9: Tûm Ivon

When dawn came, Maglor joined Ragnor and his two sons in scouting out the area. Haldir and Duilinn were instructed to go back toward Annúminas and stand guard.

“If you see any of those creatures heading this way, Duilinn, you are to come and tell Denethor,” Ragnor instructed his younger son. “Haldir, keep an eye on them and don’t let them see you. I know there is little in the way of cover here, but I trust you to not make yourself noticeable.” Haldir visibly straightened at his adar’s words and both ellyn set off in high spirits. Ragnor cast an amused look at Maglor and Denethor standing nearby. “If we’re lucky, those creatures will never show and my sons will have a boring time.”

Denethor grinned and Maglor gave a chuckle. “Come, let us see if we can find a way out of here.” He gave Denethor a nod and set off with Ragnor. The valley where they had spent the night was about a half mile from the blockage. In daylight it was even more impressive and daunting. The land was twisted and tortured and the wall of earth that rose before them was nearly sheer. Maglor eyed it in dismay.

“I do not think any of us can climb that,” he said. “Certainly Saelmir would never make it even if all of us were helping.”

Ragnor nodded in agreement and pointed to his right. “Why don’t you head that way and I’ll go left and maybe one of us will find a way around this. It’s odd that little else in this area was disturbed. It almost seems as if someone had deliberately placed this wall here to either keep something in or something out.”

Maglor gave him a surprised look. “Do you truly think that?”

Ragnor just shook his head. “No, but it’s hard not to wonder.”

Maglor clapped the ellon on the shoulder and then, without another word, headed north while Ragnor went in the opposite direction. Maglor carefully maneuvered his way past what was left of the avenue of stones, for here they were all fallen in a haphazard manner, tumbled about or leaning against one another. One or two were actually broken in large chunks and Maglor wondered at the force of nature that had been able to do that to these mammoth stones. Beyond the avenue he could see where the hills had melted into one another. There was evidence of lava underneath the scrub grass and lichen that covered the ground. He knelt to feel the ashy soil. Obviously some cataclysm had struck here a very long time ago.

He looked about him, trying to see if there was a way to climb that would not tax Saelmir’s strength. Here, the hills were lower than further east and he began climbing, taking a random route as he examined the landscape. He climbed to the top of one hill and stared in dismay at what he saw as he looked west and south. From here it was clear that whatever cataclysm had struck had done considerable damage to the land. The wall that blocked them was only the outer edge of what appeared to be a high massif that easily spanned several leagues. It was as if something had lifted the land up in one area, for he could see in the far distance the plains that ran from the Emyn Uial to the Lhûn.

Looking north, he could see the lake on his right and the northern section of the Emyn Uial rising beyond it. He carefully examined the lie of the land in that direction, thinking that perhaps they could head back toward the lake and then make their way through the hills skirting the massif on that side, but he could see no easy way down, for the northern slopes of the southern hills were steep. Even if they somehow managed to get back down and reach the lake, he could see that the hills to the north were higher and more precipitous. It would be a struggle and with wounded….

He sighed and looked south again, trying to determine if there was a way to climb the massif but realized that even if they were able to, eventually they would need to climb back down into the plains beyond and there was no guarantee that they would be able to find a way down. Their best option, as far as he could see, was to climb through the southern hills down into the moorland. The hills on this side were lower than their northern cousins and he suspected that valleys linked most of them. The small valley where they had spent the night had no outlet, but that could not be true for all of them.

Deciding it was useless to stand where he was he climbed back down the hill and made his way back to the avenue of stones. Ragnor was waiting for him.

“Any luck?” Ragnor asked.

Maglor shook his head. “The land rises directly behind this wall of earth into a wide, flat massif that stretches for several leagues in all directions and there is no easy way down to the lake if we wished to try to go in that direction. We would have to return to Annúminas and come down from there and that option is not available to us. What did you find?”

“Little enough, but there is an old stream bed running more or less southward that we might be able to follow. The only problem is, we would need to use ropes to reach it, for just beyond here the land ends in a cliff.”

