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In the Court of the High King  by Dreamflower

  Chapter 8

"Well," said Freddy to Rolly and Denny, "it's nearly teatime!  Shall we go back to the guesthouse, then?"

"I'd say so, Mr. Freddy," Rolly replied. "Er, I mean, Freddy." He sighed.  This took some getting used to.

Freddy nodded. "Berilac will be along shortly, I am sure, with the lovely Miss Viola on his arm.  I wonder where Mistress Poppy is, though?"

----------------

"Where's your Mistress, Viola?" Beri asked.

"Healer Serindë asked her to take tea with her.  She's very familiar with the ways of hobbits-- she lived in Bree for many years!"

"What do you think of the Houses of Healing?"

"Oh, Beri!  They are so large!  I don't just mean large the way all of these buildings are, meant for Big Folk of course.  But there is so much more to them than I imagined.  There are several buildings and many corridors, and lots of rooms-- many more than we'd have time to see in one day or even in a week if we are trying to see it all properly!  I suppose they have to be, considering just how many people are in this great city, but I just never thought of how many sick folks they would have to take care of.  And things are very different with the apprentices here!  They have groups of them, and they learn from all the Master Healers, not just one."

"That sounds confusing," said Berilac.

"It would confuse me!  What if one teacher told me one thing and another told me something else?  How would I know which to believe?"

"I suppose it's a natural consequence of having so very many people living all in one place.  Master Ondahil told me that there were several thousand people living in Minas Tirith, and yet the population is down because they lost so many people in the War."

Viola shuddered.  "There is an entire building in the Houses of Healing set aside just for soldiers who were maimed in the War, who lost arms or legs, or who were otherwise permanently crippled.  And there is a wing there just for those soldiers who were driven mad by the fighting."

"I can imagine," said Beri, with a troubled expression.  He knew first hand of the terrible dreams that haunted the Travellers, and they would waken half-mad as it was!  He knew that sometimes Merry feared that Frodo would never recover from the awfulness he had endured.  He shook his head.

"There's so much to see and learn at the Houses of Healing.  I can understand why Mistress Poppy wanted to come.  We'll be spending most our mornings there from now on. Oh, we are almost home-- we have nearly caught up to the others."

Mosco and Jolly were waiting in the sitting room.  "Mistress Tadiel will be bringing tea out soon!  Where is Mistress Poppy?"

Viola explained.  

"How nice to find someone here who knows a little about hobbits and home!" said Mosco.

Viola nodded.  "Mistress Serindë is very nice, although some of the apprentices acted terrified of her!" She dropped into one of the chairs, and Berilac perched on its arm.  "So what did you two do with your day?" She smiled at Mosco and Jolly.

Soon Mosco was caught up in describing the parts of the City they had seen, and extolling the beautiful buildings.  Jolly interrupted.  "He's forgetting the most important thing: we found a bakery!"

Mosco laughed.  "A really good bakery-- we brought home lemon tarts for tea-- oh, look, here's the tea trolley now!"

Over tea, Freddy and the others filled Mosco and Jolly in on their conversations with the prisoners.  Then the talk went on to their impressions of the City and the sights they had seen.  Mistress Poppy came in just as they had finished their tea, and spirited Viola away to their room, as she wanted  to  discuss some of the things they had discovered in the Houses of Healing.  Berilac looked disappointed.

Freddy looked over at the other hobbits.  "Tomorrow we are all meeting with the King and Queen."

The others all looked somewhat shocked.  They had assumed that Freddy, and perhaps Berilac as his second, would handle all the meetings with the King.  "All of us?" squeaked Mosco.

"Will we be in that big room with the throne again?" asked Jolly.

"Yes, all of us, save Mistress Poppy and Viola, who will be going back to the Houses of Healing.  And no, this meeting will not be an audience in Court, but a meeting with the King and the Queen in their own quarters.  We shall go up to the Citadel directly after second breakfast, and I expect we will be there for several hours.  He wants our opinion on a number of things concerning the Kingdom of Arnor in general and the Shire in particular."

Rolly and Denny exchanged glances.  This was more than they had bargained for.

