|
My Fanfiction
~*~*~
My Livejournal
~*~*~
Main Page ~*~*~
My
Links ~*~*~
Email
'A Little More
Conversation'
Part One - Accept
The year 1696 of the
Second Age saw the world apparently rushing down into darkness, as
across Middle-earth the elves prepared for war with the forces of he
who finally stood revealed as Sauron the Maia. Eregion stood on the
brink, the high king of the Noldor mustered his armies and counted
his allies, and there was a hush throughout nature as though all the
world held its breath and waited.
It was in the midst of these preparations that an event occurred of
almost mystical wonder. Early one morning a small boat of unknown
design, a vessel that could only have come from out of the Uttermost
West, was driven by an unseasonal wind into the Bay of Lhûn. The
boat carried only one passenger, a tall, wirily-built elf with long
hair, gold as sunlight, and friendly blue-grey eyes. To the
disbelief of the young mariners who guided his boat into the harbour,
he gave his name as Glorfindel of Gondolin.
Had not Lord Círdan himself identified the elf as being exactly who
he claimed, they might have believed him to be either deluded or
even possibly an agent of the Enemy. Gift of the Valar as he was
deemed, he was given lodgings in the high king’s palace and was
welcomed with deferent joy.
Such a thing had never occurred before, and truth to tell Gil-galad
had no idea what else to do with him. It would have helped if
Glorfindel had known why the Mighty had seen fit to send him back to
Endor, but as this piece of information had been kept from the
rehoused lord, it was up to the high king to decide what, if any,
part the returned warrior was to play in the approaching cataclysm.
War came to Eregion, and in response Ereinion Gil-galad sent out his
army under the command of his kinsman and heir, Elrond Half-elven,
son of Eärendil the Mariner. After much thought and due consultation
with his advisors, he decided not to include the newly arrived lord
amongst their number. The gifts of the Mighty were not to be
needlessly squandered, he explained to Glorfindel - and anyhow there
was no time to assimilate someone trained to fight in another Age
and against a different enemy into the modern, streamlined army
being sent to confront Sauron’s forces.
Months later, in full retreat and with a party of refugees in his
care, Elrond Eärendilion came upon an unknown valley in the
foothills of the Misty Mountains. Almost completely defensible
against outside assault, it was also sufficiently convenient to
Lindon to serve as a possible fall back position should matters go
from bad to worse for the high king’s forces. Engaged at the time in
running battles across Eriador and Eregion, Elrond requested that
his cousin the king appoint someone suitable who, in his absence,
could take charge of the valley which he had tentatively named
Imladris.
After some deliberation it occurred to one of the king's advisors
that Gondolin, too, had been an inaccessible valley. What better
choice, he asked, than a warrior lord, one of the Hidden City’s most
famous sons, to oversee the creation of this new stronghold.
~*~*~*~*~
To: Glorfindel,
Lord of the House of the Golden Flower, formerly of Gondolin.
Dear Lord Glorfindel.
Please find enclosed full and complete instructions written in his
majesty, Ereinion Gil-galad’s, own hand outlining the terms of the
position envisioned for yourself in the proposed refuge at Imladris.
Please note: this is not to be viewed as a conscripted posting, but
rather as a request that you determine whether you feel yourself
competent to meet the presumed needs of the envisioned community.
May I take this opportunity to wish you a safe journey and to assure
you of my goodwill should you have any specific requests, not
necessarily of a military nature, that you might wish brought to his
majesty’s attention outside of the more formal channels.
Erestor, Administrative Assistant to Senior Military Advisor
Pathenien.
~*~*~*~*~
To Administrative
Assistant Erestor.
Enclosed please find a letter of acceptance to his majesty, with my
agreement to the terms and conditions presented in his
communication. I have taken the liberty of adding a few small
details I feel may have been overlooked in the original draft.
Thank you for your good wishes. The journey through Eriador was
uneventful, and the terrain through which we passed has a certain
wild beauty, although the devastation wrought by the Enemy’s forces
has been considerable. Several water sources seem to have been
deliberately contaminated, and we passed a number of burnt-out
hamlets and farms formerly inhabited by both elves and mortals
(details enclosed)
There are a number of unattended domestic animals in these areas,
and I was wondering if anything could be done to perhaps – round
them up? Feed the dogs, milk the cows? Perhaps you might have some
thoughts on the matter, or could bring it to the attention of some
relevant party?
We reached Imladris in good time and I have spent the past two days
familiarising myself with the valley’s geography (see enclosed map)
and find that I am in almost full agreement with lord Elrond’s
enthusiastic first assessment. Although the valley is larger than I
had been led to believe, the view from above suggests nothing beyond
an inaccessible, tree-filled ravine. As the valley lies deep within
the foothills of the Misty Mountains, the topography is such that
the open land further down the vale remains completely hidden from
view.
Lord Elrond clearly identified the strategic importance of this
valley, but he possibly has no previous experience with large scale
building projects. The refugees have erected temporary housing
against the cliff face, giving them both shelter and access to the
river water. This has been sufficient for the summer months, but is
already inadequate to meet autumn’s needs and I have been told to
expect heavy snowfalls in winter. My personal experience of life in
a valley at a high altitude is that the climate might well be milder
than in the surrounding, unprotected area, but snow once fallen will
take longer to melt. Rain and cold are a given.
I enclose a list of building supplies not available to us here, such
as nails and mortar, which I require almost immediately. No
provision seems to have been made for anything but the most basic
supplies to be sent out here, but as you have offered to facilitate
such requests to the king, I hope I can I leave the resolution of
this oversight in your capable hands?
I think it is clear that, as a matter of urgency, we need a
mechanism in place for me to use to requisition building and other
materials from Lindon.
We will need to bridge the river in one, possibly two places to open
the valley up and facilitate the creation of and access to
settlements on both sides of the Bruinen. Someone with engineering
experience will be required to assist with this project. I also
urgently need an elf who is able to communicate with the local trees
to explain to them why we need to clear part of the land to make
space for crops, it being a matter of urgency that we become self
sufficient. To which end, would it be possible to send me someone
who understands agriculture? I confess this area is a little outside
of my experience.
Thank you very much in advance for all your assistance, I greatly
appreciate it. You are most kind.
Glorfindel of Gondolin.
~*~*~*~*~
Part 2
~*~*~*~*~
Beta: Red Lasbelin
|