I'm sorry this took so long- my internet was down.
Eldanna and Dareth are NOT related, although she calls him brother. He is like a youner brother to her that's where the term comes from.
Italics are flashbacks.
Thanks to my one and only reviewer for the last chapter!
Oh yes, I almost forgot, this chapter is my first cliffie. I'm surprised it took me this long.
Without further ado, here is the next chapter.
Eldanna sat, silently, watching the crowded square, the people arguing over prices of the wares, a predator bird motionlessly watching a stream before striking with a lightning fast motion. A woman approached and asked about the vegetables in the front of the stand that Eldanna was supposed to be working at, and Eldanna deferred to the older boy at her left. What was his name again? She didn't care.
All that she knew was that a farmer had promised her a few coins if she would watch help his son watch his stand while he bought some needed supplies elsewhere. She had agreed, her stomach rumbling, feeling complimented because he trusted her. The latter feeling dissipated when he warned her that the smith on the right and his son would be watching, wary of any stealing.
Stronger than any feeling of hunger was a terrible sensation of emptiness, of the world around her not mattering, of her actions not changing anything. The terrible realization that if she died, no one would know, or care, or perhaps even remember. The world would be as if she had never lived, never dreamed, never sacrificed and suffered. No matter what she did, nothing changed, and Eldanna could do nothing about it.
Eldanna looked back at the food in front of her. She should steal it, but she didn't care. After not eating for two days, hunger alone should push her to steal. But it didn't. Her personal feeling, her discomfort, had long ago ceased to matter. And now reason that she had kept herself alive for these past two years was now well on his way to Rohan...
Dareth slipped through the crowd with the ease of one born on the streets. He grinned, laughter in his eyes, as he shouted her name, "Eldanna! Where are you? Eldanna!"
Eldanna smiled, disentangled herself from the dark shadows that had protected her from unwelcome eyes, and strode towards her brother.
He pulled her into an unexpected embrace, and Eldanna bemusedly returned the gesture. "Dareth?" she asked, confusion in her voice.
Dareth looked up with his large, soulful blue eyes, and started to speak.
"I was in that courtyard, you know, the one by the stables that some of the nobles use when a man came up to me and asked if I could show him where he could sell a few of his horses. The one he was riding was nice enough, but had nothing on the ones at the stables that he was headed at."
A touch of pride entered Dareth's voice, and he continued, "I told him so, and I showed him a place where he could get a good price. He said that he was in need of a smart lad to help him out back home, that he was getting too old and needed an extra pair of hands. Something like that. I said that I'd talk to my parents, and that they'd meet him at the lowest gate tomorrow morning to talk.'
Suddenly nervous, Dareth fidgeted as he looked up into her face, "Eldanna? That was okay, right? Not telling him that my parents have been gone so long?"
Eldanna pulled him close, and nodded her head reassuringly, a twinge of sadness that she could not hide coloring her voice, "Yes, Dareth. It doesn't matter that you didn't tell him."
The two of them spoke for a while in the relative safety of a low overhang, and Dareth told her about the man, and his hopes and fears, well into the night.
Eldanna waited until his breathing became regular and slow before she let her mask slip, and her face crumpled in pain.
A drunken man, later that night, heard a soft voice that he latter would attribute to delirium, sighing on the wind, "Why? Why must everyone leave me? I'm so afraid, Léofwyn, so afraid of dying alone."
The sun rose the next day to find Eldanna and Dareth waiting for this unknown man. The already bustling square was full of men leading horses, men clearly of Rohan, but Eldanna instinctively knew that none of them were her adopted brother's future employer.
They stood in silence for a few minutes, neither willing to infringe on the silence that stretched between them.
Eventually, Eldanna spoke, "There he is."
She pointed to a man, leading two horses, moving towards them at the leisurely gait of one who has more than enough time, and not many worries. His brow was uncreased with a frown; his sturdy body hinted at hard work, but plentiful food. His face was open, almost childish, and Eldanna had the strange feeling that she was the man's elder.
Although he appeared innocent, he was clearly neither naïve or stupid, and paused only a second to take in the two children's ragged appearance before coming to a conclusion, and treating Eldanna as he would Dareth's mother, had she still been alive.
"Hello."
Eldanna nodded a silent greeting.
