Nerwen the Green and the Search for the Entwives #wattys2019

Chapter LIII: Heading for the Land of the Entwives

Chapter LIII: Heading for the Land of the Entwives

The following day, there was a great celebration throughout Tarsad; people improvised kiosks dispensing drinks – ale, cider, wine, fruit juices, hot infusions – and other ones selling bread, cheese, cured pork meat, buns and sweetbuns, cakes, cookies and pastries. The streets were full of feasting people who ate, drank, sang and danced to the music of hornpipes, bombardons, hurdy-gurdies, psalteries or rebecs, preferably dances with a lively rhythm beaten by tambourines and kettledrums, castanets and chimes.

Aryon and Nerwen were of course invited to the king's table, which had been set up in Burgomistress Rovena's house. To her surprise, Nerwen was bade with Aryon to sit at the left side of the king, who had to his right side his hostess and her husband.

The banquet was sumptuous; they began with a creamy soup made with pumpkin, potatoes and leeks, seasoned with black pepper, followed by a tasty mushroom pie; then there was a very soft braised beef, coming with oven-baked onions and broccoli, and after this a succulent partridge roast with stewed chards and steamed sprouts. Then, they served several types of cheese, both cottage and ripened; finally came Pallando's favourite cake, made of water chestnuts and decorated with whipped cream and chocolate powder, a delight for the palate. The courses were generous but not excessive, and there was a lot of excellent wine, both white and red.

Dancing followed the banquet. Pallando asked Nerwen the first dance, an elegant pavane with a slow and solemn rhythm that she didn't know, but was able to follow well enough; then the king left her to her husband, who was very glad to lead her in the simplest dances, which he had learned during his enforced stay in Tarsad, jigs and farandoles that amused her greatly. When the night fell, an agreed signal interrupted all parties: the moment for fireworks had arrived. Everyone took their cloaks and got out into the late autumn cool air, to admire bright pathways, waterfalls, fountains, blossoms and explosions in all kind of colours. The show lasted for a long time and prompted many admired cries; finally, they all returned inside to warm up again with one last cup of mulled wine.

Nerwen and Aryon returned home hand in hand; once there, they hanged up their cloaks and went to sleep.

OOO

The two enjoyed several days together; at Pallando's request, Rovena had exempted Aryon from this duty as the captain of the guard, which could be carried out satisfactorily by his deputy, Lieutenant Ryol; besides, he would take the office as the commander, when the prince would leave it to follow his wife in her search.

With Pallando's consent, Nerwen and Aryon set the date of their departure on October 27th, exactly one week after their return from the mysterious dimension where the Dark Portal had taken them.

The day before leaving, the two Istari went back to the cavern to destroy the spell that triggered the passage. Aryon Morvacor accompanied them, keeping at his wife's side; from his glower nothing shone through, but the possibility that the passage would accidentally be activated and Nerwen would vanish again terrified him; but this time, he would make sure to go with her.

"How shall we proceed?" Pallando asked; he was standing in front of the rocky wall covered with the Black Speech writing, but kept to a safe distance. Even if he knew perfectly that, to activate the Portal, he had to read it aloud, going nearer gave him chills, and Nerwen didn't feel differently, even with the comforting presence of her husband.

"We must cancel the writing," the Maia considered, "To engrave it, the Balrog used magic, and therefore we'll have to use magic to erase it."

"Have you got any idea about what spell would do?" the Blue Wizard enquired. Nerwen racked her brains.