Ill Met at Carrock
Diamond knew that her quest to seek out the counsel of the famous skin-changer Beorn had added several unnecessary days to her journey. The more direct route, the more prudent route as her impatient companions had been want to remind her more than once, would have been to make directly for the Old Forest Road that traversed Mirkwood. Diamond was adamant about detouring north to the Carrock. Sauron's armies and all of the fell creatures that had allied with him during the War of Ring had disbursed into the countryside after his defeat. Many of these foul beings had fled into the unpopulated northern wastelands that she was now heading into. Impetuous though she was, Diamond was no fool to go blindly charging off into dangerous lands without getting as much knowledge as she could. If Beorn or any of his half-man/half-bear kin have information that would be useful to her, Diamond would know of it.
Back in old Bilbo's day, Beorn and his people, the Beornings, had protected much of this terrority against incursions by orcs and wargs. The skin changer's protection had once extended into the forest of Mirkwood itself. Beorn's son Grimbeorn the Old had fought against the orcs during the War. Though it had been only a few years since the end of the war against Sauron, most had lost contact with the Beornings. The nations of men were occupied with rebuilding and defending themselves against ongoing battles. Hobbits, for the most part, cared little for the world outside of the Shire, particularly since King Elessar had decreed that no Big Folk were allowed to set foot in any of the four farthings. T'were rare hobbits indeed who bothered themselves anymore with the doings of the outside world. Samwise, Merry, and of course her own husband Pippin were among those few.
Bilbo's tales about the Carrock had been told and retold so many times that any hobbit child could describe the great, lone rock that seemed to have been carved out of the mountains and thrown by some giant out onto the shores of the great Anduin. The top of the rock was flat and it looked like a great altar that the earth itself had made to offer up sacrifices to the sky. They had seen the rock from a great distance, and made for it with as much speed as Plum the Pony could travel. Once there, she surprised her companions by unhitching the pony from the cart and then climbing up onto his back.
"Wait for me here," she told them. "I am going to see out Beorn's home alone. 'Tis said that the Beornings dislike surprises and especially dislike receiving groups of people. I will seek out the counsel of the man-bears alone and return to you in all due haste. I will endevour to be back by nightfall."
Over their very loud protests, Diamond left iolaus_lj and trickster_loki at the Carrock and set out alone on Plum. If Bilbo's tales were true, then through these trees there should be grassy fields filled with bees and clover, she thought. Sure enough, it was not long before she heard a low rumble that was the buzzing of many bees. She smiled, but her smiled faded when she saw that the bees were not contentedly flitting from flower to flower to sip at sweet nectar. No. These bees were swarming! Fleeing! So great were the swarms, they blackened the sky with their masses, like angry black storm clouds moving off in every direction. Fleeing from...what?
Smoke. Smoke was rising in the distance. She urged her reluctant, trembling pony forward towards the source of that smoke until she arrived at the source. Beorn's home, or more correctly, what was left of the great hall, was a smoking ruin. Animals, horses, dogs and sheep lay dead all around. Their stiff and bloated bodies were riddled with arrows, or hacked and torn by cruel axes. It sickened her and brought tears to her eyes to see how many of these fey and magical creatures had been slaughtered.
"Do not move, if you value your life." The voice was hoarse and low, and sounded more like an animal's growl than a man. Diamond did as instructed. She heard steps lumbering towards her and saw a huge shadow overtake her own. It was all she could do to control poor Plum, who was by now completely terrified. Then someone stepped into her view. A man, virtually a giant to her eyes, scowled down at her. Unkempt black hair hung in front of his face and mingled into his equally tangled, soot-grimed black beard. The man's entire body was grimed all over with soot and blood. He held a huge club in his right hand and a blood-covered axe in his other.
Diamond gasped and almost screamed. Then she saw the sadness and the terrible weariness in the man's eyes and she realized that this was not the fiend who had slaughtered the animals and caused this ruination. "Are you...Beorn?"
