The Green Dragon Inn #11 - The Last Chapter

[Hookbill the Goomba]

The grey beard of the stout fellow was almost completely white now, and his face was certainly set with a thousand griefs. The sign of the Green Dragon burrowed into his mind as he stood at the door, as he sighed and drew himself up. It had been a night of doom and of disaster, and he knew that it would not be over, not as long as the memory lasted in his ancient Dwarvish brain.

The Inn was slightly sad, as if the passing of something was taking place soon, almost as if some sensed the grief that lay on the little Dwarf's heart. Yet some were dancing and singing, drinking and eating, a merry band of hobbits, reminding Dwaline of why he loved The Shire.

Cree was sitting at a table, a half full mug of ale in front of here and a look of bewilderment in her face. Adu was near by; Dwaline knew that she had been the first to speak with fell Fáinu when he came to the Shire. The Dwarf put a hand on her arm and whispered in her ear, yet only she heard what he had said. He stepped back and spoke a little more loudly, "If you wish to hear the full tale, I shall tell it. Stand near by."

The Dwarf hobbled over to Cree's table and sat down with a thump and placed his head in his hands. "My lady," he began, "I bring news. Grief here is twinned with hope. Yes, hope for ye." He took out of his pack a long and smooth black pipe; it looked as if it had never been used. "I was told to give this onto you. He said you would understand." Cree nodded and took the pipe.

"I met Fáinu coming out from the inn," continued the Dwarf, "and we spoke a while on the road. He told me much of your adventures with the Dragon, though I already knew much of it. He seemed so distant and full of cares. I soon realised that our steps were going westwards and when he called upon a horse, I knew for certain that we were going to the Heavens. How we got there so fast I do not know, but we did.

"As we walked out on the pier, Fáinu stopped, staring out to the sea, and with tears in his eyes, he fell to the ground. He helped him up and he tried once again to approach the boat, yet he fell once again. His eyes were blind with streaming tears and he cried aloud 'Curse you! Curse you! Dragon! Worm! I hate thee! Thy curse hath been fore filled! Release me! Release me!' yet nothing happened. He threw his fist at the ground and wept all the more.

"After a while he rose and walked away from the Heavens. He walked up along the cliffs and ever looked west. He stumbled once, yet regained his balance and stood long on the cliff edge, looking out over the sea. I came to him and said we should go back to the Inn before it closes, yet he shook his head.

"'I am not going back to the Inn,' he said, 'not now, not ever!' his hands were clenched in a fist and he shook. 'Now I truly have nothing. Do you see? Nought but the clothes I here bare; yet I am content. Yes, content to live in this cursed Middle Earth. Yet, while I wish to remain, to be with my friends,' he laughed a cruel laugh, 'how amusing. I never had a friend in my life. I was a cruel person, full of hate and pitiless to the point to leading a trusted friend into a Dragons den. Do those sound like the actions of a friend? I was never anyone's friend.'

"I began to get worried and I stepped towards him, yet he drew his sword and threatened me, saying, 'come not nigh to me! This is the last hour! See, the west has rejected me and I must flee thither to escape the cursed Dragon! Since the sea will no bear me, I must go to Mandos!' he threw then the pipe at me, saying that you would understand." Cree looked at the pipe, and it seemed strange to her.

"He then turned to the west and looked out over the sea, crying, 'Mandos! If you keep Dragons in your halls, tell the so-called son of Smaug that his slayer is coming! And I curse him! I curse him to the end of Arda! Curse ye Dragon! Curse ye Middle Earth! And a curse on ye, oh fell Mandos!' with that, he took the blade and forced it into his own breast." Cree's eyes flashed and she seemed to stop breathing for a second.

"Yeah, I attempted to lend my aid, yet it was too late. Before I could come there, he had toppled over the edge and fallen among the rocks and the sea had taken him." both Adu and Cree listened in amazement, yet now it all made sense. It had been coming for a while, and Cree could now see why.

"He believes, maybe," continued Dwaline, "that since he has gone to Mandos, you can take the boat to Valinor. I know not the matters of the Elves. Yet now, I believe, the tale of fell Fáinu is over, for the Dragon curse has left and all may be made right in this matter." he rose from the table and closed his pack. "I must leave now. I will go to Rivendel and seek out the family of the accursed." he laid a hand on Cree's shoulder, "farewell, lady, we will not meet again." and with that, Dwaline the Dwarf left the Green Dragon Inn, forever.

[Glirdan]

"Just tell me what you want help with." Gróin could tell that she was still quite aggravated with him yet still didn't want to ruin their knew friendship.

"No, there is nothing you could do now Lily. I was just in horrible fright and when I saw you, I yelled for you to help me because of that fright. I think I will go back to bed and leave you and your "friend" alone. And when I wake up, I'm off. But not to the Ered Luin. I shall be travelling, looking for the woman whom I love. I know she's still alive. I just know she is..." Gróin said, lost in thought. Yes. That's what I shall do. I shall go on a search for my love, Sarin. He turned back to look at Lily and Posco to say goodnight.

[Dairym]

Ravennar straightened, as though at some unspoken decision. At last, it seemed, he had come to what troubled him. “I have to leave at daybreak,” he said. “Yet I am in difficulty and this may turn ill, not only for me, but for others also. Could…could you not help me?”

