Chapter 16

Gilwen embraced her son, holding him close for a long time.

“Naneth, please,” Handir quietly reassured. “I will be all right. Please let me tell them what has happened and then you can tend to me.”

Gilwen withdrew, holding her son at arm’s length. “Very well, but speak quickly. They did a good job bandaging your side, but I do need to tend to it as well.”

He nodded, then turned to his wife, giving her and his tiny daughter each a reassuring kiss. “Please let me deliver my news and then I will be all yours.”

His wife smiled tremulously, clutching the baby closer as he gently brushed a tear from her cheek.

Handir turned to the assembled edair and took a deep breath, holding his side against the pain that the movement obviously caused. “The eastern settlement is gone. We went to visit with them on the hunt to join with their hunters and discovered that they had been attacked.  My cousins and I scoured the area looking for survivors. We found some and they told us that they had repelled two other attacks already before the one that finally destroyed their village. We were delayed returning because of those we were bringing back with us.”

“They are welcome among us. We will make room for them as well,” Saelon announced solicitously.

“As well?” Handir asked. “What do you mean by that?”

“The southern settlement has also been attacked by wolves and the survivors are on their way here to join with us,” Damrod said.

“What? What wolves?” Handir looked over at Taurion for confirmation. “You found wolves there?”

“Yes,” Taurion replied. “We slew four of them. Why do you seem so surprised? You found wolves, too. The other settlement was attacked by wolves as well, was it not?”

“What?” Handir started. “No. No! We did not find wolves.  It…The other settlement was attacked by…by creatures. They were hideous to look upon and they stank and they spoke a tongue which grated on the ears and they walked on two legs. And they…we…I could not believe what I saw…It…it was horrible!”

He turned away, covering his mouth with his hand.

Haldir moved forward and put his hands on his younger son’s shoulders. “Tell me what it is, my son. You need to tell us more.”

“Adar, they…they…Adar we found some of the creatures alive and they were…eating some of the elves they had slaughtered.” Handir shook, tears streaming down his face as his adar wrapped his arms around him.

Many voices cried out in alarm and concern and some in disbelief. Once Saelon settled everyone again, Haldir looked over at Rúmil and Orophin where they stood quietly conferring with their sons and they nodded to Haldir.

“They saw the same thing,” Orophin said quietly.  The look on his face betrayed his struggle with his own emotions.

“How long ago was the village destroyed?” Saelon asked.

Rúmil’s eldest son answered for Handir now leaned heavily on his adar, still too overcome to respond. “Perhaps six turns of the stars ago? We came upon the village about fives turns ago and found survivors maybe four turns ago.”

“How was my grandson injured?” Damrod asked, speaking for the first time.

“He was the first one to see the creatures while they were eating, and they shot him with an arrow. We fired our own arrows and destroyed the creatures. His wound is not poisoned. We tended him and returned here as quickly as we could. The rest of the hunters and the survivors will be here soon. We came on ahead to warn you.”

“They fire arrows?” Damrod asked in disbelief.

“Yes, my lord. And they carry swords as well, poorly made but sharp enough to be treacherous.”

The crowd murmured fearfully but Saelon stood in silence, deep in thought.  After everyone quieted again he carefully looked about the frightened faces of the crowd.

“My people, this is not the first time that a settlement has been threatened or forced to move. We will open our homes to the survivors of each settlement and we will build new telain to house our new arrivals. Each group of hunters has reported that the creatures which attacked the respective settlements are all dead. All is still at peace here and there have not been any signs of anything untoward on or near our borders. I deem that this threat has passed. Be at peace! Return to your homes and make ready for those who will be joining us.”

Haldir and his comrades stared at the chieftain, shaking their heads in disbelief.

“NO!” Angaril practically shouted as the crowd started to disburse.  “NO! You cannot be serious!”

Saelon glared at him angrily. “I have spoken!”

“No!” A red-faced, Angaril turned to meet Haldir’s gaze. “Haldir, please! You have got to--”

“He does not have to do anything, Angaril,” Damrod said quietly, defending his adar’s words. “Go home.”

“I will not!  Not when there is--”

Haldir moved to join them, one arm still supporting his badly shaken son.

“Not when there is what?” Saelon asked gesturing angrily. “An unknown threat from creatures which were all destroyed? A threat which might exist, but does not yet know our location even if it did exist? Would you cause a panic? And what would you have me do? Move the settlement? To where?”

“My lord,” Haldir said speaking calmly. “I think that we need to investigate the area around the eastern settlement. I would like to confirm the identity of the creatures. My comrades and I believe we know what they are. If we are correct, then you will need to move the settlement.”

