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Xvii of the Council of the North

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Xvii of the Council of the North XVII OF THE COUNCIL OF THE NORTH Long had the Council of the North been awaited, and eagerly discussed by Thranduil and by Bard. By the words of Caranthiel did Thranduil come to be persuaded that the Council should be hosted by the Woodland Realm, and when she spoke of this to the emissaries of Bard, they were glad. For Bard wished not to hold the council in Dale, that he might appear impartial to other Men of Wilderland, and if the council grew in size, hosting it might be beyond the reach of Dale. In preparation for the Council was a great encampment raised in a clearing near Thranduil’s Halls, and its tents were of silk and cloth of gold, and its perimeter was ringed with Elven watch-posts, hidden cunningly among the trees. Halbrech, who was of Esgaroth yet who was a member of Thranduil’s court and in charge of importing all his wine, was sent to procure whatever quantities of wine would be needed, regardless of price. For Thranduil wished all who attended the Council to be treated as an honoured guest. Yet it was not known in that time, not even by Halbrech himself, that he was in thrall to one of the Nazgul, for the Ghost of the Forest had captured him, and ensorcelled him, and left Halbrech with no memory of what had occurred. Instead, Halbrech only felt an unaccountable sadness which he could not explain, and found himself sometimes waking in a strange location, with no idea how he had gotten there. He thought only that he was beginning to lose control of his mind in his old age. He had lost his wife some years earlier, yet a daughter, Hanna, was left to him, and it was to her that he now turned, and he trained her that she might replace him, and soon. She knew that something was amiss, even if she knew not what, and greatly did these troubles weigh upon her. Rightfully worried she was, for in Gondor Halbrech acquired a particularly fine bottle of wine, of an old and most excellent vintage, and he thought to share this with the greatest dignitaries at the final feast of the council. Yet as he returned north, and passed by the shadow of the forest, the Nazgul came for him once more. Unseen it led him into Mirkwood and there he was given a most deadly poison, brewed deep within the pits of Dul Guldur, and with that poison was his finest wine tainted. And once more, Halbrech awoke from his malaise with no idea how he had come to be in the forest, or why he was there, with naught but feelings of misery, and no suspicions as to their true cause. In the north, many were gladdened by the news of the upcoming council, and long discussion were had as to who was to represent the North. It was decided eventually that six representatives would there be for Man, six for the Eldar, and six of Durin’s folk and lastly the three Istari were each given a seat on the council as well. Of the Men, the representatives were Bard, Beorn, Geirbald ‘Kinslayer’ of the Outlaws, Ceawin, Ingomer, and the Master of Esgaroth. This was thought to represent all men of the Wilderland, save for the Viglarings, who were at war with the folk of Beorn, and the Eafolc, who wished no part in such matters. When time came for the Council, the Master of Esgaroth wished not to leave his city without anyone to watch over it, and thus he gave his seat to Irminsul, that he might speak for Esgaroth, for Irminsul’s position in that city had grown much in recent years, and he was become the right hand of the Master. Of the Elves, Thranduil desired to oversee the Council, and act as its patron, rather than be a member of it. For his wisdom, wealth, and the armies he commanded were all great, and he could have dominated the council had he so wished, yet he did not wish so. And so, Thranduil would be arbiter, speaking rarely, and taking no vote. Instead, seats on the council were given to his kin and trusted advisors, save for one seat, which was given to Duvainiel, who represented the Wayward Elves. The other seats were given to Legolas, Caranthiel, Aerandir who was his captain of the guard, Ormal who was his master smith and Oropher who was his master huntsman and who had been named in honour of his father. The Dwarven seats were given to Dain, Thorin Stonehelm, Gloin, Balin, Dwalin and Roäc, chief of Ravens. With all of this being arranged, it came to be time for the guests to arrive and marvel they did when came to the Woodland Realm, for Thranduil had practically erected a city before his halls for the guests to stay in, and all guests were well tended to by Halbrech, who offered them fine libations. Yet