Chapter Four
I woke up from a strange dream, Melusine and mother had stood by my bed. They had spoken, but I had either not understood the words or their voices were too different. I tried to ask them questions, but I found my mouth tied by some invisible force and so all I could do was reach out towards them. But they remained beyond my grasp and I grew gradually frustrated and tired, finally gasping awake as though I had dreamt of a nightmare. I stayed awake for several minutes, curiously wondering whether Hamnet was cooking something; there was a burnt smell of wood and meat. But Hamnet was not here…I jerked forcefully awake then, out of my stupor. I could now hear the cries and shouts of people, running footsteps and an awful wailing noise. I grabbed my pack, already full of my clothes, a warm woollen cloak, my mother's book on herblore and her reading cards. I slung it on my back, grabbed my short sword and bow; I fumbled with the belt of my sword and cursed all of womankind for making me wear a nightgown. Before I had managed to put my quiver on my back, Dòmhnall burst through the door.
"What's going on?" I asked, quickly putting my boots on my feet.
"Orcs, a pack of orcs. Father has bidden me to take you to Rivendell."
He grabbed my hand and pulled me from the bedroom.
"Draw your sword," he said, pulling an arrow from his own quiver and notching his bow.
"But surely father can defend us?"
"Aye, of course he can. But he'd rather we were safe in Rivendell."
I drew out my sword, following my brother apace, until we had left the hall. Outside was chaos, fires had been lit and I could hardly tell man from orc, it was too dark and shadowy. When my boots hit something dark and sticky I grimaced and dared not look down.
"Father!" cried Dòmhnall, running up to a dark figure, who had been ordering someone else at that point. He turned and I saw the raw, animal fear in his eyes. The fear of being caught and killed.
"Why are you still here?" he clasped Dòmhnall on his shoulder and then kissed me on my forehead. He turned back to the battle.
"My blessing to you both. If you see your brother tell him I gave him my blessing, ask him to forgive me for its lateness. Ask Melusine to protect me as well, while you're at it." he said gruffly.
"We will see each other again, father." I said.
He gave something between a shrug and a shake of the head. I was unsure what he meant by it.
"Get gone." he said, furiously.
He thundered off into the darkness. Dòmhnall grabbed my hand and pulled me through the trees, into the forest. My ears now seemed sharpened to every noise, every creak of the trees or sigh of wind, I would turn, trying to find our enemy. Dòmhnall pulled me ahead, gaining pace.
"There is little point in fighting, we must make it to Rivendell and beg Lord Elrond for arms as quickly as we can."
"Father will come back." I said loudly.
Dòmhnall made no reply and I feared what that anger and horror in my father's eyes meant and why he had wished Hamnet well…as though he would never see him again. I pushed away the thought, my father was a strong man, a good soldier, he would survive through this and the aid of the Elves would come in time.
I ran alongside Dòmhnall. We were reaching the pinnacle of the hill; we would soon enter into the valley, into Rivendell. It felt as though my lungs were burning, my brain muggy and confused from the awakening, my legs ached. But still I kept on running, Death had already snatched away my mother, he would not do the same to my father. The guarded gates were a little way off, I may well have been Melusine fleeing the man who betrayed her, as I ran towards it.
"Halt. Who is there?" called a guard.
"Melusida…and her…brother." I managed to gasp, "We seek aid from…Lord Elrond, our home has been attacked by orcs…and there are too many of them…"
The guard turned to his fellow, "Go wake his Lordship, tell him so and ready the guardsmen, he will be willing to help."
The guard opened the gate and allowed us in, while the other ran up to the main house. We were then escorted up the path towards the house, lights already being lit. I felt near exhaustion, but willed my legs to go on. Lord Elrond finally came down the stairs, wearing a dark burgundy gown over his nightshirt. His face looked worried.
"Melusida, Dòmhnall, I am glad you are both safe." He gently placed his hands on our shoulders.
"Our father is not, he needs aid." I cried.
"I have summoned my guard; they will be with him shortly. But there is little you two can do, come into the house. Eruanna is brewing some tea for you both, Arwen is waiting for you, she is much concerned."
After guiding us to Arwen's ante chamber, Lord Elrond left to go with his guard. I just hoped we had not been too slow or spent too long talking here. I could barely sit still, wondering what was happening to our father and our home. Arwen came in, wrapped in a pale green gown. Dòmhnall instantly got up out of respect, but she shook her head to show him it wasn't needed. Her maid, Eruanna, poured us some tea and then left us, saying she would prepare some beds for us. Arwen took hold of my hand while I sipped at the warm liquid.
"Are you both alright?" she asked.
