Chapter 28 – “Life Goes On”

Even if Arwen had not already passed on the message, Penny would have not had any excuse. Erestor managed to grab hold of her before she left the Hall for her chambers that night to remind her about the Westron lesson, and then the following morning he made a point of calling her over to sit with him for breakfast just to make doubly certain.

Thus there would be no escaping The Westron Lesson of Doom.

Since the Hall of Feasts was now being used for both lunch and supper, it was little extra effort to provide seating and tables for breakfasting, though some still chose to eat in their chambers or out in the courtyard. The Gondorians did not join them for this meal, nor did the King and Queen (who breakfasted alone).

Erestor was deep in conversation with Glorfindel and Frodo as Penny came over to join them, Mireth with her.

“Westron lesson this morning, Pen-ii. You have not forgotten?”

Penny tried not to sigh too heavily. “No, Erestor, I had not forgotten.”

“Ah, good,” Frodo said. “I have told Pen-ii I would help her practice her vocabulary, Erestor. It seems to have helped with her Sindarin, after all.”

If Erestor was alarmed by the idea of Penny having a third person trying to muscle in on her Westron teaching, he did not show it.

“Why, thank you, Maura. That would be most helpful.”

“What is this?” A tall, blond figure had just walked up to their table to join them.

There was the briefest flicker of alarm on Erestor’s face.

“Oh, nothing terribly impor-”

“Penny is to start her Westron lessons, Lord Rhimlath,” Frodo explained.

He turned to Penny with a ‘Now, then’ and started pointing at every item on the table and getting her to repeat the word after him, just as he had done so many months before in Imladris with Sindarin.

Rhimlath opened his mouth to say something as he watched Frodo at work, saw Erestor giving him a hard look, glanced back at Frodo and closed his mouth again. He sat down and helped himself to some fruit instead. Perhaps there was a benefit to having Frodo involved after all, Penny decided. Rhimlath could hardly correct a native Westron speaker, even if the accent and some of the words were different from Gondorian Westron.

Penny flashed a small smirk in Erestor’s direction. He raised an eyebrow at her but was clearly trying to hide a smile at the same time. No doubt he was thinking exactly what Penny was thinking.

The moment the meal was finished, Erestor picked up two books that he had kept beside him all through breakfast and lead Penny off outside at a brisk walk and then through a small side door in a nearby building. Down two corridors and up one flight of stairs they at last came to a small room which had little more than a table with two benches in it. There was also a large, framed slate propped up against one wall and a smaller one on the table with some chalk.

“Ah, good, good. Everything is prepared as I asked it would be. Excellent.”

Penny blinked. Proper lessons? As in writing and learning script and all that same palaver she had gone through with Sindarin? Her heart sank.

“Erestor, I really do not think I can…”

“Yes, you can, Pen-ii. It may take time, admittedly, and more than we have available, but it will not hurt to try. I am sure you will absorb a little of what we go over in this manner, and perhaps a lot more than that. You may surprise yourself.”

“I doubt it,” Penny muttered.

And so it began.

Erestor decided to start by going back over much that he had tried to teach her while they had travelled. Seeing it written down, even in a completely different script, did help to consolidate it in Penny’s mind a little, though she still could barely remember anything of her vocabulary. At the end of it all Erestor seemed a little exasperated. He was pinching the bridge of his nose as if he was trying to stave off a migraine.

“Ai, Pen-ii, Pen-ii, Pen-ii. What shall we do with you? You have barely retained anything I have taught you.”

“With all due respect, Erestor, the constant bickering between you and Rhimlath did not help particularly.”

“Yes, yes, I quite accept my responsibility in all that. Lindir’s meddling only served to confuse you further as well, and what with the long break due to your illness… I think we shall have to insist people talk only in Westron to you from now on.”

“What! No! Erestor, please, you can’t!”

“But you will never learn otherwise. If you are to stay here you need to…”

“I thought no decision had been made about that?” Penny retorted snappily, suddenly angry.

