Brotherhood, Chapter Twenty Four.
Here is the next chapter of Brotherhood - in which the plot thickens - or possibly becomes clearer...
Previous chapters are Here.
Chapter Twenty-four.
Rating 15
3,600 words.
Beta'd, as usual, by S2C.
Chapter Twenty-four
Estel and Arwen were deep in discussion with Faramir and Éowyn, about the identity and relationships between the known malcontents, and so Elrohir went to the other ellyn to see what they made of Tindómë’s question.
“Who would benefit if no-one was ruling Gondor?”
Elladan’s eyes widened in understanding immediately, but he did not answer the question directly. “Doubtless someone would rule Gondor… but without their King Elessar it could well be someone who did not really expect to have, or want to have, the position.”
“Or,” Legolas joined the discussion, “it is possible that factions might develop - those who would want Faramir to become a ruling steward and those who would want Imrahil, or one of his sons, to become king now that the kingship is restored.”
“There may even be those who would want to find any kin Estel has left among the Dúnedain and make them king,” Elladan continued, “and so it is quite possible that, if they do not have their King Elessar, there may be, at best, a ruler thrust into an unexpected role; at worst unrest or, even, civil war.”
“And,” Tindómë’s voice was clear, “who would benefit?”
“The enemies of Gondor.” Orophin’s voice was unemotional, but brooked no argument.
“Exactly!” Tindómë said, nodding her head. “So could we be back at something not personal, or not entirely personal? From an outside ‘big bad’ not an inside one?”
“Not Sauron or Saruman; both are totally defeated, Maiar though they were,” Elladan stated firmly.
“The Haradrim?” Legolas wondered.
“The Corsairs of Umbar.” Rumil said this as if there could be no other answer and the others looked at him expectantly.
“They lost men, ships, prestige,” he said. “They are not unlike the people of Gondor to look at; Lord Lomion could easily be one of the Umbarrim. Aragorn led us as we fought and killed many of them and so, if Lord Lomion is a corsair, he could well have personal reason to dislike Aragorn; destroying Aragorn and weakening Gondor would be both personal vengeance, perhaps for lost kin, and to the benefit of his people.”
Elrohir’s first thoughts, unknowingly, echoed Tindómë’s of earlier in the week. He had heard Rumil speak with certainty over things, other than the use of the bow, more during this trip than over the previous thousand and more years of occasional acquaintance and, each time he did speak out, it was obvious that he was both intelligent and logical.
Elrohir wondered which had most influenced this, previously outwardly reticent, ellon - the death of Haldir or the discovery of Tindómë? The ways of the Valar were beyond his comprehension but the effects were often fascinating.
Elladan was speaking. “If Gondor was weakened then the Umbarrim would easily be able to take control of the coasts and the seas. I believe Rumil is correct - the man could be from Umbar rather than Dol Amroth, and he and his own overlord would then certainly benefit from lack of leadership in Gondor. We must share these thoughts with Estel.”
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Elladan put the theory to Aragorn, who immediately saw the logic behind it, as did Arwen, Faramir, and Éowyn. They began to discuss how to prove, or disprove, it but soon the conversation turned to the taking of the corsair ships. The ellyn and Aragorn had, of course, been there; Arwen, Tindómë, Faramir and Éowyn had not and listened, spellbound, to the descriptions of fighting on the docks and decks. The others told them of the Army of the Dead swarming over the ships behind Aragorn and his rangers; Legolas, Orophin, and Rumil swinging through the rigging (that must have been a sight to see, Tindómë thought); Gimli with his axe; the twins cutting a swathe with their long curved swords.
The conversation continued into the night until Arwen took her leave to go and nurse Gilraen; until Éowyn was asleep, head resting on her husband’s shoulder. But, as the reminiscing continued, Tindómë noticed that Legolas said less and less and seemed to have drawn into himself.
She realised that it must be the thought of the sea. All the talk of ships and sailing would remind him of the sea-longing triggered on that journey. She went to him and touched him gently on the arm. The eyes he turned to her looked as if he had been focussing on something many, many, miles away; there was a deep sense of sadness that she had never seen in him before.
She was reminded of the waves of homesickness that had almost overwhelmed her on the day of Aragorn’s coronation - this must be as bad, except that it was homesickness for a home that he had never seen.
“Gwador,” she said softly, “Legolas,” and touched his cheek with a fingertip. Then she leaned in until their foreheads just touched and stayed like that for a minute or maybe more.
“I know,” she said. “I know. And when the time comes, I will not let you be alone. We will come with. Rumil and I will come.”
