Chapter 2
"Did your council object to your releasing Eothain?" Eomer drew on his gloves as he and Elessar walked to the stables.
"They could not object since I did not seek their permission. It would only have delayed us longer, and changed nothing about my decision. As your wife noted, Eothain has broken no laws of Gondor. If his king requests his release, we have no reason to hold him."
Eothain was waiting beside Kialmar at the stable, swordless and appearing to be a prisoner. Until they knew precisely what they were dealing with, both kings had thought it wise to pretend as though they considered Eothain culpable.
At Eomer's request, the same men who had met the king's guard that night were brought along this time. He felt certain one or more of them was behind this; he could not believe any of his own men would harm his heir or betray him so. Each man had been stringently chosen for his guard, and more than one person indicated their character was above reproach. The same could not be said of the men of Gondor. While Elessar did have a special guard for himself and his family, the bulk of Gondor's forces were enlistees, and this group of men fell into that class. Any manner of man could join the army, and their character was not too closely examined.
As they rode down through the city streets, Elessar finally broke the silence. Quietly to Eomer, he admitted, "Though I do not like to think any of my men are guilty of this heinous crime, I fear my suspicions align with yours. If the fault lies in our own ranks, mine are the more likely."
Eomer nodded. "I do not want to judge in haste, and if the men were in your household guard, I would be more inclined to look for outside culprits. But we both know that common soldiers have not needed to prove their integrity to either of us."
"How does Eothain fare?"
Eomer sighed. "Even if we prove his innocence, yet he will suffer the punishment of guilt that he failed to prevent it. There is little I can say to change that. Elfwine's safe recovery will help somewhat, but not completely."
Their respective troops met them outside the gates and the journey began.
Three men had been left at the site where they had camped, to ensure that no one came and tried to eliminate any tracks or evidence that might remain there. They reached the location by early afternoon, and after a hasty meal, the rangers and Elessar spread out to comb the area for anything that would give a clue about where Elfwine had been taken. Meanwhile, Eothain and Kialmar sketched the layout of the camp as best they remembered it, including the location of those who had been on guard through the night and where the Gondorians had been situated.
Judging Elessar and the rangers' tracking skills to be far greater than his own, Eomer remained in camp, interviewing his guards about what they remembered of that night. He did it in small groups so that anything one said might jar the memory of someone else. In the end, though, all the reports were essentially the same – nothing remarkable had taken place.
When he finished with his own men, he started on the Gondorian contingent. Hoping it would cause him to remember something, Eothain sat in on all the interviews, though off in a corner by himself. He could not honestly say that any of their comments struck him as being significant, but he found himself watching one man in particular.
He had known Pethren for nearly two years now, having met several times on past visits to Minas Tirith. The man was affable enough, and usually he had ended up having a drink with him and some others at a local tavern at least once each visit. Nothing anyone said, including Pethren himself, gave Eothain reason to feel suspicious of him, but neither could he tear his eyes or his mind from the man. Why?
Consciously averting his eyes so as not to draw attention to his staring, Eothain racked his brain for anything that might be of note in his dealings with the man. But there was nothing that came to mind. They had met under the most mundane circumstances, and why would the man suddenly turn on him this long after the fact? He could easily have struck sooner if he was the guilty one. Further, that night had not been unusual. Even then, the man had behaved as he always had. No, he could not truthfully say he had any reason to doubt the man's honor. Still, when the interviews ended, Pethren was the only one that had put him on the alert. Perhaps there was something he had seen and unwittingly remembered, though it did not come readily to the forefront of his thoughts. He could make no accusations, but he could certainly keep a closer eye on the Gondorian soldier. Not wanting to color anyone else's judgement, he kept his musings to himself.
At nightfall, the searchers returned from their first reconnaissance. None had anything of note to report, and there was a sense of discouragement about the group gathered at the fire for supper. Already it was three days since the boy had been taken. How far would the abductors have gotten in that time? And in which direction? They could only hope Elfwine would be well treated, but not knowing the culprits' purpose, there was concern on that score also.
