THE FORGOTTEN

The Battle for Minas Tirith

Disclaimer: I do not own the Lord of the Rings.

Author's Note: Elvish in italics. ….So, dear reader, let me tell you a story and give you a peak behind the curtain: I back up my work in quadruplicate (on my PC, my laptop, an external hard drive, and on my kindle), occasionally even quintuplicate (which includes emailing myself a copy). For all my paranoia though, I had but one current copy of this chapter that I was working off of, and I have paid the price for my cavalier attitude of thinking I could just save a single copy. Somewhere, something went horribly awry and I cannot open the document. So, I am starting over. This is the very first chapter that takes place during the books that I have re-written from basically scratch. Here's hoping it's as good or better as the other was shaping up to be. Why did I share this? As a cautionary tale, dear reader – back up everything in quintuplicate and print out a hard copy!

In the songs of the elves the fields of Lebennin are green in the wind from the Sea. Under the shadow of Mordor they were grey but the gulls did not care one way or the other, for they wailed as they ever had as the riders thundered towards Pelargir after chasing the allies of Mordor from Gilrain. Even as they rode, the fair face of Legolas looked troubled by the wailing of the gulls.

They came to Pelargir where the main fleet of Umbar, fifty great ships and countless smaller vessels lay there. They chased down some of the ships, but the Haradrim laughed at them, for they were still a great army and those they had pursued from Gilrain reached Pelargir before the Grey Company.

Suddenly Aragorn stopped and cried loudly, "Now come! By the Black Stone I call you!" Suddenly the Dead appeared and swept before them and the laughter of the Haradrim turned to cries of despair. To every ship that was drawn up, anchored, or within reach the Dead came and drove off all on the ships save the unfortunate slaves that could go nowhere. In that hour Aragorn looked great and terrible he looked. The Grey Company rode recklessly through their fleeing foes driving them to the shore. To each of the ships went one of the Dúnadain, and Lothril, Gimli, and Legolas went with Aragorn. Aragorn commanded a trumpet blast to be sounded and commanded the Dead to be gathered on the shore.

"Here now the words of the Heir of Isildur! Your oath is fulfilled. Go back and trouble not the valleys ever again! Depart and be at rest!" He called to them. Upon hearing those words the King of the Dead broke his spear, cast it on the ground, bowed and vanished.

"In all my days I never thought I would see ghosts," said Lothril, "let alone anything so terrible as this. Unless I bear witness to the end of all things, I hope to never see anything like this again."

Legolas and Gimli said nothing, but only nodded. It was certainly not an experience anyone should wish to repeat.

That night, the Dúnadain rested while the freed slaves and captives worked rowing upriver. Legolas and Lothril stood wakeful on deck for a while, eyes bent seaward.

"Can you not hear them, Lothril?" he asked her.

"I can hear them," she answered.

"Do they not trouble your heart?" he asked, sounding like one who is torn between two loves.

"Oh Legolas, I have heard the gulls all my life. I first heard them when I was two or three," she answered.

"How do you bear it?" he asked, gazing out towards the gulls.

"It is easier when you are away from the gulls," she said. "But henceforth the sound of the wind in the trees shall remind you of the sea and ever shall you hear the sound of both in the trees."

"I never knew how strong it could be," he said quietly.

"Do not worry, you shall see that the pull to sail will ebb and flow like the tide. You may never be fully content under bough again, but the longing has its own sweetness. In time, we shall sail and then live under bough again and be at peace."

"Today is the thirteenth," he said after a pause.

"Yes it is. Let us go below deck," she replied.

The next day there was nothing to do but fight the stream. Aragorn kept looking upriver troubled.

"Time is too short," Aragorn said to his friends. "Forty leagues and two from Pelargir to the landings at the Harlond. Yet to the Harlond we must come tomorrow or fail utterly."

"How far are we from Harlond?" Lothril asked.

"Too far for my comfort," Aragorn replied.

"A southerly wind should aid us, should it not?" Lothril asked.

Aragorn merely nodded in reply.

"Then I shall see what I can do," she said and turned and headed to the back of the boat.

Aragorn and Legolas turned and watched her walk away with some confusion. "What shall she do?" Aragorn asked. "Surely she cannot summon the wind!"

