There stood the White City before us, painted the colours of the myriad flowers placed in celebration for The King’s wedding. After all those years, I was finally back, and my words failed me.
“So… Here it is”, was all I could manage to muster.
“Aye. Different than you remember, I suspect”, noted Guri. Indeed, it was. We made our way in, gazing in awe at the glory of the Capital City of Gondor.
“Not arrested on sight! That is a good sign”, joked Guri. I chuckled, and agreed. I did not remember much about the streets, so it was her who took the lead in guiding our ascent to the palace. Here and there, some memories came back to me.
“I remember this place”, I mentioned to Guri on a certain street, not particularly different from the others. “I remember running…”
“I would have liked to see you!”, she answered. I did not have the heart to tell her it was the day Mother and I fled the city. I simply laughed.
We arrived at a very familiar tavern, The Merry Swan. I shared with Guri that I remembered going there with my parents, most often for some important meeting regarding the City Guard, or to negotiate some sizeable order for the Forge… I hated those back then, feeling like a never ending imprisonment of pure, distilled boredom. Now, I would give anything to have them back. We decided to stop for a drink, as the journey had been long, and I dreaded what would come after.
The unforgettable smell of the Swan flooded my senses. The scent of old ale and wine spilt on stone was unmistakeable. It felt like meeting an old friend I had not realised how much I missed.
“This puts the Bell to shame”, said Guri, smiling at the statues of two swans who adorned the entrance. “They each have their strong points”, I answered with a smile.
I approached one of the bartenders and asked for something light for the both of us. We enjoyed our drinks and admired the tapestry. Again, it pictured two swans.
“Which one is Cygnus?”, I asked. Guri fell silent, and thought for a moment.
“In my dreams, he is very happy”, she said with a smile.
“I am sure he is, Guri”, I responded.
“Do you have any idea who I am?!”, exclaimed a voice. “People come from miles around to hear me, and you’re shooing me away!”
“We had better leave”, Guri suggested. “It would seem some moods are souring”. I agreed.
My look grew dim as we approached a sight I was not eager to see. The Forge. I had learnt much in that place, enjoyed my mother’s company and admired both her steel hammer and silver tongue, but it was also the place where my life changed forever. It was there, that fateful day, that it all began…
“What is it, dear?”, asked Guri, concerned.
I stood at the door. “Mom’s forge… I wonder who runs it now”. I began pacing nervously from one side to the other. “I do not think I have the strength to knock…”
“It might be best if you let that be for now…”. Guri rubbed my arm. “Maybe after you hear what he has to tell you?” I nodded in agreement. I held her hand and kissed it.
We kept on climbing until we reached the inner circle. We walked to The Prow, and admired the view.
“Your city is so lovely”, said Guri.
I looked her deep in the eyes. “Thank you for being here with me”.
“I am glad I could be”, she answered.
“Whatever they tell us…” I struggled to speak. “Whatever we find, things will not be the same again, for better or for worse.”
“We will be the same”, she reassured me. “We will not change.”
I held her hand. “Nothing will ever change what you are to me”.
She squeezed tightly. “Nothing could”.
“I think I am as ready as I will ever be”, I said as we embraced.
“Then shall we?”, she asked.
“We shall”, I answered.
…
I was immediately amazed by the crystal floors, shining like the clearest, most perfect of mirrors. Two elegant, yet imposing guards protected the entrance to the Throne Room.
“Halt! Who goes there?”, asked the rightmost one.
“I believe we are expected today”, I answered. Guri nodded and handed him the letters.
The guardsman inspected them, and ran his fingers through the seals. “This looks to be in order”, he said. “Please, proceed.” I thanked him, and Guri nodded with a delicate smile.
We approached the King. I could not believe I was finally before him. After all those years away from my people, believing I would never again walk the path of honour, he had summoned me. He had deemed me worthy of his respect, and generously offered to help me learn the truth about my past.
I kneeled before him, finding it impossible to speak aloud. Guri curtseyed politely, and they exchanged pleasantries, happy to meet again. They joked about the challenges he conquered during the War, which paled in comparison with the insurmountable task of planning his own wedding.
And at last, the time came to discuss what actually had brought us there that day. I looked at Guri one last time before leaving with Elessar. “I will be close, Alairif”; she reassured me. I am not sure she knew how much those words meant to me.
We left the Tower, and as we walked, we talked of my family. I thanked him for taking me back, for giving me the honour of sending for me, and doing me this great favour. We also spoke of my mother, how she forged some of the best equipment the modern armies of Gondor had ever seen. We spoke of my father, of who he was for the city. He admired him for his work as Captain of the Tower Guard. He paused, his look grim once again. He explained that the rest of the story would come from some much closer to him.
We arrived at the Houses of Lore, in the Sage’s Tier. The King asked me to wait in a secluded room, and took his leave. I thanked him once again for everything, and wished him well in the preparations that still remained for his and Lady Arwen’s great day. He smiled, and left me alone. Or, at least, I believed he did. From the shadows emerged a cloaked figure, one who had become all too familiar as of late. She did not even need remove her hood for me to recognise her.
“Hello, Tornimrad”, I greeted, my smile gone from my face.
“Welcome, Alairif”, she greeted back, in a tone far less hostile than I had come to expect from her. “Please, take a seat.”
We spoke at length of my father. Of how, when they were young, they had trained together under Steward of Echtelion II of Gondor. They became friends, once, and they were almost inseparable. They had served together for many years, being part of the fleet that, led by Thorongil, launched an attack on Umbar many years ago. However, in time, their paths diverged, as she became one of the Rangers of Gondor while he stayed as Tower Guard. This shared past was the cause of the great pain she felt, a pain we would both share after she told me the rest of my Father’s story.
