B2ME Day 8 - Roots by Erulisse

Chapter 1

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Roots

 

When Turgon first moved his people to Gondolin, he set up his council. Although he had an informal council with him in Vinyamar, he wanted his new kingdom to be more formal, with specific responsibilities assigned to each of twelve houses. He felt that since Gondolin was a closed city, it was important to keep conflicts between his people both minimal and quickly resolved. By assigning these tasks throughout the members of the council, he hoped that all conflicts would have clear pathways towards resolution and that any issues that he, as King, would be called upon to adjudicate would be those that indeed required a decision from on high.

To help establish an identity for each of his councilor’s areas, he asked each of them to design a sigil by which their house would be known.  Salgant quickly decided on a harp for his symbol, and Ecthelion designed a fountain.  But Glorfindel was at a loss.  He was honored to be considered as one of the King’s councilors.  When he had first set foot on the journey to Endórë, his only goal was survival and helping his best friend, the friend who later became his King.  But now he needed to have a sigil of his own and what, he wondered, would be best to describe his house? 

After much thought he spoke to Turgon late one summer night.  

“My house,” he said softly, “will be known as the House of the Golden Flower.”  At Turgon’s questioning look answering that statement, Glorfindel continued.  “I have designed a five petal golden flower in a field of green.  Each petal is for someone who helped to make me who I am today:  my Atar and my Amme, my little sister who is still back in Tirion, and you, my friend.” 

“And what doess the fifth petal stand for?”

“The final petal is for Aman itself, because without the land that we grew up in and learned to love, we could not care for our new land with such fervor.” 

Turgon smiled, “The House of the Golden Flower – it has a nice sound to it.  Let’s share some wine and we will toast both our roots and our new soil.”  And they went inside to discuss things further in the ways of close friends.