she thought on these matters, gazing about for a suitable place to spend the night she walked off the path a few paces, found herself in the midst of a band of elves making merry, gasped and retreated to the road. She had not seen the light from their fire and it had been kicked out the moment she fled. At least she thought they were elves, for their appearance was much like those she had seen with her mother, and mere mortals could not so quickly extinguish a campfire. Unnerved and unsettled, she decided to move on and not trouble the fair folk. No longer tired enough to take rest, she tramped on, hoping to make enough noise to alert any elf of her coming and give them time to take flight. At any rate she knew where they were and possibly would not disturb them again. In spite of their pleasant experience listening to the elves sing, her mother had cautioned her against trying to approach them, for they were capricious and willful and more powerful than mortals. If they wished to be found, all would be well, but if not, they had knowledge of powerfull spells to make wanderers forget where they were going. Keren intended to avoid them on that account.
All that night she traveled the wagon ruts which followed a pass between two mountains of The Toe. Near dawn she came to an abandoned inn close to a waterfall and pool. At one time it had been a common place for weary travelers to stop, bathe and rest but now the buildings which once had stood by the gate were gone and the gate itself was in extreme disrepair. It made the inn where she spent her first night look almost new. She expected no one to pass on this morning so she bathed and washed her clothes. While waiting for them to dry, she took a light breakfast of dried fruit and spread her map before her on the grass. Her mother had often instructed her to carry three changes of clothing when on a journey: one to wear, one to carry and one to spare. Two of her changes were from her brothers and one was her own, for she did not like to wear men's clothing and would wear her own familiar things when the opportunity arose, as it had on this morning.
Looking at the map, she combed her hair, thinking how strange it felt to have it so short. Though Keren tried not to think of the knot of hair tossed in a corner of the milk room, she could not help but wonder who might find it. Would Morwen find it and hide it? And how would she fare when they questioned her? Morwen could be stubborn and was the most likely of the three sisters-in-law to stand up to her father's harsh words. Keren hoped she would be all right.
With her eyes she followed her journey up until the waterfall. The map was old and well worn, but it showed clearly the lay of the land. Once she was sure of her way, she changed into her traveling clothes, put on her hat, packed her things and set off again. At dusk she sought a place to sleep and finding one lay down to a peaceful slumber. Again, after only a few hours, she woke and continued her journey. This time after she traveled an hour by the road, again, she stepped into a circle of elves. Now elven light can be seen or not seen, as the elves wish and when she stepped forward, seeing their fair, merry faces turn toward her, she followed her former course of action and fled backward. Their merry making was in array across her path and she could not go forward without passing through the midst of them. If she made a circuit around them, she feared losing herself in the dark of the wood.
"Not so fast!" a voice called to her.
"Yes! You fled from us twice. Do not do so again!" said another.
Twice? she thought. In a flash she was encompassed by as merry a lot of elven folk as any elf seeker could wish, or weary traveler could dread. Her mind ran over all the things her mother told her about what to do "when elves find you" and took comfort in the saying that they find mortals too somber and dull and usually leave them as quickly as they find them, but sometimes not until after hearing all the news said unfortunate mortal could tell. The trick was to speak the truth yet avoid being interesting. She waited quietly for the questioning to begin, looking from one to the other and observing their faces. Now, anyone who has never seen an elf, probably thinks them small and sprightly, but this is a mistake, for only elf children are small. These elves were of varying height but the majority were taller than Keren and slim. They had an ageless look about them and though she saw family resemblance on many faces, she could not tell what relation they held, one to another, for all looked of an age.
"Well, Teli. Well met again," said one, who looked like Sam in elven guise. "Why did you leave us without even so much as a good morning, by your leave and a farewell? Gave us the slip, you did."
"We were going to visit my brothers in Eryn Vorn, but altered our plans just for the purpose of seeking you out, so your apology had best be worth the detour," said Jack.
"I wished to be on my way," she replied.
"From what?" asked another golden haired elf.
Never lie to an elf, her mother had said. May as well tell the truth for all the sooner will they tire of the tale and set you free.
"From my home."
