Berery Ryan has been spending a month this winter. The grass of Taras Dilnon withered. The first snow of the winter has not yet fallen, but the breath of winter is already strong. In the cold north wind, the Taur-en-Falos Heights also seemed to shiver and wail.

In the land of Finrod, in the vast plains of Tarasdil, countless tall boulders dotted the monotonous ground. The boulders were scattered in such a haphazard manner that the plain did not seem empty.

It was between these boulders that Belém walked. He had left the western frontier of Dorias a month earlier and camped on the banks of the West Ryan River. After leaving the Meilian Ring Belt, he was completely confused. He recalled the oath he had made to Singh when he was in Mingni Kingdom. He could no longer imagine how bold he was to make such an illusory promise to an elven king. He regretted it to the fullest, for the Banu Balahir would lose their dignity and be laughed at by the world.

At that time he looked across the river from the Siryan River and saw the abrupt highlands of Taur-en-Falos. He remembered the promise Finrod had made to his father. He knew that it was impossible for him to enter Angban and survive on his own. Instead of stagnation and regretting your recklessness, it is better to try everything possible. So he immediately headed south to West Ryan Falls. There he crossed the river and then set off for Nagoth Lund. When he was hungry, he ate a small piece of Lambas, which he had brought from Doriath. He thought that if he could borrow an elite army from Finrod, they might have a 1 in 1000 chance of making it to Angban, taking a Elven Diamond, and escaping.

As he was leaving, the general of Doriath, Mabulon, told him that their sentinels had often seen Oak's squad roaming Tarasdil from afar because of the fall of the Sirian Valley, killing lone travelers. Although Finrod's patrols sometimes drove them away, the road to Nagoth Lund was now more dangerous. Although Mablon did not like Belen, he gave him a piece of advice: be very careful when walking.

Therefore, Belém has always used these boulders on the plains as a barrier and has been cautiously moving. During the month, especially on the long cold winter nights, the plains are filled with wolf howls and oak roars. The terrifying sound kept him in nightmares every night. In his sleep, he found himself back in the valley of terror and death, in the company of giant spiders and dead bodies.

But even so, his faith is now stronger than ever. He no longer plunged himself into emptiness and despair as he had when he first entered Doriath. Because now he has a purpose in life: his beloved. In order to qualify to marry Lucien, he must persevere. He knew that Lucien was still waiting for him, and he couldn't back down.

It's late afternoon. Belén knew that whenever darkness fell, danger crept in. Every day, he would walk as close to the boulder as he could, and quickly pass through the open space between the boulders, and at night he would find a flat and spacious boulder and climb it to rest. Although the night was cold, he tried not to light a fire, otherwise it would be too conspicuous on the dark plain. He could only wrap himself in a bearskin coat and barely fall asleep in the cold night.

As he had done for the past month, he climbed the boulder he was leaning on. He found that the boulder, though spacious, was not tall enough. If an Oak passes by, he can be easily spotted by looking up slightly. But he didn't seem to have a choice. The sun had set in the sky, night had fallen, and the nearest one was hundreds of feet away, except for this boulder. It's risky to run to that boulder now.

So he fell asleep. He slept early all the way, recuperating for the daytime march the next day. Beilun didn't know how long he had been asleep, but the nightmare hadn't caught up yet. Around the middle of the night, he was awakened by the sound of footsteps. The sound of footsteps was accompanied by the sound of metal colliding. Belen woke up drowsy because he knew that death had come to him. He quietly moved his hand and gripped the hilt of his sword, trying not to make a sound. He turned his head slightly, and saw only Oak approaching with a torch making a sound.

Before she could relax, he became nervous again. For though the Oak was alone, he had a worn horn around his waist. It looks like it's a scout, indicating that there are more Orcs wandering around. And now it was only a stone's throw away from the Oak that illuminated Belen's figure with the torch. Belen knew that if he couldn't kill him with a single blow, he would blow his horn and summon the rest of his companions.

Belen jumped off the boulder and stomped on Oak's shoulders to knock him to the ground. Belen drew his sword to kill him, but saw that he had brought the trumpet to his mouth. Belen immediately braked, stabbed his sword into Oak's horn's arm, and then strangled Oak's neck, intending to strangle him. What Belen didn't expect was that the Ork began to let out a shrill cry, not as loud as the sound of a trumpet, but it could penetrate the night for miles.