She had always felt closer to Erestor than with many other elves, given the amount of time they had spent together with all those lessons. Hence, while he was perhaps not quite as close a friend or as ‘pally’ as Lindir or Celebdor, her pent-up frustration at the situation was showing itself more with him than it might have done with Elrond or Glorfindel.

“Well, no, I don’t think any…”

“So it could be a complete waste of time in that case, might it not?”

“I would not say that.” Now Erestor was getting annoyed in his turn. “I am sorry you do not appreciate my efforts to help you, Pen-ii.”

“I do appreciate it, Erestor, but I am just not sure I appreciate the motive behind it.”

Erestor blinked at her for a moment, clearly shocked.

“I beg your pardon?”

His face was furious.

“No one has once asked me what I might want to do! Everyone is saying I should take my time to decide and yet at the same time it seems as if the decision has been made for me. Perhaps I do not want to stay here. Perhaps I do not feel particularly welcome or at ease here given the attitude of the women of the court and the destruction all around me that I feel partially responsible for. I am well aware you are all leaving soon, but Imladris will not be completely empty even after that.” She faltered then, realising perhaps that she was way out of line speaking in this way to Erestor, let alone had let herself go off on a complete tangent. “Perhaps I have been too much of a burden there. I realise it would perhaps be easier for me to come to live here. It is just that… Now I am face to face with mortals once more I realise just how very different I am from them. I know that probably does not make much sense. I am the same and yet… not.”

Erestor moved round to her side of the table and sat down on the bench next to her, his back against the table top.

“You should have told us you were feeling like this.”

“I would have thought it was obvious. I think some of this was guessed in the meeting I had yesterday. Being here is a bit overwhelming.”

“I am sure it is. Did Gandalf and Aragorn not tell you to take your time? That is why they advised you so. Your initial reaction to this place is understandable, but once that is over and you begin to find your feet you may begin you feel differently. If not, then…”

Penny looked at him. “Then?”

“You will always have a home in Imladris. Lord Elrond told you that long before, Pen-ii, and he meant it. He does not begrudge you a place in his household, nor do any of us.”

He smiled kindly at her, wondering, not for the first time, at how mortal and very young she could be at times.

“So we will be leaving soon, you say? Is that soon by your standards or ours, I wonder?”

“Ours.”

“Ah.” He nodded and his smile broadened. “As you say, not all will leave immediately. Some have ties here. Some have been here so long it will not be easy to leave knowing they will never return. Some will choose to stay, and those who leave their loved ones behind will find that a hard choice indeed.”

“Indeed.” She thought over the things she had learnt the night before. “But there are those that will be waiting for them in Valinor. Eleniel and Mireth were telling me a little about it last night.”

“Were they?”

“About lost siblings and loves… I felt so very sad. It must be wonderful to have that certainty, though, to know you will see them again.”

“You do not share that?”

“Well, I… I do not know. I never… I mean, I thought the fate of the mortals was unknown.”

“And so it is, but many have their theories and their beliefs.”

Penny could see Erestor was regarding her with some curiosity. She was not sure she dared admit to him her complete lack of belief in anything terribly much prior to arriving in Middle-earth. She still found the idea of Valinor, the Valar and the Maiar actually existing a little mind-blowing if she really stopped to think about it.

“Well, yes,” she said at last. “Every culture has its ideas but in the end no one really knows, do they?”

“Oh, I think mortals will see each other again. Whether mortals and immortals will see each other even after the world is unmade is another matter. When we lose you we truly do not know if we will ever meet once more. That is a cause of great grief to us, especially concerning those we love dearly.”

“Like Arwen,” Penny said quietly, before she could stop it falling out of her mouth.

Erestor was silent for a moment.

“Yes,” he said at last. “Like Arwen. Idril’s husband was given immortality alongside her. Alas for Arwen her fate lies elsewhere. We can only hope that at the end of time we will be reunited with her.”

