.

Rest and Recovery

.

The Numenorean fleet drifted swiftly past the wreck of corsair pirates. Eventually when all judged they had put enough distance from their enemies, they stopped and anchored together, and their rescuers crossed over to greet their friends.

"Vëantur?" cried Elrond. "To what do we owe such a fortuitous encounter?"

The Numenorean captain greeted him, telling him that they had recently sailed from Gil-galad's city Lindon at the Havens. They had planned to sail up the rivers nearby to meet with the mortal settlements and survey the forests in the midlands. "But," said Vëantur, "Círdan informed us that you had left not long before, and were making your way to an elvish port further south. We had never yet gone so far south, so we decided to postpone our plans, seeking to catch you up."

"A good decision!" said Elrond, "for us at least, and you shall have our eternal gratitude for it."

To Elrond's great wonder and honor Vëantur introduced his new first mate: his nephew Prince Aldarion, heir to the throne of his island kingdom. "A pity he is the king's only heir," said Vëantur, "for he is an eager mariner, and I think the duties of rule will find stiff competition in his heart with the call of the sea."

The others began to ask more mundane questions; Dúrlos on the craftwork of their great arrows, Eäriel on the design of their sails and oars. The arrows, it turned out, they had developed for hunting great game at sea, for which they also fashioned holes through which to fix a rope to them, and grand bows to give the power and distance required. The sails were thoughtfully cut and rigged for the better capture of wind, but they also brought plentiful long oars to row their tall boats, for the journey from Numenor was far, and they could not always depend on the grace of Lord Manwe for a breeze in their favor.

"Perhaps we should resume these discussions in a safer spot," Elrond said to the group, to which all readily agreed. Then the elven fleet led the way for the next few days with the Numenoreans following, until they came at last to the elf port of Edhellond. There the elf voyagers found that since their last visit the small realm had built up defenses quite extensively there, with covered stairways and walkways going up the hills and leading to the village beyond, which was now protected by a large wooden wall. There were now guard shacks housing archers set amid the homes of the sea folk by the little bay, and by the lamp tower, and along the walkways and town walls, with more stations of wood elves set up on small platforms in the trees. Down in the shipyard larger boats were under construction, boats which, they learned, meant to serve new waves of elves desiring to migrate to safety in Valinor.

Here Elrond told Queen Ereloth their tale of battle on the seas, introducing their friends and rescuers. The Queen welcomed them all kindly.

"It is well you have come," she said, "and most fortunate that your stout seafaring friends found you in time. Not only for your own safety, but for ours. For these marauders come from out of the far south, and have been growing in number in the region. They also have grown in boldness of late, and their aggressions have been the downfall of many around here, both man and elf, in life, limb, and fortune. Most of the mortals have removed from the coast inland to the upper vales of the river lands."

"Your good counsel has proved most valuable to our security since your last visit, my friend," she added, "and I would ask for any help that you and your friends could provide."

"We will do all we can to provide any further help to you and your kingdom," said Elrond.

"And Numenor also would be happy to advise you as we are able," said Vëantur. "We are grateful for the safe harbor in your well-guarded town."

"Yes," added Aldarion, "there is much guidance we could give for the design and manning of your ships and managing your woods for lumber."

"We can stay for a while," Elrond injected, "but not for very long. For I should continue my journey before the warm season wanes, and I would not keep our friends from their return journey too long."

"We are deeply grateful for any time you can give," said the queen, "and we will provide you with an escort to guide you up the Anduin river as before, when you are ready to proceed."

So their guests stayed with them for a while and gave them assistance as they could. Elrond offered guidance on improvements to the layout and manning of their defense system, while Vëantur and his mortal friends gifted them several of their massive bows and sets of arrows, with instruction on their use and on crafting their own. Prince Aldarion was also an avid forester, always with his mind on maintaining plentiful sources of timber for his goals in the construction of ships and docks and port towns, and he advised them on the farming of trees to serve all their needs. Ereloth was eager to learn all they would teach, from fortification and defenses to warrior's work and command of forces in the field, desiring to carry her father's legacy, and Elrond instructed her in all he knew on these things, foreseeing that the people here would have need of such skills and knowledge in leadership before long.

At length Elrond resolved to move on with his tour, and parted with Queen Ereloth and the elves of Edhellond. He invited his distant mortal kindred out of Numenor to join them on the journey inland. For this they agreed to follow him up the river only as far as the great falls, for all their hearts were with the sea and they would not stay long away from it. They also desired to go and meet with the mortal settlements back up north toward Gil-galad's realm as they had planned, and complete their mission to survey the forests in those parts before returning home.

The Numenoreans were in awe of the long and wide river Anduin, and the fertile plains of its southern valley hedged on either side by tall mountain ranges. They left with every intent of visiting the area again for a better survey of the land on a future trip. But finally they turned around at the falls, and parted with their elf friends. Elrond now also parted with Eäriel and her small fleet and crews, who much to their relief could now return with the escort of the Numenoreans as far as the Greyflood River up in the midlands not far from their king's realm. Then he set out with an armed company of twelve, and a few pack animals pulling carts to carry the stores of gifts and supplies.

They came again to the realm of King Amdír, who had likewise sharpened security at his borders recently.

"Wolf and Warg activity has been steadily increasing over the years," he told Elrond, "even more so than before. "We have had reports that the woodmen up north have been troubled by them of late."

Elrond was quite concerned at this news, now anxious to finish his tour and make his report to Gil-galad and Galadriel. But they had stayed at Edhellond quite a long time, far longer than they had originally planned. By the time they reached the Golden Valley the warm season was waning already, and they were finally able to see the glorious colors of autumn in the elf realm up close. But to Elrond's disappointment Amdír had no news from the smith elves living up in the dwarf kingdom, as Morfindel the maiden huntress had not been seen in the valley for quite some time. So he and his team stayed on with their friends there and sheltered through that winter, which to their benefit was mild and short that year. At last the frosts began to melt when spring approached again, and they finally continued on, making their way north up the river lands as they had many times before.