Disclaimer: I do not own LOTR.
A/N: Let me just take a moment to say sorry to all the dear readers. I was so busy with tests and schedules that I couldn't find enough time to post this chapter. I sincerely thank you all for waiting patiently.
And to all of you who favourited or followed, I thank you. You guys rock.
Winnie Fawn: Thank you again for the awesome review. I wasn't sure how to incorporate the changes she was feeling in the story so I decided to keep it blatant. In my opinion, it will make the story more interesting when she realises that she is changing to fit into ME but still tries to hold onto her old self. Hope you enjoy this chapter as well. Your reviews are always appreciated! :)
Narylfiel: Thank you so much! I was not that sure about the ending but now that you expressed that you like it I might just change my mind. Hope you enjoy this chapter as well :)
Marie0905: Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I hope you also find this chapter well written :)
I hope you all enjoy the chapter! Please R&R.
Chapter11: The Unexpected Decision.
I stared blatantly at the man. Just as he opened his mouth to ask something, maybe about Èohere, I saw the said man approaching the house from the corner of my eyes. I pointed back towards Èohere while looking at the guest, "I think that's the man you want." He raised his pointed brow at my informality. Maybe I should try to adopt the medieval style of speaking. I was getting tired of raised brows every time I opened my mouth. The only thing that felt different to me was my habit of using shortened expressions but it seemed to make a big difference to the Rohirrim.
The man in question gave another, slightly astonished look towards me and turned to the direction in which my finger pointed. I saw Èohere halt his steps for a fleeting moment at seeing the man. He continued before it was too noticeable. I couldn't see his face clearly from a distance but I had this feeling that the lines of his face had grown grim. I moved into the house and into my room just as Èohere neared enough to greet the man. Even though I had travelled together with Èohere for many months, we were only familiar with the basics of each other's life. Judging by his expression this had felt like something personal.
My thoughts were confirmed a moment later by the two pairs of footsteps moving into the house and then into Èohere's room. The door shut behind them with a crisp click.
I leaned against the closed door. My gaze swept into the room in search of the book I was reading. I cursed softly when I realised that I had left it the small coffee table. I strained my ears to hear any sounds from outside. I didn't feel like going out and coming face to face with that guest. Most importantly I didn't feel like bearing up with the awkward moment of silence and the hasty intros that will undoubtedly follow such an encounter. I waited for another long moment before briskly opening the door. I swiftly moved across the common room. I crunched the desire to eavesdrop when I heard their muffled voices through the thin walls and took the novel. I was just shutting the door to my room when I heard them coming out of the room. There was a short pause in their conversation at the click of my door. I scrunched up my face at the awkwardness that seemed to seep through the walls and clutch at my heart. It was already tense between me and Èohere. I hadn't known why at the start but everything made sense when some shopkeeper had asked me if we were married. I had spluttered indignantly at the question and had denied it strongly not realising the implications that could be made from my words. I was living in the home of an increasingly wanted bachelor of the village, also of the Meduseld, if I took the gossips of the women seriously, and was not married to him. Neither of us had given much thought to the matter when we had first started off and now our ignorance was coming to bite us in the back.
I groaned softly. Honestly, my life in Middle-Earth had started to seem too much like a drama. I shook myself out of the stupor as their voices sounded again. They were talking fast in Rohirric. Èohere's tone was strained but with a bit of steel in it. Whatever was the news, it seemed that Èohere didn't like it one bit. I heard the voices fading as they moved out of the house. A few minutes later he came back inside. I had this small urge of going out and asking what the man had wanted. But it wasn't related to me and it was Èohere's personal life. I had no right to just go out and demand answers from him, even if I was dying of curiosity. I bit my lip and strained my hand around the leather binding of the book. After another reminder to myself about minding my own business, I moved towards the small wooden chair to complete the few ending chapters of the book that I was reading.
A few days passed quietly before Èohere spoke of the encounter. We were sitting around the small wooden table eating meat and gravy with two different assortment of breads. After that man had gone, Èohere had started spending more of his time locked up in his room. In those slight moments when I got a few peeks at his room to call him for his meal or some other important matter, his room had looked a complete mess. His books, novels, maps and scrolls scattered about the place. Him going through the texts with his full concentration. It looked like he was searching for something. But me being the wanna-be-neutral person I am didn't ask him about it. If he wanted to talk, then he will, sooner or later. Although on a second thought it came more sooner than I had anticipated.
As I mentioned, we were sitting in the common room enjoying our better than usual meal. We ate quite a bit, I stacked the plates and moved to stand up but Èohere's hand on my wrist stopped me. He gestured once towards the chair I was sitting in previously and pushed the dishes towards the other end of the table.