Erestor looked away and Penny did not say anything for a while.

“I always felt so very sorry for Elrond,” she said quietly at long last. “When I read the stories, I mean.”

Erestor turned back to her, his gaze a mixture of surprise and curiosity.

“What he went through as an elfling, then to lose his brother, his daughter, and to almost…” She hesitated.

“Lose his wife?” Erestor finished for her.

Penny nodded.

“It was a dreadful business.” Erestor shook his head, as if lost for words for a moment. “Truly dreadful.”

“Eleniel told me about Meluieth… and Lindir.”

“Ah. I see. Yes, that was a bitter blow to him. Poor Celebrían felt burdened by every death in that party. I only hope Valinor has helped to heal her hurts… Of the heart, I mean,” he added. “In some ways the physical wounds were the easiest to heal, even if she was close to death for some time.” His voice was quiet once more, and it was as if he was talking to himself, lost in the memory of it, observing it from a distance. He glanced up at Penny. “You never mentioned her before now. You never let us know you knew.”

“I… I was not sure if it was not too painful a subject. I did not dare mention it.”

“No more painful, perhaps, to Elrond than Arwen’s choice. Indeed that is more so in some ways, since Celebrian is waiting in Valinor for him. He will see her again and, so you say, soon. But your tact and understanding are appreciated, Pen-ii, I thank you. There were several killed and others… well, let us just say it was a terrible time for all those who knew them.”

Penny wondered, not for the first time, at how carefree and full of joy elves could be given the amount of sorrows they had lived through.

“Time passes,” Erestor continued, almost as if she had spoken her thoughts out loud. “Wounds heal, even if the memory of them never fully recedes. We must move on and live our lives. This is one of the things many find hard, whether mortal or immortal: that life goes on. We have the time to come to terms with that fact. We have long years and ages in which to grieve and walk out of our darkness to a better understanding and acceptance. For mortals it is, perhaps, a more difficult path. They have little time to recover, and death assails them from all sides and from old age, sickness and disease far more than war or violence. Perhaps therein lies a balance. Death is not common for us, and so perhaps it is all the more shocking when it occurs, but we also have the time to recover from that. Death is all too common for mortals, and perhaps they are therefore better able to recover more quickly from their loss and pain.”

“Perhaps.”

“It is only a theory, only my observations. There are always exceptions: mortals who carry the weight of their grief for long, long years and perhaps never fully recover, or else immortals for whom the loss is too great and they fade...” He paused briefly, his face suddenly desperately sad as if he was remembering those he had seen this happen to. “After the War of the Last Alliance many who had lost husbands or sons… Many ellith sailed West and some… some went West by other means.”

“Is that when..?”

“Yes, my wife sailed then. She lost a brother, her father and an uncle. She was also very concerned for a friend of hers who was near inconsolable with grief. She felt it best they sail together before she faded. To be in the presence of the Valar as well as to be that much nearer to Mandos’s Halls seemed to her to be the only thing that might give her friend the strength to stay. I could understand her reasoning. I supported her in her decision.”

“You must miss her.”

“I do. It has been a long time. But then I know she waits for me, as I do for her. Separation is not as hard for us, since time is relative, but that is not to say we are completely impervious to its trials and difficulties. Indeed that was my other point: there are immortals who find it hard to cope with loss and separation, but then equally the same is true for mortals. We have seen it happen many times.”

Again his face grew sad and Penny could see the weight of Ages in his eyes.

“I think it always hits the women hardest. I know here in Gondor there have been women sorely affected by their loss, just as they were after the Battle of the Dagorlad, since many men fell then also. It was not only elves that paid with their lives during those bitter years. I have even known women…” He stopped abruptly. “But, no. Let us talk of more cheerful things.” He smiled and forced a laugh. “Look at us, sitting here, drowning in melancholy. Dear me, this will not do.”

“What were you going to say?”

Erestor looked at her for a moment.

