Note: I'm not a lifeguard, so I don't know the exact procedure for rescuing a drowning victim. I did my best with online guides, but most of them weren't very specific. If something I've written isn't at all what you're supposed to do, please tell me!
Chapter Ten
When nearly half a minute had passed and Haiweth still had not emerged from the water, Gúthwyn panicked.
"Haiweth!" she screamed, drawing the attention of the others on the shore.
"Sister, what is wrong?" Éomer shouted—he had not been paying attention to her jump while he was saddling his horse. Éowyn and Faramir looked over also, their expressions quizzical; Lothíriel was, as usual, ignoring her.
"Haiweth is gone!" Gúthwyn shrieked, her voice rising hysterically. She turned around in frenzied circles, begging the Valar to bring her child back. "Haiweth!"
With more speed than she had ever seen him use, Hammel ran to the edge of the river. "You were supposed to be holding onto her!" he yelled, his face contorted in fear. "Why did you let go?"
"She slipped—Hammel, no!"
The boy had flung himself into the water and was swimming clumsily out towards her. "What if she hit the rocks?" he demanded, each word a gasp for air as he struggled to remain above the surface.
"Hammel, go back!" Gúthwyn ordered him, terrified. With every second she wasted, Haiweth's chances of surviving were narrowing. "I will find her, I swear! Go back, or you will drown!"
"Haiweth is my sister!" Hammel roared, ignoring her.
"Éomer, get him out of the water!" Gúthwyn cried. She could not lose both of her children; she could not save Hammel while she was searching for Haiweth. As Éomer began sprinting towards the river, she took a deep breath and slipped under the surface, swimming towards the bottom.
It was hopeless. The looming shadows of the rocks obscured her view, and the current was moving too fast for her to get close and examine them. Before long, the exertion of swimming against the river and the pounding of her heart left her out of breath; when her instincts took over and forced her to swim back up, there was still no sign of Haiweth.
The instant her head broke the water, she began screaming. She could not even form words; it was pure helplessness, sheer terror, that created the guttural sounds in her throat and forced them from her mouth.
"Sister!" Éomer shouted, his face pale as he dragged Hammel from the water. The boy was fighting tooth and nail against him, curses in the Black Speech that Gúthwyn was shocked he remembered spewing from his lips. "Did you see her?" Éomer demanded, pinning Hammel's arms to his chest.
"No!" Gúthwyn shrieked, feeling as if she were about to vomit. "I do not know where she—"
"Gúthwyn, move!"
The voice came from above her and she looked up to see Legolas at the edge of the cliff, poised as if to dive. Raniean was at his side, silent and tense. "Get out of the way!" Thranduil's son shouted, motioning with his hands.
Numbly, her movements more like twitches, Gúthwyn obeyed. She had barely done so when Legolas leaped, his slender figure cutting through the air before it disappeared under the surface with a small splash that did not reach her, only a few feet away though she was. Realizing that she could do nothing but wait, she whimpered, pressing her fingers to her mouth as if to keep the bile from spilling out.
"You killed her!" Hammel was yelling. Behind him, guards were rushing to the scene, slowing down in bewilderment when they realized that no one in the royal family was hurt. "You killed her! Was it so hard for you to hold onto her? How could you let go of her, you—"
"Be quiet!" Éomer finally snapped, clamping a gloved hand over Hammel's mouth. "How dare you?"
Gúthwyn could not speak. She could not think. Hammel's words had utterly frozen her—she was caught in the iron grip of terror, her chattering teeth a paltry echo of the fear that was rattling her breath, her very bones. She could only stare at the spot where Legolas had disappeared, praying for the girl that she had all but given birth to. Elfwine's wails, provoked by his aunt's screams, resonated shrilly in her ears and yet she had no urge to comfort him. She could not leave Haiweth.
The seconds lengthened. Beads of sweat formed on her brow, sliding down her face like tears. Her throat was constricting, her pulse quickening. Éomer was shouting her name, but it sounded as though he were a thousand miles away and she could not raise her voice that far. She was tense, a deer within range of a hunter's bow, waiting for the moment her heart would be shattered into countless, irreparable pieces. Waiting for her little one's body.