The next morning, Mistress Poppy and Viola were off once more to the Houses of Healing.  They knew that today, Master Thorongil would be showing them about.  The two of them left immediately after first breakfast.

The delegates were not expected up at the Citadel until the fifth hour-- or around eleven o'clock.  Freddy slept in until second breakfast, and so did Mosco.  Berilac had made a point of arriving early for first breakfast, but afterwards he went into the front room and napped in one of the chairs.

Jolly, Rolly and Denny enjoyed a leisurely first breakfast, and remained at the table "filling in the corners" and gossiping about their families back home until second breakfast arrived.

As soon as they finished, they prepared for their visit to the King and Queen.  Although they were beginning to learn their way, at least back and forth to the Citadel, there was a knock at the door shortly before time for them to leave; it was young Sador.

"I am sent to guide you to the King," said the page.

He took them not only to the Citadel, but led them within it, as well.  They realised that must have been why he was sent to guide them, for though they might know the way between the guesthouse and the Citadel, they had no idea of where things were within the Citadel yet.

They came to a corridor where stood one of the guards.  He looked at them all, and then gave Sador a nod.  "They are expected," he said.

The guard gave a nod, but did not otherwise speak.  Sador led them down the corridor past several doors on either side to a wide double door at the end.  Another guard stood there, and when they approached, he turned and cracked the door open just a little and spoke to someone inside. After only an instant, the doors opened from the inside, and the hobbits saw Master Ondahil, who ushered them into a large antechamber.

It was well furnished with low padded benches and low tables as well as chairs and side tables meant for the Big Folk.  The King and Queen sat in two of them.  The hobbits also saw Menelcar, and two other Men besides Master Ondahil.

Freddy and the others stopped a few steps away from the King and Queen, and started to bow, but the King smiled and waved a hand at them.  "We are not in court; there's no need for that much formality!  Please be seated!"  He gestured to the low benches.

"Master Ondahil?" said the Queen, "Please ask the servants to fetch the refreshments that have been prepared!"

The King leaned back in his chair. "While we wait, I will explain what I would like to discuss today.  First, some introductions-- I believe that you already know Master Menelcar, my Court Bard.  He is here because of his experiences in the Shire many years before the War, and also because later on we may enjoy his music.  This" -- he gestured to a Man who bore more than a little resemblance to the King, though he appeared to be somewhat younger; the Man was clad in grey, and wore a many-pointed star upon his shoulder-- "is  Hiril son of Halbarad.  He is the representative of his older brother Hador, who is my Steward in Arnor.  He is also my kinsman."  

The hobbits all gave him a polite nod.

"And this is Master Calembel son of Elmar, Head of the Stonemason's Guild."  

Master Calembel was in his middle years; his dark hair was liberally streaked with grey, and he wore a short, trim beard and mustache that were completely grey.  Seated, it was hard to tell, but he appeared to be somewhat shorter than the King and his kinsman, though perhaps taller than Menelcar.

"I am most honoured to meet you hobbits--" he said that last word awkwardly, as though it felt strange on his tongue-- "and am looking forward to getting to know all of you better."

Freddy and the others exchanged glances, and then began to relax as they realised it really would be very informal.  Their curiosity was piqued.

"As you know only too well, my writ runs not only here in Gondor, but north to the ancient Kingdom of Arnor as well.  While I expect that there will be several years before I am able to make a Royal Progress so far from here, once I do so, I expect to divide my time between the two Kingdoms, spending a couple of years here and then a couple of years there.  Circumstances allowing, of course.  If there is trouble in one of my Kingdoms, I would of course stay until it was resolved."

Just then two liveried servants entered from a side door, bearing trays.  One was laden with fruit, bread and cheese, while the other bore a steaming teapot and cups.

The servants placed the trays on a wide low table that was placed in front of where the King and Queen were sitting.  For a few minutes conversation was put aside as the Queen poured the tea, and cups and plates were passed around.  Once everyone had been served, the King spoke once more.