“Some things are best not known unless you have no choice, Pen-ii. Trust me, I would not wish you burdened with such things. Now, come. I think we have talked enough today, and certainly the lesson is at an end. I have here a Westron translation of ‘Quenta Silmarillion’ for you to read while you are here. It is not a gift, I am afraid. I have managed, with much persuading, to borrow this from the large library they have here, and it will need to be returned there.” It was quite a tome, with thick pages bound in leather, gilded and decorated. “I want you to slowly read this, using your Sindarin copy as a guide. Then each lesson you will read aloud from the book, translating as you go.”

Penny groaned. “You are not making this easy, are you, Erestor?”

“Of course not.” He grinned.

“What is that other book?”

As she asked, Erestor stood and made his way to the door. Penny followed him out into the corridor.

“Oh, that’s a Westron grammar I also managed to get a copy of. I will use that as a reference during lessons if I need to.”

Penny laughed. “You are not letting Rhimlath’s taunts get to you, are you?”

“Certainly not!” Erestor looked most affronted. “I meant as a reference to show you regarding any particular grammar point or for exercises, not to remind myself of-”

“If you say so, Erestor.”

“Now look here, young lady…!”

“I believe you! I believe you!” She smirked. “I am not sure Lindir will, though, but still…”

Erestor spluttered for a moment. “Lindir knows me too well to think such things about me.”

“That will not stop him from saying them, though.”

“You do not need to tell him, you know.”

“I do not need to, no…”

Erestor made an exasperated sound. “You are spending entirely too much time in Lindir’s company, Pen-ii! You are becoming nearly as infuriating as he is!”

Penny giggled. “I will take that as a compliment.”

Erestor shook his head, chuckling as he did so.

“Incidentally, what did you mean by what you said about the ladies of Gondor? They strike me as charming and exhibiting a nobility that becomes their lineage.”

Penny looked at him. “All of them, Erestor?”

“Well, some are little young… And perhaps to have so many fair and noble males in Minas Tirith has made the youngest a little giddy…”

Penny had to stop herself from laughing.

“Have you not seen the way some fawn over the Dunedain and any ellon passing? And I thought I saw several trying to persuade you to dance at the wedding, despite your best efforts to put them off. Celebdor said he had to rescue you and Glorfindel at one point. Apparently you had collected quite a little admiring crowd.”

“Ah, well.” Erestor flushed a little and looked awkward. “That was… Celebdor has no right saying such things!”

Penny laughed out loud, and Erestor, admitting defeat, found himself joining in.

“You must know how women can be, Erestor. Especially if they are young, single and feel they have to compete for a man. I suspect I am seen as both an oddity and a threat. I am known by the elves and befriended by the Dunedain…”

“You are also a friend to the King and Queen,” Erestor added. “Yes, I take your point. However, there are many ladies of Gondor who are noble and charming, as I said just now. I feel sure you will find the measure of them and discover those who are worthy of your friendship. Arwen will not allow ill manners or malicious character in her circle, trust me, Pen-ii. If needs be rely on her and those she seems closest to. That is the best advice I can give you.”

“Yes, thank you, Erestor. I intend to do just that.”

She suspected, however, that a select few would be difficult to avoid, especially if they were determined to go gunning for her despite her best efforts to stay out of their way.

‘Just let them try it,’ she thought.

“I would like to see the library. Is it open to the public?”

“The public? I hardly think so!” Erestor seemed to find the idea amusing. “It is rare to find someone below the rank of nobility who can read. Besides which the library is mainly a store of very ancient and precious texts.”

“Even so…”

“I can introduce you to the librarian if you wish. A fascinating fellow… In fact, that would be a very good idea. I think you would enjoy hearing what he has to say on the history and peoples of Gondor.”

Penny beamed. She would like that very much indeed.

They made an arrangement to meet by the White Tree at the seventh hour, and Erestor left her out in the courtyard as he went to find Elrond. Penny made her way across the courtyard to take her book back to her room.

