The Music in My Heart

Title: The Music in My Heart, Chapter 35
Author: Sorsha
Fandom/Pairing: Elrond/OFC, Glorfindel/Haldir, Elladan/OFC, Elrohir/Legolas, others implied
Rating: PG-13, but rating will increase in future chapters
Warning: AU (Story set 770 years after ROTK); Some slash, but mostly het.
Feedback: This is my first fanfic, so constructive feedback appreciated.
Archive: AFF.net; Fanfiction.net
Acknowledgements: Many thanks to Alex Cat for her help in betaing this fic. Thanks also to Lady Victoria for her comments and support.
Disclaimer: Any of the residents of Middle-earth and Aman that you recognize belong to Prof. Tolkien’s estate. The same is true about Middle-earth and Aman. I’m only visiting and admiring the “views”.
Summary: Sauron may be gone, but his legacy of evil still lingers. As Middle-earth faces the threat of another dark lord, a party of elves departs Aman on a mission for the Valar, a mission of mercy long delayed.

Chapter 35 --- Imladris Reborn
‘In the morning the city
Spreads its wings
Making a song
In stone that sings.”
Langston Hughes

*****

With the Council behind them, the residents of the valley could at last devote their full attention to the rebirth of the once great realm. The slow exodus of the elves over the preceding fifteen hundred years had drained away much of the lifeblood on which Imladris had depended. With the return of Elrond and many of his people, the valley had begun to hum with activity once more.

The growing numbers of elves, humans, hobbits, and even a few hundred dwarves lent an air of expectancy to even common, everyday events. It also created innumerable challenges to the job of ruling and administering the affairs of the realm. In the case of the governing council, this actually meant seeing to the needs of two realms --- Imladris and Lorien. The list of issues and needs was extensive and went well beyond the pressing concerns of security and defense.

*****

While some of the elves returned from Aman departed with the elven delegations to resume their life in the kingdoms of their birth, the majority remained. Over one hundred Lorien elves had chosen to stay for training as wardens or to represent Lorien in the expeditionary force in the spring. Haldir was among them.

To the amusement of the rest of Imladris, he offered to share responsibility with Glorfindel for the training of new guardians for both realms, as well as recruits for the combined force. His stated reason obviously told only half of the story. Neither elf seemed ready to recognize what was so obvious to everyone else.

Rúmil and Orophin were among the eight hundred elves that decided to return to Lorien, anxious to resume their prior duties as wardens responsible for the protection of their home. The walled city of Caras Galadon had been refortified against the increasing threat of the Hordes and additional trained wardens were urgently needed to maintain the defenses.

With the elves went eight hundred human refugees in response to Celeborn’s offer of jobs, land to sharecrop in the spring, and the opportunity for skilled artisans to again ply their trade. Once they were established, the Lorien Lord hoped Caras Galadon would provide another option for refugees seeking a safe haven to weather the threat of the Hordes and thereby take some of the strain off of Imladris and the human strongholds of Rohan and Gondor.

With survivors of Horde attacks still arriving almost daily, housing conditions in the ‘Quarters’ had become critical. The decision by those that went to Lorien, along with fifteen hundred humans who decided to accompany the returning delegations of Rohan or Gondor, had eased the situation to some degree, but carpenters had been detailed to complete or restore portions of the sprawling complex abandoned millennia ago to provide additional rooms.

A block of storerooms that were too short for elves to inhabit soon became the domain of the hobbits. The original plan had been to carve the rooms out of the cliff, but a large vein of granite made completing them impractical. Happy with the cozy dimensions of the converted space tucked under the mountain much like a hobbit hole, the Halflings soon began to refer to their section as Hobbiton East.

The dwarves had been given permission to occupy several caves just to the west of the forge. By fall, the caves had been fitted with doors and the interiors were beginning to take on the hallmarks of dwarven design. The first residents began to move into their new accommodations near summer’s end and the rest would soon be ready.