“I—I do not think I could be of much help to you…” Heather murmured. She could hardly imagine that such a traveler would need her help. What might a Breelander do that he couldn’t? Her fingers touched the hard stone through the fabric of her skirt, and a thrill of excitement warmed her. She looked up and smiled. “Whatever aid I can give, it is yours. Please…tell me of your ‘difficulty’.”

[Dimturiel]

Ravennar stood for some moments silent, hesitating, as if he now regreted his plea for help. Presently, he took a deep breath and began:

"I think that I should start my tale from the beginning. It will explain my plight better, although it would also cast an ill reflection upon me. If this is so, and if you are no longer willing to help me, I will respect your choice.

"I like to travel, and for this reason I am always being sent on some errand or another. I had a friend, that would go with me, and the roads were shorter when I would tread them with him. But something terrible happened on one of our journeys. The path that we were treading was wild and untamed, and beneath us gaped dark a dark gulf. My friend slipped on a rock and.."

Ravennar stopped and shook his head. He remained silent for a while, as if he was mustering his thoughts.

"I tried to give him aid," he continued at lenght, "I really did, but...but there was nothing that I could do. I returned alone, and told my people what had happened but not all believed me. Some said that I had failed to rescue him on purpose. It was known to all that I had my eyes on the same maiden that he courted. That was true, and true was also the fact that she prefered him, and that I envied him; but I swear, Heather, I swear on what I hold most dear in this world that never had I thought of harming him. He was my friend.

"I recieved this accusation one night at our inn, and I had changed since then. I am always striving now to prove my worth to those that name me murderer. It is not that I am trying to make them renounce their belief, Iam just trying to prove to them that I can do deeds worth singing of. I have become arrogant in my pursuit for glorry. And this lead me to my greatest mistake.

"I was entrusted with an errand of great importance, an errand of which I may not say any more.I had to go to Anuminas. But I , in my arrogance and foly, refused to take any companion and set upon this road alone. The journey was hard. I lost my horse, and I lost my way also. I know not how to reach Anuminas from here. Will you not help me, Heather? Although, now that you know my true self, maybe you are not that willing to aid me."

Ravennar fell silent and looked at Heather expectantly. He hoped very much that he woul recieve help, not for himself as much as for the sake of his errand.

[Firefoot]

That was my fault, said one half of Lily’s mind as Gróin said good night and left for his room. Nevertheless, she was puzzled; she had been completely genuine in her offer of help, but now Gróin seemed determined to simply ignore whatever it was that had gotten him in such a fright. Strange fellow, that one. Not unpleasant, but strange.

“I hope it wasn’t me that put him off,” Lily said to Posco. “He doesn’t think highly enough of himself and wouldn’t ever bother anyone with himself. But I suspect it was just that; a noise in the hallway that frightened him. If it really is something, I suppose we’ll hear more of it. I do hope he finds the one he’s looking for, though.” An awkward silence settled over the table. There seemed to be so many things she ought to say and no good way to say them. “It’s horrible to think you might not, you know… find the one you’re looking for, that is.” Yes, he ought to know. “For if you had no confidence in me, I had none in you, either. You see, when I was riding through Buckland, there was some lad there who told me you had come here to find your bride, and I thought you had come here for someone else.” It sounded absurd now, sitting with him here, but still she could not forget the horrible feelings of her ride here. But it would be all right. He still loved her… and it would be all right. Finally, something about this day made sense.

“And now perhaps we can both start fresh…”

[Dairym]

Heather listened wide-eyed as his story unfolded. Here indeed was a tragedy of misunderstandings. Did love always lead to this? Was it the fate of affection to wound deeper than it healed? Heather remembered the grey, closed face of her father, laugh lines creased into frowns, his eyes haunted with the same hopeless question that shadowed this man of Dale. She brushed her hand across her eyes before the tears could gather.

“Will you not help me, Heather?” Ravennar finished. All signs of reserve had long gone. “Although, now that you know my true self, maybe you are not that willing to aid me.”

Heather sat up. She tried to sound indignant, though it came out rather choked. “Now that I know you, sir? What’re you meaning by that, may I ask? Ravennar,” Heather said slowly, “You speak to me with candor and humble yourself without need. It is a fading age indeed if men so lightly condemn one another.” She smiled. “Anyone could tell you that Annuminas is to the north, by Lake Nenuiel, at the very mouth of the Baranduin. Even on foot, it should only take a fortnight to get there.”

[Dimturiel]

Ravennar looked up to catch a better glimpse of Heather when she began talking. The tone of her voice told him that there was something wrong with her. But what? Had he, unwillingly, touched upon things that brought her pain?

Ravennar started, when he heard how near he was to his destination. Was this really possible? Then that meant that he had not failed, after all. He would not return home in shame. He laughed, a clear, honest laugh, as he had not done for a long time.

"Well," he said, becoming serious again, "Now that I think of it, I realise that all this time I was trying to prove so high and mighty, I have been nothing but a great fool."

He smiled at Heather. Suddenly, he clasped her hand.

"I thank you," he told her, "For this and for everything else. I wish to repay you, somehow, and maybe I shall be able to do this some day. And one more thing. If by what I have told you this evening I brought back memories of your own that grieve you, forgive me. It was not my intent.