"There is no retaking the city," Uryon said, back rigid. He and Hithel eyed each other like strange cats in a small space.
"Unless more will follow Laeriel," Hithel said.
"Will they?" asked Elwing, whose grip on her little bag had not wavered the entire time. Laeriel hoped her fingers were not cramped too badly by the end of this.
Erien grimaced, an answer all its own, but replied, "Now that she is sworn to you? None who follow her now are pleased, only trapped. No more will agree."
"We do not have to tell them," Elwing said, with all the self-possession of someone much older and untrusting.
Laeriel shrugged when Erien shot an appalled look her way.
"She cannot lie," Erien told Elwing. "Well, not comfortably. It would be noticeable."
"She can speak for herself," Laeriel said. "Though it is true, I am a poor liar even by omission. My grandmother is accomplished at the act, however. Perhaps she could speak for me there, instead of here."
Silence fell. Elwing watched Erien speculatively.
"Only Caranthir's people would follow me before his brothers," Erien said finally. "And that is questionable. Perhaps an agreement can be reached with Maedh-"
"No," Elwing and Laeriel said at the same time.
"What he wants I will not give him," Elwing continued. "I would burn first."
"You would not," Erien muttered. "Laire-"
"Our liege has spoken," Laeriel said. "Could you not hear?"
A muscle twitched in Erien's cheek and she turned away, looking pointedly at the tunnel wall.
Uryon, who so clearly wished to be anywhere else that even Laeriel could see it, said, "We can remove E- Lady Elwing and her guards from the city. That, we can do."
"And any survivors we find," Elwing said.
"It will be difficult enough removing twenty Doriathrin warriors and the daughter of Dior from this city," Erien snapped, spinning back around.
"My lady," Laeriel said. Erien glared at her, and it was Uryon's turn to look fixedly at a wall.
"My lady," Erien gritted out. "It will be difficult enough removing you and twenty Doriathrin guards in livery from the city. If it comes to a fight - and it mostly likely will - more civilians will slow us down. If they are not civilians, they will be harder to hide. If our priority is to take you to safety-"
"Did I say that was my priority?" Elwing asked curiously. "I do not recall doing so. I am the lady of Doriath as of two hours ago, Erien. Those of my people we can find, we will take."
"Will they even come with us?" Erien demanded, gesturing to include herself, Laeriel, and Uryon. Laeriel shifted deliberately behind Elwing and out of the arc of movement.
"They will come with me," Elwing said. "And that is why we keep the livery."
They found fewer than Elwing had hoped, she confessed to Laeriel, but still they found some, and even a few more guards. After some discussion the survivors were split into many smaller groups and sent to different gates, each with Noldor companions to go out in the hopes of some camouflage. "Travel west" were vague instructions, but the best anyone had at the moment.
"And if we are discovered?" Uryon had asked.
"Kill your discoverers if you can," Laeriel said. "Die before the civilians if you cannot."
"Lady?"
"This is how you atone," Laeriel said, addressing her assembled Noldor. "Arrive with my people, or do not arrive at all - and I will make it known who joined us, if those who now follow Celebrimbor do not. My word on it. Keep yours or be hunted down."
"We are somewhat known for keeping our oaths," Nurchon said dryly, and looked immediately surprised to have done so.
Elwing, to Laeriel's surprise, laughed. "I suppose you are. Continue to do so."
Erien and Laeriel were in Elwing's group with Hithel and the others, everyone cloaked and hooded, eyeing their chosen gate to Nivrim. It was lightly guarded, comparatively speaking, and at Elwing's nod Erien approached, everyone else arranged as if to be her bodyguard. Elwing shadowed Laeriel so closely she nearly stepped on her cloak hem.
"Lady Tirione!" one of the gate wardens exclaimed when Erien let her hood fall. "Are you not with your - I mean to say -"
He faltered under her stare.
"My business is none of yours," Erien said, in Quenya as he had.
"I only meant, my lady," the elf continued nervously, "that your husband is to join us soon, if you would care to wait."
"I do not care to wait," Erien said. "Is this what discipline has become without me?"
"Apologies, Lady," another guard said, stepping up beside the first. "It is only that some Sindar tested us earlier, and we must be sure of everyone's identity…"
He trailed off as if realizing that he was clearly already sure of her identity.
"How fortunate I am not Sindar," said Erien, the physical ideal of Noldorin perfection save for her eyes. The sentry flushed as Elwing pressed even closer to Laeriel's back. The girl did not know Quenya, but she must have understood the gist of the conversation.
"Who are your companions?" the first guard asked a little wildly, waving past Erien and Laeriel to the Noldor in the guardhouse. More warriors were walking briskly towards them when Laeriel glanced over her shoulder.
"My granddaughter," Erien said. Her mouth quirked a little when Laeriel looked back at her, and she continued, as Laeriel dropped her own hood, "Do you not see the resemblance?"
"Half Sindar," the second guard said. "And raised by Sindar."
"Not remotely half," Erien said, voice dangerously soft. "And raised by me."
The second guard dropped his eyes after a brief moment of meeting Erien's, but he still said, "We must ask you to stay until one of the lords arrives."
Laeriel said, "Surely my grandfather will be displeased that you disobeyed his wife."
Erien's lip quirked again, but this time it held no hint of humor.
"You are Feanori," the guard said. His accent, Laeriel noted, was not as excellent as her own. He used þ instead of s, but he said his consonants harder than Erien had taught her was appropriate.
"Sir?" one of the new Noldor asked. All were tall, but the one speaking was tallest. Laeriel judged her to be nearly as tall as she was.
"Escort the Lady Tirione and her granddaughter to a safe place until Caranthir or Maedhros can see them," the second sentry ordered. "The rest of you can wait here."
Since most of the party did not speak Quenya, no one moved.
"My lady," the first guard said quietly, hand on sword hilt.
Erien sighed, sounding genuinely regretful - more regretful than she had sounded when she had killed Goldor, Laeriel thought - and in one fluid movement drew one sword and ran him through before anyone else could do anything.
Elwing's people were not as shocked as the Noldorin guards. Their spears came down, finding targets almost immediately as Laeriel made sure to clamp a hand on Elwing's shoulder and keep herself between the girl and the second guard even though he was no longer paying attention to her.
"Traitor," he hissed at Erien.
"Yes," Laeriel's grandmother agreed grimly. "But I would have killed you anyway."
Laeriel had to look away to deal with a Noldo who had gotten past Hithel, who was trying to shove herself to her feet using her spear. He died quickly, too focused on Elwing to counter Laeriel's hard kick to his chest. When he staggered back Hithel, apparently giving up on standing, stabbed him through the kidney from where she half lay on the ground.
And after all, they had not been so outnumbered: Laeriel looked around to find dead Noldor and mostly living Doriathrin.
Erien had beheaded the second guard.
"I regret he could not apologize for his insults first," she told Laeriel. "Raised by Sindar. As if I did not exist."
"Hithel?" Elwing asked. "Can you stand?"
"Unclear," Hithel said, voice strained.
"Can you walk?" Erien asked as she cleaned her sword on the beheaded guard's tunic.
"Not remotely," Hithel replied.
"Make a stretcher," Erien ordered someone. "Some spears, some cloaks. There will be horses nearby. Fetch enough for all of us."
Those she spoke to scattered. Laeriel decided not to argue about who was in charge for the moment.