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At the End of His Rope  by Lindelea

Chapter 76. Tall Ships

The quay was a-bustle with shouting, sweating workers as kegs and crates, sacks and barrels were loaded aboard the fleet of waiting ships. An oddly-matched pair strode through the crowd, causing an eddy of curious looks around them, to the foremost ship in the line.

An officer was checking off supplies as they were loaded; he barely glanced at the elf who stood before him as the elf's dwarf companion cleared his throat loudly. 'A moment,' he said, continuing to add marks to the tally as the large sacks were carried aboard by a stream of workers. When the last one passed him, he marked it off with a flourish and a satisfied nod, turning to shout, 'That's the last!'

Another officer waved from the deck, and the Man looked directly at the companions for the first time, eyes widening. 'I beg your pardon,' he said to Legolas.

'I suppose you did not want to lose count,' the elf said with a smile, as the dwarf grumbled under his breath. 'What ship is this?'

A look of pride came into the Man's eyes; he stood a little straighter as he answered, 'This is the Dove, under the command of Captain Fargold, finest ship in the King's service.'

Legolas bowed gracefully. 'Then we have found the right ship,' he said. 'We have come to accompany Ithilien's contribution to the Ernil i Pheriannath and his people.'

Gimli grumbled under his breath again. 'Hobbits! They're hobbits! Why can't folk be sensible and call them what they call themselves?'

'Peace, Gimli,' the elf said. He turned back to the ship's officer. 'I was told to seek accommodation on the Dove.'

The officer bowed low. 'Wait here, please,' he said. 'I will bring the Captain to you.' He walked up the gangway, his long strides making short work of the steep slope. The Captain was easy enough to find, and the officer came to a stop before him, saluting.

'Yes, Thingal, what is it?' the Captain said, returning the gesture.

'One of the Fair Folk, Sir,' the officer said.

'An elf wants to sail with us?' the grizzled Captain guessed shrewdly. 'Or does he merely bring a message?'

'He wishes to sail, Captain, and his companion with him.'

The Captain glanced over and stood a little straighter. 'Thingal,' he breathed. 'They are the ones... you remember... an elf and a dwarf who walk together? They must be of the Nine Companions.'

'Meriadoc spoke of them,' Thingal nodded, 'when we brought him to Ithilien, to greet his kinsman the Ring-bearer.'

'And they wish to take passage upon our ship?' the Captain said. His officer nodded, and the Captain smiled broadly, then gained control of himself, once again the stern master of his vessel, though he could not help saying softly, 'Such an honour for the Dove, and for my final voyage.' He looked up and around his ship, and said, 'I will miss the old girl; she has borne us through peril, storm and war, and I pray she will bear you safely for many a year to come.'

Thingal nodded soberly, then sought to lighten his Captain's mood. 'She will have carried four of the Nine at journey's end,' His smile broadened. 'And we may yet greet Meriadoc at our destination, I hear.'

'That is to be hoped,' the Captain said. 'If the River is high enough to take us all the way to the land of the Halflings.'

Thingal nodded, not voicing his thought. It was certainly to be hoped, for he did not relish the thought of braving the currents and waves all the way to the Grey Havens, with the season of winter storms well underway.

'I will welcome them aboard,' Captain Fargold said, 'while you make my stateroom ready for them.' He would make other arrangements as long as their distinguished guests were with them.

'Yes, Sir,' Thingal said, saluting again, and turning away to his next task.

Gimli was staring glumly at the ship as the Captain descended the gangway to them. 'Welcome, Legolas and Gimli,' he said, bowing low to them. 'We are honoured that you should grace the Dove with your presence.'

Mollified, Gimli said, 'You know our names? The news came before us?'

'O no, Sir, but your fame precedes you,' the Captain answered. 'And Meriadoc spoke much of his companions.'

'Merry?' the dwarf said.

The captain nodded. 'He was a passenger aboard the Dove just at War's end,' he explained. 'A short acquaintance with his kind makes for quick friendship and a long memory.' He smiled at the memory. 'And he sailed with us to the Sea and back again, before turning homewards.'

Legolas nodded. 'I remember. Only Pippin of the other hobbits was willing to share the journey.'

'A lively lad, I recall, with a great sense of adventure,' the Captain smiled. He gestured to the ship. 'But please, come aboard. Any friends of Meriadoc's... will find welcome aboard the Dove.'

The dwarf snorted, but the elf answered smoothly. 'We thank you for your warm welcome.' They stepped aboard the wooden walkway with its crossbars nailed at intervals to give purchase, and Gimli immediately missed the solid feel of stone beneath his feet. Legolas unobtrusively steadied him as they climbed.

To the dwarf's regret, the ship seemed no more solid than the gangway had been, seeming to move restlessly upon the water as if it were a steed eager to be on its way. Legolas breathed deeply and stood with his feet a little further apart than usual, feeling the life in the ship. 'It is like coming awake,' he said, 'from a weighty dream into lightness.'

