In Dreams

Chapter Four.



Elrond crossed his study to the desk and rummaged through the stack of papers that Erestor had placed there earlier for his approval and signature. He found Amarie’s letter and sat down to study it again, totally fascinated. Besides the request for permission to bring Bar-Meneg-Mir-Lain to Imladris, she had included a list the artisans and their families and all the equipment they would be bringing, special looms, worktables, stores of rare fabrics, silk and woollen yarns, design libraries and resources and other records. He recognised several of the family names and was more than satisfied that others already here would welcome them.

“Those design libraries will contain designs going back over 3000 years. It would certainly be interesting to go through them,” he mused. "I wonder what history they would reveal?"

He was also completely surprised at how organised and well prepared she appeared to be. Her planning skills put to shame that of his own people who had the experience of running Imladris for hundreds of years and his military expeditions the centuries before that.

He was really looking forward to meeting her. In fact he was downright anticipating it!

He read on as she explained how they would execute the move in quite detailed terms. It seemed each family would be responsible for its own personal items and they had already acquired the necessary wagons and horses they would need to accomplish it. And she was proposing to make the move in three groups.

Her chief assistant would lead the first group consisting of nine elves without mates or young children in three wagons. Expected departure would be the second week of norui and it was anticipated to be a three-week trip. A number of the elves were already warriors, so protection would not be needed. Upon arrival they would organise any necessary changes to the buildings provided and do the initial set up of quarters and workspaces to include setting up some looms. This way she hoped to minimise interruption to workflow.

Elrond unconsciously nodded his head in agreement and checked the calendar on the desk. Excellent timing. Weather should be good, roads in good shape and everyone safe in Imladris in plenty of time to get settled in before lavas became a problem.

The second group would include wives and children with their necessary household belongings. Right now the numbers had reached eighteen adults and seven children in five wagons, but that could grow as several extended family members had expressed an interest in coming also. There would be some livestock and family pets. The expected departure would be the last week of norui, two weeks after the first group, and because of the group mix, it would take them four weeks to complete the journey. She had indicated that this would be the biggest group and the one that she was most concerned about. If he agreed to the relocation could he also provide a suitable escort for their safety?

He would have to talk to Glorfindel about that and see what schedules would have to be adjusted so that warriors could be assigned for that long, He turned back to the letter.

The third group, the smallest, will complete the final closure of the workshops and load up the last items on the wagons. The numbers here were four elves, herself and her great aunt for a total of six in two wagons. They would depart the second week of cerveth and expected to arrive just after the second group, the last week of cerveth. They would travel with a large group of friends who would accompany them to Imladris. They would appreciate it if he could provide guest quarters for fifteen travellers for at least one night. After which they would continue on to the Grey Havens.

In closing she expressed appreciation for any consideration of her request and hoped he would respond soon.

He leaned back in his chair and considered Gandalf's comments. Alluding to the increased orc activity along the western Mirkwood borders and the difficulty King Thranduil was having keeping them at bay, Gandalf had strongly urged Elrond to agree to the relocation. He referred contemptuously to the ongoing meetings and their boneheaded visitors' inability to understand the magnitude of the developing shadows and refusal to act.

Amarie has a lot to worry about and it will not get any better. She at least was taking steps to protect her people and herself. If Serindi and Thavron had known this was coming they would have relocated before they left or required Amarie to go with them. They would not have wanted to lose her to orcs as they did their son and daughter in law.




Imladris-Rivendell
Bar-Meneg-Mir-Lain -house of a thousand jeweled threads
norui = June
cerveth =July