V OF ISTARI AND PIPE-WEED

It came to be that Irminsul, Idril, Amalina and Elanor came to Rhosgobel, for they wished to speak with Radagast, and see what could be done to secure peace on that side of Mirkwood. They were greeted by Regnic, the Russet Hound of Rhosgobel, who sat on the council, and served Radagast. Inside Rhosgobel lies Radagast’s grove, through which none may may be allowed to enter, save with the blessing of Regnic, and through which none may find their way save with Radagast’s blessing. Yet the Fellowship showed sufficient wisdom, and so they were allowed to reach the home of Radagast.

There Idril spoke fairly with Radagast, and so Radagast declared they may stay freely in Rhosgobel and consider it a sanctuary from the dangers of the wild. Within the home of Radagast, they met also Beren, a Woodsman who had served Radagast faithfully for the past few years, and a dwarf named Burin who was over-fond of drinking.

Soon after, Radagast would ask the companions if they would journey to the Easterly Inn to acquire a shipment he had ordered from the Hobbits who lived there. Beren and Burin decided to go as well, for Beren wished to serve Radagast, and Burin much desired to see what the Easterly Inn had to offer.

They left Rhosgobel then and stopped at Woodmen Town, where Amalina would speak to Gailavira, for Amalina had a shard of the axe Wolf-Biter and wished to recover the remaining shards. Gailavira gave her blessing for such purpose, for Wolf-Biter was a famed weapon of their people, and all Woodmen would rejoice were it to be reforged. Gailavira knew not though where the shards of Wolf-Biter might be, save for a tale she had once heard of people who were nought but children to Wood-Men’s eyed having one of the shards.

Irminsul, Idril and Burin meanwhile spoke to a marker-seller who was in the employ of Halfdan son of Halfmark, and who ran the trading post on Halfdan’s behalf. A part of Idril longed for home and for the sea, and so she bought particularly fine raiment, embroidered with fish, as was the style of Esgaroth. Burin instead spent his money on drink, and lost control of himself, so that Beren took him to the dog kennels, that he might sleep there rather than in their guest-house.

They departed the next morning from Woodmen Town in fine spirits and chanced upon Saruman the White upon the road. They knew not then that Saruman had come to discuss the matter of the Beast of Mirkwood with Radagast and with Gandalf. Saruman would spare but little time for them, though he gave them his blessing.

They came to the Easterly Inn, meeting Dodinas, Dinodas, and Agatha, who was wife to Dodinas but longed to leave the inn and return to the Shire. Dinodas was yet young and rejoiced in Dalish games, and Elanor would play with Dinodas, which brought him great joy.

In the inn too they met Gandalf, who spoke with Idril about Gondor, and the rising Shadow, of which Idril was afraid. Gandalf bade them all be kind, saying that small acts of kindness would hold back the Shadow, though perhaps not all took this to heart. He played the game of smoke rings too with the Fellowship, and Burin performed best of all, and so won a fine Dwarven telescope which Gandalf had found in his travels. Gandalf too gave the Fellowship a sack of giant carrots, which he named the Curulausimatl and were to be a gift for Radagast, and these were the largest carrots that had been seen in the history of Arda. For Gandalf had visited Bilbo Baggins in the Shire, and tarried a while in Bilbo’s garden, where he lay many words of command upon those carrots, that they might grow, and impart some magic to those who ate them.

Beren cut great amounts of wood for the Hobbits, and in return for this service, they bade him consider the inn as a second home.

The Fellowship claimed the package intended for Radagast and would set off in peace. This was not to last, for they chanced upon a young eagle that had been shot down with an arrow. Their arts of medicine failed them, and the arrow could not be removed. The mother of the eagle came then, and they had to fly from her wrath.

It was on that same day they came upon a pair of Woodsmen, whose names were Munderic and Waleran, and they made camp with them. All save Beren came to distrust them, for they claimed to be trappers, though they had no traps on them, and to be shepherds, though there were no sheep in sight, and the Fellowship believed that it was these Woodmen who had shot the eagle. Nor did these Woodsmen trust the Fellowship, for the Fellowship asked a great many questions, and they would not share their business.

