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Chapter 2: Heart of Ice

With every step the horses took, Arwen felt her chest grow tighter. She wished to believe that her son was safe with the guards, and yet a part of her could not dare hope. She was terrified of what they could find.

The view that met them did nothing to alleviate her fears. Meril, Eldarion's horse, limped towards them, and all of her legs were covered with bloodied bandages. Fortunately, she seemed to have no broken limbs. The mare was here, and relatively well, but where was the boy?

Gornon sat on a stone, trembling, but no one spared the time to comfort the distraught child. The guards were spread all around the glade, examining the ground and looking for any evidence of what had transpired. When their commander noticed the King and Queen's approach, he stood up and saluted the pair.

"I fear I have grave news, my Liege." He paused and looked sternly at his men, who had momentarily stopped their work to steal a glance at the royal couple. "We saw the dogs' tracks, and an adult man has been here too. The dogs left with him. We found no traces of the Prince. We believe that the man had carried him away."

Arwen swayed on her mount and for a moment thought that she would fall down.

We believe that the man had carried him away.

The man had carried him away.

Carried him away.

Some stranger had taken her son! And now her little boy was in the hands of a man, who had shown nothing to indicate any good intentions!

She felt Aragorn's hand around her own and weakly returned the pressure. The man kept speaking, but the words were barely reaching her. She felt as if she was underwater and all the sounds were distant and muffled.

"We found this," the guard was saying and handing something to Aragorn. "It is sealed with wax and unopened. It is addressed to you."

Arwen saw her husband take the envelope and break the seal. As his eyes ran through the lines, his face turned grave.

"What?" She breathed. "Estel, what is it?"

With a shaking hand, he handed her the letter. She took it and quickly scanned the neatly written lines.

King Elessar,

I have wished to speak with you in years. Unfortunately, I had to take your son. The boy is unharmed, but this will change if I do not see you today. Come alone. If you bring guards along, I will know it, and the child will pay the price.

I have heard legends about your tracking skills, and I have made no effort to hide my tracks. I shall be awaiting you.

Arwen gasped and the paper fell from her limp fingers. This could not be happening! She had lost her child, and now they wanted to take Estel away from her.

"What are we going to do?" she asked softly.

The King took her hands in his own. "It seems we do not have much of a choice."

She shook her head in violent denial. "You cannot go! This is what this man wants! You will be walking into a trap! I cannot lose both you and Eldarion! I cannot lose you! I cannot-" Her frantic pleas had turned into sobs, and soon she was unable to speak. Then she could feel her beloved's strong arms around her, helping her dismount. Everything seemed to be happening in a thick haze, but when she could think clearly once again, she was on the ground and her husband was holding her.

"Arwen, listen to me," he said, and his voice was gentle, but firm and determined. "I know that this man, whoever he is, wishes me evil, and I will be walking expected on his territory. However," he added with a slight smile, "I believe I know what his strongest weapon is, and I might have an idea how to defeat it." His voice sobered. "I need to bring our son back. But you will not lose me. I promise."

For a moment Arwen stood still, savouring the feeling of safety and comfort in his warm embrace. At last, she pulled back and brushed her tears away. Their child was in danger and there was no time to lose.

"I am sorry, my love," she said. "I know that you need me to be strong and stand by your side, and I am only a burden to you."

"You are never a burden," Aragorn said. "And I shall need your help before this is over."

The Queen nodded determinedly. "I will help Moriel with the task you assigned us. What else do you need me to do?"

He stared at her in amazement. "I would be very grateful if you keep everything in order in my absence. These events should remain secret. We do not want to cause any unnecessary panic. The most urgent task is to finish the negotiations with Lord Ghasaan. You may do it yourself or send Lord Angbor if you do not have the strength. Also, you will find a thick blue book on my desk. There I keep a list of everything I have to attend to. Make sure all is covered. Then send someone you trust to Ithilien to inform Legolas and Faramir of the current situation. Faramir should be prepared to travel to Minas Tirith should… should unexpected complications occur."

Arwen's look changed. "You promised you would return."

He sighed. "I did and I mean to keep my word. But I do not know when. Give me a week, and if I have sent no word, send guards after me. I shall leave signs to mark my passage, and they should be able to follow easily even if it rains and the tracks fade."

