Tarniel stood in the garden, watching the form of her father hastily retreat into the distance. How could this be happening? How long would this situation last? It did not sound like these Hillmen were just visiting for a few days. It certainly sounded like they were moving into the palace. But how could that be? Had her father ...sold... the palace to them... the kingdom? No, that was not possible! He would never do such a thing! But just what kind of concessions HAD he made to these Hillmen?
In her mind, she saw marauding barbarians, running up and down the corridors of the palace, wreaking havoc in the night. The thought was a chilling one and made her shudder. Because of this threat, she would have no privacy even in her own room. She hoped that this woman who was to guard her would have a pleasant disposition and be as unobtrusive as possible. And four guards whenever she left her chamber! What privacy would she have with such a party following her around?
This seemed all like a dream, a very bad dream. The notion came to her to pinch herself to see if she would wake up, but that would be absurd. This whole miserable affair, unfortunately, was quite real.
Sighing heavily, she left the garden to seek Odaragariel. As she walked, she mulled upon how she was going to announce the horrible news. How would Odare react to these changes for the worst? She was still pondering the matter when she came to the princess' door. Swallowing, she knocked furtively and waited for it to be answered.
Suddenly, Tarniel tensed as she heard a slight noise down the hall, then nervously laughed as one of the castle cats padded down the hall in search of mice. She turned back to the door, but then tensed again as she saw a shadow on the wall. Were they here already, even in the castle? The shadow was quickly followed by the slender form of her elven tutor, though, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Good afternoon, Tarniel," said Arinya, smiling at her. "You look as though you've seen a ghost! What is the matter?"
"Oh, Arinya, it is horrible!" Tarniel exclaimed, her face and voice conveying her distress. "Father just told me! Everything is about to change - for the worst! Father was forced to compromise with the Hillmen, and now Princess Odaragariel and I will have to be guarded at all times! There will even be a swordswoman assigned to stay with me in my room and protect me at nighttime! I am here to tell Odaragariel the news!"
Arinya sighed and brushed a loose strand of hair back off of Tarniel's forehead. "I know of this change, Tarniel-tavaril," she said gravely. "And I can understand why your father is doing it." She held up a hand to stop Tarniel's angry protests. "You are your father's "arinya" - his "morning" - and his night would be dark indeed if you were lost. Though I am young as my people reckon age, yet I am old enough to know that there is evil in this world, and greedy men desire treasures that are not their own." She smiled down at the frustrated girl. "And the worth of a treasure is known by how well it is guarded!"
"But ... but my freedom is a treasure, too, Arinya," said Tarniel plaintively. "I can't bear to think of having my every step shadowed! And to stay in the castle - I might as well just be in a prison!"
"Then I will help to make your prison as pleasant as possible," answered Arinya. "You have praised my harp playing many times, and wished that you had time to learn to play as well as I do. Well, now we shall see if those were just flatteries to make me ease up on your studies, or if you really meant it!"
Tarniel had to smile in spite of herself. "But it's easier to complain and make excuses to not work!" she said impishly to her tutor.
Arinya laughed. "The lazy man turns on his bed as a door on its hinges," she chided gently. "But you seldom have this fault, so I will change the subject and suggest that we go to the gardens to look for the Princess Odaragariel."
"Arinya, I was just in the gardens, so I do not think that Odaragariel could be there, unless," Tarniel laughed, "she was hiding behind the bushes and trees!"
Arinya chuckled, the sound of her elven laughter like the tinkling of bells. "Then she would be more of a wood sprite than you!"
From behind the closed door, the two could hear footsteps approaching. Soon the door was opened, and Princess Odaragariel stood at the threshold.
"Tarniel and Arinya," Odaragariel greeted with a friendly smile, "good afternoon! I am delighted that you both have come to visit with me."
"I fear you will not be delighted at the news I bring," Tarniel sighed, the shadow of distress darkening her features.
Odaragariel's smile faded, replaced by a look of concern. "What is wrong?"
"The king has instructed me to bring these tidings to you. Not all is well in the kingdom. I fear that the Hillmen have grown in power, so much so that our daily lives have been threatened. Not even the palace is safe. We are to be guarded at all times by a guard of four men, and swordswomen are to watch over us at night. Oh, Odare, this is so terrible! I can barely believe it is all happening!"
Odaragariel was the Princess of Mitheithel; and that was the most extraordinary thing about her. In person, she was extremely plain... so much so that it seemed almost criminal for her to be a princess when so many lovely maidens looked so much more like one. When alive, her mother had tried her best to compensate by donning her always in the most expensive gowns, and weighing her young neck down with the showiest jewels. The habit lingered on her now. Almost unconsciously, she dressed well, always, no matter what the occasion, though the number and size of jewels had decreased... somewhat.
In manners, she was less showy, more sensible. The fact that her closest friend, Tarniel, was three or four years younger than her, had caused her, long ago, to form a resolution to always be the more mature one. So, instead of becoming sullen at Tarniel's news, as she would have a few years ago, she tried to remember she had, after all, lived to see seventeen summers. But her face betrayed her... her friendly mouth was twisted in distaste at once.
After a pause, she said, "Come inside, Tarniel, and Arinya. Are you certain? I heard rumours... mostly from your brothers. But... swordsmen in our rooms at night? Surely it's not that bad... I wonder if we shall have to be armed, though?" she asked distractedly. Unfortunately, her sensible exterior was matched by a too-vivid imagination. "I have a few daggers... very lovely, quite sharp. Never learned how to use them, of course, but maybe we'll need them now!" Already, she was stabbing a few shadowy Hillmen with spinning daggers.
