"I wish to hold a banquet, no large gatherings but a pleasant going away dinner for my son. I will not see him for quite some time." Denthor stated this as he lounged in his chair, it was after noon and Therassa tried to refrain from grinning foolishly since the news of that morning.
The planner before the Steward seemed at ease with the demands; it was not so difficult as had been required in previous years. It seemed everyone was more relaxed due to the changed nature in their master, his spirits had lifted at the revelation that Boromir would go to the council of Elrond in Rivendell. Only they knew of the details of the task.
"Tonight," Denethor reached for her hand, "I require your company." A vile smile grew on his face.
"Of course, my lord." Her spirits were dampened then, she swallowed back her unhappiness, "I serve only you."
He chuckled and placed a kiss on her hand, "You bring a smile to my face, Therassa. I do not regret my choice in you." He did not let go of her, even when his son Boromir sauntered in.
He seemed repelled by the scene before him, "Father," his voice was strict as he refused to observe his father handling a woman so possessively.
"Ah, my favoured boy," standing for his son, he still clutched her hand.
"I wish to speak with you," glancing at Therassas' face, who appeared troubled as the Steward held her, "alone."
"Of course." He grinned brightly, and turning to her, he held her face between his hands and kissed her slowly but hard. She felt her brow knit together in discomfort. He finally ended it, bellowing, "You are excused."
Boromir and his father both watched her leave, the son more conspicuous as he did so, his mouth hard, maddened by him. Therassa locked eyes with the younger man and she only hoped that he understood how thankful she was of his arrival. That piercing stare made her stomach flutter, her legs felt weak but she couldn't smile to him no matter how much she wanted to show that happiness that he was bringing her. He could not even nod at her.
"What does my son need of me?" was the last of what she heard before the heavy doors were shut behind her.
OOOoOOO
Dawn. Lying beside Denethor, she had to get away from him. He wouldn't be angered by her leaving, he preferred her to be gone from his chambers by the morning. It wasn't long before she learnt that he felt guilt. He knew what she was to him was wrong.
Wandering back to her room, in the gown she'd been wearing the day before, she was surprised when she met with one of the guards whose name she did not know.
"Good morning," he grinned, his mouth twisted unattractively, "It is rather early to be up and about." He knew who she was, everyone knew who she was. He was dressed rather casual for a guard, he did not have his weapons or armour, his sandy hair was at his shoulders but appeared messy as though he had not been up long.
"Good morning." She tried to continue onwards but he stood in her way. Her instant reaction was to glare at him, "Please, let me pass."
"Ah, but my lady, will you not allow me to propose this request to you?"
She did not trust him, the way he spoke or acted. The last thing she would want to know from him was what he requested. "I wish to return to my chambers, let me pass." And once again she made to go around him but he stopped her.
"No, no," he put an arm about her shoulders, locking her in his grip, leading them to an unused room a few steps from where they were. Shoving her through the door way, he shut it and turned to look at her, not allowing her passage to exit. The sunrise did not reach this room fully, with only orange rays making thin lines on the far wall. The rest of the room remained dim. "I think you could do me a favour, why should Denethor have you all to himself?"
Slowly approaching her, Therassa tried to retreat, stumbling as she went. Her panicked gaze did not leave him, frightened of what may happen.
"Get away or I shall tell the Steward-"
"Of course you won't, if you do he will not believe you." She could no longer move any further back; the wall was behind her, a window to her left and right. There was no way she could escape that way, the fall would kill her, and there was nothing to hold onto.
"Let me be!" her voice shook with fear and she turned her face from him, feeling his hands grasp her hips roughly, his ragged breath on her face. Squeezing the skin, feeling bruises would arise, she cried out in pain.
A hand was shoved forcefully over her mouth, and looking at him, eyes wide, he hissed, "You make another sound…" he did not finish his threat, he would not be able to do much to her if she did.
Therassa would not accept what he intended to do, and refusing to give in, she struggled against him. Shoving at his sturdy body did not move him; he had prepared himself for her resistance. She swatted his hand from her face and managed to twist herself from him, tripping over his foot as she tried to get away from him.
Landing on her side she tried to fight the ache in her shoulder from hitting the floor so suddenly. She couldn't lie there long for he would've continued his advances much easier from there. He was now swooping down taking full advantage of the situation.
Managing to crawl forward, she headed for the door. However, just as she was about to get to her feet the guard grabbed her ankle, yanking her towards him. Gasping, she looked back at him and with the leg he did not hold, she shoved her foot into his face.
Seeing his bloodied nose, she heard the crack of bones breaking and as he clutched at his face, groaning in pain, she ran to the door. Flinging it open, she fled.
OOOoOOO
Therassa did not leave her chambers for many hours, frightened of who else she may encounter. For once she did not care if the Steward missed her at his side; she did not care for those consequences. She did not know who she could tell of the advances that the guard had made, and as she sat upon the window seat, occasionally glancing at the book Faramir had given her that sat on the end of her bed, she could not stop thinking of what may have happened to her. She was frightened.
