The White Lady of the Ring
(fanfic: Earthsea Trilogy, Volume II: The Tombs of Atuan)
by Annasibs
Part II: The Shadows Emerge
THEY WERE NOT ABLE to sail for Gont on the third day, as Ged had promised. For he had finally succumbed to the aftermath of the hardships he had endured as a prisoner of the Tombs of Atuan, and later as a fugitive. He took to his bed but refused to have any sorcerer weave healing spells upon him, deeming them a waste of the Mages' power. The wizards could not do anything but put soothing spells on the patient and let him be.
Taking his illness as a chance to repay his kindness, Tenar employed everything she knew about healing as the First Priestess of the Tombs. She felt responsible for Sparrowhawk's condition and gave her whole soul to nursing him back to health. With the wise mages' consent, she mixed for him herbal concoctions, which she made Ged take directly, or added to his food. She took care of his every need. Sparrowhawk aired no complaints about her nursing, except for the occasional grimace at her medicine's bitter taste.
Despite her inability to fully comprehend the language of the Archipelago, Tenar had befriended the girl that served as her companion in the palace, one that she heard was called a lady's maid. The girl, called Mirai, was the same age as Tenar and reminded her very much of Penthe, her only friend among her fellow priestesses in Atuan. Mirai had Penthe's gentle spirit and dreamy ways, and was plump as well. She also had the bluest eyes Tenar had ever seen, despite her dark Archipelagan coloring. Mirai helped Tenar in nursing Ged, taught her to speak the Hardic tongue and read the common runes in their spare time. In return, Tenar taught Mirai everything she knew about healing and told her stories about her life as Arha, the High Priestess of the Tombs.
Once, while Tenar was trying her hand at embroidery, Mirai asked her what she intended to do, now that she had turned her back on Atuan and came with the lord wizard Sparrowhawk to Havnor. Tenar replied that Sparrowhawk had promised to take her to his homeland Gont when he gets well.
"Why?" Mirai had asked. "Will the lord wizard take my lady as his wife?"
Tenar was taken back by Mirai's question. For a moment, she stared at her with surprise, the hand holding the needle suspended in midair. Tenar then felt herself blushing and looked down at the fine linen held by a wooden frame in her hands.
"Why ever did you ask?" she asked Mirai back.
"Oh, I was merely being curious, my lady," the serving girl replied. Afterwards, Mirai coughed and cleared her throat. "I just cannot imagine my lady living an obscure life, taking care of goats in the mountains of Gont."
At that, Tenar found herself smiling. "Why not? I am merely an ordinary girl, Mirai." To Tenar's consternation, Mirai suddenly laughed. She laughed so hard that her face turned red. She almost bowled over. Tenar stared at her with a puzzled expression until Mirai's laughter subsided into hurried pants.
"I wouldn't say that, if I were you, my lady," she said. "You helped the lord wizard Sparrowhawk steal the Ring of Erreth-Akbe. That's not an easy feat done everyday by ordinary girls. You're not an ordinary girl, my lady. Maybe, my lady, you'd make a good princess."
"Hmm. Maybe so," Tenar shrugged.
But as sudden as her laughter, Mirai's face became very grave. "I just hope, my lady, that you would not be taken by false charm and ardor."
Tenar, in her wonder, silently pondered over the matter.
In her preoccupation, Tenar had almost forgotten the existence of the stranger, Prince Remier. But he would not make her forget. Once in a while, she saw the light-skinned stranger across the hall or in odd corners, watching her pass by with the same dark expression that Tenar could not name. Often he would wink at her and amuse himself with her frowns. Every morning, she would find a white hothouse rose lying outside her bedroom door, but she took no notice of it and left it for Mirai to put away. She was too busy taking care of Ged.
One day, however, Remier cornered her on the landing of the staircase the servants use on their way to the palace kitchens. Tenar had brewed a new batch of medicine for Sparrowhawk, which she then carried in a pitcher to his room. Remier was obviously waiting for her.
"Hullo, White Lady of the Ring," he greeted her in Kargish.
Tenar pursed her lips. "Good day, my lord," she greeted him back coldly, yet politely.
Remier eyed the pitcher she held. "I guess now you're not only the bearer of the legendary Ring of Erreth-Akbe, but nursemaid as well to our lord the mage Sparrowhawk."
Tenar tried to keep her patience in rein. "Will you let me pass, my lord?"
Remier did not seem to hear her and continued to block her way. "Why do you avoid me, White One? Are you afraid of me?"
"Certainly not, my lord."
The prince raised her chin with his finger. Tenar jerked her head and looked away. Remier clacked his tongue.
"I think not."
Tenar took a deep breath to cool down the fire of her heating temper. Then she stared back at the prince.
"My lord--"
"No, my White Lady, I will not let you pass until you give me something which from you I seek."
Tenar smirked. "Very well, my lord. What is it?"
"A kiss."