While the men gathered at the fire for their supper, Eomer and Elessar ate together in Eomer's tent. Eothain remained sequestered alone, and though Legolas briefly appeared for a quick bite with his friends, he did not linger.
Not unexpectedly, the conversation among the men over their meal concerned their present circumstances. Idly, Pethren observed, "The part that makes the least sense is how Eothain could have been drugged. After all, he ate and drank of the same provisions everyone else did. When could his food have been tainted unnoticed? And searching here seems pointless. We found nothing before, and after that rain there is likely nothing to be found. I suspect the abductors are quite far from here by now."
There were several murmurs of agreement with this appraisal, until a rider allowed, "Perhaps not, but King Elessar's tracking skills are legendary. If there is anything at all to be found, I believe he will find it."
"Perhaps already has," another member of the king's guard added, and all eyes turned to him questioningly. Noticing that he had their attention, he explained, "I overheard King Elessar saying something to King Eomer. It sounded like he had discovered something but did not wish it to be commonly known. Maybe we are closer to solving this riddle than we think. I hope it is so. Elfwine is a fine lad, and I would very much wish to see him recovered." The man swallowed the last of his ale as the others nodded concurrence.
In the shadow of a tent, some distance away, Legolas stood unmoving and unseen. He did not turn his head when someone drew near and asked quietly, "Anything?"
"Indeed. Pethren is subtly urging disbelief of Eothain's claim about being drugged, though not outright challenging his truthfulness. But the trap has been set that you have found a clue. Now we will see if anyone takes the bait."
Elessar gripped his friend's shoulder in silence, then soundlessly moved away. He and Eomer were convinced that one of his men was at the heart of this, and Pethren was the one both had tentatively identified. He and his good friend Gontor, would be set on guard duty this night, to offer them a chance to show their hand.
The camp gradually wound down and settled in for the night. Eomer made one last visit to Eothain before turning in himself, though no one seemed to notice the sword he had worn was missing from his hip when he returned to his own tent. And then all was quiet, though not everyone slept.
"Pethren," Gontor called softly drawing near. Pethren turned to look questioningly at him in the dim moonlight. "What are we going to do? If Elessar truly has found something..."
"I doubt that very much, but we cannot chance it. You will keep an eye on things here and cover for me. If anyone notices me missing, tell them I am presently communing with the trees. That should satisfy them, and I will not be gone long. Once I have sent the others on their way with the boy, I will be back and no one will be the wiser."
Gontor didn't look entirely comfortable with the blasé assessment Pethren had given, but he was in too deep now to turn back. This had to be seen through to the end. "Well, be quick about it! I do not want to have to face them if they realize it is more than the trees you are visiting!"
Glancing around to make sure nothing was stirring in the camp, Pethren nodded to his friend. "I will be back as soon as possible. Keep moving back and forth between our respective areas, and likely no one will notice there is only one guard out here."
Eothain nearly jumped out of his skin when Legolas materialized silently at his side from his vantage point for watching Pethren and Gontor. "It is time, my friend," Legolas told him, barely above a whisper. "Follow me."
The two circled well around Gontor's position, keeping constant watch that he was not alerted to their presence. It seemed to Eothain that they must surely lose Pethren, but Legolas continued confidently forward in the dark, so the big man focused his attention on staying with the elf and not making too much noise with his passage.
When they reached the horse Legolas had secured out of sight for them, Eothain noticed there was only one animal. "Where is my horse?" he whispered.
"We will take mine. He is an elvish horse and will make little sound to be overheard." Then, suspecting Eothain's hesitation, he explained, "The burden will not be too much for him."
Reluctantly, Eothain swung up behind the elf and they continued on. To Eothain's eyes and ears, they were merely wandering in the darkness, but Legolas seemed sure of their course and the man had little choice but to trust him.
