Chapter 3: A Short Rest
Gandalf led the way. "We must not miss the road, or we shall be done for," he said. "We need food, for one thing, and rest in reasonable safety—also it is very necessary to tackle the Misty Mountains by the proper path, or else you will get lost in them, and have to come back and start at the beginning again."
They asked him where he was making for, and he answered: "You are come to the very edge of the Wild, as some of you may know. Hidden somewhere ahead of us is the fair valley of Rivendell where Elrond lives in the Last Homely House. I sent a message by my friends, and we are expected."
Morning passed, afternoon came; but in all the silent waste there was no sign of any dwelling. The only path was marked with white stones, some of which were small, and others were half covered with moss or heather. Altogether it was a very slow business following the track, even guided by Gandalf, who seemed to know his way about pretty well.
They came to the edge of a steep fall in the ground so suddenly that Gandalf's horse nearly slipped down the slope.
"Here it is at last!" he called, and the others gathered round him and looked over the edge. They saw a valley far below.
They slithered and slipped in the dusk down the steep zig-zag path into the secret valley of Rivendell. They heard laughing and singing in the trees as they moved along. At last one, a tall young fellow, came out from the trees and bowed to Gandalf and to Thorin.
"Welcome to the valley!" he said.
"Thank you!" said Thorin a bit gruffly; but Gandalf was already off his horse and among the elves, talking merrily with them.
"You are a little out of your way," said the elf: "that is, if you are making for the only path across the water and to the house beyond. We will set you right, but you had best get on foot, until you are over the bridge. Are you going to stay a bit and sing with us, or will you go straight on? Supper is preparing over there," he said. "I can smell the wood-fires for the cooking."
The dwarves were all for supper as soon as possible just then, and would not stay. On they all went, leading their ponies, and Dawn and Gandalf's horses, till they were brought to a good path and so at last to the very brink of the river. There was only a narrow bridge of stone without a parapet, as narrow as a pony could well walk on; and over that they had to go, slow and careful, one by one, each leading his pony by the bridle. The elves had brought bright lanterns to the shore, and they sang a merry song as the party went across.
"Don't dip your beard in the foam, father!" they cried to Thorin, who was bent almost on to his hands and knees. "It is long enough without watering it."
"Hush, hush! Good People! and good night!" said Gandalf, who came last. "Valleys have ears, and some elves have over merry tongues. Good night!"
And so at last they all came to the Last Homely House, and found its doors flung wide.
They stayed long in that good house, fourteen days at least, and they found it hard to leave. All of them, the ponies as well, grew refreshed and strong in a few days there. So the time came to midsummer eve, and they were to go on again with the early sun on midsummer morning.
Elrond knew all about runes of every kind. That day he looked at the swords they had brought from the trolls' lair, and he said: "These are not troll-make. They are old swords, very old swords of the High Elves of the West, my kin. They were made in Gondolin for the Goblin-wars. They must have come from a dragon's hoard or goblin plunder, for dragons and goblins destroyed that city many ages ago. This, Thorin, the runes name Orcrist, the Goblin-cleaver in the ancient tongue of Gondolin; it was a famous blade. This, Gandalf, was Glamdring, Foe-hammer that the king of Gondolin once wore." He was about to look at Dawn's sword when he looked in her eyes and saw something there that took him back.
"Whence did the trolls get them, I wonder?" said Thorin looking at his sword with new interest as he interrupted Elrond's thoughts.
"I could not say," said Elrond, "but one may guess that your trolls had plundered other plunderers, or come on the remnants of old robberies in some hold in the mountains. I have heard that there are still forgotten treasures of old to be found in the deserted caverns of the mines of Moria, since the dwarf and goblin war."
Thorin pondered these words. "I will keep this sword in honor," he said. "May it soon cleave goblins once again!"
"A wish that is likely to be granted soon enough in the mountains!" said Elrond. "But show me now your map!"
He took it and gazed long at it. "What is this?" he said. "There are moon-letters here, beside the plain runes which say 'five feet high the door and three may walk abreast.'"
"What are moon-letters?" asked Dawn.
