Chapter 4
Erebor!
Six
days after starting from Mirkwood, Melda and her friends arrived at
Dale. Bard the Bowman had rebuilt the town and became the king, since
he was descended from the kings of Dale in olden days. His son, Bain,
ruled there now; but he was beginning to feel the pains of old age.
It was expected that he would soon turn the crown over to his son,
Brand.
Dale
was impressive. It was an important trading center between the
Wood-elves and the Dwarves, and now was both happy and prosperous.
Marvelous goods of all sorts were made there* and shipped down the
river to Laketown or went up to Erebor.
*Those
who have read The Lord of the Rings might remember that the
“marvelous crackers” that Gandalf brought to Bilbo's Birthday
Party came from Dale.
Melda
was awed. Laketown had seemed large, but Dale was twice and half
again larger than Laketown! Great towers rose up on each corner of
the city. The walls were high and in good repair. The Battle of the
Five Armies had not yet been forgotten! The Orcs had been taken care
of for the most part in the intervening years, but the people were
still wary. However, farms now lay in the lands nearby. It was
autumn, and the harvest was in full swing.
At
Dale the three friends obtained more provisions, then went on to
Erebor. They were accompanied by a dwarf who knew Linwen, since their
Wood-elvish escort would not go beyond Dale. It did not take them
more than a day's journey to arrive thence; even though they were on
foot, it was not a hard, nor a long, road. So it was that on the
seventh day from their starting in Mirkwood they arrived at Erebor.
Erebor
was no less majestic than Dale; indeed, it was more so! The Gate was
wide, with pillars on either side. It was just about to open; the sun
had risen over the horizon not more than five minutes before. On the
Gate was inlaid in gold the design of an anvil and hammer surmounted
by a crown with seven stars. The mountain rose up almost as high as
the eye could see. It was scored with paths, doors, guardhouses, and
the like. Guards stood at the Gate with axes and pikes and bright
mail. Their helms glinted in the morning sun.
Melda
and Galenloth were awed. Linwen was also, though somewhat less; she
had seen the mountain more than once before, if never at sunrise.
“I
never knew that such majesty and grandeur existed,” said Melda
softly.
“And
power,” added Galenloth. “The mountain radiates overwhelming
might.”
“You
will never see the like,” said Linwen, “for although 'tis said
that Gondor is splendid, nothing can compare with The Lonely
Mountain.”
They
walked up to the Front Gate as the doors swung open.
Inside,
Erebor was just as imposing. Dwarves' tread could be heard on the
stone floors, their heavy boots clunking loudly. Rich hangings
decorated the walls in the corridor leading to the throne room. Great
pillars rose up to the high ceiling and merged flawlessly. Melda and
Galenloth gazed at the lofty heights and soaring ceilings; they had
never seen the like before. Linwen led them on until they reached the
doors leading to the throne room. These were inlaid like the gate,
with the crown of Durin surrounded by seven stars over a hammer and
anvil in gold.
“King
Dain will open his audience chamber soon. He receives visitors for
two hours about an hour from this time usually, “ whispered Linwen
to the other two. They waited, watching the dwarves begin to go about
their morning business. Two dwarf-children were playing in a hall
nearby; you could hear their laughter. They walked out into the open
space where Melda, Galenloth and Linwen were standing.
“You
go, Nara,” whispered one. She nudged her companion.
“No,
you go, Naugwen!” the other, presumably Nara, whispered back. This
went on for several minutes. Finally Naugwen came up to where the
three friends were standing. “Greetings,” she said in Dwarvish.
“Greetings,”
the three friends replied.
Melda
and Galenloth were eager to see what Dwarves looked like, so they
looked at Naugwen curiously. She was not very tall, about 4 foot 11,
with blond hair and bluish-green eyes. She was wearing a dark blue
dress and brown leggings; the dress was almost a tunic in length. She
wore boots, something that seemed strange to Galenloth; Wood-elves
wore only light shoes.
Naugwen,
in her turn, had never seen a Wood-elf, or even a half-elf before.
She looked over the three standing together near the door. They had
on long tunics, almost dresses, just past the knee, that were green
and trimmed with brown. Their leggings were brown, and they wore
light shoes that were almost moccasins. The tallest had long brown
hair well past her shoulders and brown eyes. She wore a belt of
leather with a metal clasp; the clasp had a strange symbol on it.
The other two were about the same height; one had brown hair, and the
other had golden-red. The one with brown hair had green eyes. Her
belt was purple. The other girl, the one with the golden-red hair,
had green eyes also. Her belt was a light turquoise-blue.
“I
am Naugwen,” said the dwarf who had greeted them. “This is my
friend, Nara.”
“I
am Melda,”
“I
am Galenloth,”
“and
I am Linwen,” finished Linwen.
“Have
you ever been to Erebor before?” asked Naugwen after a pause.
“No,”
answered Melda and Galenloth.
“Yes,
I lived here for many years,” said Linwen. “Have you ever lived
elsewhere?”
