Stories of Arda Home Page
About Us News Resources Login Become a member Help Search
swiss replica watches replica watches uk Replica Rolex DateJust Watches

Elf, Interrupted: Book Two: Glorfindel's Quest  by Fiondil

62: Glorfindel and Sador and What They Found

"So why did you invite me to come with you?" Sador asked as he and Glorfindel made their way along the path eastward towards the glade that Gilvagor had mentioned. The sound of the waterfall was getting louder.

Glorfindel gave him a smile. "We are brothers, are we not?" he asked.

"Of course," Sador replied, looking a bit surprised at the question.

"And do not brothers do things together?" Glorfindel pointed out.

"Hmm... I suppose," Sador said, his eyes glinting with mild suspicion as to what Glorfindel was getting at.

"Well, I thought it would be fun for the two of us to spend a little time together," Glorfindel continued blithely. "We’ve hardly had any time to ourselves of late."

"That’s true," Sador averred. "But why not ask Beleg along, as well, or even Finrod?"

Glorfindel stopped, raising a hand. "Hey! One brother at a time," he said with a laugh. "I doubt Beleg feels left out, as he knows you and I are sort of adopted brothers, calling Arafinwë and Eärwen ‘Atar’ and ‘Ammë’ as we do. And Finrod, as the oldest and Atar’s heir, has responsibilities that preclude him from always joining in on the fun."

"Poor Finrod," Sador said with a smirk that belied his words.

Glorfindel laughed, giving Sador a brief hug. "Come. I sense game further on."

"You’re going to have to tell me how you do that," Sador said as the two made their way into a smaller glade.

"Someday, perhaps," Glorfindel said and then he stopped, Sador right beside him, and looked about him with interest.

It was a smaller field than where they were encamped, but it was still quite beautiful. To the east a cliff rose from which the waterfall descended. It was not a high cliff, more like a bluff and they could see the land rising gently behind it. The water flowed northwestward towards the edge of the glade where it entered a small pool before rushing away to the sea. Rainbows glittered all about and there was a sense of serenity to the place that made them smile. Sador breathed a long sigh of pleasure.

"It’s beautiful," he shouted over the sound of the falls.

Glorfindel just nodded, then pointed towards the pool and they made their way to it. The pool was not large nor did it appear to be very deep, but obviously it was a favorite watering hole for the forest denizens, for even Sador’s untrained eyes could pick out the different spoors of various animals along the pool’s edge. Glorfindel knelt beside one such set of prints that appeared fresher than the others.

"What is it?" Sador asked, peering over the ellon’s shoulder.

"Wild pigs," Glorfindel answered as he stood. "Possibly there’s a boar. Keep a sharp lookout. I wish I had thought to bring a spear along. A charging boar could be too fast even for me to use my arrows against it effectively."

"Let’s hope it’s not in a charging mood, then," Sador quipped, though his expression was wary as he gazed about him.

Glorfindel gave him a chuckle. "Come. I think we should go this way. I want to cross over to the other side and the stream looks shallower here than closer to the waterfall." So saying, he led the way downstream a bit to where some rocks protruded out of the water, making a precarious ford. Luckily the stream wasn’t all that wide so they were able to make it across without mishap.

Once on the other side, Glorfindel returned to the pool to see if he could find any more spoors. Sador stayed out of his way, carefully keeping a watch on their surroundings. "It’s quite lovely here," he said suddenly. "I can see why it’s a favorite trysting place for lovers."

Glorfindel merely smiled as he rose. "Let’s head further up into the hills," was all he said.

They headed a little north of east to pass around the bluff, climbing slightly through the forest until they came to yet another clearing. This one was even smaller than the last. They were crossing it, heading east when a thrashing sound to their right alerted them. Glorfindel immediately moved to place himself between Sador and whatever was making the noise, his bow already strung and an arrow at the ready before Sador had time to register the fact that the ellon had even moved.

"Back up towards the trees," Glorfindel whispered, keeping his eyes in the direction of the thrashing noise that was getting louder by the second. "Slowly. Do not look behind you," he continued to instruct the ellon. "The trees are about fifty paces behind us. One step at a time. That’s it."

