My dearest sisters; Ealhwyn, Cwenthryth, Leofgifu, and and Sigeburg,
I wish I was writing under better circumstances. I am departing for a foul place called Angmar. It is a foul place wherein evil forces reside. An elf I have befriended, his husband is held prisoner there. We are going to rescue him. My stomach fills with dread and I am nauseous when I think about this. I have no idea what awaits me in there, and I know I will not return the same man. I love all of you very dearly. I will write as soon as we return, expect a reply within a week or two from this one... Hopefully.
I should tell you about this love of mine. His name is Idhrandir. I am not going to disclose anything about his past or heritage without his permission, though I will tell you he is a man, from more North of Bree-land. He is an elegant and learned man, maps and languages being his passion. He is a pale and tall man, though still shorter than I. His hair reminds me of raven wings, and his eyes remind me of a cloudy, grey winters day, though more warm and hospitable. He has such a gentle demeanour, he reminds me of a doe, thus I have started to call him 'little deer' as mother used to call us. This mission is the first time I am spending apart from him, and I would be lying if I said I did not weep bitterly the past couple of nights. I have never had anyone make me feel this way. All at once, I have stopped my promiscuous wanderings. No man has made me do so before. I hope you get to meet him. I close my eyes and dream of him, of us aging and becoming old men together within each other's arms. It scares me though, that I am much older than him, and his people tend to be longer lived. It haunts me every night that I will leave him far sooner than either of us wish.
This same worry haunts me when I think about my dear elven friends.
I hope you do not think of me as a crazy man: I have been talking to our deceased grandfather's spirit in my dreams at night, and he is teaching me many things. I am learning the secrets hidden within plants and the wilds of the lands, of spirits and visions. I am learning to peer into the past and future. I have gotten a grasp on how to toss and read bones. More and more, I feel disconnect from my Eorling side and more and more connected to my Dunlending side. I need to remember a balance. Perhaps I need to learn about our father's side a bit more. I would love to teach this knowledge to one of your children, seeing as men cannot conceive and make our own children (and mine and Idh's lifestyles would not be suited to children as is, I would not be able to tone down my desires around a child of ours).
I must ride out soon; expect a reply soon.
With much love,
Egfor.