They had traveled a couple of leagues, by Eothain's best guess, when Legolas finally drew rein, and gestured for him to dismount. Lightly landing beside Eothain, he caught his arm and led him cautiously forward. In short order, they came to a small clearing where a horse was tied. "This is where we part company, my friend," Legolas said softly. "May the Valar protect you in this endeavor. I will return as soon as I can with the others."
The elf melted away into the night and Eothain was left alone. Starting forward, he was careful to give the appearance of stealth, but to make enough noise to attract the horse's attention, causing it to nicker at him. Slowly he edged closer and closer to the cave entrance, then took a steadying breath and started inside.
As he went deeper, he could hear voices of men – it sounded like two of them, but perhaps more were merely listening. His sword came out of its sheath, though he only made a minimal effort to do it silently. He was beginning to wonder how careless these men were to not yet have detected him, when suddenly a blade appeared at his face.
Pethren stood smirking at him. "Going somewhere, Eothain? I do not recall inviting you to this gathering!" A gesture indicated he should drop his sword.
"I invited myself," Eothain spat. "It would seem something was brought here in error when it rightfully belongs to someone else. I am here to return it – safe and sound." He flung down his sword in anger.
"I think not," Pethren shrugged. "I have further use for it, and you are proving most annoying. Move!"
He gestured slightly with the sword, indicating Eothain should continue on into the cave. There were two men at a fire, and they rose when he came into view, not appearing surprised by his presence. Eothain's eyes roved the cave but saw evidence of no one else – a good sign. Three was a manageable number. It took a moment to locate Elfwine, huddled in sleep at the back of the cave, a thin dirty blanket all he had for a blanket and pillow combined. The lad shivered as he slept too far from the fire to receive its warmth, and the blanket was insufficient to ward off the chill of the cave. Bile rose in Eothain's throat at the sight. Oh yes, they would pay for this!
"How did you get here?" Pethren demanded.
With a sneer, Eothain told him, "Despite your efforts to betray me, I am trusted by my king, so I was lightly guarded. I suspected it was you who was behind this, so I snuck out to confront you. It was most accommodating of you to lead me here. It seems our camp was short one sentry, so I did not find it difficult to leave."
He was rewarded with a flash of irritation in the man's eyes, but Pethren wasn't about to show weakness even as his companions were looking decidedly nervous. "On the contrary! You have just made it easier to dispose of you once and for all – but not yet. Your 'escape' will further suggest your guilt in this matter, so we will not kill you. In fact, a big strong man like you ought to bring a pretty price on the slave markets!"
Unfazed by the threat, Eothain glared at the Gondorian. "Why? Why have you taken the boy?"
"Why? Why not? Unlike you, the great Rohirric warrior who has let himself be turned into a nursemaid, I have ambitions in my life. I do not intend to spend the rest of my days as a poorly paid soldier who garners little respect. If the Dunlendings cannot meet my asking price for Rohan's heir, then I am sure the Haradrim slave traders will be happy to do so. Such a prize will bring a pretty price, and I will live comfortably, taking orders from no one!"
"Over my dead body will you harm that boy!" Eothain snarled.
"That can be arranged!" Pethren snapped back.
Just then, their shouting awoke Elfwine and he sleepily blinked at them across the fire. "Eothain!" he exclaimed as he finally registered this was not a dream. Jumping up, he ran and flung himself at the big man, who swung him up into his arms. Immediately Elfwine's arms snaked tightly around his neck and the boy murmured through his tears, "I knew you would come for me!"
"How touching! The boy is fond of his nursemaid!" Pethren sneered sarcastically. "Move! Over there. Tie his hands and feet."
"What if someone saw him leave and followed him here? They could be outside even now!" one man asked fearfully.
