Chapter Sixteen
Disclaimer: It ain't mine apart from the four girls, Darain and Madeline.
A/N: Please, please review because I really appreciate and value your opinions!
Almost a week had passed, and mayhem had broken out in Greenwood. The girls spent most of the time in their bedroom, with the occasional visit to what was now "their" room, and, of course, the kitchen. Jaena was kept up late on many a night wondering about the mysterious stranger of whom she had seen or heard nothing from since.
One night, she decided that she would walk in the garden. Despite the prior warnings, she was desperate for some freedom. And, although she would never tell the other girls, some time alone. She slipped on a simple white dress with a green cloak over it, and went downstairs into the garden, being careful not to wake anyone. Jaena took out a book and began to read by the light of the moon. Suddenly, she heard something behind the bush that she was sitting in front of. She peeked around, heart racing, and saw Aragorn pacing around the fountain looking worried.
"Hello, Aragorn," she said. He looked up from the cool water.
"Lady Jaena, you startled me."
"I'm sorry," she said, then opened her mouth as if to speak. She thought the better of it.
"Is something troubling you?" Aragorn asked patiently.
"No, well, yes, I wanted to ask you a question. But you look like you have enough to worry about."
Aragorn looked amused at the girl's thoughtfulness.
"And what question might that be?" He asked, wanting something to take his mind off the war.
"You're...do you?" she paused and sighed. "Your nephew..."
"I have no nephew," he said, almost too quickly. "I had a niece...but she was drowned three years ago." Jaena was in a state of disbelief.
"No, no, you have a nephew - I saw him."
"You cannot see a relative of mine that I do not have," snapped the man.
"I...danced with a young man who claimed to be your nephew. He said that he rode back with Arwen, he..." She paused, not wanting to offend him, but she sensed that he was keeping something from her.
"Jaena, it could not have been..." He sighed and led her to a marble bench where they sat down.
"Jaena...can you keep a secret?" She looked up at his sincere eyes, almost the same eyes as she had been looking into a week ago.
"Yes, you can trust me." Then he began to speak, began to tell Jaena the most horrifying and tragic tale that she had ever heard. When he had finished, she looked at him. A single tear fell from his eye, which was brushed away quickly.
"I...I'm so sorry. To make you relive such a...painful memory. I saw him? I..."
"We cannot be sure that it was him, what name did he give you?"
"Darain," she answered quietly.
"Darain..." he repeated. "That was the name that I called him sometimes. Darain." He looked at the saddened girl, and said; "You are the first person to speak with him in three years. He is dangerous, cunning. You are not safe."
*
It was beginning to get light as Jaena stood in the doorway of the bedroom.
"Elrohir can't go, he's..."
"Your honey?" interrupted Alcarin. Emeriel giggled.
"Well, yes, actually, he is," said Estriel.
"Elladan's going too, you know," said Emeriel.
"This probably isn't the best time to tell you guys this, but Legolas isn't."
"How come?" asked Estriel.
"Cos he's the prince, so he's all special. Plus he's..."
"A sissy?" said Jaena from the doorway.
"Jaena! We've been worried about you!" said Estriel.
Ali rushed up to her and Jaena held out her harms to hug her. Instead, Ali slapped her playfully.
"Ali!" screeched Jaena.
"That's for saying that Legolas is a sissy," said Ali, before giving her friend a hug.
"Have you heard the news?" asked Emeriel.
"Good or bad?" asked Jaena.
"Bad," said Estriel and Emeriel simultaneously.
"Then, I don't want to hear it, 'cos I've got some bad news for you."
"What?" asked Estriel, concerned.
"Let's sit down," suggested Jaena.
They all sat down on the rug in the centre of the floor.
"Remember that guy I danced with at the ball?" asked Jaena.
They all nodded.
"You saw him again?" asked Estriel.
"In what way would that be BAD news, Es?" said Alcarin. "You saw him kissing another girl?"
"No and no," said Jaena. "I was in the garden just now-"
"You went outside by yourself?" asked Estriel.
"Can we just focus, please?" said Jaena. "I saw Aragorn and I asked about his nephew. He said he didn't have one."
Their eyes widened, and Alcarin gasped.
"I haven't even got to the punch line yet," continued Jaena. "I pestered, because I could tell that he wasn't telling me everything. Then he tells me that he does have a nephew."
"Okay, I'm confused," said Estriel.
"Then he asks me if I can keep a secret, and I say that I can. Don't worry, though, he told me that I could tell you. Anyway, he had a nephew, and he had a twin sister. About three years ago, a man called Gualbarad was trying to take over the village where Darain lived and rule it unfairly. He was totally evil; he even killed a few people. As a defence, they put up a wall around the village and to get passed it you had to have a password. Someone must have betrayed the village and told him the password, because one day he got through the gate and stormed the village. They were more prepared for this than he had thought, because they fought back. Anyway, they didn't manage to kill him, but he surrendered and left.