“Show me,” Maglor ordered and Ragnor led the way up the hill, which flattened on the top and went several hundred paces until they were looking down a sheer cliff. Below, Maglor could see a stony course, the bed of a long-ago stream. He glanced around. To the right the hill met the outer edge of the massif, which, from this angle, did not appear that high, but Maglor knew that distance deceived and he thought the massif rose a good quarter of a mile above the plains. To the left, the hill sloped downward. He walked in that direction and saw that, steep though the way was, it could be climbed with care. There was a narrow defile running north and south that cut between the hill they were on and the one further east.

“Can you get down there and see how far that defile goes?” he asked Ragnor.

The ellon said no word, merely grunting in agreement before heading down, picking his way carefully to keep his balance. At one point though, he simply stopped and glanced back at Maglor, giving him a sour look before he sat and slithered down on his backside. Maglor had to force himself not to laugh and struggled to keep his expression blank of any emotion but mild interest.

“Well at least we know how Saelmir can get down if we have to come this way,” he called out as Ragnor reached the bottom.

“He and everyone else, including you,” Ragnor shouted up, brushing the earth from his clothes. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he said and Maglor simply nodded, standing at ease as the other ellon picked his way through the narrow cut. Indeed, so narrow it was that he could touch the wall on either side. Maglor idly wondered how the defile had come to be created and thought perhaps it had once been a tributary of the other stream.

He wandered about while waiting for Ragnor to return, checking to see if there was any other way down from here, but it appeared that the eastern slope was their best option, if no other way could be found. Nearly an hour passed and there was still no sign of Ragnor. Maglor began to worry, wondering if he should go down and look for the ellon, but just as he was deciding to do so, he saw Ragnor heading back.

“What happened?” Maglor shouted down. “Why were you gone so long? Did you find a way for us to go?”

Ragnor stood looking up, not attempting to climb. His expression was one of wonder. “I found something you need to see.”

“What?” Maglor exclaimed impatiently.

Ragnor shook his head. “It’s better to show you. I’m coming up. I think there’s a way to reach here from the other side. I left landmarks to guide us.” He began climbing, grunting with the effort, for the way was steep and there was little purchase. Maglor knelt down and reached out to give the ellon a lift up.

“What exactly did you find?” he asked.

“Treasure,” came the surprising answer, “and answers to several questions concerning those manlike creatures. Come. Let us get back to the camp. The sooner we are on our way, the better.”

To that Maglor had no objections and he forced himself to curb his curiosity and not pester the other ellon with questions he was obviously not ready to answer. They made their way back to the avenue and Ragnor indicated that he would go fetch his sons while Maglor headed back to the valley where the others waited for them. As he began climbing down the slope into the valley he saw Denethor come to meet him.

“What did you find and where is Ragnor?” Denethor asked softly.

“Ragnor has gone to fetch his sons,” Maglor replied. “We will have to wait for his return, for it was his discovery and I do not know what it is. I see you’ve decided to risk a fire.”

“We needed the fire so we could have hot water to reclean Damrod’s wound. It seemed to be festering and he was feeling feverish.”

“Is he well?” Maglor asked worriedly. He liked Damrod and knew how much Denethor relied on him as his lieutenant.

“He is better,” Denethor replied. “It appears that a piece of the bone point broke off and lodged itself in the muscle around the wound. We were able to remove it and he is no longer feverish. I don’t think he can be moved too soon, though.”

“I think we can risk another night here, but I would not stretch our luck any further,” Maglor said as they headed to the camp.

Everyone looked up in expectation. “Where’s Ragnor?” Finduilas asked, looking tense.

“He’s gone to fetch your sons,” Maglor replied. “As soon as they are back he will give you the news, for it is his to give. In the meantime, is there anything hot to eat?”

The others chuckled and Finduilas grabbed a bowl and ladled a thin soup from a pot, handing it to Maglor with an apology. “It’s not much, but we are running low on supplies and our water is limited.”

