Survivors by WendWriter

Smoke filled the corridors of Menegroth, getting into people's eyes and making them cough. The bodies of the dead and wounded lay scattered around, and women were running hither and thither looking for their loved ones. From time to time screams of grief would sound forth as one discovered a husband, brother, father or lover.

In the midst of this, Oropher stood tall, directing the others as they laboured to bring some kind of order to their ruined realm. The Kinslayers had piled up furniture and other wooden items and used them to block the corridors leading towards the outer parts of the cave system, then set it all on fire, trapping the Sindar inside.

"An everlasting plague upon those Kinslayers!" Oropher roared as he beheld yet another body being carried away, wrapped in a hastily-contrived shroud. A feminine hand slipped out, dripping blood, increasing his anger. "To the Void with them all! Where is the king?"

"My lord," said an Elf running over to him, "I bring bad news. The king is dead, and the queen also. Where the children are, I do not know."

Oropher turned around, his fair face furious and smeared with soot and blood. He faced the Elf. "Then go and find them!" he commanded, pointing at the Elf. "They are probably hiding somewhere, terrified. Bring them to a room far from all of this, then come and tell me where they are."

The Elf fled.

'What can we do to mend all this?' thought Oropher, his eyes smarting from the smoke. 'When there was an heir, we had Dior to be our king, but the boys are too young and Elwing is but a girl. Celeborn may well put himself forward to lead us, but few of us would want his Noldor wife in a position of power over us, for she is kin to the Kinslayers. I would lead this folk, but would they follow me? Would they take me as their lord?'

A dishevelled Elf-lady came running up to him. "Oropher!" she said, tears streaming down her face. "Oropher, it is horrible! There are dead and wounded everywhere! What shall we do?"

Oropher reached out to her, to comfort her. "Baindess, my wife," he murmured, smoothing her auburn hair with the palm of his dirty hand as he held her close, "peace! Please, my love, I need you to be strong. I know full well how horrible it is, but we have much work to do to set this place in order. Help me, Baindess."

"What can I do?" she asked, sobbing her misery into his armoured chest.

"Gather the women together," he replied, "and put them to work. We need them to help with those whose wounds are less serious, so the healers are free to attend to those most in need. Someone will have to clean the bodies of the dead and wrap them in sheets. Put them all in the same place, then we will decide what to do. We cannot afford to have any of you holding back your hands from this work; for now there are no masters and servants, only Elves, and all of us must labour now."

"Aye, husband," replied Baindess, with a look of steely determination in her eye. She hugged him tightly for a moment, then left.

The gardens were peaceful and beautiful, mercifully unmarred by the horrors of the Kinslaying. Baindess stood on a chair, her long auburn hair, face and clothes still smirched. "Ladies," she declared, "our losses are many, and it will take many days ere our loved ones are all interred. I know some of you have spoken of leaving this place because you no longer feel safe here, and your memories are too melancholy to permit you to remain. This realm has been assailed before, and we survived. Can we not rebuild it and rise again?"

"No!" cried one of the women, whose clothes were also stained. "Melian has deserted us, for her love for Thingol our first king was greater by far than her love for us, and the only protection we have now is that of our warriors. But they have failed us! Will the monsters of Morgoth show us any more mercy than the Noldor did?"

The other women argued among themselves, debating the merits of that statement. Baindess knew she was losing control of the situation. "Ladies!" she called. "Ladies! I am aware of your fears, and I feel them myself, but my husband is brave and wise, and he knows what to do. He has asked me to arrange the burial of the dead and to set this place in order. Will you not help me?"

"We will help you, Baindess," shouted the woman, "if your husband can keep this from happening to us again. Can he do that?"

"Yes I can," said a deep, commanding voice.

The women all turned around and saw Oropher standing there at the entrance to the garden.

"This place is not safe for us, since the Kinslayers have defiled it with their vile cruelties, and many of our warriors have died to defend it. Worse than that, we fear that the enemy now knows where to find us, which increases the danger of living here. I have called a council of the captains and lords of the realm. We have decided that the best course is to leave this place and find a safer, more peaceful place to live."

Everyone went quiet.

"But husband, what of the dangers on the road?" asked Baindess.

"They are no greater than the ones we faced ere we arrived at this place, and will be fewer when we leave it," Oropher replied. "Who would gainsay me?"

No one answered.

"Wrap the bodies of the dead in shrouds and arrange them with reverence inside the caves," said Oropher, "and let Menegroth be their barrow."

"Aye!" said the woman who had spoken earlier. "That is the best course."

