Adulas' Tale
A revision of the Tale of Adulas by Dinledhwen
Chapter 3: Questions in Abundance
Suddenly Adulas heard Legolas’ voice speaking softly to him in his mind
while they were removing their hands from each other’s shoulders. The
only problem with it was that he couldn’t understand a single word of
it since it was in elvish.
“Could you repeat that in the common tongue? My elvish is woefully inadequate for conversations,” Adulas automatically thought back as if he “spoke” this way everyday.
Then both elves realized at the same time what they had just done
and this had them staring wide eyed in amazement at one another.
“I was asking you what your name was since the Lady Galadriel did not tell me,” Legolas finally thought back in the common tongue while he looked puzzled. “How
is that we can speak this way? And how is it that you can’t speak
elvish? Other than Gildor’s wandering band of elves there are no other
Eldar west of the Misty Mountains. Did you become separated from them
at a young age and were found and raised by men so that is why you
can’t speak it?”
Now Adulas couldn’t keep from grinning as he listened to his new found
“brother’s” creative attempt to explain his presence in Middle-earth.
So he thought “No Legolas I’m not from Gildor’s band.
“So if you’re not from the west side of the Misty Mountains then where
are you from? Obviously you can’t be from this side or I would’ve known
about your presence long before this day.”
“I’m not from Middle-earth at all. I’m from a small mountain town
called Thrush Creek which is in the valley below this pass but on the
western side of a different range of mountains I know as the Rockies.
And to make things even more confusing the foul essence of the Witch
King showed up there earlier this day and possessed Bill a friend of
mine before returning here on the back of a fell beast.”
Legolas stared at Adulas while he struggled to make sense of what his
new found “brother” was saying about where he was from. But he simply
couldn’t do it no matter how hard he tried because he couldn’t
visualize such a place ever existing. However when Adulas began to
speak about the Witch King he suddenly remembered seeing the Nazgûl on
a fell beast flying over him while he was heading up to the pass. And
that memory finally gave him a feeling that he had something in common
with the other elf which led him to feeling not left out from what was
happening.
“There was a Nazgûl on a fell beast
which flew over me this afternoon while I was making my way up to the
pass. I couldn’t see if it was the Witch King or not because of the
falling snow. But if that evil presence left your…town…this afternoon
then it had to be him.”
“Which way did he go? I can’t leave Bill to whatever foul fate the Witch King has in store for him!” Adulas eagerly thought.
“He was heading towards the
southeast but I think we should first visit the Lady Galadriel before
we set off after the Witch King. We still don’t know why we can speak
this way and there could be more we have yet to learn about our bond.
Then we can ask her what she knows about the Witch King and your
friend. Perhaps there is something she is aware of that will help us
rescue your friend.”
Instantly Adulas picked up on Legolas’ use of the word “we” and this
made him smile in relief. He had a feeling that his explanation of
where he was from had left his “brother” confused and for a moment
Adulas felt a twinge of panic that this could scare him off despite
their bond because of its strange sounding nature. But obviously that
wasn’t the case so he thought *“You’re
right about us needing to know all of that before we set out. I must
confess I don’t have a clue as to how I can free Bill from the Witch
King.”
“And I still have no clue as to what your name is. Will I have to wait until we see the Lady before I can know it?”* Legolas thought with a teasing smile.
Adulas grinned back. “No you
don’t have to wait! Most call me Adulas although my given name is
Dillon. But you don’t have to tell me yours. I already know it to be
Legolas Greenleaf.”
Now this confused Legolas even more. “Why is it you were told my name while I had to wait until I asked you for yours?”
“I knew you name long before I came here from a book entitled “The Lord
of the Rings” by JRR Tolkien. In it was the complete story of how Frodo
became the Ring bearer and what happened to him and the Fellowship
until the Ring was destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom. If I had been
thinking ahead since I had a good hunch the pass led into Middle-earth
because of the Witch King I would have brought the book with me. So I
apologize for adding more to your confusion.”
“There is no need for you to apologize since my confusion is not
burdensome. Come let us leave this pass now that there is nothing more
we can gain from it,” Legolas thought with a “brotherly” smile while he beckoned with one hand for Adulas to follow him.
And while the two elves began to descend the narrow path like opening
between the boulders that marked the pass’ Middle-earth entrance the
Valar were closing the rift in time they had opened within it. Now
their attempt to rectify Adulas’ misplacement as well as helping his
foreseen meeting with Legolas had worked perfectly. However the Witch
King’s appearance and possession of the mortal man was something they
had been blind to. Unfortunately there was little they could do to
rectify it which meant the burden of setting things right now shifted
to Adulas.
