So ripe and new. This pain, this loss. How could one deal with the overwhealming emptyness? Slowly, Naruviel, daughter of kings, sat up on the hard stone cots in the dungeon that had once been filled with her father's enemies, now filled with the three that remained of his family.
Naru, spared only because she was female. Her four-year-old cousin, one day he was to have been a duke, slept on the cot in the cell next to her's with both thier blankets wraped around his small form. In the cell across from her and to her right her very old grandmother stared blankly out the window. She didn't sleep anymore. With a sigh filled with all the defeat any person could fell, Naru lifted herself off the cruel stone and walked stiffly over to the bars and leaned against them.
Speeking in her native tongue Naru asked her grandmother of the days to come. "Nish'tu'alvaniyen Dai nah no mian'el?" What of the last of our house, in these next dawns?
Her grandmother white hair gleamed in the dull light as she continued to stare out the window, sitting in the chair she had been allowed. it creaked as Damishna answered.
"Ta'ha reanulss dac'man'nu farrr'har kakk too'um alvaniyen Dai." The old woman answered. The trials of a traitors blood await the last of our house.
That was not good, Naru thought, turning so that her whelt covered back pressed lightly against the bars. Her back stung sharply and Naru faught back the curse of rage. Whipped by her father's enemies. It was a manstrous blaow to her pride and that of her grandmother's, it would have Timomni, her young cousin, might have been offended as well, if he knew what her being whipped like a dog ment. In sted he had cried in his grandmothers arms as he was forced to watch it. Luckily he had had his face hidden in Damun Dami's, grandmother Dami, skirts. Naru's bellyrolled as she remembered what Lord Hitherd had whispered to her as he watched his man raise the evil horse whip to strike the first blow.
"You'll take it three-fold for the old woman and the brat."
And they had given it to her three-fold. Though the insults she had snarled at Lord Hitherd throughout the ordeal had porbably made it worse. She had calle dhim everything under the sun and then had started on his mother when the messengers of Gondor had come hand halted the ordeal. Then they had been removed to the dungeons.
Later that night Hitherd had come to her, dragged her off to a private room and beat her some more. "Ungratful bitch!" he had roared as he back-handed her violently. Naru now reached up to tenderly feel the bruise on her cheek. Naru had refused his bed. Knocked off-balance, Naru had fallen to the ground when Hitherd landed on top of her. She had faught for all her worth, but in the end her starvation weakened body had been pushed to the brink and Naru soon hadn't been able to even lift a hand to stop Hitherd's wild, painful, groping hands and his disgusting, revolting, mouth.
When she had snarled at him that he would suffer the wrath of her ancestors and of herself her had punched her in the sside of the head, sending her into darkness. But the act of Hitherd raping her hadn't happened. She had been told by the maid who had brought her fresh clothes that he had been interrupted by a message from the newly crowned king of Gondor. Loel, the maid, once under the employ of her sister, had told her all of this as she helped her dres. Naru had felt the shame imediatly, even though deep downshe it had been no fault of hers that she had almost been raped, and still felt unclean.
Loel had also told her thast the king would be coming today. To speak with the last of a traitors house. Though Loel hadn;t actually said it, Naru knew that it ment that The three people of the last of Othrun of Celenurion's house were to die.
The king would be coming down here any minute. With a nother sigh and a shiver, Naru walked over to her cot and sat down to wait.
Aragorn swung off of the horses back and felt himself stiffen at the sense of instant dislike towards The conquering Lord Hitherd.
Faramir and Gimli and Legolas all dismounted and stood silently behind him, waiting. Diciding to ;eave his feelings alone for the moment, Aragorn summoned his most kingly tone and ordered a soldier to take him to the dungeons to the prisinors.
He had been obeyed.
Naru stood before the King of Gondor and faced the man with all the dignity she had left, which wasn't much. They were in a big room off of the kitchen, with two maids setting out a tea, Loel one of them. The king had gray eyes and dark hair. He had brought three beings with him. A fair man, a blond elf, and a red dwarf.
