Eduwiges of Faldham sat on the edge of the great flet of Telain Melthin dangling her feet over the vast empty space of the enormous grove of mallorn trees, A gentle breeze blew the branches and shining leaves into a gentle dance of golden light. Like a child she kicked her bare feet back and forth. She had changed out of her customary travel armor and into a black Lorien tunic and leggings. The golden trim of the sleeves and collar twinkled in the twilight sun of the golden wood. Light boots sat next to her and she was armed only with her long dagger. Badu Druit was stored with her armor on the flet that was assigned to the trio. Calidis and Eduwiges were allowed to come and go but Xanderian was confined to the quarters assigned. Frustration raged in her heart despite the intricate beauty of Caras Galadhon.
Gone was the wonder she held Lothlorien and the Lord and Lady, Celeborn and Galadriel. Another place of refuge in her heart twisted and torn by the enemy, Eduwiges took a deep breath and inhaled the lingering scent of the trees and garden. The smell of jasmine, honeysuckle and magnolia blossoms delighted her senses. However, worry furrowed her brow. Edu was frustrated. She did not understand how their enemies were able to tamper with reality. So many plots within plots, plans within plans, all to sow the seeds of their destruction. It was too much.
She gave a start as a hand rested on her shoulder,
‘Be at ease.’ a gentle mellifluous voice spoke.
‘You are too young to carry such worries about you, little nimloth, horse mistress.’
Eduwiges glanced upwards and saw the ageless elleth standing above her. She had an amused smile on her face. A tingling chill ran up her spine. ‘Anglamel!’ she cried, leaping to her feet.
She embraced the woman tightly, almost picking her up. ‘Easy Eduwiges,’ said Anglamel. ‘We are high enough as it is.’
Anglamel placed her hands upon Eduwiges’ shoulders and pushed her gently back. ‘Let me have a look at you.’ she said.
In her mind’s eye the elf could still see the young woman carried in from the great river where she had been left for dead. The pale flower of the Mark had endured excruciating pain with hardly a sound.
She tenderly looked into the flaxen haired woman’s green eyes. The elleth placed her hand gently on Edu’s face and lightly traced the woman’s scars with her finger. ‘You have healed well. Our healers made you whole!’
She smiled again and kissed Eduwiges like a lost lover returning from the sea. Edu returned the kiss, memories of twilight and star drenched bodies intertwined under golden boughs awoke in her mind. Gently, she stepped back. ‘What are you doing here? You are supposed to be in Edhellond.’
‘And you are supposed to be in Imladris, yet here we are.’ Anglamel teased.
She released Eduwiges from her embrace and looked her over. Her eyes lingered on the dagger at Edu’s belt. Where is your “darkness slayer” little Nimloth?’ she asked.
Eduwiges shrugged, ‘She is sheathed and with my gear. It felt inappropriate carrying her up here,’ she gestured broadly at the surrounding flet. She tilted her head as memories of her time in Lorien flooded her mind.
‘What are you doing here Anglamel? You were supposed to be the captain of the guard at Edhellon, That is why you left me. Your own command, close to the action, remember?’ The chill along her spine grew more noticeable and she hugged herself.
Eduwiges thought of the furious arguing and goblets thrown across their room as she watched the lithe, blond Anglamel carry her bags full of clothing and gear down the rope ladder and towards the gate of Caras Galadhon so long ago. ‘That job was your reason for leaving me.’ she repeated softly, remember?’ She crossed her arms under her breasts and gave the elleth a wry look.
Pain flickered through the elf’s eyes as she stepped back. ‘Surely you are still not upset by this? I did not choose to go, I was chosen, it was my duty.’ she said.
Eduwiges snorted, ‘You were sent because the Lady considered your relationship with me to be,’ she paused, ‘Inappropriate. I cannot imagine why. A millennial old elf taking up with a teenager!’ She chuckled.
Anglamel changed the subject swiftly.
‘‘I have heard much of your exploits, Eduwiges. You have made me proud. Your deeds have become well known amongst your old comrades in the guard.’ she said, folding her hands together.