“I envy you my friend. Your journey up to the pass appears to have been so far easier than mine,” Adulas
thought while he followed behind Legolas as the two elves now carefully
made their way down a snowier and rocky slope in a zigzag fashion. “I
had to climb straight up for most of the way and I almost fell at the
end when I lost my grip because I had grabbed onto some loose rocks
before I could pull myself up into the pass.”
“It was the sound of them falling which alerted me to your
presence. I would have helped pull you up but something warned me to
not move from where I stood. And now that I know you were in need I
wonder why I was prevented from aiding you since we were to meet
anyway?” Legolas thought back as he paused so he could turn around to give Adulas a perplexed look.
“I too would like to know that. Clearly we have another question for the Lady Galadriel.”
“Yes we do. It seems we are generating more of them as time passes,” Legolas replied while he resumed leading the way down the slope. “Hopefully there will not be too many more.”
Then the two elves fell silent until they reached the edge of the snow covered pine forest some time later.
“That’s better! I’ve always preferred to walk where there are trees present,” Adulas thought happily as he followed Legolas in amongst them. “It
was from a tree different from these pines that I had learned about
there being an elf waiting for me in the pass. Maybe the reason I
wasn’t told your name then was due to my already knowing it although it
would have been nice to have a heads up that I would be meeting you so
I could have brought the book with me. Then again maybe the Lady wanted
to keep her message to me short and simple since that was the first
time I’ve heard a tree speak to me.”
Now it was the latter part of what Adulas just said which had Legolas
suddenly stopping in his tracks so fast that it almost caused his
“brother” to walk into his back. Then he quickly whirled around which
made Adulas jump back a bit out of confusion since he wasn’t sure what
he had said to cause Legolas to react like this.
“Did you just say that you have
never heard a tree speak until then?” Legolas thought while a look of
total disbelief was now on his face.
“Yes I did.”
“But you are an elf and the ability to hear trees speak is something we can do from birth!”
“Not for me. I’ve only been aware of my elvishness since yesterday
afternoon. Maybe it was acting like a hidden talent and it took this
long before I discovered it,” Adulas replied thoughtfully when it finally began to sink in what had
happened to him and what a profound change it was although physically
he still appeared the same. Then he looked at the ground behind him and
when he again saw that again he was leaving no foot prints in the snow
and that he was walking on top of it since it was deeper here he shook
his head in amazement. Suddenly Adulas felt overwhelmed by it. “I sure could use a good stiff drink right now.”
“Let us not speak more about this until you and I have had a chance to
understand what has happen to you. Hopefully the Lady will have an
answer for this. Now I did not bring with me such a drink but I do have
some sweet elvish cake which might help you. But it is back at camp
where Aragorn and Gimli are waiting. I assume you are familiar with
them because of the book.”
“Yes I am. But why didn’t they come all the way with you?”
“The Lady thought it best that I meet you alone and she was right.
We needed to have that place and time to ourselves considering what
happened between us. She had also told me that you would help me and I
was not sure at first how you could until then.”
“I helped you? How did I do that?” Adulas thought while looking totally confused.
*“By simply being here,” Legolas
replied back with a pleased smile. Then he told Adulas all about his
despair that he couldn’t shake and how it had affected him to the point
where his life was in danger since it was hindering his ability to
effectively protect himself from danger. “That is why Aragorn and Gimli came with me.”
Now this had Adulas placing a reassuring hand on Legolas’ right shoulder while he gave his “brother” a smile of support. “How do you feeling now?”
“I feel as if the despair had never bothered me and quite able to
protect myself and you as well since you appear to have no weapons with
you. But you are still in need so let us continue on towards the
camp,” Legolas
thought back while he placed a reassuring hand on Adulas’ right
shoulder while smiling in the same way. Then the two elves resumed
their trek down the mountain side.
~~~~~~~
Aragorn was leaning forward and poking at the fire with a stick in
order to prepare it for more wood when the first rays of the dawn’s
light began to appear in the east. But it was still too dark for him to
see very far up the stream where Legolas had gone so he began to add
more wood to the fire. Then he gave a start when he looked up again a
few minutes later and saw a smiling Legolas standing on the opposite
side of the growing flames. And when a smiling Adulas stepped out from
behind the Prince the King’s eyes grew wide in amazement while he
slowly straightened up from his slightly bent over position. Now he
knew that Legolas was to meet another elf up in the pass but and elf
such as this one before him was something he had never imagined.
