Chapter 4 –Moon Runes
Lord Elrond had dismissed Lindir for the evening, thanking him for his duties. Though dinning with the dwarves hand been nothing less than a life experience. Lindir was content to be free of his obligations and set off to the Hall of Fire to join in the merrymaking of his friends under the rising moon.
Elrond gingerly held the map that had been handed to him by the reluctant Thorin Oakenshield. He gazed long at it, reading the ancient dwarfish script. The room was in complete silence as they awaited Elrond's counsel.
It was a map of Erebor, the Lonely Mountain. Elrond shook his head. The ancient Elf Lord was wise; he now knew the purpose of the dwarves' journey. They wished to take back the Erebor. By what of means he did not know. Surely there was little thirteen dwarves could do against a dragon that had thousands of them scattered, running for their lives.
Elrond had received word from his friend, Thranduil, of the events that had transpired only a few centuries ago. He grieved to remember hearing of the ruin of the town of Dale, the loss of so many lives by the wicked cruelness of Smaug the Terrible. Elrond hand a keen distaste for dragons. He hated those vile creatures. Elrond had sent out a small army of elves lead by his sons, along with his best healers to help give aid to all the displaced humans. Thranduil's resources had been taxed with the growing shadow that lay over Mirkwood. Elrond also had intensions to lend aid to the dwarves, but was told they were long gone by the time his warriors had arrived.
Elrond found himself reluctant to help Thorin in his foolish quest for gold. He cursed the dwarves' love of gold; at least Thranduil had a little more sense when it came to his desires. Thorin's pride could be his downfall, Elrond decided. Mortals should value their short time on Arda, not foolishly throwing it away for pride and senseless treasure.
Elrond looked towards the night sky, the moon was shinning in a broad silver crescent. Elrond held the map up as white moonlight shone through it. Just as he had suspected, moon runes. He had been but a child when he had learned the secrets of such a script.
Elrond looked at the map and sighed. Knowledge does not belong solely to one person. He had no right to keep the secrets of this map hidden from Thorin. They were not his secrets to keep hidden. Sharing the knowledge contained within, with Thorin may not be a bad thing; it's choosing what to do with the knowledge that ultimately defines its worth.
Finally Gandalf broke the silence, "You still read ancient dwarfish? Do you not?"
"What is your interest in this map?" Elrond simply asked, needing his thoughts be confirmed. Almost daring them to be wrong.
"It is mainly for academic purposes," Gandalf replied. Elrond could tell by the smug expression on Thorin's face that he was being lied to. If that were the case Thorin would not have been so reluctant to show him the map in the first place. Elrond's heart sank. He feared this would all end in disaster, and he would be indirectly responsible.
Elrond moved so Gandalf could see the faint glow of moonlight shinning through the parchment.
"Moon runes! Of coarse an easy thing to miss," Gandalf exclaimed.
"What are moon runes?" Bilbo curiously asked, for the hobbit had a fondness for maps.
Elrond beckoned him closer, ignoring Thorin.
"Look here," he said to Bilbo. "They can only be seen when the moon shines behind them, but that is not all to their secrets. They can only be seen when the moon of the same shape and season as they day when they were written shines behind them. The dwarves invented them and wrote them in silver pens. These must have been written on a midsummer's eve in a crescent moon."
Bilbo was about to ask more when Thorin interrupted him.
"How come you of this knowledge?" the Dwarf Prince grumbled.
"I lived with dwarves for a time in my youth," Elrond answered. His face was expressionless as his eyes played back an ancient memory.
"What do the Moon Runes say?" inquired Gandalf.
"Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks," read Elrond, "and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the key-hole."
"What is Durin's Day?" asked the hobbit.
"The first day of the dwarves' New Year. When the last moon of autumn and the sun are in the sky together," Thorin answered, "But that leaves little time."
"Is there anymore writing?" asked Gandalf.
"None that can be seen by the moon," said Elrond. With a heavy heart he gave the map back to Thorin, who quickly stored it in his pocket.
Elrond had a terrible feeling about this whole affair. Why would Gandalf help Thorin on this fool's earned? Gandalf was wise and Elrond respected his counsel but he could see little sense in his current actions. He feared Thranduil would get involved. He was well aware of his friend's love for gold. He had an ill feeling about all this. Elrond decided he would confide in Galadriel later, her words always helped to ease his heart.
Now that the official terms of their business were done and over with, Elrond dutifully invited Thorin and Bilbo to join Gandalf and himself in the Hall of Fire. Elrond was pleased when Bilbo agreed to join, and even more pleased when Thorin said he wouldn't. Elrond had only asked Thorin out of politeness, but did not wish to spend any more time than necessary in the presence of this particular dwarf. Elrond was normally very tolerant of others, but found Thorin's ignorance infuriating. Likewise Elrond was sincere in his invitation to Bilbo, wishing to learn more of the Hobbit and in turn show the Hobbit more of Imladris.
TBC