The two stepped slowly backward. Sador held his hunting knife in his hand, though he suspected it would be next to useless and was silently berating himself for not bringing his own bow or a spear. Glorfindel never even glanced back at him, keeping his eyes and his bow steady before him. Then, before they had gone even a dozen paces back, the bushes on the other side of the field were violently swept to the side and a boar came crashing through. They could see a spear lodged between its shoulders.

"Don’t run!" Glorfindel said firmly. "Stand your ground. When I tell you to, jump to your right."

Sador gulped nervously but did as he was told, resheathing his knife as he prepared to jump. In the few brief seconds before the maddened boar would be on them, Sador kept expecting Glorfindel to give the signal but as the boar came closer and closer the ellon never moved or spoke. Just when it seemed to Sador as if the creature was going to gore them, Glorfindel loosed his arrow, stringing another one and releasing it almost at once. "Now!" he shouted at the same time and Sador leapt to the right even as Glorfindel went left. The boar, meanwhile, squealed in pain as both arrows hit their mark, lodging in either eye. It stumbled a few feet as the momentum of its charge took it past them and then with a final grunt it collapsed to the ground, kicking futilely once or twice before becoming still. Sador released a breath of relief he didn’t know he was holding as he slowly picked himself off the ground. Glorfindel was already up and examining the boar.

"Looks as if there are hunters somewhere about," he commented as Sador joined him.

"They’re not going to be happy," Sador said. "We... I mean, you’ve taken their kill."

Before Glorfindel could comment, several ellyn came out of the woods following the path the boar had taken. Glorfindel and Sador turned to see a half dozen elves, Sindar and Noldor, running toward them. Most were carrying spears. None of them looked at all pleased to see them.

"That’s our boar!" one of the Sindar shouted in Sindarin as they came running to them.

Glorfindel gave them a scathing look. "I’m sorry," he said in the same language. "I don’t recall seeing your name written anywhere on it."

The six ellyn stopped about a foot from them, glaring belligerently. "What do you do here?" another of them demanded, this one a Noldo. "From your dress, you’re obviously from the mainland. Why are you here? Who are you?"

"My, my," Glorfindel replied rather haughtily, "we are an inquisitive bunch, aren’t we? And not a single courteous ‘Mae govannen’ among you."

"You stole our boar!" the first ellon insisted.

"We did nothing of the sort," Glorfindel said with a disdainful sniff. "You’re welcome to it. Come, Sador, let’s be on our way."

"Adar did say to bring back dinner," Sador said with a mischievous smile.

"We’ll bag some rabbits on the way back," Glorfindel replied as he took Sador’s elbow. "I don’t fancy dragging a boar carcass all the way back anyway."

"Wait!" the Noldo exclaimed, blocking them with his spear. Glorfindel raised an eyebrow but otherwise stood his ground. The Noldo gave them the once-over, his gaze lingering on their warrior braids, especially Sador’s single braid. The young ellon tried not to blush at the scrutiny. He noticed that none of the hunters wore warrior braids, tying their hair back with leather strips. They also did not appear very old. The oldest, the Noldo who was blocking their way, was probably only a yén or three at the most, the youngest probably closer to Sador’s age.

"Why are Amaneldi wearing warrior braids?" the Noldo asked at the last.

"And still with all the questions," Glorfindel said with an exaggerated sigh. "Let me ask you one for a change. What are you children doing out alone without adequate supervision?"

Sador sucked in a breath in amazement at Glorfindel’s audacity even as the hunters all bristled, some of them raising their spears as if to threaten them. "Ah... brother," he said, deciding not to reveal Glorfindel’s identity, "in case you haven’t noticed, there are six of them and only one of you."

Glorfindel turned to him, his expression one of amusement. "Don’t you mean, two of us?"

Sador shook his head. "I’m just going to sit back and watch the show."

"Coward," Glorfindel said with a laugh, giving the younger ellon a brief hug, "and six to one odds is just about right."

The hunters stared at them in bemusement. Then the Sinda who had spoken gave them a feral grin. "You think you can take us all on?" he sneered.

"Peace, Damrod," the Noldo said, not taking his eyes off Glorfindel and Sador, giving them a considering look. "I think we should all take a deep breath, step back, and start again."

"Wise of you," Glorfindel said and there was no levity in his tone.

"My name is Bronweg," the Noldo said, "my brother, Handir," he indicated another Noldo whose features clearly showed their kinship. "Damrod, you know," he continued, casting a wry look at the still belligerent Sinda, "and the others are Amlaith, Egalmoth and Balamir." Amlaith and Egalmoth were the other two Sindar, while Balamir’s name and his honey-brown hair spoke of a mixed heritage.

