Chapter 6:
The Death of Elenluin
The sound they heard is another weary traveler named Marawyn.
A woman of Rohan, she had been searching for her friend who was waylaid by
orcs. And since they were searching for Enuvien, they agreed to let Marawyn
join with them in hopes of doubling their efforts in finding both of their
missing friends. But soon the day turned into night and they are forced to
find shelter in a cave in the forest.
Meanwhile, Carisan is now
sleeping normally with Elenluin sitting next to him. Carisan woke up and
since the others haven't been back to the camp, he suggested that they
follow them. Elenluin agreed. As soon as the healers and King Thradruil had
given their consent that Elenluin and Carisan are fine, the two went into
the forest to find their friends.
Karla, Glorielin, Theomer and
Marawyn had been resting inside the cave, waiting for morning. Marawyn
decided to check Northstar, her horse, outside the cave and Theomer, wanting
some fresh air, accompanied her. The two suddenly heard the sound of
crackling leaves-- somebody is walking towards them. While Theomer
investigated cautiously who the strangers are, Marawyn rushed to the cave to
tell the others of the visitors. But when Marawyn told the others of the
news, Glorielin and Karla are not surprised. Instead they are delighted,
knowing from Glorielin's vision some hours ago, that the "strangers"
are really Elenluin and Carisan.
Delighted at seeing his two friends well, Theomer led the two
to the cave. After introducing Marawyn to the two, they all celebrated.
Soon the jovial atmosphere faded and weariness had crept at last. Most went to
sleep, except for Elenluin who was sitting near the opening of the cave and
Glorielin. (But this is natural. Elves does not need to sleep.) Glorielin was
worried with Elenluin, who after his near-death experience, had seem to became
introverted, silent and sad. As if he realized that nothing in Middle-earth is
that valuable to him now. He felt the yearning to go to the land over the Sea
stirring in him.
Elenluin, had walked away from their camp, his dark thoughts
making his feet wander away from the cave.
Dawn's early light filtered inside the cave. Marawyn was the
first to wake up. She went out to check out his horse but saw that Northstar
had wandered off and disappeared from her sight. She ran after him, before
the horse can run any further. Upon approach, she saw the reason why the horse
had ran off frightened. An orc was trying to steal off the horse! Silently,
Marawyn drew out an arrow, placed it in her bow and released it. Though the orc
had saw Marawyn at the last minute, he failed to escape the arrow and the
orc fell. But he wasn't dead yet. He succeeded in twisting her leg and
pushed her down so hard she couldn't breathe. But the orc was seriously
wounded. After a few minutes he died of blood loss, fortunately for Marawyn,
since a minute more she would have died herself.
Elenluin's aimless roving had taken a bad turn. The elf heard the
orcs, many of them! Creeping slowly, he saw a large band of them and with them is
a tied and gagged Enuvien. The orcs had been beating him, forcing him to tell where
the hobbits are or else they'll kill him. Elenluin never hesitated. He quickly cut
the ropes that bound Enuvien and pushed him away into the forest. He then faced the
orcs alone. After a fierce battle, he eventually killed the Orc leader but the others
had completely surrounded him. Though killing many of the orcs, he finally succumbed
to his wounds. The remaining orcs, seeing that their enemy is good as dead, then
became aware that their prisoner had escaped. They left quickly and followed the
direction to where Enuvien fled.
Elenluin opened his eyes, lying all alone on the ground in the
middle of the open space, with many fallen Orcs around him. So badly hurt he was
that Glorielin, or even Lord Elrond himself would not be able to save him. And he
thought of his life, that hadn’t been so long for an Elf, but seemed long enough for
him. From the moment that he left Tranduil’s encampment, he knew that he wouldn’t find
peace anywhere but in the halls of Mandos. He was glad that in his death he had saved
someone who deserved life more than he did. He looked upon his deeds and he didn’t regret a
thing that he did in his life.
The sun was rising in the east and the birds were singing their
songs as they had done ever before and would do ever after. Elenluin looked at this
beautiful morning as he felt that all strength left him and at that moment, he was
almost happy. He just wished that he could see his friends, one last time before he
died...