They spoke with Beren, and asked him of the Easterly Inn, for they said they were greatly interested in the Hobbits, whom they knew as wise children. They asked about the protection of the inn, asking if it was not dangerous for such people as Hobbits to live in the wild, though truly they desired nothing more than to rob the inn, and wished to know who would stand in their way. Beren told them then that Gandalf was in the inn, and fear came into their hearts.

When the Fellowship awoke in the morning, they found that Munderic and Waleran had fled, and their tracks led southward, from whence they had come and away from the inn.

The Fellowship believed that all was well and returned to Rhosgobel, presenting Radagast with the package, though when he opened it, it was found that it contained nought but wood-chips. Radagast despaired then, for he expected to receive a package of the finest pipe-weed the Shire could offer, which was Old Toby. He said that it was to have been a present for Gandalf, though the Fellowship did not know that the present had been intended to be presented at a meeting of the Istari, to show gratitude, for Gandalf had sworn to aid Radagast in the matter of the Beast of Mirkwood.

The Fellowship would not believe that Dinodas and Dodinas would have knowingly cheated Radagast and thought therefore that the crime must have been committed by the Woodmen they met on the road. So they tracked them by their trails, and it was Elanor who first saw them as she scouted ahead of the rest of the Fellowship. She thought not that she needed aid and hailed the Woodmen as if a friend.

Munderic and Waleran however, trusted her not. For it seemed to them that Elanor followed them, and still asked questions about their business which they would not answer. They drew knives and bade her leave, but she answered merely that if they attacked her, she would kill them. They thought her aim would not be so true and made to attack, ere Munderic was shot dead by Elanor’s arrow. Fear came into Waleran then, and he waded across the Anduin to escape the Dúnedain wrath. The rest of the Fellowship came then upon the scene, and they were appaled to see that Munderic now lay dead. They searched the camp, and found no trace of the pipe-weed, or anything else of value, though they found a letter from the mother of Munderic, begging him to gain gold by any means, for they were sheep farmers whose sheep had been taken by the Eagles, and who now faced ruin.

“This man was my kinsman, and you have slain him over pipe-weed! Yet, there is no pipe-weed here, nor anything else, save for a letter from his struggling mother! By my honour as a Woodsman, I shall bring you to face justice from the Woodmen!” Amalina exclaimed.

“It was not murder. These men tried to attack me!” Elanor said, that she might defend herself.

“If this is a crime, there is nought to be done about it now. We must continue and when our quest is done, perhaps then can this be dealt with?” Suggested Irminsul and the Fellowship reluctantly agreed.

They made to return then to the Easterly Inn, passing by a swiftly abandoned campsite where they found the tracks of a great bear, and a mummified head, clearly used for some dark sorceries. What had happened there, they knew not, and would not stay in such a place, so sought to find a new campsite, but could find nowhere suitable, and slept on rough ground.

They rejoiced then whence they came upon the Easterly Inn, looking forward gladly to sleeping in soft beds. Though the Hobbits knew not of the theft of the pipe-weed, Gandalf spoke to the Fellowship and hinted at what he knew.

“Hobbits are remarkable creatures, and just when I thought I knew all there was to know of them, I found myself surprised again. They can avoid being seen by most, should they wish it, and perhaps only a Hobbit could avoid being seen by another Hobbit. I have often found that the best way to discover such surprises as this is by going on an adventure, and I find myself now wishing to arrange one. I have found that sometimes if you wish to learn about the smaller folk, you might go to where one of the mighty fell, and where one thing even mightier, and more precious, was lost.”

The Fellowship thought then that Gandalf spoke of the Gladden Fields, where once Isildur was slain, and the One Ring was lost. They came to the Gladden Fields then, where all companions save Beren were seen and captured by the Hobbits who lived there, for Hobbits can avoid being seen when they wish, and these Hobbits were wild and had learned of the ways of the wild.

For when the Hobbits journeyed to the Shire during the days of the Kingdom of Arnor, the Stoors remained in the Vale of Anduin. Many of the Stoors would make a later journey to the Shire, though some remained within the Vale of Anduin, and it was from these Stoors that the Wild Hobbits descended.

