32: Welcoming Guests

Aragorn drew his cousin further into the hall, his arms around him, unwilling to let Gilhael go. The elves followed, their expressions indulgent. At first, those in the hall cheered the safe return of the Dúnadan, but their welcome was less hearty where the Elves were concerned. This was especially true of the refugees, common folk who had not seen the Elves before. Even those who remembered Thandir, Celegrýn and Gilgirion from before were hesitant to greet them when they saw the two stranger Elves, as alike as two peas. Some noticed a marked resemblance between these two elves and the Dúnedain cousins, with their dark hair and grey eyes.

Aragorn led Gilhael before Thengel and Morwen, both of whom stood in deference to the Elves.

"My lord, my lady," Aragorn said with undisguised relief, "see you. My cousin whom I thought lost has returned."

"And we are right glad that you have done so, Tungolfród," Thengel said with a brief bow, which Gilhael returned. "We would have regretted the loss of so talented a Rider and warrior as yourself and we rejoice that Lord Béma has looked kindly upon you and returned you to us and your cousin safely."

"I thank thee, my lord," Gilhael said, "for thy kind words. I have longed to returned to thee and to my cousin and I am thankful that the Powers were with me."

Thengel nodded and turned his attention to the Elves, speaking now in Sindarin. "Mae govannen, brennyn nîn. I am glad to see you again. I thank you for rescuing one who has become dear to us."

Thandir gave the king a gracious nod of his head. "It was our pleasure, Thengel King," he said with a soft smile. "We did not, however, rescue this one for your sake but for the love we bear for his cousin. If anything had befallen Gilhael, we would never have heard the end of it, would we?" He said this last to Aragorn who merely smiled.

Thengel chuckled. "Well, whatever your motives for doing so, we are pleased with the end result. Now, perhaps you will do us the favor of introducing your fellows." He gazed intently at the twin elves who remained impassive before the King of Rohan’s regard.

Thandir raised an eyebrow at Thengel’s words, then turned to the two stranger Elves and said something in Quenya that caused Aragorn to redden in embarrassment and the twins to smile broadly. One of them replied in the same language and now everyone could see Aragorn turning white. Even though Gilhael had no more idea than the Rohirrim what the Elves were saying he could see how it was affecting his younger cousin. He sighed, shook his head and then did the most remarkable thing. He turned toward Thandir and smacked him across the back of his head.

Everyone froze, even the twin Elves. Thandir turned slowly around to glare at the Dúnadan who glared equally back. "You are embarrassing the youngster here and being incredibly rude to your hosts," Gilhael admonished him in Westron, then shot a look of disapproval at the twins. "And Lord Elrond would be terribly disappointed in your behavior, my lords, as well you know."

"Not to mention Lord Glorfindel," Aragorn managed to put in, giving the Elves his own cool stare now that he had recovered from his shock and embarrassment at what had been said.

Oddly enough, the mention of Glorfindel’s name seemed to have more of an effect on the five Elves than Gilhael’s mention of Elrond, for they all visibly paled. Aragorn nodded in grim satisfaction and many noticed the twin Elves giving Earntungol looks of respect they had not thought to see from any of the Dwimmorfolc.

Thengel, noticing the interplay, gave Aragorn a shrewd look. "I would think that the ire of the Lord of Imladris would be more feared than that of this Lord Glorfindel."

Aragorn smiled at the looks of dismay on the Elves’ faces as he responded to Thengel’s comment. "Lord Elrond is indeed the Master of Imladris, but Lord Glorfindel is their Captain," he nodded towards the Elves. "And when your Captain fought and killed a balrog and died over sixty-four hundred years ago only to return from Mandos and be sent back to Middle-earth by the grace of the Powers, you have every reason to fear his wrath above all others."

The silence that followed that statement was palpable. Thengel found himself blinking several times in surprise, not sure how to respond to Aragorn’s words. Then the tension was broken by Théoden whispering rather loudly to his father from where he was seated with his sisters at the next table over. "Ada, what’s a balrog?"