Legolas stared after her then looked at Aragorn and said, "I cannot say. Ever since she awoke in Lothlorien she has been well beyond my comprehension or reckoning. She is one who has seen visions and been told things beyond the understanding of the wise. Perhaps she has been given some gifts for use in this hour. Perhaps she is favored of Manwe. I cannot say. We shall see what we shall see, I reckon."

To that Aragorn only nodded in reply.

Lothril remained singing in the stern for some time and then at last she came forward where Aragorn was looking out towards Minas Tirith and said, "I have done what I can. We shall reach Minas Tirith in time." With that she headed into the captain's quarters and relaxed for a little while.

When night came all could see that Minas Tirith was burning as there was a great red glow beneath the clouds. Then near midnight, hope was renewed as a strong wind came up from the south.

"She has done it!" Aragorn cried.

Gimli, who had heard the whole tale from his friends, said, "Aye! And just in time too! I have never heard of such a thing, but she has certainly done it." The sailors hoisted sail and the three watched as the wind filled the canvas and felt the boat speed faster against the current. "I wonder what other wonders she can perform," Gimli said after a moment.

"I suspect we may find out before it is all over," Aragorn said.

She had come up on deck for a breath of fresh air and heard their conversation and then laughed. "You both have it all wrong! I cannot conjure so great a wind as this. I merely asked for it. However, I do suspect you shall see a fair amount of my skills on the morrow. I only hope you are not disappointed."

"I think that unlikely," Gimli said.

The next morning before dawn, or when dawn should have been, Lothril awoke and headed out on deck. They were very close to the city now and the smell of smoke was heavy in the air.

"Are you ready?" Legolas asked Lothril.

"As I shall ever be," she answered. "How long until we reach the city?"

"The sailors reckon near the third hour of the morning," he answered.

"It shall be a very long day," she said.

"Do not lose me in this battle," Legolas said.

"I will do my best," she replied, staring out at the city. "I am going to go below and prepare."

Legolas only nodded in reply.

The hour drew close, and the sounds of battle could be heard from the ships. Lothril ventured out onto the deck and beheld the scene. She could hardly believe what she saw – the sheer scale of the battle was astounding. As she looked out she saw Éomer about a mile off upon a hillock raising his sword in defiance at the ships and then saw his defiance turn to wonder and then joy as the banner of the king was unfurled.

Upon Aragorn's signal they leapt off the ship and swept north, driving their foes to despair and catching them between hammer and anvil. Lothril stalked forward towards the enemy with her sword drawn, glowing like a blue flame in her hand, and like a flame through dry brush she ripped through the enemy. Her strokes looked effortless to the enemy and she dispatched her foes in one or two strokes and no more. Sparks and fire flew from her sword and she split helms and shattered shields. They fought their way towards Éomer and in the midst of battle met him.

"Thus we meet again, though all the hosts of Mordor lay between us. Did I not say so at the Hornburg?" Aragorn said Éomer.

"So you spoke, but hope oft deceives," he answered. They heard a great rending of metal and they turned to look and saw Lothril shatter a shield and helm in one stroke and they looked on with awe. "She is like lightening that splits the sky! We have lost much and had much sorrow, but she looks as if she would avenge it all by herself."

"It is too great an undertaking for one person. Let us go help her," Aragorn said and with that they joined her in the fray.

The enemies she was fighting began to flee before her and regroup but Legolas shot them down ere they had a chance to do so. They fought close to Aragorn and Éomer and Gimli was there as well. They were a force to be reckoned with. Such axe wielding, no one had ever seen. Aragorn's sword Anduril burned brightly, Éomer's sword gleamed with a deadly light in the sun. The bow of Legolas sang and when he was out of arrows his knives flashed like lightening. Fell were their faces, and despite the hatred, and experience in war the hosts of Mordor quailed when they came up to those five.

At one point, the five were separated and Legolas and Lothril found themselves with only Gimli for company. The three were pulled apart by a small regrouping of forces and Lothril found herself alone and fighting three enemies with her sword and a knife. All she could do to stay alive was block attacks, there was no way for her to get back on the offensive. Just when she wasn't sure how long she could keep it up, one of the orc's laughs turned into a hiss of death. He fell towards her with an arrow in his skull. She jumped out of the way and came down on the other orc and clove his head. As she was trying to wrench her knife out of his skull, a third orc attacked, but he fell, for his legs had been cut out from under him. Then she heard a dwarvish yell as an axe head came slicing through his neck, causing it to fall to the ground. Suddenly, her enemies were gone and she was surrounded by Legolas and Gimli.