"There is no one out there!" Pethren snarled. "If anyone was there, they would have come in with him or attacked us by now. He is merely trying to unnerve us. That is what I came to tell you. There is a possibility that Elessar found something that would lead them here. If so, they will be searching tomorrow. You need to strike camp now and move to a new location. There is a deserted farmhouse several leagues away – remember? The one where we first met to discuss this. Circle around and rejoin the main road until you are nearer to where it is located. They will again lose your tracks amid all the others on the road."
"And what if they do not?" one man queried, looking decidedly unhappy. "If we get caught with the boy, it will be our necks. They are apt to kill us before we can even tell them about you! You will be nice and safe off in Gondor!"
"There is no time to argue about this! You knew the risks when first you went into this venture! If they catch you, they catch me. Do you honestly believe neither of these two will identify me to them? Now go and do as I say. I must get back so I can keep up on their movements and try to lead them down the wrong paths."
The two were clearly not appeased, but they fell to packing up the camp anyway. Eothain and Elfwine watched silently from the back of the cave, trying not to draw attention to themselves. In the confusion, the two men had not yet heeded Pethren's admonition to bind him, and Eothain wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible.
Finally, the men turned toward their captives, and one man started forward. Looking Eothain over, he turned slightly to say over his shoulder, "We will never be able to get him on a horse with his hands tied. Perhaps we should wait until he is mounted to bind him."
In that moment, while his attention was diverted, Eothain shoved Elfwine backwards and seized the other man's sword. A powerful backhanded fist to the man's face sent him crashing to the floor, dazed, as Eothain ripped the sword from its sheath and moved to face the other two.
Pethren angrily pulled his own sword. "I have had enough of you, Nursemaid! Little matter if they know it was not you who abducted the boy. It will be a pleasure dispatching you once and for all!"
What Pethren had not taken into account was that Eothain was larger, stronger and angrier than he was, as well as more skilled with a blade. Eothain had long been acknowledged as one of the finest swordsmen in all of Rohan, though he modestly rarely spoke of his ability. At the moment, though, he was grateful for every ounce of skill he possessed. The other man moved in, his sword drawn as well, thinking to overwhelm the big man, but when Eothain had agreed to this plan he had made a single vow to Eomer – he would recover Elfwine unharmed, even if it killed him. None of these men would ever lay another hand on the boy, not while he drew breath.
Pethren's overconfidence in his own prowess was his undoing, and the fight was shortlived. Eothain had at last struck his blade from his hand, just as Pethren's companion bolted for the exit and attempted escape. Only now, the third man was groggily trying to recover from the blow Eothain had dealt him, but he was yet no threat.
Just as Eothain was about to make his final stroke, ending Pethren's worthless life, his eyes flicked across the cave. Elfwine stood pressed against the cave wall, his eyes wide with horror as he stared at the battle before him. In that moment, Eothain's cold fury suddenly thawed. No. The boy had been through enough. He would not fix in the child's mind the image of a man being killed. Sooner or later the lad would have to face such things, but not now, not yet.
Wearily he lowered his sword, kicking Pethren's sword well out of his reach. Gesturing with his blade, he moved him over with the other man just as Eomer and Elessar ran into the cave with swords in hand.
"Papa!" Elfwine exclaimed at the sight of his father, rushing into his arms.
Eomer hefted him into his embrace, trying not to crush the boy with the fervor of his hold. There were no words to express his relief that his son was safe once more. The boy was weeping into his shoulder, and finally murmured, "Eothain saved me, Papa!"
"I know," Eomer replied, gazing over at his friend who was watching them with some emotion. "Eothain would never willingly let anything happen to you, dearest." At his words, the distress on Eothain's face cleared somewhat. Eomer knew the big man would be a long time forgiving himself that this had ever happened, but the king wanted his friend to know he held him blameless.
"Come," Elessar said at length. "Let us take some rest for what remains of the night, and then get this lad home to his mama. I am sure she is eager to know he is recovered."
