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Chapter 4 Strange Memories"Talas! Arel!"
"What brings you out here again, Captain Keran? I thought you retired for the night." Arel said cheerily.
"Hmm? Did you tuck Eldarion in?"
Tuck me in? Seriously, Talas.
"I couldn't sleep, and I wanted to discuss something with you two."
"Oh, what about, captain?"
"It's about the prince."
Yes, make something up Keran, and of course it has to be about me.
"What is it? Is ernil prince unwell?"
Keran sighed heavily.
"Ah, yes."
I hear Talas jump down of his tree.
"Something that I do not know? What is it about?"
"Let's go somewhere else; It's something the royal family shouldn't hear about just yet ."
"Oh."
"No problem, let's go to the Fancy Dreams Pub." Arel proposed.
"No! I hate that place."
Just count on Talas to make things difficult.
"Ah, come on, they know you now Talas, no one's going to mess with you, and we'll be there anyway."
Silence.
"Ah. I'll take you out to new places another day? Outdoor places you haven't seen before with a lot of different plant types and very tall trees."
I sometimes still forget that Talas is just barely an adult.
"Really?"
"Of course! Did I ever disappoint you?"
It would only take a few second for Talas to agree. Arel was such an entertainer.
"Let me go get my cloak."
They started walking away. I waited until they were out of sight to start climbing into the library, up Talas' favorite tree. I reached the stone balcony and climbed off the tree. Now I just needed to become invisible and sneak through the guards. That or just have all your friends take on the night shift.
I waited a short moment for Joyes to appear in the darkness and make his way over to the veranda. He opened it for me and I entered.
"Alright prince, here you go." He whispered happily.
"Thank you, Joyes. You're always here for me."
"It is my pleasure to help you sneak around your own home," he replied and winked at me.
"How are the second gates looking?"
"Perfect. Gelen has them distracted. You must hurry though. They'll be back very soon. Here, I have brought this for you just in case."
Guard Joyes handed me my elven cloak that would help me create an illusion of invisibility.
"Thank you my friend. I will be off now."
"Good night to you, sire. May Eru be with you, or Elbereth, or whichever you prefer."
He shrugged. I smirked.
"You too, Joyes."
I hurried inside the library towards the second double doors. I opened one, entered and closed it carefully behind me.
The book shelves were grand and tall covering the whole wall of the place. There were two small circular stairways linking the ground floor to the roof. That way, every book could be reached without using a ladder.
Once before as a child I came here. Wanting to hide from my sisters in a game of hide and seek, I had wandered into the second library. The guards were punished for letting me in, but the truth that I had never told anyone was that they never let me in and they did keep watch.
Someone had led me in. No one had noticed us then.
"Mellon nin." I spoke into the darkness.
An expected quietness was all that awaited me. It was the first step.
"I am alone and I have come to see you."
A very soft and unnoticeable breeze filled the place.
"For the Reunited Kingdom, I have come to seek your help."
"And I will help you, my prince," a soft woman's voice replied.
"I want to know more about the mirror of Lady Galadriel."
"You wish to use it?" The voice echoed throughout the room.
"Yes. I fear a new darkness is threatening our kingdom, and I wish to ascertain it."
"A librarian knows where to find knowledge. I can show you which books you need, but I cannot read them for you."
"Yes, that is the help I seek from you."
"Certainly I have told you before and others might have told you again many times, but seeking knowledge comes with a price."
"I know these books are magically sealed or enchanted. I have come to fight for the knowledge. I have experienced it before."
"You are mourning still. You are wounded. Would your weakened mind be strong enough to face what awaits you ahead?"
I chuckled, and then sighed.
"I could always be mourning now for my lost family, and there would be wounds that would never heal. I am as ready as I will ever be. Time is running short, and this is what I must do."
A glimmer of light appeared and disappeared. A shimmering white shadow of an elven lady danced in front of me. I saw her smile. She was a faded elf, turned into an invisible spirit and could only be seen by those whom she wished to be able to see her.