"Adel nin! (behind you!)" she yelled at Legolas who whipped around and killed the Easterling that was coming up behind him. Fiercely all fought that day, Lothril not the least of all. To tell any one persons every move in that battle would take far too long, but it is good enough to know that she surpassed her count at Helm's Deep by many, though no one counted.

The horses had stayed inside the ships during the battle, they did not have time to care for them in battle. One ship's worth of freed slaves and bondmen had been assigned horse detail, and when the battle was over, the horses were led out of the ship and waited for their owners. Lothril was tired and called for noble Leofa to come to her, then rode towards the city with Legolas and Gimli not far behind. Then they saw Aragorn, the sons of Elrond, Éomer, and another they did not know approaching the gates and hurried to meet up with them.

"The men all say an elf-witch whose sword is made of fire and can summon lightning has fought here today," Éomer said as they rode up. "If I had not seen it myself, I should have thought they were exaggerating."

Lothril pulled out her blade and held it up for him to see. "They exaggerate. It is made of steel, sure enough, but it glows blue if orcs are near." She looked around at the orc corpses surrounding them then added, "living orcs, that is. And I swear to you I summoned no lightning, though it did look that way at times, I am sure."

"I am afraid I am too late to stop the men from making songs about the avenging she-elf of fire," Éomer said, "But from what I have heard, your songs shall be well worth remembering even if they are a little exaggerated." With that he excused himself and followed the other man into the city.

She gave an amused smile and a small shrug.

"Lothril, your mail is rent," Aragorn said. "Are you wounded?"

She looked down and saw the rent mail and carefully probed under it and winced. "Seems that I am. I think my mail took the worst of it though, but now that I am paying attention, I can feel my tunic is fairly well soaked."

"You should get to the Houses of Healing right away," Aragorn said.

"Nay, I think it little more than a scratch. I shall tend it myself," she replied.

"Come, at least let me look at it and see how bad it is. If it is a scratch, I will help you bind it and if it is worse, I shall send you to the healers," Aragorn said.

"Very well, but I truly do not think I shall need to take up the sickbed of a more wounded man," she said.

Aragorn shook his head and ordered her off the horse and then they went over towards the wall so they were out of the way and the sons of Elrond and Legolas conveniently dismounted and led their horses so she was more or less blocked from view. Aragorn helped her off with the chainmail shirt as the wound was starting to smart quite a bit if she made certain movements, and then she took off her ruined outer tunic and carefully rolled up the other one. She hadn't given much thought hitherto about how high waisted her pants were, but she was suddenly very grateful for it and how incredibly small busted she was. The wound was six or seven inches diagonally across the bottom half of her ribcage starting just under her left breast and a fairly awkward place for her to try to see clearly and assess the damage herself.

"Good news, it does not seem to be poisoned," Aragorn said as he crouched before her, examining the wound. "Though if I were you, I should make sure to clean it out very well anyway. It is more than a scratch and I do not think you should need sewing up, but it does need to be bound. I think the reason you have bled so much is because the wound has been reopened continually thanks to moving and breathing so hard in battle. Sadly though, your shirt is ruined and unless you have another, you shall need to see about finding another one in the city." He stood and asked, "You are not hurt elsewhere, are you?"

"No, I am otherwise unhurt. Now that I have had a minute to think, I know when this happened," she said as she carefully unrolled her tunic and gathered her things. "I had two orcs set upon me at once and in the melee one of them swung at me and I leapt back, but clearly not fast enough. I remember feeling my mail shirt pull, but I did not have time to worry about it just then, and then once they were slain, I put it out of my mind as other enemies were about."

"You have been fortunate," Aragorn said. Just then one of the Dúnadain came up and asked Aragorn where he should like to pitch camp, and Aragorn told him the driest piece of ground outside the gates. "I think you are in luck, Lothril. They shall be swift in putting up the tents and if you can suffer to wait a few minutes, I shall be able to tend you in some privacy."

"I think not," Lothril said, looking up at the sky. "The sun sets, and you are needed up in the Houses of Healing. Some of our friends are there and the Black Breath has blown upon them."

