The Road To Gehenna

They left the next morning early. They had said their goodbyes Naurial had been worried about him since his return after his scouting mission and his sisters had a bit to say about it as well. They loved their brother and would not tolerate him being careless. Based on what Eldarion had reported Elessar would begin sending armed parties into the ruined city to clear out the remaining orc presence. By the next year he wanted to be able to begin tearing the city down to rebuild there.

Calista rode a dapple red named Pixie, a leggy mare that she had had for several years. Eldarion’s gray and white stallion was named Ash. Behind them a large brown quarter horse named Pilot carried a large wicker pannier with most of their bulkier gear along with dresses, clothes and other gifts his family had for his Grandparents and sister who was in disguise there. His mother was insanely jealous of him, she could not get away this time to go and see the baby and joked to him about he doing his duty now that he was good and married.

The road was newly grated and still quite close to the city there were many people on the road. Settlers, farmers, traders and others besides. He was telling Calista all about Gehenna. How it was laid out and who was who. It was fun to be out with her and she looked smart and regal in her riding skirt, coat and cloak of gray wool. Eldarion wore his dark coat and the green and white cloak of the King that fluttered lazily behind him.

For Calista this was all quite exciting. She rarely left the city and she had never been to Gehenna before (though she had heard much about it about the years). She already knew most of his family very well through their visits to Minas Tirith, but there were still some family members she hadn't met yet (the Phelan family was, after all, quite a large family now). She also couldn't wait to see her newborn nephew, Aslan. Both she and Eldarion wanted children at some point, but they weren't quite ready yet.

After four days of traveling they finally crested the top of a hill and the village came into view. Most of the village had been rebuilt after the war, but from her view it all looked like it had always been there. She could see huge pens of sheep (wool was what Gehenna was most famous for) and she could hear children laughing and playing.

"It's so much bigger than I thought it would be," Calista admitted.

OOC-I had kinda a funny thought. I was thinking that maybe after the war when Conleth was rebuilding their home that he actually built a small guest house as well next to the main house...he was remembering when Lindariel and Jamie and then Beren and Ithilwen were living with them and decided a guest house would be a good idea lol

OOC: That would make sense.

It had been a few years since Eldarion had seen it, Gehenna had grown but he agreed that the village did look like it had been there for decades. The orchard’s apple and pear trees were large and he got down off of his horse to touch the stalks of wheat that were long and tall. He picked one and then rubbed the plant between his palms then smelled it. The field was fairly large as it stood beside the road. The land here was fertile just as the people here. He had always saw his grandfather as a man that was larger than life. His mother always described him as someone who understood evil better than most anyone and almost never lied or balked at a hard day's work. A selfless soul that liked to make things flourish and grow. He helped build this village stone by stone and he couldn’t help but feel a strong sense of pride as he looked down at it now. He remounted though he squeezed Calista’s thigh affectionately before he did.

The gate guards had known to look for them. It had been wise to send a messenger about their coming incase something happened on the road. The guards in the livery of a golden wolf under a crescent moon on a crimson background opened the wooden gates wide for them and bowed respectfully to the Prince and his their new Princess of Gondor. A man on horseback fled quickly away from the gate to announce their arrival to the Lord and Lady Phelan though as their horses stepped slowly down the narrow, cobbled street Eldarion found he was in no hurry to stop touring the village.

“That’s the newer healing house there,” he pointed. “And the brewery there.” Amongst other things Gehenna was also known for it’s ales. He wondered if they had any of that Summer blonde ale left, he enjoyed that very much. Several times they had to pause to wait for a cart or a horse or for children who ran across the road chasing one another. There was a bustle of activity here, a village that had seen its own destruction only to be rebuilt anew and it was wonderful to see.

“The market is open, did you want to stop?” he asked though she knew that all he was really after was to ‘wet his whistle’. The ale tent was in plain view but she also saw a stall with colorful wools and also silks piled up in bolts in a large cart next to the stall as well as other interesting things like blown glasswares, pewter figurines and other things that were not typical in Minas Tirith.

Calista was in awe of the village. It reminded her in some ways of Minas Tirith, but the village seemed much more special. Just looking around she couldn't help but smile. She listened as Eldarion pointed out different things to her. The entire village was bustling with activity and there were children everywhere playing or walking with their parents. Everyone bowed to them as they passed by and many waved from windows. Because Calista had never been to Gehenna before they were all quite curious about her and many came over just to glimpse their future Queen.

Calista was interested in going to the market and so they stopped to look around. She couldn't help but notice that Eldarion went immediately to the ale tent. She looked at a few things before following him over.

"May I try some?" she asked with a little smile.