“Oh? Why? Did you not train warriors for just such a threat as this?” Saelon asked, his voice filled with anger.

“Yes, we did train them to defend the settlement, and trained warriors obviously kept the creatures at bay for two assaults on the eastern settlement. However, they failed on the third assault for reasons unknown to us at this time,” Haldir said quietly.

“You are the best warriors of the three settlements. You have trained and drilled and practiced musters far more than the other two settlements for how many ennin? I trust that your warriors will defend us if, and I say again, IF the need arises. I for one do not believe that it will.”

“My lord,” Haldir started again, the strain of keeping his anger in check creeping into his voice. “I will take warriors to investigate what the hunters found in the eastern settlement. And, if we are correct in our suspicions about the creatures, then there is no way that we can successfully defend Celos Galen for any length of time. We might be many, but the enemy will be far greater than you could possibly imagine.”

“Is that so, Child?” Saelon purred dangerously. “And how could you possibly know that?”

Haldir was well aware of the many eyes anxiously watching him, especially those of his sons and his comrades’ sons. In an equally dangerous tone, he replied, “Because if we are correct, then these are the same creatures that my comrades and I from Lothlórien encountered by the thousands in the attack where we nearly died. I led two hundred warriors each with more ennin of experience fighting these same creatures than most of my warriors here have even seen of life. My comrades and I were the only survivors. We do not have 200 warriors here and they do not have the experience fighting creatures like this.”

Taurion paled, looking on his adar in awe and dread as he gasped, “Adar, you…you think these are the creatures that gave you those wounds?”

“Yes,” Haldir nodded grimly.

“There are no better warriors than you six, Adar. If…if what you fear is true, then we truly are doomed.”

“Yes,” Haldir confirmed matter-or-factly. “If it is true, then we are doomed.”

Saelon glared at Haldir for a time, then gave in to the almost palpable fear of those around him. “Take your warriors and go, Haldir. But I still believe that you are wrong.”

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It only took a few turns of the stars to reach the remains of the eastern settlement and the orc camp. Haldir wished it had taken longer – much much longer.  Ordering his warriors to spread out and take to the trees, they were able to gather a great deal of information about the orcs and the lack of any further survivors.  Warriors from Lorien even managed to get close enough to the orcs undetected to listen to their conversations.

When the group assembled again a safe distance away, they climbed high into the trees to discuss what they had learned.

“Adar,” Taurion asked anxiously, “Is it as you feared? Are these the creatures that you spoke of?”

All of the Lórien warriors nodded grimly.

“Is there naught we can do?” Angaril’s third son asked. “Do we need to move Celos Galen or can we defend it?”

Angaril looked over at Haldir and silently shook his head.

“But why?” his son asked again. “Did you not train us and the other warriors for this purpose: to defend Celos Galen against peril?”

Haldir looked around at the sons of his brothers and comrades, seeing eager faces which were so like the ones that he so many times led into battle and kept from certain death time and again. But this time it was different.

“Your silence could suggest that you do not have faith in our abilities,” Rúmil’s eldest son commented.

“And why did you six go so close to the creatures so as to hear their voices?” Orophin’s second son asked.

Ferevellon and Ferevildir both looked at their sons expectantly.

“We are perfectly content to let them ask the questions for they speak out thoughts as well,” one of the sons declared and the others nodded in agreement.

Rúmil finally spoke up. “We have every confidence in your abilities. Your prowess in arms in not in question,” He paused looking pointedly at every son of the six in turn. “We moved so close to the orcs in order to--”

“Orcs?” Taurion interrupted.

“Yes,” Rúmil answered. “The creatures are called orcs. We needed to hear their voices in order to hear their plans.”

“Their plans…” Rumil’s eldest echoed. “You…you understand their foul tongue?”

“Yes, we do understand their speech,” Orophin confirmed.

“But how?” Many of the sons asked as once.

Everyone looked at Haldir who sighed in exasperation.

“Oh, so I get to be the one, is that it?” Haldir asked irritably.

“You are the captain…” Angaril said. “Why should it not be you?”

Haldir looked away, listening to the woods around him, taking in the agitated trees and the lack of small animals and birds and the strong sense of evil which accompanied the orcs. Regarding the sons again, he realized that now likely was a very good time to start telling the children some things about their edair’s past.

Briefly Haldir closed his eyes searching for the right words, then he opened his eyes and met those of the sons who would not have lived had it not been for orcs. Taking a deep breath, he began his tale.

The sons sat mesmerized as he spoke of Lórien and their lives and training there and the orcs and other creatures which assailed them. He told of other clans living among them as if they were all one tribe for so they had become in order to survive – the Sindar and the Tatyai and even some few with the blood of the Minyai in them.  Never once did Haldir mention from when they had come.

