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Tumunzahar makes Menegroth look like a contract project. Which, the Dwarves assure her, it was. The stonework is astonishingly careful and beautiful, silky to the touch up close while from a distance it gives the impression of stretching on forever above, a sky of stone with crystals for stars. Vast natural cave systems are connected by dozens of perfectly smooth, gently sloped broad stone pathways from which the fall, if she fell, would be several miles down. There are handrails. "We use those to move materials carts," someone explains to her, "we're not going to be reckless."
There's an amphitheater, a place where a hundred of the stone walkways twine around to create space for a hundred thousand people to sit in close proximity, and someone is giving a lecture or a demonstration at the base of it, the seats closest to him filled with eager, tiny, bearded Dwarf-children.
And they spiral down, and down, and down, past waterfalls and egg-sized gemstones left half in the rock and halls of crystal. Everything grows gradually more ornate and more perfectly maintained and the clang of hammers fades behind them. "People say," her guide says, "that we only have a council instead of a single King because there were nine winners of the competition to design the throne so we couldn't just select one person to sit it." And they push open the doors to reveal, indeed, nine thrones so elaborate it would be hard to choose between them, and nine squat bearded people sitting them.
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"Well, this and a hug. We can't get everything we want in life."
purposeful_glory
"He has not asked me for a hug, but presumably I'm not the person he'd want it from."
"No."
purposeful_glory
Sigh.
Spellwork and walking? Spellwork and walking. She'll get the hang of it with practice, it's not like she's ever been walking somewhere private enough for this before she landed here.
Spellwork and walking? Spellwork and walking. She'll get the hang of it with practice, it's not like she's ever been walking somewhere private enough for this before she landed here.
They arrive about two hours later, Nolofinwë has people in uniform, armed, and looking anxious.
They don't exactly relax. Nolofinwë comes out to greet them, though. "Our King says," says one of the escort, "that if you desire to kill him you should come yourself."
"Tell your King," Nolofinwë says, "that if I desired to kill him I would."
"Tell your King," Nolofinwë says, "that if I desired to kill him I would."
purposeful_glory
"Well, we're off to a great start," mutters Loki under her breath.
"Sarpalarë," Nolofinwë says, "you stand accused of giving aid and comfort to the Enemy, by attempting to trigger violence among the peoples that oppose him."
"Your grace," she says, "I didn't do that."
"I am very glad to hear it. Why don't you come inside, rest, eat, and consider how you can help us demonstrate that."
"Your grace," she says, "I didn't do that."
"I am very glad to hear it. Why don't you come inside, rest, eat, and consider how you can help us demonstrate that."
Nolofinwë finds her once his guests and his prisoner have been escorted to equally-guarded buildings in the valley. "Here as an observer?"
"We are technically out of guest rooms, by which I mean out of ones where I can really be completely certain that even if half the people in this camp wanted trouble none would occur. I assume you don't need that. What do you need?"
purposeful_glory
"I'm perfectly comfortable sleeping in the air and I can fetch my own food from far enough afield not to interfere with your hunters and gatherers. I might come and go if the trial's proceeding slowly to see how the orcs are getting along. No need to worry about me."
"Very well. Is there anything you'd have us know before we begin? It'll be tomorrow morning - I want to give anyone with something to say a little more time to come forward."
"We found her scout group. They all insist that she fell and sprained her wrist while they were barely out of sight of camp, decided to head back, and told them an hour later that she was back safely."
"They did not. It was agreed it hadn't been a serious fall but sometimes one just lands badly. We've revised our reporting protocols so that specific trick won't work again, of course."
purposeful_glory
"So either her entire scouting group, or no one in the scouting group - more likely, especially if they don't self-assemble - is her accomplice; someone else was helping."
"They were assigned. Someone else must have met her outside camp with the bow - which we were able to track the very apologetic maker of, he found the perfect wood for it and asked my nephew Aikanáro if it was worth it and Aikanáro said the guard platforms here could use it, and after making it he left it in the armory."
A regretful shake of the head "We're changing that now, too."
purposeful_glory
"So - of people who had a chance to sneak off long enough to slip her the bow - what kind of suspect pool does that leave you with?"