Captain Brethenel leaned back, elbows on the arms of his desk, face expressionless. His spartan office was in sharp contrast to the cozily-furnished room that Parnard had just left; the only other articles of furniture besides the desk was a large cabinet that stood along one wall and two hard-backed chairs. ‘It is as light and cheerful as a room can be with four bare walls, inside a cave,’ thought Parnard, as he perched on one of the chairs and faced the captain’s unblinking scrutiny.
“If you do not object,” he ventured, “I am going to tell you all about myself, and have you drink the water straight from the spring, as they say. Let me start by telling you that I was born down south a-ways from Felegoth to a cheesemaker, no easy profession in the Greenwood. My mother oft wondered why he did not take up some other trade, since milk was such a scarcity, but he was a cheesemaker, through and through, so he must do as his heart bade, I suppose. As to what his father did before him, I know not.”
“And why is that?”
“I ne’er thought to ask.”
The Captain was silent for a moment, his steel gray eyes steadily surveying Parnard, wondering if he was drunk, then asked, “Why did you leave the Wood?"
“To see something of the world, sir! But as the sage says, 'The further one goes, the less one knows,' and the farther I went, the more there was to see. First I wandered across the Wilderland south, where the trees end and all is hilly, then I went east, but that was not so good, so then I ventured west. There I was confounded for a time in a high rocky place, seeking a way over the mountains, but at last I discovered Imladris below! Was I lost? Was I a mere trespasser? No sir! Lord Elrond, that wisest of Elves, knew that I was seeking that vaunted Valley refuge, before I even said, ‘How do you do?’
"Then he deemed it needful that I leave Imladris in order to assist his peer in the far west. Not the farthest West, of course, but it was mighty far, and this was an arduous, not to mention dangerous, journey to undertake, and all manner of vile and fearsome creatures pursued me, but I found my way there without hurt, as I usually do.
"The strange thing is, Captain, once I got to my destination, I found myself not so satisfied there. I knew that I was needed back in Imladris. I knew that I must return at once. After I decided to go away, I said 'goodbye' and quitted my place, departing once more on foot, and again was I chased and harried by a menagerie of strange and savage beasts, and a few men too this time, all the way back down the Great East Road. Yet I gained the chalky path leading to hidden Imladris at last, and there I had the great fortune to meet Lord Anglachelm. He is one of the ancient Golodhrim, tall and mighty grave of mien, but he taking notice of my presence struck up conversation, and before I knew what was happening, I was accepted into a company of some of the oldest and wisest elves in that stronghold.
"A short time after that I met your daughter in the Hall of Fire. Now, the maidens of Imladris are graceful and wondrous light of foot, and cluster round as thick as bees on the honeycomb - but none could compare to the beauty and grace of your daughter. You know, Captain,” Parnard said, lowering his voice and becoming slightly more serious, “I had a high position there in Imladris, once upon a time.”
“Really! What was it?”
“Lord Ambassador,” answered Parnard, with a self-assured smile slowly spreading across his face. These two words were usually more than enough to impress the Elves of Mirkwood, at least the ones he had met so far, and he especially enjoyed seeing their surprised expressions knowing that they were wondering just how Parnard, son of Teludar the cheesemaker, managed to obtain such a lofty and well-connected position in foreign lands.
The Captain’s reaction was similar: he arched an eyebrow and looked dubious. Another doubter on his hands! “Of course, I do not expect you to be impressed by only a title, sir,” he said. “You must wish to know of my deeds, and the merits I brought to that high office that I commanded, if only for a little while. I say only for a little while, because it was necessary to give up my exalted position in order to return here and marry your daughter.” He paused to let these last words sink in before adding, "Many were the weighty responsibilities appointed to me. My very first official duty was to head an important mission to the Dwarves. As envoy, I was sent to a far away city of the Naugrim to secure an important trade deal, gold and whatnot -”
“Brasseniel told me that you disappeared for a time. She was worried,” interrupted the Captain with a frown.
