Seeds of the White Tree

Chapter 32 - Love, Reflected

"Naneth! Naneth, I see it!" 

Almárëa's call brought them all hastening up the hillside. The rolling grey-green land of Evendim swelled upward beneath the horses' hooves, and over the crest of the hill the royal party caught their first glimpse of Annúminas.

Built beside and outward onto the waters of Lake Evendim, the city of Annúminas was a wonder to behold. Restored to its former glory by Aragorn in the days following the War of the Ring, the realm's northern capital rivaled Minas Tirith for beauty. Causeways and parapets of pale limestone spanned the rocky shoreline, capped by towers of blue-grey shale that gleamed like polished steel in the setting sunlight. Annúminas was guarded by both the steep hillsides surrounding it as well as a tall, narrow gate across the single road through the rocks. There was no need for protection upon the lake-side, and so the city spread its splendor outward. Towers were built upon the little outcrops of rock and islands across the lake, and each was connected to the main city on the shore by banner-laden bridges. The flag of Gondor flew proudly from the spire of the tallest tower, fluttering in the breeze as if to beckon Arwen and the others onward. 

Lake Evendim itself was no less of a wonder than Annúminas. Stretching on nearly fifty miles to the north, its far shore seemed barely a blue haze on the horizon. So crystal clear were the waters of the lake that the roots of the outermost towers were easily seen rising from the rocky bottom. This far north it remained cool even during the summer, and so the crispness of the late May air made the lake seem even more pure and bright. Great hills of stone rose from the shore of the lake around its southern and western sides, and to the east a vast forest of black pines rustled peacefully in the breeze. A pair of loons - their black and white feathers stark against the rosy evening sky - flew honking overhead, and at a distance the mating call of a bull moose could be heard. 

"Annúminas at last!" exclaimed Faramir. "Never before have I had the chance to see our northern capital, and now I lament that I have waited so long to make the journey! There is a timelessness to this place that speaks to my very soul." 

Arwen smiled. "It is the blood of old Númenor that speaks to you, mellon-nin. For here on the shores of Lake Evendim dwell any remaining descendants of that mighty nation who do not call Gondor in the south their home."

"I think it may just have been one of the proudest days of Aragorn's life, the day he was able to bring together the scattered Dúnedain of Fornost and restore them to their ancestral city," added Legolas. 

"Indeed it was," said Arwen, remembering how Aragorn's eyes had shone when his old friends and fellow rangers had met him for the first time, safe and together in their new home. 

"How will we reach the gate from here?" asked Elboron. Sure enough, from the shores of Lake Evendim it seemed there was no direct route by which to reach the channel through the rocks beyond which Annúminas' gate lay. 

Eruthiawen laughed, and beneath her her horse Dior cantered cheerfully. "There is a passage that begins on the far hillside, marked by an ancient oak tree before the road widens. Come! I remember the way!" 

Elboron, Almárëa, and Eruthiawen were quick to ride out ahead of the group, their riding cloaks and horses' tails fluttering behind them before they disappeared into the tree line. 

"So much for a dignified arrival as one party?" teased Faramir as the young folk left them behind. 

"Perhaps," said Legolas. He leaned forward subtly on Arod's back. "Or.....?"

Before Faramir even had half a chance to reply, Arwen had already surged forward down the trail, her horse racing to catch up with the children. Her bell-like laughter echoed back to Faramir and Legolas.