She looked at him long and hard. "I give you three days," Arwen said. "And then I will send the men after you."

Aragorn looked as if he was about to argue, but then changed his mind. "Three days it is. I will leave now, but I have one last thing to ask of you."

Arwen took a deep breath. She felt as if her grief had drained her completely and she had no strength left, but Estel managed to be strong in spite of it all, and she would be strong for him. "Anything you wish," she said.

"I want you to stay safe."

Under different circumstances, Arwen would have laughed. "You are walking straight into the hands of an enemy and you wish me to stay safe?" she asked in disbelief.

His eyes were serious. "We are not sure what this man wants of me. He went after Eldarion, and he may go after you. I would feel better if I know that you will be careful."

"I will," she said. "But you must be careful too."

"I made a promise, did I not?" He said with a soft smile. Then he kissed her on the forehead and turned around, disappearing into the woods.

Arwen stared frozen at his retreating back, trying hard to fight the feeling that she would never see him again.

-:-

Eldarion slowly opened his eyes, only to be greeted by impenetrable darkness. Memories started returning to him, and they were all but comforting. He had been riding in the forest with Baranir and Gornon, when they had heard a strange melody, and shortly afterwards they had been attacked by six fierce dogs. His friends had ridden away to look for help, and he was left alone. Then the melody had stopped, and the dogs had hesitated. And then another melody had sounded, calm, soothing, gentle. The dogs had stopped their assault then, and had merely surrounded his horse, waiting. The second melody had stopped as well.

And then a man had walked into the clearing. He had been well-dressed, with tidy dark hair and neatly trimmed beard. Next to him had stood a large white dog, with very long hairs. The man's right hand had been clutching the dog's collar. His left hand had been holding a wooden pipe.

Then the man had approached him and tried to get a hold of him. Eldarion had tried to defend himself, but the man had been stronger. After that, he remembered nothing.

And now he was lying on a bed inside a small and a dark room. His leg was bandaged and throbbed lightly, but the wound was shallow and did not bother him much. The boy stood up and approached the window. It was not yet dusk outside, but the light was nearly completely blocked by the heavy curtain, and no candles were lit. The child pulled the curtains aside and then walked around the room, examining his surroundings.

It was a simple chamber, with a bed, a writing desk, and a wooden chair. The floor was covered by a heavy carpet, and the walls were bare, devoid of any decorations.

Eldarion walked to the door and tried the knob. As he had expected, it was locked. The child sniffed, frightened, and walked back to the bed. Where was he? And why was he here? His gaze turned towards the window, but he could see naught but woods outside. He could be anywhere.

Suddenly, he heard heavy footsteps, and turned towards the door. A key was turned around, and a man stepped in. It was the same man who had met him in the forest, and he was accompanied by the same large white dog. In addition, two black dogs, slightly smaller than the ones who had attacked the three boys, were flanking him, as if they were his personal guards.

"I heard you moving around, Prince Eldarion," the man said. His voice was deep and calm and seemed to hold no malice, but this frightened the child even more. "And I supposed you had awoken. Welcome to my house."

There was something unusual about this man, but the boy could not yet place it. "Where am I? And where are Father and Mother?" Eldarion asked softly. He tried to appear strong, brave and confident, but his voice sounded too lost and terrified even to his own ears.

"You are in the home of Edwin," the man said. "We are still in Gondor, not far to the west of Minas Tirith, still east of the River Erui. Your father is hopefully on his way here. Your mother, I would guess, is staying in the palace."

The boy frowned. This answered none of his questions. And the more he was talking to this man, the more he was unsettled by something about his behaviour that he could not identify. "Why am I here?" he asked, and this time his voice was stronger.

Edwin hesitated, as if wondering if to reply. "Very well," he said at length. "You have done me nothing ill, and yet I am going to kill you. I suppose I owe you an explanation. Perhaps you deserve to know what purpose your death is going to serve."

The boy gasped. His first instinct was to try to run past the man, but the dogs seemed alert and their eyes followed him closely. "You want to kill me?" he asked in shock.

The man shook his head. "I do not want to kill you. But I have to, to achieve a higher purpose."