After a moment or two she added, in a slightly lighter voice, “And Orophin - he wouldn’t let us go without him - as long as there will be ellyth…”
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Éowyn rode out across the courtyard. She had asked Tindómë if she wanted to accompany her, but Tindómë had demurred; her riding skills were simply not equal to Éowyn’s. The Pelennor Fields were returning to farmlands, inside the protective circle of the Rammas Echor, and so Éowyn rode alone.
Legolas said Faramir had given up trying to persuade her to have an official escort for such rides - only a couple of Rohirric riders in their entourage were able to keep up if she wanted to give her horse its head, and they would allow her to roam alone if she told them to - no matter what Faramir said. From her perch by the citadel wall, however, Tindómë noticed two riders, with the streaming blond hair of the Rohirrim, leave, as if coincidentally, only five minutes behind the Princess of Ithilien.
Her three blond companions, who sat nonchalantly on the wall itself, looked at the riders and then at each other.
“M’kay,” Tindómë said, “I recognise that look. Who had money on it?”
“No-one, meleth,” Rumil said, amusement rippling beneath the solemn surface of his voice. “None of us believed that her two Riders would simply stay behind when they saw her leave. They let her ride freely - but not completely without aid should she need it. And Faramir clearly trusts that they will do this without him ordering it.”
“I am not sure,” Legolas added, “that even Éowyn herself would have placed money on her being totally without guards. But she can ride as far as she likes, and as fast as she likes - and should she leave the relative safety of the Pelennor she will find two Rohirrim whose path will coincide with her own - but nothing will be said of the coincidence.
“The relationship between the Prince and Princess of Ithilien is one of great love and respect - and occasional subterfuge recognised, but unacknowledged, by both.”
“It is good that she realised she was not meant to be bound to Aragorn,” Orophin said, “for she would have found the restrictions more taxing, even, than does Arwen.”
Aha! So that explained the odd glance that passed between Aragorn and Legolas when Éowyn said that she had given Lord Lomion the impression that she might prefer to be the wife of a ruler rather than a Steward…
“She would have faded,” Legolas said, with conviction. “At least as much as a mortal can. They lose interest in life, and then seem to die from some illness from which they should easily recover.
“It is better for her that she can ride out in Ithilien, that she can be free. As can Faramir. He, too, would not live easily in this city, after his years in Ithilien under the shadow of Minas Morgul, although he would if he had to. And Faramir truly loves her - she needs that to make her flourish. Aragorn could never have loved her - in his heart he was already bound to Arwen.”
No-one said anything for a few minutes, and then Legolas added, “And I think that you must be right, Orophin. She has visited the edhel in Ithilien; she knows that our first elfling will soon be born; it must, surely, only be you that she thinks capable of stealing her child, not me…”
“Almost certainly,” Orophin said, placidly.
It occurred to Tindómë, not for the first time, how much she was assimilating into elven life - anyone else overhearing the conversation might have been convinced that both were totally serious…
“What are you reading, meleth?” the third blond asked, gesturing to the book in Tindómë’s hand.
“I asked Anarion for a copy of that book you all laughed at when we were here before,” she answered. “I wondered if there were many copies of it around, and what else it said about elves.
But,” she held the small volume up, “this is the only copy of ‘Laws and Customs of the Eldar’ that he could find and then we had to search hard. I’m sure it’s the very copy you had before, Legolas, so I don’t think many of the court can have read it to make them get things wrong.”
“I don’t remember Legolas reading out anything about the Galadhrim stealing children,” Rumil commented. “Did you omit that section to spare us embarrassment, my friend?”
“Perhaps I simply did not read far enough because I laughed too much, when I was not insulted by it,” Legolas answered. “See if you are able to read to the end, nethig. We will sit here to watch Éowyn ride out and also watch for Gimli to ride in with his own Rohirrim escort.”
Tindómë was about to comment that the mysterious man who wrote the little book did, at least, seem to have the bit about betrothal rings and wedding rings right, when both Orophin and Legolas made small sounds of surprise. She looked up at them, as did Rumil, who had been drawing.
“That man rides out,” Orophin said.
Sure enough the horse that was now making its way out of the city, far below them, was ridden by a fairly ordinary middle-aged man. Although Tindómë could not positively identify him at that distance, she was sure the ellyn were right. If they said it was Lord Lomion, then it was.
He seemed to be riding in more or less the same direction as Éowyn but at a more leisurely pace than that which she had reached almost as soon as she was away from the city gate.
