EXPEDITION: FOROCHEL (Prelude)
Torech Besruth, Falathlorn, Lindon
53 Lairë in the Reckoning of Imladris
(being the 13th day of Afterlithe in the Shire Reckoning)
The Council of House Bar-en-Acharn met several days past to begin the preparations for the next expedition we would undertake. One of our newest members, young Vohlrat by name, just returned from Forochel and related the tale of his ventures in those lands. He spoke of the people he met and traveled with, their hardships and their ways and means and, formally, petitioned the Household to come to their aid. The Household resoundingly agreed, and the expedition was on.
One concern among many, but the overriding one for me, was what would become of my Bainiel. So many things come into play with deciding this course! My sweet daughter’s tender age would normally preclude any thoughts of travel. It is usual for an Elvish mother to be weak and exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally for some time after childbirth; and for an elf, that means years. But Bainiel’s birth and effects upon me are not typical at all. I feel no weakness or weariness; rather, I am charged with both energy and resolve to accomplish things.
Dear Cutch has noticed this and has comically remarked on it several times. My near-manic burst of creativity has now seen a reorganized library and study. My attempts at gardening have resulted in colorful blossoms arranged not in a riot of hues and shades, but an orderly tapestry categorized by size, color, and scent. Cutch particularly laughed at my effort to reorganize his spice inventory, gently admonishing me for upsetting the delicate balance of my hall steward…
My husband’s gentle wisdom rose to the challenge of my dilemma and put forth a possibility that escaped me. We have not just the family of the Lair, or even the extended of the Household to rely upon. Cutch’s ‘almost-sister’, Caladna, and her new husband Claywick have been blessed with their first child, Calvin – and they’d be delighted, so he tells me, to have Bainiel visit with them for the duration of the venture.
(NOTE: I was struck at the name my Mortal kinsmen gave their child, and how it sounds to the Elvish ear: cal-ben, “the light within” …)
But why do I feel such crushing guilt for thinking about this? What mother, Elven or Mortal, leaves their infant child in the care of others, to undertake such an enterprise as this? Here, too, Cutch’s wisdom arose. I am not like other mothers; Bainiel is not like other children; and her coming into the world has certainly not been like any other. She is growing in both mind and body at a pace unlike both her heritages, as if there is a purpose to be fulfilled, and no time must be wasted. Cutch suggested that being among children of Men might bring out even more gifts that our daughter possesses, an interesting idea, surely.
In the end, I agreed with Cutch. When the Household begins its journey, we shall stay over in Bree-town and deliver Bainiel to the care and comfort of the Circle of Cutch. Truly, I can think of no other Mortals outside my Householders that I might trust so. Time will prove this decision wise, or folly.