“So, how was the lesson?”

A small group of elves were sitting on the grass, enjoying the sunshine. Rhimlath was among them. There were a few lords and ladies of Gondor were hovering nearby as well, a few other elves mingling with them.

“Very good,” Penny lied, feeling she needed to defend Erestor before Rhimlath could try and get a dig in. “Erestor is an excellent teacher.”

“He is indeed. Though I have no doubt all that extra tuition I was able to give you on the journey down here as helped. I have laid down a solid base from which Erestor can fine tune whatever he feels it is appropriate to teach you.”

Penny wanted to tell Rhimlath he was an arrogant arse who had done more to confuse her than help, but bit her tongue given Faramir walked past at that point with Glorfindel and Faelon.

Glorfindel, who had overheard the conversation and had seen the flash of irritation on Penny’s face, could not help himself. He halted as he passed by the group.

“Rhimlath, we love you dearly, but you are a fatuous, self-important windbag at times. I feel sure Pen-ii would tell you so but she is too polite and is restraining herself. I, on the other hand, have known you all your life and can tell you such a thing with impunity.”

Laughter erupted around him as Rhimlath reddened slightly and looked decidedly annoyed.

“Ah, Glorfindel!” Lindir was smirking his head off as he spoke. “Always able to say that which others would restrain themselves from saying out loud even if they are thinking it.”

“It is the diplomat in him,” Rhimlath said icily, sarcasm dripping from every word.

“Oooh, is that fighting talk, Rhimlath?” Glorfindel retorted, one eyebrow raised and a grin on his face.

Rhimlath rounded on Lindir. “And what do you mean ‘even if they are thinking it’!”

Faramir appeared astonished, if amused, and looked to Penny and Faelon as if by way of explanation. They were both laughing also and Penny held her hands up in the direction of Faramir as if to say ‘not guilty, your honour, it’s nothing to do with me’.

“I see their lordships enjoy life.” He smiled. “But then I had already got that impression from Lords Legolas, Elladan and Elrohir. As well as what Mithrandir and King Elessar had told me.”

“Oh, this is nothing, Lord Faramir, trust me,” Penny replied.

“It is true,” Faelon added. “They can get far, far worse.”

“Well, there is nothing wrong with a playful heart. It does one good to find levity and joyfulness in others’ company.”

“I think some would call it ‘never growing up’,” Penny muttered.

Lindir raised an eyebrow. “For someone as young as you, Pen-ii, that is saying something.”

“She does have a point, Lindir.” Eleniel was laughing. “Or she does in your case, at least.”

“Oh, men can be just as bad, Eleniel, I promise you.”

Lord Faramir and Faelon exchanged amused looks.

“Oh, yes, Pen-ii?” Faelon was chuckling.

“Though equally, some would argue it is part of any male’s charm in some ways,” Penny added hurriedly. She restrained herself from pointing out it was also part of any male’s ability to drive a woman completely do-lally.

One or two ellith and ladies of Gondor did that for her, though.

In the meantime she took advantage of the laughter and friendly banter to hurry to her room to leave her book there and then come back to join them.

As she did so, she thought of the few men she had known well in her life: obsessed with arsing about and getting drunk or role playing or computer games (or computers) and generally not taking real life terribly seriously if they could at all help it… Heck, she had never even met her father. How was that for shirking responsibility?

She then considered the men she had met since she had landed in this weird situation: strong, brave, honourable, constantly putting their lives at risk for the sake of others.

They could not be more different.

Well, except perhaps for some of the ellyn in their worst moments, but then even they could be serious if they needed to be. She had only had a hint of Lindir in warrior mode, it was true, but even so… And of course he had the weight of grief on him to forget. She could not blame him if he chose to muck around and play the joker at times, and she joined in with him often enough, did she not?

Then she thought of her brother who did nothing but muck about, and who was as irresponsible and irritating as it was possible to be.