The Wild Hobbits drew spears and bows against the Fellowship and brought them to their camp. Byrgol was their Thain, and he admitted there that he had stolen the pipe-weed from the Easterly Inn, for they had heard rumour of Hobbits returned to the Vale of Anduin from the West, and hoped that these Hobbits might join them as warriors. Instead, Byrgol came to the Easterly Inn, and saw the Hobbits who lived there were, as he judged them, weak and slothful. So that he might not return with empty hands, he stole the pipe-weed while all were asleep, and replaced the pipe-weed with wood-chips. The Fellowship were tired from their travels, and some among them had no patience for a matter such as this. Idril was burning in her rage, and longed to fight and slay these Hobbits, while Burin thought to hoist up Byrgol and run away with the Hobbit on his shoulder. With luck, cooler heads prevailed, and Idril and Burin were swayed from their purpose.

Irminsul asked for the return of the pipe-weed, and yet Byrgol said he would return it but if the Fellowship slew a great bear they had seen, for it seemed to them that a creature so mighty could be a great threat towards them, and they had seen it transform into a man, which they took as evil sorcery. The Fellowship knew it was Beorn of whom Byrgol spoke, and would commit such a an act not. Irminsul spoke fairly, and asked if it had ever threatened them, and why they had reason to think that it would in some future time threaten them.

Byrgol saw they would not slay Beorn and so instead decided to ask for a different boon: that the Fellowship catch one of the great silver trout which swam near the settlements of the Woodmen. The Fellowship would also agree to this not, for these trout were River-Maidens who took watch over the Woodmen. Byrgol saw that the Fellowship would not hunt for him the things that his heart desired, and so he asked them to bring Radagast to him, that they might parley, though he knew not Radagast’s name, but knew that Radagast was great and powerful. For Byrgol had once tried to sneak into Rhosgobel, that he might capture one of the Rhosgobel rabbits, but Radagast’s magic would not allow him to pass, and he respected the magic that law upon Rhosgobel thereafter.

The Fellowship agreed to this, and made to return to Rhosgobel. Ere they left, Amalina spoke to the Hobbits of the shards of Wolf-Biter, and Byrgol granted the shard which he possessed to Irminsul, for he thought Irminsul to be the leader of the Fellowship.

The companions came then to Rhosgobel, where they told Radagast of all that passed. Radagast greatly wished to retrieve the pipe-weed, that he might present it to Gandalf as a gift, and so he made an oath to recover it. He would not though have the servants of the Shadow know that Rhosgobel lay undefended, and so he gave Beren a staff, cloak and hat of his own, and wove an enchantment upon Beren, that all who did not know the secret would see him to be Radagast and not Beren. He bade the Fellowship swear an oath that they would reveal not this secret, and then departed through secret passages of which none knew save Radagast.

It was in this time that Radagast’s rabbits ate the Curulausimatl which had been given to the Fellowship by Gandalf, and would grow to even greater size, and become unruly. Regnic the Russet Hound came to them then, and begged them to aid him in re-capturing the rabbits, which ran wild through Rhosgobel.

Save Idril, the Fellowship could re-capture the rabbits not though, for Amalina thought that her honour as a Woodsman would allow her not to remain silent on the matter of the death of Munderic, whom Elanor had killed. Irminsul bade her wait until all else was settled, and said he would not return the axe-shard to her as long as she threatened to jeopardise the task which had been set for them.

Amalina could wait no longer however, and spoke to Regnic, and told him that she thought her companion Elanor had slain a Woodmen in cold blood, and that Irminsul had threatened to withhold a shard of Wolf-Biter from her. And so Regnic ordered Elanor and Irminsul be brought to trial, and bade Beren, whom he thought was Radagast, to pass judgement. Great was the time it took for this trial to pass, for there were no witnesses and Beren had no knowledge of how to run such a trial. Much doubt came into Regnic’s mind then, for he thought that Beren acted not like Radagast, and though Amalina wished to tell Regnic the truth, she would not betray the oath they had made to Radagast.

Idril was yet full of wrath, and when she had come into the great hall, she claimed that Amalina had murdered Finnulf, and that Finnulf had been a Woodsman, though neither of these things were true. Whether Idril had great jealousy in her heart for Amalina, or whether she wished to protect Elanor, it is not known. Idril’s falsehood was revealed at once, for the other companions would support it not, and thus Idril brought great shame to Gondor.

