The Grotto

Chapter Two

The Hot Springs

 

Perhaps it was the memory of Frodo’s kiss, or the beauty of the place itself, but you often found your feet wandering the path to that distant grotto on summer days when the sun was bright in the sky. You loved the place both for its natural beauty and the majesty of the formation. It made you feel small and insignificant –that even the immortal Eldar were but temporary guests of this eternal isle – but you felt drawn to the indomitable power that was evidenced there. You had wandered the hillside long, exploring the path the water took as it thundered far below your feet. At the base of the slope, the forest again opened up and the stream reemerged in a series of slashing, calcite lined pools, but the most amazing thing about this fount was that it was hot…

Somewhere along the stream’s underground path, it must have encountered a fissure that split the earth to its mantle. The water that emerged had worn away ages of limestone bedrock and, as it fell to the valley floor, it cooled, depositing minerals on the edges of pools below and making them smooth and rounded and as soft as the curve of an alabaster cheek. The pools higher up were too hot to bathe in, but no more than 20 feet down, there were cascading falls where the water had cooled to just the right temperature for a luxurious bath. The discovery of this place was your private delight and you had not shared it with anyone. For the present, it was your special place on Tol Eressea, though you doubted you would be able to keep such a treasure secret forever. Whereas the thing you most loved you must share with your sisters, this was yours alone… for now, at least.

It was late summer, and the gardens were tended, the smial was well cleaned and there was no real work to be done until the harvest and canning began in earnest. You woke that morning in your small, dark room, stretched and felt curiously rested and relaxed. You had nothing planned for the day, and could have slept in till breakfast (today was not your turn to cook), but you found yourself very much awake. The sinfully delicious thought crossed your mind that if you got up now, and packed some food in your knapsack, you could spend your entire day bathing and relaxing at the hot springs. No one would see you leave this early. No questions could be asked, and no one would invite themselves along – the secret would remain be safe.

You rose and prepared your things as quietly as a mouse, and when you left Bag End West, the sun was just beginning to peak over the edge of the eastern horizon. Your sisters and Frodo would not be stirring for a while yet – even on the Blessed Isle, hobbits slept as late as they could – so you would be well out of sight before anyone raised bleary, sleep filled eyes to wonder where you were off to. It was a lovely morning – cool and crisp, laden with the fulfillment of a bountiful summer. There were ripening fruits on the trees, fields of golden grain that were just about ready to harvest and bushes loaded with succulent berries whose sweet juice stained the lips and tongue a fertile red. The lands around Bag End were filled with the rewards of hobbit industry. Farming this isle was nothing but rewarding, for it seemed no seed placed in the soil of the blessed place ever failed to flourish.

You walked briskly, but it was many hours before you reached the springs and you were hot and tired when you finally did. You climbed up to the pools and dropped your pack and walking stick by a rivulet of cool water that joined the outflow of the spring. There you bathed your face and hands and lay down for a while to rest as the relaxing sound of running water sank into your heart. Tol Eressea was a place of healing, not only for Frodo, who needed and deserved it more than any, but for you as well. You could barely recall what your old life was like but you knew that you had never felt as happy then as it seemed you always were here. Part of that happiness, you knew, was seeing Frodo whole and healed. The process had not been immediate – when you had first come here, he still clung to his fears and doubt, as if he did not think he deserved the attentions you and your sisters ached to give him, but slowly, as you had expressed your love for him with patience and tenderness, the walls around his soul had opened and he had let you all in, and his pain and self recrimination out… expelling, at last, the final demons that plagued him. It had been a wonder to behold when he had finally accepted his ladies – and their love. The bright fire of his indomitable spirit had been set free and you all gloried in its light.

A pleased smile still clinging to your lips, you rose and slipped out of your thin dress. The pools were calling. From your pack you drew a battered flagon and filled it from the freshet. Then you crept up the slope to your favorite basin. The water cascaded into this pool from a good 20 feet above, creating a fall of water that curtained the back. It was round and bowl-like, edged with a calcite rim that looked like enamel. The middle of the pool was nearly 3 feet deep and you could easily submerge your entire body in it. The bowl, coated with deposits, was smooth and made slightly slippery from the mineral laden water. Bathing in it gave your skin the same quality and made you feel like a river otter as you slid sinuously among the whitened rocks.

“Ah….”, you exclaimed as you lowered yourself into the steaming pool. It was warm, but not too warm. You would cool yourself here and, if you then felt the need, climb the slope to the upper basin where the water was closer to source, and hotter. Though at the moment it was delightful to just relax here. You laid your head on the shore and let your naked body drift, floating on the gently rippling surface. The sky was clear and as brilliant blue as your lover’s eyes. The loveliest shade of the color you had ever seen. Your smile returned, contented with the memory. You could spend hours here, relaxing, bathing and daydreaming, but the reality of him was better than any wish of yours could have been. Today, however, you would content yourself with the daydreaming, for you were not yet ready to give up your private place even for his delightful company.

Refreshed and invigorated, you decided to visit the upper pool. Steam rose from this one’s surface even on the hottest days and it made a mist that was difficult to see through. This is the pool that sooths aching muscles and brings the redness of a ripe apple to your cheeks. Still naked, you climbed down to the rivulet and filled your flagon. The hotter pool usually made you thirsty and you wanted to make sure you were prepared before climbing up. Today was no exception. The water was almost too hot to bear, but you grit your teeth and settle slowly into it. The heat penetrates the muscles of your thighs releasing knots you hadn’t previously known you had. It feels heavenly; rich and decadent, like a feast for the senses, a luxuriant bath you didn’t have to prepare, that never cooled and that you could stay in as long as could possibly want without having to relinquish the bathing room to another of your sisters. Truly decadent indeed.

It was while you lounged in this upper pool that you first heard the sounds of someone approaching. You slipped down as deep as you could go till only your head was visible above the misty water. Mentally you cursed and hoped with all your might that whomever was approaching would not discover your hiding place. You knew this treasure was too good to last. The sounds grew closer. An elf perhaps? This place did have an elvish air – it was prideful of you to think that a mortal had been first to discover these enchanted falls when the Eldar had dwelt so long on the Blessed Isle. You creep to the lip of the basin where you can peer into the pool below, the one you recently emerged from; the one you would have to pass to retrieve your clothing. The mists shroud your head, concealing you and cloaking your vision in a swirl of white as if what you see before you is more dream than reality. The walker emerges from the edge of the glade and you almost gasp out loud.


TBC

Go To Chapter Three

BACK to Story Index