Long Lost Leaves - Part III

[Earniel]

Radagast slowly sat up only after he was certain the whirlwind had passed. He gingerly felt his head and while it was still there, he found his hat gone. He'd have to look for it later. A wizard without a hat was... well... only a wizard without a hat.

It seemed he could still hear the rushing of the wind in his ears, so loud had the noise been. He shook his head to clear it.

He turned back to look for his companions and saw with relieve that some where already picking themselves up from the ground, looking unharmed.

"Is everybody alright?" he asked.

[feawen]

"Well" said Nami as she stood up brushing her self off, "that was interesting!"

[Earniel]

"A bit too interesting to my taste," Radagast said as he got up with some difficulty.

The Khagan too had come unharmed out of the short burst of freak weather. He looked with dismay at the havoc that had been wreaked on his army. Nearly all of his men had survived as well, but unlike Radagast and his companions who had been standing next to the cave, the Ultai had been standing in front and had gotten the worst part of the Guardian's wrath. Many were injured and suffered fractures when they had been tossed around by the wind. His camp was in tatters and the horses had scattered.

Twice he had been defeated, the Khagan realised. First by being foolish enough to play word games with a wizard, and now a second time by Hedrim's stupidity and the Guardian's vengeance. The Entwives were bad luck, that much was obvious now. The gods had given the plains where the horses ruled to the Ultai and on plains they wanted the Ultai to stay. There would be no forests or fields.

"You win, wizard," the Khagan said, rising to his feet. "Twice now fate has thwarted me, I will not grant it a third victory. Keep the Entwives if you can find them! And luck may they bring you! I intend to go home before my fortunes are reversed irretrievably. You have been a worthy opponent. Perhaps if you ever find yourself near Ultai land in the future, I hope you will honour me with a game of chess. And I will be careful not to make any bets on the outcome!"

"Perhaps," Radagast said, "one day if I do pass that way, we may have that match. And I will be sure not to be carrying any valuables then."

The Khagan only laughed before turning his attention again to his men. Walking over, he began to pull men to their feet and bellow out orders to patch up the wounded and to prepare their return back to their lands. None of the Ultai objected.

The strength of the Ultai and the commanding capacities of the Khagan soon became apparent, as the Ultai camp was transformed under the eyes of the adventurers in only a matter of hours. The debris and wheels of the smashed siege weapons were used to create wagons to transport the wounded. The horses were rounded up in no time. What could be salvaged from the camp, soon was and all that remained of it afterwards was the soot of the campfires.

Before the night had fallen, a long column of soldiers and wagons, with the Khagan at the head, left the valley, heading back south. It was a pity, the Khagan mused, that Hedrim had disappeared, he would have loved to 'reward' the traitor for his efforts himself. But that part was in the past now and the Khagan never looked back.

[Earniel]

The adventurers now found themselves alone once more in the Iron Hills. Haldis and Truor who had been keeping an eye on things from the higher plains, now came back down with their horses.

Radagast was particularly relieved that everything was back to normal after all the excitement. While he believed the Khagan had indeed returned to his own lands with his men (he had asked the mountain crows to keep an eye on them in any case) he had decided to take another route home to avoid the Ultai lands if they had the Entwives with them, just in case.

But that brought him once again to the only thorn left in his side. Where on Earth were the Entwives? He had been rather sure of himself that the Khagan and Hedrim would not find them. But now that the Guardian had gone as well, the only one who had known where the Entwives were, he wasn't too sure whether he and his companions would be able to find the Entwives themselves either.

After all that travelling and adventures, it was rather vexing if the end of their journey was to be unsuccesful! So as soon as their camp was rebuilt outside the cave-entrance (not all his companions were particularly eager to spend more time inside then was absolutely necessary) Radagast went back to the caves, going over them once more inch by inch.

Haldis came to bring him his supper since the wizard obviously wasn't paying any attention to dinnertimes himself. She found him sitting against one of the pillars in the second cave, seemingly trying not to mope.

"You'll ruin your clothes, sitting against those pillars," Haldis said, putting a bowl of good before the wizard.
"Nonsense, I've sat in quite a few caves in my days."
"Clay is terrible to get out of clothes, Radagast. I should know, I've washed quite a few clothes in my days."
"Clay, what clay?" He looked up at the pillar he was sitting against, as if seeing it for the first time. "Clay doesn't naturally form pillars in caves like these..."