"Then I shall head up at once. Go into the first tent pitched and see to your wound," Aragorn said, but as he turned to go Lothril grabbed his arm.

"Hold – I have something you may need," Lothril said as she reached for her pack and began digging through it. "Unless Gandalf had a moment to find you athelas, you shall find the Houses yonder long on lore and short on leaf." She pulled out a wooden box and opened it and pulled out a few dried athelas leaves and handed them to him.

"You should keep one for yourself," Aragorn said.

"Nay, I have other things that shall more than suffice, though none shall smell so sweet. Now go! I shall be fine and will find someone to help tend me at need. It is little more than a scratch," she said.

He shook his head at the 'scratch' comment and thanked her and removed the star from his brow and gave it to the safe keeping of the sons of Elrond then threw his hood over his head and made his way up into the city.

"You may be in a good deal of luck," Elrohir said after Aragorn had gone. "It seems they are bringing over provisions from the ships. If dry wood can be found, you may bathe your wound in hot water."

She looked in the direction he was looking and saw a wagon that looked closer to an oversized wheelbarrow being pulled by two men from the ships. "Oh good!" she said. "I shall certainly need it!"

"The first tent is up, we should go inside and see to it," Elladan said.

The five of them headed over towards the tent, but then Legolas and Gimli veered off to look for wood. There was a broken trebuchet nearby along with a few ruined wagons that they thought they might be able to get some burnable wood from. Lothril and the twins entered the tent. The Dúnadain had certainly worked fast. The tent was not only up, but also furnished. There was a small camp table next to a cot, and a slightly larger folding table set up in the center along with three other cots set up on the other side of the tent. She figured this was Aragorn's tent and likely the cot with table were supposed to be his too, but she supposed he wouldn't mind if she borrowed them both for a little while.

Elrohir looked around and said, "If you like, we can hang some blankets to give you a little more privacy."

"Thank you, that would be appreciated," Lothril said as she put down her pack on the cot. "I would hang some myself, but I do not have a rope; and now that I can feel my wound, it stings and burns like anything if I move much." She began rummaging through her bag as the twins pulled blankets and rope out of theirs. When Aragorn had said she would need a new tunic, she remembered that Galadriel had sent her off with a spare tunic she had packed and promptly forgotten about. At the bottom of the pack she found it and pulled it out and as she unfolded it, she realized there was a spare pair of leggings too, which made her very happy as her current ones were now so mud and blood splattered that the original color could hardly be told.

"We have had our share of scratches," Elrohir said. "The stinging and burning can be lessened if you can manage to keep your clothes from rubbing on it."

"Thus, if you elect to stay inside until the water is hot, we shall not think you are being unsocial," Elladan said.

Lothril chuckled and winced. "Oh good! I should hate to be called a recluse," she said sarcastically.

The twins both laughed and then Elladan asked, "Do you think you shall be needing help with your wound?"

She frowned as they began hanging the second blanket. "Yes, I think I shall. At least with cleaning it anyway. I might be able to bind it myself."

Elladan nodded then looked towards the door and called, "Legolas, tolo grestog melethrilegen!" (Legolas, come aid your girlfriend!)

"I could have done that," Lothril said dryly.

"Yes, but you ought not until your wound is cleaned and bound or else you shall start bleeding again," Elladan replied with a grin.

She shook her head and tried not to smile.

"It is getting quite dark, we shall return shortly with some lights for you," Elrohir said.

"Thank you both," she replied with an appreciative smile.

With that they took their leave. Outside the tent she could see Legolas had a fire started and Gimli was working on bringing over wood. She could also see that there were barrels, boxes, and casks from the ship being stacked up along the wall of the tent. She imagined it would be a while before the water was hot, so she pulled out a small tin and a couple of leaves from her pack and then called to Legolas.

"When you start heating the water, come and I will give you some things to put in it for me."

"Then I shall come now for I have it on the fire already," he said.

She saw him stand and watched his shadow come towards the door then saw his hand pull back the blanket. "Here," she said, holding them out to him, but staying sitting on the cot. "Bruise them and throw them in the water and let them boil for a few minutes, then bring it to me."

He nodded then left and she watched his shadow return to his place in front of the fire. A minute or two later the twins returned, each with two lanterns.

"Here we are," Elrohir said as they began hanging them up for her. "We supposed you would want a fair amount light."