Belen heard the same screams coming from all around him, and from more than one place. He guessed it was a response from his companions, and that there would soon be an Orc surrounding the place. The voices came and went, making Belen's heart beat faster. It was the call of death. Belen drew his sword and stabbed it into the back of Oak's neck, and Oak's breath and struggle stopped. Black blood spurted out, captivating Belen's eyes. But he didn't have time to rub it, but stepped on Oak's torch, intending to get out of here as soon as possible. But then he thought that his position had been exposed, and he would soon be overtaken on the flat plains. Alone, he could not give up the favorable terrain of the boulder. He then climbed back onto the rock.

He saw from a distance that several bright spots were approaching. There are probably a dozen enemies in Beilun. There seem to be two of them riding wolves. The two wolf cavalry were the first to come under the boulder. Their torches illuminated the corpses of Oaks on the ground, as well as Belém, who stood on the boulder in panic. One of them raised his knife and patted the wolf on the neck with his hand. The wolf then jumped up with him. Belen took a step back and swung his sword forward, which sliced open the roof of the wolf's jaw. The wolf's blood splattered, and the Oak on its back fell. He tried to climb the boulder again, and Belen stabbed his sword into the top of his head. Oak rolled his eyes and fell down, not moving. Belen wiped the blood from his sword with his clothes and looked at another Orc.

Seven or eight more oaks came. Among them were three archers. They fired arrows at Belén from below, and Belén lay down to avoid the attack. Taking advantage of this moment, three Orcs began to climb the boulder. The remaining wolf cavalry just now jumped high and jumped into the air in front of Belen with a stomp on the wolf's back. The wolf fell to the ground, and got up and roared loudly. Belen stabbed Oak before he landed, and Oak dodged sideways and landed on the boulder, holding Belen's right hand. Unable to turn his sword around, Belen drew a dagger from his waist with his left hand and stabbed it into Oak's left eye. Oak was unprepared and was kicked off the boulder. Belen saw that his dagger was still stuck in his dark eyeballs. The Oak slammed into the head of a fellow climber, bringing him back to the surface. Belen shook the eyeball off the dagger with all his might.

Two arrows were shot from under the boulder, but Beilun didn't have time to dodge and was shot in the right leg by one of the arrows. He fell to his knees, and just then, two other Orcs climbed the boulder. Beilun Port tried to attack one of them with his sword, but was trampled on by the other. His sword was kicked away, and his fingers were trampled to broken bones. He plunged the dagger in his other hand into Oak's foot. Ok fell backwards from the boulder. More Orcs are climbing boulders too. He was now powerless to resist and was crushed to the ground by another Orc on the boulder.

Belen suddenly saw an arrow pierce through the Orc's head. Could it be that he was injured by mistake by his companion?, he thought. Then there were a few more whoosh sounds. Only then did he see the figures on horseback approaching in the night. They fired several arrows in quick succession, piercing the heads of all the Orcs around them with pinpoint accuracy. From the precision of the marksmanship, Belen surmised that they were Finrod's patrol.

The elves came near, and the leader jumped on the stone and raised an arrow at Belen. Belen raised his hands. "Why do you set foot in the plains that are guarded, and lure the enemy here, human, give me a reason not to kill you!" his tone was fierce. Belen pondered for a moment, then took the ring of Balahir from his hand and showed it to him, "This is the ring that King Fenrod gave to Balahir. His people saved King Finrod in a battle of fire. And I am Belen, the son of Barahir, and you cannot kill me! ”

The leading elf put away his bow and arrows, but the elves by the boulder still pointed their arrows at him. The leader looked at the ring for a while before waving his hand and ordering everyone to lay down their weapons. He put the ring back in Belen's hand, and his tone became softer: "I don't think of Finrod as my king anymore. This coward is not worthy to lead us. Therefore, I am not obligated to take you to him, and that is not enough reason for me not to kill you. He put his hands on his chest, "But in that war, your father also saved me." I am Gwendo, son of Gouylin, general of Nagoth Lund. I was trapped in the Serikh Swamp with Finrod, and I remember it very well. At this point, I will escort you to Nagoth Lund. He frowned, then said, "You must have come to keep your promise, but don't get your hopes up." You'll understand when you see Finrod. ”

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Fenduiras was sitting on the edge of the bed in her bedroom. She looked down in thought, silent. This month it was Gwendo's team's turn to patrol Taras Dir Neng. He has been gone for ten days and has not returned. She had been living in Nagorth Lund for seven years since the fall of Minas Tirith, which her father guarded. Before coming here, Gwendo had been telling her that it was a wonderful thing to live in this magnificent underground city. But when she arrived, she found that life in Finrod was not as good as she had imagined.