"Please sit, Lanette." his tone was a bit strained "we have to talk." Now don't get me wrong, but when someone says 'we need to talk' it doesn't just mean that it is something more like 'sit, I need to explain why to kick you out' or 'maybe you should leave now' or maybe even 'I'm not that charitable person that I seem'. Needless to say, my back tensed automatically at his words. I cleared my throat.
"What's the problem?"
"I am called back to my duty, in Meduseld, I have to leave in a few days." I straightened up at that. Going to Meduseld? Looks like nature itself wanted me to find the answers.
"That's good then!" I clapped my hands once and tied them in front of my chest. "I'll prepare for us to leave." Maybe if I hadn't been so excited I would've noticed Èohere's increasingly troubled expression and prepared myself for the worst.
"Lanette," he said. His tone was quiet, indecipherable. "This is the end of our travels together."
I felt like I had been buzzed with an electric rod. If I had been standing right then, I would have crashed on the wooden floor. My brain took a moment to process his words.
If I had to guess my own expression at that instant, it would've been impossible. Countless emotions flooded my brain and I knew that my face showed all of those feelings. I wasn't sure if I could've felt disbelief, anger, hurt, and dark fear clawing simultaneously inside my heart. "What do you mean? I- what, why!" I gave a non-believing borderline hysterical laugh.
"You took it the wrong way, Lanette," Èohere's tone was passive "let me explain." My eyes strayed to his raised hands and I snorted in disbelief. I took a sharp breath, my eyes falling on my white-knuckled hands that were gripping the wooden table a tad bit too hard. I could feel the micro splinters itching on my skin.
He took my silence as a cue for continuation.
"I have received the summons from Meduseld, and I shall be leaving in less than a week. You wanted to go to the golden hall to search for your answers but I find it more sensible if you try your chances in Gondor first." He stopped and stared at me for a while as if asking for my approval to continue. He looked away when I remained stoic. "Rohirrim aren't the people you seek for literature, nor do we pride ourselves on breeding the best scholars. You could travel with me to the Golden Hall and search for your answers but I feel as though it will be futile and nothing but the waste of your time. Gondorians, no matter how stuck up courtiers they might be, are the descendants of Numerons, straight from the house of elves. If you have any chance of finding knowledge as deep and scarce it is in the Great libraries of the old kings. In Meduseld you shall only find books on Rohirric knowledge and our great breeds. Even if you find a great piece, it'll be in Rohirrim and you would not be able to fathom it." I processed the information. Even though I hated to admit, his argument was solid.
"Look, Lanette," he leaned forward on his elbows, the lines of his face softening under the candlelight, "if I had it my way I would have taken you with me. After months I feel responsible for your safety. But even though I want to keep you safe, It is not in my heart to keep you from the family you yearn for. From the friends who are as important to you as the fragments of your own heart." I looked at him then. In such dim lights and if I pretended long enough, I felt as I could see Nick sitting in front of me, counselling me like old times whenever I needed him. I closed my eyes and sighed shortly. I knew that he had a point. I knew he was right but it was hard, hard for me to just go on jumping from one acquaintance in Middle-Earth to another. Every time I left another person behind, it felt as though I was again on that dirt track wearing my jeans and dress shirt, struggling to find my way out of that abandoned area. In a last feeble attempt at retaliation, I said: "Shouldn't it be my choice to make?" Èohere cracked a smile at that, the same trademark smirk he always showed. "I am giving you a choice, go with me to Meduseld or leave for Gondor, choose what you may and I shall be with you in your decision."
I stared at the table as I had nothing more to contribute to the conversation. Èohere studied my face for a long while and then stood up. The chair made a shrieking sound as it moved away. He stretched his arms over his head.
"Do you have any idea about what choice I shall make?" I said as I stood up, ready to retire myself.
"I do not just have the idea, I am pretty sure about your impending decision. After all, Lady Lanette you have never been the one to step down from a decision that is right, no matter how perilous it may seem." I wasn't sure how to take that compliment, so I joked "You seem quite insistent to get rid of me." I had meant that as a joke and could not have suspected the serious look he gave me in return.
"That might just be the last thing that I want." Looking at the serious yet soft expression on his face I wasn't even surprised to find that I felt exactly the same.
The next three days passed in a blur. Èohere was mostly busy in arranging some important documents and collecting supplies. It looked like he was going to stay in Meduseld for a long time. Grimwyn, after hearing the news, took it upon herself to prepare me for the life in Gondor. She packed a few new dresses, three made up of cotton and one silk, plain but considerably fancy to be worn on better occasions. I wanted to wear pants during the travel but Grimwyn had been strictly against the idea. According to her the people in Gondor weren't as unbiased as the Rohirrim and considering that I hadn't felt the open-mindedness of the Rohirrim, I was scared to meet the people of Gondor. Their women must lead their lives holed up in their rooms making embroidered dresses for the many functions. I had just gone along with everything Grimwyn said just so it wouldn't cause problems for me later on. Although two pairs of my pants and shirts, I had packed under the dresses without her knowledge. After all, I wasn't going to stay in Gondor forever.
