Tennis With An Elf and A Dwarf by Grundy, Raiyana

Carweg Receives A Gift

Dear Harga,

I must confess to having a good laugh at the opening of your letter – I have no idea how a limb might regrow, having never truly contemplated it myself, but your words gifted me the oddest vision of a miniature limb growing from the stump as a new branch from a tree!

Blessings on your nephew and your family! A child is a gift beyond measure – though I hope little Hafgir has not much occasion to scream often. While herald is an honorable office, I shall venture to hope once he has settled into the world, he will reveal talents that suit him for another craft.

We do indeed build limb replacements, but some cannot adapt to them, and some have injuries so extensive that the chair would probably be preferable. We now have several Hafli-chairs in the king’s halls, and there is talk of constructing a special path so they may also go outside independently and visit some of the nearby trees and quieter streams. That is not normally our way, but it would be cruel indeed to have them only able to feel themselves part of the forest when others can assist.

I thank you indeed for your detailed explanation of the Midwinter Celebrations and the Thirteen! It sounds like an exciting festival, and must be a sight with so many craftsmen presenting their best efforts. I am sorry your sibling was not chosen this time, but I do not give up hope that they may claim the honor in the coming Midwinter, or perhaps one yet to come. I had not considered previously how one might praise Aulë in a way pleasing to him; we elves tend to sing our praises and trust that they are heard.

Here in Doriath our hearts turn more toward Yavanna (your Maker’s Lady – what do your people say of her, or does this tread too close to the lore that is reserved only for yourselves?) and Oromë – the Giver of Fruits and the Lord of the Forests. We celebrate more in the spring and summer; in winter many things take their rest, and our celebrations are quieter so as not to disturb them. Indeed, though we may appreciate a fine snowy morning, even we elves tend to rest more in the coldest part of the year, when the nights are longer.

You speak of your mountain having a heart of fire, and the Mountain of Fire – pardon one who has not seen mountains, but is this normal for mountains? I have always thought of them as being made of cool stone.  (Laugh if you will, but I was begotten here in Beleriand, and so have no memory of the Journey; the closest I have come to mountains is gazing toward the highlands north of our forest a few times, and that is still a rather safe distance.)

I thank you from my heart for the pots. All but one came through their time on the road untroubled. That one was cracked – it looks as if the crate had something dropped on it, or possibly was dropped itself, the corner was somewhat damaged, and the pot closest to it took a slight injury. But a friend of mine, a metalworker I fancy your people would have fine discussions with, mended it – he took a metal with a shine similar to gold and melted it into the crack, so one can see that it was at one point damaged, but the crack itself now adds to the beauty of it.

I am pleased you like the balm. I shall send more along with this letter – a chest with a number of pots of it. I think you may recognize some of those pots – I could not resist, as the lids of yours have a superior seal to the ones I have used until now. Do let me know how they fared in the journey compared to the others – if as I suspect they weather it better, I should like to commission a number of them from you. A few other healers here may wish to do the same, for I am not the only one to have remarked on the improved lids. (I am afraid the mended pot has become my favorite, though, and I could not part with it. That one I now keep in my workroom, as a reminder of distant friends and that even marred this world is fair.)

The weather is still cool enough that I can send these, but unless the messengers go back and forth quickly indeed it is unlikely I will be able to send another batch before the leaves begin to fall. Even with your fine sealed pots, too warm a day on the road and it would turn to liquid. While the balm would still be useable once it cooled and re-solidified, I find the scent is not as nice if that occurs – something about that second heating affects some of the herbs, and I would not have you using the inferior version. (We elves have our pride in our work as well, you see!)

I am not surprised to hear that my balm is different to that made in Thargelion, for it uses mainly herbs found in our forests, and a few things traded from further south. The elves of Thargelion might be able to get the things from the south, but I am afraid there is not much trade between us, so they probably do not even know of most herbs my people use.

I shall bear in mind what you have told me of the folk of Thargelion. If they have been haughty in their dealing with us, I suspect it has become a habit – at some point their lord was haughty to our king, the king of course returned the favor, and it would not surprise me if that has hardened into habit on both sides. But I am no noble lord, just a humble healer, and from what I have seen, a people who make blades and steel likely also have need of balms and ointments. I may venture some small trade through intermediaries, a trial of sorts. (As to your question, I do eat meat, but only sparingly – generally only at feasts and festivals, when the hunters share their bounty. I am not much of a hunter myself, and we do not raise meat animals here. I remember Hafli being quite fond of a good roast, so I know dwarves eat meat, but what of you personally?)

Do not be uneasy about my journeys - for me venturing out into the forest is as natural as being within a mountain is to you – I feel quite at home in the trees, almost more so than in the King’s halls. They speak to us, and warn us if danger approaches, in which case they become our sanctuary and protectors as well. And I’m sure Hafli must have told you we elves love the stars – downright foolish about them, I believe he said on more than one occasion, shaking his head at us. (Fear not, it is a fond memory, for it was said in a fond tone!) Indeed, I suspect not being able to see the stars of an evening is one of the reasons the King’s Halls feel a bit stifling by times.

I will undertake another trip to Brethil once the nights are warm, for that is the season to gather many of the things I use. Then in the fall, there will be fruits and nuts to harvest. Some for eating, of course, but others I put to use in my concoctions. (Also, some of the nut shells and pits of fruits have their uses as well – so the fruits and nuts are doubly useful!)

I would be delighted to visit if your Master Nestril does not mind having an elf of Doriath underfoot – or perhaps overhead is more apt? For my part, I think an exchange of healing lore would benefit both of us. I suspect all healers are greedy for knowledge to better heal the hurts brought before them, and we all know the pain of being confronted with something we cannot heal. Moreover, if I visit, I might also have the pleasure of meeting you face to face, and your kin as well.

The elf who will run this message to the way station on the north road warns me that if I do not close this letter now, I shall have to wait until the next message run, whenever that may be. As that will likely not be for some weeks, I shall wish you and your kin good health and good crafting until the next time!

Your friend,

Carweg