Because he found that Finrod was gradually losing his majesty as a king. Many in the kingdom called him a coward behind their backs, although no one had ever tried to remove him from power. The leader of them turned out to be Fenduilas's lover Gvindo. He used to be the most trusted general under Finrod, but now he is the most dissatisfied with him.

Finduiras learns that in addition to the differences between Finrod and his people, there is also a rift between his father, Olodris, and the two sons of Fëanor. As a princess, although she never attended their meetings, she could often hear their quarrels throughout the main hall.

On more than one occasion, Olodris told Finduiras that the sons of Fëanor looked down on the people of the other families, so they would not be willing to bow down to Finrod. Therefore, he told her to be on the lookout for Kellergun and Kurufin, lest a handle fall into their hands and threaten Finrod's rule. He knew that even if Finrod lost the love of all his people, her father would still be Finrod. Because they are brothers.

Now she is in a difficult situation. She didn't want to worry about these things, but she felt that one day the kingdom's situation would become unmanageable. When the time comes, she must choose her side. In this way, he will inevitably face the choice between his father and his lover. Thinking about it, she looked up at the bright bathroom. A thick white mist was rising from there. Her maid was inside preparing bath water for her.

Only then did the maid come out, salute in front of her, and then turn and go out, and stood outside the door and waited. Fenduiras stripped off her white silk skirts, let them fall to the floor, and stepped on the plush carpet into the bathroom. She tapped her toes on the steaming water, which was only slightly hot. She stepped into the tub filled with water and let the water flood her shoulders. Some of the water overflowed and dripped on the ground. The comfortable water temperature made her feel a little more relaxed. She rested her head against the wall of the tub, letting the broken thoughts come back to her mind.

Her desire was to be on her father's side, because she felt that Gwendo's sudden transformation was somewhat unreasonable, and could even be called a betrayal. She knew that the reason Gwendo had acted was that Finrod had concealed the news that his brother Gamir had been captured by Morgoth. But what happened to Gamir was beyond Finrod's control. Moreover, Finduilas has repeatedly seen Gwendo speak directly against Finrod in public, without giving him the dignity of being a king. She was disgusted by this behavior. She breathed deeply, letting the warm air fill her lungs. She felt her heart beat faster. She began to think crankily.

She didn't understand why she had become interested in Gwendo. But it was only after they became lovers that she realized that she didn't love him. And because of his disgusting behavior now, she even wanted to leave him. She suddenly remembered Kellegon, with his charming blonde hair and handsome face, and if she had the chance, she would have loved him, or even if it was just for the night. Compared to him, Gwendok was unattractive. He can't even be a qualified partner.

As she thought, her hand unconsciously reached between her legs. Her fingers rubbed between the two petals. Her breathing quickened. She imagined herself with Kellergun in her head. As she became unconscious, the object of her imagination became Finrod. If it weren't for the immorality, she wanted Finrod's love, as countless elven maidens had fantasized. Because Finrod has the most handsome appearance in the world. But she knew that apart from Amariyi of the Banu Vanya, Finrod's heart did not belong to the second woman.

Thinking of this, a sense of guilt suddenly welled up in her heart, which made her withdraw her hand. She immediately stepped out of the tub and looked at herself in the mirror. Her face was flushed, and two petals bloomed. She came outside, and the cool air made her illusions disappear. She put on a clean dress, guessing that she must have felt lonely because Gwendo had been gone for so long. She couldn't generate these sinful thoughts. She must be loyal to Gwendo because she is his lover.

She lay down on the bed and covered herself with a quilt. With the residual heat of her body after taking a bath, she soon fell asleep. When her maid pushed the door back in and poured out the bath water for her, she rolled over groggily, but did not wake up. I just don't know what kind of encounter she had in that dream.

