Chapter 1:
Realm of Nargothrond, First Age 465

Gildor Inglorion, foster-son of King Finrod Felagund and lieutenant of Nargothrond, relaxed in the branches of a tree above one of the watch towers of the Pinnath Dirnen. As one of Finrod's lieutenants, Gildor often travelled the circuit of Nargothrond's watch towers, gathering news and taking reports.

There had been peace in Beleriand for close to a decade of the Sun since Sauron had taken Minas Tirith, turning it into the Tol-in-Gaurhoth, and there was little for the sentries of Nargothrond to defend against. Additionally, Finrod's sentries were well trained and knew their duties. They were a mix of Noldor, Sindar and not a few Lindar of Ossiriand who had joined the King's household many centuries before. Gildor's rounds, then, were usually a short and fairly relaxing retreat from the bustling caverns of Nargothrond, giving him ample time to sit and marvel at the beauty of Arda.

A soft wind ruffled Gildor's hair and the leaves around him as he drank in the beauty of the scene. Behind him, the hills of the forests of the Narog rose higher, and beneath him the Guarded Plain stretched out to far off Doriath. It was Spring upon the Talath Dirnen, and the new leaves of the Taur-en-Narog changed from dark emerald to pale silver as Anor sank and Ithil rose. Gildor often wondered, on evenings like this, if the plains and hills and forests of Aman were as lovely as those in Endor. He had been barely a decade when his parents chose to follow Arafinwë's eldest son out of the Blessed Realm, yet he still had vague memories of gold and silver lights, and white city streets strewn with gems and pearls.

Gildor let his gaze turn back to the west, where the Halls of Nargothrond lay behind the heights of the Taur-en-Narog. The city of Felagund, modeled after the fair-wrought Halls of Thingol, were as fair in Gildor's eyes as any memory of Eldamar. And he was finally beginning to admit to himself that there was one within who made it even fairer still.

Meordel was a Linda of Ossiriand, and the niece and foster-daughter of Laicognô, another one of Finrod's lieutenants. She was also the cousin/sister of Gildor's closest companion, Lindan. The three had met at the Mereth Aderthad, when they were passing their third decades. Laicognô returned with Finrod to Sirion, and the three young elves grew up together there, and later in Nargothrond. While the two young ellyn trained under Edrahil and Laicognô in the arts of war, and Gildor in the arts of diplomacy from his father, Meordel studied the healing arts under Finrod's sister-in-law, Ëarnyellë, or Aernellien as she now chose to be called.

"I have learned from bitter experience, mela, to run in the opposite direction when you have that look on your face."

Gildor opened his eyes and found Lindan hanging upside-down in front of him. "If you did not insist on hanging from trees like you were twenty, Laurehendur, you might make more sense when you speak."

The Linda merely snorted and retreated into the leaves, before lightly dropping down onto Gildor's branch. "Most of the time, Gilchen," he said as he sat in front of his friend, "you sound just like a Lind, and then you say something like that and I am reminded that you are only a Golda after all."

Gildor shook his head and leaned back into the tree with eyes closed, enjoying the wind running through the leaves. "Sîdh, gwador," he said. "It is too lovely an evening to bandy insults."

Lindan leant against a convenient higher branch and the two friends sat in silence for a while. Above them, the sky deepened from purple to indigo.

Gildor idly mused on their conversation. Most people familiar with the languages of the Eldar would have cringed if they heard the Noldo and the Linda talking alone. Although Sindarin was the official common language in Beleriand, the two regularly used three languages: Quenya, Sindarin and Lindarin. A conversation which might have started out in Sindarin, could quickly move back and forth between it and their respective mother-tongues. Adding on to that Lindan's apparent delight in taking Lindarin words and 'Sindarizing' or 'Quenyaizing' them as it suited his fancy, it was a lambengolmo's nightmare. Indeed, their old tutor, Enyalmo, had long ago despaired of getting proper usage out of the Linda, claiming that 'the Nando' did out of spite. Lindan would only smiled, gold-shot eyes shining, quietly saying something about 'pompous Goldas'. Gildor smiled at the memory.

Finally, Lindan looked at his friend curiously and asked, "Ereglas has made his final report, and Anor has set. We can head home anytime, Cáno."

Gildor shook his head, but did not open his eyes. "No, gwador, we can enjoy the peace of Arda for a of couple hours yet, and still make Amon Ethir before dawn. Do not be in such a hurry, tyelcë."

Lindan's golden eyes sparkled mischievously and he said, "You will have to face her again, toronya, whenever we return."

Gildor opened his eyes and glared at the Linda. "And who is that, Laurehendur?"

Lindan's grin broadened. "Why, my sister, tócar, who else? I know you have been sweet on her at least since the wedding of Orodreth and Iavasiel."

When Gildor's glare only darkened, Lindan almost fell out of the tree in glee. "Do not worry, toronya," he said. "You know that she has been in love with your bright eyes since the Mereth!"

Gildor turned red. "Nothing has been said between us," he began stuttering. He was saved from any other defense by a hail from below. Quickly and silently he dropped down from the tree, leaving Lindan draped over a tree limb, nearly insensible with laughter.

The Linda's mirth died quickly, though, once he joined his commander on the ground, and saw him standing a small way off, in ernest conversation with Ereglas and Tasardil. As he approached the three elves, Lindan saw the two Sindarin sentries quickly bow to Gildor before jumping up into the trees and running back east along the Pinnath Dirnen.