Yesterday I was busy setting the dinner when Èohere had come out of his room with a wrapped roll of leather. He extended the package towards me. I wiped my hands on a kitchen towel and moved to take the cloth. The roll opened to show a gleaming metal cover of a sword. I looked at him questioning.
"I found this blade in a cave during my travels. Far north of here." He moved around the table, pulled out the chair and sat on it. The wooden chair creaked under his weight. "It is of elven make, light on the hands but sharp on the foes."
"And so you think that I will be able to use a sword in Gondor?" I snorted incredulously.
"I feel that you would not be staying in Gondor for long," he gave me a pointed look over his cup of water. "You should keep the sword hidden, but near yourself. I would have liked if you learned it a bit more but now it depends on how you utilise it to your advantage." He took another large gulp from the cup and wiped the small beads of sweat from his forehead.
"If the need ever arises." He added as an afterthought.
I sighed inaudibly. I drew the sword and took a long look at it. The silver of the blade gleamed under the dilute rays of the setting sun. The intricate design showed it's remarkable craftsmanship. After turning it over a few times, I put it back in the sheath. I placed it on the kitchen counter and joined Èohere for dinner.
We left for our journeys together. Èohere insisted on taking me to the outskirts of the next village himself before leaving for Meduseld. He had an acquaintance there, a lady who worked in Gondor and would be leaving Rohan tomorrow. He had given me a tied letter to give to that woman. He said that it'll explain everything and I won't be troubled as much.
Much to my disappointment, I wasn't going to travel on a horse on my way to Gondor. I was supposed to be moving with the caravan and women rode carriages in such situations. I had to cut seven inches of the sides of my dress so that it won't ride up much when I rode the horse behind Èohere.
The journey wasn't that long. We left at dusk and reached the village a little before noon. Èohere slowed the stallion to a trot when we came close enough to see the tops of the houses. He pulled at the rein of his stallion, stopping its walk effectively. I swung down from the horse as graciously as possible with my new dress. Èohere followed after me. I unbuckled my bag from the saddle and swung it over my shoulder. Patting the under pockets of my dress to make sure that I hadn't dropped the letter, I turned to face Èohere. If there was something that I always felt awkward with, then it was saying goodbye to someone, knowing that this goodbye will surely be for long period of time maybe even the whole eternity. I met his eyes and smiled softly. I inclined my head slightly in an effort to show polite thanks or ever-growing respect, I wasn't sure.
"It is the end." I said, crushing my lips together, "thank you Èohere, for all that you did for me." I could only hope that my tone conveyed my sincerest feelings.
"It was nothing, Lanette," he bowed at his waist making this already unsteady moment more tricky with medieval clichés. He continued after he straightened "but as I have already helped you reach here, I hope to one day hear that this one lady Lanette remained successful in finding her answers." I smiled at that.
"And Miss Lanette, do not tell your predicament to anyone unless you grow to really trust them. Not anyone will accept your word as I have."
I nodded at that. I had also given this a lot of thought. Right now, what seemed like the best solution was to say that I lived in Bree or something. Although I was uncomfortable with lying about my whole life, I had to think of what will benefit me or what will cause problems for me at present. And God knows how much problems will arise if they consider me a lying sorceress or some enemy spy of some sort. I shivered at the thought.
Èohere turned to look at the Sun's position. It was noon and estimating from the distance he needed to travel, he had to make haste.
"It is the moment of goodbye, Lanette," he turned around saying "for now at least."
I moved forward to hug him. Judging from the initial tense shoulders, he wasn't expecting this. Couldn't blame him though, with their customs and such. He returned the hug for a moment. We broke away. I inclined my head formally. He put his open hand over his chest and gave a semi-bow. There was so much that I wanted to say. Just the simple things like eat well, rest well, stay out of danger, but at that particular moment I couldn't even open my mouth to utter a single "bye".
He swung himself on the saddle, took the reins to stabilise the stallion. He gave me a long look. From his expression, it felt as though he was also struggling to say something. In the end, he gave me his trademark smirk, raised one hand and snapped the reins.
I stood there only for a small while as his back moved away at a fast pace. It wasn't until I could only see a reflection of him that I felt myself uttering "Goodbye."
I shook my head, smiling at my own tongue-tied moment and then turned to take on my whole new obstacle.
Little did I know that it was the first of many many more to come.
To be continued...