Dearest Father,

Forgive me the long passage of time since last I wrote.  The days and nights are long on the road, but do not fear.  I am quite hale and have been eating plenty.  I call the vale of Imladris home these days, where I have lent my aid to the people and elves here and in the wilds of the Trollshaws.  There has been much to do, as everywhere.  I keep my ears to wind to hear all I can of what is happening in Dale.  The rumors have not been good, but your recent correspondence gives me hope, and I trust you are both well.

I have also taken a great deal of time to reflect on your letter.  It has thoroughly opened and my eyes, and explained much.  I am glad to know, finally, the heritage of my family and the nature of the blood that runs in my veins.  And I know why you kept the secret for so long.  Our ancestor, long ago, was accused of a crime he did not commit, trumped up by the men falling to corruption in that kingdom.  He came to live out the rest of his days in peace and in solitude, but he was ever a wanted man.  He could not be safe unless he left his name and his past behind him.  That included taking a new name, and establishing himself as a common man of Dale, and setting his family there.  This is much to mull over, and I understand why you could not tell me until now.

But my heart is light, dear Father, that I have proved my worth to you that I may receive this powerful knowledge. You should know that I have sought to ally myself with the Rangers of Esteldin, some of our last remaining brothers, whom I now call friends, and also the Elves of Rivendell, to forge the friendship of those with whom we share a common bond.  I will do all I must to regain the honor of our true family name, Edledhas, if there is honor to be had for a family called “exiled.”  I believe there may be, yet.

Please continue to call me Mirthwyn, or Mirth, as you always have.  My true and given name, Maennas, still sounds so strange to these ears unaccustomed to responding to it.  In time, however, I feel I will treasure the name, as I treasure the task of learning about the history of our family.  As I am in Imladris, there is no better place to complete it!

In the coming days, I will have reason to travel to Aughaire, in Angmar.  Do not be alarmed.  There is a good-sized outpost of men there, and I have fallen into a group of kin with whom I frequently travel.  We are a hearty band, indeed, and have done much to advance the cause of the free people.

I hope my travels will lead me to Dale, soon.  Until then, I am,

Your loving daughter,

Mirthwyn

Last night, in a cold and miserable rain, I met with the ranger Candaith for a single purpose: to reclaim Weathertop from the foul orcs who have ransacked and pillaged there for too long.  But I did not go alone.  A merry band of companions joined me: another hunter, two wardens, a minstrel, and a burglar, all drawn together for this common purpose.  And so together, we trudged up the hillside, toward the torchlights and hateful voices of the orcs, to catch them off their guard.

We successfully ambushed them, camp by camp, one by one.  They threw themselves at us, wave after wave, impaled on spears and cut down by arrows, their foul screams polluting the clear, chilly night air.  With each sweet, high whistle of my arrow, each fell creature falling lifelessly to the earth, a fervent passion grew in my heart.

There was another reason the flame ignited so quickly: one of our company that night is the one I love.  I cannot write of him or of our story yet; that time will come.  But it will suffice to say that I watched him, nimble and strong, his fair voice ringing high and clear and noble above the wretched din;  I watched him thrust the spear and javelin through the hearts of our enemies; I watched the spark in his eyes, avenging the lives of so many others gone before him, and it filled me with vigor and strength and all-consuming love.  I have never felt more powerful or alive than that night, and when I began to fear, as the enemies closed all around us, I would hear his battle cry, and my fear was dispelled.

And yet, we climbed higher and higher, battling ever-more orcs and terrible wargs and finally, we came to the watchtower, a crude gate barring the way.  We and the ranger broke through, to our final stand at the height of Weathertop. There we loosed all our fury upon the master of the entire hellish group, arrow and spear and sword, the minstrel’s song spurring us to victory.  We slew the leader, and to my great surprise, a troll barrelled in as their last defense.  Its sheer size took my breath away, as I had never before seen one, but not even that great troll could stop us.  We worked as one unit, as cogs interlocking in a great and harmonious machine, and we finally laid waste to the creature, cheering into the raining heavens, my heart beating rapidly as I beheld my lover standing tall, victorious, hair wet with rain and sweat… and for a moment, I lost all sense of where I was, and felt naught but desire.  But I could not go to him, nor could he come to me, for reasons that I shall not state now.  It was enough to meet his eyes, and feel the truth pass between us.

We traveled back down to Candaith’s encampment, our hearts joyful and light.  We rested there for hours, and let the afternoon sun warm us, closing our eyes and talking about our victory, and what lies ahead for us…

I shall endeavor here to recount my story, and how I came to be fighting alongside so many others in this time of great evil and fear. -Mirthwyn

When I awakened from that groggy, dark sleep, held captive in Archet, I wondered if I might just live.  I did not weep, or wonder what stroke of cruel fate had brought me to that place.  I wished only to live through the night, to see the dawn.  As it happened, a ranger was the first thing I saw as I opened my eyes.  Hope surged through my heart, and I picked up my well-worn bow to fight my way to freedom.

Little did I know then, but it was a new dawn I beheld at the end of that cruel night; the rebirth of Mirthwyn Eastbow. 

Since leaving Archet, I have explored the Bree-lands, fought every manner of man and beast, some evil and fell that make my heart ache with cold fear.  I have waded through Marshlands, gazed upon the ruins of the great kingdoms of men.  I have learned much, more with my bow than with the needle and thread to which I was apprenticed.  But my calling as a tailor in my family’s tradition can wait, for now.  They, still in Dale, need me to walk the rest of the meandering road I set upon so many weeks ago.  I must do my part to destroy the shadow, for them.

At first this journey began as a lonely one, leaving my family and the comforts of my home, and traveling the long road from Dale to the Bree-lands.  Once there, I traveled alone, often by night, cutting my foes down at the snap of the bowstring.  But by the by, I came to find there are so many others on journeys of their own, and their paths are one and the same as mine.  I have taken comfort in such friends and kin.  Their fellowship is invaluable to me, particularly one whose name I shall not speak now.  His protective shadow is always on my footsteps, his words of encouragement spurring me onward.  Indeed, I do not know what I have done to merit such good fortune to have met him, but he is a light to me in a world ever-consumed by darkness.

There is much danger ahead, but this I know: I am young, and I may fear what shall come to pass, but I shall not despair.  For my kin and countrymen are united in this fight, and I know now that I am not alone here, but very much part of this larger world.  I take my leave now to continue my training, and to learn all I can, for the battles ahead require much preparation and effort. 

I vow to be ready.