There were ripples on the surface an instant before Legolas's head emerged, his hair plastered over his face. Gúthwyn nearly fainted when she did not see Haiweth—and then, a second later, the child materialized, gasping for air but very much alive. The catatonic stupor that had embalmed Gúthwyn evanesced when Haiweth began crying, spitting out water and gagging as her small body was wracked with terrified sobs.
Regaining feeling in her limbs, Gúthwyn swam over as quickly as she could. "H-Haiweth?" she managed, reaching out to touch her child.
"G-Gúthwyn!" Haiweth bawled, trying to pull away from Legolas. Her arms were flailing in all directions; Éomund's daughter came closer and a frantic kick grazed her shins.
"Little one, you are safe now—"
Haiweth broke free from Legolas, who was evidently reluctant to forcefully constrain her, and flung herself at Gúthwyn. Unprepared for the additional weight, Gúthwyn was pushed under the surface even as she tried to hold Haiweth above it. She drew in a panicked breath and immediately choked on a mouthful of water. Haiweth was trying to yank her back up, and yet was the reason Éomund's youngest daughter was trapped below.
Before Gúthwyn's situation grew worse, Haiweth's wriggling form was suddenly no longer on top of her. Gúthwyn shot up to the surface, gasping and spluttering when she inhaled fresh air. Legolas had drawn Haiweth off of her and was trying to keep the girl afloat by having her lie on her back, but Haiweth was crying hysterically and not enabling him to do so efficiently.
"Are you all right?" Legolas asked Gúthwyn, having to shout to be heard over Haiweth.
"I am fine," she replied, panting. "We must get Haiweth to shore!"
"Gúthwyn!" Haiweth sobbed, reaching. Needing.
"Little one, stay with Legolas!" Gúthwyn ordered, shoving aside the desire to pull Haiweth into her arms and never let go. "He is a stronger swimmer than I." The necessity of bringing Haiweth to safety was calming her somewhat; she could not panic when the girl was in danger. Before her child could protest remaining with Legolas, she nodded at the Elf and he hooked one of his arms around Haiweth's torso, using the other to help him sidestroke towards the shore.
"No!" Haiweth exclaimed, struggling even though she could scarcely breathe. "Gúthwyn!"
"Haiweth, I am right here," Gúthwyn promised earnestly, trying to keep pace with Legolas. The Elf was swift: they reached the shore in a matter of seconds, Legolas lifting Haiweth as easily as if she were a rag doll and carrying her out of the water. As he did so, Gúthwyn caught a glimpse of something that she had not been able to see before. Blood was dripping down Haiweth's left ankle, coming from two gashes on either side.
Before Gúthwyn had time to react to this, a swarm of people rushed over to help. Éomer came, still restraining Hammel; the guards were there, several of them asking Éomund's youngest daughter if she was all right and offering both her and Haiweth their cloaks; Éowyn ran towards them, carrying a blanket that she spread out on the ground. Legolas carefully lowered Haiweth onto the coverlet, thanking Éowyn for her assistance.
"Please, give her some room," Legolas instructed the onlookers, and all except Gúthwyn obliged.
"I have some bandages," she instead murmured breathlessly, searching the crowd for a swift runner. "Hunwald," she petitioned the young guard, "will you bring me my pack? I left it near the horses…" She gave a brief description and the man nodded, sprinting away to retrieve her supplies. Gúthwyn returned her attention to Haiweth, asking Legolas, "What happened to her ankle?"
"It was caught in a crevasse between two rocks," Legolas replied grimly, and Haiweth affirmed this shakily.
"Hush, little one," Gúthwyn whispered, reaching out and stroking her hair. "Do not strain yourself. Does your ankle hurt?"
Haiweth nodded silently, tears steadily leaking out of her eyes.
"Gúthwyn," Erkenbrand spoke then, holding out his cloak and water canteen, "if you would like to clean her cuts before they are bandaged, you can use these."
"A thousand thanks," Éomund's daughter said, gratefully accepting the Marshal's offerings. She noticed that her hands were shaking as they pulled out the stopper to the canteen; when she made to pour water over Haiweth's ankle, they were trembling so violently that she nearly missed. Stop it! she ordered herself, furious at her weakness when Haiweth was injured.