Oropher turned and left. As he made his way back towards the main chamber, he thought about the best way to get the move made quickly. He knew that the longer it took the people to leave this place, the more reluctant they would be to go at all. It would certainly be dangerous on the road, but being trapped in a cave filled with smoke was just as bad, if not worse. At least an Elf could breathe free air outside. He coughed, bringing up black phlegm. He was sick like a Man with the plague now! He had to get out of there, away from Menegroth - anywhere his people could be trapped like rats and slaughtered just as easily. Oropher found he now hated the place he had loved. The carven walls and jewel-studded ceilings held no more delight for him. The sooner his people were far away from this accursed place, the better.

He went back to his quarters to clean himself up. The funerary rites would be held soon, and it would not do to be present in his current state.

When he had bathed and and braided his silvery hair again, Oropher made his way back to the main chamber in his dress uniform. Baindess walked beside him in her finery, and together they went into the throne room to see how the preparations for the obsequies for their king and queen were proceeding.

Some people were conspicuous by their absence.

"Where is Celeborn?" Oropher asked one of the captains, Corutirn.

"I do not know, my lord," said Corutirn, who was also spruced up. "If he was among the dead, we would have found him by now, but he is gone, and Galadriel also. There is no sign of the children. I heard that one of the women saw Eluréd and Elurín being carried away by the Kinslayers. They may be holding the others captive."

"After the funeral, go and see what you can discover," said Oropher grimly. "Then we can decide upon a plan to rescue them. We need to write a roll of those who have yet to be accounted for. Then we can consider what to do - whether we should try to bring them back here or not, for some of them may well have fled, and have no wish to be found by anyone."

A week later, under the watchful eye of Oropher, Elf-soldiers piled up rocks and boulders against the mouths of the caves at Menegroth.

"Cover them with earth," said Oropher, "and plant a thicket here, that none may discover our former home. Then let us go, and get as far away as we can before nightfall."

"What of the missing ones?" asked Baindess.

"Word came to me today that Celeborn has fled with Galadriel his wife and Elwing daughter of Dior. They have the Jewel," said Oropher. "We sent messengers to parley with the Kinslayers for the release of Eluréd and Elurín, but when they returned, they said the Kinslayers told them the boys were not there, and they know not where they are now. I have ordered a patrol to remain behind to search for the boys, but a week has passed, and we are losing hope."

"Perhaps some of the survivors who fled this place found them," said Baindess, "and took them in, meaning to return them to us when it is safe to do so."

"I hope so," said Oropher, "but we will continue to seek them nonetheless."

The way through the forest was uncertain. Few of the Elves who made the journey to the river Anduin had been there before, and as the days went by, they grew increasingly fearful and convinced they were lost. A few weeks after setting off, they arrived at the river, and followed the riverbank.

Snow fell in flurries, quickly covering their footsteps as the Elves made their way along. Oropher rode arrayed for battle at the head of the column. Behind him were two uniformed lieutenants, also on horseback. One of them held a long staff. On top of this, a banner fluttered in the strong breeze that blew the snow into drifts among the bare trees. A phalanx of bowmen, marching four abreast, followed them. Small groups of soldiers were set among the people and spearmen marched along their flanks to protect the people.

There was no road through the forest; the Elves made their way around the trees as best they could. Oropher was ever mindful of the threat of attack, and had sent Corutirn ahead to check on the progress of the scouting party that had set out earlier. He was pleased to see his captain return with a satisfied expression on his face.

"The ford is some miles from here, my lord," said Corutirn. "The Nandor among us know it, having come that way before on the Great Journey."

"What of the way itself?" asked Oropher. "Have the scouts returned yet?"

"Yes," said Corutirn. "The way is safe, and we will reach the ford before sunset. There is a place to camp nearby, where no foul foot has trod."

"Then let us go onwards," said Oropher. "Go and check on those who lag behind, for enemies pursuing us might come upon them, then come after us."

Corutirn bowed and rode away.

Among the caravan of Elves were many wains and carts. Horses and ponies carried loads and each of the people was laden, too. Some of the women were great with child, and Baindess saw it as her duty to walk among them and see to their wellbeing.

"My lady," asked a heavily pregnant woman, her hand on her swollen belly, "how much longer ere we can rest? I am weary and hungry. I would not complain, but for the pace we are going at. I cannot continue thus."

"Sunset is still far away," Baindess replied, "but I will see what comfort I can give you. I am sorry for the speed of the journey, but we must get as far away from Doriath as we can, lest the enemy come to pick us up like carrion lying in the road. For there are few hiding places for us here in the woods, and if we can get across the river, we will find friends to aid us."

"Will they welcome us?" asked the woman, a fearful expression on her face. "Those who drove us from our home were Elves, and showed us no mercy."

"They are the Noldor," answered Baindess. "Those to whom we go now are Nandor, like yourself, and do not think so highly of themselves. We should be safe among our own kind."