“That is why you six speak so many tongues and know so many things that even our wisest do not know,” Taurion said.

“Yes,” Haldir confirmed. “And we even speak the tongue of our enemy for so dire was our need to fight and survive.”

“Does Lórien yet survive?” one of Fereveldir’s twin sons asked.

“Yes, somewhere in the distant east it does,” Haldir said simply.

“If it was wondrous fair as you said then why did you leave it? Why did you go away to fight in a battle that was not yours and why did you come here?” the other twin asked.

“We do not know how we came to be here for that road lies dark and dim in our memory. We only remember being injured in battle and then awakening here. We joined the battle because, at that time, all battles were ultimately for the good of all of the free folk of the land -- whether they be our kind or no. Any battle lost would impair all of us and any battle won served to strengthen all in our land. It was our duty and our honor to go and fight.”

“Yet you do not want us to fight and save Celos Galen,” Rúmil’s eldest son spat angrily. “Why? Does that land not matter to you as much as Lórien seemed to matter? Is that it?”

Rúmil glared at his son. “Do not ever presume to think that we care not for Celos Galen and its people or that we would not be willing to die to defend it! There simply are not enough warriors to defend Celos Galen if the large attack that the orcs are planning comes to pass. Cunning and clever strategy will only go so far to protect our people here and, in truth, they will not be enough.”

“Then give us the chance to protect our homes or to die trying – just like you did in Lórien!”

“NO!” the six said in resounding unison causing the sons to quell at the power behind their edair’s voices.

“Part of being a warrior is choosing one’s battles wisely, making realistic use of wit and knowledge. Sometimes the wisest move is to not engage the enemy, but to retreat and fight again on more favorable terms another time.” Orophin said quietly, his steely calm voice visibly settling the agitation of those around him. “Now is one of those times to retreat. There are too many ellith and children and folk who, though willing to fight, cannot hope to last long in a battle against orcs.”

“What are orcs that they are such a powerful enemy? You have to tell us, and I for one believe that you know what they are.” Taurion said, the anger in his voice matching that of his reprimanded cousin.

Angaril answered, “Do you remember tales of elves disappearing from Cuiviénen? Of folk who went wandering never to return? Of a dark hunter who brought a greater darkness everywhere he went and even the stars feared to shine in his presence?”

The sons nodded.

“The dark hunter was one of the Belain called Melkor or Morgoth who chose to betray the teachings of Eru and fight against the good of His creations. He corrupted the Song which called all into existence. We see evidence of that corruption in the vile things which attack us -- the spiders and the wolves and other such creatures which we have encountered which have sought to slay our kind. Morgoth was very jealous of the elves and their beauty and goodness, so he started stealing some of them away and corrupting them to his cruel and vile purposes. The end result of his torments and tortures of captured elves was the orcs. They have not our long lives nor our beauty nor skills, but to some extent they still have our wit and physical strength so they are cunning and cruel and hate us as no other hates.”

After a long silence, a much subdued Taurion finally spoke up. “If we defend Celos Galen and we fail, will they eat our kin and…and our children as my brother said that they ate the folk of the eastern settlement?”

“Yes, they will without hesitation,” Orophin calmly replied.

Another long silence followed, then Rúmil’s eldest spoke again. “Then we need to leave now and warn the settlement and somehow force Chieftain Saelon to understand that Celos Galen has to be abandoned immediately. I will not lose my wife and son to those creatures, those orcs.”

“We cannot force chieftain Saelon to do anything,” Haldir cautioned, but we can prepare those who will listen to ready themselves for the inevitable and help them plan to leave when the time comes.”

“Where will you take them?” Taurion asked. “Where in this whole forest is safe when two other settlements have already fallen? To where will you move the settlement?”

“Doriath. We have shown you on the map the river Sirion which flows some leagues to the west of our forest’s borders,” Haldir explained. “We will follow that river north until it forks and then we will cross the eastern fork and enter into Doriath. Menegroth the main and most powerful settlement should be completed by now. I feel confident that they will welcome us.”

“How come you have not spoken of this place before? How do you even know it exists?” Taurion asked.

Sometimes the boy was too shrewd for his own good, Haldir thought in frustration. He fumbled for a believable response then finally settled with, “I heard tell of it in my travels before you were born. It is where we must go and I know that our people will be safe there.”

“Now we just have to convince Saelon that he needs to move the settlement,” Angaril said as he started down the tree.

To that the others all agreed and started climbing down from their perches to run back to Celos Galen, each desperately hoping that they would not be too late.

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