“It is fine,” Maglor assured her. “I saw no trace of wildlife but that does not mean there isn’t any. I think once we are clear of these wretched hills we’ll be better off.”

To that they all agreed. Maglor asked after Damrod and was assured that the ellon was doing well. Voronwë, who was the closest thing to a healer that they had, had put him into healing sleep. “I think another night’s rest would not be amiss for him or for us and Saelmir also needs more time to recover. Last night’s trek was an ordeal for him,” Voronwë said.

Maglor nodded, remembering how pale the ellon had looked even this morning.

It was not long before Ragnor returned with Haldir and Duilinn, all three treated to the watery soup, downing the hot liquid gratefully while everyone else tried to curb their impatience. While they were eating, Maglor told everyone what he had found to the north and described the massif that stretched behind the wall.

“There is no going that way,” he said, “but we may have better luck to the south. We found a dry streambed that appears to be heading south. It must lead into the Shire but further east than the avenue would have taken us. Even so, the way to it will be difficult,” he concluded and went on to describe the cliff and the defile. At that point, Ragnor took up the narrative.

“There is a way that may not be as taxing as the way Maglor has described. However, it will mean climbing through these hills and there is something you all must see before we leave the Emyn Uial.” But what that was, he refused to say, stating he did not wish to spoil the surprise. He was somewhat impatient to learn that they would not leave immediately, but recognized the need for Damrod and Saelmir to rest.

“I will see if there is a way for us to go in the meantime,” he offered and refused to take anyone else with him when Maglor and others volunteered to accompany him. “I will not go far,” he promised. “I just want to check something out.”

Maglor gave him a shrewd look and Denethor appeared worried, but in the end, he let Ragnor go. “If you are not back within two hours, we’ll come hunting for you,” he admonished him and Ragnor promised that he would return within the hour. With that he headed for the southwestern side of the valley, which appeared somewhat lower and less steep than the other sides and climbed out, disappearing from view. More than one person sighed. Maglor decided to do sentry duty, settling himself along a ridge looking down into the avenue of stones while waiting for Ragnor’s return.

The two hours were almost up when Ragnor finally returned. Maglor joined the others to hear what the ellon had to say. “Sorry,” Ragnor started to apologize. “The way was more convoluted than I anticipated, but I did find a path through these hills that can be assayed if we take our time. I suggest we start as soon after dawn as possible. I’ll help with Saelmir and lead the way.”

“And you still won’t say what it is you found, will you?” Maglor couldn’t help asking.

Ragnor grinned. “What’s the fun of that? I want to see your expressions when I take you to there.”

“We will leave at dawn then,” Denethor announced. “In the meantime, I suggest we all rest and gather our strength. I wish we had a water source. We’re running low.”

“It’s one reason I took longer than I thought to scout out our path,” Ragnor said. “I was hoping to find some evidence of water. That dry streambed means that water once flowed in this area. I think we’ll find water when we need to.” He refused to say anything more and Maglor accused him of being mysterious on purpose, to which Ragnor simply laughed and announced he was going to sleep, which he did, settling down beside his wife.

Maglor turned to Denethor with a huff of annoyance. “I hate people who are smug,” he said before heading away to take up his sentry post once again so he did not see Ragnor smirking even as his eyes unfocused and he was slipping onto the Path of Dreams.

****

The night proved colder than usual and by morning a thick fog blanketed the valley. Maglor joined Ragnor in helping Saelmir to climb the slope, taking their time, for the ground was slick with moisture. Finduilas, walking behind her husband, actually had to keep a hand on Saelmir’s back while Maglor and Ragnor pulled him up the hill. Once at the top they had to then go down and that was trickier, especially in the fog. Still, it was not an onerous task and soon they and everyone else were down on the floor of yet another valley, this one much wider and longer than the other. Ragnor pointed to his right though there was little to see.

“This valley winds west and south around these hills then narrows into a defile that links it with another valley beyond,” he explained to them, then he pointed in the opposite direction. “In scouting this area I discovered that it actually goes back to connect with the gully east of Annúminas. We passed its entrance in the dark.”

