chapter 33
Just when Lindorië thought that she couldn't possibly eat anything more, the last course was brought in. There were sweets off all kinds; marzipan birds, sugared flowers, cakes and tarts the likes of which she had never seen. A small, wheeled cart was being wheeled to the head table with what seemed to be a statue of a ship made of glass. The sails ere made of cloth and the masts of wooden sticks which had been shaved smooth. The ship sailed o a bed of something white that covered the deep tray that the sculpture rested on. Small silver dishes were nestled in the white substance. They were filled with a pink substance of some sort.
As the cart came closer, Lindorië could see that what she had thought to be glass was really ice! It had been cut from one of the high lakes of the White Mountains and brought to Minas Tirith buried in deep layers of sawdust. The white was snow, or perhaps finely shaved ice. Never had such a thing been seen in the City. Each person at the head table was served one of the dishes taken from the snow. Merry turned to her and asked, "What is it, Lindorië?" She was just as amazed as he. "I have no idea, Merry, your guess is as good as mine."
She watched Merry as he timidly took a taste of the creamy, pink substance. His eyes widened with surprise. "It's strawberry!" he exclaimed. Lindorië gingerly placed a small bit of the substance into her own mouth. It was strawberry! It melted over her tongue spreading the sweet flavor throughout. She thought it must be the most wonderful thing she had ever tasted.
The others at the head table were also expressing their surprise and pleasure to one another. Even Aragorn, who was perhaps the most traveled person in the room, save for Gandalf, declared that he had never been served such a delightful dish. He asked that that its creator be brought to him. A very nervous cook was brought into the Hall and led to the Head table by a page. As he reached Aragorn's chair, Aragorn stood. The poor man looked terrified and couldn't even raise his head to look at the King. He bowed and kept looking at Aragorn's boots. Lindorië couldn't hear what Aragorn said to the man, but she did watch the King reach into his purse and take a gold coin from it and give to the man. The cook's face turned bright red, but he was smiling now and he bowed to Aragorn several times before leaving, almost at a run, for the safety of the kitchens.
When the meal was over, Aragorn rose and walked outside to the Courtyard. The musicians were asked to play again and the dancers to dance. Lindorië joined in some of the circle dances and persuaded Legolas to do the same. In this way she got the dance he had promised. Even Aragorn, Imrahil, and Éomer joined in some of the dances. Faramir and Éowyn danced together most of the time, or else were seen sitting together, seemingly oblivious to the activity around them.
It was nearly midnight when many of the torches were extinguished by order of the King. Lindorië was approached by Pippin who said, "Now you will see something truly wonderful. Almost at once there was a whoosh and a loud bang in the sky above them. A tremendous fountain of silver and gold filled the sky raining glittery stars down on them. A collective "Oooh!" was heard from the crowd.
Next came a glittery white horse that danced across the sky. This pleased the folk from Rohan greatly and they cheered loudly! "Ooh," said Pippin. "That was a nice one! Gandalf has been busy these last weeks."
"These are the wizard's doing?" Lindorië asked. "Oh yes," Pippin answered. "Gandalf makes the best fireworks in all of Middle Earth, I do believe. He's famous for them back in The Shire. Merry is off helping him, I think." There was another whooshing and a great eagle made of fire flew above them. For at least a quarter of an hour there were magical pictures placed in the sky. Lindorië had seen fireworks before, but never any like these. The fireworks she had seen before were simple rosettes of sparks in the sky, sometimes of different colors, but often just white or fiery orange. Some of these started out one color and then changed to another, and another, and yet another! There were ships and beasts of may kinds, but the best was saved for last.
There was one loud whoosh, then another, and then several smaller ones, then, with a single loud report, there appeared a white tree with a golden crown above it and seven stars around it. With one final series of pops, the tree was covered with green leaves and then bloomed with white flowers which fell all about the City. It was as if Nimloth was raining blessings down upon the new King and those over whom he ruled. Loud and long were the cheers that rose from all around the City, not just the courtyard in which The King's party stood.
The music and dancing continued for a short time more, but Aragorn soon retired and most of the guests began to leave. Lindorië stayed in the Courtyard for a while, trying to hold on to the evening as long as she could. At last, she too, decided that it was time to retire. It had been a night like no other she had ever known, and she hoped that she could remember every moment for as long as she lived.