“Perhaps it is coincidence,” Legolas said, but he didn’t sound as if he was at all sure.
“I do not think he would be a danger to her,” Orophin said after a moment or two. “Her countrymen, who just happen to be riding out this morning, would see that he was not. But perhaps I should go and get our bows?”
“If he is going to ride out to try to meet her he will be out of range soon,” Legolas answered, “but there would be no harm in us having them with us…”
Orophin dropped to the ground and left without saying any more.
By the time he returned both Éowyn and Lord Lomion had disappeared into the maze of farm land, although both Rumil and Legolas said that the man did not seem to be trying to keep up with Éowyn. She was probably five or six miles away by now; her horse had cantered through the farmland near the city and, the ellyn said, been allowed to gallop once away from this, busier, area.
The man seemed to be meandering, at a walk or a trot, riding first to the left, and then to the right as he slowly got further away from the gate.
“Do you think he knows Éowyn is out, or is it really just coincidence?” Tindómë asked.
“We have been here a week and I have not seen him in the stables.” Orophin’s comment was somewhat oblique, but she knew all the elves well enough to know it would be relevant.
“We would have, if he kept his own horse and rode regularly,” Orophin went on, after a moment. “The upper stables are for visitors to the citadel and members of court who do not have a private stable. We would have seen him as we tended to Hirilmith, Damfain, and Sidh. So, even if he keeps his own horse here, I do not think he rides regularly - and so it is less likely to be coincidence.”
“He knows she is out, and he waits for her to return,” Rumil said. “He rides a sweep pattern so that he will intercept her on her way back to the gates.”
How in Middle Earth, Tindómë wondered, did a Galadhrim warrior, born and brought up in a forest, know about riding sweep patterns? But then, he had been a warrior for a long time, and perhaps they used sweep patterns at the edge of the forest when fighting yrch.
“I wonder,” Legolas said, joining the conversation, “if he has waited for the past couple of days in case Éowyn rode out alone, or whether he knew that she would? We will have to ask her, on her return, who knew she was going to ride today.”
The brothers simply nodded and then all three returned their attention to the expanse of farmland below.
Tindómë remembered the phrase ‘the thousand yard stare’ from somewhere - it fitted all three of her companions. Their stillness and silence somehow made them appear timeless. She knew they really were timeless but she still couldn’t, always, get her head around it as a concept.
Simply being with them here, as they sat on the citadel wall and gazed outwards, gave her further insight into their lives ‘on the fences’. It was easy, Tindómë thought, to visualise all three spending hours on guard duty, motionless in trees, watching.
“The Rohirrim come,” Orophin said after some time, taking Tindómë back, briefly, to that slow ride away from the pyre of burning yrch when he had said the very same thing.
“Now,” said Legolas, “we will watch them all as pieces on a playing board.”
Tindómë could not see what was happening in the ‘game of strategy’ - her eye-sight simply wasn’t good enough - but about half an hour after Orophin had noted the Rohirrim in the distance, he told her that Éowyn was returning to the city. The two Riders who had shadowed her at a distance still kept her in sight, but were not close to her.
“Now watch,” Rumil said.
He came and stood behind Tindómë, his hand on her shoulder, to show her where to look for the relevant tiny dots out on the farmland of the Pelennor.
Lord Lomion’s meandering course now allowed him to intercept Éowyn, as if by accident, and he then altered course to ride beside her. The two Riders moved closer, almost immediately, but must have decided he was no threat to their Lady as they remained at a distance.
After a little while one of those Riders seemed to have spotted the approaching Rohirrim cavalcade, and he altered course towards them.
By the time Éowyn and Lord Lomion were within half a mile of the city she had obviously seen the other Rohirrim, as well, and by the time Legolas went down to welcome Gimli, who was sitting behind one of the Riders, all were riding together except for Lord Lomion, who had peeled off.
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“That man is dangerous, and poisonous!” Éowyn burst out as soon as she entered the King’s study, where her husband, along with the King’s brothers, awaited her.
“Orophin told us that Lord Lomion intercepted you as you rode,” the King said, “he, Rumil and Legolas watched from the walls. They tell me Erkenbrand and his lady have arrived with Gimli.”
“They are already being shown to a guest room in our wing, my love,” Éowyn said, turning to her husband. “They are here to represent Éomer at Princess Gilraen’s naming ceremony.”
She turned to face the King. “Éomer knows that you will understand his desire to stay with Lothiriel and Elfwine. Legolas is with Gimli - do you want me to wait to tell you what that… that… orc said to me? He is fortunate that I didn’t throw him to the ground and get Stormshadow to trample him to death!”