Radagast looked at the other pillars in the caves. Nineteen missing Entwives. Ninteen pillars of clay... Surely it wasn't that simple?

Picking up the spoon from the bowl Haldis had placed before him, he turned to the pillar and started to furiously scrape away the surface. Haldis began to admonish him for abusing her cutlery like that when a bit of bark appeared from underneath half an inch of clay.

"They're here," Radagast said. "They've always been here... Quickly, Haldis. Get the others! And tell them to bring tools! We've got to do some digging yet!"

[Aikanáro]

It could be said of the Ultai, at the least, that they were efficient, thought Tabrîl as she watched them make their preparations and depart. Her sword and t'rai were now back at her belt, right where they ought to be, and she found herself relaxed of a tension that she had not been aware of holding. She was still unsure what to make of Radagast's actions in themselves. It was a novel way of going about things, and certainly one that Tabrîl herself would never have contemplated.

That was simple enough to explain, that Radagast was seth'enati and Tabrîl was not, and if his way of settling the matter was somewhat less than traditional, that was his right. Besides, it had worked, had it not? More than that, Hedrim had received the fate he deserved for his betrayal. She was content, then, with what had happened.

Tabrîl stood watch until the last of the Ultai had left the hills, and then joined the others at camp. She was there still when she heard Haldis calling at a distance, calling for them all to return to the cave. Thinking there might be some new threat, Tabrîl moved quickly, only to be confronted by the sight of Haldis and Radagast tapping away at the clay pillars. Did they mean to bring the cave down? As far as Tabrîl could see, those pillars were not actually supporting any weight.

She pressed her hand against the surface of the closest pillar, drew it back at once as if shocked by it, and then replaced it once again. It was the strangest sensation she felt, a lessening, but a gradual one. It took her a moment to understand it, and by the time she did, some of the others were filing in, and with her hand still against the pillar Tabrîl called out in elation:

Da 'latya! Tikân let'nin ketulkâ! Eshîrdela kôrinta tikân, sa'itven let'nin. Tê hashivei! She turned to the others, an expression of joy and not a little relief on her face.

[Varnafindë]

Barufiniel was pleased to be able to pick up her bow and arrows and her dagger again, and even more pleased to see that Tabrîl picked up her weapons, with not an item missing. The wizard had surprised them all. He had a different style from Gandalf, but he did know what he was doing.

She was a little behind Tabrîl when they were called into the caves again from their supper. Tools for digging? She had brought a pick and wondered whether they were going even deeper into the caves.

When she got in, the wizard and Haldis were busy tapping and scraping at one of the pillars, revealing what looked like bark underneath the clay surface, and Tabrîl was holding her hand against another pillar and calling out in her own language.

What was she saying? It was something about 'praise be', Barufiniel had heard her use the words da 'latya before, and they were close enough to the Quenya word for to praise, laita, to be recognizable. At least by a Noldo scholar.

And praising was definitely what Tabrîl was doing at the moment.

Could it be?
Barufiniel started attacking one of the pillars herself - tapping carefully at first, breaking off dry clay where the layer was very thin, scraping where a thick layer hadn't dried inside the damp cavern.

There was no doubt.
There was indeed bark underneath the clay.
They had reached their goal.

[Aikanáro]

'Barufiniel!' Tabrîl watched as the Noldorin elf began tapping away at the pillar, and then called over to her, her voice quieter but no less enthusiastic. 'Tikân tê 'lêva-'

No, she told herself then, not that way, she won't be able to understand! She resumed her speech in equally rapid Sindarin: 'It is fading from me. The curse that was set upon me, it is much lessened. All that I had to do was to place my hand here upon the clay, do you see it?' That was indeed the sensation that Tabrîl had felt, and she only had to look at Haldis to see that the mortal woman felt the change too, even if her response to it was somewhat more understated.

She had known that it was coming, Tabrîl told herself, although she did not believe for a moment that it was Haldis herself that was lifting the enchantment. Nor was it Radagast. It was, rather, hashivei, that which was something more than mere good fortune. She had been meant to come to this place.

