B2ME Day 18 - An Act of Kindness by Erulisse

Chapter 1

Sweet Dreams

There was no doubt that this new world of theirs had grave dangers.  After all, this was the land of the Enemy, and it was evidenced in the horrors that Glorfindel and his men had been tracking for the past two weeks.  But the orcs, wargs, and other more frightening creatures had finally been caught and destroyed.  Now, after this small success, he and his command were on their way back home to Vinyamar. 

Catching a fleeting glimpse of red underneath a serrated leaf as he passed, he called a halt and dismounted to take a closer look.  Strawberries….”Strawberries!  Pair up:  one man looks and harvests what strawberries you can find that are ripe; the other stands guard.  Make sure to leave one of every four plants untouched for other creatures to share and as a ‘Thank You’ to Yavanna.” 

If anyone had been looking at the meadow just then, they might have started laughing watching these strange metal-encased beings gently turning aside leaves and plucking ripe strawberries, gathering them into their upturned helms.  After a while several helmets were filled with the red berries.  A smile lit up Glorfindel’s face when he saw the results of their labors. 

Calling his two best scouts aside, he assigned a task to them. 

“The berries are a good beginning, but we also need honey.  Keep your eyes open for a hive that we can raid.”  The warriors remounted and continued on their journey home. 

The next day, spirits were high.  They were close to home and, if all went well, they would arrive late in the afternoon.  The two scouts found a beehive just after noon, and were successful in liberating some of the honey-filled comb.  So it was a very sweet homecoming for the command – berries, honey, and the joy of returning to loved ones. 

When they finally arrived at the stockade, Glorfindel brought the berries and honey to Tatharwen in the kitchen.  Preparations for dinner were underway and the kitchen was bustling.  But she came to him to see what he was carrying.  A broad smile came over her face. 

“This is perfect, Glorfindel.  We have a small delegation from the King visiting but we don’t have anything sweet for after dinner.  The berries and honey…well, I know just what to do with them.  You just leave it to me.”   She bustled away with the honeycombs after dumping the berries into a bowl and returning the empty helmets to him. 

That night they celebrated the beginning of their fifth year in Vinyamar and honored their guests with a feast of venison, wild birds and fish.  The meal was topped off by a strawberry cobbler that Tatharwen had prepared with the berries, honey, and wild rice flour. 

After dinner, when the children settled down around him with sticky fingers and happy smiles, Glorfindel pulled one small child onto his lap and then told them the story of the Strawberry Princess and the King Bee who had fallen in love with her.  The children fell asleep with smiles on their faces and no nightmares of the ice occurred that night.  

Chapter End Notes

Vinyamar was Turgon's original settlement in Nevrast. From Vinyamar, his people were moved secretly to Gondolin.

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