Chapter 24
I read of the death of my Grandmother, and mother's grief at her death. My Grandmother died of a terrible wasting disease that even the skills of the Elves could not help. Grandfather then blamed my mother, for her mother's illness started just after my mother was born.
That Grandfather remarried I knew, and that my Step-Grandmother did not like Mother I also knew, but not that Mother had a younger brother. Nor that this boy was drowned as a result of Wolves attacking the band of brood mares they were watering. The horses stampeded and both children were flung into the water, the panicked horses following them into the water. This scene is so clear to me, I have witnessed similar scenes, and I know how easy it is for even adults to be killed in stock stampedes, for once long ago, myself and all three of my brothers nearly suffered the same fate, fortunately, we are all strong swimmers.
It appears my uncle was knocked unconscious in the stampede, and then drowned before Mother was able to pull him from the water. My eyes stung with tears, as I read of how she struggled to pull her dying brother from the water, as horses mad with fear thrashed about them.
The children were found that evening, on the riverbank, by my real grandmother's brothers, my mother unconscious and near death, her brother dead. Apparently my step-grandmother lost her mind with the death of her only child, and instead of mother receiving praise for the courage she showed in trying to save her brother's life, nearly at the expense of her own, she was blamed for allowing the horses to stampede and causing the accident in the first place.
Of course, this is when the cruel treatment my mother received at the hands of her stepmother began. But I did not know how bad it truly was, I read of how she was blamed for everything that went wrong in her family's life over the next five years. Her punishments were terrible, and my tears stained pages as I read of the floggings she endured. I had known of the lash scars on Mother's back, but never how she got them.
The narrative ends, and there are three blank pages. Mother appears to have not written anything during the years of her marriage to Arathorn, not even of my brother's birth. She had started writing again with the arrival of Elves to take her and Aragorn to Rivendell, and I decide that I have read more than enough for today, I am feeling quite exhausted after reading of Mother's sad childhood.
I close the diary, and reflect on how lucky I was to have had such a happy childhood, and a loving family as I put the book away. I decide that if I do marry Haldir, I will do my best to insure any children we might have would have the kind of carefree life I has a child.
There is a knock at the door. I open it, and there stands my sister, and she is carrying her bow, and dressed in a plain gown suitable for archery.
'Come, sister,' she says to me, 'I have been watching the bowmen practising below, and I have decided we could both do with a little fresh air and exercise. Besides which, I daresay you are as bored with pretending to be a princess as my husband can get with being King'. Arwen's eyes are sparkling with humour as I willingly change my gown and pick up my own bow.
We take a quick look out of my window, and see that the three brothers from Lorien have been joined our own twin brothers.
'Hhmm,' says Arwen, 'I think we should show them exactly how good female archers can be. What do say to us calling in some reinforcements?'
'Lady Galadriel?' I ask.
'Of course. She will be more than willing to help'.
We go past Galadriel's rooms, and as Arwen predicted she is quite willing to help us show the men that women can be just as good at Archery. Actually, the Lady of Lorien is an excellent archer, and it is she who trained Arwen. I learned mostly from Aragorn, and like he I'm not much at target archery, I am much better at hunting or in times of war.
'Where is Grandfather?' Arwen asked.
'I have no idea. He, and Elrond, and Aragorn and that nice young Faramir have all gone off somewhere. They will apparently be gone most of the day.' Galadriel said to Arwen.
'Well then, there's enough of them to both get into and out of any trouble that might come their way', I commented.
Galadriel laughed. 'If the truth be told, I would not put it past them to all be in a tavern somewhere'.
The mental picture her comment caused made both Arwen and myself to laugh helplessly. Especially when one considered she is probably right.
By this stage, we have reached the practise field, and been spotted by Elladan. 'Well, here come some ladies who appear to want to challenge us to an archery match!'
'Indeed, we do', replied Galadriel.
The rest of the morning was spent enjoyably trying to actually hit the target in face of terrible teasing and some underhanded tricks to distract the person shooting.
Elrohir made me, and almost everyone else laugh till they cried by his chosen method of distracting his grandmother and our sister, by kissing them! He know better than to try that with me, as the last time he did, I poked him in the rear with an arrow hard enough to make it difficult for him to sit down for 2 days, much to the amusement of everyone in Rivendell.
Eventually, Lady Galadriel was declared the winner; no one cared who was second or third. It was time for lunch, and we had all worked up quite an appetite.
After lunch, the twins disappeared to go horse riding, and Haldir and his brothers were to be on guard duty by mid afternoon, so they too vanished, leaving me with Arwen and Galadriel.
''Well, my dear', said Galadriel in her deep voice, 'Elrond has asked me to have a talk to you, and do think this afternoon will be a good time'.
'Yes, my Lady, I quite agree'.
'Arwen, shall you accompany us?' Galadreil asked her granddaughter.
'No, I shall not, I think what you have to say to Elandra is best said in private. I shall be in the nursery'.
'Then Elandra and I shall walk in the gardens. Please make sure we not disturbed'.
Arwen promises to make sure we will be alone, and I accompany the Lady of Lothlorien into the gardens, curious but a little apprehensive about she has to say to me.
Notes: Wasting disease was one old name given to cancer, a disease I am sure not even the Elves could cure.
Ok, and I know not all stepmothers are evil, wicked and nasty. Some are very nice and treat all the kids the same.