The remainder of the ‘Quarters’ was being renovated for their human residents. While many of the rooms were small, they were also clean, dry, and, above all, safe. Families were housed together and many sections took on the feel of the old villages the occupants had fled.

An additional pair of public baths was commissioned to allow the refugees greater access to this luxury. A large, easily accessed grotto in the cliff nearest the main house was selected, largely for its location. It was also a logical choice, as hot-springs bubbled up to form pools in the cavern. The hot water was supplemented by a diverted flow of cooler water from the falls. It also circulated and flushed the water assuring good public hygiene was maintained.

*****

With the housing crisis well in hand, the need to recruit workers to fill key gaps in the workforce was addressed. This had also helped ease the problem of boredom and idle hands among the displaced. The construction projects had a second benefit as they provided jobs for the restless refugees. Others had been accepted as trainees for postings as guardians of the realm. Many were already skilled craftsmen or farmers. A few healers and teachers were found willing and able to go back to work. Staff positions within the great house were filled, giving jobs to those without particular skills.

The tradesmen agreed to have Imladris broker the sale of their wares in exchange for a commission on any sales. Farmers were promised the same bargain for next year’s season, with a wage to be paid for the current year. This gave them a way to help contribute to the realm that had generously sheltered their families and it gave them new purpose.

Work soon began to reopen or enlarge the shops, the forge, and the other associated buildings of the elven city-state. What had quickly been becoming a threat to the internal stability of Imladris soon became a source of added strength. It was in those hectic weeks that most stopped thinking of the displaced as refugees and began to think of them as Imladris’ newest residents. For many, this status was to become permanent.

*****

In the months that followed, the contribution of the new workers was clearly being felt, as well as, seen. The forge fired to life early in the morning as weapons, armaments, and metal crafts were fashioned by the skilled artisans. Space for the various products, ranging from the practical to purely ornamental, was provided with the individual workers sharing the whole. The ring of the smith’s anvil again echoed through the valley.

The dwarves, experienced and skilled miners, reopened small shafts in the surrounding cliffs in search of much needed materials. Various minerals used for medicinal or other purposes, along with a small quantity of valuable ore and gems were located and mined. Gimli, now ancient by dwarven standards, oversaw their work from the comfort of an office Elrond provided for his use.

Since both gold and silver nuggets could be found in the Bruinen, small parties were often seen panning in the riverbed of shallow areas of the river. Gemstones were rare, but were occasionally found.

Clay and sand from in and around the valley were transformed into housewares, storage vessels, and a host of other items. Potters wheels spun from sunup to sundown and the firing kilns glowed through the night. Glass blowers were allocated space and glassware, both ornamental and practical, glimmered forth on the ends of blowing rods as the talented artisans plied their craft.

The spinning wheels, dying rooms, and looms of Rivendell, silent for many hundreds of years with the sailing of the Eldar, were again humming. Some of the returned elves and elleths were master weavers. Many others were found among the ranks of the other peoples. Wool, cotton, flax, and silk fibers, the latter from a caterpillar habitat nurtured in one of the valley’s greenhouses, were spun into fine threads and dyed for the looms.

The traditional cloths of Imladris, along with the unique and beautiful weaves of the other peoples, began to form on the beds of the looms. Hybrid styles, blending the different methods, began to appear. Some of the cloth found its way out of the mountain realm to waiting markets, but most were used to provide material to clothe those now calling the valley home. Dozens of seamstresses were put to work, sewing new garments or repairing clothing and other items.

*****

Late summer crops had been sown that would provide a modest, yet vital additional harvest. Fall crops had followed and the fields of Imladris shimmered with the golden hue of wheat, oats, and barley. Cotton, corn, hops, and flax from spring plantings were harvested along with various row crops. Sections of the greenhouses, long abandoned, bustled with activity as they were readied to receive the delicate plants needed to provide the valley’s population with fresh produce in the coming winter.

