My Past: To Battle and Bathe

Roch traveled fast and we pulled up to the Keep quickly. I swung my leg down and dismounted from his back. He began to change into a man's form almost before my feet had touched the ground. He grabbed my hands and ran with me inside, through the hallways and we pulled to a stop just beyond the door in the shadows of the great hall.

My first impression was that we were not alone. There were skin-changers lined along the walls and sitting in the shadows of the doors watching. The hearth was raging from a warm fire though it was still mild day. The tapestries swayed on the rafters to the crosswind from the doors. Including Dinrogion's own coat of arms. A red wolf prowling over a black background. While the statues in the alcoves high above looked down at all gathered below with indifference.

Near the hearth a large group of men and women who resembled Eorlings were gathered. A particularly muscular man with thick brown hair was standing at the front of the room. I could only see his back since he was facing the chair on the raised stand where Dinrogion was sprawled looking down on him.

"That's him, the leader of the Anga Anca." Roch whispered directly against my ear. Pointing to the figure standing before Dinrogion. I nodded and watched him toss his arms around aggressively. As for the words being spoken the acoustics of the hall hardly needed elvish hearing to pick up on.

"You, Heru Draug, are a traitor and a murderer! You seduced my daughter into loving you to force my aide, then killed her off when she became bothersome!" His harsh voice bellowed through the hall.

Dinrogion's face remained impassive and cold. His own voice was calm as he replied. "It was no fault of mine that your child fell for me. I encouraged her in no way. I was very straight forward with her when we bedded together. It was a fling. Nothing more. She knew that I had no feeling for her. As for her death it was a grievous accident. That I was not even present for. So I ask that you use your head and not accuse me such in my own home."

"You lie! You sit on up there high and aloof and look down at us 'lesser beings' with hatred. You only use us for two reasons. To satisfy your appetites and to fight your battles. Tell me Draug, would my daughter have been so close to you had you not been fighting such a powerful foe and needed the Anga Anca power to aid?" The man was clenching his jaw in anger. I could see the muscles of his body not covered by his armor tensed. I also heard the thread of hysteria in his voice. I had seen nothing but kindness from these people. Perhaps a little mistrust but nothing more. I had never seen Dinrogion look down upon me with anything remotely resembling hatred or arrogance. His daughter was dead and the man was looking for someone to blame. But what was this foe?

The other men and women were all heavily built and well-armed. I could see them becoming restless at their leader's words. All around them the skin-changers were beginning to stop being idly curious and start to show signs of aggression. The tension rising in the room was thick enough to eat with a fork.

"Gralin, your accusations are waning my patience. Call your people down and think over your words carefully. When you have calmed yourself of this rage and unnecessary need for vengeance we shall speak again. Now go." Dinrogion remained seated casually but his voice was firm and hard demanding that its orders be carried out.

Gralin turned and I saw a worn and scared face contorted with rage. He looked at his people and took a few steps from Dinrogion before speaking next. But my attention was not on the man's words but on the language his body was speaking. It spoke in warrior's terms and I understood where his hand was going almost before Gralin himself did. "Draug, you can not order me and mine. We will not listen to your coiled tongue or trust your layered words. It is time your arrogance be struck down!"

The man swiveled, the dagger flashing hungrily in his hand, as I stepped out of the shadows. My hands selecting and arrow and notched it in the rising bow as my eyes chose their target carefully. Hundreds of years of practice came together to act in a matter of seconds. My arrow pierced his hand just as he raised it to release the dagger.

He shrieked in rage and surprised pain. While faces turned to look at me in astonishment. Dinrogion himself swung his legs out and rose from his chair glancing at me on the other side of the hall. Our eyes met for a brief moment before the tension ties snapped and the skin-changers and Anga Anca clashed together on the Hall floor with a vision of blood.

I reshouldered my bow and took down my daggers to fight in such close proximity. Men were charging toward me with the intent to have vengeance for their leader's wound. Out of my peripheral vision I caught a glimpse of Dinrogion drawing a katana and advancing on Gralin. My attention was taken by a muscular man swinging a two handed sword at my neck. I ducked to avoid it and came back up slicing my dagger through the hole in his armor under his arm and pushing into his heart. I pulled away as he fell and defended myself against a woman with a broad sword. We exchanged blows quickly and she was agile and light on her feet despite the armor. I managed to avoid her but I could not injure her as her blocking technique was well mastered. I struck out with my foot and forced her knee to collapse and she fell. But she swung upward and cut into my side as I drove my blade into her neck. I pulled away once again to find two more men charging me. I also spotted Dinrogion and Gralin battling on the other side of the room well matched in skill.

