Long Lost Leaves - part II

[Curufin]

"Too long, I fear," he said softly, not pressing for information that was not offered. "It has already been too long. I tire of them quickly, as I am sure do you. They do not understand us, and I do not understand them. Perhaps we are simply too different to co-exit. Perhaps - " and he took a deep breath - "Perhaps we simply belong among our own kind."

He looked over at her sadly for a moment, looked about to say something, then stopped himself.

"I shall go if you wish it."

[Aikanáro]

'No,' Tabrîl answered quickly, as soon as he had said it. 'I would rather that you did not go.'

It suddenly seemed very important to her that he was there, even if she could not say why she felt that it was. He understood, and having him there made her feel a little less alone. Tabrîl had travelled far from home before, in years past, but never without several others from her hall. They had certainly never been outnumbered by the uwindi they travelled with, on the rare occasions that had proved necessary.

She did not expect that Abasi would understand the way in which it bothered her. He had been alone for what seemed to her a very long time.

'You are right,' she answered him. 'Or at least we do not belong here. It is an effort to endure it, sometimes.' This was one of those times, Tabrîl thought, but that would go unsaid. She did not like to speak to Abasi about her dealings with Haldis, precisely because the very idea of the bond between them still made her uncomfortable. It was not something those who were m'haid should have to know about, and although she could not avoid it herself, it seemed better to her to spare Abasi the discomfort of forbidden knowledge where she could.

[Earniel]

"I would like to be a librarian one day, yes," Branwyn answered with a smile of his own. "But not too soon. I have decided there is more to be learned and seen out here first, before one confines oneself to a library -however excellent its collection may be. And somehow being librarian in Minas Tirith is a rather sought-after profession these days." He paused for a moment before adding thoughtfully: "Possibly because the Queen turns out to be fond of reading..."

He turned again to Barufiniel. "So for now I must content myself to be a mere scholar, to learn and see for myself, and perhaps share some of what I have learned if the situation permits it. I have not encountered reasons yet to regret this decision."

"I have studied the Lay for quite some time. In fact, my mother was so fond of it, she made me recite several passages daily. All this will be of use now, even though I readily admit I then regarded it as a chore and failed to notice its actual beauty for many years. So to an Elven ear, I fear my rendering will undoubtedly sound somewhat crude. I should beg your pardon in advance, should my performance be sup-par to the those of Rivendell."

"But I should be very glad to hear those themes you have in mind," Branwyn went on after Barufiniel's offer to play, "if you are not too weary after your own performance today."

[Varnafindë]

"At Rivendell we're used to hearing many different tongues," Barufiniel laughed, "not just of Elves, but of Men too - and sometimes even of Dwarves and Hobbits! I'm sure your rendering of it will be fine. And even if I should find it sub-par - I won't let on to the audience."

She winked.

"So the scholars of Minas Tirith are hoping to see their Queen in the library?" she said, "Well - I heard that even the King of Rohan was impressed with her beauty. I ought to go and visit her soon - and her husband. I remember Aragorn from he was a little boy with us at Rivendell. Before he had learnt to read for himself, I would sometimes read to him. I've been assisting Lord Elrond in his library, and now that he has left, his sons have asked me to continue to look after it."

She raised her lyre and tested the strings one after the other. Satisfied, she smiled.

"I have rested a little after my performance already," she said, "so playing some of the themes will be fine. Is there somewhere I could sit down?"

[Curufin]

"If you wish it, then I will gladly stay," he said simply, crossing his legs and making himself more comfortable on the soft grass. He put his hands on his knees, not drawing his t'rai for once, and instead looking pensive for a moment, before turning to her, his eyes somewhat vulnerable.

"Tabril, would it upset you if I told you a bit about my past?"

[Aikanáro]

'Your past?' Tabrîl watched him closely for a moment, and it seemed to her that he needed to tell her. More than that, she wanted to know. He was m'had, it was not as if he could unknowingly tell her something forbidden - and she did want to know more of him, of the life he had led before they met.

'I do not think that it would upset me,' she said. 'I would like to hear of it. Tell me.'

She moved closer to him then, closing the distance between them. Her own mind was still troubled, but Abasi's tale would prove distraction from that too, she supposed.

[Curufin]

Abasi was quiet for a moment as his mind ventured back over the long years of his life. They had not all been bad years; nay, most of them had been very good. He had known much happiness, much honor, and had earned the trust - and dare he hope it? - love of his in'kasha. He had seen his children grow to adulthood, and become brave and honorable in their own right. Two had even joined the seth'en.

He sighed, and looked over at Tabrîl again.

"Our memories, as you know, do not fade. That we hold in common with these Eldar - that our lives lie much in memory. Perhaps, then, this is why I want so very much to share it with you?" He seemed almost uncertain.