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chapter 34
The celebrations within the City lasted two more days. Within the Citadel, however, it was time to get to work. In the mornings, Aragorn held Court in the Great Hall receiving embassies from many lands and peoples. He also meted out judgments and pardons to those that deserved them, likewise reward and praise were given out to those who had shown valour. Lindorië was required to attend these sessions. She found them long and often tedious, but occasionally something happened that sparked her interest.
One such occasion was the case of Beregond, a soldier of the Third Company of the Citadel. It was he who had first gone to Rath Dinen to keep Denethor from sending Faramir to the Next World before it was his time. In doing so, he had left his post as a Guardsman at the Gate of the Citadel, and had killed the porter who would not let him through the Closed Door. He had kept Denethor's servants from setting fire to the pyre on which Denethor had placed his son, and had put himself between Mithrandir, who held Faramir in his arms, and the knife of Denethor, who, in his madness would have killed both his son and the wizard.
Lindorië did not know Beregond, but she recognized him and had heard of him from others of the Guard. She had often seen him when she was in the Citadel with her father, and it was he who was on duty at the gate the day when she had found out that her father was dead. She knew him to be an honorable and loyal soldier, the kind that the Captains liked to have among their men.
When first Aragorn began his proclamation, Lindorië listened carefully. Aragorn told that the offenses that Beregond had made were punishable by death, in years past. With all her heart she hoped that Aragorn would show the man mercy. To her relief, Aragorn remitted all the man's penalty due to his valor and the fact that his actions were done of love for his Lord. The next part of the proclamation, however, caused her to gasp and the color to drain from Beregond's face.
"Nonetheless, you must leave the Guard of the Citadel, and you must go forth from the City of Minas Tirith." How could he say such a thing! In her eyes, Beregond was a hero; he had risked everything to save his Lord. Wouldn't she do the same thing? Her heart ached for the man. What would she do if Aragorn sent her away in exile? She shuddered. It was unthinkable.
Again Aragorn began to speak. The murmurs that had filled the room stopped as the assembly listened for what was to come.
"So it must be, for you are appointed to the White Company, the Guard of Faramir, Prince of Ithilien, and you shall be its Captain and dwell in Emyn Arnen in honour and peace, and in service to him for whom you risked all, to save him from death."
Wild cheers erupted from the assembly. Beregond stood before the King, stunned, not totally sure what had just happened. The poor man had been taken from apprehension, to joy, to despair, and back to joy again so fast that he was temporarily addled. His son, who had been nearby, ran out to hug his father. With that embrace, Beregond was renewed to his senses and he knelt and kissed Aragorn's hand, then with a huge smile upon his face and tears running down his face, sat his son upon his shoulders and strode from the hall.
There were many tears upon many of the faces in the Hall at that moment, Lindorië's among them.
***
chapter 35
The second afternoon after the crowning, Lindorië was summoned to Aragorn's apartments. The servant who had come for her led her through two massive wooden doors, ornate with carvings depicting the arrival of Isildur and his brother, Anarion, on the shores of Gondor after the fall of Numenor. The doors opened into a room that, though well-furnished-was hardly as richly appointed as many would think a King's rooms would be. There were no elaborate tapestries or gilded adornments. Most of the furniture was simple, though well made. Much of it reminded Lindorië of the patterns that had been embroidered on the robes of Elrohir, Elladan, and Aragorn at the feast.
Aragorn was at the far side of the room going over a document with another man whom Lindorië did not know. The King did not see her when she first entered.
"You sent for me, my Lord?" she asked as she curtseyed. Aragorn turned, saw her, and smiled. "Lindorië, come in."
She crossed the room and stood near the two men.
"Thank you for bringing that problem to my attention the other night," Aragorn said with a twinkle in his eye. "Our guests appeared to be enjoying themselves much more after the situation was rectified. Do you agree?"
"Oh yes, Sir, I do. When last I saw them during the fireworks, they seemed to be much happier."
Aragorn nodded and motioned her to come closer. "Lindorië, this is Cirion, the Seneschal. The man bowed to her. "My lady," he said. Aragorn continued." Cirion will be instructing you on the running of the household and will show you the things that you will need to take care of if I should be absent."
Lindorië took a deep breath, she knew that this was coming, but had hoped that it would not. "As you wish, my Lord. When is this instruction to begin?"