"Aye," said the woman, "as long as we remember we are but Elves and do not aim too high, we will be safe."

"Indeed," replied Baindess, "for it seems to me that any of us who make things too pretty or too secret will soon have those things wrested from them. It is better, then, to live a simple life, as we did before the time of Menegroth, that no one may grow envious of us."

The people journeyed on in silence for the most part, but the words of Baindess were repeated among them and they pondered the truth of what she had said. She went back and forth among them to encourage them and to see how they fared, and everyone who saw her treated her with respect.

While she was on her way to the front of the column, Corutirn came towards her.

"Well met, Baindess," said Corutirn, with a bow.

"And yourself, Corutirn," replied Baindess, looking up at him. "How fares my husband?"

"He is well, and says we are near the ford. It is but a few miles hence. I have brought him a good report of your conduct, and he is very pleased with you," he said, a smile spread across his face.

"What did you tell him?" she asked, and came to a halt as the people carried on walking by.

"I said you had given wise counsel to our people, and were going hither and thither among them to encourage them and give them hope," he replied. "I told him they hold you in high regard, and him also."

"It is well," she said, heartened, "but this is my duty - to love my folk and serve them as best I can."

"We can all see how well you perform these duties, Baindess, and believe you are as fit to lead us as your husband is," Corutirn told her. "You are wise, and have much more concern for us than for baubles or status. I have heard that you said we should seek to live a more simple life than we did at Menegroth, and I think you are right. Your husband agrees, and has said that we will not seek to build another realm like the last one."

"Have no others stepped forward yet?" asked Baindess, surprised. "Oropher told me he expects someone to challenge his authority sooner or later."

"Some of the higher ranking Elves like deference and the honour of being called 'lord,' my lady," said Corutirn, "and some seek renown in battle so their deeds will be remembered in song, but few of them are willing to take upon themselves the responsibility of caring for the smaller needs of the people. Oropher takes heed to the little things, as you do also. Some of us have spoken of naming him our lord."

"What does he say about this?" asked Baindess.

"We have not told him of it yet," said Corutirn.

"And what do you say about this?" she asked, looking intently at him. It frightened her to think that Elves might quarrel among themselves again, to deadly effect.

"I think it is meet," he replied. "Fear not, my lady, for my loyalty will always be to him, and to yourself."

Baindess nodded respectfully and Corutirn took his leave. She watched him make his way to the back of the column, then went straight to her husband.

He was a magnificent sight, riding on his horse with his cloak flowing from his shoulders, his guards marching proudly behind him. Passion raced through Baindess's veins as she beheld him, and pride filled her heart. Truly he looked like a lord of his people, and was fit to be their king!

"Oropher!" she called as she caught up with him.

Oropher looked down. "Baindess!" he called back. "How do the people fare?"

"As well as can be hoped, husband," she replied. "Some of the women are great with child and find it hard to keep up the pace."

"Can they not be put in wains or on carts?" he asked. They should not have to walk if it might harm their babies."

"No one has offered them aid," she replied, "and the carts are all full anyway."

"Then let room be made for those women," said Oropher. "Tell any who refuse that they must answer to me if they will not take thought for those in need."

"I will," she replied.

"Baindess," he said, "Corutirn tells me the people think highly of you. I am certain that a word from you will provide what is needful for the women. Tell them the ford is nearby, and we will be able to rest soon."

"Thank you," she replied, and ran back to where the wains were being driven along.

The ford was wide, full of slippery rocks, and the water was very cold, but the people were all across the river by sundown. Oropher brought his people to a little dell his scouts had found, where they settled for the night. He sought out his wife Baindess, then took her by the hand to the top of a hill on the far side.

"Behold, Baindess," he said with pride in his voice, "we have come safely across the river. There, on the horizon, you can see the mountains near the place we used to dwell. We will leave the memories of that place far behind and make a better life for ourselves in the forest further east. We shall seek out our Nandor kin and dwell among them, and live a simple life like we did ere the Valar invited us to follow them. Surely we shall have the peace we crave, and be far from the troubles of Middle-earth!"

"The people hold you to be their lord," replied Baindess. "I am so proud of you, dear husband!"

Oropher held his wife in his arms, close to his heart, and said, "I know there is talk of making me king. I will accept this burden if it is the will of the people."

"You will be a great king," Baindess answered, "and you certainly look the part."

Oropher grinned. "It is fit that the leader of his people is seen to appear so. There is, of course, the matter of an heir."

"There will be time enough for that when we are safe at last," replied Baindess, giving him a playful slap on the arm. "But I agree with you. Since we have nothing the Kinslayers desire, nor seek to draw attention to ourselves, we will be safe, living as we did in the Age of Stars."

The End.