Eldarion shuddered. The man claimed not to wish to kill him, and yet was ready to do it as a means to a goal. Somehow, this was more terrifying that facing a madman, who might have wished to harm him out of pure malice. The child felt his eyes well up with tears. "Please, don't kill me! I want to go home! Let me go! My father will give you anything you want!"

"Your father will give me everything I want," Edwin said calmly, unmoved by the boy's pleas.

"What is it?" The child whispered.

There was something sinister in Edwin's mirthless smile, as he spoke his next words, "His happiness."

"Why are you doing this?" Eldarion sobbed.

The man sat on the edge of the bed and stared blankly at a point next to Eldarion's face. "If you have the patience, I will tell you my story. Then, perhaps, you will be able to understand why I am doing this. Perhaps you will not approve, and yet I believe you will understand."

Eldarion brushed his tears away, angry at himself. This was not the time to whine and behave like a baby! He was a man now, and he had to act like one! He was on his own, but he was strong and would find a way out of this.

For a moment, he wondered what his hero, the greatest man he had even known and whom he admired more than anyone, would do in such a situation. No, he would not cry like a child! He would defeat Edwin and all of his dogs, and would easily escape! But Eldarion did not possess his father's strength and battle skills, not yet, and so he had to rely on other means. But first, it made sense to know the enemy.

"Yes, I would hear your story now," he said. "But do not look at me for understanding."

Edwin smiled sadly. "I am not asking for your judgment. If you wish to hear the story, here it is. Normally, I would have deemed it inappropriate for a boy of your age, but you have only a few more hours to live, and so I would not worry about damaging your innocent mind.

"My story begins years before you were born, Eldarion. After the war, Gondor was thriving, and everyone loved and admired the great and just King Elessar. Everyone had complete faith in him, and whenever the judge in a village was faced with a trial he could not solve, they directed it to the King for a final decision. Why they believed that a man who stood out there, locked in his palace, could see things more clearly than the people directly involved is beyond me." Edwin sighed. "But I am digressing. I meant to start from the beginning, so that you would understand my motives better.

"I was born and raised in a village not far away from the White City. My childhood was happy and uneventful. My most vivid memory is that of my dogs, Bern and Wolf. I have loved dogs for as long as I can remember, and everyone noticed that I was very good with them. Later, I began breeding and training dogs for hunting or guarding. Many were interested in my dogs because they were very well trained. I could teach them any command their owners would want, and the dogs would follow by a single word, a gesture, or a melody. I discovered that a melody was a very good way to control the dogs, make them attack an animal, or calm them down, or make them follow you."

"This is how you commanded the dogs in the forest to attack me, and then to stop," Eldarion said.

The man nodded. "I have become even better at this in the recent years because dogs and my daughter are the only beings I spent time with, and she rarely has the chance to visit me nowadays. But at the time I was still learning. When I was still a young man, I met Araniel, a wonderful woman, who shared my passion. I had never met anyone as talented with dogs as me, but she was one of those who came closest and even taught me a few techniques.

"Not long after we had met, she became my wife and bore me a son, Duilin. He grew up as a good boy, always quick to help, to laugh, to bring joy to his parents. When he was six, we had another child, a beautiful daughter.

"Everything seemed like a fairy-tale. My life could not have been happier. But then, when Duilin was eight, the misfortune befell us. One night, someone had broken into our house and stolen some valuables I had collected over the years. What was worse, they had killed two of my dogs to secure themselves a safe passage."

Edwin sighed and wiped a hand across his face. "I knew that it had to be the brothers Ohtar and Derufin. They were troublemakers and I could not imagine anyone else in the village doing that. I accused them, and the mayor ordered them both arrested.

"They had spent a couple of weeks in the dungeons, when their relatives started complaining and accusing the authorities of injustice. They claimed that there was no evidence against the brothers except for my suspicions, and indeed their house was searched afterwards and none of my missing possessions was found there.

"The mayor was helpless and decided to take the problem to the King. King Elessar reviewed the case, decided that there was indeed no evidence pointing against Ohtar and Derufin, and ordered to have them set free. I knew it was a mistake to allow that to happen, and pleaded with everyone in the village to listen to me, but they did not dare go against the King's orders. The brothers were released."

Eldarion gasped. "And they wanted revenge on you? They wanted to punish you for forcing them to spend this time in the dungeons?"