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When Belen followed Gwendo's patrol to the gates of Nagoth Lund, it was a week later in the evening. When they set out from the place where they met, they did not go directly in the direction of the Taur-en-Pharos heights as far as the eye could see. Gwendo told Belém that although Nagoth Lund was located beneath the highlands, they were separated from the highlands by a north-south stretch of the Narog River. The river was very strong in the section in front of the gate of Nakoth Lund, and there was no bridge over the river. So there is no way to cross the river directly. They had to go in the direction of the upper reaches of the river, cross the river in a gentler section, and then turn south along the banks of the Narog River to return to the gate of Nago Slund.

Belen was glad he had met them in Tarasdil, otherwise he would have walked blindly in the direction of the high ground, and then sighed helplessly at the gate on the other side of the river. On top of that, with the protection of these valiant rangers, the journey was much safer. They encountered several more attacks by the Orcs on the way, but because of their small scale, they were all wiped out by Gwendo and others.

On the fourth day of the journey, the first snow of winter fell, and in the early hours of the next day, a thick layer of snow accumulated on the plains. The Rangers took out their white fur capes from their packages and wrapped them around their bodies. Gwendo also gave Belen one. When he put it on, he found it warmer than a bearskin coat, and the white hue allowed them to walk more discreetly through the snow, so that no one would follow and reveal the entrance to Nagoth Lund. Although the location of Nagoslund is not a little-known secret like Turgon's Gondorin, outsiders cannot find its entrance, so Nagoslund remains safe.

They were now heading south along the banks of the Narog River, and Taur-en-Falos had been to their west. A terraced field appeared in front of them. Because of the season, the crops in the field have not yet begun to grow, and the tips of the buds are covered with white snowflakes. But there was no trace of human population for several miles. I don't know who is running the farmland. Gwendo suddenly spoke: "Here we are. ”

Belen suspected that he had misheard, for he could not see at all that there was a gate to enter beneath Taur-en-Pharos. Gwendo saw his confusion, laughed and walked over to the blue rock face of the highlands, and sketched an outline with his fingers: "This is the doorframe of the gate. Belen confirmed it several more times, and was even more convinced that Gwendo was joking.

At this time the sun went down. A full winter moon appears in the sky. The bright moonlight illuminates the terraces and smooth rock walls behind the crowd. The ensuing sight took Belén by surprise. He saw bright marks appear in the position that Gwendo had sketched just now. The glow was like the sheen of metal. Those marks make up the shape of a door, and the pattern on it. In the center of the gate is the coat of arms of Finrod, and on the door frame is a string of Tengwa script. The text was written in Kunya, the language of the Noldor people, which he couldn't read.

"The outline of the gate is depicted in Ihil-al-Din. The dwarves on the other side of the Blue Mountains excavated a metal called Mithril and made it into this material. Gwendo pointed to the gate and said, "The dwarven metallurgy is truly impressive! Isildine only reflects the light of the stars and the moon, so that in the day it looks like an ordinary rock wall." ”

His brow furrowed, "This gate is what we call the Gate of Ferragond. I'm afraid this door shouldn't be called that anymore. It would be too inappropriate to name it after the cowardly king who hid behind the door. Gwendo's tone sounded yin and yang. Belen understood that Ferragond was the dwarven name for Finrod.

Along the way, Belen often heard Gwendo calling Finrod a coward to the other Rangers, who would echo him. He didn't know what kind of conflict Finrod had had with his soldiers, but he wasn't interested in getting involved. He only wanted to meet King Finrod soon. He has his own urgent purpose and doesn't want to get himself into too much trouble.

Gwendo placed his hand on the emblem in the center of the gate and whispered something. The gate, which had been embedded in the rock wall, suddenly opened. Belen saw that behind the door was a tunnel, with many side passages extending on either side of the tunnel, and the main tunnel leading to a main hall deeper. The main hall is large and majestic. The top of the main hall is close to the ground of the ground, and there are many tunnels in the rock walls around it. It was with the help of the dwarves that Finrod Ferragond was able to complete the great underground kingdom. Belém stood still, amazed by the tall rock dome and majestic giant columns of Nagoth Lund.

Gwendo urged him to enter the gate so as not to keep it open for too long. Belen is carried through the main tunnel by Gwendo. The side roads on both sides are very deep, and these tunnels that extend in all directions must be the streets of Nagoslund. The streets were bustling with people, and there were many doors on both sides that led into the buildings carved out of the hill. Belen was amazed that in this closed underground cavern, there were all kinds of shops and blacksmiths. After walking along the main tunnel for a while, you will come to the main hall.