Sam grabbed the hat off her head and tossed it to one of his fellows before she could spring to retrieve it, and said "Oh? Mortal maid flies from her home. This is news. Why? Did your mother scold you?"
"My mother is dead."
A murmur of surprise and compassion rose and fell from the surrounding wood, surprising Keren with the number and variety of voices she heard. "But ten years ago. That is not my reason," she replied
"Your father has remarried and your stepmother is wicked?" suggested the one with her hat.
She shook her head.
"Your father mistreats you," offered Sam.
Again she shook her head. "My father is harsh, but he mistreats no one."
"Well, what then! Say! Say!" cried Jack impatiently, then called to the elf with her hat, "Gil, toss me that, let me see it." When Gil obeyed, Jack tried it on, then tossed it to another.
"I wish to escape a disagreeable marriage."
A laugh ranged round the crowd, of more elves than Keren thought remained so close to Barad Lomin.
"And what of this marriage? To a fat man whom you can not stand to look upon?" said Sam.
"It is not his looks which repel me."
"Ho ho hooooo! He repels you!" laughed Jack pulling the pack from her back and opening it to look inside. He then tossed it to Gil as she grabbed for it. "And why does he repel you? Is he a fop? A braggart? A swine?"
She inclined her head, thinking, wishing to be gone, but without her hat and pack she could not last long in the wilderness, so she bore their jests.
"Come come now, lass, what is it about him you find so repellent? Mortal maid was ever wont to seek higher than she deserves. What is it?" This one took her walking stick and inspected it, as if to determine the type and age of the wood. He had a viol on a strap slung on his back.
Jack approached him and inspected the stick as well. "Looks like oak, eh Holly?"
Holly nodded then looked at Keren again. "Well? What?"
"I fear..."
"She fears he will eat all the sweetmeats, that's what she fears," said Gil. He took out a piece of waybread. "Hmm. What's this? Mortal bread. Smells good, but you never know with these mortals..." He took a bite, nodded and passed the partial loaf around.
"No. That he is a murderer. Now give me my things please, I wish to be gone."
This stopped them all and they looked at her with wonder in their eyes. She made as if to spring for her stick but instead grabbed her pack. Gil was so startled by this sudden maneuver that it was all he could do to hold on. But quickly he came to himself and with a firm hold on the bag, swung her around and around until she was sent flying toward a tree where she, rather ungracefully, crashed through the leaves of the underbrush and into the trunk, slid down and sat staring at them. Seeing it was pointless to try to get her things, she sighed and rose to her feet. They continued to toss her hat and walking stick between them, passing her pack from one hand to the other, rummaging through it as they did so. She crossed her arms and watched them.
"Why do you give up?" asked Sam. "You could win them back if you try hard enough. Why don't you try for them?"
"Because that is what you want. I've tired of entertaining you. "
The elves shrugged and continued to toss her things over her head as they asked their questions.
"So, you fear your intended is a murderer. Whom did he murder?" asked Jack.
"I do not know that he murdered anyone. I said that I fear he did. But I do know that he is a scoundrel who would marry me only because I am the youngest daughter of his neighbor and he wishes to join the properties together. My elder brothers are all gone so there is no one to prevent it. My younger brothers only see the profit of the union. They do not know that he intends to usurp them."
"And how do you know this?" asked Jack.
"I heard him say so himself."
"Bold he is to say so openly," observed Sam. "What say you, Holly?"
"He is bold indeed, to say the least," agreed Holly.
"He did not know I was nearby. I was merely buying wine and speaking with my friend, the merchant's daughter-in-law. His voice is deep and carries far."
Her pack, hat and staff continued to fly about, and the elves continued their questions but as she answered them her eyes met those of Holly, and she saw his look change from mirth to mercy. He stepped forward and caught each of the missiles, presenting them to her with an apology.
"Forgive us for our jests. We meant no harm but found it intriguing to find a maid errant. So we wished to detain you for a while. Please forgive us our foolishness."
