Elves are easy-going in the matter of staying up
late, as one might expect given their proclivity for
singing under the stars. Grandmother usually was not
but she made an exception for the Midsummer festival.
The children were allowed to watch out the short night
along with the rest of Rivendell, but the Dwarves very
sensibly decided to snatch a few hours sleep as they
planned to resume their journey in the morning and
took Mr. Baggins, discovered dozing under a tree, with
them.

The children's presents were unusually good that
year. For Meleth there was a golden ball with bells
inside to chime sweetly when it was tossed; a little
holly bush, (her formal name, Region, meant holly)
wrought of pure gold, with leaves enamelled dark green
and clustered carbuncles for berries; a delicate
golden chain set with tiny flowers of citrine and
pearl; and a yellow songbird in a cage of woven ivy
tendrils.

Estel and Amin each got an Elvish hunting hound
puppy, Estel's was white and Amin's brindled; also new
bows, having outgrown their old ones, with quivers,
baldricks and wristguards worked all over in a tracery
of leaves, Estel's were of silver and Amin's copper.
Estel had also a game of bowls with blue, red and
white balls; and the Star of the Dunedain wrought in
silver and adamant *1. For Amin there was a hunting
horn decorated in copper and gold and an intricately
carved spiral top.

But the biggest present, meant for them all, was so
wonderful, even for Elvish work, that it literally
took their breaths away: It was a model of Minas
Tirith, the city in the boys' dream, nearly as tall as
Hallam with each building carved in exquisite detail
out of pale stone. And the roofs of some could be
removed to reveal equally detailed interiors with
finely made furniture of wood and metal. And there
were over a hundred brightly painted lead figures;
King and Queen, courtiers, knights, guards and
townsfolk to occupy it.

The city kept the children fully occupied, awed and
delighted, until well after sunrise when they tore
themselves away to bid farewell and good fortune to
Thorin and Company, and most especially Mr. Baggins,
Then went to breakfast and on to their usual lessons,
though Estel, Amin and Meleth found themselves taking
unexpected and unintended naps in the afternoon.

As the high summer days passed the youngsters
couldn't help noticing a change in the two older ones.
Hallam had been given a horse, one of the tall shaggy
Numenorean breed ridden by the Rangers, and Ranger
weapons as well; a short black yew bow and and long,
sleander bladed sword with leather wrapped grip. He no
longer shared the younger boys' arms lessons and took
to spending a great deal of time with the twins and
Lord Glorfindel, who surprisingly didn't seem to find
him a nuisance at all.

Berya was no better. She had gotten a snow white
goshawk and a disk broach of intricate golden filigree
for Midsummer festival. Also a lute decorated with
delicate silver scrollwork and a sewing box of sweet
scented sandlewood inlaid in nacre and silver with
ivory spools of colored silks, silver needles and
small gold handled scissors. And suddenly all her time
was taken up by music lessons or spent with the Elven
seamstresses and broideresses.

"What's the matter with them?" Meleth wondered one
day as the three youngsters sat high up in the
branches of a grand old pine overhanging the western
path into the Valley.

"Mother says they're growing up." Estel answered
gloomily, stripping tiny pine cones from a nearby
bough. "Hallam's got to start learning to be Ranger
and Berya to run a holding. In a few more years it'll
be our turn."

"But that's good, isn't it?" asked Amin. "We'll be
able to go out of the Valley and fight Orcs and Trolls
and see Mr. Baggins' Shire and things."

"Me too?" asked Meleth.

"Of course you too." her brother assured her
promptly, continued to Amin. "It's bad because Berya
and Hallam aren't going to want to play any more, and
they'll get to go out and have real adventures years
and years before we do."

"Oh. I see." said Amin.

The chiming of little bells and sound of Elvish
voices drew their attention downward. A procession of
riders clad in sea grey and green was coming down the
path. Estel and Meleth instantly recognized the silver
haired Elf at its head.

"Grandfather!"

"Who?" from Amin.

"Our grandfather, Lord Cirdan from the Havens."
Estel explained. "Yours too, his daughter married
Aerandir of Dunhirion remember?" *2 by now the
procession was passing directly under their tree,
impulsively Estel dropped his handful of pine cones
onto them.

Cirdan's horse shied as the cones pattered around
him and the Elf-lord looked upward, smiled. "What
birds are these roosting in Elrond's trees?"

"It's not birds, it's us, Grandfather." Meleth
called down, leaning perilously far out so he could
see her. "Me and Estel."

"So I see. And who is this with you?"

The children swarmed down the tree, watched rather
nervously by the Elves below.

"Our cousin Amin," Estel answered breathlessly, as
they arrived on the ground.

"Halbarad's younger son?" Cirdan said at once, to
Amin's surprise. "I know your father well, he sailed
with us many times."

"I didn't know that." Amin said fascinated.

"Long ago, before you were born, Little One." a
shadow of sadness passed over the Elf's face, was
quickly put aside. He leaned down to offer his hand to
Meleth, "come little granddaughter, ride with me."
**********************************************

Cirdan hadn't come to visit Uncle, he was only
stopping over in Rivendell on his way over the
mountains and Elrond was to go with him.

"It's a meeting of the White Council." Hallam told
the other children.

"That's how Gandalf knew Uncle would be making a
journey." Estel said, enlightened.

"Must be." Hallam continued, lowering his voice.
"Elrohir says Uncle and Gandalf are going to try to
persuade the rest of the Council to move against the
Necromancer. He's growing too powerful, Elladan says,
becoming a threat to King Thranduil and even to
Lorien."

"And to us too." that was Berya. "He's why the Orcs
are multiplying in the mountains and the Trolls are
becoming so bold."

The children exchanged somber glances. They knew
the Necromancer's true name, and the very special
danger he posed to their people - and to themselves.
********************************************

1. Many years later Aragorn will wear this in Gondor,
and be given the name Thorongil. 'Eagle of the Star'.

2. This was the Lady Maril. Her husband was a prince
of Dunhirion, (the Dunedain's city below the Tower
Hills) and a great voyager and explorer. Their
descendants have intermarried with the Line of Isildur
making Cirdan ancestor to all three children.

After Aerandir's death Maril continued to live in
the white house of the Princes for nearly two hundred
years, until the last of her children had also passed
away. Only then did she sail oversea, hoping to find a
cure for sorrow in the Blessed Land.