For some reason that set the twin Elves laughing and as one they approached Thengel and bowed. "Forgive us, Thengel King," one of them said. "Gilhael and... Thorongil were correct in admonishing us. We crave pardon for our rudeness. I am Elladan, elder son of Elrond of Imladris. This is my twin, Elrohir."

"We welcome you, my lords," Thengel replied graciously, "though we regret that we are unable to greet you in our own hall."

Elladan gave an elegant shrug. "Were this a shepherd’s hut, my lord, it would matter not. It is not the place that gives dignity to the people who dwell therein, but the other way around. Those who sit in Meduseld have no honor and therefore their welcome would be meaningless were we to go there." Then he turned his grey eyes upon Théoden, who visibly gulped at being the center of attention. "As for a balrog, child," the Elrondion said, "it is a thing of flame and shadow and it is a wonder to us that anyone could have defeated such a foe, yet two there were who did so, though it cost them their lives."

Théodfrid wrinkled her nose. "But Ada," she protested, "how can anyone fight something that is only flame and shadow?"

Thengel looked to the Elves but none responded, their expressions cold and distant. He turned to his daughter. "That is a very good question, Théodfrid. Perhaps in the coming days we can all sit down together and discuss it. For now, though, we must needs greet our guests in the proper manner."

So saying, he turned to Morwen who had been quietly issuing orders while Thengel had been speaking with the Elves. Now she came around the table carrying a large, intricately carved, footed bowl in which wine had been poured. It was not a proper guesting cup but it was all they had on hand. Morwen slowly approached Gilhael and the Elves with grave dignity. Instinctively, she presented the bowl to Elladan first, sensing that he was perhaps the leader of the Elves by virtue of being the elder son of the fabled Lord of Imladris.

"Westu hâl, my lords," she said as she held out the bowl to Elladan. "Let you be welcomed to our hall, rude though it may be."

Elladan smiled broadly and bowed over the proffered bowl, then, taking the bowl, he spoke in flawless Rohirric, much to the amazement of many. "To the lady of the hall we give thee thanks for thy fair greeting. To the lord of the hall we give thee our friðborh. May Béma bless all who dwell within this hall." With that he drank deeply before handing the bowl to his brother, who then handed it to Thandir. Eventually the bowl came to Gilhael, who bowed to Morwen before draining the bowl of what was left of the wine. Morwen then accepted the bowl back as Elladan addressed the king once more.

"Now, I think your lady wife has stood long enough, Thengel King," the Elf-lord said with a gentle smile to Morwen, who blushed prettily at his regard. "Perhaps we may join you at table, for we did not stop to eat this day since breaking our fast at dawn, intent as we were on reaching Dunharrow this night."

Thengel assented. There was much shuffling of bodies and benches to make room for the new arrivals, but no one minded. Soon all were seated. Additional trenchers were brought out and for a time Gilhael and the Elves concentrated on eating while everyone else sat and watched in silence. Before it became too uncomfortable for them all, Aragorn spoke up, addressing a question to Thandir.

"How did you even know to come to Dunharrow, rather than to Edoras?" he asked.

Thandir gave the Dúnadan a brief smile. "We...er... found one of Thengel King’s scouts," he explained as he gave a nod towards the king, who raised an eyebrow but otherwise did not respond, "as we approached the Snowbourn."

"Actually," Elrohir said with a faint smile on his lips, "Gilhael found him for us by tripping over the poor Man."

Gilhael choked on his half-swallowed wine, sputtering with indignation. "I never did!" he protested. "I knew precisely where he was."

All five Elves gave him cool disbelieving stares. "Then all that shouting, cursing and thrashing about on your part was solely for our benefit, was it?" Thandir asked, a wicked gleam in his eyes.

Gilhael effected a surprised look, as if the answer were obvious. "But of course!" he exclaimed. "You Elves were much too busy hugging trees and singing hymns to Elbereth to pay attention to anything that was going on around you."

