Author's note: *Sniff* Nobody loves me. Only one review for the last
chapter. Well, if you don't want me to update. . .
***
Mir got to his feet when he heard someone approaching the door. He waited, not entirely sure what to expect, but certain it wouldn't be good. It took a few seconds to process it when all that happened was a servant came in carrying a tray of food. He definitely hadn't been expecting this. By the time his brain had accepted this new circumstance, the servant had placed the tray down on the table. Mir acted quickly.
He charged forward, catching her by surprise and knocking her backwards against the wall. He pressed one hand against her stomach and brought his other arm up so his forearm lay across her throat. For a moment he hesitated, seeing the fear that was written on her features. He'd never had anyone look at him like that before, and he didn't like it. The hesitation only lasted a second however.
"What do you want with me?" he demanded fiercely.
"Please, sir," she stammered, clearly terrified, "I was sent with the food."
"Why was I brought here?"
"I don't know." He could feel her trembling, and knew that she was telling the truth. After all, who would explain the purpose of a kidnapping to a servant? He stepped backwards, releasing her, and she fled.
As Mir sat down and began to eat the meal she'd bought, he regretted what he'd just done. He'd learned nothing and only managed to frighten someone who probably didn't know anything about what was going on. But he was so desperate to find some answers. Why had they been kidnapped? And where was Rion?
In a few moments the door opened again. This time it wasn't a servant who came in, but the man who had drugged Rion on their capture followed by a group of guards. Mir glanced around nervously, as though hoping to see some other escape route he'd missed the other hundred times he'd looked round. He knew the man had come to punish him for what he'd done to that girl, and desperately wished for some way to prevent it.
"I am to bring you to the king," the man said. With a jerk of his head, he signalled for the guards to come forward and grab hold of Mir. He didn't even bother fighting as they bound his hands and put a blindfold around his eyes, since it was clearly pointless.
After the journey up, he wasn't surprised by the amount of stairs he was taken down, but there didn't seem to be as many as he had been taken up. Finally they stopped. Listening carefully, Mir heard someone knock on a door and a voice call that they should enter. The door opened and Mir was pushed forwards. He heard the door close behind him. In the moment's silence that followed, he found himself trembling and couldn't stop it.
"Release him," someone said. Moments later the blindfold was gone and he could get a look at the someone who had spoken. He must be the king. Even without the fine clothes and the crown he had the face of someone who was used to being obeyed. The man who had brought him from his cell was still there, now untying his hands, but the other soldiers were gone.
"What's your name, boy?" the king asked. Mir briefly considered refusing to answer, but the thought of what they could do to him filled his heart with fear.
"Denomir," he said, "son of Alagrand." In the pause that followed he managed to summon the courage to ask, "Where is Rion?"
"He is safe," the king replied, "Neither one of you will be harmed if you co-operate with us." Mir didn't miss the fact he didn't say what would happen if they didn't co-operate.
"All I ask," the king continued, "is a little information about your land."
"You want me to turn traitor?" Mir couldn't keep the anger out of his voice at the prospect.
"If I wanted vital information then I would have captured a soldier. What you could tell me would be of no use for an invasion." Mir didn't believe a word of that. What else could he want information for?
"I will tell you nothing," Mir said.
"Why such loyalty? Surely it cannot hurt to tell me something. I will not ask about your army or defences."
"I will not tell anything to a kidnapper, no matter what the question might be." Something passed across the king's face like a shadow when Mir said that, but it was gone in an instant.
"It will improve your time here if you do." True to his word, Mir said nothing.
"You are as stubborn as your friend," the king said at last.
"Where is he?" Mir asked, worry foremost in his mind.
Almost in answer there was a knock on the door. A soldier came in as soon as the king gave permission. He was slightly breathless, and Mir could see a purple bruise forming on his jaw.
"What has happened?" the king demanded.
"The prince tried to escape," the soldier explained. For a moment Mir allowed himself to hope.
"Tried?"
"He is secure again." Mir's heart sank to even lower depths than before.
"Take this one back to his room," the king ordered, "I will see to the prince." Mir didn't like the sound of that, but there was nothing he could do as he was bound again.
"If you hurt him, I'll kill you," he threatened. The absurdity of his threat came to him as the blindfold was put over his eyes again and the soldiers pushed him out of the door, completely at their mercy.
***
Rion's shoulders were beginning to ache, and he hadn't even been here very long. The soldiers hadn't taken him back to the room he'd woken up in, instead they'd brought him to a dark cell. His arms were held above his head in chains that hung from the ceiling. The only light came from a small rectangle in the door through which someone might look in at him.