Dòmhnall nodded, "We will be when we hear news of our father."
"Can you speak of what happened?"
"I can only speak of what happened after father woke me and I woke Melusida, he had not time to explain what had happened. We were attacked by a band of orcs…" Dòmhnall said.
"That is strange in these parts." Arwen said.
"Father told Melusida and I to flee here and seek your father's aid."
"It must be a difficult battle." I whispered.
Arwen looked at me sympathetically and put her arm around my shoulders.
"Your father is a brave and resilient man; he will fight his way through this."
We finished our tea then, mostly in silence, until Eruanna came to tell us our beds were prepared. I could do little but obey Arwen and be sent to bed. The bedrooms we had been given were beautiful, the windows opening up onto the valley and the rivers, the soft whispers of the bed sheets catching the wind. But I knew it would do me little good, I would not sleep tonight. I lay down in the cool covers, closing my eyes, but smelling once more that acrid stench of burning flesh. I prayed it had just been the flesh of already cut legs of ham or even the chickens in their coup. But as I opened my eyes, I knew in some way it had not been. I got up and sat on the edge of the bed shivering, despite the warmth of the summer. My stomach clenched and I swiftly got up to the basin on my wash stand, stomach heaving and then a foul wash of bile filled my mouth. I vomited into the basin several times, till I gripped onto the edge of the stand, shaking. I took a drink of water and then wrapped a cloak about my shoulders. I walked over to the windows, the moon appearing behind a cloud and lighting Rivendell in a silver, ghostly light.
"Please don't let people die, Melusine." I whispered to the dark, "Please."
I turned from the window and walked out of my room, down the passage, towards the hall holding the shards of Narsil. The moon made the sword's broken shards gleam, but I ignored the sword. I went to the painting of Melusine again; I cast aside the curtain and lay down under the picture. The floor was cold and uncomfortable against my head, but I gathered my cloak around me and looked up towards Melusine and the unknown man on the bank. I looked away, trying to silent my tears. There was almost something sorrowful on his expression from this angle, as though he knew he would betray her. I closed my eyes, the sweet, cold air now filling my lungs and exhaustion from fear and running urging me to sleep.
'And when he kissed her, she was transformed. No longer a woman of the Water, but a woman of the Earth…'
'Yuck, kisses.' Hamnet hung over his bed backwards, my mother smiled at him.
'Do you not like kisses Hamnet?'
'Nay, kisses are for girls.'
'I think Melusida and I should kiss you a good deal then.'
She stopped his cry of no, by ticking him under his chin and forcing him back in his bed.
'Hush Hamnet, I want to hear the end.' said Dòmhnall.
Hamnet sighed and puffed out his cheeks, 'I do not, I have heard it before a million times and it's all about a fish-woman, who falls in love with a stranger, there aren't any battles…'
'Hamnet you can find a dozen stories on great heroes and their adventures, but it is rare to find one of a woman, especially when we are descended from her.' my mother said.
'Are we really descended from her?' I asked.
'Of course, my dear, that is why you are named after her.'
Hamnet snorted, 'You are a fish, Melusida.'
'I am not. But I want to hear the story.'
'Well then of course, she went to Gondor with him and married him…' Hamnet let out another little sigh, but did not complain further.
'They were happy, weren't they?' I said, though I knew the answer.
'Very and she bore him many fine, beautiful children. But she made him swear he would let her bathe once a month without the presence of her servants or anyone else...'
'Her husband was silly; he should not have broken his oath.' Dòmhnall said.
My mother smiled and nodded, 'Ah, well there is the warning of the story. Curiosity became too much for her husband and so one night he…'
"Melusida, Melusida…wake up." Arwen shook me awake, her face pale, the first light of dawn creeping through the windows. I rubbed my forehead, blearily trying to focus on where I was. Arwen dragged me out from under the painting and pulled the curtain back over. She pulled me from the hall, rather forcefully for a lady and brought me back to my room. The bowl with my bile had been taken away.
"Sorry…" I muttered, nodding my head towards the empty wash stand.
She shook her head, "That hardly matters. We will not be able to leave for Lothlórien today and I think a good many of your people will need rest for a few days."
"Is my father here?" I asked, instantly awake.
"Not yet, but I am certain he will be, my father has yet to return also. Now, why don't you sleep in a proper bed and then later on we shall have breakfast together."
I dreamily climbed into the bed and she gave my hand a quick squeeze, before kissing me goodnight. Arwen was so like a mother and sister to me, I was blessed to have her companionship. I closed my eyes once more and fell back into dreaming.