"Mae govannen," Glorfindel said politely, giving them a bow of his head. "Gil híla nan lû e-govaded vîn."

"And your names?" Bronweg asked with a glint of wry amusement in his eyes.

Glorfindel smiled. "My brother Sador," he said, gesturing to the ellon.

"That’s a Sindarin name," Damrod said with a suspicious frown. "Yet, you dress like one of those Amaneldi and why the single braid? What mockery is this?"

"No mockery," Glorfindel replied smoothly before Sador could answer. "Sador is originally from Doriath and the Havens of Sirion. He didn’t survive the kinslaying there."

"You call him ‘hanar’," Bronweg said, "not ‘gwador’, yet it’s obvious you two are not related."

"We’re adopted," Glorfindel retorted.

The looks of bemusement on the hunters’ faces was priceless. Sador tried to hide a smile and failed. "You know, Glorfindel, I can speak for myself," he said, secretly pleased at the startled looks on the Tol Eressëans’ faces, not to mention the scowl on Glorfindel’s.

"You are Lord Glorfindel?" Handir asked in a whisper, his eyes wide.

"Now look what you’ve done," Glorfindel glowered at Sador, though Sador could tell that it was all an act. "You’ve spoiled my surprise."

"I thought you hated surprises," Sador retorted with equanimity.

"Only when I’m the one being surprised," Glorfindel rejoined.

"Hah!"

They all turned at the sound of a new voice and saw five ellyn approaching from the west. "So, what have we here?" Finrod asked as he and the others reached them. "Can’t I leave you two alone for five minutes without you getting into trouble?"

"What makes you think we’re in trouble?" Glorfindel demanded with an imperious look. "We’re merely meeting the locals."

"Glorfi killed their boar," Sador said facetiously.

Finrod raised an eyebrow and his companions all cast amused glances at the young ellon.

"Is that so?" Finrod asked, taking a quick look at the carcass. "Two arrows?" he asked, giving Glorfindel a disbelieving look.

"I wanted to be sure it was dead," came the reply.

"Huh!" Beleg said with disdain. "I would have made sure with just the one arrow."

Finrod turned to him with a smile. "We all know how deadly you are with a bow, Beleg, but please don’t rub it in. You know how sensitive Glorfi is about these things."

"Hey!" Glorfindel exclaimed, but he did not look too terribly upset.

In the meantime, the six hunters were standing there with their eyes wide and their mouths hanging as legends kept coming to life in front of them.

"B-beleg?" Amlaith managed to whisper.

"The one and only," Glorfindel replied, while Beleg just blushed and wouldn’t look at anyone.

"So, what are you doing here, Finrod?" Sador asked. "Acting responsibly was getting too boring for you?" One of the hunters let out a soft moan. Sador turned to see Damrod visibly reeling. He held out a hand to steady the ellon. "Easy now," he said softly. "Take a deep breath and let it out slowly."

"I think we’ve surprised them enough," Glorfindel said to Finrod, noticing the shocked faces of the other hunters. "Gilvagor, do you know these children?"

"No," the ellon replied, giving him a sardonic smile, "but then I don’t know everyone on the island. It is rather large after all."

Finrod nodded. "Come. We are all friends here. Why don’t we find some shade and take our ease. The boar isn’t going anywhere."

With that, Finrod took Bronweg’s arm and led him towards the very trees Glorfindel and Sador had been aiming for when the boar attacked. Sador followed his example and led Damrod while the others took charge of the other four hunters. Soon they were all seated under a tree and the hunters were beginning to regain their equilibrium. Bronweg was the first to recover fully. He gave Finrod and his friends a wary look.

"Why are you here?" he asked, his tone one of confusion rather than belligerence. It was Gilvagor who answered, though.

"You are aware that the kings of Aman planned to come to the island and visit, are you not?" he asked.

Bronweg and the others nodded. "We just didn’t think... I mean... we didn’t know when...." Bronweg’s voice trailed off in confusion.

Finrod smiled, hoping to put him and the others at ease. "We are keeping the visit as unobtrusive as possible," he explained, "for we realize that some of you might misconstrue our visit."

"Do you mean to become our king?" Egalmoth asked, looking somewhat hopeful.