It wasn't long before someone did come, none other than the king himself. He came into the cell and stood before Rion, looking at him for a long time before speaking.
"That was rather foolish."
"So was kidnapping me," Rion responded, "It will be considered an act of war. As soon as my father learns where I am. . ."
"He already knows." The interruption caught Rion by surprise.
"I suppose you think your father will be sending a fleet to rescue you," the king said, smiling.
"As any father would."
"He will not be coming for you." Rion didn't say anything to that. Of course his father would come. He wouldn't leave him a prisoner here. "You don't believe me? Very well."
The king turned and beckoned to some guards who were standing waiting outside the door. They came in and released Rion's arms from the chains. He had less than a second to enjoy the feeling of having them free, when they were behind his back and tied securely there. A blindfold was tied across his eyes and the soldiers steered him forwards.
When they reached their destination and the blindfold removed, Rion was standing on a wide balcony, the king beside him. The view in front of them consisted mostly of the blue ocean. On the horizon huge storm clouds were growing, mountains rising above the sea.
"You see those?" the king pointed at the gathering clouds. "The storm you passed through on your journey here was just the beginning. These seas are treacherous at this time of year. No one will dare sail far from shore until spring, neither from here nor from Gondor. Even if your father does send out a fleet, it would never reach here."
Even as he spoke, Rion saw flickers of light from within the clouds, branches of distant lightning. Tears flowed down his cheeks and he did nothing to stop them. That expanse of sea lay there, an impassable barrier between him and his home.
He didn't struggle as they took him back to his room. His heart was too filled with the shock of what he had just heard. His father couldn't come for him, and there was no way for him to escape. He remembered the storm from the voyage across, and would not want to face another like it.
Once the door was closed behind him, he tore the circlet from his head and flung it across the room in anger. They had no right to do this to him! They had no right to take him from his home like this! He thought of his family and everything he would never see again, and the anger was drowned in a sea of grief.
He lay on the bed crying as night fell and the storm approached the castle. Rain fell outside, hitting the windows in sheets of water as though the sea had risen up and covered the castle. Inside water flowed just as readily down Rion's cheeks, but as the night passed, and the tears ran dry, he thought of something, and took hope from something the king had said.
No one would dare sail until the spring, but what then? Surely all he had to do was wait, and then his father would come. The sea was not so impassable, if he was only patient.
***
Author's note: I know it's not much of a cliffhanger, but please review. I love getting reviews.
***
Mir got to his feet when he heard someone approaching the door. He waited, not entirely sure what to expect, but certain it wouldn't be good. It took a few seconds to process it when all that happened was a servant came in carrying a tray of food. He definitely hadn't been expecting this. By the time his brain had accepted this new circumstance, the servant had placed the tray down on the table. Mir acted quickly.
He charged forward, catching her by surprise and knocking her backwards against the wall. He pressed one hand against her stomach and brought his other arm up so his forearm lay across her throat. For a moment he hesitated, seeing the fear that was written on her features. He'd never had anyone look at him like that before, and he didn't like it. The hesitation only lasted a second however.
"What do you want with me?" he demanded fiercely.
"Please, sir," she stammered, clearly terrified, "I was sent with the food."
"Why was I brought here?"
"I don't know." He could feel her trembling, and knew that she was telling the truth. After all, who would explain the purpose of a kidnapping to a servant? He stepped backwards, releasing her, and she fled.
As Mir sat down and began to eat the meal she'd bought, he regretted what he'd just done. He'd learned nothing and only managed to frighten someone who probably didn't know anything about what was going on. But he was so desperate to find some answers. Why had they been kidnapped? And where was Rion?
In a few moments the door opened again. This time it wasn't a servant who came in, but the man who had drugged Rion on their capture followed by a group of guards. Mir glanced around nervously, as though hoping to see some other escape route he'd missed the other hundred times he'd looked round. He knew the man had come to punish him for what he'd done to that girl, and desperately wished for some way to prevent it.
"I am to bring you to the king," the man said. With a jerk of his head, he signalled for the guards to come forward and grab hold of Mir. He didn't even bother fighting as they bound his hands and put a blindfold around his eyes, since it was clearly pointless.
After the journey up, he wasn't surprised by the amount of stairs he was taken down, but there didn't seem to be as many as he had been taken up. Finally they stopped. Listening carefully, Mir heard someone knock on a door and a voice call that they should enter. The door opened and Mir was pushed forwards. He heard the door close behind him. In the moment's silence that followed, he found himself trembling and couldn't stop it.
"Release him," someone said. Moments later the blindfold was gone and he could get a look at the someone who had spoken. He must be the king. Even without the fine clothes and the crown he had the face of someone who was used to being obeyed. The man who had brought him from his cell was still there, now untying his hands, but the other soldiers were gone.