There are more residents of Nagoth Lund in the main hall. There are many stone columns supporting the tall vaults, some with spiraling steps that can be climbed to the top of the tower through a trapdoor. Between the four columns hangs a tall platform, surrounded by a railing, which can be accessed by a spiral staircase. Finrod's throne is on it. Gwendo led him to the top, where the four seats on the platform sat the brothers Finrod and Olodris and the brothers Kellegun and Kurjufin.

Gwendo nodded to Belen and stepped off the platform, not saying a word. Before leaving, he glanced at Finrod with resentful eyes. Belen hurriedly knelt down on one knee in front of Finrod. Finrod motioned for him to rise, and Belen stood up as he took off the ring from his hand and handed it to Finrod. Finrod took the ring and examined it for a moment, then returned it to Belen. Belen found that although Finrod looked haggard, after seeing the ring, he changed his previous indifferent expression, and looked at Belen, with a glint in his eyes. "I am the son of Barahir, Belém. Belén said.

"I remember your father, Belém. "I am grateful to Balahir for saving his life, and I remember my promise. Now it must have been his son who had come to ask King Finrod to fulfill his promise?" a smile appeared on Finrod's pale face, and the crown on his head looked very heavy, "Whatever you need, I will do my best to fulfill it for you." ”

Beren was about to open his mouth and mention the matter of the Elven Diamond to Finrod, when he suddenly noticed Celegon and Kurrufin. He had never seen these two sons of Fëanor, but he had seen the portraits of the Elven Kings in some books. He was speechless for a moment, for his people had told him that Fëanor had forged the Elven Diamond. Even though he had no idea of the oath made by Fëanor's people, he knew that it would be unwise to speak to them about his desire to obtain an Elven Diamond. Kurufen noticed that Belen's eyes were on their brother, but pretended not to see. "I must say it privately, King Finrod. ”

Fenro turned to look at Olodris and the two sons of Fëanor, and said, "You all go back first, and this is all for today." After seeing the other three leave, Finrod spoke, "I will arrange a place for you to live in the kingdom." Let's go there and say. Finrod also walked around and motioned for him to follow. Belen immediately caught up.

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Belen followed Finrod into one of the many tunnels surrounding the main hall. Finrod's steps staggered, and his mental state was not at all like the elven king he had seen in the Seriher swamp during the year of the Battle of the Sudden Fire. Belém didn't know what had happened in those nine years that had changed so much for a king.

They came to a straight tunnel. On either side of this tunnel are two rows of wooden doors, each with a horse shed. The horses rested or ate and drank inside. There were quite a few soldiers in armor walking around the tunnels. Belén guessed that it was a place to feed the soldiers of the army. They came to the door of a room, where Finrod opened it with a key and let Belen in, then looked around and closed the door.

Belén surveyed the inside of the door. It's an ordinary-looking room, except that the walls are part of the mountain. From the room, it was completely unclear that it was under a high ground. The room has all the necessities of life and there is a fireplace on the wall. "You can say it now, Belém. Finrod said.

Belen pondered for a moment, organized his words, and then said, "My father and his people were slaughtered by the Orcs in the Dosonian Heights. At this, Belen's eyes moistened, he didn't know why he had started with such a sad topic, but perhaps he should have let Finrod know about his father's death, "I narrowly escaped the pursuit of the enemy and hid in the woods of Doriath. ”

As he spoke, Finrod lit a fire in the fireplace to warm up the room. In this empty and airy kingdom under the mountain, the winter is still very cold. Finrod abruptly interrupted Belen: "I deeply regret Balahir's death. But you said that you had gotten to Dorias from Taur-Nu-Fuyin, and that the fortresses on the way south from the northern battlefield had been occupied by the enemy, and how did you manage to escape into Doriath, and that you had not yet been lost in the Ring of Merry. ”

"Some magical powers helped me. Maybe it's just that nature has helped me. It allowed me to leap off the sheer cliffs of Eredgolos and across the terrifying valley of Nandon Potsab, without getting lost in the woods. But I do not want to describe to Your Majesty any details of that period now, for even when I recall a moment, the fear comes back to my mind. Belen paused and looked at Finrod. He was afraid that Finrod would not believe what he said, because the chances of surviving all this were too slim. Even Belém himself was amazed at his luck.

