Gwin and crew check in with the Brenin, and preparations continue to get the Falcon clan back on their feet. Enjoy the chapter! Can't believe it's Chapter 100!

Chapter 100

Lheu Brenin looked up from the table he was standing over, nodding in greeting. It looked like a map and various written reports were strewn across it, but I did not get a good look before he started speaking. "What have you learned from the Emissary?" he asked, getting straight to the point.

Halbarad sighed, "Not much more than you already know. He was surprised and distressed to know the enemy at the barricade was defeated, as he clearly was hoping to use it as leverage against you."

The Brenin's eyes glittered with satisfaction. "One less thing for us to worry about. Our people are strong," he said proudly. I smiled at his words, agreeing with his assessment.

"He reiterated his message regarding the benefits of choosing to side with Saruman, and the risks your people would face if you oppose him. He did not say much else, except spouting threats of violence against Gwinthilnel." Halbarad looked grim as he said this, and I knew he would do just about anything to protect me.

"You will come under no harm while you dwell here," Lheu Brenin said firmly. "Even if we are forced to fight, you have my protection."

I dipped my head, "Thank you Brenin, I value your help."

He gave me a small smile, and I noticed some humor in his voice as he said, "So, I hear you are an Elichthi."

I huffed a laugh, "Penrod did a good job not revealing it was new information while speaking to Gwilhum." I paused, "I must tell you, the twins you may have heard about are also Elves, Elladan and Elrohir. They are my brothers."

His smile widened, "I welcome anyone who provides us with help, Elichthi or Man," he reassured me, and I was pleasantly surprised to hear it. Most Dunlendings were distrustful of Elves, and it was nice to see another of their people set the prejudices aside during such dark times. "Now, if there is anything you need, please let Penrod or my daughter know. Do you have food of your own?"

Halbarad nodded, "We have plenty of provisions, for our journey has been long, but if there is a market, we would be willing customers." Although he was right in saying we had food and other supplies, it would only last so long, and this was another unexpected detour. Ergothorn had mentioned this market, and it made me reflect on how his previous time here was the start of so many things in Enedwaith. I wondered what he was up to now, and if he had made it to Theodred's camp in the Gravenwood. We would be heading through that region eventually, and I hoped to have a chance to say hello.

The Brenin nodded, "We have a market, which opens twice a week. Make sure to get there early, or you might find what you need is already gone." He said this with some joviality, but I could hear a flicker of sadness underneath. What he truly meant was that they didn't have enough goods to stay open long enough to provide it to customers all day. It made me feel guilty at the plethora of goods in the markets of Imladris and Celondim, and how there was never the slightest possibility of having less than was needed. I wished I could magically give these people supplies from those places, yet I knew all we could do was help them get back on their feet. Providing them with a source of income by purchasing what goods they had would need to be enough.

I forced a smile on my face and said gratefully, "Thank you, I am certain many of us will be there tomorrow."

Halbarad asked, "How can we help with the defenses? Whom shall we speak to?"

The Brenin told us where to find Iwan, who was in charge of their small army. It was made up of all of the able-bodied men, rather than anything voluntary. Perhaps it had been a chosen profession in the past, but with many of their menfolk slain in battle or by illness, they took anyone who was fit to hold a sword. We passed by the training grounds as Iwan escorted us around the village to show us the defenses they already had in place, and I was dismayed to see the age of these men. Some were mere boys, barely old enough to hold a sword and swing it without falling over from its weight. Others were elderly, but the grim determination on their faces made it clear they would not let their age stop them.

Elladan and Elrohir were demonstrating some different sword-fighting techniques, and I could see the wide-eyed admiration of some of the younger men. I held in a smile as Elrohir caught my eye and winked, before doing an unnecessarily complicated maneuver, adding an extra flourish at the end. I heard one of the young boys gasp, excitement and awe on his face. I noticed Calenglad was nearby, working with a blacksmith to teach him more about weapon-crafting. It would be good to make sure their weaponry was sharp and sturdy; they couldn't afford to have swords or spears breaking in the middle of a battle.

"Now, as you see here, we have guard towers stationed around the fencing of the city. If you notice further ahead down the road, we have a gate with two guard towers, and the secondary gate where we now stand has two more. Others are evenly spaced around the perimeter of the city, with two small ones built directly into the rock wall around the back side. They just need some repairs," Iwan explained.

Halbarad eyed the towers in thought. "It would be good to keep buckets of water nearby. If the enemy were to shoot fire-tipped arrows, wetting down the roofing above the tower and posts below would help prevent them from going up in flames."

