Part 20

Under the table, Legolas squeezed Eowyn’s hand. “Do you think the forest can be saved?” he asked Arador.

“I know very little about the tending of trees, my Lord,” the young man replied. “You, and the gardeners of Eryn Carantaur, can answer far better than I. But, for what it is worth, I think the trees are beyond saving.”

Legolas nodded sadly; he had come to the same conclusion.

“Though,” Arador continued, thinking aloud, “if the dead trees were felled, the soil could be tilled and remedies introduced, and—when the soil was well enough—young trees could be planted. It would take time, but pines and larches grow swiftly. In one—maybe two—generations of Men, perhaps the forest could be restored...”

Legolas smiled. “This is why the deeds of Men will outlast the Elves,” he said. Then he added, “With proper care, Arador, do you think that blue could be made without—”

“Surely, Lord Legolas,” the Reeve interrupted, “you do not intend to allow this woman to keep making the stuff. She abducted my son!”

“She did, and she will be asked to make amends for it, sir,” said Legolas, “by serving the Colony—though Arador says that she treated him humanely, and that will also be taken into account. As for the blue, since it seems that I own the mine, I have decided that if, with the help of the Elves, it can be made safely, then there is no reason why Mistress Everill should not continue to employ the people of Eryn Hollen.”

“Oh, that’s a true gentleman, that is,” said Ma to Eowyn.

Beneath the table, Eowyn twined her fingers with Legolas’.

Legolas turned back to Arador. “Would you be willing—to begin with, at least—to oversee the restoration of the forest, and the improvements to the blue-making? I know that you want to continue your studies, but this would be an opportunity to spend some time putting your learning to the test.”

“My Lord,” said Arador, placing his hand upon his heart and—without any trace of irony—bowing his head like an Elf, “I would be honoured—”

“Now, wait a minute,” cried the Reeve. “My son is not one of your subjects! He is a Man, and he has responsibilities. I have arranged an advantageous marriage—”

“Papa!” Arador rose to his feet, knocking over his chair; it clattered on the stone floor. “No! I do not want to marry yet—and certainly not a woman I have never seen! Please, my Lord,”—he appealed to Legolas and Eowyn for help—“my Lady...”