"Do you want help?" Legolas asked quietly, noting her anxiety.
Haiweth overheard, and her eyes widened in panic. They locked with Gúthwyn's, and almost imperceptibly the girl shook her head. Gúthwyn understood: Legolas was not to touch the child anymore than he already had.
"N-No, I am fine," she told the Elf, tightly gripping Elfhelm's cloak. "Th-Thank you…" She pressed the dark fabric onto Haiweth's ankle, drawing a soft gasp from the girl. "I know this hurts," she murmured soothingly, "but it will feel better as soon as the bandages are put on. I promise."
Despite the calmness of the exercise—gently patting Haiweth's lacerations and soaking up as much blood as she could—a bubble of hysteria was gradually swelling within Éomund's daughter. My baby could have drowned, she thought, even as she assured Haiweth that everything was all right, that she was safe, that nothing had happened. By the Valar…
"I have your pack, my lady!"
She could have drowned she could have drowned she could have drowned—
"Th-Thank you, Hunwald," Gúthwyn managed, swallowing as she took the bag. Images of Haiweth's watery grave flashed through her mind while she rummaged around for the bandages; by the time she located them, her face was pale, her pulse pounding in her ears. She had come so close to losing her little one…
Mechanically, her hands reached out and started applying the bandages to Haiweth's ankle. Her mind was a whirlwind but her body was rational, working methodically to ensure her child's well-being. Every couple of minutes she inquired as to whether the girl was all right, and the answer was the same each time—yes—but with a lack of strength that belied her responses.
Gradually, the crowd around them began to disperse, secure in the knowledge that Haiweth would be fine. The guards loitered away, lingering close enough so that they could provide swift assistance should it be called for, but sensing that it would not be needed. Éowyn and Faramir sought Gúthwyn's assurance that all was well and then went to their horses, which had been brought before the incident by the stableboys. Only Éomer remained, still holding Hammel back.
"Let go of me," the boy snarled, struggling to free himself from the king's grasp. His voice was hoarse, an indicator of how many times he had issued the same order.
As Gúthwyn tied the final knot on the bandages, Haiweth feebly attempted to sit up. Her arms wobbled so much that they almost gave out beneath her; Gúthwyn protested and even Legolas quietly discouraged her, yet she persisted. "H-Hammel?" she choked out, her eyes welling with tears.
"Let go of me!" Hammel all but roared at Éomer.
At a nod from Gúthwyn, the king relinquished his hold on the boy. Hammel lunged forward, sinking to his knees beside Haiweth and enveloping her in a bone-crushing embrace. Haiweth burst into tears and clung to him, babbling so frantically that Gúthwyn could barely understand her. "I-I thought I-I would n-n-never see you—"
Gúthwyn tactfully decided to give the children a moment. She sat back on her heels and then stood up, a rush of nausea sweeping over her in place of the adrenaline that had begun to ebb away. She had been so close to losing Haiweth… to have protected her from Haldor, only to be helpless against a river…
She was shaking when Legolas also rose to his feet, quivering when she realized that she had not yet expressed her gratitude for his rescue. "L-Legolas," she whispered, fighting tooth and nail not to give into the tears that were pressing at the corners of her eyes. He looked at her, knew what she was going to say, and shook his head as if to tell her that it did not matter. But it did matter. "Th-Thank you so much!" she gasped.
Her vision was blurring. She saw before her not Haldor but rather the savior of her child, the one who had brought Haiweth back from the brink of death. The sudden urge to embrace him, as she would were he anyone else, was so overpowering that she actually took a step towards him before remembering. "Y-You have n-n-no idea w-what this m-means to me," she instead murmured, her cheeks now streaked with tears. "I-I-I need Haiweth…" A shudder overcame her, and she could not even see Thranduil's son for the wetness in her eyes.
"It was the least I could do," Legolas replied after a startled pause. Éomer exchanged a concerned glance with him. "Are you all right?"
Gúthwyn almost laughed. "F-Forget about me," she said, amazed that he should be concerned about her when it was Haiweth who had nearly drowned. "I-I am f-fine… I-I was just s-s-so worried…" She stepped back, not wanting to be too close—Haiweth's rescuer or not, he was still Haldor's twin—and wiped her eyes, the action doing little more than smearing her face with tears. "I do not know w-what I would have d-done if she h-had… I would have felt so—"
"Guilty?" a harsh voice interjected.