Iwan raised his eyebrows, impressed. "Now why didn't I think of that?" he mused. I held in a laugh and simply followed him as he explained how the fencing had steel tips on the top, which was jagged and pointed. The wood was very smooth, and surrounded by sharp rocks in many places. It could make scaling the walls difficult for the enemy, which was good of course. A fair bit needed to be smoothed out again, but it would be an easy job to accomplish with the right equipment. Iwan explained they would lower the person making the repairs down with rope, so they would not have to stand on the perilous stones below. I could see a few men and women already beginning this work, and hoped it would be enough.

"Do you have any barricades built?" Halbarad inquired. "You may need to use them to reinforce your gates."

"We had considered building them, but wondered if perhaps you had some ideas to make them more durable?" Iwan said. Halbarad did indeed have some suggestions, and while they discussed it, Candaith and I wandered over to Golodir and Corunir. The former seemed deep in thought while he methodically ran a brush down a hide he was working on, his brow furrowed.

I decided to ask him what was on his mind, "Golodir?" his gaze snapped to mine. "What troubles you, mellon nin?"

He sighed heavily, "You will think I am being paranoid," he said gruffly, and Corunir raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"Perhaps, or perhaps not," I replied. "Why don't you tell me, and I will judge it for myself?"

Golodir stayed quiet for so long that I had decided to leave him to his thoughts, when he motioned me to come closer. Sitting close beside him, he murmured, "There is something about the Brenin which makes me uneasy."

"Hmm," I said. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged and seemed frustrated, "I do not know exactly what, for I cannot put my finger on the reason I would feel this way."

"He seems welcoming and grateful enough," Candaith said slowly.

"That is true, but why is he so trusting, so quickly?" Golodir asked.

"Well, we did help save them from starvation and defeat in battle," I chimed in. "I would be thankful, if I were him." Plus, most of his people seemed gladdened by our presence. Could so many be pretending?

"Yes, that is true," Golodir mused. "Yet, I cannot ignore my instincts. I will keep a close eye on him, and I would ask the rest of you to do the same, but carefully. We do not want him to suspect we are observing him in this way."

The other three of us nodded, but my mind was racing. We could not afford to be played by someone; we had enough enemies of our own to deal with. I was a good judge of character, and had not sensed any malice or ill-intent. However, looks could be deceiving. I could only pray Golodir's fears were unfounded and would prove false.

Only time would tell, and we did not have much of it. "Let us continue with our work, and hopefully our aid will further endear us to him and decrease any chance of betrayal."

Seeming to shake himself out of this melancholic mood, Golodir quirked a rare smile and glanced at Corunir, "Do you remember the fire-worm incident in East Malenhad?" I noticed he seemed glad to change the subject. I quickly visualized the map of Angmar in my mind, and remembered Malenhad's swampy landscape. Fire-worms were prevalent there, with a variety of other nasty things like giant salamanders, and plenty of goblins and orcs roamed around. Not my favorite place, that was certain.

Corunir grinned, and began to tell the story Golodir must have been referring to, "After Gwin helped me cross the…" his smile faltered for a moment, and a familiar, haunted expression crossed his face briefly. I squeezed his hand, encouraging him to continue. "After we crossed the Rammas Deluon," he swallowed thickly, and I was sure both of us were remembering the terror of the Watching Stones. Many had died attempting to cross into Malenhad using this route, and only after we had both mastered the will of one of the Watchers were we able to pass through the field of Stones. His smile returned, although a little less bright. "We dodged a variety of creatures before coming across a veritable nest full of giant fire-worms."

I groaned, now remembering the story, "You insisted we could use the hides of them as an additive to armor, to make it more fire-resistant. I tried to convince you it was foolish, but you wouldn't listen!"

"Hey, I thought it was a great idea…at the time," Corunir replied. "It ended with my clothes covered in scorch marks and a nice burn on my left arm." He pulled up his sleeve to show some light scarring on the skin. "At least the worms were dead!"

"You mean three were dead out of the dozens that were in the small area we had been in," I added drily, rolling my eyes.

Corunir laughed, "Hey, three less worms to worry about, right?"

"What happened next?" Candaith asked, eyes dancing with mirth.

I chimed in, "I threw him on his horse and we took the perilous road to Garth Forthnir." I smiled at Golodir. "My introduction to Golodir was me escorting a hobbling Corunir rapidly through the cave passages to find a healer."

Golodir smirked, "Corunir was moaning the whole way; I am surprised you didn't draw the entire force of Angmarim from Nan Gurth to follow you."

"Anyway, despite the dramatics, we got you patched up just fine. You were pretty annoyed I left the worm hides behind though," I said with a grin.

"You got up to a lot of trouble without me, didn't you Gwin?" Candaith accused me, and he laughed as I shrugged helplessly. The sound made my heart flutter, and I smiled.

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