For one horrible moment she wondered if she might she actually be missing him...

By the time she had returned Glorfindel and Rhimlath were back in full ‘baiting’ mode with Rhimlath asking Glorfindel random questions about obscure bits of Sindarin lore and history and Glorfindel responding by asking Rhimlath about details of Gondolin that few but a native of the city would know.

“You’ll be asking me what colour drapes you had in your chambers next,” Rhimlath was saying with scorn.

“Very well. Battle tactics. I will present you with a hypothetical situation and you tell me what you would consider to be the best formation of your men…”

“I am a seasoned warrior, Glorfindel,” Rhimlath said testily.

“Yes, but that does not make you a tactician, Rhimlath.”

“I am as skilled with a bow as any in Lothlorien, indeed better than many.”

“And with a sword?”

“You have seen me use a sword, Glorfindel.”

“Exactly.”

“What are you saying?!” Rhimlath looked furious.

“You should join us, Lord Rhimlath.” Faramir interjected, no doubt trying to calm the situation down. “I was on my way to show Lord Glorfindel here the practise areas for sparring.”

“Oh, now that is an excellent idea! We could put our respective swordsmanship to the test.”

The way Glorfindel beamed made Penny suspect Rhimlath would regret having gone down this route if he accepted the challenge.

If Rhimlath hesitated it was only for a moment.

“But of course, Lord Faramir.” He inclined his head haughtily by way of thanks. “I would be most delighted to accept your offer. Frankly I am surprised you have the space for an archery target yard that would be long enough for an elf’s needs, but…”

“Oh, no, archery is taught and practised out on the Pelennor for the most part. We cannot have arrows flying through people’s windows or into backyards as youngsters first start to learn, can we?” Faramir grinned. “Of course we would be most interested to see the skill of elvish archers at the fete.”

“Fete?” This was a new word to Penny. It was quickly explained.

“This coming market day there is likely to be a larger number of stalls and people than usual given word will have spread of our new Queen, as well as the arrival of so many elves. There will be a few festivities and games as well. Some organised by the city, but there will no doubt be others organised by local people. There will be an archery contest, since there always is at such events. Laughable to ones of your skill, no doubt…” He had turned back to Rhimlath who positively preened at the compliment and made no attempt to refute Faramir’s assertion. “But it may entertain. Of course, as I say, if some of the best among you would show some of your skill, that would be a treat for us all indeed.”

Penny groaned. There would no doubt now be a battle royal amongst them all to determine who were ‘the best among them’.

She was surprised, though, when immediately Glorfindel and Rhimlath started listing names off between them, with Lindir throwing in a couple as well. Of course, for all their jibes and bickering, when push came to shove, they had to know such things, Penny reasoned, since in a battle scenario your life or that of your men might depend on giving the right man the right job.

‘Which just goes to prove my point,’ she mused.

Market day would be in two days time, apparently, and Penny was looking forward to it. Even without the added excitement of the fete she would have looked forward to it. Just to see all the stalls laid out and the wares… Apparently one of the few things that had picked up almost immediately after Sauron had fallen was trade. Opportunists and wheeler-dealers were not slow or shy in realising the people of Minas Tirith, and indeed Gondor as a whole, would be desperate for supplies and especially those things they had long missed or long gone without. Not only that but, with the darkness finally lifted, and for those who had not lost heavily during the War, there was the ‘feel-good’ factor, a sense of euphoria which meant that some were more tempted than they had been in a long time to hoik out that bag of coins from under the floorboards and go a little wilder than usual.

It also meant prices had sky-rocketed at first, until Aragorn had stepped in and laid down strict guidelines about buying and selling, bartering and haggling, and generally selling things for a fair price or else.

As Faramir, Glorfindel, Rhimlath, Lindir and several others made their way down to the First Circle and the training grounds, Eleniel and Penny followed behind. Penny had yet to see the rest of the city in daylight, and Eleniel had not really explored terribly far herself the previous afternoon. They just intended to wander down to the courtyard behind the main gate and then back up again, which should kill most of the time till lunch.

