Chapter 82

I followed the Prince out of the library chamber and we took to the stair again, but this time the climb was very brief as the chamber housing the stone was on the floor directly above. The room we entered was similar to the one we had just left, but was almost bare of any fixture or furnishing save a polished circular marble topped table in the centre upon which a large sphere greater in size than a man's head sat mounted in a recess. It was covered with a thick velvet cloth richly decorated with complicated embroidered runes. As we approached and Argeleb removed the cloth I saw that it was inky black in colour and seemed to reflect the late afternoon light that streamed in from the four windows from both its surface and from within swirling interior. As I drew closer to it I fancied that my eyes were playing tricks on me and that the swirls in the depths of the sphere were actually moving of their own accord, before realising with a start that this was indeed the case.

"Behold the Palantir Of Amon Sul" said Argeleb, "heirloom of the house of Isildur, a treasure beyond price and of immeasurable age. It is said these jewels were wrought in ancient times, and much of the lore that surrounds them has been lost or forgotten, but they serve us very well. Those with the skill and ability to command them can see things far off and even speak by means of their thoughts to those wielding other stones, even over great distances. They all have their own characteristics, for some more inclined to a particular purpose some are more difficult to wield than others, and some stones have a greater affinity with each other which makes it easier to converse using them. The stones of Amon Sul and that of Annuminas which is now kept at Fornost are such a pair, but the third stone in the north which is kept in the tower of Elostirion upon Emyn Beraid in the far west is of a most singular nature and looks out only over the seas towards the undying lands. Few men are able to bend it to their purpose and it cannot be made to communicate with of the others. Do you wish to look into it?"

I stepped forward nervously and clasped the cold sphere between my hands as I was bid and gazed into the swirling depths. For a few moments nothing seemed to be happening and I was about to step away, disappointed, when the darkness parted like a curtain, and there before my eyes was a room not dissimilar to the one I stood in. However this one was hung with rich tapestries, and beyond a leaded window the late afternoon sun lit the rooftops and towers of a great city. I gasped, unable to comprehend what I was seeing, and then the scene faded and the swirling darkness returned. A heartbeat later it cleared again and I found myself looking out over a wide and empty land of rolling hills, the tall grass swaying under an unseen breeze beneath a cloudless morning sky. There was no sign of any habitation and it put me a little in mind of the Ettenmoors, though rather less bleak. Then the vision was again replaced and I was looking at bleak snow covered summits looming over what I took to be a lake covered in large chunks of floating ice, then a pretty town, then an army marching down a road amongst forested hills, then more empty hills under a leaden sky. It was all too much and I let go of the stone and stepped back a little, quite shaken by the whole experience. The Prince came forward with the cloth and replaced it over the stone. I recounted what I had seen and he smiled. "You saw first the chamber in the citadel at Fornost through the Stone Of Annuminas that lies there. It is unusual for one who is not versed in the use of the stone to join them together in the way you did, I think you must have some aptitude in the matter. The other sights you beheld, given the direction you were facing would have been the North Downs, the Hills Of Evendim beyond, and the Bay of Forochel, all perhaps at a time other than our own. For not all that the stones show us is in the here and now, it is in their particular nature to harvest sights and record events within their range and that is the reason they are kept covered when not in use".

I thanked him sincerely for the great honour he had done me and we left the chamber. I was about to descend when he smiled again. "We have come thus far, and it would be a pity not to stand upon the summit of the tower which lies just beyond that door. I trust you have a stomach for heights?" I followed him up a further short flight to where the long winding stair came to an abrupt end. "Beware" he said "the winds blow ceaselessly up here!". He was correct, and as soon as the door was opened the wind howled and swirled around us, and I was glad of my cloak which I clutched tight to me. The roof was surrounded by a low parapet, and above our heads a long banner carrying the flag of Arthedain streamed out over the void from a tall flagpole overhead, whipping and cracking in the gale. The view was absolutely breathtaking, the fortress below looking for all the world like a child's plaything and the vast camp at the foot of the hill was now an exquisite miniature. All about us on every point of the compass empty lands stretched away to the horizon in the yellow light of the late afternoon sun. "It is a sight to behold, is it not?" shouted the prince, attempting to be heard above the buffeting of the wind, a broad grin on his handsome face. I laughed and agreed, and felt honoured that this man of all men had held out the hand of friendship to me.

