In fair Beleriand of old,
When sun was bright and moon was young,
An elven-lord with hair of gold
Ruled Nargothrond, and there he sung
The light-filled songs of Valinor
And told the tales of elven lore.
Three youths once lived there in that realm
Who much admired their lord and king;
And heroes' tales of spear and helm
They often begged he'd say and sing;
With merry laugh he'd smile and tell,
And soon in lands afar they'd dwell.
These three remained true friends through all
Their childhood joys and sorrows keen:
An ellon, first, bright-eyed and tall,
A man of young and fearless mien,
A dwarf-lad there to learn his trade;
A such unlikely trio was made.
But then their much-loved lord and friend
Was called by honor to a quest,
And they, too young to join his end
He bid to stay, protect the rest;
So Finrod said farewell and left
And tales seemed hollow to those bereft.
And came unrest to elvish court,
So men and dwarves sought other lands;
And thus the friends were forced to part;
Through heartfelt tears and clasps of hands
They swore to one day meet again,
These youths of elves and dwarves and men.
0
When time had passed, the elf now thought—
And Magalad his name is told—
To ask his lord for leave; he sought
His youth-companions, friends of old;
He searched from pastureland to mere,
Through valleys far and mountains near.
The man, now in his prime and free—
As Halin known by in that part—
He too now wished again to see
The childhood brothers of his heart;
He left his settlement to find,
Through moor and waste, those in his mind.
The dwarf grew restless of his trade—
His name was Falk, by that he went—
And wanted he to see replayed
The blesséd moments they'd been sent
Of friendship's joys, so he too left
To search from plain to mountain cleft.
They knew it not, but drew they near
Into each others' wand'ring paths,
For fate decreed their ways would here
Converge, and much would come to pass
Within that stony mountain dell
Of which hereafter I shall tell.
0
There once was delved a dragon-lair,
Its entrance in this rocky vale,
And Halin first took shelter there
To break the rushing of the gale;
But Daust the Mighty took offence
And waited, kindled wrath and tense.
A whish of smoke in morning pale,
And Halin stood at what he saw;
A single blow of dragon's tail
And he was drug in mountain's maw;
He woke again to blazing fire
And armed himself 'gainst dragon's ire.
Another dragon also dwelt—
The golden Flauka, mate of Daust—
When she saw Mag'lad's mithril belt
She sought to fell him with a blast;
He stood, undaunted by her flame,
But fell beneath its heat the same.
And Falk his way through mountain sought
The winter's weather to avoid;
But soon he found those of his thought
There trapped; the three met, overjoyed,
And planned now to escape the cave;
"To friendship!" cried the brothers brave.
So with the axe of Falk the Dwarf,
The arrows keen of Magalad,
And Halin's sword, with greatest stealth
They found the dragons seething mad,
Preparing to consume each prize
Which now sprang forth with battle-cries!
A well-placed thrust, the twang of bow,
"Take shelter, quick, from burning blast!"
An axéd strike, a fisted blow:
The battle many hours did last,
But finally the day was had;
Victorious friends stood, fair and glad.
0
So many times through passing years
In elf-realm, dwarven-hall, or town
A youth there many tales hears
Of dragon-slayers of great renown;
The Hunters Three who ever sought
To mar the works that Angband wrought.
Their final end at last they knew
In Nirnaeth Arnoediad
Where sword and axe and bow would hew,
Where enemies no warning had
Before they fell before the Three,
The friends, the brothers, fair and free.
A/N: A precursor to the Three Hunters? Perhaps where Aragorn got the name? We may never know!
P.S. I forgot to say this earlier: if anyone comes down with an inclination to write stories about the characters or happenings I've developed for these poems, you may feel free to do so, but please do send me the link; I'd love to read it! Thanks.