'Do you see its meaning? I am free of it. I may go home.' Even as she said it, Tabrîl raised her other arm, and the thin bracelet that had until now proved utterly unbreakable fell away as if it were nothing, a mere wisp in the wind.

Contrary to what she had told herself for some time, Tabrîl's first thought was not to leave at once, nor to follow through on the threats of vengeance that she had once made. Much had changed since then, and she saw now that whatever force was responsible for this had used Haldis for its own ends, even as it had her. She had no ill-wishes for any of them, and considered, the journey itself had been valuable to her in other ways.

[Midge]

Blossomshade heard shouts of joy coming from the cave. She herself clapped her hands and looked sidewise at Earthshaker.

"Do you think they've found them?"

-=-=-=-=-

Aerin and Magor had joined the others in carefully tapping the dried clay dirt off the pillars around the room. Aerin's mind was filled with happiness - her people had songs about the Ents searching for the Entwives and she felt blessed to have been a part of their recovery.

Magor, though he knew what the mission of this company was, was completely unprepared for the first Entwife to be completely freed from the cave. He watched her with new eyes, and Aerin noticed that they glistened slightly, despite all his masculine habits. She smiled and turned to gaze at the Entwife also.

[Varnafindë]

"You are free of the binding curse?" Barufiniel gasped. "Oh Tabril, I'm so happy for you! Maybe that was the purpose that he spoke about, then - that you should stay with us and keep us safe until you could be part of our rescue group? And now that this is done, then the purpose is fulfilled and the curse is lifted. Yes, da 'latya indeed!"

She told me, she thought. She chose to tell me about her happiness. I'm really glad that she would share this with me - and that she's free, of course!
I bet Abasi will be pleased, as well. There's something there ... I'd better get on with my task, I mustn't delay anything!

Barufiniel continued to tap away at her own pillar, and in a little while another Entwife was free.

[Earniel]

"Yes!" Earthshaker rumbled happily. "They have found them!"

He took Blossomshade's hand and pulled her away in unentish haste.

