Nerwen the Green and the Search for the Entwives #wattys2019

Chapter X: Calad's Arrival

Chapter X: Calad's Arrival

The Sun had come up on another summer day when Nerwen got off bed, early bird as usual. As she arrived in the dining room, she found the table already set with milk, butter, honey, several fruit jams, and fragrant bread. A moment later, on the kitchen door appeared Goldberry, holding a bowl full of peaches and apricots.

"Good morning, good morning!" she greeted her smiling, "Tom was in the orchard," she added, showing her the bowl before putting it on the table.

"A fruit just plucked from the tree is the most exquisite," Nerwen said, returning Goldberry's smile; she took a peach and bit into it: it was very sweet and juicy, and the Aini half-closed her eyes while savouring its taste, "Delicious," she said. Goldberry picked an apricot, then she signalled Nerwen to take a seat. Shortly afterwards Tom joined them, carrying a small basket of berries: wood strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and blackcurrants.

They had a rich breakfast, chitchatting pleasantly.

"From here you can get to Bree before the sun sets," Bombadil told her, buttering generously a large slice of bread, "but my lady Goldberry and I hope you'd stay today as our guest, in order to rest before the long journeys awaiting you in the future. What do you say?"

"Thank you, I'm honoured to accept," Nerwen answered, well aware that Tom was right: as far as Bree, it would be easy, but from there to Rivendell there were over five-hundred kilometres; not pushing the pace, she could travel the distance in ten or twelve days, but the inconvenience would be that, during all the way to there, she would find only a single inn, about one day beyond Bree, and then nothing else. She wasn't afraid of possible dangers in travelling alone – not counting Thilgiloth – because she was able to defend herself very well, but she wasn't used to sleeping in the open for so many nights in a row. Well, there was nothing she could do to change this, therefore she just had to adjust.

It was about halfway in the afternoon and she was walking with her hosts along the bank of the young Withywindle, when they heard in the distance a shrill cry, sounding like kek-kek-kek; Nerwen raised abruptly her gaze and, in the cloudless sky, she saw a black spot approaching swiftly from the north-west, and it turned out to be a cálë hawk.

"Oh, here's our friend Calad!" Bombadil cried, taking off his hat and waving his arm in a greeting. The she-hawk made a large circle above them, turning elegantly on her right wing and spiralling down, until she landed on a boulder near the bank. Her fierce gaze, sparkling with intelligence, glided over the bystanders, and finally rested on Nerwen.

Greetings, Lady of the Green, the Istar heard her ethereal voice.

"Greetings to you, Calad," she replied, using the name she had heard from Bombadil, "You know me, I see."

Goldberry and Bombadil stared at her, perplexed, because they were hearing only one side of the conversation, but stayed silent, waiting to learn more.

Calad opened slightly her wings in a gesture that meant agreement.

So it is, she admitted, Many creatures speak of you, since you arrived from over the Great Sea. I'm here to offer you my help: I can be your eyes from above wherever you go.

"Thank you!" Nerwen cried, pleasantly surprised: again, Yavanna's assurance regarding the alliance and protection she would be offered by olvar and kelvar of Middle-earth was bearing out to be true, "But why do you want to help me?"

Strange voices cross the wind, Calad answered, Eerie voices about the awakening of an ancient evil, far from here, but never far enough to be safe. Your coming from across Belegaer right now cannot be a coincidence... am I right?