“I am very glad that she is on our side,” Elrohir said to his twin.
“Never forget,” Elladan answered, “that she slew the Witch King. Even if she tried the White Lady of Rohan could never be a gentle Gondorian noblewoman.”
Elrohir raised an eyebrow. “I wonder if ‘that man’ thinks this is to his advantage, or whether he simply does not know enough of her to realise it?”
Before Elladan could answer, Faramir spoke.
“Unless we are to include Erkenbrand and Lady Wilflede in the discussions you will have to explain now, before we all meet for dinner, or we will entertain them ourselves tonight and come to speak to Aragorn later.”
Éowyn cocked her head on one side for a moment, and then answered him. “We will entertain them, and allow Aragorn to explain all to Gimli. I will continue to entertain them after we have eaten, but you will come, as is befitting, to speak to the King later. Then you can tell me of anything Aragorn wants me to do. And I will tell you, now, what that… dung beetle said.”
“I do not think she was impressed…”
Elrohir could only agree with his brother’s words, whispered in his ear.
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“He said what? I will go now and let him feel the edge of my axe!” Gimli was ready to stride from the room immediately. He had been bristling already at the idea of anyone being less than happy with Aragorn and Arwen as their monarchs and no-one, Tindómë thought, could out-bristle a dwarf.
As Legolas put a restraining hand on his friend’s arm, Aragorn spoke.
“Much as we may all wish to take up arms against the man, we must act a little more slowly - we are no longer at war. But in thinking that Éowyn would be a possible accomplice he has begun to show too much of his hand.”
Before the conversation could go any further there was a discreet knock and a footman entered.
“Prince Erchirion of Dol Amroth is here, your majesty, and says that you will wish to see him as soon as possible.”
“He is quite right,” Aragorn said. “Show him in immediately.”
The conversation stopped as they awaited the visitor - apart from the occasional ‘Harrumph!” from Gimli.
The young man shown in was dressed simply, in dark clothes with a plain cloak, but as he lowered the hood of the cloak Tindómë decided that he was probably the best looking person in the citadel who wasn’t an elf. He had blue black hair neatly cut to shoulder length, a Californian beach boy tan, and was clean shaven.
‘Shiny!’ she thought.
“I received your message, my Lord King.”
Prince Erchirion had a nice voice, too, she decided.
“I thought it best to wait downstream so that we arrived in the evening when most would be at dinner. We disembarked with no fuss, and wearing nothing that would identify us to anyone who did not know either myself or my men.”
“Thank you, Erchirion,” Aragorn said, “I wanted to ask you about a man, here at court, without him realising that I had the opportunity to speak to any of your family. This man says that he holds lands at Dol Amroth, but we think this may be a lie. Do you know the name ‘Lord Lomion’?”
Prince Erchirion considered for a few moments.
“No,” he said, “the name is not at all familiar.”
“A picture of him has already been dispatched to your father,” Aragorn said, “but we have others. Rumil… please?”
For the first time the young man looked at the others in the room beside his king, and seemed slightly surprised to realise that, apart from the king and Gimli, everyone else was edhel - surprised but certainly not displeased.
“My lady Queen, my lords,” he said, a ready smile evident as he took them all in, “how good to see you all again. Oh, and my lady,” looking at Tindómë, “a pleasure to see you for the first time!”
Behind him, as he looked at Tindómë, she could see Legolas ‘wink’. ‘Ah,’ she thought, ‘it’s probably not unknown for him to flirt…’
She bobbed him a sketchy curtsey, but there was no time for introductions as Rumil passed one of his sketches to Aragorn, who showed it to the young man.
He studied it carefully for almost a full minute then shook his head.
“I have not seen this man before and, if he held land at Dol Amroth, he would most certainly be known to me. And yet… there is something about him which sits at the edge of memory. I think I may have met someone who looks like him - but not in the context of my father’s court. May I ask why you want to know?”
The answer came, not as might be expected from Aragorn, but in a steely calm voice from his queen.
“Because, if the man is a Gondorian he is a traitor, and if he is no Gondorian then he is an enemy.”
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The BtVS characters do not belong to me, but are used for amusement only. All rights remain the property of Mutant Enemy, Joss Whedon, and the original TV companies. The same is true of the LotR characters for whom all rights remain the property of the estate of JRR Tolkien and the companies responsible for the production of the films.
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The next chapter is already taking shape - when I post will depend on when S2C is off work to beta once I finish it.
