XIV: A Hundred Bottles of Dorwinion on the Wall

On the first of Gwaeron Estel awoke to find Glorfindel and Legolas grinning down at him. He groaned, knowing what was to come, and rolled over, placing his pillow over his head in a vain attempt to hide. Glorfindel pulled the pillow away.

"Oh, no, youngling. None of that. Today is a special day. Come on, rise and shine."

"What time is it?" he asked, rolling back over to face his tormentors.

"Late," came the reply from Legolas as Glorfindel pulled the bedcovers off him and the elven prince practically pushed him out of the bed.

"Your bath is waiting for you," Glorfindel said with a smirk. "You don’t want the water to get cold."

Estel stumbled to the privy and then into the bathing room which was steaming with the promised bath. He half expected the two elves to follow him into the room, but they left him with his privacy intact, content to wait for him outside.

Once in the bath itself, he felt better. His body ached from riding the day before. He had been surprised at how tired he felt just being on a horse for less than an hour. Glorfindel and Legolas had spent the time making sure Estel could remain in the saddle without too much trouble. By the time they finished putting him through his paces, Estel was ready to give up riding altogether. He ended up napping for several hours afterwards, waking about an hour before the dinner bell chimed. Even so, he was practically falling asleep in his soup and Elrond told him to go back to bed right after dinner. It was probably the first time in his life that Estel didn’t mind going to bed so early.

Finishing his bath, he dried off and went back into the bedroom where he found a new outfit laid out on the bed for him. Glorfindel and Legolas had what Estel could only describe as "stupid grins" on their faces. The outfit consisted of a linen shirt of a pale spring green embroidered with blue and white flowers at the wrists and collar and a velvet tunic, dove grey edged in silver thread. Breeches of fine kid leather were dyed the same shade as the tunic. A belt of silver with links in the shape of leaves, clasped with an emerald, completed the ensemble.

"Where did all of this come from?" Estel asked in surprise, picking up the belt in admiration.

Legolas smiled. "The clothes are a birthday gift from Elrond and Glorfindel and the belt is from my adar. And this is my gift to you." Legolas went out to the parlor and returned holding out a hooded cloak, a grey two or three shades darker than the tunic, lined with grey-blue squirrel fur. It was a princely garment, similar to one belonging to Legolas, which Estel had admired as much for its beauty as for its practicality in these cold climes.

Estel was touched and embraced his friend warmly, voicing his thanks profusely.

"Now get dressed so we can have breakfast," commanded Glorfindel and Estel quickly complied. Shortly thereafter the three made their way to the dining hall where Estel found many elves besides Elrond and Thranduil waiting for them, more so than would usually be found there this early in the morning, for Estel had discovered that Legolas’ idea of ‘late’ was an hour before dawn. The hall had been decorated with streamers and ribbons in shades of blue (for Imladris) and grey (for the Dúnedain) and white linens had been laid out on the tables that normally were used only during high feast days. Estel noticed that the sideboard was groaning with several of his favorites dishes.

As he entered the dining hall the elves there greeted him with good wishes for his birthday and Glorfindel and Legolas led him to the high table where he was seated next to Thranduil in the place of honor, much to his embarrassment.

Thranduil merely grinned and winked at the young Man. "Don’t worry, I won’t demand you make a speech unless you want me to." Estel couldn’t help but laugh. Piled high on the table before him were several wrapped gifts from the elves whom he had befriended during his stay. He was obliged to open them before they allowed him to eat.

There was a new bow from Maedrust and Halgaladh had fletched the arrows and made the quiver that went with it. The quiver was made of finely tooled leather depicting the rescue of the elflings from the spiders and the killing of the boar. Laslaerion and Galdhor gave him a set of white-hilted knives popular among the Wood Elves while Eirien presented him with a book which she had copied out and bound herself. It was one of the books from Thranduil’s library that he had never read before. Estel especially admired the illustrations.

Nessiel gave him a wooden box intricately carved and inlaid with silver in which were found several small compartments, each of which contained a bottle neatly labeled with its particular herb. "You’re a healer in your own right, young Aragorn," the elven healer said. "I think it’s time you had your own store of medicines."

