Natural History of Middle-earth: A Tour by Himring

Receding Waters

Eriador, Lake Evendim, Fourth Age

Character: Aragorn

The image prompt was a photo by bunn of a place called New Quay. It showed weathered and overgrown bits of masonry amid very green grass and trees on low hills nearby. 

Here, records still kept at Rivendell said, there had once been a quay, before the waters of the lake changed. Aragorn imagined Elendil setting sail out onto Nenuial, when the quay was new, with Isildur, maybe even Galadriel and Celeborn in a swan ship, early in the Second Age. They would have to resist the temptation to try and put back everything back as it once had been; it was impossible and not even to be desired.

Green lapped against old stone work and the foot of the gentle hills like water. He sat on the grass and made plans.

Chapter End Notes

Nenuial is the elvish equivalent of Evendim.

The site is Annuminas, former capital of Arnor, just before its restoration by Aragorn.