Previous chapters are Here.
Chapter Twenty-four.
Rating 15
3,600 words.
Beta'd, as usual, by S2C.
Chapter Twenty-four
Estel and Arwen were deep in discussion with Faramir and Éowyn, about the identity and relationships between the known malcontents, and so Elrohir went to the other ellyn to see what they made of Tindómë’s question.
“Who would benefit if no-one was ruling Gondor?”
Elladan’s eyes widened in understanding immediately, but he did not answer the question directly. “Doubtless someone would rule Gondor… but without their King Elessar it could well be someone who did not really expect to have, or want to have, the position.”
“Or,” Legolas joined the discussion, “it is possible that factions might develop - those who would want Faramir to become a ruling steward and those who would want Imrahil, or one of his sons, to become king now that the kingship is restored.”
“There may even be those who would want to find any kin Estel has left among the Dúnedain and make them king,” Elladan continued, “and so it is quite possible that, if they do not have their King Elessar, there may be, at best, a ruler thrust into an unexpected role; at worst unrest or, even, civil war.”
“And,” Tindómë’s voice was clear, “who would benefit?”
“The enemies of Gondor.” Orophin’s voice was unemotional, but brooked no argument.
“Exactly!” Tindómë said, nodding her head. “So could we be back at something not personal, or not entirely personal? From an outside ‘big bad’ not an inside one?”
“Not Sauron or Saruman; both are totally defeated, Maiar though they were,” Elladan stated firmly.
“The Haradrim?” Legolas wondered.
“The Corsairs of Umbar.” Rumil said this as if there could be no other answer and the others looked at him expectantly.
“They lost men, ships, prestige,” he said. “They are not unlike the people of Gondor to look at; Lord Lomion could easily be one of the Umbarrim. Aragorn led us as we fought and killed many of them and so, if Lord Lomion is a corsair, he could well have personal reason to dislike Aragorn; destroying Aragorn and weakening Gondor would be both personal vengeance, perhaps for lost kin, and to the benefit of his people.”
Elrohir’s first thoughts, unknowingly, echoed Tindómë’s of earlier in the week. He had heard Rumil speak with certainty over things, other than the use of the bow, more during this trip than over the previous thousand and more years of occasional acquaintance and, each time he did speak out, it was obvious that he was both intelligent and logical.
Elrohir wondered which had most influenced this, previously outwardly reticent, ellon - the death of Haldir or the discovery of Tindómë? The ways of the Valar were beyond his comprehension but the effects were often fascinating.
Elladan was speaking. “If Gondor was weakened then the Umbarrim would easily be able to take control of the coasts and the seas. I believe Rumil is correct - the man could be from Umbar rather than Dol Amroth, and he and his own overlord would then certainly benefit from lack of leadership in Gondor. We must share these thoughts with Estel.”
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Elladan put the theory to Aragorn, who immediately saw the logic behind it, as did Arwen, Faramir, and Éowyn. They began to discuss how to prove, or disprove, it but soon the conversation turned to the taking of the corsair ships. The ellyn and Aragorn had, of course, been there; Arwen, Tindómë, Faramir and Éowyn had not and listened, spellbound, to the descriptions of fighting on the docks and decks. The others told them of the Army of the Dead swarming over the ships behind Aragorn and his rangers; Legolas, Orophin, and Rumil swinging through the rigging (that must have been a sight to see, Tindómë thought); Gimli with his axe; the twins cutting a swathe with their long curved swords.
The conversation continued into the night until Arwen took her leave to go and nurse Gilraen; until Éowyn was asleep, head resting on her husband’s shoulder. But, as the reminiscing continued, Tindómë noticed that Legolas said less and less and seemed to have drawn into himself.
She realised that it must be the thought of the sea. All the talk of ships and sailing would remind him of the sea-longing triggered on that journey. She went to him and touched him gently on the arm. The eyes he turned to her looked as if he had been focussing on something many, many, miles away; there was a deep sense of sadness that she had never seen in him before.
She was reminded of the waves of homesickness that had almost overwhelmed her on the day of Aragorn’s coronation - this must be as bad, except that it was homesickness for a home that he had never seen.
“Gwador,” she said softly, “Legolas,” and touched his cheek with a fingertip. Then she leaned in until their foreheads just touched and stayed like that for a minute or maybe more.
“I know,” she said. “I know. And when the time comes, I will not let you be alone. We will come with. Rumil and I will come.”