Before Tenar could do anything, Remier stooped and touched her lips with his own. Shocked, Tenar at once pushed him away and hit him across the face. Then she raised her free hand and made the Atuan sign of averting defilement. Her hand left a vivid red mark on his cheek and a surprised expression in his eyes. Realizing what she had done, Tenar gasped and ran up the flight of stairs to Sparrowhawk's chamber without even pausing to catch her breath.
Ged lay quiet and still, sleeping the deep healing sleep lent him by her concoctions. Even in illness, his face looked stern; his sternness always made her afraid. But there was a gentleness and serenity about him that sickness could not take. It pleased Tenar to gaze at him while he was sleeping; she took strength and comfort from that gentle stillness.
Suddenly, she burst into tears. Tenar sank to her knees beside Sparrowhawk's bed and buried her face in the sheets, so that no one, especially her patient, would hear her sobs.
oOo
A FEW MORNINGS LATER, Tenar went with a small basin of water to Ged's room and found him awake. The morning sunshine flowing from his window lit up his face and defined his hawklike profile. His illness had made him look wan and feeble, but this morning there was more alertness about him. Tenar set the basin down on the table beside his bed and sat down on the edge of the bed. Ged gave her a weak smile.
"Good morning, Ged," she greeted him. "How are you feeling?"
"Not as well as I'd wish to, but well enough. Thanks to you," he replied.
Tenar said nothing. She soaked a small towel in the basin and wrung it.
"The Prince of Havnor and his brother came to see me early today," said Ged, watching her.
"You shouldn't have been disturbed," she replied. She turned to him and began to wash his face and arms.
"Oh, but I wasn't. I woke up quite early, you see." Ged suddenly grinned. "And they took the opportunity of seeing me while you still slept. They were afraid to be eaten by the dragon that is my warden."
Ged chuckled softly while Tenar scowled at him. She stood and picked up the basin.
"Well, then, I guess, I'll keep to my room from now on. I won't come here anymore."
Sparrowhawk burst out laughing as she made for the door. When the laughter became a hoarse cough, Tenar returned to his side and patted his back.
"See?" she scolded him. "I don't think you'd do without me while you're unwell and we're still here in Havnor."
"I'm sorry," he said between coughs. "I was merely teasing you, you know."
Tenar smiled. "I know."
Ged stopped coughing. Tenar resumed washing him, the smile lingering on her face. Ged silently watched her every movement, his expression soft yet strange.
The woolen robes that Tenar donned looked not unlike the garments she wore as Priestess of the Tombs, except that they are dark blue rather than the drab unbecoming black, with a white sash tied around her waist. They covered her arms and throat and reached down to her toes. The collar and sleeves of a white underdress peeked from the collar and the wide sleeves of the blue robe. She wore her long black hair the same way, braided and looped around her head.
And yet, Tenar looked different from the Arha-that-was. While Arha was pale, Tenar had a soft bloom about her cheeks that looked becoming against her white skin. And while the Priestess was stiff and rigid, Tenar's movements were more soft and pliant. Moreover, Tenar now had more flesh in her bones. She was lovelier and more radiant than she had ever been.
Tenar finished washing him and left the towel floating in the basin. Then she took a comb from within the folds of her robes and began to attack the tangles of his hair. She stopped when she saw Ged looking strangely at her.
"What's the matter?" she asked anxiously and felt his cheek and forehead. "Is there anything wrong?"
"No, nothing is wrong," Ged replied. With some effort, he reached up and pressed the palm of her small hand against his scarred cheek.
"Tenar," he said softly, "you are looking very well. Havnor suits you. I know that you will always be welcome here."
He paused, as if trying to catch his breath. His face became grave.
"Will you still come with me when I come home to Gont?"
Tenar stared at him, puzzled. "Why do you ask? Of course I'll come with you."
"I am not forcing you to come with me. You are free to remain here in Havnor if you wish to."
Tenar frowned. "Do you want me to stay here, Ged?"
"If you want to stay here, Tenar."
Tenar fell silent and continued to stare at Sparrowhawk. His face was grave, but she could not read anything from it. She ran the comb through his hair once more.
"No, I will not stay here. You know that I don't belong here, Ged. Not even the beauty of Havnor would change my mind," she replied.
The graveness of Ged's face broke into a smile. To Tenar, the smile looked like one of relief.
"Thank you for taking care of me, Tenar," he said. "I'm glad you chose to escape with me from Atuan." He turned his face and kissed her palm.
Tenar's lip trembled. She cupped his cheek and ran her fingers against his scars. Then she pulled her hand away, picked up the basin and the comb, and silently left the room.
oOo
A BASKET OF FLOWERS WAS waiting at Tenar's doorstep when she returned to her room from visiting Ged. Pink, white and crimson roses nestled close against each other within the small basket, giving off a heavy, heady scent that Tenar could smell even as she approached her door. Used to receiving a single white rose every morning, roses which received nothing but a cursory look and given to Mirai to do as she pleases, Tenar found herself smiling at the vivid sight. She also found herself admiring Prince Remier for his persistence, although she abhorred him for his forward and intrusive ways. She knelt down by the basket and ran her finger against the velvet softness of a petal that fell on the floor.