There were quite a few people staring at them all as they made their way down, not in an unpleasant way, though some could have been a little more discrete or subtle if they had tried. No doubt having seen Legolas or the twins around the city had not sufficiently prepared the inhabitants for a group of elves all bunched together like this. When adults as well as children were pointing and saying ‘Oooh, look! Elves!’ at the tops of their voices it did make you wince. Elves were still a novelty, it seemed, and worth staring at (or in some cases, positively gawping). Of course, Lord Faramir was well known and well loved, and many came out to greet him. Penny was impressed by how many people he knew by name, asking after their children or spouses by name as well, quite often.

‘Quite the statesman,’ Penny mused. She could just imagine him kissing babies and shaking palms, though in his case she suspected it would be absolutely genuine and sincerely meant. He seemed to be the sort.

The further down into the city they went, the more Eleniel and Penny found themselves getting further and further behind the ellyn. They were not bothered. They stopped and chatted to whoever stopped to speak to them, some managing a little fractured Sindarin, but mostly it was Eleniel’s Westron that came into play for communication. A few locals laughingly noted that her Westron ‘sounded nearly as strange as that spoken in Rohan or by them there Periannath’.

Penny wondered what their reaction would be to Rhimlath if he ever tried out his Westron on them.

She dreaded to think.

It was quite something to see the city in daylight. Penny felt strangely at home. Surrounded by bricks and mortar and stone, paved road under her feet, she had a grin on her face all the way down.

Until they reached the Second Level, that is.

The damage she had seen in the darkened gloom of that first night was glaringly apparent in the bright summer sun.

Eleniel and Penny slowed, taking in the damage. As they did so, local residents, mainly women, often drying or cleaning their hands on their aprons, came out to recount tales of woe or derring-do involved in whatever pile of rubble they were currently staring at.

And it only got worse as they ventured into the First Circle.

“Lost five of my neighbours in that fire… Terrible it was…”

“She’s never been the same since, you know. She’s gone to stay with her mother down in Lossanarch, poor woman. But then, what do you expect? Lost all three sons and her husband, but it was finding her husband’s head in the street that really did it. She really should have left with the wains before the siege began like I did, but she insisted on being here to help with the wounded. She wouldn’t leave them, you see…”

“Oh, you should have seen him!” (This from a boy not much older than fourteen or so) “He was dashing in and out of the place, pulling us all from it, and then shouted at us so loud for not having gone up to the Fourth Circle like he’d told us! I got this burn,” he added proudly, showing a rather large and horrendous scar on his forearm. “He rescued my dog, too!” And a rather scruffy mongrel standing next to him barked and wagged its tail as if he knew he was being talked about.

The worst were probably the few times they walked past a house that was all shuttered up or they would pause in front of a pile of stone and burnt timbers and no one came out to tell them what had happened. Of course Penny well knew that several of these houses had become deserted even before the War, but it did not help to dispel the illusion.

Eventually they started back up the hill once more. Both of them were quiet and a little subdued, though doing their best to respond cheerfully enough to the smiles and greetings from the residents. Penny was mulling over what would be best – to come back as often as possible so as to get used to it, or avoid it as much as possible since she really found it very distressing. More than once Eleniel, without a word, had taken her hand and given it a reassuring squeeze.

As they passed through the gate into the Second Circle, a space on their left where a house used to be, Eleniel whispered, ‘It’s not your fault’ into Penny’s ear.

Penny wheeled round to stare at her in surprise.

“You said you had had some foresight of the War. So did many of us, Pen-ii. When you see the destruction here, it is hard not to feel… not to wonder if…” Eleniel hung her head.

Penny said nothing but just stepped up to her and put her arms around her. They stayed like that for a moment, hugging each other in silence, and when they finally pulled apart, Penny could see Eleniel had tears in her eyes mirroring her own.