Eldarion handed over another silver in which he got back a few coppers and the large woman who had brown eyes and dark, brown hair smiled at Calista as she filled another pewter mug with ale then shaved off the excess froth for her. It was surprisingly cool and smelled of wheat, hops with a hint of lemon. It’s flavor was crisp though mild on the tongue and did much to quench her thirst. Eldarion smiled when the froth got onto her upper lip. She got it off quickly but he had seen it and he drank heavily from his mug. Calista was obviously much more dainty about it which only endeared her to him. He wiped the froth from her lips when she took a second long drink.

“What do you think? Do you like it?” He asked. He was indeed thirsty and the ale definitely hit the spot for him. With his arm around her waist they drifted off, ales in hand to another stall where there were odd looking treats on sticks. They looked fried and smelled sweet and cinnamony. He bought two of those also and they checked out the rest of the market as they enjoyed their food and drink.

“Did you enjoy the book?” he asked as he held her ale for her while she looked at a few bolts of silk that actually had an unusual pattern of blue and gold neither of them had seen before. He knew well of her fondness for books though he doubted she’d had much time to actually sit to read it.

ooc: By the way, our Renaissance Festival is coming up, every weekend in September and October, there is a whole village created and each weekend is themed. I usually go to the Highland Fling in which I wear my King Tartan Kilt and clasp. Its a more traditional kind of Kilt and getting it on and pleating it properly is an effort.

Calista accepted the pewter mug of ale and smelled it before taking a sip. She had really never had ale before. It was deemed more a 'mans' drink and wine was appropriate for women. However, she found that she quite enjoyed the taste of it. It wasn't at all sweet like most wines she drank and was crisp and refreshing. She tried to drink it a little more daintily than Eldarion had, but still managed to get some of the froth on her upper lip.

Together, they drifted off into the market. They spoke to various men and women and looked at quite a few items that were for sale. However, what caught Calista's eye was the stall selling bolts of fabric. In particular, one bolt of silk grabbed her attention. It's pattern was unusual, but quite beautiful. She loved it so much that she bought the entire quite a lot of it as she wanted a dress made from it.

"I love it," she replied with a smile when he asked if she enjoyed the book he had brought back for her from his scouting trip. "Where did you find it?"

OOC-That sounds like fun. I've only been to one Renaissance Festival and that was back when I was in middle school, but I really enjoyed it.

“Beautiful,” he remarked at the fabric, “And the Fabric is pretty nice as well,” he said wondering if she’d realize what he had said. He had gone for his own purse but Calista paid for it herself. It didn’t surprise him though, she often did that though he never really thought of money as ‘hers’ or ‘his’. It was ‘their’ money. “I found that in what might have been a library at one time. The whole city was barely more than rubble,” he explained as they walked. He took her stick and empty mug and set them on the tray of a man that had paused by them to take them. He nodded politely at the man and tossed a copper on his tray as he stepped away from them.

They looked at blown glass ornaments and pewter candlesticks, he bought 2 of those as well as white candles that smelled faintly of flowers to go in them. There were fruits, vegetables, cheeses, nuts both roasted and candied, and also wines and all kinds of cloth and wool products. He smiled when she held a tiny, white kitten and there were also rabbits and other animals for sale as well as the food for them. There were leather goods, horse tack and weapons and also used things that were priced cheaply for people who couldn’t afford new. Musicians played for coppers and there was a shirtless man with banded wrists that ate fire for them. For a village the market was actually far more diverse than he could have ever expected. All through it he had Calista, regal, kind and beautiful on his arm. When she smiled it instantly opened people up to her. Old grouchy men knuckled their foreheads and brightened when she spoke to them. He knew she’d make a most excellent queen. Each day he was with her he knew he made the right choice...or perhaps, she had in getting him to love her.

After nearly an hour of walking through the market they decided it was time for them to head to his grandparent’s house. She knew that they were probably waiting anxiously for them since she had seen a messenger head that way after they had been let through the main gates. The sun was already starting to get low in the sky and Calista was quite tired from all of the traveling. They took their horses and headed towards the manor house, which sat in the exact same spot it had before the original house had been destroyed. Conleth had rebuilt it nearly exactly the same as before, though he did change a few things and upgrade a few others. The main difference was that this time he had built a guest house. He had learned his lesson after Jamie and Lindariel had come to live with them after getting married, and then Beren and Ithilwen. He had figured instead of thickening the walls that he would simply build a guest house. It was a nice size with a sitting room, bedroom, private bath, and small kitchen. It was where Eldarion and Calista would be staying.

Serethiel glanced out the window from the main house and saw Eldarion and Calista coming up the hill. She smiled and called upstairs to Conleth.

“They’re here!”

ooc: new thread