The fields, orchards, and vineyards of Imladris had been productive, even as droughts and heat had damaged crops in other parts of Middle-earth. Their elven caretakers had spent most of the spring and summer tending them with aid from the Hobbits and humans. This had allowed their crops to survive through to harvest in good condition. The lingering legacy of Vilya aided their efforts. The bounty of the valley was sufficient to feed its own and the excess would be needed by other realms hard hit by the drought.

*****

The first pressing of summer grapes had properly fermented before the young wine was sealed in oak barrels and stored in the constant cool of the caves behind the waterfalls. The crop of pears had exceeded expectations and part of it was being carefully crafted into Imladris’ renowned liqueur, Miruvor. Dwarf and human brewers devoted long hours to the careful blending and brewing of hops, barley, malt, and other ingredients into prized ale and beer. Large vats of apples were pressed and cider joined the rest in the cool storage rooms of the great house. Part of the early potatoes crop became a clear, odorless alcohol, along with distillations made of various grains. They were needed by the Healing House as antiseptics or to make certain medical tinctures and distillates.

The press, grist mill, drying rooms, and kitchens had been in steady use as the various crops were processed for later use or sale. Bags of meal, flour, and cereals, jugs of corn and other types of oils, jars of jams, jellies, and pickled fruits and vegetables, pots of honey, sealed crocks of dried fruits and processed vegetables, and large bins of dried beans, lentils, grains, berries, and nuts began to fill the store rooms. The root cellars bulged with apples, potatoes, cabbages, carrots, onions, and various root vegetables. The last harvests of many crops would be stored there and in cold frames in caves.

Fallen trees and limbs were gathered and stockpiled for use. The flood of the summer had damaged or swept away many trees along the banks of the river and on the side of steep slopes. They provided a ready stock of quality material. The best pieces became lumber for the carpenters or the woodworkers use. Furniture, barrels, bows, and other items were crafted. The rest was stockpiled for firewood for the long, cold winter. Reeds and saplings were harvested to be made into thousands of arrows.

Feathers and down were collected to make quills, arrows, and bedding. Corn shucks and husks became mattresses for the new quarters. Special plants and wood pulp were set aside to be made into paper and twine during the long winter months. Berries and other materials rich in pigment were collected to make inks and dyes. Saps and resins were tapped from various trees for distillation into various syrups, glues, spirits, and solvents

The medicinal and culinary herb gardens had thrived. Herb mixtures, teas, oils, soaps, and other decoctions were produced and stored in the apothecary and kitchens. Vast quantities of bee’s wax were collected to make candles and canning seals, for use in the Healing House, and for dozens of other purposes. Honey collection had been impressive, as had bee pollen amounts, but both were eclipsed by the mushroom crop. All had both medicinal and culinary uses and were in demand from markets in other realms. With orders up from the preceding year, Erestor had been greatly cheered by these totals and the prices they fetched.

Elrond had ordered a new greenhouse be built to allow year-round growing and access to the vital curative plants, especially those best used freshly picked. He also had plans to expand cultivation of rare or tropical plants by experimenting with various settings and growing methods in hopes of providing them in steady supply. He and Seere were hoping to recreate the unique climate of their glade in a portion of the new greenhouse in hopes of producing these delicate plants in a safe, controlled environment.

*****

The smoke houses and storage rooms were filling with smoked, dried, and salted meats from the game and fish that their hunting parties had provided to supplement the modest number of livestock slaughtered. So successful were they, Erestor was able to begin to offer limited quantities of the prepared meats at a premium price. Smoked mountain trout from Imladris was a prized delicacy throughout Arda and demand was good.

The remaining by-products of the livestock and game were likewise processed. Drying pelts and buckskin were stretched over racks to be cured for fur or leather goods. Bones were crafted into various implements, larger bones were ground and added to the compost pits to add nutrients that would benefit the gardens, fat was rendered into lard, and sinew was saved for various purposes. By the time they were through, very little was discarded. Waste of any type was abhorrent to elves and, in this, there was no exception.