But Finrod nodded unexpectedly, "I deeply sympathize with your experience. I would never doubt a word spoken by the Son of Balahir, so you don't need to describe any details to prove your experience. You have lost your father and your people, and you have been visited by the Grim Reaper many times. Please tell me what you need, and I will do my best to make it happen for you. ”

Hearing Finrod's words, Belen understood that Finrod wanted him to continue. "Later, in the woods of Doriath, I met New Song and Melian daughter Lucien. She has the most beautiful appearance in the world, which makes me fall in love with her. But Singh wouldn't allow a lowly human like me to marry his daughter. ”

Finrod interrupted, "I don't agree. Your family has always been loyal to me, and on the battlefields of the Flash of Fire, your father proved to me that you humans are not a lowly race, even more noble than some elves. If Singar thinks you don't qualify for his daughter's love, then not many people do. ”

Singh doesn't think so. In his opinion, the foreigners were inferior to them. He therefore made a request to me that he would only marry his daughter to me when I returned with an Elven Diamond in my hand. Belén said.

When the word "Elven Diamond" was uttered, Belen saw Finrod's face turn pale. His face was expressionless, and he turned his back like a dead corpse, watching the fire swaying on the wood in a blank manner. "That's what you're here for, isn't it? The way you're asking me to fulfill my promise is to get you an Elven Diamond from Morgoth's Crown, isn't it?"

Belen nodded, but he doubted that Finrod had seen his movements. Because Finrod had his back to him. Finrod, however, did not look at Belen's reaction as expected: "So you didn't say anything when the son of Fëanor was present just now. You are wise, Belém, son of Barahir. He leaned his right hand against the wall, "If so, I wish I had never made that promise." But maybe this is the arrangement of fate, and bad luck has finally found me. He turned, grabbed Belen's shoulder, and said, "There was a group of people who swore to the supreme god Iluvita that if anyone dared to possess, seize, or prevent them from possessing the Elven Diamond, whether it be Vera or a demon. Elves or other races, no matter what kind of creatures appeared before the end of time, great or small, good or evil, they will pursue them to the ends of the earth with a heart of revenge and hatred.

"Two of them are in my kingdom right now. Belen understood who he was referring to, and Finrod continued, "Kelleron and Kurjufen have always been at odds with me, but not to the point of making enemies against me. But if I offer you help, they will openly oppose me. And now the whole kingdom wants the sons of Fëanor more than me to lead them. By then, I am afraid that most of Nagoth Lund will be on their side, and I will be a discredited king who has been banished by his subjects. And if I refuse to fight for you, I will be a broken oath. I'm afraid my ending will be the same as the former option. ”

Saying that, Finrod laughed, laughing with desperation: "Hahahaha...... Fëanor's oath, my vow to Balahill, your vow to Singar. What an ingenious cycle of oaths and oaths that closed me to the end of the road. But in an instant, his face regained its blood, and his expression became firm, "In that case, then I would rather be a king who has been expelled for keeping his oath! I will announce this to the kingdom tomorrow, and no one will know about it until then." When the time comes, all those who are still willing to remain faithful to me will accompany you on your journey to Angban. But don't expect too much, because there aren't many people in the kingdom who support me anymore. You're going to stay here first. With that, Finrod left.

Belen reflected on the conversation just now, and sighed at the charm of Finrod's personality. He didn't understand why Finrod was spurned by his people, but he didn't deserve to be treated like that. There may be some misunderstanding here. He didn't think it had anything to do with him, but now he felt he had to do something for Finrod. He remembered that he could go to Gwendo and find out why they had made Finrod a coward. If he can make the relationship between the monarch and the minister, it will be perfect. He walked out of the house in this direction. But he looked at the many doors, and did not know which one belonged to Gwendo. He looked around in confusion.

At this time, a fairy in iron armor passed by. He was dressed like a petty general. He saw Belen, who was looking around in confusion, and asked, "Son of Barahir, do you need any help?" Belen looked at him with a puzzled expression, "I am Edrashir, the general of Nagoth Lund. ”

Belen gave him a clumsy chest-lifting salute. He almost laughed out loud when he saw Edrahiel. Belen thought that as a fellow soldier, he should know where Gwendo lived, so he said, "Can you take me to Gwendo's residence?"

