Our Lord Anglachelm was a mighty lord of the Hidden City of Gondolin of the Seven Fountains, that known as the Stone House, the Secret Place, the beautiful Flower of Tumladen, that Lily-of-the-Valley of the Ancient Realm of Beleriand, and though it is no more, he led a remnant of his people away, before its utter destruction, and helped found the Ancient House of Vanimar. But the Enemy, never tiring of destroying that which is good and noble and fair in this world, came with an army of evil-hearted Men, and took him far away from his kinsmen. And they were left despairing, and without hope, until Lord Veryacano stepped forth, and angrily vowed that he would find him, and bring him back, or die in the attempt. And everyone wondered at this, knowing how hard this task would be, and some thought it not only hard, but even impossible. Yet this did not stop Bar-en-Vanimar, knowing the absolute necessity that it must be met with success, and that we must try to recover Lord Anglachelm, alive and sound, even if it seemed beyond hope. Therefore, we took our leave of the Valley of the Cleft, and went forth in haste, following hard upon the trail of his captors, and pursuing many rumours of his passing. Some were true, and some were false, because the Enemy is full of Deceit, and tried to throw us off the trail.
It happened that we were led to that place in the Southern Greenwood, where the water runs swift and black over a high precipice, where my people do not go. As I looked upon its spires with apprehension, I wondered what kept us alive this long – surely there was some hand guiding us to this place, that allowed us to find the nameless caged elf who told us where we might find Lord Anglachelm. What kept us from being captured ourselves, when we foolishly brought ourselves so close to the Tower of the Necromancer? But we found our lost Lord Anglachelm, at long last, lying on a stone altar in a very wretched condition, faint, bloodied, and bruised. He smiled when he saw Lord Veryacano, and whispered that he had come.
Whether my poor Lord became sensible of where he was carried, I knew not; but sure I was, that he was brought safe to the ruins of Mithechad, and free from any more harm, and when Laurelindo said he would live, it caused me to cry out, He is alive! He is saved! And so rejoicing, I ran around the place, calling out to all of the astonished elves. How near the wicked red-robed Men were to putting an end of his life, in some evil design, I dare not think! Such plotters have oft been successful in destroying many thousands of our people, but our Lordship they could not touch, because they could not withstand the raging power of Bar-en-Vanimar.
Then, being full in heart, and overwrought in mind, I took my leave of my Lord, rendering humble thanks to his Lordship for all his expressions of love and kindness, from the time of our first meeting, when I became a member of his House. It would be a long matter if I would list all of these here, but my weariness forces me to omit them, or describe the particulars of our Lordship’s rescue in better detail. For now, it is quite enough to say that we found him, and he lives. I admit I had once observed the impossibility of finding Lord Anglachelm, because of the many deaths and dangers to which I had been so often exposed, here in the Greenwood, and elsewhere in the world.
It is a testament to the will of Lord Veryacano that we prevailed in our Search, and though he may regret it now, his steadfastness and watchfulness likewise preserved me, when I most certainly would have perished. The blizzard in the Hithaeglir was so powerful as to have killed me, but he pulled me out of the snowbank in which I lay for hours, and which would have been my tomb, if he had not seen my foot sticking out of it, with those piercing sharp eyes of his that penetrate into all the dark and secret places. Now the selfsame vigilance, which took care of me, has taken care of Lord Anglachelm. But he did not do it alone – no, he had help from many stout hearts of those who stood by him, when others might have forsaken the task, or given up, and abandoned him. I know what it is to stand alone, with none stepping in to help or encourage me, or teach me, or offer friendship – but I need not fear this anymore, so I shall say nothing more of past bitternesses, only that not everyone shares the same fate, nor faces the same trials. Why this is, and what causes it, I know not. There is great variety of trees, and no two leaves are alike, so no two people are the same, and some must pass through greater difficulty, horror, and bondage, and suchlike, than others do. Some are brought through it with great desperation, as I was, and as Lord Anglachelm was, and narrowly escape with their lives; others have an easier time, and are dealt with more gently, as they venture through the world. I wish, for his sake, that he had been one of the latter folk, but we cannot choose our fates, and there must be some purpose for it.