The stars over Eothain's head felt much different than they had of late, now that he was once more truly a free man. All of the perpetrators were in custody and would be punished for their crimes, but this was not an event Eothain would soon forget. Always before in his life, he had been able to recognize the enemy. He saw now that things had changed. Never again would he allow himself to be so deceived, and endanger one of Eomer's family members. They had been fortunate this time, that is all.
xxxxx
Elessar looked up and smiled as Eomer entered his study. "My friend," he acknowledged. "How are things?"
Eomer seated himself across the desk from the king, and shrugged. "Slowly returning to normal. It will take time for Eothain to become himself again. Did we find out how they accomplished this?"
Elessar nodded. "An extract taken from a form of saluie – sage in the Common Tongue. With Pethren and Gontor working together, they were able to slip it into Eothain's ale that night without anyone noticing."
"But how could they have..." Eomer trailed off, still perplexed that they could put together such a plan given he had changed the details of their trip. Even if they had thought to attack the party on the road, or snatch the boy at Minas Tirith, how could they have regrouped so quickly under the revised circumstances?
As if reading his thoughts, Elessar explained, "They had intended to attempt their abduction here at Minas Tirith, but when the situation altered, and those two were inadvertently included in the party of soldiers sent to meet your Riders, they decided it would be easier and safer to attempt it on the road than here. They got word to their co-conspirators before they left the city to meet Eothain's group, and the two formulated the plan while they were riding on how to slip the extract into his drink unnoticed. They were counting on Rohan being off its guard by their added presence for 'protection'."
The two sat silently pondering what Elessar had said, and then Gondor's king queried, "How is Elfwine faring? Does he suffer any ill-effects from the experience?"
Eomer sighed and nodded. "Lothiriel let him sleep with us last night, and I know he woke several times, quite agitated until he saw that we were there and he was safe. I think it will take a while for him to get over this. Lothiriel as well. She is reluctant to let him from her sight now, and fortunately his own fears mean he is more than willing to be so coddled. I hope both of them will be easier before we return home." He paused, then added, "Though I cannot blame them. I find I am also on edge whenever the boy is away from me."
"Give it time," Elessar counseled. "This nightmare is fresh in your minds – not unexpectedly." He sighed before observing, "We, both of us, must accustom ourselves to a new sort of enemy now – one not so obvious."
xx
The door opened and Lothiriel entered with Elfwine holding her hand. Elessar turned from where he was standing at the window and smiled at the pair.
Gesturing for them to come forward, he settled on the couch and waved Elfwine to him as Lothiriel seated herself in a chair nearby. Lifting the boy into his lap, Elessar wrapped his arms around the tiny shoulders. "You have had quite an experience, young Elfwine." The boy nodded, tears welling in his eyes.
"Were you frightened?" Elessar asked kindly, and Elfwine nodded again, ducking his head in embarrassment.
"I tried to be brave, but I could not help it!" he explained, and Elessar's grip tightened around him.
"On the contrary, you were very brave," the king told him. "That was a very frightening thing for anyone, and you did well. Bravery is not the absence of fear; it is remaining strong in spite of the fear. And you did that. I am very proud of you."
Elfwine's eyes grew round and he grinned. "Truly?"
"Truly!" Elessar assured him, pressing a kiss to the boy's head. "Now then, Eldarion is most eager to play with you. Would you like to spend some time with him?"
Elessar could not miss the slight intake of breath from Lothiriel, but after a moment's hesitation, Elfwine nodded. "I want to play with him, also. May I, Mama?"
Letting out a slow breath, Lothiriel finally nodded. "Of course, dearest. Enjoy yourself." Her eyes met Elessar's and she added softly, "Thank you, from both of us."
"Would that it had never happened," he replied quietly, but smiled reassuringly at her. Lothiriel was strong, as was her son. They would overcome this and get on with their lives. Of that, he was certain.
THE END
12/25/ 06 – 1/1/07
Pethren - "crooked word"
Gontor - "stone brother"
(Point of reference: Elfwine is 5 here; "Frolic" took place in Jun, 6 IV)