Dain still begrudged his Elven friends a little, and he wished to discover if there were any finer vintages in the cellars of Thranduil’s halls, and to the task of discovering this did he set Ubar, who was eager to do as his king asked. So Ubar found Gandalf, asking about Thranduil’s cellars, and gladly did the Grey Wizard tell the story of how Bilbo came to escape from those cellars, and he described everything with such detail that Ubar was quite sure he could find a way to enter them and retrieve fine wine for Dain. Yet Ubar did not go, for there were many other sights and distractions then, and he thought rather to go after the council was concluded, a decision which unknowingly saved many lives. More secrets would Gandalf reveal to members of the Fellowship then, for Caranthiel found him and asked after the Lamps of Amon Lanc, for she knew then that one of those lamps was the Lamp of Balthi and hung even then in Woodmen-Town. Gandalf would not give a straight answer but spoke in riddles and of things that might have occurred on an adventure of, as he put it, an old man of some minor fame. He said that perhaps if the aforementioned old man had discovered an ancient lamp, he might have thought it gift it to the Woodmen, that it might protect them rather than let it hang deep within the halls of a King who needed not its protection. Caranthiel knew of what he spoke and cautioned that if a certain King who would consider that lamp to be his property discovered the lamp’s true nature, he would be wroth indeed, and so agreed that for the moment it would be for the best if no one else was told of this. And thus, for the first time did Caranthiel withhold a secret from her king. Beyond such stories, many great festivities were held at that meeting too, with archery contests, barrel racing, and a grand melee. Ubar and Irminsul fought in that melee, and while at first Ubar managed to hide himself cunningly amidst the other combatants, he was defeated by Elstan, first captain of Dale, who struck him with great force with his shield and trod him to the ground. Irminsul fought against Dwalin son of Fundin, greatest of Dain’s warriors, and many times was he struck by Dwalins’ great axe. Blunt it was, as was the weapons all who fought in that melee, yet Irminsul still felt the sting of it below his armour. Fought well he did, such that even Dwalin respected his skill, yet he could see there would be no victory, and yielded honourably, that he might not be injured ere the council began. The combatants had fought fiercely, and yet with honour as well, such that none bear grudge against his fellow competitors. Not all preferred to fight on the melee field; some instead preferred to wage battle with words, such as Caranthiel. She sought out Dain and challenged to him a high-stakes riddling contest, which intrigued him greatly. She wagered her bow Pennaeth, which had once been strung with mithril by the Dwarf-smith Gamil Zirak in Nogrod against the gems of Laslagen which Dain still owned. Greatly did Dain’s heart desire that mithril string, yet he had heard tell from Ubar of Ormal, with his mithril hammer and jeweller’s anvil, and he longed to see those more. Thus, he agreed to wager the gems of Lasgalen, though if he won, not only would she gift him her bow, she would intercede with Ormal on his behalf. Confident was Dain, for riddling was beloved by the Dwarves, and he had heard, answered, and asked many riddles in his time. Yet he was not prepared for the riddle Caranthiel asked, which was as follows: “We are stars carrying the names of ‘leaves of green’, We glimmered long in the caves under trees, To shine on the neck of a beloved queen, A constellation to be made by craftsmen in halls by sun unseen, But our light brings darkness to hearts, And greed and pride all intention thwarts, So we never shone of the neck of one he loved most, Now to the living she is forever lost, And we were left to shimmer under a sky of stone, Until a dragon descended from his golden throne, After war to be a gift of peace, Promise of goodwill and friendship’s seeds, But none knew that a few stars had fallen, Under the first fire by a man’s hand stolen, Shimmering in the echoes of a well, Until some discovered where they dwell, Then we were split once more, To not bring repetition of Menegroth’s lore, And though we were promised twice, We remained unreturned, peace’s bitter price.” Greatly did this surprise Dain, and all the Dwarves, for clear it was that Caranthiel meant the Gems of Lasgalen, which had once been the property of Thranduil’s wife, though much trouble followed them, as has been told elsewhere.
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