Mithrandir gave him a beautifully carved pipe and a bag of pipeweed — "From the Shire, where the best weed is grown," the Wizard told him. Estel had begun smoking as did all the Dúnedain but had not done so during the journey to Mirkwood in deference to the elves. Taking a whiff of the pipeweed he was surprised at how much he had missed its smoky smell.

When all the gifts had been opened and admired, they sat down to break their fast. All of Estel’s favorite foods were there and the feasting was long and merry, but eventually Elrond said, "If you want to ride to the nearest village you should start out soon, Estel. I have already told Legolas that there is to be no racing. You will go at a moderate pace," he admonished his foster son, a hint of a smile behind his stern mien.

Estel nodded, for he understood the necessity of taking things slow while his hip continued to heal. Thus, about two hours after dawn, he and Legolas, along with Glorfindel, Laslaerion, Halgaladh and Eirien set out for the nearest village.

The day was fine and not too cold, though Estel was grateful for his new cloak, for there was still a rawness to the air and it was damp. Early crocuses were peeping above the snow that still lay about but the ground was not as muddy as before. Birds sang sweetly and the sun was bright in the cerulean sky. Estel breathed deeply and reveled in the feeling of freedom he felt as they made their way through the woods along the path leading to the village which was their goal.

They made their way easily, singing and joking as they went. Glorfindel insisted that Estel get out of the saddle every so often and walk for a while before climbing back on the horse, thus giving his leg and hip much needed exercise, so their pace was slower than normal, but no one minded. About midmorning they stopped for a brief rest and a bite to eat then set out again, reaching the village around noon to find the villagers awaiting them with luncheon.

It was a merry affair and Estel enjoyed himself immensely, though he reddened in embarrassment when one of the villagers began singing a lay that he soon recognized as describing his confrontation with the boar. The others grinned and Glorfindel teased him, telling him that he was going to teach the lay to his brothers so they could sing his praises to the Dúnedain. Estel told him that if he did, the elf just might find himself having another heart-to-heart conversation with Mandos. Glorfindel merely smirked and the others laughed, though one or two of the villagers looked somewhat askance at the mortal speaking so freely of killing one of the Firstborn, even in jest.

Eventually the meal came to an end and Celepharn, the village leader, offered to show them around, pointing out some of the features of village life with which the mortal might not be familiar, though in truth it was not much different than what he had experienced living among the Dúnedain. Still, he offered his admiration for the way the village seemed an integral part of the surrounding woods and spoke intelligently about defense, which surprised Celepharn.

"You seem well versed in the ways of defense, Lord Aragorn," he commented.

"As Chieftain of the Dúnedain it is my duty to see to the defense of the villages of my people. I have had to make some hard choices along those lines in the last few years as the number of orc attacks have increased."

Celepharn glanced at Glorfindel as if seeking confirmation of the mortal’s words and the golden-haired elf nodded slightly in confirmation. Celepharn gave Estel an appraising look.

Once the tour was over, Glorfindel insisted that Estel lie down and rest for at least an hour before they headed back to the Stronghold. Celepharn offered his flet for the Dúnadan’s use and before long the young Man was drifting off to sleep to the sound of Glorfindel and Legolas singing, while Eirien played her flute.

In fact, he slept for nearly two hours, much to his chagrin, but none of the elves minded the delay.

"If you hadn’t needed the sleep, youngling," Glorfindel said when Estel tried to apologize for sleeping so long, "you wouldn’t have slept as long as you had. Now that you are well rested, the journey back to the Stronghold will not prove so tiring for you."

They took their leave of the villagers and Estel thanked Celepharn for his hospitality.

"It was our honor, Lord Aragorn," Celepharn said with a bow. "We have enjoyed this time with you and Prince Legolas. Perhaps you will visit us again before you leave for Imladris."

"I would like that very much," Estel replied.

The trip back was made somewhat faster than the trip out, for the afternoon was waning and it would be full dark before they got home. By the time they arrived, Estel welcomed the hot bath that Elrond had ready for him. He spent the rest of the evening until he was ready to sleep sitting quietly with Elrond, Mithrandir and Thranduil, telling them about his day, while Legolas and Glorfindel added their own comments from time to time.

"I think this has been the best birthday I’ve had in a long time," he confided to Elrond as his adar saw him to his rooms later. "Le hannon, Adar."