The king watched the tea be set out, he steepled his fingers and looked diractly at Naru. The other people in the room sat as chairs were set out for them. Loel tried to give Naru a reassureing smile but didn't quite manage it. Then the king spoke. "Naruveil of the house of Celenurion, do you know who I am?"
His voice was gentle and kind, contrasting sharply with his gruff appearance. naru relaxed, though she didn't know why, and gave a tiny nodd. She stood before the king her thin shoulders thrown back, her chin lifted, all her remaining dignity fill her posture and pride was open on her gaurded face.
"Let me introduce you to my companions." He gestured noblely to the fair haired man on his right. "Faramir son of Denethor, Prince of Ithilien." The fair man nodded to her, and Naru barely glanced at him, except to commit his fact and name to memory, before she returned her gaze to Aragorn. "Legolas Greenleaf, a prince of Mirkwood, and Gimli son of Gloin." Naru remembered their names and faces as well and looked at the king, letting some of her curiosity show in her eyes.
"Your father..." the king began. He doesn't waste time with pleasantries, Naru thought, and almost laughed out loud at the thought of that.
How is your family fairing? He would ask.
Well, they havn't suffered needless cruelty by your hands, she would answer. How is your Queen, I hear she is elven. Is the with city coming back together after my father tried so hard to see it's downfall?
Naru turned her attention back on the king, who still wondered how to put his words.
"Your father help a force grater that any man alive, an evil force bent on the destruction of all." Naru said nothing, simply stared at the king. "By the old ways your head should be adorning the walls of this keep, not on your shoulders. I have every right to kill every last person who carries his blood. For it is written in the old laws that the king has the right to kill all those of a traitors line." Aragorn leaned forward in the chair he sat in, fixing his eyes on the raggedly girl in front of him. "A messenger of mine has told that only three of you remain. It that corect?" Slowly Naru nodded.
With a brow raised The king went on. "An old woman, your grandmother, a small boy and yourself. The laws regarding treason are plainly stated. I have the right to kill all of a traitors blood. To stop furthur treasonous actions and inclinations that can be carried through the blood."
Faramir shifted at this and Aragorn knew that this whole blood buisness was a pile of horse dung. Blood did not tell of who a person was, it waas oneself what did that. "What," the king asked Naru, "do you think I should do?"
Silence from all in the room.
"Take my right as king?" Aragorn pressed. Still only silence.
"If silence is your answer, I have to assume that you find right with you is I save your execution as last." This got a sudden jerk out of the girl. "You say with it that you do not care to live anymore. As the most able of the three that is left of you, this does fall onto your shoulders."
Naru stared at the king, litting go of her control and letting her emotions and thoughts run free on her face. "I do not want to kill any who could help be rebuild." the king told her kindly. "Your cousin would train to be a knight, your grandmother would come to live at the white city."
The girl said the first thing to him. "And me?" she asked in barely more that a whisper, her voice raw.
"Serve me as a bandit catcher."
Naru looked at him as if he were mad and moved back so abruptly that the kings three companions jumped to their feet hands going to their weapons.
"You have the choice to make, Naruveil, to die and take the lives of your remaining family with you. Or you can chose life. Serve me as a bandit catcher and let your family live in Minas Tirith."
"Live as hostages!"
"Yes," Aragorn agreed, not being abel to lie to the proud lass that sttod so valiantly before him. "They would be that at first. until you prove loayl to me. Your choice?"
Thoughts swirled through her head and Naru thought quickly. She might be labled whelp of a traitor but she would be alive and so would her family, Her cousin would be abel to train as a knight, grandmother being abel to watch over him. Naru would be on probation until such was the time that Aragorn king was abel to trust her. He would sick her on the trails of outlaws like one would a hound... But she, they, would be alive...
"Your choice?" Aragorn demanded again,
"I'll serve you, king."