“No,”
answered Naugwen and Nara.
“Are
the three of you sisters?” asked Nara.
“No,”
Melda answered, “though Linwen and I are first cousins once
removed.”
Linwen
nodded. “Are you and Naugwen sisters?” she asked.
“No,
we are not,” Naugwen replied, “though we may act as such from
time to time.”
At
that moment the gate opened. The hall inside was decorated with
hangings on the walls, carpet on the floor, and gems inlaid within
the stone. The throne was near the far end of the room. Linwen lead
the other two to the edge of the red and purple carpet surrounding
the throne, then halted. “O king, we have a request to make,” she
said.
“What
is your request?” the king asked. His face was grim and stern, but
not unkind.
“I
bring two of my friends from Mirkwood, O king, where I went not yet
four months ago. They have near kin here, since they are descended
from Dwarves and Elves both, ” Linwen replied. The king mused for a
moment. “Come up next to Linwen,” he commanded Melda and
Galenloth. He spoke in the Common Speech, thinking not that they
understood Dwarvish. “Who are your parents?”
They
looked at each other, then Melda spoke. “O king, I am the daughter
of Ranfea and Tolowen.”
“And
I, O king, am the daughter of Tharir and Calmire,” finished
Galenloth.
King
Dain mused again. “I have heard of Tharir and Calmire,” he said,
“and also of Tolowen. But Tolowen merely visits once a year. And
Ranfea is a Man. Calmire visits at times, though it has been several
years since last she came here. What are your names?”
“I
am called Melda, O king,” said Melda.
“And
I, O king, am called Galenloth,” said Galenloth.
“Galenloth,
you are half Dwarf, and therefore welcome to our halls. Melda, I must
consider your case. In the meantime, you may stay with Linwen and
Galenloth. Do not leave them until I have given my verdict,” the
king told them.
The
three bowed, and made their way to the doors. As they were leaving,
one of the guards asked her something teasingly in Dwarvish. Melda
answered him fittingly, and was about to leave when King Dain said
“Halt!” They did, and turned to face him. “When did you learn
to speak Dwarvish?” he asked Melda. She looked at Linwen and
Galenloth.
“What
should I do?” she mouthed.
“Answer me!” the king commanded.
“I
taught her, O king,” answered Linwen after a pause. “Galenloth
also.”
“My
mother had begun teaching me a few words, but I knew very little
until Linwen taught me. We made certain that none overheard,” Melda
added hastily.
The
king mused. “If your mother saw fit to teach you some words of our
tongue...” he broke off and was silent for a time. “You may stay
and learn here,” he said at last. “However, beware lest you
betray our secrets. They are not for all ears. And Dwarves have long
memories.” With that, he dismissed them.
When
they left, they saw that Nara and Naugwen were still lingering
outside. “Do you have a chambers yet?” Naugwen asked.
“No,”
answered Galenloth, “although Linwen does, I think.”
Linwen
nodded. “We have spoken to the king, and he will give orders for
chambers to be prepared for them.”
The
Dwarves gathered for a hearty supper at eventide. The tables were
well laden; Dwarves consume large amounts of food, when they are
hungry (which is almost always). Laughter echoed in the halls as the
mead was passed around. Soon Melda felt that the day had really
failed and night had come. She glanced nervously at the boisterous
dwarves. Some had already had their fill of mead, and Melda thought
that more would go down that path as the night wore on. “Linwen!”
she whispered. “Had we not best leave before the night wears on
farther?”
Linwen
glanced around the room. “A wise plan. I had nearly forgotten, in
my joy at returning, how wild Dwarves can be when lost in mead.”
The
three friends went up to Linwen's chambers. A dwarf was waiting for
them. “Rooms have been prepared for Galenloth and Melda. I will
show you to them,” he said. The three followed him first to
Galenloth's rooms, then to Melda's. Both were close to Linwen's;
Galenloth's were four doors farther on, and Melda's were six down in
the other direction. “These will be your chambers for the duration
of your stay,” their guide told them before he left.
Melda
looked around her room. It was bare of any decoration, save a
tapestry depicting Durin, one of the seven Dwarf Fathers, as he
walked the earth in the dawn of days. There was a fireplace at the
far end of the room. A bed stood in one corner, a dresser in another,
and a table and chair in the middle. There was a torch-bracket on the
wall, and candles stood on the dresser and table.
The
table had writing utensils on it, along with parchment; Melda
wondered why. She went over and looked at it. The topmost sheet of
parchment was a map of Erebor, not including the mines. As she
examined it, she began to suspect that she would need it the first
few days in that new and confusing place. She crossed over to the
bed. Freshly washed sheets covered it, and the pillow was soft.
Looking in the dresser, she found two complete outfits. “These
Dwarves are certainly not miserly hosts!” she thought. Since the
night was wearing on, Melda went to bed. Wondering how they told time
in this windowless place, she soon fell asleep.
Bell