“So those creatures would know of this valley,” Denethor said with a worried look.

“Presumably,” Ragnor responded. “At any rate, once I show you what I wish to show you, it will explain much about these creatures that has puzzled us. Come. It’s really not that far. I think we can make it to the streambed by midafternoon.”

With that, he and Maglor set off with Saelmir between them and the others followed, walking carefully in the dim light, the fog wreathing about them, making it hard to see more than a foot or two before them. Denethor ordered a couple of the ellyn to keep a rearguard just in case. The valley wound around the hills and narrowed after about a mile as Ragnor had promised. The defile was actually wide enough so that they could walk three abreast, though Ragnor warned Saelmir that the defile leading to the dry streambed was too narrow and he would have to be carried. Saelmir grimaced at that but said nothing.

By mutual consent, they stopped for a while to give Ragnor and Maglor a break. Duilinn and Haldir offered to help Saelmir for this next leg of the journey and neither Maglor nor Ragnor objected. Once rested, they set off. This valley was not as wide as the last and headed almost due south. The hills here were even lower than those behind them and their slopes were less steep.

“How close are we to what you wished to show us?” Maglor asked Ragnor.

“Very close,” came the reply. “We just have to traverse this valley and we will be there.”

By now the sun had topped the hills and the fog had burned off, showing a brilliant blue sky with fluffy white clouds. The air was cold and crisp and they knew that the brief warm spell they had experienced as they came up the Baranduin was probably now over. Soon, the incessant snow would start falling again. They hoped to reach the Sea before that.

At the other end of the valley they saw yet another cut between the hills. This one was not as wide as the last one and it was strewn with boulders, forcing them to take a serpentine route through. Haldir walked with Saelmir with Duilinn behind them to give what aid he could as they made their way through the cut. Ragnor, with Maglor and Denethor right behind him, continued to lead the way. The cut was not straight but wound its way between the hills on either side, narrowing as it went along until it was barely six feet wide and the exit was practically plugged by a tall boulder that was almost half that in width. The Elves were forced to wiggle their way past it on either side, removing their haversacks to give themselves more space. Saelmir used the boulder as a back support while he hopped on one foot around it where Haldir was waiting for him.

Once they were all on the other side, Ragnor gave them a smile. “I’d love to tell you to close your eyes and don’t open them until I tell you, but that’s very impractical so if everyone’s ready, let’s go.”

“Yes, let us see what this mysterious surprise is,” Denethor said.

Past the boulder the cut narrowed even further as the hills on either side encroached, so that they needed to go single file with Saelmir clinging to Duilinn’s back. The cut curved westward and then opened up into another valley. When Maglor came through he stopped in shock and heard Denethor, who was right behind him, gasp.

“Hey, you’re blocking the way,” Haldir complained and then gave a gurgled exclamation as he looked past the other ellyn, stopping as well, thereby effectively blocking everyone else’s view.

“What is it?” Saelmir demanded from where he was still clinging to Duilinn’s back. “Move, will you, so we can see, too.”

Ragnor, watching in amusement, gently pulled Maglor and Denethor to one side, neither ellyn protesting, then did the same with Haldir. “Come along, Duilinn, but do not stop else it will take forever for everyone to come through,” he admonished his younger son.

Duilinn nodded but even as he entered the valley he nearly stumbled in shock, eliciting a gasp of pain from Saelmir.

“Easy now,” Ragnor cautioned his son. “Let’s get him over here out of the way.” The two of them helped Saelmir over to where Maglor and Denethor still stood, rooted to the spot.

And all this time, as people came into the valley, there were gasps of shock and wonder.

Maglor paid no attention, his entire being focused on what lay before him, his mind trying to assimilate what he was seeing: trees.

The valley was covered with trees. Around them were several thýn clinging precariously to the rocky slopes of the hills that formed the valley walls. They were not very tall and were rather scraggly looking, but their piney scent filled the air, acting as a balm to his soul. Casting his gaze further afield, he spied brethil and tylys and he thought he even recognized tethair and lelvin. None of the trees were tall, perhaps only about twelve feet at the most, and he could tell that they were young.