The others have already woke up by then. Concerned by Elenluin and
Marawyn's disappearance, Theomer and Glorielin went out to find them. Meanwhile, it
was up to Karla and Carisan (who woke to find himself tied up) to find themselves
some breakfast.
After a while, Theomer found Marawyn, limping from the twisted leg,
but apparently unhurt. He and Glorielin (who had disappeared for a few minutes but
came back looking very pale) helped her back to the cave and they tended her
injury, with Glorielin's elixir doing most of the healing. But they saw that Theomer
was missing too. Glorielin started to fret and so finally revealed the reason for
her anxiety-- she just had a vision of Elenluin's death. Which is why she insisted
that they find Elenluin and Theomer.
Meanwhile, Theomer had been frozen from where he stood. The rider
was looking at the carnage that had happened just some hours ago. Though there are
many dead orcs that had littered that place, only one body held his full attention:
Elenluin's body. Silently, he took off his cloak, and with it gently wrapped
Elenluin's body. Slowly but surely, he carried the body to where the cave, careful that
nothing happened to it. Curiously, the rider should have been quite tired after an
hour, but grief had a way of strengthening a man.
"...we don't want to lose anyone else, namely Theomer."
As soon as Glorielin said this, they heard a strange dragging sound from
outside of the cave. Warily, they all went out, only to see Theomer, just a
few feet away from the cave opening, carrying the cloaked body of Elenluin.
When the rider saw the others, he stumbled and fell.
Alarmed, they went to him. But Theomer who, finally let his tears
fall, can only say again and again, "Elenluin's dead. Elenluin's dead."
Marawyn and Glorielin rushed to Theomer's side. All of them were
shook by grief and all have reacted to the death in different ways. But they soon
must take care of Elenluin's body, to give their friend their final act of respect.
Karla looked on, the pain struck her deep, but she held
back tears. Hearing a menacing voice in her head, saying, 'only the strong
survive.' When she heard the voice in her head, she felt a surge of terror
wash over her. She could not cry, never had been able to, because, for as
long as she could remember, this had happened. She did not understand it,
and knew not what caused it, but the fear held her anyway. She did not show
any of this as she looked on, though emotions raged eternal within.
Then she stood up, and went just a bit out of the clearing
before making her way up a tree. She wasn't far, she could still see and hear
the companions, but she was hidden from their view. There she sat and watched,
feeling somewhat distanced in this time of grief she could not really share.
Carisan was in a state of shock. His friend Elenluin was dead.
Trapped in the depths of sleep, he could have done nothing to help him. He wished
to know why, to know what and who. He watched the funeral in shocked silence,
tearing up, but fighting it. He'd not known the elf long, but he'd felt a bond to
all of his new companions. He'd already lost too many friends in his lifetime. Orcs had
killed his entire band back in the south. The sense of immense loss was
returning, and his body ached with it. He got sick and threw up in the
forest and then went back to the cave to rest, leaving the funeral...
After finding a clearing, they had arranged Elenluin's body, which
was wrapped in cloth, in a makeshift bier filled with dried leaves and branches. Aside
for the songs of the birds, all was quiet in the forest. Theomer cleared his throat
and started to speak softly:
"Speak softly; sun going down
Out of sight. Come near me now.
Dear dying fall of wings as birds
complain against the gathering dark . . .
Exaggerate the green blood in grass;
the music of leaves scraping space;
Multiply the stillness by one sound;
by one syllable of your name . . .
And all that is little is soon giant,
all that is rare grows in common beauty..."
Theomer cannot go on, silenced by the emotions threatening
to overwhelm him. Seeing that the others are silent too, he touched the edge
of the funeral pile with the torch and flames started to engulf the elf's body.
"I just can't believe he's gone...we'll not see him
again", said Glorielin, sounding strangely emotionless, almost as if she were
chanting the words. "We'll not see him again". She was in a bit
of shock. The loss of her friend had got to her as hard as she had
tried not to let it.
Poem excerpt from Kenneth Patchen, "Fall of the Evening Star"