Edrahiel's smile vanished at this moment. He said in an indifferent voice, "Come with me!" and turned to walk. Belen followed him, not knowing how he had offended him. But Edra Hill's next words made him realize that the reaction was not directed at him, "I'm sorry for the faux pas. Gwendo was also a friend of mine, but Gwendo repeatedly offended His Majesty and I broke off my friendship with him. I'll just show you when I'm almost there in a moment and leave,"

Belen nodded reassuringly. They walked along the straight tunnel for an unknown amount of time. On the way, Eddrahir said, "You have come to ask Your Majesty to fulfill his promise, but I advise you not to make overly transgressive demands. Nagoth Lund is facing its own crisis, and Your Majesty has no time to be distracted by your needs right now. He suddenly stood still, raised his hand and pointed to a door, saying, "It's here." That's it, you go first, I'm leaving. Mark my words. He bowed to Belén and left.

Belén watched him go away, his heart full of thoughts. What Edrashil had just said did make him feel very uncomfortable. But it was impossible to imagine how Edrashil would react when he learned of his request to King Finrod. But he's relieved that Finrod isn't alone now. He believed that there were many more people like Edrashil who were loyal to Finrod.

He came to the door, and was about to knock on it, but he heard the gasp of a woman coming from inside the house. He remembered that on the way here, Gwendo had told him about his relationship with Finduirath, Finrod's niece. He seemed to understand that he had come at the wrong time, disturbing the warmth of the lovers' reunion after a long absence.

He stood in a daze in the doorway, thinking to himself that Edrashiel, who had been Gwendo's best friend and loyal to Finrod, must have tried to reconcile Gwendo from the king, and that Finduiras, who was both the princess and Gwendo's lover, must have been. If they were not even able to persuade them, why should he be on his own? Perhaps the matter was more complicated than he had imagined.

Thinking of this, his thoughts were interrupted by a shout from inside the door. He was embarrassed, and then he left in a gloomy manner, returning to his lodgings.

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When Belen woke up in his bedroom bed, the fire in the fireplace had been extinguished. A chill hit Belen's heart, and he shuddered as he wrapped his body tightly around the quilt. Last night he dreamed of Lucian. They were walking sweetly through the woods of Doriath, when a cold wind suddenly blew and took Lucien away. Belen felt that the corners of his eyes were sticky, like traces of tears.

He didn't know what time it was, because the walls of the houses built under the mountains didn't have windows on the walls that could peek into the outside sky. But he heard someone running outside the house. He remembered yesterday that Finrod had said that he would reveal Belen's intentions to his people. He didn't know if he could get help, so he didn't want to sleep anymore.

Belen lifted the quilt and got up, standing in front of the mirror and looking at his strong muscles. He used to be an incompetent child, but after years of experience, he has become a strong man. He noticed that he had so many scarred scars on his body, and he hadn't noticed it because he was covered in dust from the journey. Last night he had taken one of the most pleasant baths in years before his scars became visible.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. He immediately put on the armor of the soldier that Finrod had prepared for him. It is also engraved with the coat of arms of Nago Slund. The armor looked a little too big on him. The knock on the door rang several more times before Belen hurried over to open the door. Standing outside the door was Edrahiel.

"Your Majesty is on the throne platform, there is something to announce. He gathered all the people of Nago Slund and asked me to take you there at once. Edra Hill said.

Belen nodded, and followed Eddrahir outside. "Where's Gwendo?" asked Belen. "He had already left Nagoth Lund early this morning. His rangers will also be patrolling the plains this month. "A lot of soldiers are also running down the straight tunnel towards the main hall. When they reached the main hall, Belen found that there were already many elves standing under the platform. Finrod and Olodris stood by the railing of the platform, overlooking all the other elves.

They made their way through the crowd to the platform, and Belen heard unsuspecting residents whispering about why Finrod was so excited. Edrashil stood under the platform, leaving Belen to walk up alone. Belen walked up the spiral staircase step by step, not knowing how many people would be willing to help him.

