Late summer, present days, on the main road through the Tower hills
“... calie? Are you listening?”
“Eh?”. Earcalie took her eyes away from the the tallest and westernmost of the three White Towers that stood out on the horizon. Elostirion shone bright in the sunlight, as if it was a ray of light and seagulls flew around the top. It was a beautiful day of late summer, perfect for a leisure ride in the Tower Hills. Well… It was almost a leisure ride, at least for Earcalie. Her uncle was called by a trading kindred who wished to treat for the flax grown in their fields. As the elleth was starting to get bored of staying in the family estate doing nothing, that was the perfect opportunity for a change of scenery and accompany her uncle’s convoy on the way to Mithlond, where this trader was waiting. Verily, she was supposed to be back in Imladris… but the lack of any missive calling for her meant that there was nothing that would require urgency. She could loiter along the coast for some more time.
Histealdo sighed. “I was saying, that… ah nevermind. I can see that no word can reach your ears. I don’t blame you, even after two ages, the sight of the White Towers still inspire awe whenever I ride through these lands”
“I wonder… how many kindred were allowed to climb to the top and look into the Palantir in recent years”
“Aside from Lord Cirdan, I suspect very few… and for good reason. You know this and no, before you ask, you may not climb to the top. Do not attempt to sneak in either unless you want to be grounded”. Earcalie huffed and stirred her horse to a canter, surpassing the head of their convoy slowly proceeding through the verdant hills.
Of course she knew that seeking to look into the Palantir was not something granted to anyone. Yet, she had to ask. Every time she visited, a glimmer of hope lit in her heart, wishing that she would be granted the right to see her mother and father in Eressea. She had always been firm in her decision to stay in Middle Earth, but her resolve does not forbid her to miss her begetters. Looking towards Elostirion, she wondered what they were up to, in the Blessed Land. Were they looking at the same blue sky? Were they walking along white shores and green grass just as she had been doing all summer? It is not that Earcalie worried for them. In the West, there is no worry. But there is distance. She was effectively disconnected from them and memories cannot replace a smile or a hug, or the sound of their voice nor simply their sight. If only she could look in the Seeing Stone, to pass the barrier of time and space and be able to see them… she attempted to sneak her way up the tower, once when she was just a child. Needless to say, she got caught, and received quite the scolding. Earcalie knew though, that Histealdo did not really blame her for caving in to nostalgia. It was part of the Eldar, to live, to remember and to store memory dear as time affected all around them.
She shook her head, and sighed. Mother and father were fine, surely. She let her horse trot along the road, taking in the beautiful sight of the hills. The White Towers stood tall on top of the three highest ones. Earcalie knew that Gil Galad built them as a gift to Elendil after the founding of Arnor… but no man remained now in that region, and it has been her kindred’s territory ever since. A good thing she thought, for the beauty of the towers should not be sullied by the wrongdoings of Men.
The smell of the sea carried by the breeze put her out of her thought. The grass swayed left and right as the wind blew lightly, carrying the few clouds in the sky with it. She must have unconsciously stopped the horse as she was thinking for the convoy caught up with her. Histealdo gave in a chuckle. “Is there anywhere in the world where you would not daydream?”
“I’d love to live here”. Her uncle blinked, surprised
“Would you? It is a beautiful land, but aside from the Towers, grass as far as the eye can see and a few resting camps for the Wandering Companies you won’t find anything of interest”
Earcalie nodded. If it was another place she would have agreed with him. But the Tower Hills had some inner calm, like a veil of tranquility and serenity that loomed all around, as if time stopped and everything was immersed in a perpetual summer that made her… content.
Or is it just this nostalgia I am feeling?
Trotting along the convoy, she gazed at Elostirion. What would be of the tower when the Eldar would be gone from Middle Earth? Who would guard it then, who would preserve its beauty and that of the hills? She knew very well that one day time would consume both, it was a sad thought to dwell on, yet the sight of the Towers standing tall and shining bright in the sunlight dispelled any gloominess in her mind. That day was still very far to come and she would not be on this side of the Sea to see it, but she would keep the memory of this perfect summer, the Towers and the hills, to remember it as testament of the beauty that once was.