The man snorted. "I see that you are wiser than your father. Of course they would! I saw it, everyone I knew saw it, everyone except for the King! Yet, never, even in my wildest nightmares, could I imagine how far they would go.

"One night they came to our house while we were sleeping, killed all the dogs, and bound us all. They humiliated me and mocked me in ways I do not wish to remember. And then –" Edwin's voice broke, "then they slit Duilin's throat and forced me to watch! They killed my little boy, and I could do nothing but watch as his blood slowly flowed to the floor, and the light in his bright eyes faded away! He was as old as you are now." Edwin paused, breathing hard. If he could see Eldarion's face, he would have known that the child's cheeks were wet with tears.

But he could not.

At last, Eldarion figured out what was wrong with Edwin. The child had noticed that every time someone talked to him, they would do one of two things – they would either look him in the eyes, or if they were shy, or engulfed in their own thoughts, or hesitant, they would look away. This man was doing neither. Instead, he was staring straight into a spot close to the boy's face, but their eyes never locked. Not a single time.

Edwin was blind. And, Eldarion could now see, the man had been blind for many years for he carried himself with an air of confidence, and his disability was hard to notice unless one looked closely.

"They were not finished with us," the man continued. "After they had killed my son, they said that this would be the last thing I would ever see. Ohtar lit the fireplace and heated his sword until it was glowing red. Next thing I knew, he held it in front of my eyes. All I could see was light brighter than the sun, but it lasted only for a moment. Then there was pain, a pain greater than anything I had ever experienced. And then – then there was nothing. I was never able to see again.

"Perhaps they could have killed me, and perhaps they would have killed my wife and my daughter too. I will never know, for we were rescued. My neighbour had noticed that something was wrong and had sent help. Ohtar and Derufin were properly punished, and the King came to my house himself to apologize for his misjudgement. He sounded sincere, but what good could his regrets do to me? I had lost my little boy and my sight. And it was all because he chose to follow the rules instead of listening to common sense!

"Since then I had to train some of my dogs to do something I had never before trained them to do – lead a blind man around and help him. Both they and I did surprisingly well.

"Araniel and I grew bitter after the loss of our son. We started arguing often, and I could find comfort with her no longer. One day she left me, taking our daughter with her. I could not allow that to happen. I followed her with the dogs and– and they took care of her. She tried to stop them, but I had trained them to respond only to my commands."

Eldarion was staring in horrified disbelief. "You killed your wife!"

"She tried to take away the only thing that I loved," Edwin said, unmoved. "My daughter was all I had left. Luckily, she was only two at the time and does not remember much of what happened. Still, it was hard for a single blind man to raise a daughter. Yet, I did, and she makes me proud."

"And are you making her proud?" the child asked. "Do you think she would want her father to be what you have become?"

"My daughter knows of my plans and approves them," the man said coldly.

Eldarion pulled his legs on the bed and wrapped his arms around his knees. "And what are those plans?"

"Your father is supposed to come here soon," Edwin replied. "I will capture him easily, using my faithful servants." He patted the white dog on the head. "Then I shall kill you in front of him and blind him with hot metal. I will let him go on with his life, in darkness and pain, knowing the pain that I have known for so many years. Perhaps even his wife would desert him in the time of need as mine did."

Eldarion was frozen in disbelief. "You do not know my mother! You have no idea of what you speak!"

"And you think that you do?" Edwin laughed mirthlessly. "I also believed that I knew Araniel, but she surprised me."

"Not all people are the same," the boy said. "If your misfortune had befallen my father instead of you, he would have never dreamed of inflicting the same pain on anyone else. Do not judge others based on who you are."

"Do not teach me lessons, kid!" The man hissed. "I know about life more than you will ever know!"

"And yet, there is so much that you will never know," Eldarion said.

"Perhaps. But what I do know is that what I had waited for for so many years has finally come to pass. Save your breath, boy. You will need it for your parting words with your father."

Edwin whirled around and left, followed by the dogs. Eldarion heard the dull click, which indicated that the door had been locked. The child glared at the direction his captor had disappeared. If the man thought that he would meekly wait for the horrific plans to unfold, he was gravely mistaken! If there was a way out, he would find it!

TBC

Next chapter, "Dark Memories" is coming next Saturday. As always, comments are greatly appreciated!