The man grunted dismissively. "Beorn is long dead, as is his son Grimbeorn the Old. I am Gunnlaugbeorn, Grimbeorn's heir. Why are you here?"
"I am travelling northward, to the Iron Mountains and the Withered Heath," Diamond told him. "I had heard that the Beornings kept the northern lands safe, and I sought your protection."
The man laughed at hearing this. His laughter was terrible to her ears for it was filled with bitterness and bile. He pointed to the smoking ruins and said, "Here is your protection, little one. Great masses of evil creatures prowl the northern lands. Orcs, wargs, trolls, all are known here now. Even the she-vampire Thuringwethil and her filthy vampire kin have been seen prowling the ruins of Lake Town. A terrible evil has awoken in the north and it is gathering to it all manners of foul things. Why do you seek to travel into those foresaken lands?"
"I have..." Diamond stopped herself from blurting out that she had made a promise to a dragon. "Business in the north."
Gunnlaugbeorn's eyes narrowed and he regarded her suspiciously. "What manner of business would take you into the north country?"
Diamond shook her head. "That is my concern," she replied curtly, and then added defiantly, "But there is nothing of evil in what I am doing. I came here only to seek the aid and counsel of the Beornings."
The man snorted at her. "None who have business with any in the North will receive aid from the Beornings. The only counsel I will give you is this: turn back and return from wherever it is that you came from."
"I will not!" Diamond said.
"So, you seek my counsel and then refuse it?" Gunnlaugbeorn shook his head. "Then heed these words. Leave these lands now. Make haste to Mirkwood and seek the protection of the elves if there are any there left to offer you aid. And if you live to see the wood elves, you may tell Thranduil that the Beornings no longer guard over the Mirkwood borders. We have our own concerns. Now, go!"
"I will tell him!" Diamond said, though she had no expectation of meeting the elf king. She pressed her heel against Plum's flank and the pony trotted off back towards the Carrock.
While Diamond was having her unhappy talk with Gunnlaugbeorn, her companions had made camp. There were no fish to be had in that shallow and rocky stretch of the Anduin, so they had to be content with such provisions as they had brought with them. Unbeknownst to them, while they busied themselves at their campsite, they were being watched by a group of Orcs. There were twelve in this despicable troupe. Their leader had set them to patrol the area around the Carrock after sacking Beorn's hall. The rest of the Orc army had retreated Northward to continue their battle against the Beornings. The Orcs crept closer...
Back in old Bilbo's day, Beorn and his people, the Beornings, had protected much of this terrority against incursions by orcs and wargs. The skin changer's protection had once extended into the forest of Mirkwood itself. Beorn's son Grimbeorn the Old had fought against the orcs during the War. Though it had been only a few years since the end of the war against Sauron, most had lost contact with the Beornings. The nations of men were occupied with rebuilding and defending themselves against ongoing battles. Hobbits, for the most part, cared little for the world outside of the Shire, particularly since King Elessar had decreed that no Big Folk were allowed to set foot in any of the four farthings. T'were rare hobbits indeed who bothered themselves anymore with the doings of the outside world. Samwise, Merry, and of course her own husband Pippin were among those few.
Bilbo's tales about the Carrock had been told and retold so many times that any hobbit child could describe the great, lone rock that seemed to have been carved out of the mountains and thrown by some giant out onto the shores of the great Anduin. The top of the rock was flat and it looked like a great altar that the earth itself had made to offer up sacrifices to the sky. They had seen the rock from a great distance, and made for it with as much speed as Plum the Pony could travel. Once there, she surprised her companions by unhitching the pony from the cart and then climbing up onto his back.
"Wait for me here," she told them. "I am going to see out Beorn's home alone. 'Tis said that the Beornings dislike surprises and especially dislike receiving groups of people. I will seek out the counsel of the man-bears alone and return to you in all due haste. I will endevour to be back by nightfall."
