[Mithadan]

Chapter XV

RETURN TO RIVENDELL

Ellie's disappointment (at missing her kiss) and embarrassment (at being caught at it!) were lost in a squeal of unsurpassed joy. The two young hobbits ran up the trail to greet their friends. This noise woke Maddie and Furry as well, and as soon as they were awake enough to realize that Ellie was in no danger, and to see what was happening, they too ran to join the happy meeting.

And a happy meeting it was, overflowing with the joy that is only known by those who are reunited with loved ones feared lost and dead. I must say that there was even a tear (for perhaps the briefest moment) spied by Ellie in the eye of grim Cairduin. Cairdur grinned from ear to ear, for now his own joy was completed in his father's return and in the hobbits' delight.

But they were quite a sight! Both of the rangers were bruised and cut. Gimli's leg was bound with bandages and he had been bleeding. Only Legolas and the wizard seemed more or less unscathed.

Nothing would do but for the entire story to be told to the eager hobbits, who surely could not simply return to sleep, so great was their excitement. As usual, Gimli the Dwarf took the task of telling the tale upon himself, for he never shirked such burdens if he could help it.

"We thought we were done for!" the dwarf began. "There were wolves all about, leaping and howling. I have not wielded my axe in such a way since the great War! I hewed at all that came near on four legs or two and taught them the fear of a dwarf in battle!"

"The way he was swinging that thing, he taught this elf some fear as well!" Legolas laughed.

"Well perhaps I was none too careful, but one must watch one's own head in a melee," the dwarf laughed with him. "But I saw much and I must say that the Rangers deal death with a dour hand. Their long swords flashed together by the full moon light and many a goblin saw his death reflected in those blades that night. Legolas shot every shaft he had and there were none that left the bow of Lorien that did not find their deadly mark.

"But there were so many of them!" cried Ellie, despite herself.

"That is true," the dwarf continued, "the horses of the rangers were slain, and the band of orcs that followed on foot could no longer be outrun. The wolves were dead, as were the goblins that rode them, but then a veritable horde of orcs was upon us! Feorn here might have come to find only our carcasses, for the wolves and the goblins that rode them do their job well enough, though it cost many of them their miserable lives. Knife of elf, swords of men, and axe of dwarf were not enough to fend off such numbers, though if orcs lament their dead, they would have had much to grieve ere we were struck down at the bitter last. Then, our wizard, good old Pallando, recalled at last a spell that they could not resist. He uttered words in a language unknown to me, and everywhere he looked, at each orc that his eyes glanced upon, the spell fell upon them. Suddenly, in full howl and lust for blood, each and every one of the foul number fell to the ground. Pallando's vision swept across the field and each of them fell as wheat to a scythe! And that was that!"

"If I could have remembered the spell sooner, we might have all been saved much grief," said the old wizard modestly. "I planned for us to leave them there. As it is, we came out well enough."

"Well enough," said Aradhel. "Not often does such a small company escape such an onslaught."

"Aye," said Cairduin. "They were rather too well organized, it seemed to me. We searched their bodies, but could find no tokens that might have told where they were from, no clues as to why they were there."

"It still makes no sense to me," said Aradhel. "They came upon us far from their last haunts, unless there be new ones opened all too close. They breed like rats and have even less scruples. Still, it is odd that such a company should come upon us by chance."

"Odd and more than odd," agreed Feorn. "We have pushed them out of these regions, and it has been years since the goblins have shown themselves within a day's run north of the Carrock. We must return to our vigilance of old."

"When Feorn found us," said the dwarf, resuming his story, "I was just beginning to feel well enough to move on. Believe me, I wanted us to leave as soon as possible! Sitting there in the midst of all those orcs sleeping through the day was terrible!

"You searched them while they were asleep?" asked Maddie. "Weren't you afraid they would wake up?"

Feorn laughed, and the rangers did not answer.

Ellie shuddered, "You... you killed them in their sleep?"

"They are vermin," said Feorn. "Had they ever awakened from their little nap, they would have only murdered the next party to pass. I will not share in that guilt."

Ellie was disturbed by this, but had no answer, and so said nothing. She was a rather sensitive hobbit girl, you must remember, and unaccustomed to living tales of blood and violence, much preferring to read about such deeds when committed long ago. She found that she didn't at all enjoy hearing of them first hand. What she would have made of television news, I can't imagine! But Gimli, like most dwarves, had little pity for orcs or goblins, since many of his dear relatives had died at their hands, and he had slain not a few of the evil creatures himself in his day. The Rangers did not relish the idea of killing even wicked orcs in cold blood. Goblin slaying of any sort did not bother Gimli the Dwarf or Feorn the Beorning in the slightest. The old dwarf continued.