Éomund's daughter turned around to see Hammel, staring at her with thinly-veiled contempt. He had loosened his clutch on Haiweth and now stood up, crossing his arms over his chest. "None of this would have happened if you had just held onto her!" he spat. "She never would have jumped if you had not convinced her—oh, little one," he mimicked Gúthwyn, his voice mockingly high-pitched, "you will be perfectly safe, nothing can happen to you—and then you could not even hold onto her properly! She almost died because of you!"
"Hammel, shut up!" Haiweth screeched, her features no longer red from crying but from anger. Gúthwyn simply stood there, shocked, unable to believe that her child had just accused her in such cold-blooded hatred. "Gúthwyn did not do anything wrong! It was an accident, my foot slipped on the jump! Stop blaming her for everything bad that happens!"
"Of course it is her fault! No real mother would have let you leap into that river!"
A horrible silence fell after Hammel's scathing remark. Such was the force of its impact that Gúthwyn felt as if all the wind had been knocked out of her; she gaped at her child, unable to find words to address this betrayal. Haiweth, too, was stunned—her mouth opened and closed silently, timidly. Legolas's eyes were wide, but he did not comment, for it was not his place.
Éomer recovered first. With frightening speed he bore down upon Hammel, clamping the boy's arm so thoroughly within his fist that Gúthwyn drew in a sharp breath. "How dare you speak that way to the woman who has housed you, fed you, and clothed you for nearly a decade? You ungrateful little wretch! You would be dead if it were not for her, and yet the way you treat her is appalling! Your behavior towards her lately has been despicable, and while she may have the grace to tolerate it—the Valar only know how—I most certainly will not! As long as you are under my roof, I do not want to ever hear you belittling my sister! Do you understand me?"
Hammel glared at him, refusing to answer.
"Do you understand me, you petulant, arrogant child?" Éomer bellowed, the expression on his face frightening to behold. Haiweth had buried her face in her knees and was sobbing quietly, her hands covering her ears. Gúthwyn wanted to comfort her, but instead she kept an eye on Hammel's arm, worried that it would break from all the pressure her brother was clearly exerting on it.
"Yes," Hammel finally muttered, his sullen voice dripping with resentment. He would have pulled away, but Éomer beat him to it: the king pushed him aside and snarled:
"Do not make me have to discipline you again!"
Hammel whirled around and would have stormed off, but with a cry of anger Éomer yanked him back. "Lose the attitude," the king ordered, "or I will personally see to it that every book in your collection is confiscated, do you understand?"
"Yes, sir," Hammel replied, the civility in his tone forced out through clenched teeth.
"Good," Éomer said. "Now, get out of my sight."
As soon as Hammel was gone, Gúthwyn began breathlessly, "Brother, you should not have—"
Éomer fixed her with a look, and she was silent. "I know you do not wish to hurt him," he said gently, "but if you do not put him in his place he will continue to walk all over you. He believes you are weak, and that is why he is so unruly—I cannot watch his insolence around you, sister, and I will not let him say that you are anything less than an excellent mother."
Gúthwyn's cheeks flamed, even more so when she saw that Legolas had slipped away and was walking back towards the horses. What would the Elf think of her, able to control neither her children nor the methods that were used to do so? Unhappily, she looked at her feet. "His arm—"
"—will be fine," Éomer cut her off.
Painfully aware that Haiweth—whose tears had slowed to an unsteady trickle—was watching her to see what she would do, Gúthwyn swallowed and spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "I wish it were not necessary."
Éomer reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "There are a lot of things I wish were not necessary," he replied, and then withdrew. "We shall be leaving soon," he announced, as if he had not just grabbed Hammel. "Is there anything I can get you before we go?" The question was directed at Haiweth, who meekly shook her head and appeared very self-conscious of the fact that she was sitting and the king was standing.
"Thank you for pulling Hammel out of the water," Gúthwyn told her brother, remembering suddenly that she had not yet expressed her gratitude. "I was afraid that he would…" For Haiweth's sake, she did not say "drown," but Éomer understood her intent.
