19: The Grey Ship

The next morning, Eärnur and Valandil went over the boat Fiondil had found with a fine-tooth comb, making sure it was completely seaworthy. They spent most of the morning working on it, while Laurendil and Fiondil scoured the village for sails or oars. The maidens spent the morning collecting supplies to augment what little remained of their own. By noon, the two sailors in their group declared that the boat would serve at a pinch, though it would be a tight squeeze to get their equipment plus themselves aboard.

"Luckily, I don’t anticipate us being at sea in it for too long," Laurendil informed them. "Voronwë has his orders and knows he is not allowed to bring a boat ashore. We will have to go to him."

"What! Just get in this... this toy boat and hope your captain shows up?" Fiondil asked.

"It’s not a toy boat," Eärnur replied with a bit of a huff, his sailor’s blood offended by the Mortal’s disparagement.

"And we will not launch until the Eäremírë is sighted," Laurendil added. "The only reason I ordered Voronwë not to bring a boat in was because I did not wish to risk any more Elves than necessary in a place that no longer welcomes us."

The four Mortals looked sad and embarrassed at the Elf’s words but Laurendil merely smiled. "Do not blame yourselves, younglings," he said gently. "Neither Eärnur nor I hold any grudge against you for your king’s policies concerning us. We are saddened that the people of Númenórë have turned their backs on the Valar and we fear that nothing good can come of it, but we are glad to know that some of you have not forgotten past friendships or oaths."

"I only wish there were more of us who do," Valandil said, speaking for all of them.

"That there are as many of you as there are speaks well for the future of the Edain, whatever fate brings them," Eärnur replied, clapping a hand on the Man’s shoulder. "Now, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m hungry. What’s for lunch?"

The two maidens giggled at that and everyone else smiled. Soon they were gathered around the bonfire that was never allowed to go out and eating the simple fare that Vandiel and Ercassë had put together while they spoke of many things.

"How soon do you think we’ll see your ship?" Valandil asked Laurendil at one point.

Instead of answering the Mortal directly, Laurendil directed a question to Eärnur. "Did your... informant" — here, everyone laughed — "tell you when the ship was last seen?"

"The day before we arrived," Eärnur answered.

"Which means that we cannot hope to see them again for at least another day," Laurendil informed them. "Before I left the ship, Voronwë and I discussed how best to avoid detection while waiting for my return, for the King’s navy plies these waters as well."

"That’s always a consideration," Eärnur said in agreement. "There is only one of our ships and a whole armada of the King’s, or so I would assume."

Valandil shook his head. "Not as many as you would think," he replied. "Certainly the navy that went to Endórë was large, but over the last few years fewer ships have been seen patrolling the seas."

"Which is rather odd, when you come to think about it," Fiondil added. "Some of the shipwrights have disappeared as well but no one knows why, or if they do, they will not speak of it. It’s almost as if...."

"As if what?" Laurendil asked when Fiondil stopped, his expression thoughtful.

The young Man shook his head. "Nothing... I was just thinking out loud. So, do we stay here another night or what?"

Clearly he was changing the subject and the others let it go. Eärnur was the one who answered him. "I do not trust the other villagers. The girl to whom I spoke is young and although I exacted a promise from her not to tell about me, I cannot expect her to keep silent for long. She is bound to let something slip in a thoughtless moment. I would not want to be here when others come looking."

"What do you suggest?" Laurendil asked.

"I never saw it myself, but I was told that around that headland," here he pointed eastward, "is a small cove. Access from the land is by means of a goat track, very steep and difficult, so most people went to it by boat."

"Then why would they go there at all?" Ercassë asked, looking confused.

Eärnur cast her a wicked grin. "It was empty and secluded and... very private." The last was said with a great deal of suggestiveness in his tone and the two maidens suddenly blushed in embarrassment.

"What makes you think we won’t be bothered there as well?" Laurendil asked, his expression one of amusement.

"Wrong time of year," was Eärnur’s rather smug answer and the two Mortal males started laughing.

"How far is it, though?" Fiondil asked when they were calmer. "I’m not much for sailing...."

"He means he gets seasick," Valandil interrupted with a grin; Fiondil glared at him.

"Not far," Eärnur assured them. "I never went there myself mainly because I was never allowed in a boat, but I was told that it takes less than an hour with a good wind to get there."

"At least the sea is calm," Valandil reassured Fiondil who went pale at the thought of being in a cramped boat for at least an hour.

"For now, but what about tomorrow?" Fiondil retorted.

"We could leave now, or within the hour," Eärnur suggested. "It shouldn’t take Valandil and I much longer than that to ready the boat. We could be at the cove before sunset. If we take some kindling with us it would save us time getting a fire started."