“How?” Denethor whispered, his eyes never leaving the sight before him. “How is this possible?”

“Have you noticed how much warmer the air here is?” Maglor answered with his own question. “It feels almost as warm as it would be in the south.”

“It… it’s a nursery,” Ragnor’s daughter Aerin said in delight, a smile wreathing her face. “Many of these trees would not be found together like this.”

Maglor started at that revelation and realized as he looked about the valley that the elleth was correct.

“Well, now we know where those creatures found wood,” Saelmir said, sitting on the ground at Maglor’s feet, pointing to a spot just before him and they could see the stump of what had once been a pine tree.

Maglor nodded. “Yes. Somehow they discovered this valley and have been harvesting the wood.”

Several of the Elves grimaced at that, the thought of those brutish creatures, whom they refused to dignify with the title ‘Men’, coming here and destroying the trees for their own use was repugnant to them.

“Come,” Ragnor said, gesturing for them to follow him. “You have not seen the best part.”

Intrigued, the others gathered their belongings and set off, wending their way between the trees, many of them stopping to place a hand on a trunk, closing their eyes and communing with the tree before moving on, so their progress was somewhat slow, but no one, not even Ragnor, minded. Thus, it was nearly an hour before they came to the center of the valley and there they all stopped, gaping in disbelief at the single mallorn rising majestically before them.

Like the other trees, it was young, not yet topping twelve feet, so it had not been visible through the forest of lesser trees, but there was no mistaking it.

“By all that’s holy!” Neldorion exclaimed. “A mallorn! But how? Lothlórien was destroyed ages ago. The mellyrn all died after the Galadhrim abandoned it when Lord Celeborn removed himself to Imladris.”

“The Party Tree,” Maglor said.

“What?!” more than one person exclaimed.

Maglor nodded. “I heard about it. My cousin Galadriel gifted one of the Periain who fought in the Ring War with a mallorn seed which he planted in the Shire. It was called the Party Tree. I have no idea why.”

They stared at the tree in wonder. “So you think a seed of that tree somehow made its way here?”

Maglor shrugged. “Apparently.”

“All these other trees… their seeds are generally airborne, but that’s not true of the mallorn. Someone or something had to plant it here,” Damrod said.

“Someone, indeed,” Maglor responded. “None of these trees just happened. Aerin is correct. This is a nursery. These trees have been planted here deliberately.”

“By whom?” someone asked.

Maglor gave them a wry look. “I suspect the Belain have something to do with this, they or their Maiar servants. And don’t forget Tom Bombadil. We’re near the northern border of the Shire and his demesne was not all that far away.”

“Can we stay here for a while?” Eirien asked. “Do we have to move on?”

“We need water,” Denethor pointed out, “and our supplies are running dangerously low. We cannot afford to linger too long.”

“I found a small spring not far from here,” Ragnor told them. “I think we should stay for a day or two. We can go hunting. I found deer tracks as well. This valley is actually fairly large, though with all these trees blocking our view, it’s hard to tell.”

Denethor thought about it for a moment or two before nodding. “Very well. Take us to the spring and then we’ll see.”

There were glad cries and smiles all around and someone started singing a spritely tune about trees and others soon joined in.

Maglor gave Denethor a wry look as they followed Ragnor. “I wonder if whoever planted these trees left an Ent or two to watch over them.”

“But none of the Ents survived,” Denethor pointed out, “though I rather like the idea that perhaps the Earth Queen did just that.”

They both chuckled as they joined the others in following Ragnor further down the valley to the spring.

****

Tûm Ivon: The Valley of Yavanna. Tûm is a deep valley under or among hills.

Thýn: Plural of thôn: pine-tree.

Brethil: (singular and plural) birch.

Tylys: Plural of tulus: poplar.

Tethair: Plural of tathar: white willow.

Lelvin: Plural of lalven: elm.

Periain: Plural of Perian: Hobbit.