On a bright morning just before the Starshine Moon began, Allen and his companions bid farewell to beautiful Caras Galadhon and set off for home.
When they first left the Golden Wood, almost everything around them was wilderness, with neither roads nor people. They occasionally spotted human buildings on distant hillsides, but those were ruins thousands of years old.
In the north, the July sunshine was pleasant enough, warming their bodies without making them feel particularly hot.
White clouds drifted in the breeze, dotting the clear blue sky. Walking through wilderness like this, everyone remained in fairly good spirits despite the lack of people.
At the very least, there were no loathsome Half-orcs nearby anymore, nor any unsettling wolf howls.
Under the sunlight, the once-gloomy land was regaining its former beauty.
And so, after traveling for more than ten days, the company's spirits rose even further.
After passing several watchtowers built atop hills, they entered Eowya's Village.
This was cultivated land laden with produce, and most of its residents had rosy complexions and a warm welcome for others.
When those working in the fields noticed the banner Allen's company carried, they took off their hats and bowed from afar, expressing their respect for their king.
Level roads crisscrossed the fields, with simple yet newly built houses occasionally standing along either side.
Some were inns, while others were merely homes.
As Allen traveled along the road and gazed into the distance, orchards, farmsteads, and warehouses dotted the land around Eowya's Village, stretching from nearby to far away.
Nor was the company's journey a lonely one. When they overtook ox carts laden with vegetables, they were even given gifts of fresh produce.
These included cool, crisp cucumbers and sweet, juicy tomatoes.
After these years of development, this once-desolate land had become a