Tianwen·Magweth Pengolodh

As an act of payment, the two lingered in the shop afterwards, discussing the various boats.For the first time, Pengolod was among Romenna's crowd, and instead of keeping quiet, he took part in the conversation.The talk of competition let him relax among them like a elven ship sailing past Romenna's harbor.

On the morning of the race, master, apprentice, and elf visitor wandered down to the pier, where the smaller boats were moored like bees clustered around a hive.They lowered the rope ladder and jumped into Alfwine's dinghy.It's just big enough for two people, whether it's two fishermen with gear or two spectators with food and wine bags (no matter how conceited Alfwine says, the wine bags are still full. I bought an old wine with a lot of water, so as not to get a headache from the sun).But there were three of them, and Ah Tang sat in the center seat next to the small mast, which was really cramped.Alfwine was sitting at the stern, skillfully manipulating the oars, showing the solid muscles in his arms.A swarm of larger ships passed, stirring up the water, and the skiff rocked in the turbulent water until Pengolod stepped into it.He himself didn't give much thought to the sudden balance of the boat—he thought that as long as the weights at both ends were balanced, it should be stable.Alfwine rowed away from the pier and said: "The water is unbelievably calm today...or maybe my arms have become stronger than I thought. There are three people in the boat, and it stands to reason that I have to use all my strength to row." move."

"Since it's Uni's game, I figured she'd be there to make everyone more comfortable," Pengolods said.He wears a borrowed hat and concentrates on crowd-watching.The visibility in the bay is excellent, and the scene of thousands of boats galloping happily in the water is also very spectacular, as well as canoes, rafts, and some things that look like bathtubs.It was as if the whole town of Romenna had tipped over to the sea and dumped the whole town into the sea.Everyone seemed to be very conscious, and no one stood in the way of the participating boats.Men in the uniform of the heralds of the Númenórean army came and went swiftly in light one-man canoes, shouting to direct the crowds on either side of the harbour.

Alfwine rowed the boat into a good position and dropped the anchor weight. "The boat can go all the way to the front," he explained.

"Good brother, what you said is true!" Pengolod was taken aback, and looked around quickly.Beside them was a dinghy painted in a fashionable fashion, and two rich older men were sitting in it, and one of them said in a thick accent: "It's not the only way to leave the ladies on the barge. Anyway, they are here today." Crazy. I don't know if they're paying homage to the Lady of the Seas, or asking her for something they gave her every time their man went to sea." The bell rang and he stopped talking.This signal marked the beginning of the race. As soon as the other boats on the water heard the bell, there was a panic, and those in the front were quickly driven back.

Alfwine put the oars on the bottom of the boat next to the crutches before he dared to lean forward: "Tang, sit in the back so I can explain to Pengolod what's going on." They switched places , no one fell into the water. "Look, here comes the first boats." The narrow raceboats' white prows were inscribed with names, but the main markings that distinguished them were the different-colored sails, colorfully adorned with strips and squares of cloth. "That way you can see who's leading from a distance." Pengolod admired the shiny, streamlined hulls of the rowing boats as they cut through the waves, leaving smooth foamy trails behind them, setting off The waves rocked their skiff.After a group of rowing boats set off, a large barge with gilded railings and bright red pennants slid across the water, attracting cheers from the audience, who waved colorful scarves and small flags.

Cirjatan stood first on the splendid gold and red barge, holding a great banner of Númenor in his hand, with a smile Pengolod had never seen on his face.Pengolod recognized a few more nobles, and they also seemed more relaxed than they had been in Armenelos.He didn't need elven sight to recognize the undisguised beauty of Laurinque's hair.Even the mortals beside them saw her clearly: "Isn't that our girl! She is so beautiful, isn't it? It is time for the court to favor the daughter of the Explorers' Guild again. Romenna's daughter Children." They praised in low voices.Pengolod lowered the brim of his hat a little more, covering his face.