I blocked the advance of the two men and spin out of their reach. I took one down quickly but the second was proving to be more difficult. The armor was giving them an unfair advantage over me. As I defended myself from this man a scream sounded just behind me and my advisory glanced over my shoulder. While he was distracted I drove forward and finished him before spinning to see the body of a woman with an axe sprawled on the floor. Her throat torn out. Timlal in the form of a giant cat leapt away from the body. If he had not killed her I would have died. I was in his debt.

Once again my attention was called back to the fighting. It became a blur of bodies and the stone floor was treacherous with the slick blood that covered it. A few surviving Anga Anca remained and Gralin lay decapitated at Dinrogion's feet. I was covered in blood and ached. My eyes took in the carnage now that I had a chance to rest. I was having difficulty not being ill and adding to the stench and wretched mess of the bodies.

I leaned heavily against a wall and looked over at the prisoners being gathered. Many were wounded. But none were being treated. I glanced around to see Shassma working on a skin-changer and several others were working on changers and a few of the non-skin changing servants. I noticed Dinrogion clean his blade and walk to Timlal. Then Timlal had those prisoners that had been gathered removed from the room. Some of which I was not sure should be moved.

Roch bounded up to my side grinning. "That was amazing! You fought really well. I haven't seen a fight like that in years! And that was brilliant the way you turned and sliced into the one man then used the momentum to knock over that woman and drive down to cut her open! And the way you move, you aren't at all clumsyit looks like you dance when you fight! You need to show me how you did that twist thing with the dagger when"

My stomach was feeling a bit queasy as I got the play back of my actions while looking at the result. The bodies lying mangled on the floor while their lifeless eyes stared back at me. I shuddered and closed my own feeling rather tired.

"Roch, won't you go and see if Shassma needs any assistance?" Dinrogion's steady voice demanded. I opened my eyes and glanced up to see him a few feet away.

Roch scowled at him. "But I wanted to talk to Elrohir"

Dinrogion glared at the man and Roch finally scurried off to see Shassma. My eyes were on the last of the prisoners as they were being escorted from the room. "Will they get medical attention?" I asked wearily.

Dinrogion looked at me almost with a startled look on his features. "They shall be taken care of where they are going."

"Where's that?" I asked letting my eyes rest on Dinrogion. A far more appealing thing to behold than the scene that was surrounding me.

His eyes were traveling critically over my body. "We're setting them free of their obligationsAre you well? Have you taken any serious injury?"

I shook my head negatively. Though I bled a little there was nothing critical that I could not handle on my own. "I am fine. A little battered but nothing that I can't handle. Are you well?" I asked as I looked him over searching for any harm.

His expression softened and he stepped forward raising his hand to brush my cheek. "Because of your timely interference I am perfectly well." A flicker of something danced in his eyes. "Elrohir, why did you put yourself at risk for me like that?"

"I enjoy your company and I don't want to see you hurt. I couldn't stand back and do nothing while he tried to kill you. II care about you." I spoke honestly to him.

Dinrogion looked at me rather intensely for a moment before speaking again. "You should not put yourself in danger for my sake. I could have moved before the dagger struck. Though I am deeply touched by your action." He paused for a moment. "I would also like to know how you returned here so quickly?"

"I shall do as I please. And if protecting you is my want then I shall see it through."

Dinrogion arched an eyebrow sharply at my stubbornness.

"And Roch took the form of a horse and allowed me to ride him here." I replied.

The look on Dinrogion's face changed all together. A flash of anger erupted in the amber eyes. "You rode on Roch? Did he tell you to do such a thing?"

I was confused at his reaction. "Yes, he suggested it and I asked if it was all right and he said yesdid I do something inappropriate?"