“Gimli wake up! Legolas has returned…with a friend,” Aragorn said
without taking his eyes off of Adulas while he poked the sleeping dwarf
hard in his ribs with the stick.
Now this had the same effect as if someone had poked a sleeping
bear awake. However Gimli’s angry grumbling about how early it was
quickly ceased when he saw Adulas. Then like Aragorn his eyes went wide
in amazement.
“You are right about me returning with a friend Aragorn,” Legolas
said with a pleased smile which was mirrored on Adulas’ face. “This is
Adulas.”
“Mae govannen Aragorn and Gimli!” Adulas greeted eagerly since he
was thrilled to be able to meet the real Ranger and dwarf. But all he
got back was an awkward silence during which Aragorn and Gimli
continued to stare now as if in a trance. “Did I say it wrong?” Adulas then thought to Legolas while giving him a worried look.
“No you said it perfectly. It is
your twin ness to me that has rendered them speechless is all. Give
them time and they will come around,” Legolas thought back before he knelt down next to the food pack at Aragorn’s feet. Then he began to rummage around in it.
And that was what happened next when Aragorn replied in kind while
Gimli bowed his head slightly although both still had that “I can’t
believe what I’m seeing” expression on their faces.
“Please forgive us for staring Adulas,” Aragorn said apologetically
while Legolas found the cloth wrapped rectangular shaped bundle he had
been looking for in the pack. “But you bear such a striking likeness to
our friend that it was hard not to.”
Adulas smiled. “I’m use to people staring at me when I first meet
them. But when the two of you continued to do so I thought I had
mispronounced my elvish and had instead said something other then what
I was meaning to say.”
Meanwhile Legolas had stood up now with the open bundle in his
hands. “Here is the sweet elvish cake I was telling you about,” he said
to Adulas while he held it out to his “brother” so he could take a
couple thin slices of the delicate looking white cake.
“This is incredible! It’s so light and sweet but not overly so. Now
this is way better than a good stiff drink!” Adulas exclaimed in
delight after only his first bite. Then he sat down on a nearby rock
while he finished eating his first slice of the cake.
Gimli snorted. “What did you expect! It’s elvish food so you should
know. And how you can think cake is better than good stiff ale is
unfathomable to me!”
“Actually friend Gimli Adulas does not know,” Legolas gently corrected before he took a bite from his own slice of cake.
“How can that be?” Aragorn asked before Gimli could. He had thought
it odd when Adulas had spoken as if the elvish language was something
new to him. But his acting as if elvish food was also new to him had
peaked the King’s curiosity to such a high level that he had to know
the reason why right that very minute.
“I think it would be best if that question waited for an answer
while in the Lady Galadriel’s presence. I’m discovering that Adulas is
a unique elf and both he and I have agreed that she is needed to help
answer the questions we have discovered since our meeting. So the two
of you are welcome to join us,” Legolas invited while he sat down on a
rock that was next to Adulas.
Now Adulas gave Legolas a big grin when he heard his “brother”
describing him as being unique. He had never thought of himself in that
way since he was always made to feel like he belonged even though he
was the only resident in Thrush Creek who had pointed ears. But then
again he had to remember that Legolas was trying to get to know him
with a Middle-earth perspective which would definitely mark him as
being unique.
“Then we accept your invitation for such a question needs an answer
or I shall not get any rest!” Aragorn replied while Gimli nodded in
agreement that he too felt the same way.
“I don’t suppose you can tell us now if you and the Laddie here are
related since you two are like peas in a pod,” the dwarf then asked
while he looked at Adulas first then Legolas.
“Considering where I’m from I know that we are not,” Adulas responded a bit wistfully.
“We may not be related by blood but our bond has us linked just the same,” a
smiling Legolas thought to his friend which had him smiling back. Then
he said out loud “I would call it a pleasant coincidence that we look
alike.”
“If you ask me it’s down right eerie,” Gimli mumbled which caused
the two elves laugh and Aragorn to grin and shake his head in disbelief
at the dwarf’s words.
After that Adulas and Legolas finished their cake while Aragorn and
Gimli grabbed some breakfast for themselves. Then they all set off in
the direction of Caras Galadhon where the fair Lady resided.
