Tianwen·Magweth Pengolodh

Walking towards the table: "In contrast, some content is more suitable for writing stories. Readers are not as interested in a scholar and his relatives as they are in the battle of a great prince and noble daughter."

When Pengolod pulled out a chair for Alfwine, Alfwine asked, "You've confused me. I thought Rumir wasn't your kin?"

"He wasn't, but he took good care of my family. And, when Gondolin fell, he said to me—" Pengolod fell silent, "well, I'll tell you. I I'll tell you. Like you said, today is one of those days." He opened the little book, glanced at it for a moment, and then began to tell.

****

The story told in this book, the fall of Gondolin, began on the day that you Númenoreans call "As Letariel."We in Gondolin also celebrated that day an epoch ago, and we called it Tarnin Aosta.

Tarnin Aosta is how we celebrate Midsummer's Day.We did not venerate the Valar specifically when we were under the curse of Mandos, nor looked beyond the limits of the world, as mortals often do, to venerate that Iluvatar.What we have done in this respect is at most what Tarnin Aosta did.We have not spared the praises of the sun that the Valar made to light Middle-earth, and its splendor.On the eve of the festival, once the festive garlands are hung, a solemn silence is observed throughout the city.We wake up quietly and get dressed up early.No one will speak until dawn.The illustrious singers sang together, welcoming the sun up and over the mountains with intoxicating singing.We believe that silence is as sacred as singing.It was a festival of great beauty and grandeur.

That is, unless you have young children.

That year, my family was like that.At that time we had become a big family.For myself and my parents, my sister's children, their children, and even the third generation have been both a joy and a headache.The beautiful Hingo Thiel, with loving severity, replaced my mother as the matriarch of the large family.Hingo Thiel took it upon himself to keep the three young children quiet, as they were approaching but not yet old enough to truly understand the situation.As the children fidgeted waiting for the singing to begin, she gestured several times for silence.The sky began to brighten, gradually turning into a red dawn, and the children became more and more restless.They would open their mouths, and Hingo Thiel would hiss, "Hush!" After the youngest had said three times aloud, her siblings would imitate, "Hush!" The crisp voice said, "We must keep quiet for Tarnin Aosta!"

We also don't know how we managed to do it without laughing.I covered my mouth, deeply thinking that it would be great if Rumir would accept my invitation.Rumil declined to join my family, saying that standing for long periods of time would tire him out, and that he would not prevent us from celebrating that day because of his weakness.The royal family stood high on the eastern wall, and I knew Rumir wasn't there just by looking.Maybe I'm imagining, but I could swear I heard Idril say to her son, Erendil, "Hush!" The child was seven years old, and seemed to grow twice as fast as most elf children.She knelt down and picked him up, and he looked over her shoulders over the walls.

What happened the next moment seemed to prove me right.Eärendil let out a horrific scream.Everyone followed the reputation and opened their mouths for such a disrespectful behavior, and there was no sound.But equally astounding, the noble crowd high up on the wall did not immediately silence the child, but began whispering among themselves.Only Maeglin said nothing.After a moment, Qi Qi remained silent, we all heard the sound of a horn, from an elf rider on the plain.

The next to break the silence were the guards on the walls.They recognized the meaning of the horn, and shouted: "The enemy! The enemy is coming!" Upon hearing this, the joyous silence of the whole city was suddenly and irresistibly broken.Frightened murmurs broke out into cries and yells.Many people bluntly do not believe that we will be discovered by the enemy-isn't this the hidden city?Yet Turgon's reaction proved that wrong.He shouted orders for the noble lords to attend the meeting, while the guards shouted for all men who could bear arms to join the defense.That means I'm included too.

Of course I will.Faced with this seemingly impossible situation, a rage arose within me to defend Gondolin.However, I kept the secret of Idril's escape tunnel for seven full years.I thought about what Rumir would do.In just an instant, I came to a conclusion: Rumir will choose to survive. "Singo Teal! I have to tell you something important, right now." I insisted.I told her Idril's secret, and I begged her to take our kin there if the battle turned against me.

