Glorfingwë

Melumatyar limped into the hall suffering from burns on his arm and leg: in the aftermath of Arradril's injury, he went chasing the goblins of the region and unexpectedly ran into some armed with fire-pots. Manadhlaer interrupts the discussion in progress to bathe his burns with infinite tenderness, and then coat them in a remedy she hastily snatched from a nearby table. As Glorfingwë lights a fire to warm Melumatyar, those assembled are pleased, if astonished, to watch the blistered red skin dry up and hurt less within half an hour's time.

An exhausted Arradril lies at Tham Send as Lady Manadhlaer gathers her healing equipment and rushes to the Last Homely House to treat Arradril's wound. Neither Glorfingwë nor the fretful, devoted Branalph will leave her side until then -- and likely after then. The incident leaves Branalph ready to pointedly question the wisdom of the expedition, but Glorfingwë counsels patience -- it may be that Lirisseya was right and the flower is a good omen of something, although that is hard for Branalph to see at the moment.

The party manages to get Arradril back to Vindurhal, where Ulvoin offers the group the use of his home. However, he himself assisted with removing the living plant from the frozen ground and placing it in Glorfingwë's pack, and Arradril insists that this mission be completed -- if a live plant is not returned to Imladris as the Lady requested, her injury has no meaning. Therefore, much against the misgivings of her friends, it is decided that as soon as she can mount her horse, the Elves will ride hard for Imladris.

The group circles a wide area north of Vindurhal, based on Melumatyar's memories. Branalph discovers a flower exactly like the one Melumatyar described, next to a huge rock -- but the discovery seizes Arradril's attention for a split second too long. As Branalph summons Melumatyar, a goblin patrol sights the lone nis and tags her in the thigh with an arrow.

Ulvoin of Vindurhal meets the Elves from Imladris. Melumatyar explains what he saw in the snow on the return from Hrimbarg the last time a group rode out in this direction, and what the current task is: not only to find the strange flower again, but to bring one back to Lady Manadhlaer alive and intact, so it can grow and be observed and tested.

Manadhlaer opens a bottle of white wine. She, Lirisseya, and Glorfingwë listen to Melumatyar discuss the flowers -- which he describes as rather camellia-like, and like camellias, ranging from white to deep pink -- that he found growing in the foothills of the Hithaeglir, amid an eerie silence broken only by howling. 

Flanked by Harnack -- most recently of Hrimbarg -- on her left, and Ulvoin of Vindurhal on her right, Hrundis, sister of the slain Vigfús, enters the Lósengriol halls and meets Branalph, Glorfingwë, Melumatyar -- and her brother's murderer, Krimruk Dourhand.  Harnack, who cared deeply about his slain friend, has a simple question: if Krimruk is kept more or less intact for the journey back to Erebor to stand trial, is it acceptable to cause some "cosmetic damage"?

The last tale of the evening was given by Melumatyar, in which one of the Eagles of Manwë Súlimo guards the hröa of a slain warrior and explains to a naive inquirer wherefore such a mighty bird would perform such a duty.

Guests stream in to share tales, both happy and sad; to sing songs; to recite poems; and above all, to listen to one another's memories. Lady Manadhlaer did a discreet bit of baking so that there would be sweets as well as wine for the turn of firith into rhîw.