"That sounds like an excellent idea," Laurendil stated, rising gracefully from the log on which he’d been sitting. "Vandiel, Ercassë, why don’t you finish gathering what supplies we will need for the next few days while Fiondil and I help our two sailors here with the boat."

"No need to burden yourself with extra water," Eärnur said as he too rose to his feet. "There is a spring that runs down to the ocean."

"Good enough," Laurendil responded with a satisfied nod. "That’s one less worry. Bring only enough food for perhaps three days as well as blankets and clothing. We won’t be there for long anyway."

"What if we are, though?" Ercassë asked with some concern. "Anything could happen to delay your ship. What will we do about food then?"

"We should be able to get what we need from the sea," Eärnur stated. "I became quite expert at cooking anything from sea eels to seaweed." He laughed at the expressions of distaste on the Mortals’ faces. "And I understand the cove has nut trees and berry patches to supplement our diet. I would not worry too much about it yet."

With that everyone appeared content and the two maidens made their way back to the village while their brothers and the Elves headed up the beach. "I want to see if we can bring the boat down this way so we’re not lugging supplies across the sand," Eärnur said to them and they all agreed that would be a good idea.

****

The trip to the cove was uncomfortable but mercifully short. Valandil insisted that Fiondil sit in the stern. "If you’re going to be sick, you can do it without importuning the rest of us."

"How kind," Fiondil retorted sarcastically. Valandil merely grinned as he readied the sail.

But Valandil knew his friend well and it was not long before Fiondil was leaning over the side heaving while Eärnur held him with one hand to make sure he didn’t fall overboard, while working the tiller. Vandiel and Ercassë were crammed in the prow with Laurendil while Valandil dealt with the boom. Eärnur suddenly began singing a rollicking sea chanty. It was, surprisingly, not an Elvish song, but one that he afterwards confessed he’d learned from the fisherfolk.

"They had many such songs and I learned them all," he told them with a laugh, "even the dirty ones." He gave Laurendil a wink and the ellon laughed, remembering a time when an innocent Teler learning Sindarin had accidently stumbled upon a particularly vicious insult and no one would translate it for him because he was considered too young. Now looking at the Elf manning the tiller with expert ease and singing a jolly tune, Laurendil found it hard to believe he was looking at the same person. There was a level of confidence, or perhaps maturity would be a better word, that Laurendil had not seen in Eärnur before and he wondered at it. He had still not accepted fully what had happened to his friend and resented what he saw as callousness on the part of the Valar in throwing away Eärnur’s life that way.

"There’s the cove," Eärnur called out, pointing ahead.

They all looked. Even Fiondil stopped heaving long enough to glance up, his face pale and green. "Thank the Valar," he whispered before leaning over the side again. Eärnur merely laughed and expertly brought the boat to the shore. Everyone but Eärnur and Fiondil jumped out. Laurendil and Valandil pushed the boat onto the sand, making sure it was safely beached above the high water mark. Then they helped Eärnur with Fiondil before unloading the gear. Eärnur led Fiondil up the beach a ways, helping him to lie down on the sand. Laurendil then came over and pulled out his cordial, letting Fiondil take a couple of sips. Almost immediately the young Man’s color returned and he began to look about him with interest.

The cove itself was not large, perhaps only a few hundred feet across at its widest. It was irregularly shaped so that part of the beach was hidden behind a stand of shrubs and high dunes. The only evidence that anyone had ever been here before them was a stone-lined firepit and a ramshackle hut set near the tree line. Behind them were cliffs, and Eärnur pointed to one part that looked less sheer than the others. "There’s actually a goat path that connects between here and Nindamos. You can see why coming here by boat is preferable."

"And safer," Valandil added with a grin.

"Speak for yourself," Fiondil quipped, his eyes bright with humor.

Eärnur pointed towards the east where high dunes hid part of the cove. "Beyond those dunes a small freshwater rill comes down from the cliffs into a shallow pool then flows into the ocean. We can store our gear in this hut," he then suggested and the others quickly agreed.

When all was secured, Laurendil suggested to the Mortals that they should relax and enjoy the rest of the afternoon. "I will see to the evening meal," he told them. After a hasty conference between Vandiel and Ercassë, the two maidens rummaged through their gear and came away with soap, towels and clean clothing found abandoned in the village. With firm admonishments to the males to stay put, they sauntered off towards the dunes intent on having a real wash. The two Elves and the two Mortal Men just grinned at each other.

"And when they’re done, it’s our turn," Laurendil said and they all laughed.