"You are most welcome," he responded, inclining his head. "I am going to check on Lothíriel and Elfwine, but please do not hesitate to call me if you need assistance."
Gúthwyn nodded and watched her brother walk away before turning back to Haiweth. "Are you all right, little one?" she asked quietly. "Will you be able to move?"
Haiweth nodded, albeit rather hesitantly.
"Perhaps you should ride with Cobryn," Gúthwyn suggested, wondering if it would cause Haiweth too much pain to have her injured foot in a stirrup. Had Heahtor still been alive, Gúthwyn would have shared the saddle with Haiweth; but Sceoh could barely handle one rider, let alone two.
"You said my name?"
Cobryn emerged from seemingly out of nowhere, although he had likely been approaching them for some time without either of them noticing. "Yes, I did," she confirmed when she saw her friend.
"My apologies for not coming over sooner," Cobryn responded, "but I figured I would be more of a hindrance than a help. Is there anything I can do now?"
"I was thinking that it might be best for Haiweth to ride with you," Gúthwyn informed him, gesturing towards the girl's ankle.
"Of course," Cobryn said instantly. "Are you all right?" he inquired, glancing at Haiweth.
"I am fine," Haiweth answered, attempting to get to her feet. Immediately Gúthwyn and Cobryn leaped to help her, each offering an arm. Haiweth made an effort to rise without their aid, but her foot gave out underneath her and she ended up latching onto them.
"Steady," Cobryn grunted, shifting his weight onto his better leg.
"How are you doing, little one?" Gúthwyn asked worriedly. "Do you want to wait for a moment before we try walking to Cobryn's horse?"
Haiweth shook her head.
"Are you sure?" Gúthwyn pressed.
At a nod from Haiweth, Éomund's daughter shrugged at Cobryn. "I suppose we should head out, then."
Still supporting Haiweth with her arm, Gúthwyn quickly bent down to scoop up Erkenbrand's cloak and canteen, reminding herself to wash the former before she returned it to him. When the items were firmly in her free hand, the three of them began making their way towards Cobryn's horse. Luckily, it was only a short distance. Breca had prepared the stallion and it was ready to be mounted; unlike Sceoh, it was a strong creature that would not object to the additional weight of a slender girl.
After they had gotten Haiweth onto the horse, Cobryn leaned close to Gúthwyn. "What did Hammel do?" he questioned, softly so that Haiweth could not hear. His shrewd eyes held Gúthwyn's, searching for the answers that she might withhold.
Éomund's daughter did not want to lie, and even if she did her friend would have seen through the excuse right away. "He blamed me for convincing Haiweth to jump in the first place," she muttered, sighing. "He said that no real mother would have…" Speaking was difficult, and she swallowed rather than continue.
Cobryn's gaze blackened. "I will have a word with him," he vowed, his voice hard and unforgiving. "That behavior is unconscionable."
"Éomer already yelled at him," Gúthwyn replied heavily. "You do not have to."
"But I will," Cobryn said, "because he listens to me, even if he pretends otherwise. I did not spend hours tutoring him so that he could act so condescending towards you."
"He knows," Gúthwyn suddenly whispered, unable to bear it any longer. "He knows what I did with Haldor."
Cobryn stopped.
"He hates me," Éomund's daughter confessed, "because he found out…"
"Did you tell him why?" Cobryn asked, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. It was as much a reminder to keep a grip on herself as it was to brace her, should the subject bring back unpleasant memories.
Gúthwyn recoiled at the suggestion. "No. Never." How could she speak of rape to Hammel? How could she tell him that Haldor had blackmailed her with the children's lives, without Hammel feeling as though he were to blame?
"You should," Cobryn told her. "If you think he has figured out what happened—something I would not find difficult to believe—then you must explain what it all means. He may not realize that you were forced…"
"I cannot," Gúthwyn said, lowering her voice yet further as Haiweth peered at them curiously. "I will not. Please, do not ask me to."
Cobryn looked at her somberly. "Someday he will want answers," he said, and a sinking sensation entered Gúthwyn's stomach. "What are you going to do then?"
"What I have been doing every day for the past nine years," Éomund's daughter responded.
Their eyes met.
"I will lie."