He knew that the rowing boat would soon set out from Torvuni, sail halfway up the Romennafjord, cross the wide channel where the fjord began to widen, and then turn around and return on the other side of the fjord.The royal barge floated to mooring on the Toruni side and was fastened, while the competing dhows lined up along a yellow rope drawn by two canoeists.The spectators shouted and waved more vigorously, until Cirjatan hoisted the great flag aloft to signify the start of the race, and the men in the canoes dived headlong into the water and brought down the ropes.Uni seemed to like her rowers, for a great swell in the receding tide lifted their bows, and a fragrant wind blew up all the flags and scarves, filling those great sail.The din of the crowd became deafening, echoing off the cliffs on both sides of the fjord and the towering shores of Uni Island.

Pengolod felt Alfwine thump and laugh at the gang, and then saw him reach for Tom, grabbing the boy before he fell into the water.Pengolod first smiled, and then laughed too, for the men in the next boat were betting on when the half-grown man would fall into the sea.

When a large number of people are waiting on the water, entertainment becomes the theme.Nimble dinghies ferry people to and from the larger ships, and some are piloted by lovers of free sailing.They exchanged food and drinks along the way.The first time someone fell into the water, everyone cheered and took the opportunity to drink another glass of whatever they were drinking.

Someone paddled up to Alfwine's boat and asked Pengolod, "You are the elf, aren't you?" An old friend of CCCC.It turned out that he took to the water and rowed far more often than he had told Pengolod.Realizing this, Pengolod somehow felt cheated.He pondered, until the longboat Rosenzil and the others had hired slipped alongside their skiff.

The draft of their flat-bottomed boat was quite deep, and more than a dozen women had their sleeves rolled up, dangling with their arms in the water.Rosenzier was one of the first two with long oars.They greeted each other in general, and Alfwine took off his hat in return.Pengolod hurriedly followed suit, and at the same time Alfwynai lightly pushed Tom with his mouth open, telling him not to stare at the group basking in the sun and soaked in seawater, and let go. hair woman look.Rosenzil greeted them from the bow, and the rest of the women on board followed suit, half-jokingly.The woman at the helm growled, "Hey! Be gentle with gentlemen, you—" At the woman at the helm's stern rebuke, someone screamed, drowning out the last insult to the woman on board.The woman at the helm lifted the brim of her straw hat, revealing a face flushed by the sun. She was exactly the Pudani she had seen at the boatyard banquet.She cried, "I'll let 'em go if you've got anything nice to drink. Beer is a thing of the boat, yes."

Alfwine held up a leather pouch. "We've brought the best ink! Would you like some?"

Most of the women were amused and yelled in feigned disgust, but Rosenzil kept his demeanor: "I'll have a drink." She leaned forward to take the offered leather bag, took a sip as gracefully as she could, and Ignoring the fourteen women who were booing behind her back, she asked, "Do you want a muffin? I made it yesterday, but it's still delicious."

"Yeah, we're bringing them to ballast!" shouted another woman on board.Losingzil lost her temper, and she turned around to retort about one of the women's eating, and they fought until two men in the other boat started flirting with the women in the stern.

Losingzil seized the opportunity to turn back to Alfwine, the flush on his face was not just from the sun: "We'll just row away and won't make things difficult for you. Really, they are usually more decent than this .”

"Usually everyone is more respectable." Rosenzil and Alfwine said in unison, "This is Uni's competition after all." The sudden harmony made them all blink.Alfwine put his hat back on to hide his expression.Pudani shouted to the women who were paddling, and their boat left slowly.Rosenzil turned and waved.

A man with a thick accent said: "You visitors are really interesting. That girl with black hair, she is a good look. Look, she just splashed water on the woman who rowed, and you can see it. It's her shirt." Ah Tang half stood up, trying to look.Amid Elfwine's roar, the boat tipped over in protest, throwing Ah Tang into the water.The person who spoke nodded: "Son, I've caught you." Then he said to his companions in the boat, "Give me the money!"

After Ah Tang was scooped up, the noon sun became more and more scorching.Just as the heat was starting to become restless, a horn sounded from the deck of Cirjatan's barge.Everyone turned their heads to look at it, like a flock of birds changing direction following the adjustment of the lead bird. "But the rowing boats aren't visible yet?" Pengolod asked.

Alfwine pointed to the deck of Qiryatan's barge, where suddenly there were people with only clothes around their waists standing there.