A/N: So sorry for the long delay! It seems that I have been quite lazy recently. Here is a somewhat longer chapter.
It seems that as I grow older, the sands time slip through my fingers all the faster. Why, only yesterday, it seems, I was a young man, just learning how to write in the graceful language of the Noldor, and yet here I am today, older than almost any others in the palace, decrepit, and tired. I find it harder to keep track of time on a more day-to-day basis as well. I have found myself frequently forgetting the day or month (I apologize if some of the dates in my Journal are off), but thankfully not year. I fear I have neglected several important projects because of this lack of sense of time. Admittedly, many of these projects are only important to me; I often fail to see my importance to Ar-Pharazôn, although he apparently sees something. Still, I imagine he would be unlikely to be as excited by my collection of barbaric manuscripts as I am.
It is only fitting that I, struggling to perceive the past, would turn my thoughts to the future. At this point, it is quite unlikely that I will have descendants, so my line is unlikely to live on. I have not spoken with my relatives in many years, so I know not how their lineages fair, but I imagine they are doing hardly better than me. I think instead of the future of my people as a whole. Where will the next few decades take us? Centuries? Ages?
Looking at things politically, things seem bleak. Ar-Pharazôn, after the tragedy that befell Belgazar, seems reluctant to bear a child, despite the well-intentioned urgings of others, and I (the current successor) am almost certain to pass beyond before he does. Only HE will be named as Ar-Pharazôn's successor, and HE doesn't die. A dark tide shall cover Númenor, and we shall all be powerless to stop it.
If I pretend for a moment, however, that a slightly happier outcome occurs, then predicting things becomes more difficult. When Ar-Pharazôn dies, who takes control? Does someone take control? The best outcome is that Amandil comes out on top in the ensuing chaos, and allows us to walk in the light. The social aspect of change is another matter entirely. What will be popular several ages from now? What will people be like?
As I ponder more and more, I grow more and more worried. Perhaps a walk will help clear my mind. The trees are so lovely at this time of year, and the weather never seems to grow to cold. The city truly is lovely right now, even after all the horrible things that have happened in this world.
-From the Abridged Journals of Arnuzîr
The next day, Aulenmir let the children sleep in once more as he completed the morning chores. They ate breakfast in silence, still tired from their late night. After they had finished eating, Aulenmir spoke to the children. "Alright, I may have to leave you two alone tomorrow. When I first moved up here, a group of people who've been livin' up in these mountains since before the Númenorians began building ships decided to take pity on me an' help me out. I hopin', since I have to extra mouths to feed in the form of you two, they'll help me, but I'll probably have to spend the whole day negotiating. So, today we'll prepare for my absence, and tonight I'll continue the story."
Peladin looked distraught at the idea of being alone for the day. "Can't we come with you, Uncle?" he queried.
"'Fraid not." Aulenmir said. "I know the Ephûl fairly well, and they know me, but they don't know the two of you, and they don't take well to strangers. Don't worry though; you'll have Noldolma to watch over ya. She's probably a better guardian than I am, to be honest."
"She's not a storyman like you, Unca!" said Sirilfa, who was all too excited to hear more of the story.
"You've got me there," Aulenmir grinned.
They headed outside and Aulenmir spent most of the morning showing them around the area outside of his cabin. He showed them the path leading out the Ered Nimrais, the forest where most of the game was to be found, and the flat area where he had built his cabin. He also showed them the path that leads further up the mountains to the Ephûl.
The rest of the day was spent showing Peladin and Sirilfa how to collect food from the snares, what kind of plants and mushrooms were edible, and, in an emergency, the path to the closest neighbor if they desperately needed food. Aulenmir made a mental note to himself to head to the nearest trading lodge to restock, as he was beginning to run low in supplies. Luckily, it seemed as though the next few days would be snow-free, although it could rain. Finally, all was ready for the next day, and Aulenmir was free to pick up where he had left off.
Peladin and Sirilfa where beginning to warm to the idea of having Aulenmir as their guardian, as evidenced by how they wanted him to stay with them (although that was probably in no small manner caused by their fear of being left alone). They were learning many new things, had plenty of things keeping them active, and wonderful stories to entertain them. So, they were easily quieted down when Aulenmir wanted to start.