Over their very loud protests, Diamond left iolaus_lj and trickster_loki at the Carrock and set out alone on Plum. If Bilbo's tales were true, then through these trees there should be grassy fields filled with bees and clover, she thought. Sure enough, it was not long before she heard a low rumble that was the buzzing of many bees. She smiled, but her smiled faded when she saw that the bees were not contentedly flitting from flower to flower to sip at sweet nectar. No. These bees were swarming! Fleeing! So great were the swarms, they blackened the sky with their masses, like angry black storm clouds moving off in every direction. Fleeing from...what?
Smoke. Smoke was rising in the distance. She urged her reluctant, trembling pony forward towards the source of that smoke until she arrived at the source. Beorn's home, or more correctly, what was left of the great hall, was a smoking ruin. Animals, horses, dogs and sheep lay dead all around. Their stiff and bloated bodies were riddled with arrows, or hacked and torn by cruel axes. It sickened her and brought tears to her eyes to see how many of these fey and magical creatures had been slaughtered.
"Do not move, if you value your life." The voice was hoarse and low, and sounded more like an animal's growl than a man. Diamond did as instructed. She heard steps lumbering towards her and saw a huge shadow overtake her own. It was all she could do to control poor Plum, who was by now completely terrified. Then someone stepped into her view. A man, virtually a giant to her eyes, scowled down at her. Unkempt black hair hung in front of his face and mingled into his equally tangled, soot-grimed black beard. The man's entire body was grimed all over with soot and blood. He held a huge club in his right hand and a blood-covered axe in his other.
Diamond gasped and almost screamed. Then she saw the sadness and the terrible weariness in the man's eyes and she realized that this was not the fiend who had slaughtered the animals and caused this ruination. "Are you...Beorn?"
The man grunted dismissively. "Beorn is long dead, as is his son Grimbeorn the Old. I am Gunnlaugbeorn, Grimbeorn's heir. Why are you here?"
"I am travelling northward, to the Iron Mountains and the Withered Heath," Diamond told him. "I had heard that the Beornings kept the northern lands safe, and I sought your protection."
The man laughed at hearing this. His laughter was terrible to her ears for it was filled with bitterness and bile. He pointed to the smoking ruins and said, "Here is your protection, little one. Great masses of evil creatures prowl the northern lands. Orcs, wargs, trolls, all are known here now. Even the she-vampire Thuringwethil and her filthy vampire kin have been seen prowling the ruins of Lake Town. A terrible evil has awoken in the north and it is gathering to it all manners of foul things. Why do you seek to travel into those foresaken lands?"
"I have..." Diamond stopped herself from blurting out that she had made a promise to a dragon. "Business in the north."
Gunnlaugbeorn's eyes narrowed and he regarded her suspiciously. "What manner of business would take you into the north country?"
Diamond shook her head. "That is my concern," she replied curtly, and then added defiantly, "But there is nothing of evil in what I am doing. I came here only to seek the aid and counsel of the Beornings."
The man snorted at her. "None who have business with any in the North will receive aid from the Beornings. The only counsel I will give you is this: turn back and return from wherever it is that you came from."
"I will not!" Diamond said.
"So, you seek my counsel and then refuse it?" Gunnlaugbeorn shook his head. "Then heed these words. Leave these lands now. Make haste to Mirkwood and seek the protection of the elves if there are any there left to offer you aid. And if you live to see the wood elves, you may tell Thranduil that the Beornings no longer guard over the Mirkwood borders. We have our own concerns. Now, go!"
"I will tell him!" Diamond said, though she had no expectation of meeting the elf king. She pressed her heel against Plum's flank and the pony trotted off back towards the Carrock.
While Diamond was having her unhappy talk with Gunnlaugbeorn, her companions had made camp. There were no fish to be had in that shallow and rocky stretch of the Anduin, so they had to be content with such provisions as they had brought with them. Unbeknownst to them, while they busied themselves at their campsite, they were being watched by a group of Orcs. There were twelve in this despicable troupe. Their leader had set them to patrol the area around the Carrock after sacking Beorn's hall. The rest of the Orc army had retreated Northward to continue their battle against the Beornings. The Orcs crept closer...