Author's note: Thank you to Phoenix Flight and Pippin-n-Legolas for
reviewing. And to everyone else, this just isn't good enough.
I'm going to see Two Towers tomorrow, and I'm very exited about it. I'll be dressed up as Frodo all day for charity. We've also got Sam, Aragorn, Arwen and random elf. Should be fun.
OK, I'll stop torturing you now and let you find out what's happening to Sal.
***
"It's not a good idea for a convicted traitor to hold a sword to my throat," Elessar said, smiling slightly.
"I was just testing your reflexes," Sal replied.
"I assumed I passed."
"I doubt you'd be crushing me to death if you'd failed. Have you put on weight?" Sal was teasing him as though nothing had happened between them, as though they were still the friends they had been.
Elessar stood up, holding out his hand to Sal. Sal seized it, and Elessar pulled him to his feet. Sal picked up fortune from where it had fallen, checking it carefully before sheathing it again. Elessar watched him. He had thought of Sal often in the years that had passed since their parting. Sal had been a good friend once, and he hadn't been able to forget that, even with what had happened between them. In the man that stood before him, Elessar saw the boy who had wielded fortune so unskilfully against orcs in Mordor, and the young man who had worn his tree broach even as he left the city as an exile. He couldn't hate him.
"It's good to see you again," Elessar said with a slight smile, then the smile faded as the reality of recent events sank in again. "Sal, my son. . ."
"Is alive," Sal finished for him.
"You've seen him?" For a moment hope bloomed. The search parties had found no trace of Eldarion, even the Rangers had been at a loss, but if Sal knew where he was. . . Elessar's smile came straight from his heart.
Sal wasn't able to answer, as a soldier came round the corner.
"Your Majesty?" the soldier began, "I heard fighting." He looked suspiciously at Sal, but Sal kept his face turned away so that the soldier couldn't identify him. He wasn't supposed to be in Minas Tirith after all.
"Thank you, but I am fine," Elessar said, "you may return to your post."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The soldier left, shooting a last, suspicious glance at Sal.
As soon as he was certain the soldier was gone, Elessar turned back to Sal. "You've seen Eldarion?"
"I've seen him," there was sadness in Sal's tone. "He is a prisoner, but he is alive." Elessar sensed there was something Sal wasn't telling him.
"What are you hiding?"
"Merry and Pippin were captured as well. Merry's a prisoner with Eldarion."
"And Pippin?" Sal told him everything that had happened. Elessar listened carefully, waiting patiently for Sal to reach the end of his tale. When he finished there was a silence. Elessar leaned back on the wall, unable to support himself any more. He closed his eyes, thinking about all Sal had told him, and the fate his son would surely face.
"Get my son away from those vermin," Elessar said, opening his eyes and fixing Sal with a steady gaze.
"I swear on my life," Sal said, "Eldarion will return to Minas Tirith alive and well." There was no joking now, no teasing. Sal looked at Elessar with such seriousness that for a moment the king couldn't help believing him.
"You know the consequences if you return without him?"
"That's depends on whether you can catch me or not."
"I seemed to manage fine."
"Ah, this time, but what about the previous ten times?"
"You've been visiting Minas Tirith?" Elessar asked, getting annoyed, "And you didn't come to visit me?"
"I wasn't sure your wife would like it if I came climbing through your windows at night." Sal grinned at him, and turned to leave.
"Fortune be with you," Elessar called.
Sal turned back, smiling. "It always is," he said, smiling, touching the hilt of the sword that hung by his side. He left, pulling up the hood of his cloak to cover his face again. A sensible precaution, since he was charged with death if he was found in Minas Tirith.
Elessar watched his friend leave. Ten years had passed since Sal had left Minas Tirith in exile. Ten years was a long time. How much had those years changed Sal? He was different from the young man who had openly declared his treachery. His face was already beginning to show lines of age, lines he shouldn't be showing yet. No doubt he was worn from living in the wild. Was his heart worn as his body was? Elessar began to walk down the corridor, but not towards the nursery. He needed to think. Sal was his only hope of having Eldarion back, but there were doubts in his heart.
***
Author's note: So Sal is still an exile, but Elessar's trusting him to find Eldarion. Confused? Good. It's nothing to how confused you will be, I've got some surprises in store for this story.