To celebrate the reunion between father and son and the official declaration of who was to succeed Tar-Meneldur, a grand feast was to be had in Armenelos. All the nobles from all across Númenor where invited, and no expense was spared to ensure that this feast would be the golden standard to which all future feasts where held to. All manners of entertainment, from musical pieces, to jesters and fools, to bards reciting sonnets, and even full-scale plays and operas were set to perform. Many exotic varieties of food and drink were to be served, hailing from the eastern half of Endor, a mysterious land even today.
And one visitor was especially important, and her name was Erendis. Her father was named Beregar, and he was a noble of Andustar, and was descended from the house of Bëor. The people of this house were few in Númenor, owing to the fact that few had survived the First Age and the great many injustices that had been dealt to them by Morgoth, black foe of the world. This made the people of Bëor exotic beauties already, and Erendis was the most beautiful of all. So great was her beauty that the Queen herself remarked upon it, and she was a great beauty herself.
And although this beauty conveyed many (often unwanted) suitors upon Erendis, at the feast she had eyes only for one man: Aldarion. And so, to place herself as a potential suitor of Aldarion, Erendis entered the Queen's household, and the King's, but this did little to affect Aldarion, for he was busy ensuring that the lumber economy was in order and that there would be enough for ships to be made as long as Númenor survived.
However, many mariners began voicing their discontent, proclaiming their wish for Aldarion to return as their commander. "Things just aren't the same since he left," stated Helmsman Smyth. "We all miss him, and do not care for the commanders of poor quality that they have thrust upon us in his absence," said an unnamed crewman. Aldarion spoke to his father once more about his desire to leave.
"Please, father, I have stayed here for over six years! I miss the sea; I miss the wind pushing out the sails, the creak of the oars, the feel of the spray! I miss my crews too, much as they miss me! Please, let me go back!"
"This goes against my best instinct, Aldarion. Why, oh why does it not content you to stay here, to seek a wife, to raise a family?" Tar-Meneldur asked of him.
"I have a wife, and a family too," Aldarion replied bitterly, "but you seek to keep us apart!"
The King was silent for a long time, until he finally spoke. "It pains me to see you so distressed, so I shall grant you my leave. Know, however, that when you return I expect that you will immediately concern yourself with searching for a suitable wife."
Almarian the Queen was even less happy to see Aldarion leave, and asked him if there was nothing in Armenelos that he could love as he loved the sea. Aldarion replied that there was such a thing, but he still loved the sea greatly. Erendis heard of this, and believed that Aldarion referred to her. However, this did not give her great hope, as she still believed that Aldarion was above her, being a mighty Prince to her lowly status as the daughter of a lesser noble.
Aldarion was seven years in returning, but return he did, bearing gold and silver and tales of his great deeds. But his father cared not for these gifts or tidings, preferring that Aldarion stay in Armenelos and learn how to lead people, and even perhaps find a suitable wife. However, Aldarion refused, saying that it is better for a mariner to remain unwed. Aldarion and his father found it difficult to interact together after arguing so much with each other.
Aldarion began construction on a great ship, finer than any other vessel before made, and (some argue) finer than any after as well. The ship was called Palarran, which means Far-Wanderer in our tongue. And yet, even while building this ship, he met often with Erendis, which was caused by the contrivances of Almarian. Meneldur was somewhat displeased to learn of this, believing that Aldarion should be cured of his sea longing before falling in love with any woman, but Almarian believed that love was the answer.
Aldarion, at this point, did not speak much with Erendis about the sea, for it seemed as though she shared not his passion for all things naval, and he did not want to make her jealous for it. Instead they talked about the things they had in common, as couples often do. They spoke about their love of Númenor, for at this early point in Númenor's history they had not yet begun to fall, and everything was nigh perfect. Aldarion and Erendis loved Númenor, as did everyone who visited it. The power that the sea held over Aldarion must have been great indeed to cause him to leave Númenor behind. Erendis and Aldarion also shared a love of music and of the theatre.