"I see. A king will always be a king. If tonight is the last time we speak, then know that I have not regretted being in your services, King Eldarion Telcontar."
She raised a hand above her shoulder and sang a silent song. I became deaf for a moment and everything was muted. She disappeared then, and my hearing was restored to me.
A candle instantly lit up in the corner of the library. On the table it was placed was a small grey tome.
I made my way towards the furniture and sat down on the matching wooden chair. I took a deep breath and opened the old tome.
"Here I go."
My vision was blinded by a white light and I was thrown off the chair onto the floor. When I opened my eyes again, a beautiful blue sky framed by thick dark leaves greeted me.
I stood up from my position and dusted off the few leaves that had fallen on me. I looked around: the forest was most beautiful and very familiar. I had woken up somewhere in East Lorien.
"This makes sense. I have to seek the mirror of the Galadhrim in the forest of the Galadhrim. Let's explore, I suppose."
I made my way deeper into the forest. My memories of this place were far away, yet my instincts seemed to remember the forest well as they led me slowly into the mysterious domain.
I walked and walked. The scenery changed by little and all I heard was the music of chirping birds and the sound of leaves rustling in the wind.
"Man le? Who are you?"
I turned around quickly as I heard a child's voice. A very young black haired elf was talking to a cloaked person, sitting at the roots of a tree.
"Angel. Have I died?"
The boy handed the man a Lembas bread.
"Matë. Eat."
The man hesitated, but took the given bread. The elfling sat down cross legged and few feet away from the man and watched him with curiosity. When the man finished eating, the elf child asked:
"Man eneth lín? What is your name?"
The man looked carefully at the child, seeming to have regained his senses earlier disturbed by hunger.
"What is my what? I do not understand your tongue well, little angel."
The boy mused a moment, looking up at the sky with his finger on his chin.
"Your name. Who are you?" The boy asked.
A smile could be seen on the man's half hidden face.
"Telluyn. An explorer, but I seem to have lost my way. And you? What is my savior's name?"
"Dolen."
"I may not be fluent in sindarin, but I know a little including that word. Your name is a secret?"
The boy nodded, and then smiled.
"Very well," he hummed, "I am thirsty," said the man.
The small child stood up and looked around.
"There seems to be no water around."
The elfling spun on himself and laughed.
"Nen. Water."
He turned the palms of his hands towards the sky.
"Saes."
Leaves, grass and the earth around the child dried up slightly, but his hands were now filled with water.
He then approached the man and let him drink.
"Thank you, Dolen."
I smiled at the scene. The boy was me, it was obvious, but I did not recall these memories, or who this man was.
It was then that it happened: a blade pierced through my left shoulder blade from behind.
The sharp pain spread throughout my body. I fell to my knees and my vision blurred. Breathing became hard and images started flowing through my mind: a cloaked figure, a pond, shimmering water, a blade, blood, fire, smoke, and dancing robed personages.
I struggled to remain conscious; I searched for the pair from a moment ago. They seemed to be struggling with a darkness of their own. The man was standing guard, seeming confused, searching for something that was not there, and calling out to Dolen. The child was injured. He was screaming.
I felt a shadow loom over me. I reached out for my boot knife with my right arm and stroke wherever I thought the enemy was, but the shadow would not go away.
Painfully, I stood up, using a nearby tree for support.
Shadows were everywhere. I swung my knife in a defending manner to keep them away from me. They seemed not to fight back.
The pain became excruciating and unbearable. As I screamed desperately, I felt my consciousness leaving me.
"Eldarion!" A familiar voice screamed my name. I wanted to open my eyes to search for the person who was screaming my name, but I felt so weak and tired. Darkness embraced me and the more I gave into it, the less pain I seemed to feel.
"Eldarion! Echuio! Wake up!"