"So that is why Remier is always to be found scouring the gardens and the hothouses early every morning."
Tenar started at the voice behind her. She turned and saw a tall and handsome young girl with the dark Archipelagan coloring standing a short distance away from her. The girl looked older than Tenar. Judging from her pink silk dress, the ethereal veil, the golden band around her forehead and the regal way she held herself, Tenar saw that the girl before her is a princess. She stood up and stared questioningly at her. The young princess approached Tenar.
"I see you don't know me, my lady," she said. "But then, I wouldn't expect you to look down and take notice of ones such as I."
The princess' almost sneering tone bothered Tenar. True, she did not know the person before her, but she did not see anyone in Havnor except for Ged, Mirai, the servants in the kitchen, where Tenar made most of Ged's medicine, and, occasionally, Prince Remier. Tenar preferred being alone and even the Prince of Havnor respected her wish. Had she broken an Archipelagan custom by keeping to herself?
"Forgive me, Princess, but I don't know what you mean," Tenar replied in her halting Hardic.
"I didn't really expect it of you, White Lady of the Ring. After all, you are a foreigner," she snorted, putting stress on the title given to Tenar. "However, everyone here in Havnor now considers you a heroine, as great as Elfarran the Fair, she who wore the Ring of Erreth-Akbe centuries before you were born. If it interests you to know, I am Princess Feliste, cousin to Remier and the Prince of Havnor. I am also Remier's betrothed. I pray thee, White Lady, to stay away from my betrothed."
The princess' cold words struck Tenar. She had not thought that she would meet another person who could hate her as much as the Priestess Kossil did.
"You must be mistaken, Princess," she said. "I did not know that Prince Remier is spoken for. I do not seek the Prince's favors and neither do I wish to take your betrothed from you."
Feliste gave Tenar a contemptuous look. "No, I don't believe you. I could not easily trust a handmaiden of darkness, even if she has brought the Rune of Peace back to Earthsea. For all I know, you are an enchantress who has fooled one of the greatest wizards and dragonlords of the Archipelago and has woven a spell on all of us. Enchantments of evil do not last, White Lady of the Ring."
Tenar was shocked into silence. She stood there, not believing the words she had just heard. Feliste looked down on her.
"Once more I pray thee, keep your wiles from Remier."
Feliste haughtily swished past Tenar and walked away, her veil floating behind her. Tenar watched her go. Forgetting all about the flowers, she then went inside her room and lay face down on her bed.
Moments later, Mirai entered the room with the basket of flowers. The maid's face was flushed with excitement, her plump body shaking with her giggles. She loves flowers and would always be found daydreaming in the gardens.
"Oh, my lady, look what a beautiful present has come for you," said Mirai. "A basket of lovely roses! The hothouse plants must have been picked bald this time. Where shall I place them, my lady?"
"Somewhere where I can't see them," Tenar replied, her pillow muffling her voice. "But why? Such lovely flowers--"
"For them I earned the ire of a princess."
Mirai set the basket down on the table near the window. "Which princess? Princess Feliste? You need not worry about her, my lady. Although she is very much attached to Prince Remier, he would have none of her."
Tenar turned and lay on her back. "But they are betrothed, aren't they?"
Mirai did not reply. Instead, she plucked a rose without thinking and stripped it of its petals. "Aye, they are," she said after a long while.
Tenar sighed and curled on her side. "Well then, matters have settled by themselves, haven't they?"
Mirai stole a look at the young once-priestess and saw a confused storm brewing in the pale, beautiful face.
"Do you think I'm evil, Mirai?" she asked suddenly. "Do you think I am fooling everyone, that the Ring that rests in the Tower of the Sword is merely an illusion I have worked on all of you?"
The flower in Mirai's hand fell to the floor. "Wh-what do you mean, my lady?" Mirai stammered. "I saw the Ring myself, my lady. The wizards of Roke had pronounced it as real. Lord Sparrowhawk held it in his hand and kissed it. How could it be a mere illusion? As for you, my lady, I refuse to entertain the thought that you are evil. You cannot be evil. You brought us back the Ring."
Tenar gave her a vague smile.
"However," Mirai continued, "I hope you'd be careful, my lady. Feliste will stop at nothing to get what she wants and would get rid of anything or anyone that blocks her way. It was even said that she practices sorcery in secret. And no matter how much he denies it, Remier is like her, in more ways than one. Being the Prince of Havnor's only brother, he is much beloved. He always gets what he wants."
"Leave me, Mirai. I wish to be alone."
Mirai, bothered by Tenar's sudden paleness, could not do anything but comply.
Part I: The Return of the Ring
Part II: The Shadows Emerge
Part III: The Shadows Follow Tenar
Part IV: A Promise is Fulfilled
When the Hawk Flew Home