I'm going to see Two Towers tomorrow, and I'm very exited about it. I'll be dressed up as Frodo all day for charity. We've also got Sam, Aragorn, Arwen and random elf. Should be fun.
OK, I'll stop torturing you now and let you find out what's happening to Sal.
***
"It's not a good idea for a convicted traitor to hold a sword to my throat," Elessar said, smiling slightly.
"I was just testing your reflexes," Sal replied.
"I assumed I passed."
"I doubt you'd be crushing me to death if you'd failed. Have you put on weight?" Sal was teasing him as though nothing had happened between them, as though they were still the friends they had been.
Elessar stood up, holding out his hand to Sal. Sal seized it, and Elessar pulled him to his feet. Sal picked up fortune from where it had fallen, checking it carefully before sheathing it again. Elessar watched him. He had thought of Sal often in the years that had passed since their parting. Sal had been a good friend once, and he hadn't been able to forget that, even with what had happened between them. In the man that stood before him, Elessar saw the boy who had wielded fortune so unskilfully against orcs in Mordor, and the young man who had worn his tree broach even as he left the city as an exile. He couldn't hate him.
"It's good to see you again," Elessar said with a slight smile, then the smile faded as the reality of recent events sank in again. "Sal, my son. . ."
"Is alive," Sal finished for him.
"You've seen him?" For a moment hope bloomed. The search parties had found no trace of Eldarion, even the Rangers had been at a loss, but if Sal knew where he was. . . Elessar's smile came straight from his heart.
Sal wasn't able to answer, as a soldier came round the corner.
"Your Majesty?" the soldier began, "I heard fighting." He looked suspiciously at Sal, but Sal kept his face turned away so that the soldier couldn't identify him. He wasn't supposed to be in Minas Tirith after all.
"Thank you, but I am fine," Elessar said, "you may return to your post."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The soldier left, shooting a last, suspicious glance at Sal.
As soon as he was certain the soldier was gone, Elessar turned back to Sal. "You've seen Eldarion?"
"I've seen him," there was sadness in Sal's tone. "He is a prisoner, but he is alive." Elessar sensed there was something Sal wasn't telling him.
"What are you hiding?"
"Merry and Pippin were captured as well. Merry's a prisoner with Eldarion."
"And Pippin?" Sal told him everything that had happened. Elessar listened carefully, waiting patiently for Sal to reach the end of his tale. When he finished there was a silence. Elessar leaned back on the wall, unable to support himself any more. He closed his eyes, thinking about all Sal had told him, and the fate his son would surely face.
"Get my son away from those vermin," Elessar said, opening his eyes and fixing Sal with a steady gaze.
"I swear on my life," Sal said, "Eldarion will return to Minas Tirith alive and well." There was no joking now, no teasing. Sal looked at Elessar with such seriousness that for a moment the king couldn't help believing him.
"You know the consequences if you return without him?"
"That's depends on whether you can catch me or not."
"I seemed to manage fine."
"Ah, this time, but what about the previous ten times?"
"You've been visiting Minas Tirith?" Elessar asked, getting annoyed, "And you didn't come to visit me?"
"I wasn't sure your wife would like it if I came climbing through your windows at night." Sal grinned at him, and turned to leave.
"Fortune be with you," Elessar called.
Sal turned back, smiling. "It always is," he said, smiling, touching the hilt of the sword that hung by his side. He left, pulling up the hood of his cloak to cover his face again. A sensible precaution, since he was charged with death if he was found in Minas Tirith.
Elessar watched his friend leave. Ten years had passed since Sal had left Minas Tirith in exile. Ten years was a long time. How much had those years changed Sal? He was different from the young man who had openly declared his treachery. His face was already beginning to show lines of age, lines he shouldn't be showing yet. No doubt he was worn from living in the wild. Was his heart worn as his body was? Elessar began to walk down the corridor, but not towards the nursery. He needed to think. Sal was his only hope of having Eldarion back, but there were doubts in his heart.
***
Author's note: So Sal is still an exile, but Elessar's trusting him to find Eldarion. Confused? Good. It's nothing to how confused you will be, I've got some surprises in store for this story.