Dorwinion grows vast vineyards for one simple reason: the land and climate there are made for the vine. So when merchants from Dorwinion passed through and tasted grapes of uncommon quality in Dale and the towns nearby, they could not understand how the North had managed it.
After asking everywhere they could, they kept hearing one answer.
"The lord went east, found grape seeds, and brought them back to plant here."
"This matches what's written in the Dorwinion Chronicles," one trader added, sounding very certain.
A few first-time visitors from Dorwinion huddled over their cups, speaking gravely.
"Who is their lord?"
"Levi."
"That name sounds familiar. Last time we heard, it was at our own port. Some sailor back from the East spread rumors about him."
"That legendary Shadow of War."
"Hold on... are we talking about the same person?"
They could not decide which part was more unbelievable. A lord who did not sit still and rule, but kept vanishing into danger. If Bard or the overseers at Roadside Keep had heard that, they would have sighed and waved them along. Today again, Levi was away from his domain. He was not wandering for delight. He was working.
"This road's scale is astonishing," Gandalf said as wind combed the edges of his cloak. "It will become a bulwark for the free powers of the North."
High on the Sky Road, he and Levi rode side by side at a steady pace. Sunlight drew bright lines across the stone. Far below, forests breathed and moved like a living sea.
Gandalf leaned on the railing and studied the lay of it. "This citing is clever," he said. "To the north you can glimpse toward the Woodland Realm's palace, yet this road neither intrudes upon their movements nor gives strangers a view of their private grounds."
He nodded toward the treetops. "Those tall crowns with red and green leaves break the sightlines of the curious, while under sun and moon, those who love beauty will be satisfied."
Light poured across the canopy like molten copper. A river of red leaves gleamed to the horizon. From the bridge, language began to feel too small.
Levi reined in, looking long and quiet. "This is what I wanted," he said at last. "When I first saw a scene more beautiful than any painting, I thought everyone in this world should be able to see it. That was when the idea for the road was born."
Rustle.
Leaves whispered to one another and layered their music. The great span hummed as if it, too, could feel the peace of it. Wizard and man both felt their chests loosen and settle.
"Spring, summer, autumn, winter," Levi said softly. "This place can always be beautiful."
"Agreed," Gandalf answered. He turned his gaze south. "It is different on the other side."
North of the Sky Road lay that red-leafed ocean. South rose a black mountain line: Emyn-nu-Fuin, the Black Mountains of Mirkwood. Fir forests cloaked the slopes, breathing sharp resin and cold shade.
Under those firs, something old and stubborn still clung to the roots. Call it blight, and it kept Sauron's sorcery from spilling north out of Dol Guldur. Call it useful, and it also sheltered things best kept in stories. Orcs and giant spiders still nested there. Only because Dale had grown so strong in recent years did they rarely show themselves.
"The threat is not great, but it is a hidden risk," Gandalf said.
"That is why I asked you to come," Levi replied. "We will visit the Great Eagles of the Misty Mountains."
The Sky Road did not pass only Goblin-town. It ran close to the eyries. Leveling Goblin-town helped the Eagles at once. Goblins would no longer spill out to bother their nests. Yet a road so grand might also disturb the air and patterns of their hunting. They should speak.
"I believe our aims are common," Levi said. "There is much to discuss. I have never dealt with the Eagles directly. With you here, it should go smoothly."
Gandalf smiled. "You underestimate your own standing. They are eagles, yes, but not ordinary birds. The Eagle-king and his kin are rich in wisdom and compassion. They gladly help those who do good."
He chuckled. "It is more accurate to say the Eagles spoiled the goblins' mischief. When goblins could not bite the eagle, they settled for making noise at the edge of the nest."
"In truth, you do not need me. Even alone, you would be received without trouble."
Levi knew it. Among the Great Eagles, his name already flew on good wind. What they lacked was a formal word and clear terms. He had brought Gandalf to stand witness and to share the mountain air.
They left Dale at sunrise. By dusk, the mountain shoulders lifted in front of them. Where the road met stone, a scatter of fresh-built houses spread out like a camp that had decided to stay. Storehouses, rest-lodges, stables, cookhouses, and workshops formed neat rows. Wherever the road advanced, this cluster followed. At the start of the Sky Road and near the Misty Mountains, the clusters had grown thick enough to resemble small towns.
The start-point needed no explanation. It was a hub, thronged and busy. On the far side there was space to build without blocking traffic, so the buildings remained even after crews moved on. The plan accounted for it. With the road so far from Lake-town now, many crews lived here and rotated home. At the last council, Levi had already marked this as a new habitable development zone. At this pace, one or even several towns would soon stretch along the road.
They stabled their horses and walked north beneath a sky turning to brass. The air thinned and sharpened. They began to climb.
The eyrie was a tumble of vast, jutted stones, like the spine of the mountain bared to the wind. Only wings reached it easily. That was one reason the Great Eagles feared neither orc nor goblin. However well the climbers scrabbled, at their best they could bang on lower rocks or shriek until someone lost sleep. Reaching the nest itself was a dream for creatures without feathers.
When the last step of the path fell away and Levi weighed whether to unfurl Elytra and carry Gandalf up, shadows folded out of the sky. Two Eagles dropped from the clouds, their wings beating deep and steady, air rolling under each stroke. Talons as strong as forged hooks settled around them with a careful grip, and the world rose in a smooth, dizzying glide.
They sat down on a flat, wind-scoured slab at the summit.
A pressure rolled across the stone as a wide ring of air turned in place. Then a larger shadow spilled across them. A Great Eagle descended, slow and sure, light catching on a crown of gold sheen along his mantle and head. He touched down like a falling banner and folded his wings, then dipped his head once in greeting to Levi.
No one needed a herald to announce him.