The man, clearly quite talkative, burst into what had clearly been barely suppressed speech, "Dareth, he's a wonderful boy. The lad who used to help out moved to Edoras, and I'm getting old to take care of the horses myself. There's so much work to be done, rebuilding and all, I fig'red that he would have a place, unless, of course, he already has a better position?
Eldanna opened her mouth before being interrupted by a flurry of words.
"We'd take good care of him, my wife and me. We really would. A nice room, nothin' fancy, good, hearty meals." He stopped, wringing his hands nervously.
Eldanna smiled, enquired of some smaller details so as not to appear overly interested, but she had made up her mind.
"Ma'am? If you don't mind me asking, when will he be ready to leave? I'm already behind schedule, but I can manage a few days."
Eldanna's heart sunk. So soon. Better to make a clean cut, to cut him off and let him start his new life. "Today. As soon as possible," she whispered, trying her hardest to hide the pain in her voice. A better life, she reminded herself. A chance to live.
The man's face broke into a smile as he turned to Dareth, who had, bored with the conversation, turned to the crowd, and was watching them now, grinning in the innocent way of a child. "Dareth? Are you ready to go?"
Dareth turned his blinding grin to Eldanna for a last time before facing his new employ and nodding.
"Mount up."
Dareth obediently swung up into the saddle. Still uncomprehending, he reached down for Eldanna's wrist to help her up, but she firmly shook her head. No.
Terror filled Dareth's eyes as he realized that he was going on to a new life, alone once more.
"But…"
Eldanna shook her head again, and reached up to grasp her brother's hand. "I love you Dareth. Remember that."
Dareth looked down at his hand, which now held the small pouch of coins, the entire amount that the two of them had saved over two years.
"You need it more than I do," Eldanna supplied before he could hand it back.
Still lost for words, Dareth simply nodded his head.
The man's horse began to walk, and Dareth's followed, eager to return home.
"I love you, my brother. But move on. And don't look back." Eldanna called out to the departing rider.
He turned around, and gave her an uncertain, but hopeful, smile.
After that, he didn't look back.
Eldanna was rudely awoken from her reverie by the sounds of shouting, and cheering, and overpowering enthusiasm.
She caught snippets of words from those around her, enough to figure out that the Queen was enjoying the sunny day, and walking down the street toward them.
Eldanna, upon coming to this realization, began to slip into the shadows of the building behind her. There was no reason to make herself more of a target for the sudden influx of guards.
As Eldanna had expected, the square filled with guards, all of whom would most likely view her as a threat. Eldanna's eyes darted back and forth as she calculated escape routes. But for now, better to remain, unnoticed, where she was.
Threading through the crowd, several figures moved toward the guards. Expecting only admirers of the Queen wishing a closer view, the guards did not think much of their approach. But Eldanna saw, and she knew.
These figures had surrounded the guards, who were easily outnumbered.
Detachedly, Eldanna realized that the queen would die.
Normally, this realization wouldn't have bothered Eldanna in the slightest; people were made to die.
However, Eldanna was already in a contemplative mood, and had let down the barriers to her memories, so it did not surprise her overly much when she saw her sister's face.
Honor, justice and pride had long ago ceased to have meaning, but Eldanna couldn't forget her sudden realization that she couldn't save her own sister, but now she had a chance to save someone else's.
A fight had broken out by now, and the square was mostly empty, with the few remaining civilians clawing at each other in a desperate attempt to distance themselves from the slaughter.
In the confusion, it was too easy to grab a decent blade from an unsuspecting man. Too easy to slip unnoticed up behind one of the attackers. And then Eldanna paused. She had to make a decision, now. She could leave, and return to what she knew. Or she could throw caution to the winds and herself into a fight that didn't involve her, and would most likely get her killed. Eldanna chose the second; the possibility of death was a bonus.
The element of surprise was on her side, at first, and the fighter closest to her dropped to the ground, his throat cut, without catching sight of her. The second took longer; he at lest attempted to defend himself, albeit clumsily. The third man too was strangely easy to kill.
And then Eldanna realized that she was trapped, with attackers on all sides, and no way to reach help.
The man on her left lunged, and Eldanna leapt aside, only to find herself unprotected to those behind her.
Something hard connected with her head, and Eldanna felt the cold of the stones against her cheek. And then everything was thankfully, painlessly, black…
I'll post the next chapter in ten days minus the number of reviews I get- 9 reviews and it'll be up tomorrow.