Tears welled up in her eyes as she took the articles from him and fled across their circle, following the old road as quickly as she could run. Behind her the elven light was quenched. Fearing they might follow her, she fled on, not looking behind and not seeing Holly, who championed her, raise a hand, curving his arm as he did so. Neither did she hear him say in the elven tongue a verse which can be translated as follows:
"Oh maiden lost, from dread union in flight
May you find rest and peace tonight
Let your curving path to you seem straight
But at last guide you to an elven gate."
So saying, he laughed merrily, and taking up his viol and strumming, joined the other minstrels. They began again to play and sing and dance with elven maids who appeared from the shadows where they had been sent by their kinsmen.
"I told you the 'fellow' you met was in truth a maid," said an elf maiden to Jack.
"How knew you that, Iris?"
"I saw her bathe yester morn. And, dear uncle, look not on me so. As if you thought I wronged you by not calling you to see for yourself. Thistledown, think you that she will find the gates before they close?" Iris called to another.
"Our minstrel's enchantments can put wings to a turtle's feet, and she is no such reptile. Rest assured, she will find a haven with the ladies of our elven lord, for Holly Starfoot's words seldom go astray," said Thistledown and whirled away as the minstrels struck up a merry tune.
Chapter II
Stumbling Upon Elves
In her father's house, Keren learned to walk silently, for heavy steps of a woman angered him and he often shouted for the cows to go outside where they belonged, until she and her sisters learned to walk softly. Now this ability served her well, for she journeyed into the woods that grew along the south bank of the Baranduin, disturbing not even a twig on the ground. Once she heard the baying of hounds behind her, but she doubled back on her tracks, leaving a curving, winding trail so as to confound them if they followed her. Thinking it best to confuse what would soon be an old trail and hard to follow, she did her best at this stage to use her time wisely so that she could make greater distance in daylight. Though tired from the day's work, she was a hardy sort and had spent many hours of her childhood playing with her brothers and sisters in these same woods. She knew them better than any hound could. And she had to admit to herself, the prospect of a long journey was invigorating.
When she came to the river, she walked across the rope bridge. Once on the other side, she took her map from the pouch on her belt. Now the land became less familiar for she had ventured beyond the north shore forest only twice with her mother and father and elder brothers, to visit her mother's family near Lake Evendim, far to the north. The map had been drawn by her mother's father and, though some things had changed, the same landmarks and mile posts stood out in the pale moonlight. Steering in the direction she knew to be due north, she made her way to the Old Highway and followed it. At this time of night she saw no one and set a quick pace, heading for an old inn called The Blue Foot, near a crossroads, which once had been crowded and noisy but now served as a tavern frequented by local farm laborers. In these days few traveled this road, most travelers preferring the New Kingsway which followed the Baranduin, bearing northeast toward Fornost and avoiding the Toe of the Blue Mountains.
She was admitted at the door and shown to a small garret room where she could leave her belongings. Two travelers held places at the bar, eating their dinner in quiet. Several small clusters of workmen talked, dozed or gazed into space listening to only they knew what. She found a corner and ate, unnoticed by any for her clothes were her brothers discards and she appeared to be a youth on errantry. When two youths asked to share her table, she jerked her chin toward seats, in imitation of her brothers, and finished her meal as they talked and ate. One was dark haired with grey-green eyes and the other had sandy colored hair and blue eyes.
"So where you headed?" asked the dark haired one, using that truncated speech laborers use with each other.
"North," she replied after swallowing a bite.
"What's north?"
She shrugged, chewing a bit of meat, not willing to answer.
"So what's your name?" asked the blonde.
"Just call me Teli. I'll answer." As a child her older brothers enjoyed teaching her how to pass for a boy, though had her parents known how far they went with the game, they would have forbidden it. Her eldest brother especially liked to try to fool others into thinking she was a visiting cousin from another town. Teli was the name he called her then.
"Well, Teli, I'm Jack and this is..." began the dark haired one.
"I'll tell my own name, if you don't mind," said the other. "I'm Sam. We're going south, otherwise we'd ask you to join us. Don't see why you want to go north though. Not much there."
"That's why I'm going that way. Not much there," said Keren
"Runaway?" asked Jack, looking keenly at "Teli's" face.
"Sent away," said Keren.
