Harethyn had her back against her own Mûmakil. Her beast was lying on the side enjoying the sun. Harethyn tossed rocks in the sand before her. She was angry, pissed actually. Her brother Harreth came before her blocking the sun. "If you keep being out here in the sun you will get sunburn" he said. Harethyn ignored him. "Alright." He sat down next to her. "I understand your feelings; don't think I don't have them too."
"It doesn't look like you have them" she said angry and stood up looking down at him. "It happened to mother too didn't it?" She asked. "No one ever tells me what happened to her, I haven't heard one thing from her. Father doesn't talk about her, you or Haerr doesn't and even I know you two know something I don't! Haerr went up north because they were attacked by Gondorians that is where mother went to help. No one survived!" She said yelling.
Harreth stood up as the Mûmakil did. The Mûmakil took her nose around her, seeking attention. "I know you want to know, but I promised father not to tell. There is a lot you don't know. I want to tell you, you have to trust me on that but I cannot."
"Why can you not?" She asked calming down.
"God please forgive me" he whispered to himself. "Haerr found out something he shouldn't have known. So that is why our father sent him to the north, to the suicide mission." Harethyn couldn't believe it. "I know what he found out and now I am only waiting for father to send me out. When I did overhear what mother and father talked about he was going to send me out, but mother refused. I was fifteen."
"You're saving me from getting killed- Great!" She said tossing the last rock. "I wished we had to ride out for war or the war come here so our father gets killed!"
"Don't say that! He is a great leader" Harreth said serious. "And he is our father."
"One who kills his own sons to keep a secret" Harethyn said and turned to her Mûmakil. The Mûmakil sat down so she could crawl up on her neck. She left her brother there and walked back to the city.
Her city was made of stone from back to Númenor's days. The weather was always hot, it was never cold. Maybe a bit on the nights when the winter is coming more north in Middle-earth. The Mûmakil were hold just left inside the city, there were big stables for them. From when you come into the city, through the big iron doors that was always up except for if attacks would come, there you could see the door to the throne room. It went a long stairs up to the throne room. On each side of the way to the stairs were houses.
Harethyn ran up the stairs and the guards on each side of the doors to the throne room opened it up for her. She was alone. Every time she was alone in the throne room it felt so cold. So dead. Her father came in and approached her closer. "You should change. Your dead brother is coming soon back home" her father said.
"I don't want to be there" Harethyn said. She didn't dare look at him. She had to admit sometimes she was scared of her father, maybe most the time.
Her father took his hand under her cheek to let her eyes meet his. "Be a good sister to him. You are coming!" He said and turned to leave her.
"'Be a good sister to him'? What in the world father? How about being a good father and not taking your sons and your wife to a suicide mission?" She asked frustrated. Her father turned quickly to her and grabbed her by the neck. "Why haven't mother come home yet?" She asked calm, not daring hissing up her feelings. "Where are you sending them?"
Her father squeezed a bit harder, but then he looked into her eyes. "The Gondorians have crossed our path, I'm only trying to get rid of them and send out the best men. I will squeeze harder so you don't have any breath left if you ever raise your voice at me!" He almost yelled at her and left her there.
Harethyn find her way to the library, she knew he would be there. As she opened the door the old man that had the library came out. He had black long hair and beard and he could barely walk without his stick. "Lady Harethyn, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you change to your brother's funeral?" He asked and looked at her serious.
"I will when I find out what happened to him" she said. The old man looked at her and invited her in. He took forth a map of Middle-earth and then another map of the north lines of their lands. "I know how our lands look like."
The old man smiled to her. "I hope so, My Lady. There is something you don't know about the northern lands. This will be between us two, you know you can trust me. But I suggest you to not tell this to anyone. Not everyone is fully trustfully here." Harethyn nodded. She understood what he meant. "This lines and the old city here" he said and pointed at south of Gondor. "This land belongs to Gondor now. They have massive army of Men there."
"That is part of Near Harad" said Harethyn.
"Yes that is true. My spies saying that Orcs from Mordor is gathering at North, blocking the Gondorians from coming back to Gondor and the desert. The Gondorians can't go through the desert without our help. Every man your father sends out there never comes back."
"The desert is getting bigger, I see it here. The forest is disappearing, all lives of plant is vanishing. We live in one of the biggest city of Harad and we are missing water, shadow and soon food because the animals can't give us that. Now father is killing one of our best men when the enemy can be at our doorstep by seaway."
"Your father is planning to cooperate with Sauron. He can give us water and food. If we help him defeat Gondor." The old man looked at her with a big smile. Harethyn know who Sauron are, the Dark Lord.
"I know Sauron and we both have a common enemy, but cooperate with the Dark Lord. Isn't that a bit risky?" Harethyn asked.
"It is the only way to survive."
"What about my mother? What happened to her? What did she do to deserve to die?"
"She isn't dead as far as I know. She went to Rivendell to see an old friend of both you and your mother." Harethyn stared into nothing. Rivendell, she thought.
"Why?" Harethyn asked.
"I just said why" the old man said.
"Yes, but why?" She asked again. "I mean, why hasn't she come back? It is soon three years!" She stood up and walked over to the window next to them. She looked out and saw her dead brother, Haerr.
"I do not know that. She wanted to take you with her, but your father did not let that happen. Your father holds a secret, a secret he does not want anyone to know. Your mother knew it of course, and it might happen that is why she left." Harethyn sat down with a sigh. "Your mother is not coming back, Harethyn."
"Look, there they are" Harethyn's mother told her. Harethyn was on her mother's arm looking in front of them. They had made it to the north, visiting her mother's friend. "Maybe you want to say hello to him this time?"
Harethyn was only few months old and shake her head. "He takes my toys that I am playing with. I don't like him" she said. Her mother laughed.
Harreth woke Harethyn up. "Harethyn?" She looked up at him. "It is time." She looked around to see where she was. She had fallen asleep at the library and then she looked at her brother while he sat down over her. "Are you all right?" He asked worried.
It was quiet in the library. "I miss her laugh" she said.
"What?" He asked.
"Our mother's laugh. I dreamed that she laughed, I miss her." Harreth sat down next to her and took her hand. "I want to go find her."
"You're still dreaming about her and the boy?" He asked and she nodded. "Harethyn, she left us" Harreth said. "She is not coming back even you ask and where would you look?" He looked at her to read her face.
"She is in Rivendell, Harreth. I am going to find her and I don't care how long it takes. I need to find her. She didn't leave us, she had to leave because of father." Harreth stared into nothing. "Let me guess… You know why." She stood up to go to her brother's funeral.
"I'll come with you to Rivendell." She turned around when he said it. "When we are out of here, far away from here, I will tell you everything I've been keeping from you."