Eärnur said he would help Laurendil with the meal, so Valandil and Fiondil spent the time wandering up and down the beach being careful to go no further than the dunes out of respect for their sisters’ privacy. About a half an hour later, the maidens returned looking fresh and clean. Laurendil turned the cooking over to them while Eärnur gathered the necessary equipment and then the four men went to take their own baths. The pool, it turned out was very shallow and not very wide, certainly not wide enough or deep enough for all four of them at once, so they took turns bathing two at a time. By the time they were finished the sun was setting in glory with clouds painted in shades of salmon and gold as the sky deepened from blue to indigo. Soon after the men returned from their baths, they were all seated around the fire, eating. As they ate, they talked about their options.

"What will happen to us once your ship comes and takes you and Eärnur home?" Valandil asked Laurendil. "I’m not sure any of us can ever return to our families."

Laurendil gave the Mortals a considering look. "Fiondil, at least, cannot remain here, but there is no reason why you, Vandiel and Ercassë cannot return to Rómenna, since it’s unlikely that your King’s Men know who helped Fiondil and Eärnur to escape."

"But they know who Fiondil is, don’t they?" Ercassë asked, giving her brother a sympathetic look, but Fiondil shook his head.

"I never told them however much they tortured me," he said simply, his eyes on the bonfire. "Nor did they ever learn about Isildur, thanks to Eärnur." He looked over to the Elf and gave him a brilliant smile which Eärnur returned.

"What do they know?" Valandil asked quietly.

Fiondil turned his gaze upon his friend. "They know only that I am one of the Faithful caught in a forbidden place. They intended to see me burn."

The two maidens shivered at that and Ercassë, who was sitting next to her brother, threw an arm around his shoulders and gave him a brief hug.

"So they do not know your name, but they do know your face," Valandil stated and Fiondil nodded.

"Therefore no place in Númenórë is safe for you," Laurendil told Fiondil. "You must leave and never return."

"How?" Fiondil exclaimed in some exasperation. "I cannot go with you and Eärnur to Tol Eressëa. Where will I go and how will I arrive?"

"First things first, child," Laurendil said gently. "We need to reach my ship, then we will make decisions."

"So we just wait," Fiondil said testily.

Eärnur gave him a wan smile. "Just as we had to wait for rescue, mellon nîn, with patience and trust in the Valar."

Fiondil stared long into the Elf’s eyes before nodding. "I can do that," he finally said.

"It will not be for long," Laurendil assured them. "Voronwë should be returning this way in the next day or two."

****

Laurendil’s estimate was off by three days. Sometime after midnight they were awaken by rain which came sweeping in from the southwest, forcing them all inside the small shack that had been built for just this purpose. It was cramped and not nearly as comfortable as sleeping on the beach by the fire and no one got any real sleep after that. The rain continued through the rest of the night and did not cease until late in the afternoon, just before sunset.

The Elves spent some time getting the fire restarted so they could have a hot meal at least. The sand was still too wet with the rain and the waves which had been driven further up the beach by the storm for them to sleep outside, so they were forced back into the hut for the night, though both Elves decided to find a tree to sleep in instead.

Needless to say, tempers were frayed almost to the breaking point among the four Mortals with the lack of sleep and comfort and no grey ship in sight. The next day, their third at the cove, dawned bright and sunny and in spite of the fact that winter was nigh, the day proved warmer than usual. Eärnur and Valandil took the boat out to sea to catch some fish using a net that had been found inside the hut. They hoped also to see if they could sight the ship. The others whiled away their time either scrounging around for nuts and berries and any other edibles to supplement their meal, or resting. Eärnur and Valandil returned after only about an hour with a small catch and no sign of the Eäremírë.

The next day was pretty much the same and now all four Mortals were beginning to feel depressed. The Elves tried to alleviate their misery with song and storytelling, but the response was lackluster and halfhearted. Fiondil was the only one who seemed able to lift himself out of his black mood enough to tell the Elves about his previous adventures.

"I was a spy," he told them with a faint grin. They both gave him looks of surprise. "I pretended to be friends with the younger sons of those who were Arandili in the hopes of learning about any moves against the Elendili." He paused for a moment, staring into the fire. It was evening and they had just finished their meal. He sighed, looking rueful. "I ended up alienating my parents. Even after I ‘reformed’ my adar has never trusted me. Ercassë is the only one who kept faith with me even though I know she did not understand what I was doing or why."

"You say you reformed," Laurendil enquired.

Valandil spoke up then. "It was part of the ‘act’, you might say. We knew that it would be too dangerous for Fiondil and his family if he continued among the Arandili. He could easily have been conscripted. The Elendili have a sort of immunity to conscription. Lord Amandil was able to ensure that none of the Faithful would be forced to serve with the King’s Men. There is no longer any love or friendship between Great-Uncle Amandil and Ar-Pharazôn, but even the King is not so foolish as to antagonize the Lord of Andúnië too much."