After a moment or two she added, in a slightly lighter voice, “And Orophin - he wouldn’t let us go without him - as long as there will be ellyth…”
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Éowyn rode out across the courtyard. She had asked Tindómë if she wanted to accompany her, but Tindómë had demurred; her riding skills were simply not equal to Éowyn’s. The Pelennor Fields were returning to farmlands, inside the protective circle of the Rammas Echor, and so Éowyn rode alone.
Legolas said Faramir had given up trying to persuade her to have an official escort for such rides - only a couple of Rohirric riders in their entourage were able to keep up if she wanted to give her horse its head, and they would allow her to roam alone if she told them to - no matter what Faramir said. From her perch by the citadel wall, however, Tindómë noticed two riders, with the streaming blond hair of the Rohirrim, leave, as if coincidentally, only five minutes behind the Princess of Ithilien.
Her three blond companions, who sat nonchalantly on the wall itself, looked at the riders and then at each other.
“M’kay,” Tindómë said, “I recognise that look. Who had money on it?”
“No-one, meleth,” Rumil said, amusement rippling beneath the solemn surface of his voice. “None of us believed that her two Riders would simply stay behind when they saw her leave. They let her ride freely - but not completely without aid should she need it. And Faramir clearly trusts that they will do this without him ordering it.”
“I am not sure,” Legolas added, “that even Éowyn herself would have placed money on her being totally without guards. But she can ride as far as she likes, and as fast as she likes - and should she leave the relative safety of the Pelennor she will find two Rohirrim whose path will coincide with her own - but nothing will be said of the coincidence.
“The relationship between the Prince and Princess of Ithilien is one of great love and respect - and occasional subterfuge recognised, but unacknowledged, by both.”
“It is good that she realised she was not meant to be bound to Aragorn,” Orophin said, “for she would have found the restrictions more taxing, even, than does Arwen.”
Aha! So that explained the odd glance that passed between Aragorn and Legolas when Éowyn said that she had given Lord Lomion the impression that she might prefer to be the wife of a ruler rather than a Steward…
“She would have faded,” Legolas said, with conviction. “At least as much as a mortal can. They lose interest in life, and then seem to die from some illness from which they should easily recover.
“It is better for her that she can ride out in Ithilien, that she can be free. As can Faramir. He, too, would not live easily in this city, after his years in Ithilien under the shadow of Minas Morgul, although he would if he had to. And Faramir truly loves her - she needs that to make her flourish. Aragorn could never have loved her - in his heart he was already bound to Arwen.”
No-one said anything for a few minutes, and then Legolas added, “And I think that you must be right, Orophin. She has visited the edhel in Ithilien; she knows that our first elfling will soon be born; it must, surely, only be you that she thinks capable of stealing her child, not me…”
“Almost certainly,” Orophin said, placidly.
It occurred to Tindómë, not for the first time, how much she was assimilating into elven life - anyone else overhearing the conversation might have been convinced that both were totally serious…
“What are you reading, meleth?” the third blond asked, gesturing to the book in Tindómë’s hand.
“I asked Anarion for a copy of that book you all laughed at when we were here before,” she answered. “I wondered if there were many copies of it around, and what else it said about elves.
But,” she held the small volume up, “this is the only copy of ‘Laws and Customs of the Eldar’ that he could find and then we had to search hard. I’m sure it’s the very copy you had before, Legolas, so I don’t think many of the court can have read it to make them get things wrong.”
“I don’t remember Legolas reading out anything about the Galadhrim stealing children,” Rumil commented. “Did you omit that section to spare us embarrassment, my friend?”
“Perhaps I simply did not read far enough because I laughed too much, when I was not insulted by it,” Legolas answered. “See if you are able to read to the end, nethig. We will sit here to watch Éowyn ride out and also watch for Gimli to ride in with his own Rohirrim escort.”
Tindómë was about to comment that the mysterious man who wrote the little book did, at least, seem to have the bit about betrothal rings and wedding rings right, when both Orophin and Legolas made small sounds of surprise. She looked up at them, as did Rumil, who had been drawing.
“That man rides out,” Orophin said.
Sure enough the horse that was now making its way out of the city, far below them, was ridden by a fairly ordinary middle-aged man. Although Tindómë could not positively identify him at that distance, she was sure the ellyn were right. If they said it was Lord Lomion, then it was.
He seemed to be riding in more or less the same direction as Éowyn but at a more leisurely pace than that which she had reached almost as soon as she was away from the city gate.
“Perhaps it is coincidence,” Legolas said, but he didn’t sound as if he was at all sure.