In time, it was agreed that Elanor must pay weirgold, which would be given to Munderic’s kin. She could afford to pay not, and so Irminsul took on her debt. It was too decided that Irminsul should be rewarded for the recovery of one of the shards of Wolf-Biter, and that a favour would be repaid to him.

This trial proved not to be the end of troubles, for it was at this time that the Beast of Mirkwood had gathered together a great many goblins, and they brought fire and axes to bear against the Ancient Oak, which was the oldest tree in all of Mirkwood. For the Beast had heard that Saruman, Gandalf and Radagast were to meet to discuss the matter of destroying it once and for all, and it wished to destroy the tree ere the Wizards could assault him.

Duvainiel was an Elf who had made a mighty oath to protect the Ancient Oak, and would not see it fall, for she was the last of the tree’s guardians. Duvainiel came then to Rhosgobel, to speak to Radagast and beg for aid.

“Radagast, I must trust to you now. Thranduil will aid me not, and will not march from his Woodland Realm save for the lure of gems. He is a coward, hidden underground, and would let the Ancient Oak fall through his inaction. Yet the oak is the oldest tree in all the forest, and if it falls, I feel the Shadow over Mirkwood will deepen, and the other trees will turn to anger without the oak to lead them. You must come with me and help put an end to this!”

“I cannot leave Rhosgobel Duvainiel, for if I left, the servants of Shadow would strike against Rhosgobel. Yet, these brave companions will travel with you, and aid you in your quest, and too will I grant you use of my rabbits and my sleigh to carry you.” Thus spoke Beren, for still he feared to leave Rhosgobel and break the oath he made to Radagast.

The rabbits had yet eaten more of the Curulausimatl, and grew to an even greater size, such that they now resembeled horses, and so Regnic ordered the Woodmen to fashion a new bridle that the Fellowship might be drawn by the rabbits by sleigh.

When this was done, the rabbits carried the Fellowship across Mirkwood, and they ran with great haste, for in their enlarged form, they covered great distances with ease. Duvainiel and the Fellowship came then upon the Beast and shot it with many arrows.

Yet it drew strength from the great fury within it’s heart, for it now hated all the race of the Dúnedain above elves, dwarves, and all other men, since Celecrist had driven it from battle with revealed signs of royalty. It now saw Elanor, and would not suffer a Dúnedain to live in its prescence. It roared a terrible roar, and this brought great fear into the heart of Amalina, who ran into the forest in fright. Duvainiel slew many goblins at that time, but this left Idril, Irminsul and Elanor alone to face the Beast. Idril and Irminsul fought bravely, and yet they could not stop the Beast from tearing asunder Elanor’s armour and smiting her to death. It was only after Elanor had slain, that Idril slew the Beast, striking it from behind as it made to feast on Elanor’s corpse.

It was at this moment that Beren arrived with Gandalf in tow, for Radagast had returned to Rhosgobel, where he found Gandalf and Saruman awaited him, eager to discuss the Beast of Mirkwood. Beren explained all that had been told to him by Duvainiel, and Gandalf made at once to help the Fellowship. A second sleigh had been fashioned, and on this sleigh rode Gandalf and Beren to fight side by side with the Fellowship. The goblins saw this new threat and escaped in terror into the forest, though not ere Idril and Irminsul shot arrows after them.

Idril, Irminsul, Amalina and Beren honoured Elanor and buried her near the Ancient Oak, and it was at this time that many spirits came forth, and Duvainiel wept when she saw them, for they were the guardians of the Ancient Oak, and when they died, they had refused the call to Mandos, and stayed to guard the tree for ever more. The shade of Elanor rose from her body and the elven spirits spoke to her then.

“Greetings friend. We see you are of the Dúnedain, most honourable of the races of men, and we will honour you yet more for you have fallen in defence of the Ancient Oak. We know not where men go when they die, but should you wish it, you may stay here as one of us instead of taking that unknown fate.”

Elanor agreed with them then, refusing the Gift of Men. Great sorceries lay upon Mirkwood, shrouding it in Shadow, and the Valar saw the death of Elanor not, for had they seen it, they would have countenanced a mortal refusing the gift not.