I struggled to stay awake and my wound started burning me.
"Saes, Eldarion, Saes, ernil nin. Please Eldarion, please my prince."
Miluyr's voice.
"It is not yet time to lay down. Losto Lá. Sleep not."
And someone else's. I felt a strange power surge through my entire being, then my eyes shot open.
"Prince Eldarion, calm down."
I searched around for an escape: doors.
"Do not let him run! Restrain him and hold him down."
"Yes sir!"
The shadows followed me, and some prevented me from reaching the doors. I lunged at them, only realizing then that my knife was gone. It grabbed my fist. More shadows joined it and they effortlessly grounded me.
"Captain Agariel!"
"What is going on? Why on earth is my brother struggling?"
"Agariel, I need to tend to him now. I will let him explain it to you when he finally regains his senses."
I felt a cold hand upon my forehead.
"Telin le thaed. I've come to help you. It is I, Miluyr, avo osto, Do not fear."
As my breathing became even again, the shadows in my vision disappeared and turned back into men: my guards, and Miluyr.
"Avo osto," repeated Miluyr until I finally locked eyes with him.
He sighed heavily.
I looked around me and I was back in the second library. My guards released me and I sat up, still asserting for myself that I was well and back to the real world.
"Eldarion. Do you know who I am?" Miluyr asked me.
I nodded.
"Your highness, what is our quatuor's name?" Joyes asked me.
I smiled wearily.
"The Worse Than Mordor quatuor."
The four royal guards seemed to relax, as the two library guards also did.
Sister Agariel, the second of six sisters, strode towards where I was, kneeled down in front of me and took me by my shoulders.
"Penneth Rion, man agorech? Little Rion, what did you do?"
Her long dark gold hair flowed around her and was held back by warrior tresses. She looked at me with the grey eyes all of us siblings shared.
I shook my head.
"I will tell you later, gwathel."
She, along with sister Neniel and Nariel were a part of the troops of rangers. She was the captain of her squad.
"You better. Seeing and hearing you kick and scream on the library's carpet was disturbing, even for you."
She is probably the child who has inherited the most of our father's fighting prowess. She was skilled with all weapons, and was both lithe and strong. I lacked in the latter.
"Eldarion," said Miluyr gravely.
"Lord Miluyr," I replied to him.
"Can you stand?"
I stood up, but winced as I felt a strange pain in my left shoulder and the feeling of being unwell.
"Everyone, can you leave us for a moment?"
"Yes, my lord," Replied the guards.
They left the second library and closed the doors behind them. Agariel remained. Miluyr dropped his composure momentarily.
"Le tûg nach! You are a fool! What do you think you are doing? Are you trying to kill yourself? I am at a loss for words. I do not know what to do with you. Did you know how close we were to losing you? In the gracious name of Elbereth, do you even care that your coronation is in a fortnight?"
"Miluyr, Naethen. I am sorry, I know I have angered you and I know I have been selfish this time, but this was my decision."
"I can understand men sometimes now why they hit their children even when they love them."
"Again, I have no excuses. I will not ask for your forgiveness, and if punishing me will appease your anger then please do not refrain from doing so."
"You are half-elven, and I should have known better. You are too young to understand. Your father has left too early. "
I was always taught to control my anger because it was a state that often caused you to make the wrong decisions. What I uttered in the end was only a small glimpse of how furious I was from hearing the words spoken by Miluyr.
"Yes, perhaps someone as old as you would know better."
Miluyr looked at me in the eyes, as if warning me to watch my tongue.
"You think I am not fit for this position, but you are also forever too old to understand what it means to live what I am living. You know nothing, and your wisdom is outdated."
He slapped me.
I did not move from where I stood.
The only sound that echoed throughout the library was our breathing.
My sister was confused, - use a semicolon she did not know what to think. Miluyr had never hit me before.
"The last ship has sailed, and I chose to remain here for you."
