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Darlariel had listened to the old man's explanations, frowning slightly. Indeed, he spoke in riddles, but riddles she thought she could understand. "Bird-tamer" was a name that told her many things, and so did everything else that the man had said about himself. But she spoke nothing of her thoughts. She was not sure of them, for one thing, and also, the sensible part of her brain-the part that she hated most-was telling her that most likely the man could be mad. Yet that did not explain how he had known her name.
Darlariel waved her thoughts aside. Whoever the man was and whatever he wanted was not her business. He had asked for her help and that was the only thing that mattered. Darlariel had never backed out when someone required her aid, so why should she now? It was not a hard thing he was asking her to do, she could find the library with her eyes closed, having spent many a hour in there. Therefore she nodded slowly, looking the old man straight in the eye.
"Very well, master Bird-tamer," she said, "I will take you and Hedwig to the library. It is not far from here. Let us go, then."
They started walking, and Darlariel could not take her eyes from her new acquaintance. There was something about him that fascinated her. And she knew that it would have been like this even if he had not said all the amazing things he had told her, even if she had not known who he was. "But maybe he is not who you believe him to be."a voice inside her protested. "How could he be? Maybe he has lost his mind, all because he has been dreaming all his life,just as you have, for the world of almost forgotten legends. Maybe he is like this because, just as you, he refused to acknowledge the world he lived in and sought refuge in the ancient lays." Yet what was to acknowledge in such a world? What could be found in those times save a dull, tiresome stream leading nowhere and lacking all meaning and all splendour?
Darlariel looked around her. Everything had gone quiet, or maybe it was her uneasy mind that made it seem so. This was the night when terrible things happened, or so old tales said. Who could tell what unknown dark creatures lurked in the dark places of the city ready to waylay the unwary. Darlariel felt a shiver run down her spine. Wanting to draw away from her that feeling of uneasiness, she began talking with her new companion:
"You told me very few things about yourself, master Bird-tamer," she began, "Yet I did not find it hard to understand your riddles. You spoke to me of osanwe. Well let me tell you that I know very well what that means and who used it. And also there is your name, and your friendship with your owl, Hedwig. I have rarely seen something like this. Now you call yourself "Bird-tamer", yet I believe that back home you had other names that sounded fairer. Let me see. Could one of these possibly be...Radagast? Or perhaps...Aiwendil?"
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