"You are most welcome, iôn nîn," Elrond said with a smile and bade his foster son a good night, kissing him lightly on the forehead.

****

Gwaeron continued apace and Estel spent the time regaining some of the skills he had lost during his long convalescence. He was often found working out in the training salle with Legolas or one of the other elves. Sword fighting was not a skill in which Wood Elves excelled, preferring the bow or long knives, but there were a few of the older elves who had fought at the Dagorlad and who were willing to spar with the mortal when Elrond or Glorfindel were not available. Many were amazed at the level of skill Estel exhibited in the use of the sword.

But when it came to archery the Wood Elves were in their element and Legolas and others enjoyed giving Estel pointers and helping to improve his skill.

"Your brothers taught you well," Legolas told him one day, "but I think they will be amazed at how much better you’ve become."

When he was not sparring, he was riding, going further and further afield each day. About a week after his visit to Celepharn’s village Elrond declared that Estel no longer needed to use a saddle. Both he and Mithfaron were very happy to hear that.

Mithrandir had announced that he was staying at least until the New Year. "Then I have a mind to visit Galadriel and Celeborn. There are matters I wish to discuss with them." But what these matters were he did not say unless he confided in Elrond, who kept silent. When Estel was not busy elsewhere, he spent time with Mithrandir and their friendship continued to grow and deepen.

One fine day as the two of them walked along the riverbank, Mithrandir said to him, "You are Isildur’s Heir, but do you know what that means?"

Estel looked at the Wizard with a confused look on his face. "Will you tell me?"

The Wizard nodded. "You are heir to the thrones of both Gondor and Arnor, though the Gondorians might dispute that claim. Nonetheless you are their king by right of succession through Fíriel, wife of Arvedui. But what do you really know of Gondor, save what you have been taught by Elrond and the elves? How do they live? What are their hopes and fears? Can you tell me?"

Estel stopped and stared into the swift flowing river, which at this time of year was nearly overflowing its banks with snow melt. Finally, he looked up at the Wizard and said, "I know nothing of these things."

"Yet, if you ever become their king, do you not think it wise to know these things and much else besides?"

Estel nodded at the wisdom of Mithrandir’s words. "But how can I know them? Do I abandon my people in the North to live in Minas Tirith?"

"Abandon? No. But for twenty years your people lived without your rule. Surely they can manage without it for a time while you learn what you need to know to be the king you are meant to be, if ever the time comes when you are king. Have you not appointed Lord Halberen as your Steward in your absence?"

Estel nodded. Halberen was his uncle, his mother’s brother and Halbarad’s father. He had been the leader of the Dúnedain for much of Estel’s childhood and when Aragorn had assumed the Chieftainship, he had appointed Halberen as his Steward.

"I do not counsel you one way or another," Mithrandir continued, "only this I will say — the elves have taught you much, but they are not Men and only Men can teach you what you need to know as a Man. Already you have seen this in your time with the Dúnedain, have you not?"

Estel nodded. It was true. Elrond and his brothers and the other elves of Imladris had taught him much, yet it was only as he began living among the Dúnedain that he began to realize how much he did not know about what it meant to be mortal, to be one of the Edain.

"I do not ask that you make a decision one way or another now," Mithrandir continued, "only that you think upon my words. You will know when the time is right to act on them, if that is your choice."

During the last week before the New Year the Stronghold became a hive of activity and everyone, from Thranduil on down, was conscripted to help out. Estel continued to meet with Legolas and his friends for their music practice and actually got quite good with the flute, though he preferred singing himself. During free moments they all helped out in decorating the Great Hall and tantalizing smells began to filter from the kitchens at odd hours when the usual mealtimes were hours away.

The New Year was strictly an elvish affair, so Estel and Mithrandir were the only non-elves involved, but Estel had grown up celebrating the New Year among the elves and Mithrandir was an old and trusted friend.

The celebrations actually began the night before as all the fires throughout the Woodland Realm were doused, save for a single coal from the king’s own hearth. From this single coal would the new fires be lit. Elves from each of the villages had come to the Stronghold earlier that day. Estel was surprised to see Gilgelair, as well as Celepharn, among them.

"The heads of the villages bear the responsibility of carrying the new fire to their villages," Gilgelair explained to him.