"We were sorting out our goods," Gimli said. "Deciding what to take and what to leave, when a great bear and many other bears came lumbering and sniffing at the carnage. I feared that our troubles were not behind us at all. The bears became enraged when they found the orcs alive and they slew them on the ground. I feared that we were next, but when the last goblin was dead so was the fury of the bears. At a call from the great bear, they simply turned away and went loping back to the woods. The great bear was Feorn. Before my eyes, he transformed from a gigantic bear into this shape you see here and it was one of the most amazing sights these old eyes have seen, and they have seen many wondrous things, I can tell you! After the rangers finished examining the slain, Feorn offered to help pull the wagon, seeing that my leg was scratched."

"It was that, or all of us take turns carrying you and such things as you couldn't leave. Seemed easier to me," said the big man.

"We couldn't have done it without you. As it is, we were able to retrieve everything," said Cairduin. "Though I'm afraid our wizard is a little footsore."

"We went along quite a way in this fashion," said Aradhel, "the three of us pulling the wagon with Master Dwarf aboard, and the wizard and the elf on one hand and the other."

"Then someone disobeyed his orders," growled Cairduin. Cairdur only smiled back, for he knew his father's dour jests and was glad to be hearing them again. The rest of the story was obvious, for they hitched Bill back to the wagon and were soon on their way, stopping only briefly and not at all the last day. They were tired and ready to rest and were all sound asleep as soon as the excitement wore off and they found places near the fire.

***

The next day was spent in rest for the weary travelers, and in preparations for the remainder of the journey. Madrigal insisted on giving the old couple a gift of six silver pennies. Old Greta clearly wanted to accept them, but Mark was being stubborn.

"Seems like charity. We weren't charging nothing. This ain't no Laketown bed and breakfast! We done it for hospitality, not for pay!" the old man said.

"See here, old father!" said Maddie. "This is not charity! Well, maybe it is a little. But it was more than hospitality the way you've helped us. Now that was charity! As far as you knew, we had no gifts to give you and you would never have heard from us again. I doubt very much that you will ever come over the Misty Mountains to visit me in Brandy Hall. You owe me a visit! You have given us the gift of your hospitality and so you must receive a gift from us! Until you do, you owe me! So relieve your debt by accepting this gift!"

The proud old man's eyes grew bright with emotion and he smiled a little despite himself, but could only answer with a nod. Perhaps he was unused to feelings of that sort, for he turned away without another word and shut himself in the little cabin.

"Meateater," Feorn growled to himself.

"She bargains as well as a dwarf!" Gimli laughed.

"But have dwarves ever bargained their money away?" Legolas asked. But Gimli only laughed the more. In the end, Maddie, as usual, had her way and gave the money to Greta, who quite gratefully accepted.

"Mark will feel better about having it when we really need it, as I'm sure we will!" the old woman said.

Dawn the morning after saw them early on their way. Feorn went with them some distance and then turned aside from the trail to go his way. The Master of the Beornings was not much interested in Maddie's Proclamation, but received it from her little hand before he left them. The rolling land of the Beornings, in the northern valley of the River Anduin, was surpassingly lovely in the spring. Situated between Greenwood the Great and the Misty Mountains, the lush valley was fairly populated with rustic houses and farmlands.

"It reminds me of home," Elediriel said wistfully. The hobbit lass was more than a little homesick by this time and was tired of the trail and was really missing her dear old mother. The other hobbits agreed that the land of the Beornings very much reminded them of home (but of course Turry and Furry would never admit any homesickness).

If there were time, we could follow our friends down the River Anduin to the Old Forest Road, and then across the Misty Mountains. This might take much telling, but there is really little to be told. Gimli's leg gradually healed, since Maddie and Ellie would not let the old dwarf do anything for himself (which he did not mind a bit). The Rangers remained on foot preferring to replace their horses with other horses trained especially by the rangers, rather than taking on the burden of new horses from among the farms of the Beornings.

Ellie continued to ride with Maddie on Cider. She told no one of what almost happened at the well, and somehow there was never an opportunity for she and Turry to talk alone again. That Tookish twinkle in his eye was still there, but she felt confused, for he never mentioned the incident at the well and did not seem as interested in her as he was in his new passion for arrow making, which he shared with his brother. The Twins were trying very hard to make suitable arrow shafts for the dwarven arrowheads they were given, and would not be satisfied until they had learned to make shafts worthy of the craftsmanship. For his part, Turry was a little embarrassed and even feared he had nearly gone too far, since Ellie never brought up the incident at the well again, and seemed less interested in him than in her journal, which she ardently wrote every day.