Aragorn looked at the Seneschal who said, "Tomorrow morning, my lady, at the third hour, if you please. I will send someone for you then."
"Very well." It wasn't really. There were other things that she would rather do, but as Aragorn had told her at Cormallen, he had certain expectations of her. She would do her best to meet them.
Precisely at the tolling of the third hour, the servant who had come to fetch her, knocked on the door. He took her to the kitchens which were behind the portion of the Citadel where the Great Hall was. They found Cirion engaged in conversation with a man that seemed to be in charge, the Head Cook perhaps. Both men ceased speaking when they saw her and bowed to her. Lindorië almost looked behind her to see who had come in. She was not used to the deference she was showed, as yet.
The first thing on Cirion's agenda was a complete tour of the Citadel, focusing on the residential, housekeeping, and storage areas. Lindorië had to walk quickly to keep up with Cirion's brisk pace. Within two hours she had seen the kitchens, pantries, laundry, most of the servants' quarters, and many storerooms for everything from furniture to food. They were interrupted several times by staff members who needed to consult with the Seneschal. It was very clear that although Aragorn was King, it was Cirion, in fact, who ruled the Citadel.
To her surprise, Cirion gave her a duplicate set of the keys that he carried. "There are three sets only of these keys," he said gravely. "One set is in the possession of the King's secretary, my own set, and this one. The King, himself has instructed me to give these to you. With these you can enter virtually every room in the Citadel. He has placed great trust in you, my Lady."
He had. Lindorië was very conscious of this and was awestruck. Although he had made her his sister, in truth, Aragorn hardly knew her. That is what she thought, at least. Perhaps he had made inquiries of her to those who had served with her father. She stared at the keys in her hand for a second before responding. "They will be kept safe, Cirion. You need not be concerned about them."
They returned to the main portion of the Citadel where Cirion had his own quarters and his office. Here he showed her page after page of documents relating to inventory and the ordering of various items, materials, and foodstuffs. Some of these documents he sent with her as she returned to her own quarters, her mind reeling with the amount of information she had been given.
As she scanned the orders and inventories, she became aware that this would involve much more work than she had first thought. Although she had learned to read, write, and do some figuring, much of this was beyond her abilities. She laughed to herself. "Lindorië, you can calculate the angle at which to hold your bow to fire an arrow against the wind and still hit the target without so much as blinking an eye, but this....."
After another hour of perusing the paperwork, she took a walk out to the Courtyard. There was a slight breeze and the sound of the falling water soothed her mind as she sat in the sunshine with her eyes closed, trying to figure out what she should do. She was twenty years old, after all, but it seemed that she must find a way to ask Aragorn for a tutor. She sighed deeply at the thought.
"Hmm, that sounded rather serious." She was brought from her reverie with a start. She had heard no one approach, but now she could see that Elladan was standing beside her.
"Elladan! You startled me! Why did you sneak up on me that way?"
"I was not aware that I was 'sneaking' up on anyone, I was simply walking through the Courtyard and saw you sitting here. I will go and leave you to your thoughts, if you like."
"No, don't go. I'm sorry to be rude. I have just had my first lessons in the running of the household and my mind is overfull at the moment."
Elladan nodded, knowingly and sat on the bench beside her. "It is a large household and a large responsibility"
"Indeed! I had no idea how much this would require of me. I don't know if I can do it, at least not as well as the King expects."
"The King is confidant that you are capable of it, why are you not?"
Lindorië sighed again and looked at her hands in her lap. "I can read and write well enough, I suppose," she began. "But the numbers are bigger than any I have ever worked with. Do you think that he will think ill of me if I ask him for a tutor?"
Elladan laughed softly. "Ah, little sister, you really don't understand it, do you?"
She felt herself tense defensively. "Understand what?"
"You would ask for a tutor in order to better do the job, Aragorn knows this, or rather he knows that this is the kind of thing that you would do. Many would simply plod forward, pretending to themselves and everyone else that they are capable. Too late it would be discovered that the refusal to acknowledge their shortcomings has led to inaccuracies that could cost large amounts of the King's money, or rather I should say, the People's money. Aragorn trusts you because you, when you promise something, will find a way to keep that promise, even if it causes you discomfort."
"I should take that as a 'no,' then?" she asked with a sly smile.
"Indeed! If you ask him, he will find you the best tutor he can find, but until he does, I will be glad to help you. I'm sure Elrohir would, as well, if you would rather have him."