"I stayed with the Arandili just long enough to establish a network of informants so we could keep tabs on the comings and goings of the Arandili," Fiondil added. "Then, Valandil made a big show of ‘pointing out the error of my ways’," he flashed them an amused grin, "and I came back to the fold."

"A dangerous ploy," Laurendil stated, though he could not help but admire these young people and their courage.

"Yes," Fiondil agreed, "but because of it I was able to learn of Zigûr pressuring the king to destroy Nimloth and was able to get word to Isildur and... well, the rest you know."

Both Elves grimaced at that. "Nothing good can come of that," Eärnur finally said.

There was agreement all around.

****

It was late in the morning of their fifth day at the cove when Ercassë, whose turn it was to keep watch for the ship, gave a shout. Everyone else stopped what they were doing to look up and glad cries came from more than one throat as a grey ship with blue sails hove into view, rounding the eastern headland.

"Quickly!" Laurendil shouted. "Ready the boat."

There was a scurry of activity as the fire was doused and their supplies, mostly clothes and other personal items gleaned from the deserted village, were thrown into the boat. Then with a shove from Valandil and Laurendil, they were launched and heading for the ship. It took only a few minutes for them to reach it. The Mortals gazed upon the Eäremírë with awe. Never had they seen such a beautiful ship, its lines clean and graceful. The sails were of sendal painted with a silver star. They could see sailors, both male and female, lining the rails and glad shouts were exchanged between them and Laurendil. Eärnur managed to bring their boat alongside the ship and ropes were thrown down to secure it. A rope ladder was then lowered and one by one they clambered aboard, with the Mortals boarding first followed by Laurendil and then Eärnur.

"Welcome aboard, my lord," said one of the Elves as he helped Laurendil over the rail.

"Thank you, Captain," Laurendil replied and the others knew that this dark-haired ellon must be Voronwë. "How run the seas?"

"Smoothly, now," Voronwë answered witha grimace. "The storm forced us to take shelter further up the coast or we would have been here two days ago."

"That you are here now is all that matters," Laurendil said, clapping a hand on the captain’s shoulder. "I would make you...."

"Anatto! Anatto!"

Everyone turned to see a small child running towards them with an older ellon following more sedately behind. The Mortals were surprised to see Laurendil go to his knees and open his arms wide to receive the child’s embrace, laughing all the while.

"And how is my little sailor, hmm? Did you miss me?" he asked as he stood up, giving the elfling a hug and a kiss.

The child merely nodded, now grown suddenly shy in the presence of strangers. The ellon who had been following them smiled indulgently as he approached. "He’s been nagging everyone from Captain Voronwë on down about everything to do with sailing," the ellon said as he joined them. "I’m glad you have returned safely, Atar." He reached over and gave Laurendil a brief kiss. "So who are all your friends?"

Laurendil laughed as he returned the ellon’s kiss with one of his own. Still keeping the elfling in his arms he turned to the four Númenórëans. "Lord Valandil, Lady Vandiel, Lord Fiondil, Lady Ercassë, let me make you known to my daughter’s husband, Vorondil, and my grandson Calaldundil."

The four Mortals gave Vorondil bows and curtsies which Vorondil returned, his eyes wide with wonder, but before he could properly address them, Laurendil took him by the arm. "I have a surprise for you, hinya," he said with an amused glint in his eyes.

"What surprise, Atar?" Vorondil asked, his expression suddenly guarded. "You know I don’t like surprises."

Laurendil gestured to where Eärnur was standing near the rail amongst some of the other sailors so that Vorondil had not noticed him. "I found him lolling around. Do you think we should take him back with us or just leave him here?"

For a moment Vorondil stared at Laurendil in confusion, but when Eärnur snorted at his friend’s words and muttered something in Sindarin that made half the crew snicker and Calaldundil’s eyes go wide, Vorondil gave the ellon a closer look and then recognition lit his face.

"Eärnur?" he whispered in shock as tears of joy trickled down his cheeks. "Are you truly here? You’re not dead?"

Eärnur smiled and opened his arms so Vorondil could come into his embrace. "No, child, I am not dead," he replied gently, giving him a kiss on his forehead. Then he pulled Vorondil away so he could look at him. His eyes were bright with joy and mischief. "Did you miss me?" he asked teasingly.

Vorondil’s only response was to burst into tears and Eärnur held him again, softly crooning a lullaby as the others looked on with wonder, for one whom they had thought lost was now found and they rejoiced.

****

Anatto: (Quenya) Hypcoristic form of Anatar: Grandfather.