In fact, among the things she wrote about, was her growing curiosity about Pallando. There were things in his story that somehow did not make sense to her, but she could never put a finger on the source or the nature of her disquiet and she shared it with no one. And she was also becoming suspicious (of what she knew not), for again the old man had taken to talking to the wildlife, and again there was a crow following them.

But there truly were no goblins left in this part of the Misty Mountains, or at least if there were, they no longer dared waylay travelers on the old Road. As the rangers had said, there was now a fair bit of traffic on the road. There were dwarves going about their business, who never failed to tip their hoods to Gimli. There were merchants taking their wares from where they were plentiful to where they were scarce. And there were other rangers, who routinely patrolled the King's Highways.

West of the Misty Mountains, the Road returned to the green valleys and woods and hills that they all knew. It had been many years, since before the great war, that Legolas or Gimli had traveled there, when long ago they came to Rivendell, met as if by chance with many others to take counsel against the Shadow. Legolas looked forward to seeing again the remnants of the children of the Noldor and his far kindred, the immigrants from Lothlorien who came with Celeborn, once Lord of the Golden Wood and now the Lord of Rivendell. For his part, Gimli also looked forward to returning to Rivendell, if only because it would mean the end of their journey and the end of the annoying crows.

The dark carrion birds no longer amused the old dwarf. "Hark how they laugh at us, as if they know something we do not!" said Gimli, when his anger overboiled one day.

Pallando obligingly shooed them away and they did not follow again so closely, though Ellie thought she saw them high above more than once afterwards.

They camped alone less frequently and perhaps this contributed to the lack of opportunities for Turry and Ellie to speak privately with one another, though Ellie felt that the dashing Took lad could have made a greater effort. It is only fair to say that Turry thought Ellie was withdrawn and the young Took took this as a mute rejection of his unspoken feelings.

But the longings and misunderstandings of tweenaged hobbits were soon by them forgotten, if only for a time, as the company approached the hidden valley of the Elves. The ambush in the land of the Beornings, and their slow journey back to Rivendell, had delayed them so long that the much anticipated Mid-Year's Day was the very day they returned to the sight of the Last Homely House. This necessitated some rather long days of walking and riding after the Road left the Misty Mountains, for Cairduin and Aradhel insisted on this to arrive on time. Even so, it was late in the afternoon when they were led to the hidden paths and down into the valley.

As they crossed the narrow bridge over the rushing Bruinen, leaving finally their wagon behind, bells began to ring and voices began to sing, for Eldarion was born, the Heir of Elendil, son of King Elessar Telcontar and Queen Arwen Undomiel. This is something like the songs they sang, though not as lovely or as meaningful by far.

Ring, ring, O ring our every bell
throughout the vale of Rivendell!
Raise your voices high and sing
in gladness for the Queen and King!

Bless their son so elven fair,
the noble prince, Elendil's Heir!
May he remember Westernesse
and not forsake old Elvenesse.

His mind be wise, his hand be strong,
his heart be kind, his reign be long!
May the White Tree ever grow
so everyone who sees will know
the Valar blessed this Mid-Year's Day
so Men might never lose their way!

From Fornost to Ithilien,
let all the folk have joy for him,
the noblest son of Elf and Man
all praises for Eldarion!

All Rivendell was as full of joy as it had ever been at the moment of this blessed event. Nearly all the elves and elf maidens and men and women of the hidden valley, gathered together in a great throng and how they cheered when the King came out into the golden sun gleaming upon a great balcony of the Last Homely House! But the joyous sound was little compared to the thunderous outcry of voices fair when the beautiful Queen stepped out to join him, cradling the baby Heir in her slender arms.




Chapter XVI

A LITTLE SLEEP

The celebration lasted long, indeed, throughout the night, as might be imagined! The kin of Aragorn, King Elessar, had long looked forward to that day, and it may be said that the elves of Rivendell also had joy of the event. This was most true for the near kin of Arwen Undomiel.