"I awakened by the waters of Kuivienen-that-was, in the Time Unmeasured when the stars were yet young and the world unmarred. It is...impossible to describe that time, except that it was what we made it to be. It is hard for me to speak of, this Paradise Lost. I hope you will forgive me if I speak little of it. When the Darkness came, In'kasha Bethril took us east, away from the shadows that had come from the west. She told us how things were, of how our society would be ordered, and we listened and obeyed. There are many things in that conversation that I have forgotten. But it was soon after that I won my position as m'had'ati. Under In'kasha Bethril, it was a good life. I won many honors, and the ka'maren had many children. Our village was full of their laughter. The laughter of children is a light to the soul; it is a reason for living. I had several children in ka'maren, including one, a young girl named Nevai, who my fea tells me was a child of my body as well as my heart. Nevai was the light of my world, Tabrîl. I loved her perhaps too much, but it was beyond my power to do otherwise."

He paused, clearly struggling to continue.

"As Nevai grew, Bethril took her under her wing, and began grooming her. Bethril knew that there was trouble brewing to the west, and that peace could not last. She knew that there was a likelihood that she would be slain, and slain she was, when the forces of Ba'ilkuro first discovered our village and unleashed their dishonorable butchery upon us."

He shuddered at the memory.

"Nevai survived the attack, and in her last moments, Bethril passed the Unspeakable mysteries onto her..."

He stopped, unable to go further.

"It was...it was Nevai I failed, Tabrîl. She who I loved as both a daughter and a mother, the light of my life, and the life of my world."

[Aikanáro]

Tabrîl listened, and did not interrupt him, drawn in as she was by his words of another, simpler time. It did not surprise her that he had children by the ka'marein, it was a rare m'had who did not, and she smiled slightly at the thought of him as a father. He would have done well at it, she thought.

Then the tale grew darker, and as she heard of the death of the in'kasha Bethril, Tabrîl shut her eyes for a moment. The Kindi were not the only people to have faced such horrors, it seemed, Abasi's tribe had suffered just as greatly. She thought of her brother, at the foot of Tathilei's tower all those years ago. She imagined what it must have been for Abasi...

But Tabrîl had not yet heard the worst, and when he told of his daughter, the daughter of his body who had become in'kasha to him, then she understood the extent of his grief. There were no words, she thought, to alleviate such pain. If there were, they should be lies.

'Abasi,' she said softly, trying to meet his eyes. 'Abasi, I am sorry. You should not have had to suffer that. Nobody should.'

She was silent for a moment, considering her words, and then remarked: 'You had very many years that were filled with joy. It is those which you should strive to remember, not the Darkness that came after. Not when it was all so long ago. As for what happened-' she frowned, knowing that he might not like what she had to say, '-she chose you, Abasi. She would not have done that without reason, and all I can suggest is that it is safra'il. It is as it was meant to be, no matter how difficult that may be for we who cannot understand it.'

[Earniel]

Branwyn was reassured by Barufiniel's words about having heard the Lay recited by mortals as well as Elves so that his less expert rendering would not upset her too much. But he blanched a few moments afterwards, hearing the Elf speak so casually about his King and Queen.

Since Queen Arwen had settled so well in the Gondorean rhythm of life, Branwyn often forgot she -even now as mortal- still was the daughter of Lord Elrond of Rivendell. And it was hard to imagine a man as imposing as King Elessar as a little boy having an Elf read him stories.

He hoped that if Barufiniel did visit Gondor after this quest, she wouldn't mention his perhaps imprudent words about the librarians of Minas Tirith. But for now he had to concentrate about the more imminent future and the job before him.

He motioned the Elf to a large roll of spare canvass that was used as a makeshift bench on the campsite. "Will that do?" he asked.

[Varnafindë]

"Yes, that's fine!" Barufiniel answered, and, stroking a lyre string with her finger, walked over to the makeshift bench and sat down.

"Now, let's see ... let's start with Beren's theme, which I already mentioned. Then I can do Luthien's theme after that."

She started playing. It was a popular topic at Rivendell, so she knew the suite very well. The first theme lasted a couple of minutes, and she paused a little before starting the second one.

"Those are the two main themes," she said when she had finished it. "Another beautiful one is the theme of the Silmaril - a much shorter one."

She played the Silmaril theme, with quick, sparkling notes - and then went on to some of the war and battle themes, and explained each of them to Branwyn.

"I don't know whether you need to hear every theme in advance," she said apologetically, "- I think perhaps I need to rest again now. Did you say that you wanted to split it over two days?"