"Moon-letters are rune-letters, but you cannot see them," said Elrond, "not when you look straight at them. They can only be seen when the moon shines behind them, and what is more, with the more cunning sort it must be a moon of the same shape and season as the day when they were written. The dwarves invented them and wrote them with silver pens, as your friends could tell you. These must have been written on a midsummer's eve in a crescent moon, a long while ago."
"What do they say?" asked Gandalf and Thorin together.
"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."
"Durin, Durin!" said Thorin. "He was the father of the fathers of the eldest race of Dwarves, the Longbeards, and my first ancestor: I am his heir."
"Then what is Durin's Day?" asked Elrond.
"The first day of the dwarves' New Year," said Thorin, "is as all should know the first day of the last moon of Autumn on the threshold of Winter. We still call it Durin's Day when the last moon of Autumn and the sun are in the sky together. But this will not help us much, I fear, for it passes our skill in these days to guess when such a time will come again."
"That remains to be seen," said Gandalf. "Is there any more writing?"
"None to be seen by this moon," said Elrond, and he gave the map back to Thorin; and then the dwarves went down to the water to see the elves dance and sing upon the midsummer's eve leaving Dawn and Gandalf alone with him. "Ms. Summers may I inquire on your parentage?" He looked once again in her eyes and noticed how similar to his own they looked.
"My mother was Joyce Summers, she passed away recently, and my father is Hank Summers." Dawn replied.
"They are you adoptive parents are they not?" Elrond asked.
"In a matter of speaking I guess you could say that," said Dawn.
Elrond nodded and looked at Gandalf. "She has not yet shown her true heritage yet which is what puzzles me." He looked back at Dawn. "I believe Dawn that you are my daughter."
Dawn's eyes went wide upon hearing that. "No offense, sir but I was not even born in this world. I was not even actually born I was created by magic."
Elrond nodded and smiled. "The people that created you must have used some blood in your creation, correct? Spells of that nature always require blood."
Dawn nodded. "Yes, my sister's."
"You mean your mother's." Elrond said.
Dawn shook her head. "No I mean my sister. The monks gave me memories of my life before I was created. My memories tell me Buffy is my sister."
Elrond nodded. "In essence though she is a little bit of both. Memories tell us one thing but blood tells us another. To make a child though more than one person must be used. Which means you had to have a father also. Have you noticed how similar the two of us look?"
"I have," Dawn said.
"There is a simple spell that can tell us if what I have said is true. Gandalf will you perform it," Elrond said as he looked towards Gandalf.
Gandalf nodded and muttered something in a language that Dawn did not recognize. Then she noticed that herself and Elrond both glowed green.
"Why is it always green?" Dawn muttered to herself.
"As I suspected you are my child, Ariel." Elrond said.
"Ariel?" Dawn asked.
Elrond smiled and nodded. "It is an Elvish name and will be yours from now on. It means dawn daughter."
Dawn thought about it long and hard. Neither Elrond nor Gandalf said anything as they understood this was not an easy thing to accept, and that she had to process the information. She knew that she had to have a father since she didn't look like a clone of Buffy. But the thing had been who else had the monks used. And if the magical test Gandalf had performed was true, as she suspected it might be. She had to wonder how they had gotten Elrond's blood.
"If I may ask," Dawn said. "How would they have gotten your blood? I mean you're here and they're there."
"We may never know," Elrond said. "You are correct though in questioning my parentage. If I were in your place I would have done the same."
"Thank you," Dawn said as she came to a decision and smiled at Elrond, "father."
Elrond smiled and pulled Dawn into an embrace. "I have something for you." He produced a necklace. "Wear it and all those whom you meet that know of Elrond of Rivendell will know you are my child."
"Father, this may hurt you to ask. But do you know of a way back to my world?" Dawn asked.
"I do not." Elrond said. "And it does not hurt to know you would want to return. To be with your sister/mother and your friends. Know this that the pendant I have given you has a charm on it. Anytime you so choose you can return here."
The next morning was a midsummer's morning. Dawn, Gandalf and the dwarves rode away amid songs of farewell and good speed.