"Yes, it is just as bad as I have said," Tarniel nodded grimly as Odaragariel led the princess and the elf into her chamber. Soon they were seated near one of the palace windows, Tarniel and Arinya sitting upon a long cushioned bench, Odaragariel upon a pretty curule chair.
"Father told me that a Dunedain woman, a lady suggested by the Queen, would be our guardian day and night, and then there are the four guards who are to follow us around during the day," Tarniel clarified her previous announcement as the others listened gravely. "With such precautions, I dread to think of the horrible state of affairs which we will be facing."
She paused for a moment, then added nervously, "Perhaps you would let me borrow one of those daggers, Odaragariel..."
---
Wilwarin walked through the corridors of Cameth Brin. She was slightly nervous at the prospect of meeting the princesses she would have to guard at night from now on. The King had told her to seek out the princesses on her own as it would probably upset them less. She had left her weapons at home for that reason.
She secretly suspected he didn't want to deal with upset young maidens right now, as they most likely would be. Wilwarin wasn't so sure whether she'd like a guard following her around in her own chambers herself.
But things could not be helped now. She only hoped that both princesses wouldn't make things more difficult than they already were. After all, they were under no obligation to even like her.
By now Wilwarin had reached the chambers of the Princess of Mitheithel. She could hear voices inside, so princess Tarniel was present, too. Good.
She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
"Let me see who that is," said Odaragariel as she rose to her feet and crossed the room.
It was annoying, she reflected, that none of her maids were around to open the door; she got up herself to do it. She was in a tetchy mood, for though she was polite as ever with Tarniel, and would never show her temper before Arinya, the news Tarniel had brought had irritated her greatly. The door revealed a woman, older than her, but it was difficult to tell how old she was; her style of clothing, and the way she wore her hair, showed her to be a Dunedain, however. She was taller than Odaragariel, and Odaragariel had to scowl upwards at the woman before her. It did not soften her mood.
"What do you want? Can't you tell we're discussing something important here?" she asked haughtily.
The woman was unperturbed, and replied softly, "I am Wilwarin, of the Dunedain. I have been sent to protect the Princesses Tarniel and Odaragariel. Who are you?"
Odaragariel bristled. "I am the Princess Odaragariel!"
"Of course, Princess." came the soft reply, but her left eyebrow was raised quizzically.
It would be undignified to shout; and besides, Odaragariel reasoned furiously, its not her fault you're to be all locked up like this. She's only following orders, and all she did was raise an eyebrow. And, even her own mother had never thought she looked much like a princess... at the last thought, she deflated, reminded herself once more of the vow of 'maturity' she had made, and instead of shouting as she felt like (she had a notorious temper), she only said stiffly, "Come in, then."
The others were now talking with Wilwarin, but Odaragariel hardly listened. She was thinking moodily of the dog races some boys were having the next day; she always liked cheering them on, and had made friends with quite a few who had, of course, no idea she was a princess... she had been planning to take Tarniel with her this time, though doubtless, Tarniel was more well-known here than she. She even had one of her maid's outfits hidden in the mattresses of her bed, but she supposed all of that was off now. She wondered vaguely what she was supposed to do now, and whether embroidery was more interesting than gardening.
Tarniel glanced over to the scowling Odaragariel, knowing that the advent of Wilwarin had perturbed her greatly. With a little sigh, she turned back to Wilwarin and Arinya. Neither princess was accustomed to such impositions upon their privacy. Of course, royal ladies always had a retinue of servants following them about; sometimes their maids even slept upon mats in the same bedchamber. But if the whim so struck the lady, she could dismiss the attentive throng with a wave of her hand and thus have the total peace of solitude. Tarniel had been aghast at her father's news, for the state of the kingdom horrified her, and she also selfishly resented the sudden change this made in her daily life.
"Wilwarin," she asked the Dunedain woman, "how good are you with a sword?"
Wilwarin answered with a half-smile and a twinkle in her eyes.
Arinya leaned forward and fixed Tarniel with her bright eyes. "Translated, that means, 'You don't want to know the answer if you're on the wrong end of my sword!' "
Tarniel smiled grudgingly at Arinya's answer. Her tutor could usually coax a smile out of her, even in her worst moods.
"But I hope you will never need to know the full answer to that question, Tarniel," added Arinya. "I hope things will not get that bad, although it is wise to prepare for the possibilities."
"That's easy for you to say, Arinya!" sulked Tarniel, angry again. "You aren't the one being shadowed and followed!"
"Then stop whining and put off your fine things and leave the palace grounds and take care of yourself!" said her tutor, finally losing her temper with her volatile charge. "Others have had it harder than you have in this world! I have had enough of your whining; either I or your whining will leave this room now. Which shall it be?"
Tarniel blushed crimson, feeling as though she could melt into the earth, and vaguely wondering why her body still remained solid. It was most undignified for a princess to be scolded in the presence of another princess and a complete stranger! She felt most rueful for her previous outburst, and fought to keep her inward cringe from changing into an outer one.
"There is no need to leave," Tarniel said calmly, attempting not to appear so horribly embarrassed. "The situation with the Hillmen has made us all nervous and easily excitable."
There was a knock on the door. Princess Odaragariel crossed the room and discovered that her missing maid had at last arrived.
"My apologies, lady!" the girl apologized profusely.
Scowling slightly, Odaragariel tried to hide her irritation as she remarked, "Well, at last you are here! Come quickly, I have visitors."
"Yes, my lady, right away," the girl sputtered sheepishly.
Soon, Odaragariel, Wilwarin, Arinya, and Tarniel were all seated about the decently-sized table which Odaragariel used for dining or entertaining guests in her chamber. Soon the maid had returned with a pitcher of flavorful tea and some small pastries for a light repast.