Long after breakfast had been served to Steward and his kin was she able to finally change her gown, the new one a hazy blue colour, and leave the room. She had not tended to her hair as neatly as she usually did and she had not slept all night. Weary and cautious, she made her way down to the kitchens, careful not to run into anyone along the way. She could not deny that she was peckish; it would make her feel and think better if she had something in her stomach.
The kitchens were large; there was the hustle and bustle of the cooks to prepare the lunches for the noblemen and women. She hovered in the doorway before a kindly woman noticed her, surprised by her appearance.
"My lady, how may I help you?" this woman could see Therassa's tired eyes and fearful face and reached for her arm gently, leading her to the wooden table in the centre of the room. Food cluttered most of the space, in the middle of being prepared but she cleared space for her, and sat her down on a tall stool.
"You are the Stewards mistress?" she said, her voice hushed and caring.
"Yes," Therassas' voice was weak, "I missed breakfast and I thought that, perhaps, I may be able to get something to eat?"
"Well of course," beamed the woman reassuringly, "What do you feel like? I can make you whatever you want."
"I do not mind, whatever is easiest." She did not want to disrupt their work.
"How about bacon, eggs and tomatoes? With some tea?"
Therassa nodded enthusiastically, not realising the full extent of her hunger until that point. The woman went ahead cooking, there were others about preparing their lunch who bantered occasionally with the woman and each other but she sat patiently, feeling better in the company of the kindly cook.
At last the food was placed in front of her, and thanking her, smiling gratefully she tucked in, sipping the delicious tea occasionally.
"So tell me, what's happened to you?" the cook eyed her, concern was the cause for her questioning. It took Therassa a moment to consider her answer.
"I had a difficult night; I did not sleep at all."
"What, you and he were-"
"No!" she was shocked by the casual suggestion, "No, I did not stay in his room. I just had a troubled night, I could not sleep." No matter how lovely the cook was being, she could not tell her of the guard. It didn't seem appropriate to tell, she was still unsure of anyone who should know. She did not want people to believe she lied.
The cook knew there was more to it; there was no excuse to have such a wary stare in her young eyes. But she did not want to pry. "My name is Cauwen. I'm here for you to talk to whenever, it's not healthy to bottle thing up, my lady." She smiled and squeezed her shoulder, before tending to the lunch she still needed to prepare.
"I will remember that and please call me Therassa." She continued eating, listening and enjoying the conversations between the staff.
As she came to the end of her meal, a figure appeared in the doorway from the corner of her eye. Startled, she lifted her head to see who was entering the room, praying it wasn't the guard. When she saw it was Boromir, she let a sigh of relief.
He did not notice her at once, but as he neared her he looked surprised by her presence.
"Where were you this morning? We were concerned." He observed her face, also aware of her appearance, the dark rings about her eyes were sad to see.
"I did not rest well." She stated it simply, placing her cutlery down and sipping the tea she still had, "I thought it be best I eat though, keep me healthy. What are you doing down here?" she watched him curiously.
Bending down and leaning close to her, he murmured, "I am here on business concerning your departure." And standing up straight again, he approached a male cook whose name she did not know but was closest to the two of them, "Excuse me, I wish to speak with Cauwen."
"Of course my lord, she is right there." The nervous cook pointed to her as she stood over a boiling pot.
Nodding in thanks, Boromir approached the woman. Therassa was not surprised that the one who would help them was Cauwen; she was relieved that it was someone she knew was good.
"I must speak to you, Cauwen." He sounded intimidating, which she knew was acted so as to not make the staff suspicious.
Turning, seeing the warrior, towering over her, she muttered, "Of course." And she followed him from the room. Leaving her seat, Therassa followed, thanking the servants for allowing her to be present as they worked before going.
Along the dark corridor, the candlelight dim, she spotted the two who acknowledged her presence before continuing their discussion.
"Faramir sent me; he tells me you are trustworthy." The man said, his voice gentle.
"I know, he has told me of your plans. I will do all I can to help this woman go." She glanced at Therassa sadly.
"We are grateful. Now my brother is preparing a plan for us, which will be difficult to execute."
They stood pondering for a moment before Therassa spoke, "The greater issue is that your father may want me at his side as you leave. We must find some reason for my absence at that time."
"Hmm, by tonight, Faramir should've thought of something and then we shall meet again to discuss how we shall do it."
"Meet here," Cauwen said authoritivly, not concerned who was superior out of the three, "The kitchens will be empty of the others, we will conduct our meeting at midnight." And with that she hurried away, knowing that she was falling behind on the next meal.
"We will talk later," his brow was furrowed as he looked at her face; he wanted to know what she was hiding, why she appeared so unnerved. He knew when people did not reveal the truth, he'd seen the expression countless times, "For now, my father will be wondering where you are." Therassa nodded and left, feeling slightly disheartened that they could not speak longer. She knew it was he who she would report to, he would listen. Maybe he would do something about the guard. She did not know, but she anticipated the meeting tonight, the there was a reality about the plans that was not present before.
