Chapter 103

The new arrivals swelled the number of exiles at Amon Sul to full company strength, and Norchon's command gained many fine and experienced men as a result. After making the long climb to the fortress, a march we would soon become all too familiar with, we spent the evening reacquainting ourselves with old friends and sharing our many stories. There were many tales of hardship, sacrifice and loss, but also of great courage and hope rekindled for the future. We were all heartened by what we heard from those who were already serving there, for their life at Amon Sul in the time since we had last parted been all they could have hoped for .

The weather finally broke and the following day dawned wet and windy, but it did not dampen the general mood of newfound optimism among us, and after being issued with the new and unfamiliar gear of our adopted homeland we gathered in the courtyard directly below the tower. There we took our turn swearing oaths of fealty and service to the Kingdom of Arthedain in the presence of Lord Norgalad and his captains. When my time came I announced myself and spoke the words in Sindarin rather than the common tongue, and Norgalad, remembering me inclined his head in recognition and acknowledgement and accepted my pledge. Later that morning I stood briefly on the wall and watched in the rain as a column slowly made its way westward far below, and I silently wished them well. The time for any regret had passed however, for I had made my choice.

I had been content to serve as a common soldier, for there were a disproportionate number of men among us who had previously held one rank or another and I was still one of the youngest there. However Norchon insisted that I should serve as one of his lieutenants, both for my command of Sindarin and also because I was already known to some of the other captains. I quickly settled into my new duties, and found the return to the regular routines and rhythm of a soldier's life a source of comfort, for they were all I had ever truly known. As I had done many times before throwing myself into my work helped ease my grief and brought me a small measure of peace and even contentment. I did find myself occasionally wondering how Elien was faring, but checked myself, for our paths were now sundered and her future lay elsewhere.

After a few months serving at the tower, during which we were able to rest, regain our full strength and become accustomed to our new life, we received an order to send some men to the outpost at Amon Perin. Norchon assigned Eryndir and I to this task, and we took a hundred or so eastward to serve there under Prince Merendir. Our new posting lacked many of the comforts of life at Amon Sul, but the work was much more familiar to us from our days in Northford. Apart from helping to complete some of the building work and escorting the supply trains we often patrolled along the road and into out into the wild, occasionally reaching the river. From there we caught tantalising glimpses of the land we had forsaken on the far bank. On several occasions too this meant that I was able to visit the place where Idhrethil was buried and each time the grief I felt was newly as raw as the day I lost her. Evermind grew there now on the grave, and the bones and rusted and rotting gear of the orcs who had been slain there were lost in the long grass, but I would always be haunted by our parting.

Those first few first few years were largely peaceful, and we saw little if anything of the enemy during that time. After a while parties of elven folk began to appear on the road again, and they would occasionally take shelter overnight with us at the outpost. Now we wore the livery of Arthedain they were noticeably less reticent in their dealings with us when we encountered them and would often greet us and ask us for news of the road ahead. In return they would occasionally answer our questions regarding the lands they had travelled through, but of Rhudaur they had surprisingly little to tell Although parts of Lastbridge had burned on the night it fell, the breaking of the siege had not been followed by a sack and life there seemed to have quickly returned to normal. However the people were now noticeably more suspicious or even openly hostile to them, and they no longer tarried in the towns or frequented any of the inns along the road as they once had, preferring to halt in the wild. They were always a source of great fascination to me, for I knew their fair and youthful faces belied their immense age, and we must have seemed like mayflies and of little consequence to them.

Though I had now served the Kingdoms of Arthedain and Cardolan faithfully for several years I had seen very little of them other than the largely empty eastlands, along with the occasional visit to the inns at Bree. Prince Merendir, now a good friend as well as our commander had vowed to remedy this and in the summer of 1344 a great pageant was announced in order to honour the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of King Malvegil. Our company was among those chosen to send men to take part in the parades, and it fell to the Amon Perin garrison to supply them. We cleaned and repaired our gear in readiness and began the long journey to Fornost full of anticipation at what lay ahead. Beyond Bree the North Road passed for many leagues through a wide open and sparsely populated land, but as Fornost neared the number of towns and villages increased. They were clearly prosperous places and their people appeared well dressed and content. My heart was gladdened by it, for in this land there was no sign of decline or decay. Nothing could have prepared me for the sight of Fornost itself however, for in comparison Lastbridge was little more than a market town in the country. Mighty walls enclosed a city of immense size filled with wide roads and great buildings, and at the centre on a low hill stood the citadel and palace. We truly felt like the proverbial cousins from the country as we marched through the gates and entered the place, marvelling at its scale and the beauty of its buildings, and the garrison where we were to be lodged during our stay was no less impressive in size and scope.

The day soon came and the parade itself was a memorable experience, with many thousands of men and horse marching through the streets to acclaim from the crowds who had thronged there. We marched behind a company pennant as was the custom here, and ours carried a device bearing the black bear of Rhudaur surrounded by the stars of Arthedain. Many in the crowd seemed to know our tale, for in many places the applause grew louder as we passed, and our hearts were filled with pride and gratitude as a result. I knew that I was content to serve far away on the wild borders of their land for people such as these. The parade ended outside the city walls, where a great pavilion and fair had been erected, and it was there that the King took our salute as we marched past. He was seated on a high dais, with the Princes and many great Lords and Captains about him, and despite his immense age he still appeared hale and vigorous. He returned our salute and applauded us, and I saw Argeleb smile and lean over to speak to him as we passed. Afterwards we formed up on the field until the ceremonies were complete, after which we were stood down. We took full advantage of this, spending the rest of the day at leisure before returning to the barracks at evening via several very crowded inns. Prince Argeleb himself visited the barracks later and spoke to us briefly after we had eaten. He greeted Norchon as an old friend, and to my delight recognised me and expressed his pleasure at my return. "I wish that it might have been in different circumstances, but well met again Esteldir Of Northford" he said earnestly "perhaps there is still hope that all three Kingdoms of Arnor may one day be reunited, but until then we will all remain grateful for the courage and devotion to duty of the Exiles from Rhudaur and their service to our Kingdom". We thanked him sincerely and spoke with him for a little while until duty called him elsewhere, and afterwards I marvelled again at his greatness and felt honoured that he had remembered me.

We were given a few days to spend at our leisure before it would be time to return south, and I had not forgotten the promise I had made to Elien to seek for her if I was ever in Fornost. The following morning I set off seeking the Houses Of Healing, armed with ample advice as to where they could be found and what road to take. Nonetheless I did manage to lose my way and required the assistance of several passers by before I eventually reached the place, another very large and impressive building near the citadel. Within, I initially had difficulty finding anyone who knew of Elien or where I might find her, and when I did I was informed that she was not there. They did however tell me where I might find her lodgings when I told them who I was, and I made my way to the place in a narrow street a short distance away. A handsome woman of middle years answered the door, but her tidings were the same and Elien was not to be found there either. Disappointed, I left another message and began to retrace my steps.

I was crossing a busy square where a large fountain played, when to my great surprise I heard my name called and there she was. She wore a plain dress, and her face was a little thinner and more lined than I remembered it, but she was as beautiful as ever, with her fair hair still short but now neatly cropped. We embraced happily and there was much laughter and merriment when we discovered that we had both been on the same unsuccessful errand. She had been in the crowd and watched us march past the day before but though she had tried she had been unable to find us afterwards. Now the rest of that fine summer day lay ahead, and we would be able to spend it together.