“I do not think he would be a danger to her,” Orophin said after a moment or two. “Her countrymen, who just happen to be riding out this morning, would see that he was not. But perhaps I should go and get our bows?”
“If he is going to ride out to try to meet her he will be out of range soon,” Legolas answered, “but there would be no harm in us having them with us…”
Orophin dropped to the ground and left without saying any more.
By the time he returned both Éowyn and Lord Lomion had disappeared into the maze of farm land, although both Rumil and Legolas said that the man did not seem to be trying to keep up with Éowyn. She was probably five or six miles away by now; her horse had cantered through the farmland near the city and, the ellyn said, been allowed to gallop once away from this, busier, area.
The man seemed to be meandering, at a walk or a trot, riding first to the left, and then to the right as he slowly got further away from the gate.
“Do you think he knows Éowyn is out, or is it really just coincidence?” Tindómë asked.
“We have been here a week and I have not seen him in the stables.” Orophin’s comment was somewhat oblique, but she knew all the elves well enough to know it would be relevant.
“We would have, if he kept his own horse and rode regularly,” Orophin went on, after a moment. “The upper stables are for visitors to the citadel and members of court who do not have a private stable. We would have seen him as we tended to Hirilmith, Damfain, and Sidh. So, even if he keeps his own horse here, I do not think he rides regularly - and so it is less likely to be coincidence.”
“He knows she is out, and he waits for her to return,” Rumil said. “He rides a sweep pattern so that he will intercept her on her way back to the gates.”
How in Middle Earth, Tindómë wondered, did a Galadhrim warrior, born and brought up in a forest, know about riding sweep patterns? But then, he had been a warrior for a long time, and perhaps they used sweep patterns at the edge of the forest when fighting yrch.
“I wonder,” Legolas said, joining the conversation, “if he has waited for the past couple of days in case Éowyn rode out alone, or whether he knew that she would? We will have to ask her, on her return, who knew she was going to ride today.”
The brothers simply nodded and then all three returned their attention to the expanse of farmland below.
Tindómë remembered the phrase ‘the thousand yard stare’ from somewhere - it fitted all three of her companions. Their stillness and silence somehow made them appear timeless. She knew they really were timeless but she still couldn’t, always, get her head around it as a concept.
Simply being with them here, as they sat on the citadel wall and gazed outwards, gave her further insight into their lives ‘on the fences’. It was easy, Tindómë thought, to visualise all three spending hours on guard duty, motionless in trees, watching.
“The Rohirrim come,” Orophin said after some time, taking Tindómë back, briefly, to that slow ride away from the pyre of burning yrch when he had said the very same thing.
“Now,” said Legolas, “we will watch them all as pieces on a playing board.”
Tindómë could not see what was happening in the ‘game of strategy’ - her eye-sight simply wasn’t good enough - but about half an hour after Orophin had noted the Rohirrim in the distance, he told her that Éowyn was returning to the city. The two Riders who had shadowed her at a distance still kept her in sight, but were not close to her.
“Now watch,” Rumil said.
He came and stood behind Tindómë, his hand on her shoulder, to show her where to look for the relevant tiny dots out on the farmland of the Pelennor.
Lord Lomion’s meandering course now allowed him to intercept Éowyn, as if by accident, and he then altered course to ride beside her. The two Riders moved closer, almost immediately, but must have decided he was no threat to their Lady as they remained at a distance.
After a little while one of those Riders seemed to have spotted the approaching Rohirrim cavalcade, and he altered course towards them.
By the time Éowyn and Lord Lomion were within half a mile of the city she had obviously seen the other Rohirrim, as well, and by the time Legolas went down to welcome Gimli, who was sitting behind one of the Riders, all were riding together except for Lord Lomion, who had peeled off.
………………………………………………………………………………………….
“That man is dangerous, and poisonous!” Éowyn burst out as soon as she entered the King’s study, where her husband, along with the King’s brothers, awaited her.
“Orophin told us that Lord Lomion intercepted you as you rode,” the King said, “he, Rumil and Legolas watched from the walls. They tell me Erkenbrand and his lady have arrived with Gimli.”
“They are already being shown to a guest room in our wing, my love,” Éowyn said, turning to her husband. “They are here to represent Éomer at Princess Gilraen’s naming ceremony.”
She turned to face the King. “Éomer knows that you will understand his desire to stay with Lothiriel and Elfwine. Legolas is with Gimli - do you want me to wait to tell you what that… that… orc said to me? He is fortunate that I didn’t throw him to the ground and get Stormshadow to trample him to death!”