Elladan and Elrohir, the sons of Elrond, brothers of Queen Arwen, were returned to Rivendell for the birth of their mortal nephew. They loved their sister, and though they had taken the immortal choice of Elvenesse given to the Half-Elven, Arwen Undomiel, in whom it was said the likeness of the most beautiful child of Elves could be seen, like Luthien Tinuviel before her, had chosen instead the mortal path of Men so that she might marry Aragorn. Her brothers were thus keen to share all that they could of these precious days, for they loved Arwen and Aragorn, and knew that their time together in Middle-earth would be all too fleeting, before the Gift of Eru was given unto the King and Queen. Death was a sacred gift to Men, so the Elves believed, for they themselves would last somehow until all that was made was remade. Soon or late, life became a great weariness for Elves on Middle-earth (as Legolas was feeling). One day, the sons of Elrond would grow weary of the domain of Men, and seek Elvenhome and the company of Elrond their father and Celebrian their mother.

That day, though inevitable and never long forgotten, seemed yet long in coming. The foreshadow it cast deepened the unstained memory they would carry in living thought on that day when they fled the rounded confines of the world in hallowed ship and sailed the Straight Way beyond the ken of mortal men. Celeborn, Lord of Rivendell, the grandsire of Arwen and her brothers, would also make that journey one day. He keenly shared this moment with his near kin as well, not only for his own love of Arwen, but so that Galadriel, his wife, once the Lady of the Golden Wood, and his daughter, the tragic Celebrian, could also share his own experience of the unutterable joy of seeing the living destiny of their great sacrifices born on that day.

So it was that the birth of Eldarion was more to them than a reminder of the regrets of the elves. Those who studied the Lore of the Wise, and some few others who walked the green fields of that time, knew that the Elves had lost in the great War of the Ring all hope of immortal peace and contentment for themselves in Middle-earth. Eldarion was a token of the hand of the Sacred upon all their lives. The child seemed to the Elves to be a living promise of the inevitable redemption of their tears in the grand Destiny which all who held to the True would share in that day when all tales have been told and all songs have been sung.

But, since this tale is not yet all told and since these songs are not yet all sung, let us return our attention to the story at hand!

Elediriel could not remember ever having been happier than that day and that night. The joy of the elves, greater and lesser, and the joy of the Dunedain, kindred of the King, was more than she had ever anticipated! Gimli retired early, being an old dwarf and weary despite his excitement. Of course he extracted a promise that he would be told of all he missed. But Ellie and the other tweenaged hobbits, who did not mind staying up late (and sleeping later!), laughed and tried to sing and dance with the elves as well as they could and as late as they could!

Actually, it was Maddie and the Took Twins who did the singing and dancing, as did old Master Meriadoc and Thain Peregrin (who had stayed in Rivendell and had in all but name left their duties to their sons). This was a great delight to the elves and others who watched, for in truth, Madrigal was a very good dancer and even the elves thought so. She danced with any and all, her grandfather Merry and old Pippin, too, as well as Turry and Furry of course, and many a young elf child and ancient elven Lord.

Ellie moved from place to place with the biggest grin spread across her little face, jotting down her impressions as quickly as she could in her fair and practiced script. To her, this was the finest time of their whole adventure and she never wanted to forget it! There was really little danger of this, as she discovered, for Elvish songs (when sung by Elves at any rate) have a tendency to remain in the memory long and to be understood even by folk who had never heard an Elvish word in their lives.

All of the courtyards and fields and woods about the Last Homely House were alive with music and laughter and Ellie wanted to see as much of it as possible. And perhaps that is why she was in the right place at the right time to see a very important event, and this was a good thing, as you will see.

The rangers Aradhel, Cairduin and young Cairdur were to report directly to the King as soon as he had leisure to see them. As wonderful and as important as was the birth of the Heir of Elendil, the discovery and recovery of Pallando the Blue was no small matter. There would be time enough the next day for the King and Queen to officially receive their Heralds. But the fact that Alatar the Black was at large was known to King Elessar, who had heard of this weeks before from the messengers of King Thranduil (as you no doubt remember). The King wanted to question Pallando himself, for this was troubling news. Before returning to his northern realm of Arnor, King Elessar had spent many years in the scouring of Ithilien, the disarming of his enemies, and an uneasy peace with the Easterlings and Southrons. A wizard fallen into darkness could undo much good and work great harm if not soon brought to heel! It was also hoped that the hands of the King could bring healing to the troubled mind of the wizard, relieving him somewhat of the tortured burden of an age of frozen transfixion. So it was that Elediriel was present to see the rangers and the old man summoned to the King's private chambers.