The actual ritual was simple and brief. Thranduil stood before them in all his finery, his face reflecting solemn joy. He called upon the Valar for their blessings, especially Manwë and Varda, as well as Aulë, for fire was Aulë’s special gift to the Children of Ilúvatar. Then the new fire was lit from the old coal and each village leader solemnly lit a brand from the fire and set out to their respective villages. The farthest village would be reached just at midnight, so as the New Year began every village in the Woodland Realm would have new fire to greet it.

Back in the Stronghold, the feasting began as soon as the ceremony was over and would continue throughout the night and into New Year Day. When the elves were not eating they were dancing or singing or even all three at once. Legolas and his friends played early in the evening and everyone complemented Estel on his flute playing afterwards.

However it wasn’t until after midnight that the serious celebrating began and Estel found himself with Legolas and their friends standing before a table where drinks were served and Legolas handed Estel a goblet.

"You have not been able to taste any Dorwinion since you arrived here, mellon nîn," Legolas said with a grin. "I think you have a lot of catching up to do."

Estel laughed with the rest of them and soon was tasting the heady wine. It was much stronger than he had expected and the young elves around him laughed and jested as he went into a coughing fit with his first sip.

"You’re supposed to drink it, Aragorn," Maedrust said with a straight face, slapping the Man’s back.

"Oh, is that what I’m supposed to do?" Estel asked, as if this were a novel idea to him. "I thought I was supposed to clean armor with it."

The elves laughed uproariously and urged him to try it again. The second sip wasn’t so wretched and by the third sip he opined that he was beginning to like it.

"Either that, or my throat has gone numb so I can’t tell if I’m drinking wine or bilge water."

This statement caused much merriment among the elves and Glorfindel, who had wandered over to see what Estel was up to, warned the mortal not to drink too much too fast.

"If you pass out, I’m not carrying you to bed," he said, giving the mortal a stern look that was somewhat spoiled by the laughter in the elf’s eyes.

"That’s all right, Glorfi," Estel said with a wicked grin. "If you pass out, I won’t carry you to bed either."

Legolas and the others snickered. Glorfindel merely rolled his eyes and then reached around to swat Estel on the back of his head as he went to find Elrond and Thranduil. Moving gracefully across the room, the golden-haired balrog slayer wondered if he’d ever been that young himself and then decided that he probably had been, but it didn’t bear thinking about.

Estel, meanwhile, was soon helping to finish off a second bottle of the Dorwinion, and though the wine was shared all around, the amount of drink imbibed seemed to increase as the night progressed. Somewhere between the fourth and fifth bottle Estel stopped counting and, Legolas suggested that he might want to slow down a bit. Most of the younger elves were not even drunk yet, but Estel, who had been trying to keep up with them all, was beginning to flag and at one point found himself sitting on Thranduil’s throne, though he had no recollection of how he had gotten there.

"I think you might have had enough, mellon nîn," Legolas said as Estel emptied the seventh bottle — or was it the eighth? — into his goblet. "Have you had anything to eat since drinking?"

Estel couldn’t remember and didn’t care. He tried to raise his goblet to his mouth but for some reason his hand became nerveless and he felt the goblet slip from his fingers. Legolas caught it in time and set it carefully on a nearby table out of Estel’s reach. Estel found himself trying to focus and having a difficult time of it.

"Are you all right, mellon nîn?"

Estel looked up to see Legolas smiling at him, though his eyes were dark with concern. It took a couple of minutes for the question to reach Estel’s wine-soaked brain and still more minutes before he could answer.

"I think I’m drunk," he thought he had said, though in truth it came out somewhat garbled. However, it really didn’t matter because Legolas was too busy catching him as he slid bonelessly to the floor.

****

Estel’s next concious thought was that he had somehow died but no one had had the decency to tell him. He was lying on something soft in a dark room. That much he figured out on his own. His head was pounding and he was wishing the Dwarves making all that racket would be a little quieter about it. His eyes refused to focus on anything for any length of time when he attempted to sit up, hanging onto the edge of the bed for dear life. The faint light of a candle flickering on the night table helped him to see that he was in his own room. He was also stark naked and had a moment of panic, thinking he may have removed his clothes in public while in his drunken state, but then saw them folded neatly on a nearby chair and breathed a sigh of relief.