Parnard replied, “That was an unfortunate, unavoidable occurrence. I was whisked away - on important business,” for he had decided that the less said about it the better, else he would mention his scheming brother Culufinnel, and this he would never do: surely that scoundrel was well-known to the King’s Guard, and he no longer wished to be connected to him in any way.
Then he sat back in his chair with the same broad smile plastered across his face, thinking to himself, What could the Captain not like? Here he was, so pleasant and agreeable, wearing the finest crafted armour (far superior to the Captain’s) despite his lowly beginnings in a hut in one of the darkest, most woebegone corners of Mirkwood Forest. He brought gifts, too: a bottle of the finest red wine from the lands beyond the mountains, and a ring fit for an elven princess. He took out the box and opened it to reveal a silver ring set with a large glittering blue beryl.
The Captain, ignoring the ring, fixed a stern eye on him. “And what about that other ‘business’ of yours?”
Parnard was amazed and not a little overwhelmed by this rejoinder, and remained silent for a considerable time holding the ring box like one struck dumb, then said humbly, “I know you have not, and I have not forgotten it, sir,” and gave him his word that he had not started any other fires since (other than ordinary cooking fires), saying that he had long repented the ways of his purposeless youth and cursed his want of sense at that time for the catastrophe, blaming over-merriment and a robust idleness for his mischief; and it was at great expense to his good name and reputation in Mirkwood so that his heart was full of sorrowful remorse; and he thanked the Captain for not locking him up in the dungeon again for returning to Felegoth, which he did only because of his regard for his daughter and his great desire to see her again; and he wished to give her this jewel as acknowledgment and linchpin for that which he was longing.
“Not that business, either!” said Captain Brethenel. Whatever he felt in his heart, there was no hint of leniency or kindliness in his crisp voice. "I am, of course, referring to the troubling news that two Men, merchant traders, and two of my scouts were discovered dead yesterday on the road outside Felegoth: what have you to say?”
“Ah, of course…” said Parnard, squirming in his armour, “...about that. Well, you see, Captain, we came upon an overturned cart on the path -”
“‘We?’ Who is ‘we?’” he interrupted, knowing very well whom Parnard meant, because his guards had been keeping a close eye on him, and his new friends, ever since they entered the Elvenking’s Halls.
“Why, only two of the mightiest Golodhrim this side of the mountains, sir, who deigned to accompany me here! There it was, Captain, just a mess, everything disordered and wrecked, all those jars of wine and honey, spilled into the dirt - and - oh! What a terrible sight it was! Merchant traders and scouts, you say? We, I mean, the wise Estarfin and Danel discerned that some great evil had been done there - something was moving under the trees, but what it was I do not know.” Parnard spoke in an odd manner of combined simplicity and circuitousness, and dropped his eyes, gazing downward at the shiny tips of his boots, while his spirit trembled inwardly at the coldness of the Captain’s countenance, fearing that he said too much with little of it to his benefit, and suspecting that he was no further along in his troth plighting than ever.
It was not how he imagined his conversation with the Captain would go. Parnard thought that he would sit on the ground, as is custom for the Silvan elves, because it is not good manners to sit down on a chair before a prospective father-in-law, even if it was offered, yet the Captain insisted on this point. Then wine would be poured out, what they call “gossip wine,” because it is then that the future father-in-law would have a friendly talk with his future son-in-law to discuss details of the betrothal and plans after marriage. The bottle of wine that he had brought for this purpose was still sitting on the corner of the shelf where the Captain placed it. These Sindar must have other customs, he concluded, and plucking up fresh courage, he tried a new tack, and said, “A boon, Captain Brethenel? If you speak with them, then you may ajudge my conduct and my deeds, and see that all is changed, for the better.”
What a state things were in! thought the Captain. As if I did not have enough to deal with, the irresponsible wanderer has come calling for my daughter. Each time he saw Parnard he looked different, except for those shifty green eyes. What was he trying to hide?
“Send message to the Golodhrim that their presence is wanted,” said Captain Brethenel to his lieutenant, and told Parnard to wait outside.