Dairy and poultry operations had been begun to return to their old levels. Eggs were now plentiful enough to meet daily needs and the cooks had begun to periodically serve chicken at evening meals. Wheels of Imladrian cheddar, blue, and other cheeses had been sealed to cure in the deep caves in the valley. The valley’s famed nim nyeene was in full production by mid-summer. The earthy tasting white cheese was made in three traditional flavors --- plain, herb and pepper infused, and a mix with dried fruits coated by a smoked pecan crust. (white goat)

*****

Erestor and Seere were kept busy organizing markets for new goods and handling the sale of Imladris’ traditional products. The realm had expended a great deal of its resources to aid in the refugee crisis, so a profitable year was needed to refill the stores and replenish the coffers of realm.

The visiting delegations had brought some imports with them and had taken back some of the supplies they had purchased that were ready for delivery. Heavily guarded supply convoys, one of the efforts approved at the Council meeting, became a monthly event as deliveries arrived and goods destined for the various realms left for their markets. The day of departures and arrivals varied widely and was a closely held secret to aid security. The security force was comprised of a mix of warriors from each kingdom.

Orders came and replies went attached to the weekly intelligence reports. Erestor sent updated inventories of available goods back with the messengers to generate more sales. Three assistants were assigned responsibility for keeping up with orders, deliveries, and inventories. Each of the various enterprises had a representative that met regularly with Erestor and his staff to discuss production, materials, and staffing issues. The Chief Counsellor was in his element.

Deliveries went out. Revenue returned along with trade goods the valley could not produce for itself, such as salt, fuel oils, certain medicinals and foods, and specific raw materials like mithril ore, iron ore and coal. Erestor and his staff oversaw the trades, making sure Imladris was properly provisioned for the coming winter. The Hordes may have disrupted life in Middle-earth, but commerce continued. Erestor, his warrior blood stirred, made it his mission.

*****

The training of guardians went on six days a week, unabated by councils or crisis. The first recruits had completed their training by late summer and Haldir began working with the next group without delay. A squad of thirty-five from the second group marched for Lorien on the last day of Urime. (August)

The new guardians allowed Glorfindel to widen the range of the border patrols to include some of the outlying lands Imladris had traditionally ruled. His success had been limited at best in reclaiming this territory, but it had succeeded in curbing some of the attacks along the approaches to the valley.

Despite these efforts, the wounded still arrived in the Healing House with depressing regularity. The strain on the healers continued to build. Here again, Erestor had been able to find skilled help from among their new population --- three healers, two herbalists and several trained care givers. Elrond implemented a weekly schedule to allow the staff time away from the halls to recover their energies.

The kitchen and household staff began each day before sunup and worked in shifts well into the evening to serve the needs as the growing population. Many that lacked formal skills found jobs assisting the cooks --- serving meals, chopping vegetables, and washing dishes. The head cook had taken on several apprentice cooks to train to lessen the burden on her staff. Others were employed to handle housekeeping and laundry. The latter was a massive undertaking as they assisted many of the valley residents.

The number of trainees for the Healing Halls and scholars for the libraries had grown over the summer with Elrond’s return. Classes were organized on as regular a basis as the influx of wounded allowed. Young healers learned first hand on those days the true nature of the calling. The young scribes and scholars were expected to assist in the making of paper, ink, and quills and learn the art of book binding in addition to their studies.

Classes began for the children and young adults populating the realm. The elven love of learning opened the door for many children to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic that would never have had the opportunity in most of the small, isolated villages of their birth. Among the young to be instructed were five descendents of Elrond from Rohan, Gondor, and the Dúnedain. The blood of the twin sons of Elwing and Eärendil still ran true in their descendents. The cultural haven for which Imladris had long been renowned was reemerging, rebuilding itself with the return of the Eldar and the contributions of its newest residents.

*****

Celeborn stood beside his old friends watching the latest supply caravan arrive. A small smile played across his lips as he recalled a morning not quite a year before when he had lamented the decline of this once great realm. By the grace of the Valar and Eru Ilúvatar, and the talents of many people, Imladris was well on its way to being reborn!

*****