"It might be helpful, I suppose," she joked.

They all chuckled a little and once the lanterns were hung, the twins looked about and Elladan said, "I think that should be sufficient. If you need anything else, let us know. We shall be about tending to other scratched and bruised soldiers who also refuse to take up a bed yonder."

She thanked them and they turned to leave but then Elrohir stayed a moment and added, "If you have any designs of marching upon Mordor, I would see to expediting the healing process after you have eaten and slept."

She nodded. "Good idea. Thank you."

Elrohir gave a small bow of his head and then ducked out.

"Finally!" she thought to herself as she began rolling her tunic up. The stinging and burning were still there, but it was greatly reduced once nothing was rubbing on it anymore. She almost sighed in relief but the inhale for it stopped short as it started to smart again. She wasn't bleeding much at the moment, and she wanted to keep it that way until Legolas came back with the water. She laid down and stared at the ceiling and listened to the conversations outside. There seemed to be a press to find the last of the wounded and not dead while there was still some light left. It grieved her and she hoped her presence had perhaps saved one or two that may have otherwise perished. In the morning she thought she might ask Aragorn if her services as a healer would be needed. She had hoped to volunteer that evening, but the truth of it was, even though it was a mere scratch, it had been bleeding the better part of the day and she was feeling a little light headed from it. Suddenly she felt Legolas' mind reaching for her.

"The water has boiled and I have done as you said. Would you like me to come in now?"

"Come in. And bring a cloth, for I have none. And a separate bowl if one is to be found."

"Elladan made sure I had those things. I am coming in."

A moment later, Legolas came in holding a small cauldron with feet and a bowl with some cloths in it. He set the steaming cauldron on the ground and the bowl upon the table.

"Do you truly need aid in cleaning your wound?" he asked as he knelt beside the cot.

"I need aid. I cannot see it well enough to be able to tell if I have cleaned it out thoroughly. At least, not easily and without causing myself a fair amount of discomfort," she answered. "Do you know what to do?"

He nodded. "I am no healer, but I have treated more than few scratches." He filled the bowl about halfway with water and then began tending her. She winced a bit but assured him he was doing just fine and it was stinging because of the leaves that she had him put in the water.

"There, it is cleaned out," Legolas said as he put the cloth back in the bowl and grabbed the other one and began drying off the area around the wound.

"Thank you," she said. She reached over onto the table and grabbed the little tin she had pulled out of her bag.

"Let me do that," he said. "If you cannot clean the wound yourself, I do not think you should be attempting to do this either."

"No, I think I can manage this."

"Perhaps, but there is no need and I am already here," he said.

"True enough, I suppose." She handed him the tin and he began to gingerly apply the salve.

He smiled a little at her comment but then it faded as he concentrated on not hurting her as he rubbed the salve in. "There, I think that ought to do. Do you have bandages?"

"I do, sitting on top in my pack."

He pulled over her open pack and pulled out a roll of bandages and then helped her sit up as she tried to hold her shirt in place.

"I am going to apologize now in case something happens and you see too much. I am painfully aware of where this wound is and well, we shall need to wrap it above and below the wound. I shall be very careful, but I can promise nothing," she said.

He shook his head as he began unwinding a little bit of the bandage roll. "The twins are off aiding others and you are wounded and I must aid you. I promise, I shall not look even if something happens. I want to savor that view on our wedding night, not now while you are bleeding and we sit in the midst of a battlefield."

"You are a very noble and honorable elf. Far too good for me, I am sure," she said with a smile.

He began bandaging her. "Oh Lothril, shall you ever learn to see yourself clearly? I am certain I am not too good for you. After today I almost wonder if I am good enough. You were masterful in battle today. I do not think such a show of power has been seen on the battlefield since the Eldar Days," he said.

"And yet here I sit with a six inch gash and you are unscathed," she frowned.

"True, but I was not fighting three enemies at once with both hands. Nor was I thrown by a troll. That that encounter left you unmarked is a wonder to me," he said, but as he said it he suddenly stopped and frowned and then moved so he could see her back. "You are bruised."

"Is it bad?"

"I can only see a few inches of it, but I have not seen such colors since I last beheld a rainbow. You shall certainly feel that tomorrow."