Now, perhaps some would argue that it was wrong for Ellie to follow, and perhaps she even felt so herself, for she was greatly curious to see what would happen but did not want to be seen seeing or heard hearing. The little hobbit had never quite gotten over her feelings about the wizard so she followed and took care that she was not noticed in the crowds about the great House when she crept inside. Nor was she noticed as she took more than hobbit's care to quietly pad along on her small bare feet after the tall rangers escorting the old man to the chambers of the King and Queen, set aside by Lord Celeborn for the Queen's comfort while he reveled with his folk. It is a mark of the extraordinary events of the day that as many fair folk as thronged in joyous celebration without the walls, there were few enough within, as befitted the peace any mother and newborn child would need.

And perhaps some would further argue that it was a mistake for the King to see the wizard in this fashion, even on such an unprecedented day as this, even in the hidden valley of Rivendell, even in the Last Homely House, where the King was raised in his youth and where Arwen Undomiel for twenty centuries and longer had dwelt in freedom from all harm and fear. Some keenly suspicious folk, from the comfort of their easy chairs in the days of the long after, might complain that there should have been precautions against what happened next. But alas! even great Kings and wise Queens and tested Rangers can make mistakes. Perhaps even the most suspicious of folk could forgive them a certain easy familiarity and lack of vigilance in such a place on such a day. Let such folk be certain that no one faulted the King more than the King himself for the disaster that befell them!

Elediriel listened unobserved from the hall to the voices that drifted out of the chambers, guiltily hoping that no one would walk by and see her hidden behind a great urn that held some of the living greenery so delightful to the elves within their homes. As she sank down with her back to the wall and strained her quick ears to hear what she could, she thought of how she would never have even thought to dare such a thing before the hobbits' adventure began!

"This is the wizard Pallando the Blue," said the voice of Aradhel. "He has come with us here having saved us from certain death or worse on the road. He seeks healing and bears a warning."

"Please forgive us that we have not seen you sooner," came the voice of King Elessar. Elediriel could hear the sound of rich fabrics rustling with the sound of a man standing to his feet. "You do us great honor to come here and we thank you for all your service in the age before the fall of Sauron. My rangers have reported that you saved my heralds and friends from some remnant of our enemies in the north. Whatever aid I can give you in Arnor or Gondor is yours."

"Yes," rose the clear voice of Queen Arwen. "We bid you welcome and hope that you will linger here and find healing and gratitude in Rivendell, though we knew little of you and your doings against the Shadow. Yet we thank you and offer you our love."

Now this seemed overly gracious to Elediriel, who you must remember had ridden many leagues in the company of the old man and had grown weary of his strange antics. She had also seen the wariness of King Thranduil and the refusal of King Thorin. But the rangers had shown him great respect, especially after his help against the orcs and wargs, and she thought again on how he had suffered for opposing the will of the Dark Lord through horror and darkness. Hearing the Queen, she wished she had not been so suspicious of the old fellow.

"I thank you," came the aged voice of Pallando. "Though I do not deserve such honors. I'm afraid that I intrude into a happy hour with unhappy tidings. Alatar the Black, traitor to us all, is at large. I worry that he may be near."

"We will come to that in due time," said the king in a kindly voice. "I do not know if there is enough virtue of healing in me to give you ease from the memory of your torment, for my ears have heard repeated the tale you told to Thranduil, and I cannot imagine your suffering. Would that Elrond were still here in Rivendell! But come, I will do what little I may."

The little hobbit's sensitive ears heard the sound of movement and of shod feet on the floors of the chambers. She heard the sweet sound of a happy newborn, undoubtedly in the arms of the queen. Then came again the voice of the king.

"I will place my hands upon your head, old father, and if you will close your eyes, we shall see..." but if the noble King had aught else to say, Elediriel never learned, for a confusion of noises came to her in the hall. This is what happened next in the royal chambers, and Ellie only learned the details much later, for in her rising fear she did not dare to peek around the entrance way to look.

The old man sat where the king had indicated and waited until the healing hands were upon his snow-maned head. Aragorn looked down, but the wizard did not close his eyes. Instead, Pallando looked up into the kindly eyes of the king with malice and hidden intent. Too late, Aragorn realized his mistake and his strong right hand moved like lightning to his belt, but the sword Anduril was not there, set aside in this time of peace and gladness. Too late, the queen looked up from her couch in dismay, sharing the sudden realization of her husband and king. Too late, the three rangers saw the reaction of their king, and reached for their own weapons hanging from their belts.