How to get there, I don't need to tell her a second time.She repeated: "The honeysuckle garden, the one that was supposed to be a rose garden, but the roses never bloomed; there's a ladder under the arbor that leads down to the well. Good." She looked around quickly, counting our loved ones , "This gang will take that as a rare treat. Help me drive them home. You'll take the young ones to join the army, I think." She picked up her tear-stained, screaming great-grandson Girl, shout out and tell our own team not to mess up.

As we go, I look back - just this once.Maeglin stood alone on the high wall, silhouetted against the red light of the north, still watching.I did not know until later that he was looking at his own masterpiece.We did not know then that he had sold Gondolin to Morgoth for an unexportable reward--domination of the city, and possession of Idril.I didn't know this from him, because I never saw him again.

Two hours later, the meeting is over and ready to go.The enemy is at the gates, and so are we.I am an archer, sent to high places, from where I can see the hosts that are plotting to destroy Gondolin.The army of Morgoth did not march.They roared like a mighty fire and darkness across the verdant plain to Gondolin, and they were too numerous to be stopped.Leading the vanguard were giant dragons, scorching the green fields of Tumladen as they advanced.There were dragons with Balrogs on their backs, dreadful fiends twice the height of elves, with black skin cracked and cracked to show the fire of the earth.When the terrible Balrogs attacked, we could see their fiery throats and horned heads, and they were very different from each other.Above them, hovering ferocious winged monsters, eclipsing the sky, are battling the eagles that protect us.Then came hordes of orcs, in unimaginable numbers, some marching in ranks, and others charging forward in array with shields held up.A huge siege machine was dragged from the rear.The horrors of the Battle of Tears are upon our doorstep.The sight in front of him made the strong warrior gritted his teeth and called out the name of Elberis.Doubly guilty, for perhaps I had ruined the escape route by revealing the secret of the escape way too soon before the time came; perhaps no one would succeed in finding it in the chaos to come.

The evil crowd came in great numbers, and the army was divided in two under the northern hills of Gondolin, and rushed towards the gate of the city.Our thousand archers are there waiting for them.Then, the battle began, a battle like never before.

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I fought while witnessing the great deeds I recount in The Fall of Gondolin.No matter how we rained arrows, the enemy's army still captured the gate.The flaming Balrog's arrows knocked Lord Duilin from the great walls, and he fell to the rocks forty feet below to die.Our corps under his command withdrew to join Penrod, and he gave the order to retreat.Alas, Penrod, who was of noble birth, was not as familiar with the alleys of the city as we commoners. He wanted to find a shortcut, but he was ambushed by the enemy who had invaded the city, and died in battle.Our army was dwindling in number, and we fought our way to find Exelion and Tuor, only to see Exelion confronting him by the King's Fountain, despite Tuor calling him again and again. Step back, kill the leader Balrog, and lose your own life.I would describe this as stubborn bravery, and it is.

We witnessed scene after scene of horror.The paths of White and Ash were all destroyed by fire and blood, and the elf women who were born and bred in the safe city of Gondolin screamed, but none of the screams lasted long enough for us to find out where they were.Our own people were not only killed, they were also devoured before our eyes.The stench is unforgettable.Dragons and Balrogs set fires everywhere, and the smoke soon blotted out the bright sun, and even the fountains were baked and steamed.And the most terrible thing is the collapse of the palace.A great fire blazed, a column of smoke rose into the air, and even at a distance we could hear the scream—oh, Vera, such a scream!Then there was a rumbling sound.Attacked by fire and ferocious creatures, the royal palace finally collapsed into darkness and flames.Thus died Turgon, first our lord and then our king.

We fought so long that day turned into night and night turned into day.We gathered about Tuor, and there were but about two hundred men left.Everyone was so filthy with smoke and ash that even the family uniforms could not be distinguished.The weapons can't identify us anymore, because we took the slain comrades before the Orcs.