"Maybe, maybe not. Hand to me that wooden box in my bag, please," she said, pointing to her open bag. He held the bandage in place with one hand and handed her the box with the other. "When you are done bandaging me, slather a thick layer of this on it," she said, opening another small tin and setting it down on beside her.

"Here, hold the bandage in place for a moment. I shall need to cover some of your bruise now before I finish bandaging you," he said. He put a generous layer on and then kept wrapping her. Once done, he looked at her and said, "Stand up and turn around." She did and he began carefully applying the balm to her bruise. "I am going to beg your pardon as I shift your clothes so I can reach your whole bruise."

"Do what you must," she said.

As her hands were full holding everything in place, he untied the drawstring and was able to shift the fabric enough to see and reach her whole bruise which went a ways down her hip. "Good Elbereth! How hard were you thrown?!"

"Fairly hard. It hurt a good deal and I had the wind knocked out of me. Thankfully that troll was slow. How bad is it?"

"It goes from mid-back to your lower hip and it is an amazing assortment of colors," he answered. "I suggest sleeping on your side tonight."

"I shall do that. Thank you for doing this for me," she said, sounding apologetic.

"You are welcome. Think nothing of it," he replied. "There, I am done. Gimli was starting supper when I came in here. If you like, I shall bring you something when it is ready."

"No, I shall come out I think as soon as the balm on my back dries," she said.

"Would you like me to keep you company?" he asked.

"No, but if you could empty the bowl and leave me with clean water and the other clean cloth, I would be grateful," she answered.

He nodded and left her with clean warm water and the other cloth and joined Gimli.

"How goes things?" Legolas asked as he settled beside the dwarf.

"I have salted pork in the pot. I am not sure though about the spices and I have not made up my mind on what to do with the potatoes or pickled vegetables," Gimli asked.

"Pickled vegetables? Are there any pickled carrots? And what spices do we have?" Legolas asked.

Gimli reached over and grabbed a small chest and handed it to Legolas. The elf opened it up and his face lit up. It was basically a large tackle box full of spices. Then Gimli leaned over and dragged over a crate packed with straw and a dozen jars of pickled vegetables.

The Elf thanked him and left the crate beside him as he opened up the spice box. "We have some expensive things here my friend," Legolas said.

"I have never seen the half of them before," Gimli commented.

"That does not surprise me. My father has hardly seen some of these," Legolas said. He peered into the pot and mixed things around a little with the ladle and then began throwing in spices. "Peel the potatoes and throw them in," Legolas said after a minute. "It will make it a thicker stew and I think we are set up to have a nice broth." Then he began opening up the jars and tossing in or slicing then tossing in pickled vegetables as he thought they would work with what they had going, munching on the odd pickled carrot or bean.

Gimli nodded and set to peeling. "How is the lady?"

"It is a nasty scratch but no more. She is bruised also from being thrown by that troll, but that is the worst of it," Legolas answered.

Gimli gave a brisk nod. "I am glad to hear it is no more. When that troll threw her I thought she was certainly done for, but then when she stood up and charged it, I could hardly believe my own eyes."

Legolas nodded. He had seen the troll coming towards her, he had tried desperately to reach her, and when she was thrown his heart nearly stopped. Then she stood up and looked like a storm that gathers strength as it rolls across the plain.

After a few minutes, Lothril came out looking a bit cleaner and wearing clean clothes. Gimli pulled over a wooden crate and said, "Here milady, sit down upon this."

"Thank you, Gimli," she said as she sat down carefully. "Supper is smelling amazing! What is it?"

"Salt pork with potatoes and pickled vegetables," Gimli said.

Lothril got a funny look on her face. "Pickled vegetables? Huh. I guess why not. Never thought about eating them in a stew before."

"How do you usually eat them?" Legolas asked.

"I have not really eaten much in the way of pickled vegetables before," she replied.

"You have not? Would you like to try one?" Legolas asked, tilting the jar he was plucking vegetables from towards her. She thanked him and helped herself.

She took a bite and her eyes lit up. This was nice! "The Haradrim certainly feed their sailors well," she said as she picked out a second carrot.

"You should see the spice box," Legolas said, handing it to her.

She set down the jar and opened up the spice box. "Quite the assortment! Salt, pepper, cinnamon, turmeric, saffron, cloves, nutmeg, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme… Who have they been trading with, I wonder? Surely Sauron is not doubling as a spice merchant."

