21. Homecoming

Gandalf arrives early the next morning to take me to Elmoth. Shadowfax had passed years ago, but the horse we ride now is just as fine to my reckoning. I don’t tell him that though. 

As we ride the coastal road, he points things out and explains how everything works here. It’s a bit like the Shire really: no real leaders, unless you count the Valar, and everyone minds their own. Oddly enough, there’s no money here or even bartering. That’ll take some getting used to, but it’s good news for me as I’ve got no money and naught to be bartering with.

I ask him anything that pops into my head: when are market hours, where’s the best fishing, does it get cold, does it rain, what’s considered neighborly behavior. After a few dozen such questions, Gandalf laughs heartily. 

“Do I have a Gamgee riding before me, or a Took?” he asks.

“Neither. I’m a Gardner,” I quip, earning another laugh.

“Ah. How could I forget?”

Elmoth turns out to be a small coastal town about ten miles out of Avallónë. A wide bay sits at the feet of tall bluffs, atop of which are many grand houses. The bluffs stretch on for some miles, opening up to the town bustling with midday activity. Halfway up the edge of the bluff and dug into the rock is a smial. Above it sits an Elven home.

Gandalf greets those we pass with cheer and soon we’re heading up the path to the smial. There’s a kitchen garden and a small stable. The lane continues to the house above, where many folk are moving about. From this angle, I can see the bluff flattens out to a plateau behind the houses but not much else.

“Welcome to Near Water, Master Gardner.”

GF 9/22/2012

To be continued...