Finrod saw him coming, and pulled him to the railing. "My people, you must be wondering why I have gathered the whole kingdom here. Perhaps many of you are reluctant to know what the hell is in mind for a cowardly king like me. But I hope you will listen carefully to what I have to say, because the stakes are high. Now that Belen, the son of Barahir, has come, I have something to announce to you. Finrod paused, and the crowd suddenly fell silent, as if suddenly interested in what he had to say, "As you know, I promised Balahir of the Banu that I would come to his aid whatever he or his kinsmen needed. Belen told me yesterday what he wanted, and he intended to get one more Elven Diamond in Morgoth's crown. ”

As the words fell, the crowd suddenly became agitated. The crowd was amazed that Belém had made such an impossible request, which was clearly a deliberate attempt to embarrass their king. Some scolded Belém for being an inch-grabber, while others wanted to see how the king they spit on would react. "It seems like a difficult task, but it's a promise. This human named Belen, who has experienced unimaginable dangers, has a story to tell, and he deserves my help. Therefore I will personally accompany Belen on my journey, and if there are those in the kingdom who are willing to remain faithful to me and are not afraid of sacrifice, please stand up and fight for me. ”

The noise in the hall grew louder, and Belen could barely hear Finrod's last words. But in the midst of the chaos. Belen saw Kellergun and Kurufin running onto the platform. Suddenly Celegon drew his sword, Angrest, raised it high, and shouted at the crowd below the platform, the noise softened.

"If anyone takes or finds an elven diamond and takes it for himself, neither friend nor foe, demon of Morgoth, nor an elf, nor a descendant of men, nor any other creature on Arda, neither the law, nor love, nor the alliance of hell, nor the power of Vera, nor any witchcraft power, can protect him from the hatred of the sons of Fëanor. For the Elven Diamond belongs to us alone until the end of the world. Kellergon's loud voice echoed the hall, and every bite was clear.

Kurufen also spoke: "Our brother made this vow. If King Finrod wants to grant his wish for this humanity, then we will be his enemy. "Do you want to make such a man your king? He is not willing to die for the protection of your kingdom, but he asks you to give your life so that he can fulfill his promise! He wants to obtain for this man what does not belong to him, and the elven diamonds will always be the things of the sons of Fëanor, and they have only been taken away by Morgoth! This is the true face of your king, not only a coward, but also a robber, Finrod Ferragond!"

Belen tried to reach out and push Kurufen's fingers away, but Kellergun stabbed his sword instead. His hand was stabbed by the sword, and blood ran down the railing and dripped to the ground. Belen withdrew his hand and took a few steps back. Olodris was about to draw his sword to fight him, but Finrod motioned for him to stop. He was expressionless, and did not respond to the words of the son of Fëanor, but looked at the people in the audience: "Which of you is willing to fight for me again?"

There was a sudden silence in the hall. Only a few people whispered, as if to say that Finrod had no right to order them to die. Belen knew that such a request was too much, even for those who remained loyal to Finrod. No one would want to sacrifice themselves for an alien from outside. Finrod laughed at this time, took off his crown, and at that moment, Finrod felt relieved. "As I expected, the whole kingdom has betrayed me!" he tossed the crown off the platform, the shrill sound of the crown hitting the ground that stung Belen's heart.

"You may break your oath of loyalty to me, but I must keep my promise. Finrod's voice was neither humble nor arrogant, as if looking at a group of treacherous traitors, "I will leave Nargoth Lund alone and accompany Belen to Angban!Now I am swept away like a beggar, and I will no longer be the king of Nargothlund!" Belen suddenly felt that Finrod's figure had become more majestic than ever.

Edrashil walked out of the crowd, he leaned down to pick up the crown that had fallen to the ground, walked to the platform, and knelt down on one knee in front of Finrod. The son of Fëanor was overwhelmed by his move. "Whatever happens, you are our king! and the king of them all!" he stood up and handed the crown to Finrod, who Orod Ress took for Finrod, "I will always be loyal to you, Your Majesty Finrod. My team of Rangers and I would like to join you on the march!" Nine more men came out of the crowd, all of them Rangers under Edrashiel. They drew their swords and knelt down on one knee under the platform.

"He's right, brother!" said Olodris, "no matter how misunderstood your people, they have no right to take your throne. ”

Finrod shed a tear: "My brother, when I leave, I want you to rule the country for me." If I die in the north, you will be king of Nagothrond. ”

Realizing that he had been ignored, Celegon was furious, and he tried to raise his sword and slash at Finrod, but was stopped by Kurufin. He gestured with his eyes and smiled sinisterly. Kellegun didn't know what his brother's plot was, but he was reluctant to watch Finrod go and help Belen obtain the Elven Diamond.