Aldarion decided that once construction of Palarran was finished he would once more leave Númenor on another voyage. Meneldur became quite displeased with his son after hearing this, and it was only by the efforts of Almarian that Meneldur did not utterly forbid Aldarion from taking this voyage. However, while not forbidding him outright, he did make his journey a difficult one to begin. In Númenor, there is a tradition that a woman, often a family member of the captain of the vessel, must take a Green Bough of Return, cut from the oiolairë (which means "Ever-summer" in the tongue of the Noldor), and place it upon the prow of the ship. This tradition began with Tar-Minyatur, who had one such bough placed on the ship that he sailed to Númenor in by his wife. However, Tar-Meneldur decreed that neither the Queen or Aldarion's sisters (Ailiniel and Almiel) were to place the bough on the ship. Aldarion, being proud and young, was willing to forsake tradition in order to leave; such was the urgency he felt to return to the sea. However, Erendis came up with a clever idea. She decided that she could be the one to place the bough, since she was close to Aldarion but had not been forbidden by Tar-Meneldur.
And Aldarion and his crew were both immensely relieved that she would come so close to crossing the King just to help them on their way. For the first time, Aldarion truly looked at Erendis with the beginning of love. And Erendis told him that others besides his family missed him.
Aldarion returned soon, or so it seemed, and was more than eager to present Erendis with a magnificent gift: a large diamond. Meneldur and his son were now all but enemies, and Meneldur disapproved of giving such a gift to Erendis in that fashion.
"If you desire her hand, Aldarion, then for Eru's sake take it!" he barked.
"I gave this gift as a thanks, for being kind when others who I thought were close to me were not," Aldarion replied smoothly.
"Please, Aldarion, consider the importance of your lineage. You must marry!"
But Aldarion refused to think of such things, for he was most uneager to do the things that were urged of him, perhaps just to be contrary. And despite the King this time forbidding him Aldarion once more set sail, in a fleet of seven fine ships. And once more, Erendis came close to disobeying the King by once more securing a bough for Aldarion.
Aulenmir paused, for he could see that Peladin and Sirilfa were growing tired. "All right, then," he said, "It's time for bed!"
Immortal began walking away, in the same direction that Telimperion had been heading before the orcs had appeared. She increased her pace so as to match his and began asking all the questions she could. "What were those things? Why are they here? Who are you? Why did you-" She broke off when Immortal held a hand up. "Wait for us to get back to my dwelling. We can talk freely there." Telimperion responded with only a nod, unwilling to begin talking again.
It was a bit of a walk back to Immortal's "dwelling" which was a cave, well sheltered by the mountains. It was relatively spacious, certainly big enough for two people, although it was rather sparsely furnished. Immortal set about making a fire, and once he had successfully done so he began boiling some water. Before Telimperion could ask he said, "I'm making tea. Would you like some?" Telimperion nodded again.
After they had made tea, Immortal spoke again. "I will start with the simplest of your questions. Those orcs that you ran into are called the Keraq'ar. They did not always live in the Ered Nimrais, at least most of them didn't. There has always been a sizable population of orcs in the lands to the south and to the east, but now many of those orcs are on the move. What their purpose is I cannot say. They may be moving at the behest of some new leader, or they may be fleeing some unknown danger. Most of these orcs wish no harm upon us, and even seek to coexist with humans, although I sense they wish that they could do without us. However, the Keraq'ar do not wish for this. They seek to be utterly independent, and do not like humans for all the pain you caused them in the war."
"So, when the orc said that I was trespassing on Keraq land, he was referring to the land that he and his people were now living on"
"Precisely. Now, Elessar has not yet received news of this, or else I feel that he would have done something about it by now. He can hardly have orcs attacking his people in his own kingdom, after all."
Telimperion had an idea. "It just so happens that I'm heading to Minas Tirith to seek an audience with the King. Perhaps I could inform him."
"That's quite fortuitous," Immortal replied. "I think that would be a very good idea."
Telimperion grinned. She liked being able to help out and pose suggestions. However, she wasn't quite done grilling Immortal. "You still haven't answered my other questions. Who are you and why did you help me? Also, what language were you speaking and where did you learn to speak it?"
Immortal chuckled. "The latter two questions are easy. That was the Black Speech, the language invented by Sauron to give the orcs a universal tongue. The Keraq'ar speak a relatively pure form of it. I learned it from a man who had quite a bit of contact with the orcs and had learned it from them."
"And my other two questions?" Telimperion asked, noticing he was avoiding them.
Immortal looked a bit uncomfortable. "It's a long story…" he began.
"I love long stories, as a matter of fact," she replied smoothly.