Legolas shrugged. "Perhaps they grow all those things," he said.

She frowned. "Maybe. I would have to ask Aragorn. He has wandered so far south. I know in my world only certain places can grow certain spices. A large portion of my world's history during a certain age all but revolved around getting certain spices and fabrics. Now though, commerce is easy and we have learned how to grow a lot of things in places they are not native to. Except for the saffron here, most of these things I can buy at a market at home for fairly cheap."

"Really?" Legolas asked. "For my father loves nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves but they are not readily available, so he uses them sparingly."

"Oh? Perhaps when I go home, I shall buy some in bulk for him and bring it back. I wish I had realized that though when I was in Mirkwood. The spice cake was excellent and I am glad I praised it as I did, but I should have thanked him for honoring me in such a fashion. I had no idea. They have been a fairly common thing in my country for hundreds of years, so I did not even think twice about the fact the cake was so full of cinnamon and nutmeg. I hope he was not offended," she said.

Legolas smiled. "Not at all. Your praise was quite sufficient, and that you seemed to genuinely enjoy it was more than enough."

"Oh good. I had such a very hard time reading him," she said.

Legolas laughed. "He can be difficult to read until you are used to him."

After a while the stew was ready and with it they had beer from the ship as well. Lothril really didn't care for it, but it was better than nothing and she was not about to drink water from the ship or go looking for a well. They were nearly finished with supper when the sons of Elrond returned. It was quite dark out now and there was very little else to be done. They offered the twins some of their stew, which they gladly accepted. Not too long after Aragorn returned and finished off the remainder of the meal and then they all went to sleep.

A/N: A note about pants – historically speaking, pants are a very interesting topic and have a fascinating history that ranges from practical to silly. They have also had some very interesting constructions and styles with various ways of keeping them on/fastened. Because I sew a little, because I like history, and because I am a colossal nerd, I decided to research pants a little bit for this chapter in trying to figure out exactly what one would have to do in order to reach all of a bruise that covered someone else's whole back. I'm going to go ahead and say Middle-earth didn't have elastic waist bands, stretch fabrics, or zippers. I know many a Ren Fest goer and fan-fic writer has opted for lace up pants, but I decided to opt for a draw string and button construction for… practical purposes… adjustable, firmly stay in place waist, also ease of access, quasi reminiscent of some medieval and older trousers I found pictures of. Anyway, I didn't want to bog down the scene with this, but I did put a great deal of thought into it and practical considerations. Because other people will just gloss over such trivialities and keep writing, but this nerd will stop everything and research and design a pair of freaking pants. I may have problems…

Oh, and I wrote this chapter like late last spring/early summer, and at the end of the fall I pickled some late season green beans and carrots… Ridiculouslydelicious! I haven't tried putting them in a stew yet… mostly because I ate the first jar I opened in a day… however, I fully believe they would be fantastic in a stew with salt pork and one of these days, I will actually do that, but having eaten salted pork and pickled beans and carrots… I legit think my made up stew was probably pretty dang nice.

One final note – In writing a fanfic about a book written by a fellow who died in 1973, I supposed I had the fullness of his works at my disposal, especially when I started rewriting in 2015. Of course, Christopher Tolkien had a few more books to put out, but largely they were just stories told elsewhere put into more of a novel form (instead of a poetic one). And then, here I am, day after Christmas 2021 and I see ONE. MORE. BOOK. One that looks like it was published this past fall, and somehow without my notice, called "Nature of Middle-earth" which delves into such things like how do elves grow? How long does it take? How old are they generally when they marry, or are able to marry, how tall are they, etc.? I found it Sunday and downloaded a preview on Amazon and poured through it, then my hardback copy arrived Tuesday and after a very thorough traipsing through it, I concluded I was more or less correct on how long Elves take to develop, but I underestimated their height. Apparently, the average male elf is 6 foot (2meters) or taller and female elves are round about the 6ft mark too. Which means Lee Pace at 6ft 5in is actually perfectly average and totally canonical. So that said, my original height of having Lothril at 5ft, 7in actually makes her a short little thing and canonically speaking, that's problematic... as I am a huge dorky nerd trying to make this thing as canonical as I can. So, I am going to go back and make some very light edits to up her height to closer to the six foot mark. I'm just noting this in case you go back and read this later and think you're crazy or misremembering. You're not.