When Gildor turned back to his approaching friend, Lindan saw that all traces of the carefree, and dare he say it, love-struck, elf from a few minutes earlier were gone. No one now would mistake him for anything other than an Amanyarin lord whose domain was being threatened.

"Cáno?" he asked.

"An adan has crossed the Talath coming from Doriath," Gildor said as he beckoned his friend to follow him.

"Doriath?" The Linda asked in surprise. "Not the Taur-en-Brethil?" he asked, referring to the home of the People of Haleth.

Gildor shook his head. "Tasardil says that he came from the direction of Aelin-uial and Sirion, and approaches the Mindon Erui."

"One of the firiath who became turned around, then? The Lady Melian's Girdle is not forgiving of the unwary."

"Perhaps, but Tasardil says he walks as one with a purpose."

Lindan snorted. "You know these northern Sindar," he said. "They will say a rock walks with dignity. Tasardil in particular," he added with a sly smile.

Gildor laughed and shook his head, remembering the incident Lindan alluded to. Orodreth's late wife, Iavasiel, was the daughter of the leader of a colony of Sindar living at the base of the Ered Wethrin. Tasardil was charged as one of the Lady's guards when she had first visited Nargothrond. Finrod tasked Gildor and Lindan with being Honor Guard for Iavasiel's party and escorting them into the city. Unfortunately for Tasardil, Lindan took that opportunity to, as Edrahil later said, "play the wild Laiquendë to the hilt". Iavasiel, having met Gildor and Lindan before at Tol Sirion, was highly amused by the young Linda's theatrics. Her poor guard, however, was so intimidated by Lindan's 'welcome' (as apprehensive as he already was with all of the strange rumors about the Golothrim that had been spreading around Beleriand) that he insisted on calling him Aran the entire way back. When the party arrived in Nargothrond, Finrod was both amused and displeased, and after everyone (and to his credit, it must be said that Tasardil was among them) stopped laughing, the king sent Gildor and Lindan to winter in Dorthonion with Angrod and Aegnor. Needless to say, the two young ellyn learned to treat 'foreign dignitaries' with more dignity.

"Perhaps," Gildor said, bringing himself back to the matter at hand, "but Tasardil's scouts also say that he claims friendship with the King, which is why they did not waylay him as soon as he set foot in the Pinnath."

"What?" Lindan asked, taken aback. He then noticed that they were heading roughly north, down-hill towards the tree-line. "So where are we going, then?"

"We, meldonya, are going to lie in wait for this adan and see what he is up to," replied Gildor.

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Notes:

(Words marked with an asterisk, *, are words which I have re-constructed, and are therefore subject to error.)

"My Oaths I Will Keep": The title is inspired by Finrod's statement to Beren that: "Yet my own oath holds; and thus are we all ensnared." (Silmarillion, p. 205) 'Oaths' is here plural because the statement can be applied to more than one person in this tale; and more than one oath is at work.

Pinnath Dirnen: The Guarded Ridges (S); Tolkien does not name the hills east of the Narog, so I continued with the theme of watched and guarded from Talath Dirnen and Amon Ethir. (See also Taur-en-Narog, below.)

Minas Tirith: (S) Finrod's first holding in Middle Earth, on Tol Sirion. After he built Nargothrond, he gave Minas Tirith into Orodreth's care (according to some reports). Tol Sirion was overwhelmed by Sauron's army in 457, after Dagor Bragollach. It was renamed Tol-in-Gaurhoth thenceforth, and was where Finrod and company met their ends helping Beren recover a Silmaril.

Talath Dirnen: The Guarded Plain, which lies east of Narog (S)

Taur-en-Narog: The Forest of the Narog (S); see Pinnath Dirnen

Anor and Ithil: Sun and Moon (S)

Meordel, Lindan, Laicognô and Aernellien: OCs; see "In This Far Land" for further information. Aernellien is the sister of Angrod's wife Eldalotë, and is known in Chapters 1-5 of that story by her Quenyan name Ëarnyellë.

ellyn: male elves (S)

*mela: friend (Nandorin)

Laurehendur: Golden-eyed (Q); laurë + hendu + dur; Gildor's nickname for Lindan

Gilchen: Star-eyed (Lindan claims it's Nandorin, but it could also be Sindarin); Lindan's nickname for Gildor (See "In This Far Land", ch. 5)

Lind: a Green-elf (N); the form Linda used in the narration is the Sindarin form.

Golda: Noldo (N)

sîdh, gwador: peace, brother (S)

lambengolmo: linguist (Q)

Nando: a Green-elf (S); Lindan, and the rest of the Green-elves, would find this name insulting as the root NDAN signifies a going back on a purpose, i.e. "those who turned back".

*Goldas: Noldor (N)

cáno: commander (Q)

tyelcë: "hasty one" (Q)

onórnya: my brother (Q)

*tócar: wool-head, dullard (Q)

Iavasiel: Autumn-maid (S); kind of an OC, Orodreth's wife is mentioned as a "Sindarin lady of the north", but never named.

rilyë hendu: shinning eyes (Q)

adan: Man (S)

Taur-en-Brethil: The Forest of Brethil (S) to the west of Doriath, where the people of Haleth finally settled.

Aelin-uial: Meres of Twilight (S); on the southern border of Doriath

Mindon Erui: First Watch Tower (S); the furthest east of the Pinnath Dirnen, and the beginning of the watched Realm of Nargothrond. (See entry for Pinnath Dirnen, above.)

firiath: mortal (S)

Golothrim: Noldor (S)

aran: king (same in Q and S)

meldonya: my dear (friend) (Q)