I read of the death of my Grandmother, and mother's grief at her death. My Grandmother died of a terrible wasting disease that even the skills of the Elves could not help. Grandfather then blamed my mother, for her mother's illness started just after my mother was born.
That Grandfather remarried I knew, and that my Step-Grandmother did not like Mother I also knew, but not that Mother had a younger brother. Nor that this boy was drowned as a result of Wolves attacking the band of brood mares they were watering. The horses stampeded and both children were flung into the water, the panicked horses following them into the water. This scene is so clear to me, I have witnessed similar scenes, and I know how easy it is for even adults to be killed in stock stampedes, for once long ago, myself and all three of my brothers nearly suffered the same fate, fortunately, we are all strong swimmers.
It appears my uncle was knocked unconscious in the stampede, and then drowned before Mother was able to pull him from the water. My eyes stung with tears, as I read of how she struggled to pull her dying brother from the water, as horses mad with fear thrashed about them.
The children were found that evening, on the riverbank, by my real grandmother's brothers, my mother unconscious and near death, her brother dead. Apparently my step-grandmother lost her mind with the death of her only child, and instead of mother receiving praise for the courage she showed in trying to save her brother's life, nearly at the expense of her own, she was blamed for allowing the horses to stampede and causing the accident in the first place.
Of course, this is when the cruel treatment my mother received at the hands of her stepmother began. But I did not know how bad it truly was, I read of how she was blamed for everything that went wrong in her family's life over the next five years. Her punishments were terrible, and my tears stained pages as I read of the floggings she endured. I had known of the lash scars on Mother's back, but never how she got them.
The narrative ends, and there are three blank pages. Mother appears to have not written anything during the years of her marriage to Arathorn, not even of my brother's birth. She had started writing again with the arrival of Elves to take her and Aragorn to Rivendell, and I decide that I have read more than enough for today, I am feeling quite exhausted after reading of Mother's sad childhood.
I close the diary, and reflect on how lucky I was to have had such a happy childhood, and a loving family as I put the book away. I decide that if I do marry Haldir, I will do my best to insure any children we might have would have the kind of carefree life I has a child.
There is a knock at the door. I open it, and there stands my sister, and she is carrying her bow, and dressed in a plain gown suitable for archery.
'Come, sister,' she says to me, 'I have been watching the bowmen practising below, and I have decided we could both do with a little fresh air and exercise. Besides which, I daresay you are as bored with pretending to be a princess as my husband can get with being King'. Arwen's eyes are sparkling with humour as I willingly change my gown and pick up my own bow.
We take a quick look out of my window, and see that the three brothers from Lorien have been joined our own twin brothers.
'Hhmm,' says Arwen, 'I think we should show them exactly how good female archers can be. What do say to us calling in some reinforcements?'
'Lady Galadriel?' I ask.
'Of course. She will be more than willing to help'.
We go past Galadriel's rooms, and as Arwen predicted she is quite willing to help us show the men that women can be just as good at Archery. Actually, the Lady of Lorien is an excellent archer, and it is she who trained Arwen. I learned mostly from Aragorn, and like he I'm not much at target archery, I am much better at hunting or in times of war.
'Where is Grandfather?' Arwen asked.
'I have no idea. He, and Elrond, and Aragorn and that nice young Faramir have all gone off somewhere. They will apparently be gone most of the day.' Galadriel said to Arwen.
'Well then, there's enough of them to both get into and out of any trouble that might come their way', I commented.
Galadriel laughed. 'If the truth be told, I would not put it past them to all be in a tavern somewhere'.
The mental picture her comment caused made both Arwen and myself to laugh helplessly. Especially when one considered she is probably right.
By this stage, we have reached the practise field, and been spotted by Elladan. 'Well, here come some ladies who appear to want to challenge us to an archery match!'
'Indeed, we do', replied Galadriel.
The rest of the morning was spent enjoyably trying to actually hit the target in face of terrible teasing and some underhanded tricks to distract the person shooting.
Elrohir made me, and almost everyone else laugh till they cried by his chosen method of distracting his grandmother and our sister, by kissing them! He know better than to try that with me, as the last time he did, I poked him in the rear with an arrow hard enough to make it difficult for him to sit down for 2 days, much to the amusement of everyone in Rivendell.
Eventually, Lady Galadriel was declared the winner; no one cared who was second or third. It was time for lunch, and we had all worked up quite an appetite.
After lunch, the twins disappeared to go horse riding, and Haldir and his brothers were to be on guard duty by mid afternoon, so they too vanished, leaving me with Arwen and Galadriel.
''Well, my dear', said Galadriel in her deep voice, 'Elrond has asked me to have a talk to you, and do think this afternoon will be a good time'.
'Yes, my Lady, I quite agree'.
'Arwen, shall you accompany us?' Galadreil asked her granddaughter.
'No, I shall not, I think what you have to say to Elandra is best said in private. I shall be in the nursery'.
'Then Elandra and I shall walk in the gardens. Please make sure we not disturbed'.
Arwen promises to make sure we will be alone, and I accompany the Lady of Lothlorien into the gardens, curious but a little apprehensive about she has to say to me.
Notes: Wasting disease was one old name given to cancer, a disease I am sure not even the Elves could cure.
Ok, and I know not all stepmothers are evil, wicked and nasty. Some are very nice and treat all the kids the same.