The young woman shrugged. Her cheeks blossomed like apples. ‘Tis nothing.’ she said.
She looked at the wooden deck of the flet and crossed her arms behind her back. Anglamel stood back. Her eyes still evaluated Eduwiges as a teacher or mentor would. The elleth thought back to their first meeting when the young woman of the Mark came to be in Caras Galadhon. The bandaged face and broken body of Eduwiges the orcs had left for dead on the great river had been carried in on a bier and sent directly to the houses of healing where Anglamel was standing watch. From the beginning she had been fascinated and beguiled by the flaxen hair and green eyes of Eduwiges. For a time the elleth had been able to experience new life vicariously through the younger woman and was able to forget her own sorrows until she had been sent away to lead the guard at Edhellond, leaving a heartbroken Eduwiges behind. Who soon after left for Imladris to seek her fortune. ‘So you are with Xanderian and Calidis now? That must be quite the tale.’ she said, regret flickered through her grey eyes.
Eduwiges nodded warily. She waited for the inevitable warning to follow and was surprised when none came. Anglamel looked weary, in fact, she hardly looked at all like the full of life elleth who helped nurse her back to health. She owed the elf almost everything. Not only did she take it upon herself to educate Edu, teaching her Sindarin, a touch of the archaic Quenya and the history of the elves. She trained with her. Under her tutelage Eduwiges learned the elvish way with a variety of weapons, the bow, stealth and tactics. Sharing Anglamel’s bed was a small price to pay and one Eduwiges had been willing to do, gladly. The elleth was her first love and she had been shattered when she left for Edhellond. In the aftermath, Eduwiges swore off love, pulled guard duty, raided with the Galadrhim and attempted flet running; carrying messages from the outer band of guardian trees on the borders of Lorien, leaping from tree to tree. However, life had paled without Anglamel and her sleeping around to get revenge on the elleth was beginning to cause problems. Therefore, there was no attempt to hold her back when she decided to travel to Imladris ‘for something new’, as she called it.
‘I have something for you Eduwiges.’ Anglamel said.
‘By the time the smiths had completed it you had left for Imladris so I set it aside and waited. I looked for your return sooner but once you were ensconced with Xanderian at Tol Lochul I gave up hope of seeing you again. When I learned of your arrival here I came to find you.’
Anglamel turned behind her and brought forth a large parcel and set it on the small table next to the decking chair close to where Eduwiges had been sitting. Eduwiges looked at the packaging and back up to the elleth with surprise. Then, with a childlike grin she asked, ‘You had this made for me? And have held it all this time?’
The elleth nodded. ‘I knew at some point you would be roaming the world and I wanted you to have the best equipment possible. I did not realize you were going to leave as soon as you did.’
The sadness returned to Anglamel’s eyes but she shook it off, ‘Go ahead!’ she said. ‘Open it!’
Eduwiges stared for a moment at the brown wrapping and slipped her curved, milk swirled dagger from the sheath at her hip and slit the thick paper carefully down the middle. Edu gasped in shock and delight. She unwrapped the rest of the package like a child opening presents at Yule. It was lighter than she expected and as supple as her leather stealth gear. It was closely woven with tiny rings of elvish steel so close together it looked like one piece of mail. The chest piece glittered with a burnished steel blue color. Tiny lines wove an intricate portrait of the leaves of a tree reaching skyward. On closer inspection Eduwiges gasped again, ‘This is inlaid with mithril! The veins of the leaves are true silver!’ she looked at the elleth in shock, ‘Anglamel! You know I cannot accept this. The cost must have been outrageous!’
‘Peace Eduwiges! Peace!’ she said, trying not to laugh. ‘It was my father’s armor. I had it reforged for you. The mithril in the engravings and blended with the rest of it was already there. The smiths of Edhellond needed a challenge.’ She clasped her hands together and looked at Edu with a twinkle in her eye.