Finrod shook his head. "No, I’m sorry, I am not." Egalmoth’s face fell and Finrod reached out and put a comforting hand on the ellon’s arm. "It would be very dangerous for me to assume the kingship."

"Dangerous?" Damrod asked. "Dangerous for whom?"

"For us all," Gilvagor answered. "Think about it. As each of the kings of Beleriand is released from Mandos, to whom will we give our allegiance? The Noldor among us will not recognize Elu Thingol as their lord, and those who gave their allegiance to Finrod or Turgon will not necessarily accept Fingolfin as king, assuming that any of them came here to live, which I think is doubtful."

The Tol Eressëans sat in thoughtful silence.

"Besides," Finrod said, "we think it best if the people of Tol Eressëa find their own leaders and look to them for guidance. My atar and King Olwë are here to see if they can help you come to a solution to your situation. They do not plan to dictate to you to do this or that, but they will offer their advice based on their observations while visiting your people."

"But we didn’t ask you to come here," Bronweg pointed out.

"Actually, we did, in a way," Gilvagor answered. "Do you recall last year when Lord Laurendil and I went to Tirion?"

"Oh yes," Balamir said. "I was working on the docks when you and Lord Laurendil came with some others. I didn’t know why you were there, though. You actually went to them for help?" He nodded towards Finrod and Glorfindel.

"Yes," Gilvagor answered tersely. "Or rather, we went to seek their advice. Do not forget, we Noldor once were of Tirion and nominally look to Arafinwë as our king."

"But only you Noldor," Damrod pointed out. "That cannot be said for those of us who are Sindar or Nandor."

"Nor can it be said for all the Noldor who live here," Bronweg added. "My parents were born in Beleriand as were I and Handir, and though we are Noldor by blood we do not necessarily see this Arafinwë as our natural lord."

"True," Gilvagor averred, "but we, I mean Lord Laurendil and those of us who accompanied him, thought that an outside perspective might be useful. You have to admit that no one has emerged as a natural leader of our people. And what happened to Sador when he was visiting Tol Eressëa is proof of that."

The hunters stared at the ellon and his single braid and then a light dawned in Handir’s eyes. "You’re the one who was kidnapped, aren’t you?" he asked.

Sador nodded. "They cut off one of my braids as a warning to my friends, but I managed to escape from them before they could harm me further."

"So why were you here anyway?" Amlaith asked.

"I was looking for news about my family," Sador replied, electing not to speak about the failed embassy to the Tol Eressëan guilds. "I died without ever knowing if they survived the attack at the Havens."

"That’s true," Gilvagor said. "In fact, I was helping him with his enquiries."

"Why would anyone kidnap you for asking after your family, though?" Amlaith pressed. "Lots of people ask after kinfolk."

"Let’s just say that there were or are people on the island who would like nothing more than to stir up trouble between us and the Amanians," Mithlas said with a scowl, speaking for the first time. "I have spent much time with Lords Finrod and Glorfindel and others of Aman. In fact, Lord Finrod saved my life when I suffered the blood-trance." The hunters’ eyes widened at that revelation. "I, for one, welcome them," Mithlas continued, "and hope they will be able to offer us viable solutions to what ails us."

"We are hoping to speak to as many different people, nobles and commoners alike, as possible while we are here," Finrod said, "so we can have a good idea of what the people of Tol Eressëa are looking for. Perhaps you would care to join us at our encampment and speak to my adar about your thoughts, hopes and dreams for yourself and your people."

The hunters eyed one another and Bronweg, who seemed to be their leader, turned to Finrod with a nod. "I think I would like to speak further with you about this," he said. "All of us were either born here or came here as elflings. This is the only home we know."

"Then you all have a vested interest in the outcome of our visit," Finrod said, "perhaps more so than your parents and the others who came here from Ennorath."

The six ellyn nodded, then Damrod gave them a wicked grin. "We’ll even supply dinner," he said, pointing to the boar carcass.

Everyone laughed and soon they were trussing the boar onto one of the spears to carry it back to the encampment.

****

All words are Sindarin.

Mae Govannen: ‘Well met’.

Gil híla nan lû e-govaded vîn: ‘A star shines at the hour of our meeting’.

Hanar: Blood brother.

Gwador: Sworn brother.





<< Back

Next >>

Leave Review
Home     Search     Chapter List