"What for?" asked Sam.
"Good of the family. What about you? Where you from?" responded Keren.
The two boys answered evasively and Keren chuckled. "Now that we all know none of us want to be known, let's talk about something else." She couldn't help but laugh at the boys, for their behavior was so like her own brothers.
Presently the other patrons began to yawn. The main room was clearing as the two guests went to their rest and laborers went home. A very small boy with fuzzy feet scurried to collect the dishes and Keren wondered who, and what, he might be. After a closer look, she saw he was probably her age or older. She heard of such tiny people from her brothers who had seen them only in quick glimpses as they dashed out of sight. This one seemed not at all inclined to speak to her, and being tired, Keren did not wish to force the interview.
"The inn keeper fished him out of the river last year," said Jack when he noticed the direction of her glance. "Poor fellow was nearly drowned. They think he was washed away at a ford when his family tried to cross. He won't say much about it though. He's a halfling. They call themselves Hobbits."
"Heard of them. Never seen one. Poor fellow, to be left alone like that," said Keren
"We'll be seeing more of them," said Sam. "Trouble in the East sends them looking for safer, quieter lands. Dragons, goblins, strange happenings. His people might come looking for him, if they're still alive."
"If they want a place to live and be left alone, as I've heard, I'm sure there's room for them somewhere," Keren yawned and rose from her seat. "Well, good night," she said and waved to her new ,though brief, companions, thinking she would not likely see them again. They also saluted her good night and sat drinking their pints and talking softly.
Keren slept no more than three hours and rose shortly after midnight. As silently as she would in her father's house, she gathered her things and went down to the tavern. Her two new friends were nowhere in sight and others slept on benches at the table where she and the two boys had eaten or occupied pallets on the floor. No one stood watch at the door so she left a few coins on the bar and passed into the night. None marked her exit, nor would any care after seeing that she left payment where the barkeep would easily find it. Few cared about the passing of a traveler on this lonely road and she walked at a good pace. Once she heard singing but not wanting to stumble upon an isolated homestead, she continued on until the road forked. She took the road to the left, which was overgrown and dark and bore directly toward the Toe of the Blue Mountains.
The day dawned and still she traveled, not passing anyone on the road. At about noon she stopped and ate a light meal of waybread, dried meat and wine, leaving not a sign that anyone had been there once she resumed her journey. The day passed and twilight came. The road which once had been clear of trees was now overgrown with young saplings sprouting along the center between the wagon ruts. She pondered the speed with which nature reclaims abandoned places, and was rather glad of it, for it helped conceal her path. She remembered this road was kept clear just fifteen years ago. The dusky approach of evening found her making a bed in a dry, out of the way place near the road and she lay down and slept. When she woke it was still night but the moon shined its light so that she could see her way between the trees.
Her journey continued in the same manner for the next three days, the scenery changing but little. Sometimes up hill, sometimes down hill, she traversed the countryside, thinking of her family at home and wondering what would befall them when her wedding date came and they could not deliver her to Millerson. She hoped the man would do no more than gossip and threaten but could not be easy in mind about him. As she thought on these matters, gazing about for a suitable place to spend the night she walked off the path a few paces, found herself in the midst of a band of elves making merry, gasped and retreated to the road. She had not seen the light from their fire and it had been kicked out the moment she fled. At least she thought they were elves, for their appearance was much like those she had seen with her mother, and mere mortals could not so quickly extinguish a campfire. Unnerved and unsettled, she decided to move on and not trouble the fair folk. No longer tired enough to take rest, she tramped on, hoping to make enough noise to alert any elf of her coming and give them time to take flight. At any rate she knew where they were and possibly would not disturb them again. In spite of their pleasant experience listening to the elves sing, her mother had cautioned her against trying to approach them, for they were capricious and willful and more powerful than mortals. If they wished to be found, all would be well, but if not, they had knowledge of powerfull spells to make wanderers forget where they were going. Keren intended to avoid them on that account.
