“You mean the sea persuaded them to drown themselves?” asked Gimli.

“As good as,” said Eowyn. “Why do you think the other elves needed to throw a line up to the deck?”

Haldir smiled. “The lady is right—and, may I say, much quicker than the venerable elves on this occasion. It seems that the young elves, longing to swim, had jumped over the side, forgetting to arrange some means of climbing back aboard… When the storm came they were trapped in the water, and the sea took their lives.”

“What a sad story,” said Gimli.

Legolas patted his back. “Let us drink to their spirits, elvellon, waiting in the Halls of Mandos.”

“May their time be short,” said Gimli, raising his tankard. “And let us thank the gods for our own wellbeing, and that of our loved ones, this Yuletide.”