"No!" she said, a little too stridently she feared. "No, it will be hard enough to speak to the King, as it is. I would rather not let anyone else know, at least for now."
"I see. Very well, I will help you protect your pride. I won't mention it to Elrohir." He had to move quickly to dodge the playful swing she took at him.
"So this is what big brothers do, torment their little sisters, is it?" She was laughing out loud now.
"Oh yes," said Elladan with mock gravity. "It is part of our job, you see." He held up his left hand as if holding a piece of paper and pointed at it with his right hand. "There, right under 'protect them from unscrupulous suitors.' 'Torment them as much and often as possible.' One day you will meet our sister, Arwen. She will be glad to tell you tales of the grief she suffered at the hands of her older brothers."
"I look forward to that day, Elladan. I hope that I can go to Rivendell someday and meet her, and Lord Elrond, your father, as well." She sighed deeply. "I suppose that day is a long way off."
Lindorië didn't see the twinkle in Elladan's eyes as he replied. "You never know, little sister. You never know."
***
chapter 36
Elladan went with Lindorië to speak with the King about a tutor. Aragorn promised to find someone to help her. He also decided that it would be good for her to learn more about the other peoples and places of the world. As soon as a suitable tutor was found, she would begin daily lessons. While Lindorië was eager to learn more, the prospect of going back to school was not something that she looked forward to.
Elladan helped her with the figures she had been studying for two more hours before he decided it was time to stop. "That's enough for today, little sister."
Lindorië straightened and sighed deeply. "How will I ever learn all of this?"
Elladan chuckled. "Give yourself time, Lindorië. You will be reconciling these orders soon enough, but now it is time for other activities. There are still a few hours before we will be expected at Aragorn's table for dinner. What would you like to do?"
"Anything that gets me away from these," she said waving a handful of the documents.
"I will meet you in the Courtyard in ten minutes time," Elladan said as he reached the door. "You can be my guide for a walk through the City." Lindorië agreed and spent a few minutes freshening up before going down to the Courtyard.
When Elladan arrived, he was wearing his sword, something he did not do within the Citadel. "What is this?" Lindorië asked as she pointed to it. "The streets of Minas Tirith are safe enough to walk without need of arms."
"Aragorn has said that he would prefer that you have an armed person with you when you go through the City. I could leave my sword behind, but then we would need to ask one of the Guards to accompany us."
"Very well," she said, sighing deeply and looking to the sky. "If the King requires this, so be it, but I think that he is being overcautious. All my life I have lived in Minas Tirith, and never have I feared to walk alone within it's walls."
"And never were you the sister to the King, either, Lindorië. Your change in status means that there may be evils you would never have known before, but also that you will know more privilege than you had."
"I know, Elladan. Aragorn explained all that to me, but I still do not see how such evils would find their way within the City. The streets are still full of soldiers, and many of them are friends of my father. I would be safe enough, I am sure."
"Perhaps that is so," Elladan agreed. "But as Aragorn has ordered, I will obey. There is no need for further discussion on this, sister. Let us enjoy the walk and the sunshine of this fair afternoon and forget about my sword."
Down through the tunnel that led from the courtyard they went coming out near the stables and the Gate that led to the rest of the City, below. They wound their way down the road until they came at last to the bottom of the hill, the first ring of the City. Passing through the gate that led from the second ring to the first, Lindorië paused for just a moment, then continued on.
"What is it, sister?" Elladan asked.
"The house in which I lived with my father stood near here. Just around the corner ahead. There were so many people on the street the other day, I did not even notice it, but today the streets are clear...."
"We do not have to go that way. We can go back through the gate and start back up the hill. I noticed many shops that were open. Perhaps we can get some refreshment at the inn that we passed."
"No, it's alright, Elladan. I will have to see it sometime. I will pass it each time I leave the city. It is better if I look upon it now, then I will know what to expect."
Where there had been the smoking ruin of the small house less than two months before, there was now a vacant lot, devoid of any signs that a house had ever been there.
"No wonder I didn't notice it," she thought aloud. 'It is as if the house was never there." As she looked around, she noticed that there were many such lots in the neighborhood. In fact, there were many places where there were no buildings for many tens of feet, and in other places new buildings were being erected.