All that night she traveled the wagon ruts which followed a pass between two mountains of The Toe. Near dawn she came to an abandoned inn close to a waterfall and pool. At one time it had been a common place for weary travelers to stop, bathe and rest but now the buildings which once had stood by the gate were gone and the gate itself was in extreme disrepair. It made the inn where she spent her first night look almost new. She expected no one to pass on this morning so she bathed and washed her clothes. While waiting for them to dry, she took a light breakfast of dried fruit and spread her map before her on the grass. Her mother had often instructed her to carry three changes of clothing when on a journey: one to wear, one to carry and one to spare. Two of her changes were from her brothers and one was her own, for she did not like to wear men's clothing and would wear her own familiar things when the opportunity arose, as it had on this morning.
Looking at the map, she combed her hair, thinking how strange it felt to have it so short. Though Keren tried not to think of the knot of hair tossed in a corner of the milk room, she could not help but wonder who might find it. Would Morwen find it and hide it? And how would she fare when they questioned her? Morwen could be stubborn and was the most likely of the three sisters-in-law to stand up to her father's harsh words. Keren hoped she would be all right.
With her eyes she followed her journey up until the waterfall. The map was old and well worn, but it showed clearly the lay of the land. Once she was sure of her way, she changed into her traveling clothes, put on her hat, packed her things and set off again. At dusk she sought a place to sleep and finding one lay down to a peaceful slumber. Again, after only a few hours, she woke and continued her journey. This time after she traveled an hour by the road, again, she stepped into a circle of elves. Now elven light can be seen or not seen, as the elves wish and when she stepped forward, seeing their fair, merry faces turn toward her, she followed her former course of action and fled backward. Their merry making was in array across her path and she could not go forward without passing through the midst of them. If she made a circuit around them, she feared losing herself in the dark of the wood.
"Not so fast!" a voice called to her.
"Yes! You fled from us twice. Do not do so again!" said another.
Twice? she thought. In a flash she was encompassed by as merry a lot of elven folk as any elf seeker could wish, or weary traveler could dread. Her mind ran over all the things her mother told her about what to do "when elves find you" and took comfort in the saying that they find mortals too somber and dull and usually leave them as quickly as they find them, but sometimes not until after hearing all the news said unfortunate mortal could tell. The trick was to speak the truth yet avoid being interesting. She waited quietly for the questioning to begin, looking from one to the other and observing their faces. Now, anyone who has never seen an elf, probably thinks them small and sprightly, but this is a mistake, for only elf children are small. These elves were of varying height but the majority were taller than Keren and slim. They had an ageless look about them and though she saw family resemblance on many faces, she could not tell what relation they held, one to another, for all looked of an age.
"Well, Teli. Well met again," said one, who looked like Sam in elven guise. "Why did you leave us without even so much as a good morning, by your leave and a farewell? Gave us the slip, you did."
"We were going to visit my brothers in Eryn Vorn, but altered our plans just for the purpose of seeking you out, so your apology had best be worth the detour," said Jack.
"I wished to be on my way," she replied.
"From what?" asked another golden haired elf.
Never lie to an elf, her mother had said. May as well tell the truth for all the sooner will they tire of the tale and set you free.
"From my home."
Sam grabbed the hat off her head and tossed it to one of his fellows before she could spring to retrieve it, and said "Oh? Mortal maid flies from her home. This is news. Why? Did your mother scold you?"
"My mother is dead."
A murmur of surprise and compassion rose and fell from the surrounding wood, surprising Keren with the number and variety of voices she heard. "But ten years ago. That is not my reason," she replied
"Your father has remarried and your stepmother is wicked?" suggested the one with her hat.
She shook her head.
"Your father mistreats you," offered Sam.
Again she shook her head. "My father is harsh, but he mistreats no one."
"Well, what then! Say! Say!" cried Jack impatiently, then called to the elf with her hat, "Gil, toss me that, let me see it." When Gil obeyed, Jack tried it on, then tossed it to another.
"I wish to escape a disagreeable marriage."
A laugh ranged round the crowd, of more elves than Keren thought remained so close to Barad Lomin.
"And what of this marriage? To a fat man whom you can not stand to look upon?" said Sam.
"It is not his looks which repel me."