…
“Well, you are hale and whole!”, said Guri, taking the now empty seat in front of me.
“That I am…”, I responded. “Guri, we need to talk. I am not sure where to start, there is much to say.”
“Take your time, dear”, she comforted me. She rubbed my arm, and I held her hand.
“I am afraid I have grim news… Not unexpected, but still grim”
“Aye”, she said, “I had feared that.”
“Alaiden… My father…” The words could not escape my mouth. Guri held me, not needing to hear more. I regained my composure, with great effort.
“It was hard for the guard to compile all this information,” I continued, “and some of it is still speculation, but they believe they know what happened. They have known for many years, in truth.”
Guri reached out and held my hand.
“There was a certain group in the city…” I explained. “They are not sure if they were mercenaries, or devoted to the Dark Lord, but the fact is that they served Him. They worked in secret, and at the start the guard only suspected of their existence.”
“Sadly, that is not that surprising…” she lamented. “His hand touched many things.”
“My father was convinced that they were real” I continued. “He looked in every nook and cranny, sure they would slip up and reveal their presence.”
“Soon, he began to notice strange happenings. Strangers who would ran off when they locked eyes, hooded individuals who would stay outside our home for hours...”
“Your poor father”, said Guri.
“He feared they would try to make a move soon. He warned the Guard, but they knew not what to look out for. There was little they could do.”
“He devised a plan to keep us safe in case they made their move. As you know, that plan worked.”
“They attempted to assassinate him. They failed at first, but he knew my mother and I would be their next targets, if only to get to him. That was the day he came running to the forge, and we ran away.”
Gurri looked at me sorrowfully.
“He was overwhelmed, and they took him. Nobody knows where, but they have their suspicions. Their best guess is that they wanted to interrogate him, to have him tell the Enemy of all the city's secrets”.
“I am sure there are many in a place this big”, commented Guri.
“There are... And imagine if Sauron had known of how the guard operated. It would have spelt disaster. However, the failure of the siege and to infiltrate the City prove he did not falter.”
“I am glad he withstood it all”, Guri admired “He protected everyone in the face of darkness.”
“Yes, he did”, I agreed. My semblance once again turned dark. “As to what became of him…”
I stopped for a second. What came then was the hardest part of the story to tell.
Guri once again put her hand on my shoulder. “We can stop if you wish.”
I smiled at her. “Thank you, but I can go on. I want to share this with you, grim as it is. You deserve to know.”
“Very well”, she said, lovingly caressing my cheek.
“Do you know of what the Enemy did,”, I asked, “to try and discourage the city's defenders during the siege?”
“I do not”, she responded. “I know very little of this place.”
“It was one of the most terrible things that the Dark Lord ever did. The lowest, most cruel battle tactic. But it worked.”
“How terrible…” Guri looked sadder and sadder. “These poor people have been through so much. After Isengard I can see how terrible it must have been.”
“On the day of the siege, the orcs' war machines were brought to the city gates. They rained fire and death upon Minas Tirith.” I paused. “And it is not a metaphor. With their machines they threw the severed heads of captured soldiers, helpless peasants, and Osgiliath's defenders. Among them... Was my father's.”
Guri gasped in horror, and closed her eyes. She shaked in fear and disgust.
I did what I could to hold back my tears. "I had hoped that closure would make me feel relieved... But the anger, the sheer anger I am feeling, it cannot be described."
Guri inhaled and squeezed my hand tightly. “You poor thing...”
“He was a hero,” I continued, “and he died a hero's death. He endured horrors that no living creature should ever know, and he did it for his people.”
“He was”, agreed Guri. “Be proud to remember his sacrifices. For you, for your mother, and for the Free Peoples.”
I cried. Hard as I tried not to, I could not hold them back anymore. “I am proud. And I will try as hard as I can to live up to his name.”
Guri held me tightly. “You already do, love.”
I slowly began to calm down. You might find that Guri has that effect on people. “There is some good news, despite all this.”
Alairif says, 'There is good news, despite all this.'
“There is?”, she asked, confused.
'The War is over”, I explained. “There is nobody looking for me now. I am safe.”
“Are you sure of this?”, she asked.
I stood up. “The Enemy is defeated, and more people now know me for my deeds than for my family. There is no point in hiding who I am anymore. The Ranger has helped me see that.”
Guri smiled wider than I had ever seen her smile. At least until a short while later. “You are free at last?”
“I am Alairif Nordhcoll” I proudly proclaimed. “Son of Alaiden and Maelidril. And I have you to thank for this freedom. I would have never got it back were it not for you.”
“Thank you, from the bottom of my heart”. I approached her. “I have no words to describe how glad I am I met you. How happy I am to have you”. I kneeled. “How blessed I am to love you.”
Guri ducked her head, suddenly shy. “I would have it no other way.”
I reached my hand towards hers. “Guriwen Luthier, my Swan, the Song that fills my heart with joy, will you marry me?"
Gurri gasped. She tripped over her own words a few times. “Yes. Of course I will”, she managed at last. We both broke down in tears, and she then did smile wider than I have ever seen her smile, until some years later. We held each other in a loving embrace.
We heard cheers and claps behind us. A curious dwarf had been exploring a nearby section of the Houses of Lore, and had heard that last part. We thoroughly thanked him for his support.
“We will need to wait some time for the actual wedding.” I grinned. “Would hate to steal the King's thunder, you know?”
“Absolutely”, she laughed. “I am shaking…” She was not lying. I, too, was shaking.
