bookbashuk Chapter 119 Holy White Tree Fruit
Chapter 119 Holy White Tree Fruit
Chapter 119 Holy White Tree Fruit
Dui and his companions arrived at the edge of the Dark Forest, where the elves of the Woodland Kingdom were already waiting for them.
Dui was surprised to see the people who came to meet him.
"Your Highness Legolas, why did you come in person?"
"When you first arrived near Lake-town, the patrolling guards spotted the dragon in the distance. Father knew it was you and specially sent me to greet you," Legolas said with a warm smile.
His gaze then fell on the giant dragon behind the three of them.
Although I had seen it before on the battlefield of Gushan, seeing it again now still gave me a chill.
"Please follow me, everyone. My father has prepared a banquet in anticipation of your arrival."
To avoid Smaug's appearance causing unease among the elves, Dui left Smaug outside the woods, and the three of them followed Legolas to the Woodland Kingdom once again.
Thranduil sat high on his throne, dressed in a magnificent robe and wearing a crown woven from fiery red maple leaves and blueberries, exuding a noble, majestic, and elegant aura.
He was clearly an elven king who ruled over the endless forest.
Unlike their last meeting, this time Thranduil stepped down from his throne, his demeanor both reserved and friendly.
"Welcome, welcome back to the three of you! I have prepared a sumptuous feast, please do me the honor of attending!"
Gandalf, the one in charge of diplomacy among the three, nodded slightly in greeting, leaning on his staff, and said with a smile, "We are deeply honored to have the privilege of attending His Majesty's banquet!"
Thranduil asked Dui, "Where is the dragon Smaug?"
"Smaug's body is too large and would crush the trees in the forest, so we have to have him wait outside the forest," Dui explained.
Thranduil nodded. "That's true, but we can't neglect the dragon. I'll have someone arrange another banquet for him outside the forest."
Dui hadn't expected Thrandui to have considered these things, and thanked him, saying, "Then thank you very much, Your Majesty!"
Then, led by Thranduil and accompanied by Legolas, the group entered the banquet hall to attend the feast.
Unlike the elves of the Valley, whose diet tends to be vegetarian and light, the elves of the Dark Forest have a diet that includes both meat and vegetables.
Moreover, it is unknown whether the elves here are close to the Lonely Mountain dwarves, but the wood elves also like to drink, and even become drunk. Their movements are elegant but more unrestrained.
During the banquet, melodious music accompanied the guests as elven maidens sang ancient elven epics, and elven attendants gracefully moved among the guests, pouring wine for everyone.
Thranduil and Gandalf discussed the situation in Middle-earth.
Dui and Bilbo listened to Legolas and translated the elven epics sung by the elven maidens for them.
During the conversation, the wood elf Tauriel, who chose to be with the dwarf Kili, was mentioned inadvertently.
Legolas was somewhat downcast, saddened by the impending loss of a friend.
Although he did not understand why Tauriel would give up eternal life for love, only to die heartbroken from the loss of his lover a few hundred years later.
But in the end, I chose to offer my blessings.
The banquet atmosphere was just right when Thranduil looked at Dui and said something that surprised everyone.
Thranduil prepared to send Legolas out to gain experience.
He also instructed Dui to have Legolas accompany them when he left this time.
Legolas was also taken aback by this sudden announcement, as his father had clearly not told him beforehand.
Dui was surprised by Thranduil's request, but not entirely unexpected.
When it comes to the well-being of one's children, one should think far ahead.
Thranduil wanted Legolas to go out and broaden his horizons so that he could grow up quickly and become capable of standing on his own.
If Dui hadn't appeared, it wouldn't have been long before Thranduil would have sent Legolas out to gain experience, and might even have let him join the future Fellowship of the Ring, making him the only elf in the team.
But with Dui present this time, and having witnessed Dui's abilities, Thranduil clearly had the idea of letting his son gain experience ahead of time.
"His Highness Legolas is an exceptional archer and elven warrior, and it is an honor for us to have him with us."
Dui naturally wouldn't refuse Thranduy's request. He had a good impression of Legolas and didn't dislike having such a companion.
Serandui was delighted to hear Dui readily agree.
At his signal, an elf placed a golden tray in front of Dui.
Dui looked at a small box on the tray, inlaid with various jewels and jade, with a puzzled expression.
He looked at Thranduil: "Your Majesty, what do you mean by this?"
"This is a token of my gratitude."
Serandui said sincerely.
"As a token of gratitude that the Elves were not wiped out in the Battle of the Five Armies!"
"Of course, there's an additional request involved."
"What request?"
"I would like you to make a wand for Legolas that is his own."
Dui wasn't too surprised to hear this request.
He still owes Elrohir, Elladan, and Arwen their wands, and with the idea that he might as well herd one sheep or two, he agreed to Thranduil's terms.