Finally she took a deep breath. "Soon there will be a new house here and someone else will be living in it. My life is not here any longer. I will always have fond memories of this place, and I will always miss my father, but now I have other things to do and look forward to. The loss of this place was hard, but others in the City had losses as great as mine. I am thankful to the King and to you and Elrohir for the future that you have given me. I am ready to go back up the hill now. Did you say that you saw open shops?"
As they walked the streets again, Lindorië became aware that there were people who whispered as they passed. At first she thought that it might be because of Elladan, who being an Elf, had pointed ears that made him conspicuous. When they went into a small shop, however, she realized that it was more than that. The shopkeeper came from behind his counter at once and bowed to the two of them.
"You honor me with your presence, Princess and Lord Elf."
Lindorië hardly knew how to respond. She had been in this shop before, and the man had ignored her while waiting on a merchant's wife with a fat purse. The tiny sum she would have spent for a small trinket was not important to him, though it had been dear to her. She did have to admit, however, that the man had excellent taste and carried lovely things in his shop. She began to admire a tray of silver bracelets when she noticed another patron in the shop. It was a young girl, perhaps twelve or thirteen years of age. She was looking at a small brooch, of inexpensive metal made in the shape of a rose. She clutched a handful of coins tightly. The shopkeeper saw where Lindorië's eyes had been diverted to and sniffed in disgust.
"Go away, girl! Can't you see that I am busy with these people!"
Tears came to the girl's eyes and she started to the door.
"No! Stay where you are!" Lindorië told the girl, who stopped with eyes open wide. Lindorië turned to the shopkeeper and spoke to him firmly. "You will wait on that girl now and treat her as you would treat me or we shall leave and I will not set foot in here again, do you understand?" The man stared at her in amazement and nodded his head without a word. Elladan looked on with an amused look on his face.
The shopkeeper took the brooch and showed it to the girl who touched it gingerly. "It's a present for my mother," she said shyly. "It's her birthday tomorrow." The shopkeeper started to say something, but decided the better of it. The girl placed her coins on the counter and he began to count them, carefully. "There is not enough here." He said, with the slightest touch of contempt in his voice. He hoped that Lindorië had not noticed.
"Give her the brooch." Lindorië told him. "Or better yet, give her this one." She pointed to a similarly designed brooch, a bit larger and made of silver." The girl was staring at her now, with open mouth. "Come here, girl." Lindorië said. The girl came over, timidly. "What is your name?"
"Olwyn," the girl replied in a voice that could hardly be heard. "Tell me, Olwyn, which of these bracelets do you think is the prettiest?" The girl looked at the contents of the tray for a long while before finally pointing to one set with tiny white pearls. "That is lovely, isn't it? Lindorië agreed. "Try it on." The girl timidly slipped the bracelet over her thin, brown hand. "What do you think, Olwyn, do you like it?" The girl nodded, not able to take her eyes from the bracelet.
Lindorië turned to the shopkeeper. "Wrap the brooch for this young lady, please and send the bill for it and the bracelet to me."
"As you wish, my Lady." The shopkeeper took the brooch, and wrapped it carefully in paper and gave it to Olwyn.
"Olwyn, tell your mother "Happy Birthday' for me, too, would you?" Lindorië said to the girl. "Oh yes, my Lady" said the girl, excitedly. "I surely will." She curtseyed quickly and ran from the shop carrying the package and glancing one final time at the bracelet before she left.
Lindorië turned once more to the shopkeeper. "I was that little girl, once," she told him. "You wouldn't wait on me, either because I couldn't spend more than a few pennies. The little girl that just left here could someday come back here under different circumstances, as I have done. Her pennies could bring you a great deal more, shopkeeper. She did not deserve your contempt anymore than I deserved to become what I have become, yet here I am, no longer an urchin, but the foster-sister to the King. You would do well to treat all of your customers with respect, Master Storekeeper."
"Yes, my Lady," he replied with bowed head and chagrined demeanor.
Satisfied that her point had been made, Lindorië purchased some pearl-headed, silver hairpins before they left. Elladan, who had not spoken a word the whole time looked at her with a broad smile on his face. "What are you grinning at, brother?" she asked. "At you," he said. "The shieldmaiden has returned, only now she skewers foes with her words instead of her sword." He laughed out loud now.
"Was I that terrible to him?" she asked with a sheepish look on her face. "Oh no, little sister, you were wonderful, absolutely wonderful."
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