Tianwen·Magweth Pengolodh

He messed around for a while. "

Rosenzil laughed: "You know who I'm talking about."

On the other side of the wall, someone called Pengolod and startled him: "Excuse me, sir?"

Pengolod looked up to see a man with a soapy brush, a cup, and a long razor.

"Sir, I'm sorry for the long wait. Are you ready to shave?" Pengolod saw just behind the visitor, the burly man sitting next to him was rubbing his newly shaved smooth chin with satisfaction, and strode away.

Pengolod decided to nod.He thought that everything has a beginning.

While someone was soaping his face, he tried to continue listening to the voice behind him, but heard nothing.Both women's voices were lost, or drowned out by the growing chatter.

After shaving, Pengolod was rubbing his chin when the barber asked him if he wanted a haircut.Pengolod refused, and hurried off before anyone else asked.When he strode down the mountain and was quite a distance away from the bathhouse, he touched his chin again.The skin felt a little harder and flatter than before, but he glanced at a window as he passed and thought he looked the same, except that his hair was still wet—he ran away before it was dry.He started looking for a bench to sit on and let the sun do its work.

Pengolod has descended into an old-looking square.It seemed to be the haunt of grocers and sailors, and there were several wine and beer taverns, which, despite Romenna's summer superstitions, were busy.Maybe it was the white-painted benches they had built around the walnut tree in the center of the square.Pengolod sat down.He was going to wait in the shade while watching passers-by.He glanced at the tree appreciatively.It was as tall and as thick as the trees that shaded the backyard of the Alfwines' house.No doubt they were all planted at the same time, when Tar-Minastir ordered the improvement of Kingstown 50 years ago.Birds were pecking green walnuts, green wrens and scarlet kilinkes.He listened to the bird's murmur in relaxation, and considered what Rosenzil had said.

Of course Pengolod had heard of the debate between Andreas, the mortal wise woman, and Finrod, king of the elves. The axis of that debate was the love between Andreas and Finrod's undead kinsman, Aegnor.In the long years since her time, few bridges have been bridged across the gulf between elves and mortals.Time torments mortals, memory torments elves, always tearing the two apart, even when they meet—especially when they meet, Pengolod thought.He had been thankful for the friendship between himself and Alfwine, who always—he corrected himself—always seemed willing to share his thoughts and memories, which he felt they had found in the past few days. Back to the old friendship.Rosenzil had the wisdom of a woman, had experienced sorrow and unfulfilled dreams, and had already guessed why Alfwine was the way he was.But what about himself?

The leaves of the walnut trees rustled, Pengolod thought.Suddenly all the kilinks were chirping and flying, and the scarlet flock was gone from the trees, only the bold wrens were left.They were startled away by a large cart driving into the square.Pengolod glanced at it curiously, and then couldn't help staring, because he saw someone wandering out of a wine tavern to meet the drivers.He thought painfully, isn't it, where else can a fat man go to spend his time?That big man, that beard, was the leading man of the comedians, the Pocket King, and there was no mistaking it.

The Pocket King stopped to chat with the driver, while Pengolod stared.He thought at first that the mortal had lost some weight, because he looked less bloated.But he looked carefully for a moment and found that it was actually the difference caused by the clothes.The suit fit the mortal's body, not stretched it.The man's sham and expensive costumes, which he wears as the Pocket King, are deliberately undersized in order to exaggerate his physique.

Pocket King must be sensitive to all audiences because of his acting career.He squinted his eyes, looked around for who was watching, and spotted Pengolod.He raised his eyebrows.Then, he patted the driver, and the two looked towards Pengolod together without instructions.The driver immediately blushed.The fat man was radiant, and walked straight up to the shocked Pengolod, and bowed halfway: "I say! You are that elf boy, right? How are you?"

Pengolod stood up: "And you are the jester, talking nonsense over and over again, mocking my people."

The fat man replied, "Ocey, that's not for the beautiful race at all. After I look in the mirror, I have to think of a way to cheer myself up. I said, that's it." He laughed, obviously expecting Pengolod laughed back.