However, it also filled him with curiosity about what was inside the treasure box.
The treasure box is of extraordinary value.
What kind of treasure is it that Thranduil would keep so preciously inside?
He curiously opened the treasure box, then paused for a moment.
Inside the box, lined with silk, was a silvery-white fruit.
Given that it was treasured so much, Dui naturally wouldn't consider it an ordinary fruit.
"This is--?"
"It's the fruit of the Sacred White Tree!" Gandalf exclaimed in surprise.
"Your Majesty Thranduil, where did you obtain the fruit of the Sacred White Tree?"
Thranduil, seeing that Gandalf recognized his worth, smiled slightly and explained casually:
"This is a seed from the Sacred White Tree, Ninglos. I visited Númenor during the Second Age, before Ninglos was felled. I plucked a fruit from her and brought it back."
"I tried to plant it, but unfortunately the dark, dense forest wasn't suitable for its growth, and it never took root or sprouted."
Gandalf was even more surprised to hear that it was the seed of Nymroth, the sacred white tree on the island of Númenor.
Even Dui was taken aback, looking at the fruit in the box and suddenly feeling a sense of heaviness.
As Dui knew, after the Two Trees were destroyed by the evil gods Uggolianth and Morgoth, Yavanna, one of the Valar goddesses of plants, created the White Tree Galathirian for the Vanya and Noldor elves, modeled after the Silver Tree.
This sacred white tree is similar to the silver tree, one of the twin sacred trees, except that it does not emit light.
Later, the elves planted Galathirian's descendants on the island of Torirecia, naming them Celeborn.
The elves of Torirecia were on good terms with the Númenóreans, so they gave the Númenóreans the seeds of Celeborn.
The Numenor people planted the seed in the royal court on the island of Numenor, and it grew into a sacred white tree, named Nimros.
The sacred white tree thus became a symbol of the Numenor people.
Afterwards, Sauron bewitched and corrupted the king and some of the Númenor nobles, and cut down and burned the sacred white tree, Ninros.
Only the loyalist Isildur risked his life to secretly salvage a fruit the night before Ninglos was to be felled.
After the island of Númenóre sank, Isildur planted it in Minas Yshil in Gondor, where it became the first sacred white tree in Gondor.
But the fate of the Sacred White Tree seems to be constantly plagued by hardship.
Later, this sacred white tree of Gondor was burned by Sauron after he conquered Minas Yshil.
Before Minas Isill was captured, Isildur snatched a seed and planted it in Minas Anor, which became the second White Tree of Gondor.
But this sacred white tree perished in the Great Plague of 1636 in the Third Age.
In the year 1640 of the Third Age, King Talondor of Gondor planted a new seedling in Minas Tirith.
However, in the year 2872 of the Third Age, with the extinction of the Gondorian royal bloodline, the White Tree gradually withered, and no new White Tree has appeared since.
The fruit of the Sacred White Tree that Thranduil sent was the seed of the third-generation Sacred White Tree, Ninglos.
It can be said to be the fourth generation of the White Tree, which is of the same generation as the first White Tree in Gondor.
If the people of Dúnedan or Gondor knew about this seed, they would probably go to great lengths to obtain it.
"Your Majesty Thranduil, this is truly far too precious!"
Dui was somewhat reluctant to accept it.
Serandui shook his head.
"You don't need to refuse, Duir. Although this fruit has historical value, its growing conditions are too demanding. If I couldn't sense its vitality, I would have thought it was a rotten fruit."
"So don't get your hopes up too high. I even doubt that apart from a holy place like Valinor, there is no environment left that can allow it to break out of its shell and grow."
Seeing Thranduil's resolute attitude, Dui had no choice but to accept the precious fruit.
And he decided to make the best wand for Legolas.
Otherwise, he would feel uneasy receiving the gifts.
The banquet atmosphere at Dui's side was quite good, and the dragon Smaug's side was also very lively.
The wood elves, trembling with fear, pushed carts laden with delicious food before Smaug to entertain him.
There were whole roasted lambs and pigs, as well as barrels of wine.
Smaug enjoyed the elves' service like a king, devouring roasted lamb and sipping a barrel of wine, his eyes half-closed in blissful contentment.
I could only sigh in my heart, "This is true enjoyment!"
Why didn't he think of hiring some servants to serve him back then?
Smaug, with his enormous appetite, ate dozens of pigs and sheep and drank more than a dozen barrels of wine before finally managing to let out a satisfied burp.
This scene infuriated the elves who were entertaining him, and their faces turned black.
Especially the elven chefs in charge of grilling the meat; they couldn't even keep up with the dragons' eating speed, and they were so tired they just wanted to go on strike.
They no longer cared about being afraid of the dragon; all they wanted was to get rid of the gluttonous beast as quickly as possible.
If they keep eating like this, their Woodland Kingdom will face a famine!