[Earniel]

"As this is the first time I will be performing the Lay with musical accompaniment," Branwyn answered," having heard all the available tunes now will definitely help in my preparation. Thank you very much for taking the time to explain each theme to me. I hope I have not wearied you too much by that request."

"And since the story is a long one," he went on to explain his decision to split up the story, " I do not want to over-tax the interest of my audience. Two parts may be more suitable. I thought stopping just as Luthien and Beren enter Morgoth's lair will create enough suspence to keep the Ultai interested enough to hear the ending the following day."

Branwyn laughed. "It will be an a-typical recital anyway! Even in Westron the Lay may not be so accessible for the Ultai as it would for an Western audience. So I think I may well replace certain verses with a more ... action-orientated rendering of the scene. I'm sure the children will love it."

[Varnafindë]

"That's a good place to take a break," Barufiniel agreed. Splitting performances over more than one day could be a problem otherwise - but people hearing this for the first time, were likely to want to know what happened next, when the story stopped at such a dramatic point.

"But - action-orientated rendering? Is there something I need to know in advance? Or do I just play as we have agreed, and then I get the surprise as well?"

[Earniel]

Branwyn laughed. "You do not have to worry, all you would have to do is take care of the music. But I've noticed that -especially with children or when there's somewhat of a small language barrier to navigate- merely reciting a poem is sometimes not enough. The audience doesn't always understands it. At those times you need to add some embellishment, like making your voice deeper when you're talking about an evil character, making snarly facing when it's about wargs. Or..."

Branwyn stood up and pretended to swing an imaginary sword to demonstrate the idea.

"Or like this, swinging non-existing swords to show you're speaking of a great battle. This way people can rely on other cues other than only the text, to know what the story is about."

[Varnafindë]

Barufiniel nodded.

"A very good idea," she said. "I've seen something similar to that once - no poems, just a very long piece of narrative. And the narrator played all the characters during the story - a madman, a woman who was counting her money before giving it away, a king ... I knew the text, and I knew that there would be a sequence of a young woman dancing for a king, and I wondered what he was going to do about that. He chose to play the king, eagerly watching her dancing - a clever solution, I must say.
I think, though, that with a poem, it works better to have those action-orientated renderings only for some parts, as you are suggesting. I also expect that the children will love it!"

[feawen]

Nami had finally found a suitable place for a preformance. Two trees stood at a good distance from each. Both trees being of a good strong size, a grassy bank stepped at a small ditch followed by what seemed to be a small stream or brook. A small crowd of children and young woman had gathered around her as she prepered her stage by fixing the ends of the rope to the two trees. when she had done this Nami gave the rope a sharp, quick pull making sure the rope would hold her weight. Nami looked around the crowd, noticing a few young men in the numbers as well. Most of them with arms around young loves, a few with eyes on nami, or at least a section of Nami. Nami looked down at her self, straighting the dress she wore, a pale violet number that Nami had managed to borrow, which was a little low cut for her liking. Nami had noticed the looks the elves got as they passed, so taking advantage of this, she had pulled her hair up into a pony tail, showing off her pointed ears.
Right here goes, she through. With a quick flick of her arms and a little jump she swung gracefully on to the rope, or at least what constited as gracefully for Nami. She had taken her shoes off earlier and now stood bare foot on the rope, a few grasps rose from the children gathered. Nami stepped out into the middle of the rope, which under her elven weight hardly moved. She smiled as she quickly turned a cartwheel on the rope, causing a few pale faces from the young man and giggles of embarrisment from the young ladies as her dress for a moment at the top of her turn, went above her knees.
Nami entertained her spectators with turns, jumps, turns on one foot hand stands and apparent near misses as she wobbled the rope with her foot, faking a near fall, exarvating her attempts to right her postion, arms wide.
With one final flurish Nami swung off the rope, landing infront of the crowd as they clapped and cheeried.
"Thank you thank you, ill be here all week!" she laughed. As the crowd slowly left, Nami turned back to the camp and her friends to see what they had been up to in her absence.

[Coffeehouse]

As the full force of the Carnen acquainted itself with its travelling partner from the east, the Celduin, the two settled on wide but strong… rustic, but cool. The river pushed forcefully through the barren lands of the Rhûn, occasionally bypassing the odd hill or scattered forests, caravans and encampments, but no burglars or thieves.

Beneath the sun the wind threw in a gust evey now and then but mostly Quickleaf and Aladji were glad to be pushed along by the current. Quickleaf, not entirely accustomed to the rhythms of the dhow, found his place in the front, usually leaning over the bow, watching out for hidden shoals or sunken wreckage (of which the river possessed plenty). He liked to scan the river ahead but the sun staring intently down onto the water’s surface would sometimes make him drop off into a doze. Luckily Aladji seemed to have an uncanny knack of noticing it. ”Kvigglif, ashgham en tooglook!” Aladji would shout out, though it awoke him Quickleaf never could work out what it meant but it probably was something along the lines of ”Stop drooling on the bow” or ”What kind of elf are you anyways?”