The wizard stood like a mountain thrust suddenly to the sky in the primordial torments of the world marred by the first tumults of the Valar. Aragorn was sent crashing head first with terrible force against the wall and slid to the floor unmoving. The infant began to cry wildly. Then came an incantation in a sepulchral voice that Elediriel only wished she could forget in later years.

"The waking world be filled with dread
and where you fall will be your bed.
Sleep like death, be still as stone
and dream the dreams of rotting bone.
The black breath blows on all in sight
and all will sleep through day till night.
A final day will one day come
and then unending night of doom!"

The terrified little hobbit girl heard Queen Arwen cry out and then heard the sounds of swords falling from relaxed hands and of bodies collapsing to the floor. Elediriel cowered behind the massive urn and its foliage, neither daring to move nor knowing what to do. Before many frightened heartbeats had passed (which the poor hobbit lass hoped the wizard could not hear for her heart was indeed pounding as if to burst), the wizard stepped from the entrance into the corridor bearing a silent bundle. She felt a cold stir of chilling air and heard a cold wind blowing about him as if from an unimaginable distance and her mind almost froze in horror of the unnamable and unknowable powers that wreathed the old man in answer to his dark summons. She shivered in her hiding place but uttered no sound and dared not even think a thought! The wizard passed her by and continued down the hall.

Someone must have heard some of the noise, for a few of the Queen's handmaidens came into the corridor from the other end. The wizard turned and just looked upon them with a black glare and they fell as if in a faint to the floor. He turned again and continued his slow walk out of the Last Homely House.

Her mind felt free again, and Ellie dashed from her place of hiding, leapt over the sleeping maidens and scurried into the chambers of the King and Queen. To her dismay, she saw Aragorn crumpled against the wall with blood flowing from his grey head. The rangers were lying on the floor their swords fallen from their hands and Arwen was fallen back upon her couch in a swoon. The baby, Eldarion, was nowhere to be seen. The evil wizard had taken him!

The eyes of the hobbit lass were round and wide and her head reeled as she tried to take it all in! What could she do? She ran to the side of the king and struggled with all her might to move the tall man away from the wall. He began to stir. The blood made the wound look worse than it was, which was bad enough.

"What happened?" he asked weakly, even as he tried to open his eyes against the searing pain of his head.

"The wizard has taken the baby!" Ellie cried out, and this set her to shaking and weeping. Even so, she wrapped a cloth from the nearby table around his head and tried to give him a drink from a small flask she also found there.

Aragorn vainly tried to stand but could not keep his feet. He fell and bowled over the little hobbit girl as she just prevented him from cracking his head again hard against the floor.

"Find help... follow... follow..." he urged with the last of his will, through teeth clenched in pain, and then said nothing more. Ellie gently laid his noble head down and drew a deep and ragged breath.

It has been said that there is something fiercely courageous in even the most timid hobbit and perhaps that was proven this day, for Elediriel Cotton was among the most easily startled and frightened creatures that ever walked on two feet! It would be false to say that she took no thought of herself, for she was indeed deathly afraid. But she stood in that moment, dried her tears, and quick as quick, grabbed the flask and some fruit and bread (showing the rare sensibility of a hobbit), threw them in the little bag that she carried with her everywhere, and ran as fast as ever she could run and as quietly and as carefully as ever she could go, in pursuit of the wicked old man and the precious stolen baby.

Ellie stopped short of the door to the great entrance hall and cautiously peeped in. The wizard was not there, but several rangers and several more elves were sprawled on the polished floor with weapons fallen by their sides. "They must have been coming to help!" she thought. Then she sped through the hall and looked out the great entrance into the first courtyard.

When she had walked in through the courtyard, following the rangers and the wizard, the area was filled with many folk laughing and singing and making merry in the evening under the moon. But now, there was only the sound of the slightest breeze in the musical chimes of the house and in the trees round about it. The air seemed chill for a Mid-Year's evening. The only movement was the crackling of fires and torches and the shadows they cast upon the sleeping folk fallen wherever they danced or played or walked or stood or sat. Elediriel saw fallen in one place Lord Celeborn and the brothers of Queen Arwen. With them slept Legolas, and then Ellie suddenly realized that she had never seen Legolas sleep in the fashion of Men, and that, indeed, all the elves were sleeping with closed eyes and no awareness at all. All lay in an eerie, silent, unnatural slumber as if struck dead.

Seeing nothing moving and no wizard about, Ellie ran across the courtyard to the great open gates and looked out. Here were still more of the great throng in the green pavillions beyond the outer walls of the Last Homely House. Just as in the halls and courtyards of the great dwelling of the Lord of Rivendell, here, too, were Elves and Dunedain alike toppled all about as if life had suddenly been snatched from them all.