They slowly made their way back up to the Seventh Circle. However, any melancholy was quickly dispelled thanks to the children skipping along beside them asking them a hundred and one questions about all things elvish. As a final treat, just as they were leaving the Sixth Circle a girl came hurrying out of her house carrying a dish.

“My mother asked me to give you some of these. Please, take some.”

On the dish were a few freshly baked, small white cakes.

Penny positively beamed.

They took one each and thanked her and told her to thank her mother also. Much to Penny’s delight, they proved to be quite delicious.

Life in Minas Tirith would quickly settle into a routine: breakfast with the hobbits (or Frodo at the very least) during which time she was tested on her vocabulary by Frodo, followed by Westron lessons with Erestor. Much as had happened in Rivendell, anyone who was nearby joined in during breakfast, even Rhimlath on occasion (though after he had been corrected once or twice by both Sam and Pippin in quick succession he was noticeably absent from future breakfasts).

The rest of the day would then be spent in various ways.

For the first few days the elves made a conscious effort to walk throughout Minas Tirith, stopping wherever people accosted them, walking into homes where invited, talking, singing and generally making their presence felt. Many were in fact wandering down the levels to head out into the Pelennor to assess the damage done and advise on how best to propagate and restore the damaged land and plants. Galadriel and the Galadrhim in particular were working hard in this regard, often riding out to the far reaches of the Pelennor which Gondorian nobles accompanying them.

The Dunedain had for some weeks already been making themselves useful, helping both the residents of Minas Tirith and those on the Pelennor to rebuild or clear rubble and detritus. Fairly soon the elves realised they could lend much needed manpower in this regard also and thus, much to Dúrion’s consternation (“But Lord Faramir, they are our guests… nobles… They can’t!”), were soon to be found at various points in the city or on the Pelennor getting dirty and sweaty (though never bare-chested much to Dúrion’s relief, though the ladies of Gondor were bitterly disappointed).

Equally, however, there was also much wandering about and letting the hours slip idly past. Those amongst the elves who were craftsmen in particular fields sought out their Gondorian counterparts, both to assess their workmanship, see what styles or skills were the fashion and take note or even pass on their expertise (if wanted or appreciated). There were even a few things for which Gondor was rightly famous: its glassware, for example. A skill which the elves were capable of but few indulged in these days.

After lunch, therefore, just about everyone Penny knew would be indulging in one or more of the above for the rest of the afternoon.

However, she had a rather pressing engagement with Erestor and a librarian.

And she was looking forward to it.

Author’s Notes:

Now, I admit it’s a case of the ‘pot calling the kettle black’ perhaps (given most of us who hang out in online fanfiction can admit to having been obsessed by computers, computer games and/or role playing at some point in our lives), but I just wanted to clarify that those examples directly refer back to Penny’s ex-boyfriends/love interests: namely the infamous Brian (the computer nerd) and the guy referred to way back when in Chapter Two of Don’t Panic – the guy who did historical re-enactments. So please no shouting about ‘Hey, I’m obsessed by that and I’m female.’ ;P And while I know many men can be terribly adult and serious when they want to be, I think most would also admit to carrying their ‘inner little boy’ around with them. As NL, my canon beta (and a man), put it once: men don’t grow up until around the age of seventy and then they die of boredom a week later. *grin*

I feel very guilty about not being able to reply properly (i.e. more than a mere 'thank you') to every review I get but time constraints and the sheer number of reviews means it is not always feasible. I am thankful SoA has an excellent direct reply facility, so I do use it when I can - my apologies for those times I have not been able to. I am also kicking myself for not thinking of this before (apologies) but I will try and answer questions left in reviews elsewhere on my ff.net forum. If you are at all interested then you can find the forum via my user info page on ff.net and the link is: http://www.fanfiction.net/f/497800/

As ever, thank you to all who take the time to read this thing, let alone take extra time out to leave a comment or some con crit – it is much appreciated.