"Ho ho hooooo! He repels you!" laughed Jack pulling the pack from her back and opening it to look inside. He then tossed it to Gil as she grabbed for it. "And why does he repel you? Is he a fop? A braggart? A swine?"
She inclined her head, thinking, wishing to be gone, but without her hat and pack she could not last long in the wilderness, so she bore their jests.
"Come come now, lass, what is it about him you find so repellent? Mortal maid was ever wont to seek higher than she deserves. What is it?" This one took her walking stick and inspected it, as if to determine the type and age of the wood. He had a viol on a strap slung on his back.
Jack approached him and inspected the stick as well. "Looks like oak, eh Holly?"
Holly nodded then looked at Keren again. "Well? What?"
"I fear..."
"She fears he will eat all the sweetmeats, that's what she fears," said Gil. He took out a piece of waybread. "Hmm. What's this? Mortal bread. Smells good, but you never know with these mortals..." He took a bite, nodded and passed the partial loaf around.
"No. That he is a murderer. Now give me my things please, I wish to be gone."
This stopped them all and they looked at her with wonder in their eyes. She made as if to spring for her stick but instead grabbed her pack. Gil was so startled by this sudden maneuver that it was all he could do to hold on. But quickly he came to himself and with a firm hold on the bag, swung her around and around until she was sent flying toward a tree where she, rather ungracefully, crashed through the leaves of the underbrush and into the trunk, slid down and sat staring at them. Seeing it was pointless to try to get her things, she sighed and rose to her feet. They continued to toss her hat and walking stick between them, passing her pack from one hand to the other, rummaging through it as they did so. She crossed her arms and watched them.
"Why do you give up?" asked Sam. "You could win them back if you try hard enough. Why don't you try for them?"
"Because that is what you want. I've tired of entertaining you. "
The elves shrugged and continued to toss her things over her head as they asked their questions.
"So, you fear your intended is a murderer. Whom did he murder?" asked Jack.
"I do not know that he murdered anyone. I said that I fear he did. But I do know that he is a scoundrel who would marry me only because I am the youngest daughter of his neighbor and he wishes to join the properties together. My elder brothers are all gone so there is no one to prevent it. My younger brothers only see the profit of the union. They do not know that he intends to usurp them."
"And how do you know this?" asked Jack.
"I heard him say so himself."
"Bold he is to say so openly," observed Sam. "What say you, Holly?"
"He is bold indeed, to say the least," agreed Holly.
"He did not know I was nearby. I was merely buying wine and speaking with my friend, the merchant's daughter-in-law. His voice is deep and carries far."
Her pack, hat and staff continued to fly about, and the elves continued their questions but as she answered them her eyes met those of Holly, and she saw his look change from mirth to mercy. He stepped forward and caught each of the missiles, presenting them to her with an apology.
"Forgive us for our jests. We meant no harm but found it intriguing to find a maid errant. So we wished to detain you for a while. Please forgive us our foolishness."
Tears welled up in her eyes as she took the articles from him and fled across their circle, following the old road as quickly as she could run. Behind her the elven light was quenched. Fearing they might follow her, she fled on, not looking behind and not seeing Holly, who championed her, raise a hand, curving his arm as he did so. Neither did she hear him say in the elven tongue a verse which can be translated as follows:
"Oh maiden lost, from dread union in flight
May you find rest and peace tonight
Let your curving path to you seem straight
But at last guide you to an elven gate."
So saying, he laughed merrily, and taking up his viol and strumming, joined the other minstrels. They began again to play and sing and dance with elven maids who appeared from the shadows where they had been sent by their kinsmen.
"I told you the 'fellow' you met was in truth a maid," said an elf maiden to Jack.
"How knew you that, Iris?"
"I saw her bathe yester morn. And, dear uncle, look not on me so. As if you thought I wronged you by not calling you to see for yourself. Thistledown, think you that she will find the gates before they close?" Iris called to another.
"Our minstrel's enchantments can put wings to a turtle's feet, and she is no such reptile. Rest assured, she will find a haven with the ladies of our elven lord, for Holly Starfoot's words seldom go astray," said Thistledown and whirled away as the minstrels struck up a merry tune.