He now realized he was in dire need of the privy but wondered if he could actually make it that far. Reaching under the bed and fumbling for the chamber pot, he fell out of the bed, sprawling on the floor, the breath driven out of him. When the room stopped spinning he frantically looked for the chamber pot but couldn’t find it anywhere until he looked up and realized that whoever had carried him to his bed had placed it on a chair next to the bed within easy reach.

His bladder finally empty, he managed to crawl back onto the bed, but the effort to pull the bedcovers over him proved too much and he sank into a stupor sprawled on his stomach.

****

It was the cold air that woke him the second time. He found he was shivering and tried vainly to get the bedcovers over him, but to no avail. Instead he decided to just get up. He felt awful and wasn’t sure he would survive the day. He wondered how late or early it was and dunking his head in the bowl of now cold water at the washstand he felt momentarily awake, but the feeling didn’t last. His stomach, he found, was feeling queasy and he didn’t know if he should hope he would throw up or hope that he wouldn’t. He finally managed to stumble into some clothes, though his tunic was on backwards and he could only manage to get one boot on. He limped out of his room carrying the other boot in his hand, not quite sure what he should do with it.

He opened the door to the corridor and saw his adar and Glorfindel talking to Thranduil, Legolas and Nessiel further down the hall by Glorfindel’s room. All five elves looked as fresh as if they had just come from their baths. He weaved his way to them and the elves stopped their conversation when they noticed him coming. Elrond and Thranduil wore similar inscrutable expressions. Legolas’ face showed a mixture of chagrin and concern but Glorfindel was grinning, though not maliciously. Nessiel was observing him with clinical detachment.

"Estel, what are you doing up?" Elrond said as Estel came abreast of them, sounding more like he had when Estel had been small and had been found out of bed after hours.

Estel clutched his boot as if it were a life line and whimpered, "Oh Valar, Adar. Would you please kill me?"

One of Elrond’s eyebrows rose at that and Thranduil and Glorfindel were practically snickering. Legolas looked on his friend with sympathetic pity and Nessiel’s face was lit with a knowing smile.

Keeping his expression neutral, Elrond said, "Certainly not, iôn nîn, at least not before breakfast."

"Br...break..."

But that proved too much for him and Estel grew frantic as he realized that he was going to be sick and looked around for something to be sick in. Glorfindel had the presence of mind to wrench the boot out of Estel’s hand and push him down on his knees.

"Take a deep breath, Estel," he commanded and then Elrond, who had also divined the mortal’s predictament had rushed into Glorfindel’s rooms and grabbed the chamber pot there, coming out and thrusting it under Estel’s nose just in time.

Afterwards, Estel remembered very little of what followed save that Glorfindel and Legolas helped him back into his room where they removed his sick-spattered clothes and cleaned him up before bundling him back into bed.

Meanwhile, Elrond was talking with Thranduil and Nessiel in the corridor.

"There is a tonic I will fix up for him, if I can get the ingredients. It will relieve most of his symptoms, though sleep is the best tonic for him at this point."

"We have devised our own tonic for such things," Nessiel said. "The younger elves sometimes drink more Dorwinion than is wise."

The two ellyn chuckled at that and with a gesture from Nessiel they left the vicinity of the guest quarters and made their way towards the infirmary.

"What ingredients go into your tonic?" the Woodland healer asked in curiosity.

"I usually use an equal portion of galas Tauron, galas Huor throvan, laiss e-melb rain throvan, laiss e-melb vorn and laiss e-melb garan."

Nessiel nodded. "That sounds very similar to our tonic, but I do not recognize that first herb. What is galas Tauron?"

Elrond looked thoughtful and then his face cleared. "Ai, you might know it better as Hîr-e-Daur."

"Oh, yes. It’s a quite common plant here. I have never heard it referred to as galas Tauron, though."

Elrond nodded. "It is actually a Sindarin rendering of the Quenya form of the name: salquë Oromëo, which is what the Exilic Noldor called it."

"Well we have all the ingredients you need. Do you have much call for the tonic, though?" She somehow thought that the more sophisticated elves of Imladris would be above overindulging in spirits and needing a tonic for it afterwards.