Still, neither the wizard nor any conscious person was within her sight. She did not know which way to turn and looked frantically about for a clue to the direction he had taken. Then Ellie saw where the hobbits all lay near a fire not far from the gate. Not knowing at the moment what else to do, she ran over to them. Madrigal lay on her back, fallen over Furry, who lay awkwardly on his side. Master Merry still grasped a skin of fine wine that lay across his fat stomach. Turry was propped up against his grandfather, old Thain Pippin, and they sat slumped back to back with heads lolled forward. Elediriel looked at him sleeping there and wished he were awake to help! Turry would know what to do! As they slept in that position, Ellie could see how much he and his twin brother resembled the old Thain. They even dressed somewhat alike, except for Pippin's grey cloak. The grey cloak!

Ellie pushed and pulled at the old hobbit to remove the cloak for it was one of the cloaks given to the Fellowship of the Ring, woven with the arts of the High Elves by the maidens of Galadriel in the Golden Wood so long ago. These garments had virtue to disguise and hide the wearer as if a part of the hue of field or forest, rock or stone. It would not make you invisible, but it could help conceal you in such places. Turry fell with his face on his knees as she jerked and tugged to get the cloak. The slumbering Thain fell likewise.

"Sorry! But Master Brandybuck is too large for me to move! I'll try to bring it back!" she said. She wrapped the elven cloak about herself and stood but was still no nearer to the wizard. Ellie could not decide whether to take the path that led up the river, or back down to the bridge and out the way they came.

"Think Ellie! Think!" she said to herself. "Which way would a wicked wizard go? He hasn't had time to look around... But he knows there are elves watching in the woods the way we came! But there are bound to be even more people living up the valley! He's got to get out the same way we got in!"

And with that she was off again, running along noiselessly and listening and watching so that she would not come upon the wizard before she knew it, and ruin everything.

***

Gimli the Renowned was restless. At first, even as tired as the ageing dwarf was, he just knew he would have trouble falling asleep, what with all the joyous clamour of the valley and especially around the Last Homely House. There was music ringing and voices singing and much laughter and shouting and he may have been the only soul in Rivendell who sought rest so early. The great and happy day was being celebrated far into the evening. As fond as he was of Legolas, and as appreciative as he had become of Elven folk and their ways, this was all a little much for a weary old dwarf at the end of a long and exciting day, capping off a long and exciting journey. He grumbled that no baby, not even the son of Aragorn was worth this much fuss!

The thought made him chuckle to himself. How could he even think such a thing? He was happier for Aragorn and Arwen than he had been over the birth of all his nephews combined! But still he had to sleep! Actually, the grumpy old dwarf was dozing off almost as soon as his head hit the soft pillow in the wonderfully comfortable bed in the cozy room provided him in the Last Homely House. He slept as peacefully as only a dwarf could when resting from a good productive day. Had Gimli known the amusement his snoring gave to the few elves who walked past his door or the many who frolicked past his window, he might have forgotten some of his tolerance for their gaiety! Nevertheless, when the noise of all the revelry stopped, it disquieted the sleeping dwarf. First it seemed to his dozing mind that the noise nearby was stilled, and that was good of the merry folk. They did have some compassion for a poor old dwarf! He smiled in his red and silver beard. Then gradually, all noises of celebration stopped, even from farther away. Then, finally, all was silent.

Many minutes passed and then many more. Gimli's smile grew more peaceful as it seemed to him that it was as quiet now as his stone chambers in the Kingdom under the Mountain. Now that was the way to get some real rest, when things were utterly quiet! As silent as the tomb of Thorin Oakenshield... A chill air wafted through the open window.

Suddenly, the dwarf sat bolt upright in the soft bed and cried, "Elves do not keep such silence! Something is wrong!"

***

It was just as Ellie had both hoped and feared. Across the narrow bridge over the rushing Bruinen she lightly ran, and saw on the other side a man and woman sleeping there, entwined in one another's arms. From here they had enjoyed the company of one another, looking upon the Last Homely House from afar and the twinkling pavilions of the folk of Rivendell under the twinkling pavilions of the stars above. Above the river noise, perhaps they did not notice the sudden stilling of the joyous throngs. Too late did they see the wizard, whose dark glance sent them slumbering with the rest.

Ellie ran along the trail and up the wooded slopes, pausing at every turn, and rushing forward to the next. The trail became steep as it switched to and fro up the valley's riven wall. She hoped that the elves who ever guarded the approaches to the hidden valley had been alert for someone leaving!