"What's your name, boy?" the king asked. Mir briefly considered refusing to answer, but the thought of what they could do to him filled his heart with fear.
"Denomir," he said, "son of Alagrand." In the pause that followed he managed to summon the courage to ask, "Where is Rion?"
"He is safe," the king replied, "Neither one of you will be harmed if you co-operate with us." Mir didn't miss the fact he didn't say what would happen if they didn't co-operate.
"All I ask," the king continued, "is a little information about your land."
"You want me to turn traitor?" Mir couldn't keep the anger out of his voice at the prospect.
"If I wanted vital information then I would have captured a soldier. What you could tell me would be of no use for an invasion." Mir didn't believe a word of that. What else could he want information for?
"I will tell you nothing," Mir said.
"Why such loyalty? Surely it cannot hurt to tell me something. I will not ask about your army or defences."
"I will not tell anything to a kidnapper, no matter what the question might be." Something passed across the king's face like a shadow when Mir said that, but it was gone in an instant.
"It will improve your time here if you do." True to his word, Mir said nothing.
"You are as stubborn as your friend," the king said at last.
"Where is he?" Mir asked, worry foremost in his mind.
Almost in answer there was a knock on the door. A soldier came in as soon as the king gave permission. He was slightly breathless, and Mir could see a purple bruise forming on his jaw.
"What has happened?" the king demanded.
"The prince tried to escape," the soldier explained. For a moment Mir allowed himself to hope.
"Tried?"
"He is secure again." Mir's heart sank to even lower depths than before.
"Take this one back to his room," the king ordered, "I will see to the prince." Mir didn't like the sound of that, but there was nothing he could do as he was bound again.
"If you hurt him, I'll kill you," he threatened. The absurdity of his threat came to him as the blindfold was put over his eyes again and the soldiers pushed him out of the door, completely at their mercy.
***
Rion's shoulders were beginning to ache, and he hadn't even been here very long. The soldiers hadn't taken him back to the room he'd woken up in, instead they'd brought him to a dark cell. His arms were held above his head in chains that hung from the ceiling. The only light came from a small rectangle in the door through which someone might look in at him.
It wasn't long before someone did come, none other than the king himself. He came into the cell and stood before Rion, looking at him for a long time before speaking.
"That was rather foolish."
"So was kidnapping me," Rion responded, "It will be considered an act of war. As soon as my father learns where I am. . ."
"He already knows." The interruption caught Rion by surprise.
"I suppose you think your father will be sending a fleet to rescue you," the king said, smiling.
"As any father would."
"He will not be coming for you." Rion didn't say anything to that. Of course his father would come. He wouldn't leave him a prisoner here. "You don't believe me? Very well."
The king turned and beckoned to some guards who were standing waiting outside the door. They came in and released Rion's arms from the chains. He had less than a second to enjoy the feeling of having them free, when they were behind his back and tied securely there. A blindfold was tied across his eyes and the soldiers steered him forwards.
When they reached their destination and the blindfold removed, Rion was standing on a wide balcony, the king beside him. The view in front of them consisted mostly of the blue ocean. On the horizon huge storm clouds were growing, mountains rising above the sea.
"You see those?" the king pointed at the gathering clouds. "The storm you passed through on your journey here was just the beginning. These seas are treacherous at this time of year. No one will dare sail far from shore until spring, neither from here nor from Gondor. Even if your father does send out a fleet, it would never reach here."
Even as he spoke, Rion saw flickers of light from within the clouds, branches of distant lightning. Tears flowed down his cheeks and he did nothing to stop them. That expanse of sea lay there, an impassable barrier between him and his home.
He didn't struggle as they took him back to his room. His heart was too filled with the shock of what he had just heard. His father couldn't come for him, and there was no way for him to escape. He remembered the storm from the voyage across, and would not want to face another like it.
Once the door was closed behind him, he tore the circlet from his head and flung it across the room in anger. They had no right to do this to him! They had no right to take him from his home like this! He thought of his family and everything he would never see again, and the anger was drowned in a sea of grief.
He lay on the bed crying as night fell and the storm approached the castle. Rain fell outside, hitting the windows in sheets of water as though the sea had risen up and covered the castle. Inside water flowed just as readily down Rion's cheeks, but as the night passed, and the tears ran dry, he thought of something, and took hope from something the king had said.
No one would dare sail until the spring, but what then? Surely all he had to do was wait, and then his father would come. The sea was not so impassable, if he was only patient.
***
Author's note: I know it's not much of a cliffhanger, but please review. I love getting reviews.