Elrond smiled, as if divining her thoughts. "No, but often the Dúnedain rangers come to Imladris looking for a cure for their hangovers, though in truth their own rough remedy is quite effective."

"Oh?" enquired Thranduil as the three elves entered the infirmary . "And what do they do for hangovers?"

"Well, first they start out with a raw egg...."

By the time Elrond had finished describing what the Rangers were wont to call 'the hair of the orc that bit you', both Nessiel and Thranduil were looking decidedly green themselves.

****

Estel woke sometime the next morning to find his adar encouraging him to drink something that didn’t taste as horrible as he had feared and that seemed to help clear his head so that he could actually think, then he sank gratefully back into sleep.

He woke again to see Legolas sitting patiently by his bedside with yet another dose of the tonic and some plain wheat gruel lightly mixed with honey and a little cream. At first Estel wasn’t sure he was ready for anything on his stomach but Legolas convinced him to at least take a swallow and when he did he suddenly felt famished and finished the bowl up.

By the next day, which was the last day of the month, Estel was feeling much improved though Elrond recommended he remain in bed and rest. He still felt woozy and terribly thirsty, but his appetite increased as the day progressed and by evening he was eating a regular meal, though he stayed in his rooms rather than going to the dining hall.

Mithrandir joined him for dinner, making it clear to the elves that he wished to dine with the Dúnadan alone.

"I will be leaving tomorrow and I want this last time with Aragorn before I leave," he told Elrond and Glorfindel when Elrond suggested they join the Wizard in dining with Estel.

"We will stop by later, then, to bid Estel good night," Elrond said.

"That will be fine, Elrond," the Wizard said with a nod and then quirked an eyebrow. "And when are you two going to start calling him Aragorn, heh?"

It was Glorfindel who answered, grinning hugely. "Probably the day after Arda ends, but certainly not before."

"Hmph, just as I thought," Mithrandir grumbled, but the Wizard was smiling.

When Estel awoke the next morning Mithrandir had already departed. Legolas met him in the dining hall for breakfast and told him.

"I will miss talking to him," Estel said, idly stirring his porridge but not bothering to eat any of it. "I will miss his wisdom and humor."

"Do not fret, Aragorn," Legolas said in a comforting tone. "You and Mithrandir will meet again and often, I have no doubt. Come, finish your breakfast and we will go riding."

And that is what they did.

**** 

For the next week, Estel and Legolas spent much of their time together, along with Legolas’ friends, riding mostly, but also simply exploring. They took a trip down the river to Esgaroth and visited Lake-town when Thranduil wanted Legolas to meet with Master Gorlas to discuss repairs to the docks used by the Wood Elves and Men in the transportation of goods. The docks had been destroyed by flooding after a sudden storm ripped through the area, leaving downed trees and a soggy mess.

After the meeting Legolas took Estel about and showed him the town, which was larger than any of the Dúnedain villages, indeed larger even than Bree.

Once they were finished with their business in Lake-town, they made their way back to the Stronghold by way of Dale and Erebor. Both Dain and Bard welcomed the young Dúnadan and his elvish escort and they spent three days between the two kingdoms. While they were there, Bard presented Estel with a gift.

"Although, I am really only returning what is already yours to begin with," the king said with a smile when they were sitting in Bard’s parlor one evening. Dain of Erebor was with them, having come to Dale for a feast that Bard had given in Estel’s honor.

He brought out a small ivory box intricately carved on the sides, with alternating black and white squares on the top and bottom. The black squares were obsidian inlay. It was hinged in such a way that when one opened the box, the top and bottom joined and you had a chess board, smaller than usual, but perfectly adequate for playing on. Inside the box in their own compartments were the chess pieces; half were white and the others had been stained black. They were perhaps half as large as such pieces normally were.

Estel gave the king a wondering look.

"You were not in any position to say yea or nay, but when the boar’s tusks were shown to Dain and me during the trade conference, I offered to take them and have something special made from them, as Elrond said he didn’t fancy having to haul them back to Imladris just so you could show off to your brothers."

They all laughed at that. Dain picked up the tale.

"I said that I would also like to do something special with the tusks for you. Lord Elrond suggested a chess board and pieces that could be easily carried, and that is what we made. I carved the box and put it together and Bard here did most of the chess pieces, though I think one or two others gave him a hand."