Only this time I dreamt I was Melusine herself. As the song said I rose above the surface of the cool lake, looking around the green of the forests and river bank ahead. I waited. I waited for what felt like hours. I swam to the bank and pulled myself onto it, but I was still a maid of water, not a woman of earth. Out of the water my tail felt heavy and the air felt harder to breathe. I sank back into the water and waited, occasionally going up and down the river, searching for him. But he never came. Finally, I saw a boat. Although it occurred to me it was akin to the one we used for our funeral burials, I thought nothing of swimming up to the boat and pulling it to shore. I pulled myself out of the water and stared down at the man within the boat, his eyes closed, his chest impaled with arrows, a white tree emblazoned upon his tunic. I pressed my hand on the smooth circle of his shield and his horn held tightly in his hand. I bent my head down and kissed his cold lips, but I knew it would not work. To become a woman of Earth a woman needed the firm and warm love of a man of Earth. Dead men do not provide warm and everlasting love. I could feel tears slip down my cheeks, but I did not know why I cried; I was not Melusine, I knew this man not and this was not how the story was meant to be.
Once more, when I ate my breakfast and heard Lord Elrond had returned, I knew what had happened. When my brother and I went outside with Arwen, we saw the guard following Lord Elrond on his bay horse, carrying a litter with a dark blanket thrown over the top. Lord Elrond looked grim, there were very few of our people amongst them and as I looked at the blanket, I realised who that could be. I sank to my knees, just staring at the dark mass. Melusine had not sung to me, but she had sent me a message nevertheless. Dòmhnall had looked confusedly at me then as I wept bitter tears. As Lord Elrond approached him, his face still dark, my brother's face crumpled into realisation.
"I am sorry for you both, we arrived in time, but your father was struck badly."
"Did he say anything when he died?" my brother asked.
"I was not with him when it occurred, though some of my soldiers believed he said…he said he was returning to Melusine again." He cast me a look then, furtive and saddened.
I ran then, ran from Lord Elrond, along the hallways and up to my bedroom. I sank onto my bed, my grief made my throat feel raw and my lungs burned for air. I did not want another death; I could not bear another death. I felt my hands scrabble at the sleeves on my dress, my nails tearing at the flesh on my skin. The stinging pain did not help the agony of my whole being. Dòmhnall barged into my room, followed by both Arwen and Lord Elrond. Dòmhnall grabbed me and held me in his arms, rocking me back and forth, till I lay listless in his arms. I vaguely heard Lord Elrond say something to Arwen, who then left the room. He came next to me.
"Arwen has gone to fetch you a drink, it will soothe you and let you sleep a dreamless sleep."
I numbly shook my head, Lord Elrond gently placed a soothing hand on my forehead.
"Hush, now is not the time."
I remembered he said how he would tell me what he knew of my father if he died…now I did not wish to hear it, I did not wish to hear anything at all. Arwen came back with a flask and unstopped it, she passed it to her father. Dòmhnall supported my head, while Lord Elrond pressed the flask to my lips and I drank the liquid. It tasted sweet and I soon felt my head grow heavier and my eyes fighting to remain open. Dòmhnall placed me onto the pillows and pulled up the blankets around me. The last I recalled, was my brother saying he would say and then I fell into a dreamless sleep, as Lord Elrond had promised.
Muse went into overdrive last night, I had to finish this at 1.45am! I'm not sure if this is overly dramatic, hopefully it's not. I'm jut going with whatever my muse wants really...which is probably not a good thing. Hey ho!
Astraea Concord - I really want to, but if I do I'll just give away the entire plot. I think in some ways he did become colder because of his wife dying, but there's more to his pride and coldness than that...as you'll find out!
Well it's a good job I've made Dòmhnall and Melusida orphans then, because they're going to be spending a lot of time with the Elves now. Haha, yeah sorry about that, know how it feels, I am the most impatient person I know.
Certh - double thanks to you, for reading the Bards of Alderthron (I had pretty much forgotten all about that story, that was just a random burst of creativity) and this chapter. Hehe, yep Elrond has mellowed, I don't think he dislikes Melusida (I don't think anyone really can), but he does know something about her that makes him nervous...but yet again I can only hint at that and not tell anyone why.
TS17isme - Thank you immensely, glad you're enjoying the story.
Thanks to all my lovely reviewers and readers, the traffic graph on this thing is insane!
*Any better? Sorry about the spelling mistakes and errors, it is never a good idea to write that early in the morning. In fairness my muse is a pain, because rather than writing anything between say eight and ten, she decides to randomly wake me up and gets me to write for hours on end! Anyway, I hope this new, checked version is better, think I went slightly insane last night!