Robin was on the way to say yes, but caught herself in the last second.

Agel Arágel swept his coat closer around himself and bowed again. “Then I have to say goodbye in all kindness,” he said. “Or, as I rather should say, be seeing you, if I could be so bold? May our way paths again.” He bowed again and disappeared like smoke in the wind in through the trees.

“He didn’t seemed that terrible dangerous,” said Robin.

“Not now. But wait until you have said ‘yes’ to any of his questions. Then he gets big as a thundercloud. I know. I have seen it happen. But I have never again seen Caladhiel, who said ‘yes’ to him. She let herself be persuaded.” Galadriel looked serious at Robin. “Promise me that you are careful. I do not know if they can harm you. They practice witchcraft and have gone astray, so they do not ‘listen’ to our laws anymore. Please do not let yourself be deceived. They are deceitful and can disguise themselves.”

“I managed, surely! Why did he use so ridiculous words?”

“He spoke persuasion language,” said Galadriel. She rose and shook her slender body. “Phew, it smells of Thind mân.”

When Robin took time she noticed a thin smell of mould disturbing the meadowsweet smell.

“Come,” said Galadriel. ”We go towards the wood.” And they walked in through the trunks, where lily of the valley, a small flower of light yellow, spread stars on the ground. But Robin didn’t think on how the wood looked. She only wondered how it had gone for Galadriel with the timber man and the baby and the soldier.

“Do you want to continue to tell your story?” she careful asked. “How did it go?”

“How did the story go?” Galadriel bend her neck forward so her hair covered her profile.

“Yes, when the housewife noticed you where pregnant?” said Robin.

“She didn’t say anything more that day,” Galadriel began. “But I was scared, very scared. And when I sat in the cottage that evening, alone, I remembered I had heard about a woman that had gone out in the forest to pick berries, and she bore a child too. There in the wood she saw a bear and started to run with all the power she had; she couldn’t stop running she was so scared. In the end she was so tired so she fell. She lay there a long time and was in pain. She gave birth there, and the child was dead.”

Robin swallowed. Galadriel didn’t meet her eyes.

“I went out and did the same. I mean that I went out and ran until I fell. But it didn’t help. A few days later the timber man came and he was furious and he told me what to do. He said he knew a wise woman, and she could take the child away if I paid. I took everything I had saved and went to her. She gave me a brew that pushed the child out. I buried it under a spruce. Then the time went on and on, but the timber man didn’t come back.”

Robin couldn’t help but interrupt her: “Why did you have to kill the baby?” she asked.

~*~ Part 18 ~*~

“Am I a ghost?” she smiled. “No my little friend, I’m not a ghost. As I told you earlier I’m a Noldor elf. If it had happened here I would probably be dead, but since it was in your world and my ‘fate’ was not to disappear yet, I came to something that we call ‘Mandos halls’ and was offered to continue to live here. It also depends on which specialties I have. They were given back to me when I was allowed to live.”

“But that wasn’t what you asked; I don’t know if it is the way you humans die.” Galadriel continue and a tiny wrinkle appeared between her eyes. “I don’t know and there has not been anyone to ask. Now I can’t go over and I find it hard to get close to where the words collide around the cottage.”

Around the trees it creaked, and Robin pressed herself close to Galadriel. They stood still and waited. Soon they saw three forms, which were coming closer to them. The tallest of them waved; and the sun flashed in his spectacles. Beside him walked a short person in a white dress and white hat, and behind them came a figure with long blond hair and green clothes. Robin didn’t think it was weird or unpleasant to meet Greenwood again.

“It is the ornithologist!” said Galadriel happy. “The bird watcher!” she waved. “And the other one in white is Ticka, the mushroom fairy.” 

“Has she also instincts?” asked Robin.

Galadriel smiled. “Yes, but not as Greenwood. She protects the mushrooms in the wood. When the Hrávemat[1] comes and wants to eat them, she changes them so they look like dead leaves.”

“Mae govannen[2], Galadriel!” shouted the bird watcher. “Howdy doody?”

He was close so that Robin could see him quite clear, though he was little blurred. On his mouse-colored hair sat a black beret, on his nose he had a pair of round spectacles, and he was wearing a checked vest, white shirt and a pair of sagging trousers. Everything looked rather worn. He was thin and looked like a crane in flight as he glided to them with long steps. Greenwood, who looked the same, gave Robin a rogue wink.

“Galadriel,” said the bird watcher, “It has finally happened! He has awaked! The sleeper has woken and we shall meet to listen to him!” his eyes glimmered. “And it was in the last moment, you would say.”

Galadriel shine up. “Has he said anything yet?”

“No, he waits until we are gathered. I heard it from the elkgirl; she rides around and brings the word about it. Come, it is best we get a move on. I mean that we need to hurry. This way everyone!” He headed off in through the trunks of the trees, and they followed.

Robin felt miserable, because she didn’t know if it was okay for her to come.

Greenwood, who walked beside her, said; “You should not be sad because he did not greet you. He only has eyes for Galadriel.”

“Odd,” said Robin. “I thought that everyone was in love with you.”

Greenwood looked troubled. “I think it is a bit strange,” he agreed. “But he is not my type and neither is not Galadriel, so that does not matter.”

“What does your type look like?” asked Robin.

“Little more like me,” said Greenwood. Robin become happy, because she was a little like Greenwood, she thought. At least they had the same hair color and were about the same height.

“But if you drown everyone you like, you have to be very lonely in the end,” said Robin.

Greenwood didn’t answer that, instead said Ticka, the mushrooms fairy: “He is incorrigible. We are starting to think there is something wrong with him.”

He turned quickly around: “Just because you are both sanctimonious and dumb does not mean everyone has to be,” he hissed. They had fallen behind Galadriel and the bird watcher, who held each others hands.

Ticka looked irritated. “Now we shall not argue,” she said old-fashioned. “But sometimes I wonder if it would not be good for Greenwood to be a little grey.”

Greenwood stopped dead. His eyes were black as the night.

“Do you understand what you are saying?” he burst out. “I have noticed how you have changed the latest time. You, for example do not like those who sing more beautiful than you. You can not enjoy the meadow fairies dance, only because they dance better than you. Ticka, little one, you have to be careful! Because when you start to become envious and self-absorbed, that is when the Thind mân[3] can best persuade you. Maybe you have spoken a lot with them the latest time? You shall not joke about them, because one day they will come and get you. And I am not one that will miss you!”

Ticka looked nervous. “It is probably best if we start walking again, or we will not have time to catch up the others,” she said.

Greenwood started walking, but continued talking. “It just so happens that not everyone is alike,” he said “Think how sad it would be if it were so; then I would be exactly like you and then you would not be able to dislike me; that would be sad? And if I happen to be different than you, it can be so that I actually want to be that.” He turned to Robin and continued: “By the way you should not talk about things you do not understand. You wanted to see how I live. There is actually a garden there, though I might have exaggerated a little with the silver hall and colonnade. If that bloodless elf had come and disturbed –“

He was interrupted by the bird watcher and Galadriel.