After climbing what seemed like a thousand stairs and doing what seemed like ten thousand minor tasks for at least a million random dwarves, Xanderian of Belfalas, Yeoman to the Company of the King and herald before the storm of the West, squire to Arahen of the House of Orodreth... and Cyndwin, Shieldmaiden of the Westfold could finally pause to breathe the metallic, fetid air of Moria.
The huntress slowly surveyed the wide passage before them, caution in her bright eyes. This was certainly not Xanderian's first descent into the long dark of Moria but she was taking extra care, as this time she was not acting on orders of Imladris, or exploring on her own...but traveled with young Cyndwin, who had spent the day staring at every ruined dwarf statue and destroyed archway with wideeyed, breathless awe....the awe of someone who had grown up surrounded by rough wood and thatch. Truly the Elleth, though still young by her own people's standards, wished she had retained at least a bit of the childlike wonder of her blonde companion.
Finally Xanderian selected a quiet corner down a side passage that seemed fairly secure and beckoned to the young horsemistress "We will rest here for the night, my love".
"But how do you know it is nighttime? We have no sunlight or moonlight down here." the girl asked, dropping her rucksack to the stone floor.
"I simply know..." the huntress answered, knowing her companion was growing too weary to continue whatever the time was yet would never admit it.
As Cyndwin put together what rations she felt they could spare for the night Xanderian unrolled blankets and made sure there were no unseen cracks or weakness in the walls nearby while scattering small brittle stones along the passageway around their makeshift camp. The two ate holding hands in near darkness, talking in low tones as they went back over the days events and the Elleth answered the girl's endless questions with patience and love as if speaking with a bright child...about where they were in relation to the rest of the Mines, what might lay in wait for them deeper in the dark, and what she expected to find the next day.
Once the rations were done, the two huddled together for warmth and comfort while Rian told stories of the glorious days of Durin in the light of a single torch, with the erudition and verve of the scholar of Imladris she once was, showing the girl on a crude map where the wonders used to lie, until she noted the shieldmaiden's eyes were slowly sliding shut. She kissed her softly while the girl mewled and whined to stay awake like a little girl. Finally the Elleth firmly wrapped her tighter in their only blankets as the chill of the darkness was descending. They were still some days away from the heat of the mighty furnaces at the heart of the mines. A stern but loving admonition to sleep ended the discussion as Cyndwin curled up tightly...watching her companion until finally Morpheus overcame her.
As Cyndwin slept against the back wall of the cavern, curled securely against solid black basalt Xanderian sat on her knees between the girl and the dreadful caverns beyond, between her love and the horrors that lurked there, horrors she had stared in the eyes...horrors she had become one of in order to destroy them. Her blade Lovelorn bare across her knees, the ancient bow Heartbreaker in her left hand and six vicious arrows carefully lodged point first into a seam of the floor, in easy reach of the huntress.
The Elleth closed her eyes...listening to the girl breathe so peacefully, ears tuned for the crunching sound of orcs or worse beasts stepping on the stones she had scattered, and meditated to regain strength for the long walk in the morning. She turned her thoughts to her only goal, her only task...her only cause remaining...which was to guide Cyndwin safely into the sunlight again. In her right hand she clutched a small bit of iron, a scrap from a forge, worthless and without use, yet gripped like a talisman as she knealt there.
-----
After a few hours torchlight and voices would wake Cyndwin. The daughter of the Mark opened her eyes to see her Rian speaking with several armored dwarves holding torches, speaking in a guttural language that she had heard enough of by now to know to be their own tongue. At first she was alarmed and would have jumped up to defend her love, but soon saw that things did not seem hostile. The Elleth answered the Dwarves in slow but fluid words in the same tounge, until they seemed satisfied and gave her a pouch before moving off, save for one, who seemed quite young.
A few more words passed between the elf and the young dwarf, a handshake between the youngster and the huntress. A word by the young dwarf....H'rath Karcun, or something like that as near as Cyndwin could make out, and an embrace, awkward but kindly. Then the strange meeting was over and the Dwarves disappeared into the darkness.
Xanderian bore a torch back to the sleeping girl who was pretending, ineffectually, to still be asleep. Kneeling beside her with the bag, the elf smiled knowingly..."My mare wakes. I have breakfast..some fruit and fresh bread..well, fresh enough at least. Come...more toil awaits us today."
And with that the blonde girl rose stiffly, putting the many questions she had aside for the moment, though whispering the strange words to herself as she tore off a hunk of stiff, grainy bread...."H'rath Karcun....". It seems there were more mysteries in Moria than she had expected.
