She was suddenly aware of movement nearby; a presence that she had not been expecting. Looking up from the grinding table, she wiped her face to remove the flakes of impure iron from her skin and wondered what had woken her. Looking around she saw nothing untoward. Her tools were laid out haphazardly around the workshop and the forge-fire had faded to a dull red. She set the shining iron gate-post that she was working on down onto the table carefully and stood up to stretch; thinking yet again that she was working too hard. She had lost count of the number of times she had caught herself in a waking dream as she worked; soot on her face and flakes of iron caught in her hair.
She sighed and began to tidy her possessions away when she heard the noise again. Someone was working in the old forge from the sound. She frowned: it was late, and the old forge was barely used unless all others were in use. Even then it was usually reserved for novices. She walked to the door, listening for a moment at the syncopated hammering and then opened the heavy oak door and entered the room.
She looked on in temporary disbelief as she saw the hunched figure of Estarfin bent over the small fire; tongs in hand and moving an object around in the red-hoat coals. He showed no sign of having noticed her enter and for a moment she thought to simply leave and close the door behind her. Their last meeting had not ended well and she still feared him, diminished as he was. Curiosity overcame her caution though, for she had not heard that he had started to smith again. Taking a breath to quiet her beating heart, she stepped forward and cleared her throat.
"Estarfin?" she asked quietly. Estarfin stood straight and turned around slowly.
"Ruineth. I thought I was alone here." She was a little unnerved at his response but gave a half-smile as she answered.
"I was finishing some ironwork and I must have lost track of time. I find that I am losing track of time in here of late... Anyway, it has been a long time since I have seen you in the forges; but why are you in here? You know this is the poorest forge in Imladris." She ran a hand through her hair as she spoke, trying to brush out any last traces of iron slag.
Estarfin nodded, taking a moment to think of his response. "It has been a long time in the measure of mortals since you have seen me at all, Ruineth. A blink of the eye to us, but still a notable absence between friends... Anyway, this is a good place to start again. I will never be the smith that I was; I attempted it once and the results were... disappointing. Perhaps I can learn to be something different." He looked back into the small fire, turning the tongs.
Ruineth looked stung at his response. "You did not seek me out either Estarfin, do not blame me for..."
"Would you have welcomed my company?" he interrupted whilst still watching the fire. "You fled from me before, I can hear the fear in your voice still."
"You were so... different. I felt that I did not know you." Ruineth replied. He sighed and set the tongs down before turning to face her.
"You do not know me, not really. How many times have you seen me outside of the forges of Imladris? You know only the smith, the broken patient. It is like one of those ice-boats that Belegos told me of once; there is more that is hidden than is revealed. Is that not the case for all?" She nodded slowly.
"I believe that is so, but it is not truly the same thing. I have secrets, I am sure all that you know do. You are surrounded by secrets and hidden faces, I am surprised even you know who you are anymore." He looked at her for a moment, then turned back to his work.
"Perhaps." She shook her head sadly, but then her curiosity got the better of her.
"What are you making then? A sword? A new shield?" she frowned as she saw the basic tools set out neatly next to him. "And why are you using those? I have seen your tools, they are things of beauty." Estarfin sighed.
"I am starting again. There will be need to weapons and shields soon enough, and smiths will need good steel. So that is what I do, what I was first taught to do. I heat, I clamp, I hammer and I twist."
"And then what? What are you making?" she asked.
"Then I lay the steel in the main forge, ready for a smith to make what they will. They would have to travel a long way for better metal."
"I am sure" Ruineth replied. Seeing that his attention was once again given over to the tasks of the apprentice, she slipped out of the forge, shaking her head sadly at what had been lost.