'I could use a bit more weight, myself,' the dwarf grumbled. 'Feels as if we're about to float away.'

Legolas laughed. 'But of course, Gimli!' he cried. 'That is the whole idea!'

'We will be underway in less than an hour,' the Captain said, 'for we must race to meet the tide, or wait for the next one. It is good you came when you did.'

'Yes,' the elf answered. 'It would have been a shame to miss sailing.'

'A real shame,' Gimli muttered ironically. 'Indeed.'

***

Legolas was often to be found in the rigging, climbing to the highest point to help set sails, or merely to stand near the top with the breeze in his face. Gimli kept his feet firmly planted on the deck, wishing only that it were rock in truth instead of action.

'Think of it as a waggon,' Legolas laughed during one of his rare moments on the deck, standing at the railing, watching the land slip by as they sailed down the Anduin towards the Sea.

'I can only wish it were,' Gimli said. He glanced sidelong at the elf. The smell of salt in the air was growing stronger, and gulls often danced above the masts. He wondered how soon he would be losing Legolas to the call of the Sea. Surely this journey was ill-advised.

When they reached open Sea, Gimli found that the gentle motion of the deck on the River was mild, desirable, even, compared to the feeling of being a cork bobbing from wave to wave. He took to his bunk, unable to eat, or sleep, or do anything but endure. He'd no doubt the elf was standing at the top of the mast, enjoying the salt spray in his face. He almost hoped Legolas would lose his grasp and plunge into the waves, to have to be rescued ignomiously, but of course the irritating elf was too sure-footed for that.

When the ship turned into the mouth of the Baranduin River, sails set to catch as much wind as possible to fight the river current, the motion of the ship eased, and soon Gimli was able to leave his bunk. As he emerged blinking into the light, Legolas greeted him with delight. 'That was a marvelous treat!' he said, eyes sparkling. 'Were it not for the anticipation of seeing the young hobbits again, I would already be longing for the return journey.'

'A rare treat, indeed,' Gimli muttered. He didn't care if he never set eyes upon the Sea again. The Sea was his enemy, after all, for one day, sooner than later, more likely, it would bear the elf forever away.

The Captain ordered regular soundings taken, for the Dove rode a little heavier than usual with her full load of cargo, and the Baranduin was a new river to him. Wide, perhaps, and he held charts in his hand from those who had gone before him, still, he did not know this river, and so it was not to be trusted. Behind him, the fleet strung out into a long line.

People ashore stopped their work to gape at the fleet of ships making their way upriver, by sail when the wind was favourable, or by oars when the wind dropped. An occasional ship, yes, going upstream to Sarn, and back again, this they had seen, and now that the drawbridge was complete the ships probably went past Sarn to communities upriver. But a grand fleet of white-sailed ships... never before had such a sight been known on the Baranduin.

Gimli took to standing at the rail, watching the riverbank crawl by. He was fascinated by the drawbridge at Sarn, remembering the stories of Laketown near the Lonely Mountain and its bridges, before Smaug the Dragon had brought ruin and devastation. The town had been rebuilt, of course, but no longer needed to be surrounded by water.

Legolas joined him at the rail as they passed the town of Sarn. He smiled and waved back at the children who lined the banks, cheering the great ship. 'Come, Gimli,' he said. 'They honour you; it is only polite to acknowledge them. Likely they have never seen a dwarf sailing up their river before.'

'Likely they never will see such again,' Gimli said. A wee lass caught his eye, held in her mother's arms, pointing to him and waving both little arms lustily, and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth; he found himself returning the greeting, nodding to the tiny bit, hearing her voice on the wind shouting excitedly " 'ook, Mama, 'ook, Mama, 'ook!" before the ship carried them past and Gimli let his face settle back into its grim lines.

'Would you rather walk all the way to the Shire?' Legolas said.

'A pony wouldn't be so bad,' Gimli remarked. 'I suppose a ship is a little more convenient. Easier to sleep on a ship than on a pony.'

'You are not so likely to fall off,' Legolas said, amused.

Gimli gave a shudder. 'One would certainly hope not,' he returned.

'And the meals are better,' said a voice behind them. They turned to see Officer Thingal behind them. 'Dinner is served,' the officer said.

'It is time for dinner already?' Legolas said. 'The time is slipping by as quickly as the shoreline.'

'Not quickly enough,' Gimli muttered under his breath, but Legolas heard him.

'There is not far to go, now,' he said. 'We should arrive a few days before the Yuletide celebration.'

'That'll be a fine present,' Gimli said.

'The food for the halflings?' Thingal asked.

'No,' the dwarf answered. 'Solid earth beneath my feet.' He glared as Legolas laughed, and then the three went down to the mess.

 





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