But all in all the sailing in the wrong direction and to an unfamiliar destination wasn’t so bad, compared to Quickleaf being stuck inbetween about his purpose once he reached Dorwinion. Aladji had declared early on that if he wanted he could participate in the sale of the stock in the market for some days if he wished to rest his feet on solid earth before venturing back with a Carnen-headed vessel. But the discomforting tilting and turning on the river wasn’t what troubled Quickleaf the most.

He was longing for his companions and friends. He missed them, and wondered where and what they were at. He didn’t even know if he would meet them again. Strange that. Quickleaf had only been traveling with Radagast, and Hedrim, and Haldis, all of them… and Nami…(Quickleaf’s eyes swam with the river), for a few months, yet a months of travel had reflected back a lifetime of memories. And perhaps, Quickleaf realized, that was odd part. Since the War he had traveled much, solitary but at peace (Quickleaf closed his eyes), but to really no purpose. He was finding purpose in the companionship’s quest. He longed for it.

[Amael]

A'mael walked with Ingwionis until day became evening became night. She had noticed Tabril in particular, a certain sadness upon her face. The journey was beginning to affect everyone. There were quite a few close snags, and injuries bad enough that they affected more than those who had been injured. A'mael had always been more comfortable with humans than she had been with Elves. Even those in Lothlorien she was not able to converse with much, and she had always been known as A'mael the Silent. Everyone had long assumed her to be communicating with only a small group of people, as if she were some messenger or else an oddity of nature. She had gotten along with Galadriel and her husband Celeborn, surprisingly, but she had not talked much with many others. Like Galadriel and Elrond, she always had more in common with the race of men than the rest of the Elves in the crowd. Yet she wanted to journey away from her comfort zone.

She quietly spoke to Tabril, "greetings." And she spoke much too silently, so much so that even the fauna in the woods couldn't hear it. She was far too used to being as quiet as she possibly could. "Must be from the stealth training before the Great War", she thought to herself. She spoke up the second time with a more 'normal' voice, one she'd use with Ingwionis, Radagast, Galadriel, Gandalf or Elrond. "Greetings, Tabril. It's been months and we've only spoken a few times. How is the journey taking you?" A'mael closed her eyes, thinking to herself, "I sound so empty of mind when I talk, don't I?" Then she realized that her thoughts had come out loud, something that happens at the worst times.

[Aikanáro]

Tabrîl looked up at the other elf, a quizzical expression on her face. She was unaccustomed to being disturbed by the others while she was sitting with Abasi, most knew enough now to keep their distance. This elf, moreover, had scarcely said more than a few words to her since they had met.

It was the unexpectedness of her approach that prevented Tabrîl from merely snapping at her.

'I do not think that you sound empty,' she said simply. 'I think that you sound fearful.' Her words were not unkind, merely matter-of-fact. It had been proven to her often enough, and A'mael's panic over a snake bite on the river had been enough to convince Tabrîl that she was the fearful sort.

'As for the journey,' she continued, 'it is tiresome, but there is little I can do to alter that. And what of you?' Again she looked up, her own grey eyes meeting the other woman's. 'I have not seen you much out of your shirikabi - your husband's company. Is all well?'

[Amael]

"I apologize for disturbing you", A'mael said to the Elf. "You were sitting silent for a few minutes, and I believe that since we are all on much the same journey, we may as well get to know each other to whatever point that is practicable. I believe the journey is going well, rather uneventful lately, but well. My husband hasn't been too talkative. I don't really know what it is. However, he has been having some strange dreams. He has refrained from sleeping most of the time and speaks much of his father. Well, it was good to speak to you. I'll have to speak to the others to see exactly what we should be prepared for next."

[Aikanáro]

'No,' Tabrîl called out then, as A'mael began to walk away. 'No, wait.' She was curious now, about this elf that said so little. Perhaps it was not merely fear, as Tabrîl had assumed. She stood, and made her way quickly to A'mael's side.

'There is nothing you need to prepare for,' she explained once she had the other's attention. 'We must travel with these mortals for some time longer, as the lands they hold are quite vast. They are harmless, and I shall ensure that this group is kept safe from any other threat.' She spoke with an easy confidence, certain of her own capability to do so.

She tilted her head slightly, watching A'mael carefully. 'Do you intend to entertain the mortals?'

A'mael's answer would tell her much, she reasoned, as to what manner of elf she was, and how Tabrîl ought to deal with her. She still could not fathom why most of the others had agreed to such performances so readily.