"So it was for the sake of a young child who knew nothing of your decision. You mean now that I have failed you? "
His eyes widened.
"No, that is not what I meant."
I looked straight into his silver eyes.
"But you are right. I am failing now, even before it even began. Perhaps they were all wrong to have put their faith in me. I don't even have so much faith in myself."
"Eldarion."
"You have condemned me."
"I have not done anything of the sort. You know what you mean to me. I was angered; I was disappointed that you have ignored my warnings."
"I only did what I thought was the right thing to do, but it seems like you disagree."
I turned around and strode towards the door. I put my hand on the handle.
"You seem to know what should be done here, so feel free to do as you please during my absence. There will be no child to report to."
"Where are you going?"
"Somewhere I can think."
"Your coronation is soon, you cannot leave."
"Leaving right now is me giving a thought to the coronation."
"You cannot choose in this matter, you must be there."
"We'll see."
As I pulled the door open to leave, two guards appear in the doorway and I find the two others struggling to stand from their crouching position.
I glare at them sullenly. The uncomfortable situation was interrupted by loud voices from outside the veranda.
"How can he even be drunk? He drank dworwinion like it was regular water just a couple hours ago," I heard Keran speak outside.
They were back. Keran did quite a good job distracting them. Miluyr still found out about this, but at least I had gotten what I wanted.
"Did I?" I seemed to have forgotten something.
"Did you what your highness?" Gelen questioned me.
I remembered being inside a forest, Lothlorien, and then there was a pond, shimmering water, a blade, blood, fire, smoke, a cult, someone, and then there was only pain.
I winced and grabbed my left shoulder.
"Sire, are you alright?"
I looked at the guards and nodded.
The elleth librarian was right: there was a price to pay for this knowledge, and I fear it was something more than this terrible headache, the desire to puke and this atrocious pain in my shoulder.
The conversation between Keran and Arel went on.
"I think that is exactly why he is drunk. He drank two bottles of dworwinion earlier, then he practically tried every drink there was at the Fancy Dreams," Arel explained.
"He only took small shooters."
"Yes? Fourty-seven of them, and I swear I saw him try Martha's concoction of madness. She was so eager to have him try it, said it was stronger than elven wine."
"You should take him to his room. I could help you carry him up if you want," offered the captain.
"Ah, nah, Captain Keran. He's as light as a feather, I could do that, but I'm sure he'd want to wake up amongst trees tomorrow morning."
"Oh, alright then."
"Goodnight, sir."
"Good night to you too, Sir Arel."
Miluyr exited the second library and walked past me and the guards onto the veranda. Agariel followed behind. She stopped to look at me. She did not say a word, took my face in her palms and kissed me on my forehead. It was her way to tell me that everything would be fine in time.
"Captain of the royal guards of Gondor," called out Miluyr to Keran. Whenever the ellon used someone's official title, it often meant that the said person was in trouble.
"Sir!" Keran answered nervously.
"Miluyr, he was only following my orders, and did not know what I was going to do."
"I only wish to speak to him," Miluyr told me, "guards, take Prince Eldarion to his quarters, call for a healer, and go back to your watching posts."
"Yes, my lord," replied the four men.
Miluyr called out again to Keran. "I need to speak with you now. I will be waiting for you in my office. Do not tarry."
"Yes, Lord Miluyr."
I followed the guards outside, leaving Miluyr alone with Agariel.
As I walked silently back to my chambers, my anger slowly subsided, and I realized then that I had been unfair towards Miluyr. Whether he was wrong or too harsh, I was not a better person insulting someone who cared for me for over twenty years.
Miluyr could seem very severe and be very strict, but deep down he was a very caring person. As any ancient elf, he was afraid to bond too strongly with mortals, so he always kept an invisible wall between him and the others. He spoke little when around friends, but he listened, and he knew that deep down he had long since climbed through his own invisible wall.
He did not judge me, he feared for me.