Perhaps they had been alert, but they were clearly unsuspecting such treachery, for she found them fallen in the path, two were here, and further up, two were there. Three more she found beyond the summit, on the trail above the sudden valley where twice before she had entered the enchanted vale.

How far ahead was the wizard now? Ellie had no idea, but redoubled her caution as the woods grew less thickly and there was greater chance for even a quiet little hobbit girl to be noticed. Then she saw him!

He still held the silent bundle in his arms. Elediriel saw him looking to the sky, this way and that. She dropped to the ground just in time, and whether because of her frightened caution, or the virtue of the grey elven cloak, the wizard did not see her! Her heart was in her throat, but she watched as the old man turned off the trail and began striding in a northward direction.

What was she to do! She had to follow! But who would follow her?

This presented a great quandary for Elediriel Cotton and her head turned over one idea after another. She could not turn back. She could not leave word for there was no time to stop, get out pen and ink, and write a note. She knew she was no ranger and could easily lose him in the woods away from the trail! She was alone and there was no help at hand. She thought of the rangers, keen on the hunt, following after. Long ago, old Pippin had left some clues when in a tight spot, dropping a golden brooch from Lothlorien. What could she leave?

Not the food and not the flask. She saw that she might need these indeed now and blessed whatever made her think to grab them. The only other thing in her bag was her dwarven gifts and her journal.

It is hard to say which was more precious to her. For you, I daresay the choice would be easy, but not for little Ellie, who did not care much in general for such things as combs and brushes and mirrors, though she dearly loved the costly gifts of King Thorin. But the Journal had been given her by Queen Arwen, and could she ever replace the precious notes and poems and prose she had written therein?

Of course, her answer was obvious. She quickly pulled loose the binding cord so that the pages were loose and could be pulled out almost noiselessly from her bag. She placed the last page under a rock. Following the wizard, she placed another one just to the north and in sight of the trail. Now she had a plan, and would follow the wizard, leaving these pages behind as often as she dared and hoping this would be enough to help the rangers find them! First the blank ones, and then the most recent, and then the covers, and then the gifts of the dwarves if they hadn't found her by then. As she worked through these thoughts, Ellie was already moving through the woods as quietly as a cautious hobbit could as far behind the wizard as she dared to follow (which was closer than she liked!).

Through the night, until the moon had set, she kept the wizard within sight, and left her pages behind to mark the way behind her, especially if there were some change in his direction. But for the most part, he made his way ever to the north. Perhaps Ellie's timidity served her well, for though the suspicious old man would turn about at times to make sure he was not followed, the little hobbit girl always dropped to the ground, or whirled behind a tree, or dove under a bush, and was concealed by the grey cloak and the shadows under the moon. Sometimes she hid herself when the wizard was only stopping to look into the sky.

Her hopes began to rise as she followed along. This was easier than she thought! But she did not grow too confident, being a very sensible girl, not to mention horribly frightened for the little baby (and for herself). But as soon as she thought that perhaps her plan would work, and help would surely follow if only she continued in this way, a most horrible and unexpected thing happened. It was not the first horrible and unexpected event she witnessed, and it was not the last. But it was the most dismaying thing Elediriel ever knew in her long life and was swiftly followed by the most exciting.

The wizard stopped in a high and open place that overlooked the valley. Many hours had passed since they had left the Last Homely House and the vale of Rivendell. But here in this open place he waited, pacing to and fro. Ellie watched from her latest hiding place and wondered what he could be waiting for. She soon found out. When the moon at last had fully set, and before the light of dawn chased the night from the sky, a great dark shape swooped down from above and landed in the clearing. It was a gigantic vulture, the biggest the little hobbit had ever seen! The wizard held the still and silent baby in one arm and climbed upon the back of the loathsome bird and was carried away on its flapping wings.

The hobbit lass could do nothing but watch in growing despair. She ran out into the clearing and stared after the swiftly receding carrion fowl with the wicked wizard perched between its hideous outstretched wings. Her eyes were blurred with tears and she wailed in overwhelming grief, crying aloud in her anger and dismay.

Imagine if you can, her shock and surprise to find herself suddenly gripped tight in sharp talons and carried aloft with great speed to a dizzying height over the deep cloven valley!

Elediriel gasped in her startlement and then squealed in her fright! How her little legs kicked! The eagle said to her, "Be quiet and do not thrash about, little girl, lest you fall. Now tell me whom we chase!"