"Of course, the North no longer has a capital, but I purpose to rebuild Annuminas on the shores of Lake Evendim, and I would like it to be a place where hobbits of the Shire can come to visit or even to live if they wish."

The hobbits looked somewhat startled at this information, and Freddy said "What is it you wish of us?"

"Well, I would like to have your opinions of the project, and I would seek advice from you on how best to make hobbits feel welcome in my Northern capital.  I know that hobbits of the Shire can be suspicious of people and things outside their boundaries, and I am sure that attitude was increased by the recent troubles Saruman brought to the Shire."

Freddy smiled.  "It was; and yet I think the actions you and  Éomer King took last spring were a great deal of help in balancing the opinions of hobbits towards Men.  Not only the money-- though the treasure certainly was an eye-opener--but the Men you chose for the delegation were courteous, kind and well-spoken.  They were as much unlike the rough brigands that Sharkey brought in as possible."

"I am most pleased to hear that," the King answered, "and I know that Faramir will be as well, since he chose most of the Gondorians who went on the embassy."

Mosco had been getting up his nerve to speak, and his face turned bright red as he asked "What sorts of buildings do you have in mind for your new city?  Will it be like this one?"

The King looked at him and smiled.  "I am afraid not.  Minas Tirith is an old city, built at the height of Gondor's might when many of the skills and arts of ancient Númenor were still remembered.  Annúminas is now little more than a few ruins and an outline; it will have to be completely rebuilt.  It will be much smaller and less grand than Minas Tirith, I am sorry to say."

"But," Mosco persisted quietly, "will the style of the buildings be similar?  The buildings here are beautiful, but they will loom uncomfortably if you wish to welcome hobbits."

"It will be a city built to be defended, for though the great Enemy is defeated, many lesser ones were not, and in the North especially, linger many creatures who are allied to the dark.  Therefore it must have high walls. But I do not think that there will be many buildings as tall as those of Minas Tirith. Two or three stories at most, save perhaps for the Citadel that will be built there-- and it will not be even half so tall as this one."  He turned to Master Calembel.  "What say you?  Have you any ideas of what the new city will look like?"

"Frankly, sire, no.  Not until I see the site itself. We are likely to have fewer resources there.  There were marble quarries in Gondor, which is why that is what was mostly used to build this city.  It would be far too costly to try to bring marble to the North."

"And," said Lord Hiril, "cost will be an important factor, and even more, skilled labour will also be a factor.  The population of Arnor is sparse."

Freddy exchanged a look with Berilac.  "There are quarries in the Shire; near the village of Scary where some of us hid from the Ruffians during the Troubles, there are several quarries.  They are not used so much anymore-- not for lack of stone still to be dug, but because there are fewer smials and houses built.  They were quite active and busy before the Fell Winter."

Aragorn looked doubtful.  "You would not want a lot of Men there doing the work."

"No.  Hobbits delved the quarries to begin with.  Hobbits could still run them.  Granite would be an excellent export," he grinned.

"And," added Berilac, "Dwarves could help.

Lord Hiril nodded.  "We've had offers of trade alliances from the Dwarves of the Ered Luin."

"One thing I know," the King said.  "I would like a special wing built into the Northern Citadel, at the ground floor level, built so that hobbit guests will be comfortable staying there.  I hope to have many visits from my dear friends when I am there, and I want to encourage them to stay."

It was as though a light bloomed in Mosco's mind, an opportunity that he never could have imagined before.  "Sire, I would like to offer to help you with that.  There have been many well-known hole-builders in the Burrows family.  My uncle was not only skilled at building smials but he also built several houses as well.  In past years, I have often spent a few months in the spring and summer working with him, and even considered apprenticing to him-- but my mother did not like that idea."

The others gaped at him in astonishment.  Mosco was usually quiet and rather timid around the Men, and his offer left them with their jaws dropping in surprise.  But Mosco paid no attention, but kept his earnest gaze on the King.

"I will most certainly accept your offer, Mr. Burrows!"  He turned to Master Calembel.  "You now have the first member of your staff!"

Mosco felt something within him shift.  This was right. This was why he had come, not even knowing it at the time.





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