“I am very glad that she is on our side,” Elrohir said to his twin.
“Never forget,” Elladan answered, “that she slew the Witch King. Even if she tried the White Lady of Rohan could never be a gentle Gondorian noblewoman.”
Elrohir raised an eyebrow. “I wonder if ‘that man’ thinks this is to his advantage, or whether he simply does not know enough of her to realise it?”
Before Elladan could answer, Faramir spoke.
“Unless we are to include Erkenbrand and Lady Wilflede in the discussions you will have to explain now, before we all meet for dinner, or we will entertain them ourselves tonight and come to speak to Aragorn later.”
Éowyn cocked her head on one side for a moment, and then answered him. “We will entertain them, and allow Aragorn to explain all to Gimli. I will continue to entertain them after we have eaten, but you will come, as is befitting, to speak to the King later. Then you can tell me of anything Aragorn wants me to do. And I will tell you, now, what that… dung beetle said.”
“I do not think she was impressed…”
Elrohir could only agree with his brother’s words, whispered in his ear.
………………………………………………………………..
“He said what? I will go now and let him feel the edge of my axe!” Gimli was ready to stride from the room immediately. He had been bristling already at the idea of anyone being less than happy with Aragorn and Arwen as their monarchs and no-one, Tindómë thought, could out-bristle a dwarf.
As Legolas put a restraining hand on his friend’s arm, Aragorn spoke.
“Much as we may all wish to take up arms against the man, we must act a little more slowly - we are no longer at war. But in thinking that Éowyn would be a possible accomplice he has begun to show too much of his hand.”
Before the conversation could go any further there was a discreet knock and a footman entered.
“Prince Erchirion of Dol Amroth is here, your majesty, and says that you will wish to see him as soon as possible.”
“He is quite right,” Aragorn said. “Show him in immediately.”
The conversation stopped as they awaited the visitor - apart from the occasional ‘Harrumph!” from Gimli.
The young man shown in was dressed simply, in dark clothes with a plain cloak, but as he lowered the hood of the cloak Tindómë decided that he was probably the best looking person in the citadel who wasn’t an elf. He had blue black hair neatly cut to shoulder length, a Californian beach boy tan, and was clean shaven.
‘Shiny!’ she thought.
“I received your message, my Lord King.”
Prince Erchirion had a nice voice, too, she decided.
“I thought it best to wait downstream so that we arrived in the evening when most would be at dinner. We disembarked with no fuss, and wearing nothing that would identify us to anyone who did not know either myself or my men.”
“Thank you, Erchirion,” Aragorn said, “I wanted to ask you about a man, here at court, without him realising that I had the opportunity to speak to any of your family. This man says that he holds lands at Dol Amroth, but we think this may be a lie. Do you know the name ‘Lord Lomion’?”
Prince Erchirion considered for a few moments.
“No,” he said, “the name is not at all familiar.”
“A picture of him has already been dispatched to your father,” Aragorn said, “but we have others. Rumil… please?”
For the first time the young man looked at the others in the room beside his king, and seemed slightly surprised to realise that, apart from the king and Gimli, everyone else was edhel - surprised but certainly not displeased.
“My lady Queen, my lords,” he said, a ready smile evident as he took them all in, “how good to see you all again. Oh, and my lady,” looking at Tindómë, “a pleasure to see you for the first time!”
Behind him, as he looked at Tindómë, she could see Legolas ‘wink’. ‘Ah,’ she thought, ‘it’s probably not unknown for him to flirt…’
She bobbed him a sketchy curtsey, but there was no time for introductions as Rumil passed one of his sketches to Aragorn, who showed it to the young man.
He studied it carefully for almost a full minute then shook his head.
“I have not seen this man before and, if he held land at Dol Amroth, he would most certainly be known to me. And yet… there is something about him which sits at the edge of memory. I think I may have met someone who looks like him - but not in the context of my father’s court. May I ask why you want to know?”
The answer came, not as might be expected from Aragorn, but in a steely calm voice from his queen.
“Because, if the man is a Gondorian he is a traitor, and if he is no Gondorian then he is an enemy.”
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The BtVS characters do not belong to me, but are used for amusement only. All rights remain the property of Mutant Enemy, Joss Whedon, and the original TV companies. The same is true of the LotR characters for whom all rights remain the property of the estate of JRR Tolkien and the companies responsible for the production of the films.
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The next chapter is already taking shape - when I post will depend on when S2C is off work to beta once I finish it.