Spring, Year 66, Fourth Age

I dipped my quill in the ink and wrote down the following:

"Rohan, a week after my coronation. Where should I begin? The most pressing business and agreements have been settled, thanks to the Crown Council. Queen Alyndra, actually I should now just call her Queen Mother, has once again been proclaimed Regent of Arnor. The reason behind this, I am told, is both simple and far-sighted. Arnor will thus be recognised as an independent kingdom by Rohan even after the death of my father.

In the case that Gondor should invade my beloved homeland, as it has done so many times before, Rohan will support Arnor. It also sends the message that my mother will look for a suitable husband after the year of mourning. While we all know that this will be decided by the Crown Council in Fornost, it is important, according to my advisors, to send these signs now.

Like my mother, Lady Tariél has departed. Her husband will not be pleased with her failure as ambassador, but that is not my problem. Enough of politics, it gives me a headache."

Thoughtfully, I added:

"Théodred visits me every night, I pray for an heir. The people of Rohan pay homage to Eru differently from the way they do in Arnor. I'm afraid I've forgotten their name, perhaps I'll remember it later."

No sooner had I closed my journal than there was a knock and Théodred entered my room. "Am I disturbing you, my lady?" "Not at all, my husband. It is just that I did not expect you so early. Let me just quickly remove my bonnet and I will be ready." I mechanically reached for the hairpins that fastened my bonnet, but Théodred was quicker and stopped me by taking my hands in his. "Don't do that. I'm not here for that." I turned to him, a little startled, and asked, "Have you grown tired of me already? Tell me what I've done wrong and I promise I'll do better!"

He frowned and then, to my surprise, started laughing. "What kind of man do you think I am, my consort? A man who whores around even though he has a wife waiting for him is a fool. A man who deceives a queen, on the other hand ..." His hands settled on my shoulders. "Is a fool doomed to die." I laughed softly and looked up at him. "Now what brings you to me?" "It seems to me that you have been somewhat lonely since the Queen Mother's departure," he replied almost equanimously to my question.

He was right about that. I had no one here in Edoras. My retinue had travelled back to Fornost with Mother and my servants were mostly the same people who had served Alyndra here as Queen. "Why are you with me if you will not share my bed?" "Does the term Beltanie mean anything to you?" "The fertility festival, the common people also like to call it the beginning of spring. It's today, isn't it? I've heard the servants talking about it." "That's what I was getting at. I would like to ask you to take part in it. You are the queen now, the people should see you."

I was not comfortable participating in this rytus. I knew the stories about this place only too well. The ones about the stones had been almost my favourite during my studies of Rohan. My favourite had been the numerous tales about the elves, according to which the elves had cast a spell on this place.

Nevertheless, before midnight I climbed the Creagach na beatha, which my ancestor King Théodred had built after the Battle of Helm's Deep, together with my husband and my first guard. No sooner had I made the ascent than I was blinded for a moment by the glow of the fire. As far as I could see, four large fires had been built at regular intervals. Large crowds had formed around them. As I slowly moved towards the centre of the action, the eyes of those present followed me, here and there there was a murmur. The Maitanne rose up into the sky in the middle of the four fires. "A slender trunk," went through my mind in surprise. I was even more surprised when four women rushed towards me and fell on their knees before me.

"Banrìon Celebrian! BanrÌon Celebrian!" One of my guards must have seen the lack of a response from me as an invitation to clear the way and took a step towards the women.

"No." My voice sounded firm and clear.

"Leave them." Théodred nodded to the man, whereupon the man stepped behind me again.

"Rise. Tonight we celebrate as one people, not as mistress and servant."

The women obeyed, but did not look me in the eye. Their eyes were fixed on the floor. "If you would tell me why you have come to me?", I started impatiently. It was finally the smallest of the four who spoke up. "A banrÌon Celebrian, you and your consort do us an unspeakable honour by coming to this feast. Tonight we embody the four seasons at the sacred ceremony. Would you do us the honour of blessing the Tree of Fertility?"

"The Tree of Fertility?" repeated I, addressing Théodred. The language of Rohan was similar to that of Arnor, but my knowledge was not sufficient to understand this connection. "The tree," he said, pointing. "Legend has it that it brings a ripe harvest and a mild winter if the Queen blesses it." I nodded and looked over at the fir tree somewhat critically. It stood pretty much in the middle of a stone circle, which looked both beautiful and terrifying to me in the clear light of the full moon. I didn't know what was supposed to be said at the blessing of a tree, but that could hardly matter, could it?

A little later I found myself in front of the fir tree and hoped that my voice would be heard. As loud as I could, I recited a short blessing on Gàidhling:

"Am fear nach dèan cur sa Mhàrt, cha bhuain e san Fhoghar.

Gum fosglach dorus na bliadhna ùire chum sìth, sonas is sàmchair.

Gun cuireadh do chupa thairis le slàinte agus sonas.

Gum biodh ràth le do thurus.

Deagh-bheus, slàinte agus beartas!"

He who does not sow in March will reap nothing in autumn. May the door of the coming year open to you the way to peace, happiness and quiet contentment. May Eru bless you and yours. Virtue, health and happiness!

I had closed my eyes while speaking the words. I was pleasantly warm thanks to the fires around me, and the words of my mother tongue filled me with additional pride. The Slàinte! shouts of those present I barely heard. For the first time since my coronation, I truly felt like the Banrìgh Celebrian, the rightful Queen of Rohan.

Like every beautiful moment, this one flew by far too quickly. I pulled back a little to make room for the four women from before. They were now dressed in unadorned white clothes and wore a veil over their hair, each had a lantern in her left hand.

They walked slowly into the stone circle, the hand with the lantern facing the centre, the other towards the sky. They curtsied gracefully, walked a few steps further and curtsied again. They repeated this ritual four times, then everything went very quickly. They walked light-footedly around each of the stones, the lanterns unwaveringly in their hands, then they joined hands and circled first the fir tree, then the stones with flowing movements. They should have looked ridiculous, but they did not. I watched the event spellbound.

One of the dancers separated from the other three, but without disturbing the energy, I wondered, of the ritual. She turned to the maitanne and spoke a few words in a foreign language. The moment she fell silent, the others turned to her and also held their lanterns towards the fir tree.

Maybe it was the warm air or the full moon, but I knew that at that moment I felt a jolt under my feet. Whatever it was, it was not coming from the people gathered. My heart was beating up to my throat with fright. Panicked, I reached for Théodred's arm, but there was nothing. A noise seemed to have arisen in my head, a loud buzzing. It swelled into a real droning until it was almost unbearable. I cried out, but no sound came from my throat. A pair of hands held me tightly and from seemingly far away I thought I heard my name.

The droning ended abruptly. I no longer noticed that I was sinking to the ground, I didn't care. There was only the blissful silence that followed the roaring.