"There were rather a lot of them to carve," Bard said smilingly at Dain. "Luckily, the winters are long and dreary and I had plenty of free time."

"It’s beautiful," Estel said, running his hand admiringly along the side of the box, marveling at the small size of the chess pieces, yet each was easily recognizable. It took a moment or two to realize that no two pieces looked exactly alike. The faces were all individual and Estel suspected that their counterparts walked the streets of Dale and perhaps even the halls of Erebor.

Legolas also admired the chess set and said that it was one of the finest such works he had seen in a long time.

Estel couldn’t thank Bard or Dain enough, but both kings told him it wasn’t necessary.

"We both enjoyed it," Bard said with a laugh. "It was the best excuse I had for not being able to attend a council meeting."

The dwarf king merely smiled and nodded his head in agreement.

The next day Legolas and Estel returned to the Stronghold. It was now almost mid-month and Elrond told Estel that it was time they left for home.

"I promised Erestor we would be back by the beginning of Laer. If we leave now we should reach Imladris by then. I have even allowed time for delays, though I sincerely hope we do not suffer the kind of delays that plagued us on the way here."

"From your lips to the Valar’s ears, mellon nîn," quipped Glorfindel, but Estel mentally crossed his fingers, knowing just what his adar had meant.

The last night of their stay at the Stronghold, Thranduil held a feast in their honor. While it was a grand feast and there was much laughter and joking, it was also somewhat subdued and Estel allowed himself only a single goblet of Dorwinion, spending the rest of the evening drinking water or fruit juice. Still, everyone had a good time and Estel spent a good deal of the evening having various elves come up to him and wish him well on the journey home, for they would be leaving early and most of the elves would not be on hand to see them off.

Towards the end of the evening, Estel found himself alone with Legolas. They had said their goodbyes earlier, even though Legolas would actually be leading the escort seeing Estel, Elrond and Glorfindel out of the Woodland Realm, so there was little more they needed to say to one another.

"Perhaps someday you can make another visit," Legolas finally said after they had been sitting together in companionable silence for a few minutes.

"I’d like that," Estel said with a smile. "Or perhaps you can come to Imladris."

But Legolas shook his head. "The Shadow grows in the south. I fear I will be unable to travel anywhere for some while as long as our realm is threatened by what walks the halls of Dol Guldur."

Estel nodded. "I know. Adar worries about it too though he says little enough about it to me, but I know."

The two friends were silent for a time, Estel brooding on what the future might hold for him, and for Legolas. As if divining his thoughts, Legolas leaned towards him with a smile.

"Do not fret, Aragorn. I have no doubt that we will meet again. We’re gwedyr after all."

And Aragorn son of Arathorn, Chieftain of the Dúnedain and Isildur’s Heir, smiled at his new brother and then they embraced, giving one another a kinsman’s kiss on the forehead.

Off to one side where they could see but not be seen, Elrond, Glorfindel and Thranduil watched the interplay between Legolas and Estel and grinned at one another. Then Elrond raised his goblet and the other two joined him in a silent toast.

****

Gwedyr: Plural of gwador: Sworn brother. 

Note: While the tonic recipe described by Elrond is not specifically for hangovers, it is nonetheless an actual "real-world" recipe. Mix in equal parts, then steep one heaping teaspoon into a half-cup of boiling hot water. Take as desired. The author takes no responsibility for its actual efficacy:

Galas Tauron: Tauronswort — Tauron is the Sindarin name of the Vala Oromë; also called Hîr-e-daur: Master-of-the-Wood; Woodruff (Asperula odorata) — used to improve the taste of mixed herbs; anodyne, calmative.

Galas Huor throvan: Wild Huorswort; Wild Thyme, Mother of Thyme (Thymus serpyllum) — tonic, good for hangovers.

Laiss e-melb rain throvan: Wild wandering berry leaves; Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca) — tonic.

Laiss e-melb vorn: Blackberry leaves (Rubus villosus) — tonic.

Laiss e-melb garan: Red berry leaves; European Red Raspberry (Rubus idaeus) — tonic, refrigerant.

     [S. *melb > Q. melpo: any berry with squashy pulp and many seeds]

Note: Halberen son of Dírhael and father of Halbarad, is, of course, an original character.