"Come help me," he said, before she could protest that the cave was the other way. "We must make Entdraught. Hoom. Yes, Entdraught! They will need it if they have slept so long!"

~~~

The few Entwives that were already freed from their clay coffins, stood together sluggish and uncertain. They stood blinking in the torchlight like owlets in daylight, unsure what to make of all the activity around them and looking self-conscious about all the eyes on them.

Indeed, the adventurers found it hard to look away. They had been looking for the Entwives for so long now, that they all had formed ideas about how the Entwives would look. But what they saw before them now was quite unlike anything they would have imagined.

None of the Entwives had any leaves left and their bark-skin was grey and still very much covered with clumps of clay. They looked like trees in winter. And they moved slowly, as if unaccostumed to having limbs after being stationary for so long.

One of them bent down and peered long at Barufiniel who had freed her from the clay. "Are you... an Elf?" She asked uncertainly with a creaking voice.

[Varnafindë]

Barufiniel was astonished to be the first one to be spoken to by the now freed captives. She soon found her voice, though.

"Yes, I'm an Elf," she answered. "I am Barufiniel, daughter of Rameldir - and great-grand-niece of Lady Galadriel of the Golden Wood. Both Elves and Men have joined with Radagast the Wizard to free you."

[Earniel]

"Galadriel, I used to know that name," The Entwive said haltingly, as if her memory returned but slowly. "Yes, she came from Laurelindórenan and gazed upon our gardens long ago, long before the Day of Fire."

"But wizard? Hmmm..." The Entwive seemed uncertain what the word meant. She leant closer to Barufiniel, and whispered somewhat concerned: "Is he like the Lord of the Black Land?"

"I can quite assure you I am not, madam!" Radagast interjected huffily, for the Entwive's whisper had been somewhat loud. "In days of old I was a servant of Kementári. I am a friend of bird and beast as well as the other Children of Ilúvatar."

"I see," The Entwive said, still looking rather puzzled. "Most curious. We are grateful the world has not forgotten us after so long, for we marked many of the passing years, and their number was growing long before we slept." Her tone became more suspicious. " But tell me, why have you freed us?"

[Varnafindë]

"Because the world is a safer place now than it has been for long ages," Barufiniel answered. "The Lord of the Black Land has been defeated, his power has vanished, and his stronghold has fallen to ruins. People of many races worked together to play their part in defeating him. Even the Ents of Fangorn joined the fighting and defeated one of his allies."

She chose to omit the fact that this ally had been a wizard.

"There is freedom in Middle-earth now, and we want for you to be able to share in this freedom," she said. "But as for how and why it came to pass right now, I think Radagast will be able to provide you with more details. He is indeed a friend, and nothing like the Lord of the Black Land."

[Earniel]

The Entwife's eyes sparkled brightly when Barufiniel mentioned the Ents, and it was not obvious she had heard anything beyond that.

"The Ents of Fangorn" she repeated warmly, as if with some pride. "So it is possible to induce them to set foot outside their beloved forest after all! We often wondered. But they did not come with you now?"

[Varnafindë]

"They didn't make the decision lightly to join the fighting," Barufiniel said, "they called an Entmoot to decide whether to come with Treebeard to attack Isengard. But when they saw the seriousness of the situation, it only took them three days to get roused and to make up their minds. They even woke the Huorns to join them. After the victory they were set to guard Isengard - I met Treebeard there myself.

"Most of them didn't come with us now, but there are in fact two Ents with us - or rather, an Ent and an Entwife, Earthshaker and Blossomshade. I guess that they are from Fangorn - but Radagast can answer that, he knows them better than I do."

[Earniel]

"I can confirm Earthshaker did join us from Fangorn, and I can assure you the Ents in Fangorn, including Treebeard are anxiously awaiting your return, even if they did not all join us," Radagast said.

"But speaking of Earthshaker, perhaps it is best that we go outside now," he added, somewhat suspicious of the sounds he was hearing from outside. "Before Earthshaker commandeers all our water supply to make Entdraught. And I assume you and the other Entwives would like to breathe some fresh air after so long."

"Ah," the Entwife sighed. "You truly are bringers of good news, little ones! First freedom, then word of Fangorn and now sunlight and Entdraught!"

She turned to the other Entwives, who now all freed, still huddled together uncertainly (insofar as Entwives can huddle). "Come sisters! Rejoice! Our incarceration is at an end!"

Stiffly, she walked through the cave entrance. The other Entwives followed quickly, now a lot more energised and almost excited. The adventurers gave them a wide berth (there were quite a few bare branches being waved about) before exiting the caves for the final time themselves.

And for the first time in a thousand years the sun shone down on the last Entwives of Middle-earth.

[Earniel]

The following months were a bit in a daze, Radagast afterwards thought. They had decided not to push their luck and avoid the lands of the Ultai on their way back.

Earthshaker's Entdraught had clearly done the Entwives well, for they were able to walk with great ent-strides and sometimes it was the adventurers that had trouble to keep up with the impatient Entwives. The fresh air and sun helped speed their recovery, and over the course of weeks, new buds and leaves regrew on their branches, and colour returned to their cheeks.

They passed by Erebor and then to Greenwood and everywhere they were received well, if with much astonishment. The Greenwood Elves promptly started re-writing the ending of their songs about the Ents and Entwives. King Thranduil even gave them an escort to the boundaries of the forest so that the spiders dare not trouble them. (As if they had dared with some many Entwives!)

And so finally, they reached Entwood.

When the Entwives caught sight of the wood, they started running, leaving the adventurers struggling to keep up. The Ents naturally had already received warning and were waiting.

Words could hardly describe the moment of reunion under the eaves of Fangorn Forest. There was a noise like you wouldn't believe it, for the Ents were very vocal in their joy and the voices of the Entwives like silver trumpets mingled with them.

The adventurers received a heroes' welcome and the Ents gave them vows of friendship and set to learning their full name and lineage, so that the list of adventurers that had brought back the Entwives could be recited as long as the Ent Realm endured.

The celebration that followed was a glorious one. Music was played, many songs were sung, the huorns danced and the Entdraught was distributed freely. It was such a party that weeks later, when Radagast and Haldis had finally returned to Rhosgobel, the wizard still remembered the hang-over of the following morning. Even that head-ache had been glorious.

But rather than the head-ache, Radagast prefered more often to remember his one-time companions. When the quest had been fulfilled, (and the subsequent hangovers had been cured) the time of goodbye had been imminent and home called to many. But he was certain bonds of friendship had been forged that would stand the test of time and it was unlikely that they would never meet again.