His face softened again and the anger left him. He reached up and cupped my cheek tenderly. "No, no Elrohir you did nothing wrong. But Roch should not have asked you such a question. I shall talk to him of this later. He tends to be a little impulsive at times and may not have understood properly."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It is practice among my kind that when one of us is courting the others do not touch the individual that is being courted. Unless they know both well. And an intimate touch is forbidden to even them. Roch should not have offered to carry you here. It was highly inappropriate of him to be between your legs when I have not. Even if it was an innocent gesture."

I stood there with my jaw hanging open for a good several minutes. "I did not think of it in that wayand you're courting me?"

Dinrogion smiled at me. "Yes, Elrohir. I am." His thumb caressed my cheek. "Why don't you go take care of your wounds and bathe? There is nothing for you to do here. I have more than enough help to clean the hall and dispose of the bodies. You should rest, and I would be honored to speak with you over a private dinner tomorrow night."

I nodded dumbly. "That would be nice."

Dinrogion's fingers lingered on my face and he gave my cheek a final caress before withdrawing and turning his attention elsewhere. I watched him for a while moving among his people. His stance proud and his voice commanding. I finally left feeling more confused than I had in a rather long time.

I went to my room and gathered a fresh robe and towel along with soap. I left my weapons but for a single dagger tucked in my boot and headed down to bathe. I called out before I entered the small chamber. There was no response and I wandered in setting my things on a ledge.

The room was of marble with a sunken basin occupying most of the floor. It was filled by heated water that was continuously circulated. Steps were built in around the entire basin going to its bottom. The basin at its deepest point the waterline came to my chest while standing. There was one doorway in. A single high window let the rays of sunlight down to the water. The walls were decorated with pillars and statures done in a relief. The tall pillars lined the walls to join in arches and stretch over the circular ceiling. In the space between the pillars were relief statues of animals mostly with a few people here and there.

I stripped from my blood-soiled clothing. My outer tunic was ruined. It was tattered from the battle and stained red. My under tunic was also stained and tattered but I thought I may be able to salvage it. I let the items fall to a pile on the marble as I shoved off my boots. I unhooked the fastens of my dark leggings and peeled them off. They too were ruined with the smell of blood. I tossed them onto my tunic and stood on the heated stone inspecting my body. My worst wound was the gash in my side, which still bled a bit. But it would heal and clot soon enough. I would bandage it to save from infection though when I returned to my rooms.

I took the soap and a cloth and dipped my foot to the first step testing the invitingly warm water. Slowly I descended relishing the exquisite feel of the warm liquid sliding over my tired muscles. I set the soap and cloth on the side and let my whole body ease beneath the water. Its warmth a blanket covering and soothing my aching body. I surfaced with a gasp of air and took a seat on one of the steps. The water level teasing the skin of my thighs as I sat and unbraided my hair. The blood and sweat of battle had matted it.

As I sat there struggling with the matted braids I became increasingly uneasy. My skin prickled as a weight settled in my throat and the hairs on the back of my neck rose in warning. I could feel a cold gaze sweeping over my body. I felt as though I was being physically violated by the cold and by the air itself. I discretely searched the room but I was alone here. My memory scanned through my eyes and I could place nothing wrong. Yet as the last of my braids fell the feeling had grown.

I was being watched. But there was nothing in the room to watch me. I rose from the step and gathering the soap and cloth sinking my exposed flesh beneath the comforting embrace of the water. As I washed my hair my eyes remained active trying to locate the one who trespassed upon my privacy.

It was as I rinsed the soap from my hair that my memory and my eyes found the inconstancy.

One of the statues between the pillars was of three wolves howling towards the window. Today there were four wolves. And that mysterious fourth had its eerily lifelike eyes trained upon the basin and its occupant.

I could have called the wolf's bluff. But instead I continued to remove the last traces of soap from my hair as though I perceived nothing amiss. I then began to wash my body thoroughly. Rising above the water to lather the soap over my skin and rubbing the grime away with the cloth. If Dinrogion was so curious as to my bathing habits. Let him watch. I filled a jug and stood on a higher step, pouring it, allowing the water to rinse away the soap and cascade over my body. I continued to bathe in that manner until I had nothing left to cleanse. So I slid beneath the surface one last time. Then rose and walked up the steps. The water dripping from me. The dying rays of sunlight used their last touch to add fire to the water covering my skin.

I walked to the ledge. Slipped my wet body into the robe. Gathered my things and left the room returning to my own. Hopefully that would satisfy his curiosityIf not, wet it more.