‘But Anglamel! This was your fathers? You do me too much honor. I cannot accept this. This should be for your heirs not me!’ She held the armor up for Anglamel to take.
‘Eduwiges.’ she said quietly.
‘There will be no heirs. I have no remaining family left alive. I will not marry, you know that. I will either perish here or take a ship to the west.’ She sighed and locked eyes with Eduwiges. This armor will cover you like liquid. It will protect you like a shield wall. The mithril in it is more for flexibility than protection but the steel is harder than anything made these days. It was originally forged in Eregion for my father. It was experimental but once he put it on, he never wore anything else to battle. The crest is my family’s,’ she paused for a moment. Her eyes traced the breastplate with wistfulness.
‘It was collecting dust on a stand Eduwiges. I have followed your adventures. You are more than worthy of it. Please take it. You would do me much honor and it would make amends for what I did to you.’
The look on Anglamel’s face was so distraught and pleading it melted Eduwiges’ heart. She crossed her right arm over her breast in salute and bowed her head.
‘I would be honored to receive this heirloom of your house Anglamel. I will treasure it as I do my sword and I will do my best to be worthy of it.’ she said.
Eduwiges reached across to Anglamel and hugged her. She kissed both her cheeks and then on the mouth. ‘Thank you!’ she whispered fiercely and stepped back.
The leggings of the armor matched the hauberk and had the same suppleness. Edu carefully put the jacket and leggings back in the package. ‘I will try this on as soon as I return to my lodging. She still felt the tingling and shock of seeing her first love again.
‘Anglamel,’ she called out as she turned to go.
‘Little Nimloth?’ she replied.
‘Shall we get together with a few wineskins and liquor later? For old times sake?’ she nodded appreciatively. The chill lingering.
Anglamel smiled a mischievous grin and winked at Eduwiges. ‘Of course! There is nothing that could keep me away! I have the duty until the third watch is over. If you want to get a head start, come by. There are guards who will remember you.’
She adjusted her sword and began to walk away. She turned back abruptly. ‘Eduwiges!’ she called.
‘Beware the monk, Xanderian. The fates have not been kind to the ones who have followed the twins.’ she frowned and like a wraith, was gone.
Eduwiges looked over the flet and sighed. The tingling up her spine was still there. She gathered Anglamel’s gift and returned to her quarters absentmindedly forgetting her boots. Calidis was not to be found, She paced the room a few times not taking her eyes off the armor. ‘What the feck’ she grunted.
She stepped out of her sleeping area and called for the guard. This time around an elleth. She waved her into the room and asked for help with the new armor. The guard agreed and Edu stripped naked. Getting the new armor on was easy. In fact, it was not any more difficult to get the new armor on than it was to put her pants on. She thanked the guard who exited with a pleased look on her face from seeing Eduwiges naked. She adjusted her new gear and moved quickly to where she knew she would find Xan and Calidis.
Both jumped to their feet when Edu rushed in. Hurriedly, she explained the events of the day to the both of them, especially the reunion. The chill up her spine grew and grew. At first the two elves seemed happy for her and admired the new armor. Eduwiges looked magnificent. 'We are supposed to meet after the close of the third watch for a drink.’ Eduwiges said.
She looked at Calidis and down at Hastina. She could not tell if she was glowing or not. She sought Xanderian’s face. ‘I don’t think I am going to meet Anglamel later.’ she said, shaking her head.
‘My Lynx,’ Xanderian replied. ‘I have told you time and again, where and how you play does not bother us. You have your freedom to do as you will.’ The Monk of Osgiliath laughed, and Calidis giggled.
‘You must have really rang her bell Eduwiges, when you were younger.’ said Calidis.
‘No, I cannot. It is not going to happen’ she said emphatically, shaking her head.
‘My Lynx,’ said Xan, sensing Eduwiges’ trepidation, ‘What is the matter?’
The chill rose up Edu’s spine to the back of her neck. The crescendo rose and then shattered. She spoke in a throaty whisper.
‘Anglamel was killed in Mirkwood two years ago.’