"I’m sure the poor soul you stumbled over did not appreciate the difference," Elrohir retorted with such a bland expression that Aragorn found himself snorting wine as he tried not to laugh. The other Elves merely smiled as Gilhael turned red and muttered half-heard imprecations in Adûnaic, of which ‘nûphî’ and ‘urukthôrî’ were the mildest.

The Rohirrim exchanged bemused looks while Thengel and Morwen shared an amused smiled between them. "Be that as it may," Thengel then said in a dry tone, "we hope that you left our scout more or less intact."

Elrohir smiled. "Fear not, Thengel King!" the younger son of Elrond said, "Halga was well when we left him, if a bit bruised."

"I am glad to hear that," Thengel replied. "We bid you welcome to Dunharrow, especially on this night and we hope you will gift us with the tales of your adventures, for we feared it might have gone ill with you, Lord Tungolfród, especially after your cousin experienced a foretelling that disturbed him."

Gilhael gave Aragorn a worried look. "I assure you, Cousin, that all is well with me."

Aragorn nodded, clapping the older Man on the shoulder. "And right glad I am that you are. Your returning to us is a gift unlooked for and we give thanks to the Powers for your safe return."

"There is one thing that must be done ere you tell us your tales, my lord," Thengel announced. "We crave your indulgence." Gilhael and the Elves gave Thengel gracious nods and the king continued. "Though we are in straitened measures this Yule, I would not let this night pass without something for the children." He gestured to Alric who nodded once, stood and went to the kitchen. Shortly after, he returned with a number of others, all cooks or kitchen assistants, carrying large trays of traditional Yule sweets: ginger biscuits, two yule log cakes, and candied fruit, though these last were made from dried fruits rather than fresh. The children didn’t mind. They all squealed and clapped their hands, oohing and aahing as the trays were passed around and each child was allowed one biscuit and one fruit. The cakes were carefully cut into small pieces and handed out. What was left over was shared by the adults.

Aragorn noticed the indulgent smiles on the faces of the Elves as they watched the children enjoy their treat. Elrohir turned to him and winked. Aragorn smiled back, remembering his own excitement over Yule as a child, the only child, in Imladris. He wondered if, before he and his naneth had come to live there, the Elves had ever bothered to celebrate Yule in quite the manner in which it was celebrated as he was growing up. Thinking of the way the Elves around him had responded to him he began to realize what Thandir had meant when he had told Aragorn how his coming to Imladris had saved their souls.

When the children had finished their treats and the traditional songs had been sung bidding in the New Year and the blessings of Lord Béma and all the Powers, the children were hustled out of the hall and towards their beds, much to their disappointment, but the rest of the evening was for the adults and soon all the children were safely abed. Mulled cider was replaced by spiced wine and ale as the adults settled comfortably in their seats, nibbling on what little of the feast remained.

Thengel looked out across the hall and sighed inwardly. This was not Meduseld but they were his people and it was enough... for now. He turned his gaze upon Gilhael and the Elves. "And now, my lords, perhaps you will entertain us with your tales, for we are curious to know what has happened and also I would fain have news of the Westmark and what fares there. How fare the men at Helm’s Deep? How is my nephew, Hilderic?"

Thandir spoke. "Your nephew is well, Thengel King, have no fear. He and his men were all well and send their best wishes and hopes for a quick resolution to all your problems."

Thengel nodded. "I am relieved to hear it. But come, let us hear your tales now."

The Elves looked at each other and then at Gilhael. He nodded and stood, moving towards the center of the hall so all could see and hear him. He took a sip from his tankard of ale and then began his tale.

****

Friðborh: (Rohirric/Anglo-Saxon) Peace-pledge; surety that one comes in peace.

Nûphî: (Adûnaic) Fools.

Urîkthôrî: (Adûnaic) Sons of Orcs.

Note: Aragorn states that Glorfindel died over 6400 years ago. For those wondering how this is calculated: Gondolin was destroyed and Glorfindel died in the year 512 of the First Age and that Age ended in 590, so 78 years. The Second Age lasted 3434 years and this story takes place in the years 2957-58 of the Third Age. Thus, 78 + 3434 + 2958 = 6470 years.