Pengolod refused to appease: "How dare you mock the siege of Imladris? I was there - I starved for 32 months. If it weren't for those soldiers who were also laughed at by you, I would definitely still be there now." There. We scarcely laughed at the Orcs in the end, and it was not weakness that set us back, but heavy casualties." The words ended abruptly.He was so angry that he had been using Elvish instead of Adunak when he accused him from the beginning, but even so, the other party understood.

The man who had been scolded took a step back before he could answer, also in Elvish language: "I have seen humans return to the shores of Númenor, and I still can't forget the great battle; but I don't know that the elves are the same. I Nothing, as I have seen it, can make a man lose his laugh. So I beg your pardon—double, I think, for the taunting you received at the shipyard banquet in Cirjatan. Wasn't that Are you more annoyed?"

Hearing this answer, Pengolod relaxed his guard: "The banquet at the shipyard? No. That kiss was just—it was stupidity."

"Good sir, there is nothing but folly in my pocket kingdom. You are Pengolod who lives here, are you not?"

Pengolod softened his attitude, but became vigilant: "Yes, I am Pengolod. What about you—sir? I only know you are the Pocket King."

The fat man said: "Then, you'd better call me Nuf like the people in this district. I'll buy you a jug of wine to drown out all the offenses. What do you think?"

"I thought that drinking in the sun would make you sick when the weather was so hot." Pengolod said, privately, he was not unhappy.People began to gather at the edge of the square to watch the two unusually mismatched people speak.

"Tal-Minastir did many good things when he came to power, but promoting that view to the common people is not one of them," Noof declared, his tone bordering on sarcasm. "Which store are you going to?" Mother Chicken and Chick,' or 'Two Green Almonds'?"

Pengolod inspected the two shops.At the door of "Hen and Chicks", under the red and yellow signboard, there were crowds of women watching, squinting their eyes in the sunlight.Pengolod's past experience in the corners of Central Continent was not for nothing. He knew how a "tavern" could be lively without selling a glass of wine.He immediately chose another one."It's up to you," Knuf said, and he blew kisses to the group of women, and joined Pengolod in the shade of "Two Green Almonds."

Two Green Almonds seems to attract a more refined crowd, which can probably be seen from the sparse customers in the store-all young people with a rather artistic temperament and clean-shaven faces.No matter what Noof invited, it turned out that his so-called "spirit" was a large pot of summer soup, but in addition to the requisite mint leaves, there were expensive citrus floating in it.He took a swig and said, "It's a hell of a sweltering day. That's the only time I wish I could hit the road home, where the Unnie's breeze doesn't come from Ossie's rotting shells. But man , you can’t always do what you want.”

Pengolod took a more measured sip, admiring the claret from the cool cellar.He answered, "I understand. We elves love a cool country with four seasons. Where is your home?"

"Harnusta in the southwest. That's our wine country. In the fields there, the heat is good." Noof sighed exaggeratedly, and filled his large glass again.

Pengolod asked: "Then how did you end up here as a comedian?"

Nuf said: "Uni's butt and tail, don't you notice? I'm fat! Huge fat! A big lump of suet! The big boat Tujou Fangto can't hold enough for me to fill my stomach; if I boil oil to cook as a candle, enough for them to light all Armenelos. Yes, if I go to war, the Orcs will quarrel to death over who shall use my gravy to rub their goblin bread. In one word: I, too, fat."

Pengolod recalled his first impression of Noof with a little guilt: "It's really impossible to ignore. But what does that have to do with being a comedian?"

Nuf put down the goblet, and said: "Elf, your fate and mine were bound together in Númenor. I will explain. You went to Armenelos and were guests of Tar-Minastire. If some tattoed boy from the South Isles comes from the canoe, or some wench from Umbar, and they disembark at Romenna, they won't be entertained by the king, oh no. All Númenor knows about Minas Tir Worshiping elves, that's why you're invited. We know, thanks to Minastir, that anything that has an elf look has been in vogue over the past 100 years of his reign. Including—" Noof told the friend goloz's nose