"I think it's a bit longer than you like," he said. Telimperion's only response was to arch an eyebrow at him. Years of training against her siblings in the art of eyebrow gesticulating had made her quite good at it. Her best eyebrows would have the Saruman of Many-colors thinking twice about trying to win her over with words.
Immortal at last relented. "How about this," he said. "We'll get some sleep tonight and I will give you the full story tomorrow." He began setting up another pallet for Telimperion.
Realizing that she probably wouldn't get a better offer, she went with it. "It's a deal," she said firmly, holding out her hand. They shook on it and then went to sleep.
Mermacil began to assemble the people for his team as soon as possible. He was careful to pick people based off of their qualities that were important in this decision, not whether or not he liked them or if they liked him. After a day of planning, he finally decided on a team. For the position of Protector, he chose Hannish, a man who knew fighting quite well as well as the importance of taking orders. For a Scribe, he chose Elarë, a woman who wrote astonishingly concisely considering the speed at which she wrote. For a Diplomat he chose Kith'tar, a man who had lived amongst the orcs during the War. Finally, as they're Ranger he chose Lt. Samnon, a man who had been a ranger during the war and had decided to allow the men in Minas Ithil to put his skills to use.
The next morning, the team assembled. These people all knew each other fairly well, and would hopefully be able to work well as a team. They set off on foot, for they were traveling through Cirith Ungol, and horses could not make it up the stairs. Hannish lead the way to protect them from the front, with Lt. Samnon protecting them in the back.
The way up was quite difficult. The wind was chilly and biting, and it screamed down the mountains into their faces. Even though their bodies were quite covered by thick clothing to keep them warm, the wind pushed its way in and they were are chilled to the bone. In addition, while Mt. Doom was no longer quite as active, several other lesser volcanoes nearby were still active, and they vomited ash and farted sulfur. Although they had masks of cloth to protect their noses, eyes, and mouths, the foul stench still made its way in, and they were perpetually afraid to glance up, lest some vile speck enter their eyes.
Although, through the steady work of Mermacil and those like him, the stairs had been made somewhat easier to traverse, it was still hard work. Hannish, Kith'tar, and Lt. Samnon were more used to hard work, but even they were breathing heavily and struggling to find the strength to move on. Mermacil, who didn't do nearly as much field work, was close to collapsing. The only thing that kept them moving was that somehow, despite her non-existent field experience, Elarë kept moving at a steady pace, inspiring them to do the same. They walked without talking; the only noise was the unceasing wind.
Finally, they reached the top of the Winding Stair. "I'll take first watch," said Hannish, the first words any of them had spoken in ours. The watch order was decided and the party set up camp outside of Torech Ungol. Exhausted, they quickly ate their food and fell asleep.
Far to the east of the Ered Nimrais, where Aulenmir and Telimperion are, far beyond the Ephel Duath, where Mermacil now camps, there is a beautiful port city. This port city has no name in the west, and is only spoken of in legends and songs. They say that this city was old and proud when Númenor had yet to rise from the waves. In the tongue of the Kirranmar, the people who now live in the city, it is Hyarragash, which means, quite simply, "waterfront".
The city is truly massive in every way conceivable. It is to Minas Tirith as Minas Tirith is to Bree. Often, Hyarragash was referred to as the Heart of the East, for it was truly the grandest part of that region. In Hyarragash, there was one truly magnificent building that put all the others to shame, and this building was the temple of the Sun god, Azao. And it was in this temple that Parthekos, elder brother of Aulenmir, made his home.
Many years before, after he had told his siblings that he would head east, Parthekos had drifted from town to town along the coast, not knowing what to do with him. One day, he was in a small village that happened to have a minor harbor when he noticed a very exotic looking boat. This boat hailed from Hyarragash and promised a free voyage to anyone who would join the priesthood of Azao. Having nothing better to do, Parthekos agreed to this price, and departed with the boat at the end of the week.
He vastly preferred life in the temple to his previous life in Gondor. He was well suited to this kind of life, and rose quickly in the temple, going from being a simple Issalar to a powerful Ossaon. The Yasugi trusted him, often confiding in him. Now, he had a mission for him.
Parthekos finished his morning disciplines, packed his few belongings, and set out for the Orocarni. Rumors were spreading that a great many orc tribes had settled there, and the Yasugi wished for him to bring to them the religion of the great god Azao.