Afterwards we returned to the peace of the stair and descended, parting outside the library room. He told me Norgalad had made arrangements and I would be taken to quarters where I could rest for a while before the evening meal. However he regretted that he would not be joining us as he had pressing matters to discuss with his captains saying he would meet me in the courtyard in the morning and that we would then descend to the plain. I thanked him one last time and we parted and when I reached ground level found that it everything was as he had said. I was taken along through the tightly clustered but well ordered buildings that clung to to the base of the tower to my billet for the night, a plain but comfortable room overlooking a small courtyard and not so different in reality to the one I had called my own at Northford Keep. I stripped off my gear, washed away the dirt of the road using the ewer and bowl that had been left for that purpose and lay gratefully down on the cot, weary but satisfied and very relieved at the way the day had turned out. It had begun with us all fearing it might be our last, and had ended in most unexpected fashion with my spending a few cordial hours in the company of the future king of Arthedain. Completely spent, I fell quickly into a deep and dreamless sleep.

I was woken from my slumbers by one of the servants rapping on my door and telling me that it was time to for the evening meal. I rose groggily and dressed as quickly as I could and joined him, feeling disorientated. I followed him back to the hall where we had eaten earlier, and found my men there, along with others I did not know. I was delighted to see them, and they were full of questions as to what had befallen me in the tower. It seemed they had been very well treated in my absence, and were greatly impressed by what they had seen of the army of Arthedain, commenting that their own lords and masters might learn a thing or two about how to run things from them. A few moments later Lord Norgalad entered, and we all took places at the tables, before falling silent and performing the ritual of facing and remembering the West. It had a particular poignancy in that place, where so many great men had walked before us. The evening meal was just as good as the lunch and I savoured every mouthful, knowing it was unlikely that I would have the chance to eat such good fare again for a very long time, if ever. A combination of the excellent ale we were drinking and comfortable situation I suddenly found myself left me feeling happy and contented. It appeared against all the odds as if I would succeed in my task and return to Lastbridge with the freed prisoners and be reunited with my love. I swore I would do everything in my power to remain at her side.

After we had finished eating we remained there for a while and I spoke long with Norgalad regarding the respective situations in our two countries. Everything he recounted and everything I had seen since I had arrived at Amon Sul spoke of a Kingdom still in the noonday of its power, its people prosperous and content. Having known only strife and decline in my short life it was hard for me to imagine what it must be like living in such a place where lack and hardship were the exception, but once again I had cause to wish that I had been born into a different time and place. "You have the favour of the Prince" said Norgalad changing the subject "You were given an honour accorded to very few when you were allowed to gaze into the Palantir and stand upon the very summit of the tower. One day soon he will be king, and as you know he dreams of reuniting once again the three sundered kingdoms of Arnor, not by force but by consent. Already the Prince of Cardolan has sworn fealty to him, and so now he looks to you carry word back to your realm in the hope that they will see the wisdom in it. Your King is dying, his only son lies in the ground and your armies are weakened and the kingdom is hard beset by foes. Do not fail him". I heard the note of warning in his tone, but felt compelled to defend myself. "My Lord, as has already been pointed out I am unworthy of the station that was given me here, since those who sent would not risk someone more fitted to the task. My words carry little weight in the court at Lastbridge, and my neck might yet be forfeit for my presumption in coming to an agreement regarding the release of your prisoners here. However I have seen the land I love fall into ruin and everything I hold dear thrown into the balance, and I am of one mind with the Prince as regards our only hope of salvation resting in the mending of long sundered bonds of kinship. For what I have seen here has shown me that the line of the Kings is still strong in Arthedain, and Argeleb is a man I would be honoured to offer my love and loyalty to if circumstances were otherwise". I bowed my head, and thought from his expression that Norgalad had found my answer satisfactory. We spoke no more on the subject and for the remainder of the meal he regaled me with further tales of the history and lore of the tower and those who had served there, and I was glad to listen to him speak of them.

At the end of the meal a servant brought scrolls of exquisite workmanship upon which the terms of the treaty between the two kingdoms had been enumerated. I wrote my name and rank on both alongside the flowing script of the Prince's hand and then the scrolls were taken up and sealed and I was given one of them to take back to Lastbridge with me. So the deed was done, and I wondered once again how it would be received.