Two days later they found Mäegel - his twin sister, dead in the river. They thought that it was an accident that it had happened when they were trying to flee. They thought that he had died too, even though they didn't find his body. Then, when Aragorn and the twins' father, Telbaran, were walking in the woods they saw him. They saw him speaking to Gualbarad." The girls were hanging on her every last word. Usually she would be enjoying it, but not when she had to tell them something like this.
"Well? What was he saying?" asked Alcarin.
"He was saying...he said,"It is done. I come to seek my reward." Later they looked through Mäegal's room and found a diary, which contained sightings of Gualbarad planning to attack. Guys...he killed his twin sister for Gualbarad because she had seen too much. Don't you see? It was him who gave him the password; he led Mäegal the wrong way purposely and killed her. He betrayed his family. He killed his sister. He hasn't been seen for three years and then he shows up in a place where he knows he's gonna get recognised and I danced with him." She stopped, and looked around at her friends.
"Aragorn says that I'm.I'm not safe."
A/N: This is a FINAL WARNING: you don't review & I stop posting!
Disclaimer: It ain't mine apart from the four girls, Darain and Madeline.
A/N: Please, please review because I really appreciate and value your opinions!
Almost a week had passed, and mayhem had broken out in Greenwood. The girls spent most of the time in their bedroom, with the occasional visit to what was now "their" room, and, of course, the kitchen. Jaena was kept up late on many a night wondering about the mysterious stranger of whom she had seen or heard nothing from since.
One night, she decided that she would walk in the garden. Despite the prior warnings, she was desperate for some freedom. And, although she would never tell the other girls, some time alone. She slipped on a simple white dress with a green cloak over it, and went downstairs into the garden, being careful not to wake anyone. Jaena took out a book and began to read by the light of the moon. Suddenly, she heard something behind the bush that she was sitting in front of. She peeked around, heart racing, and saw Aragorn pacing around the fountain looking worried.
"Hello, Aragorn," she said. He looked up from the cool water.
"Lady Jaena, you startled me."
"I'm sorry," she said, then opened her mouth as if to speak. She thought the better of it.
"Is something troubling you?" Aragorn asked patiently.
"No, well, yes, I wanted to ask you a question. But you look like you have enough to worry about."
Aragorn looked amused at the girl's thoughtfulness.
"And what question might that be?" He asked, wanting something to take his mind off the war.
"You're...do you?" she paused and sighed. "Your nephew..."
"I have no nephew," he said, almost too quickly. "I had a niece...but she was drowned three years ago." Jaena was in a state of disbelief.
"No, no, you have a nephew - I saw him."
"You cannot see a relative of mine that I do not have," snapped the man.
"I...danced with a young man who claimed to be your nephew. He said that he rode back with Arwen, he..." She paused, not wanting to offend him, but she sensed that he was keeping something from her.
"Jaena, it could not have been..." He sighed and led her to a marble bench where they sat down.
"Jaena...can you keep a secret?" She looked up at his sincere eyes, almost the same eyes as she had been looking into a week ago.
"Yes, you can trust me." Then he began to speak, began to tell Jaena the most horrifying and tragic tale that she had ever heard. When he had finished, she looked at him. A single tear fell from his eye, which was brushed away quickly.
"I...I'm so sorry. To make you relive such a...painful memory. I saw him? I..."
"We cannot be sure that it was him, what name did he give you?"
"Darain," she answered quietly.
"Darain..." he repeated. "That was the name that I called him sometimes. Darain." He looked at the saddened girl, and said; "You are the first person to speak with him in three years. He is dangerous, cunning. You are not safe."
*
It was beginning to get light as Jaena stood in the doorway of the bedroom.
"Elrohir can't go, he's..."
"Your honey?" interrupted Alcarin. Emeriel giggled.
"Well, yes, actually, he is," said Estriel.
"Elladan's going too, you know," said Emeriel.
"This probably isn't the best time to tell you guys this, but Legolas isn't."
"How come?" asked Estriel.
"Cos he's the prince, so he's all special. Plus he's..."
"A sissy?" said Jaena from the doorway.
"Jaena! We've been worried about you!" said Estriel.
Ali rushed up to her and Jaena held out her harms to hug her. Instead, Ali slapped her playfully.
"Ali!" screeched Jaena.
"That's for saying that Legolas is a sissy," said Ali, before giving her friend a hug.
"Have you heard the news?" asked Emeriel.
"Good or bad?" asked Jaena.
"Bad," said Estriel and Emeriel simultaneously.
"Then, I don't want to hear it, 'cos I've got some bad news for you."
"What?" asked Estriel, concerned.
"Let's sit down," suggested Jaena.
They all sat down on the rug in the centre of the floor.
"Remember that guy I danced with at the ball?" asked Jaena.
They all nodded.
"You saw him again?" asked Estriel.
"In what way would that be BAD news, Es?" said Alcarin. "You saw him kissing another girl?"
"No and no," said Jaena. "I was in the garden just now-"
"You went outside by yourself?" asked Estriel.
"Can we just focus, please?" said Jaena. "I saw Aragorn and I asked about his nephew. He said he didn't have one."
Their eyes widened, and Alcarin gasped.
"I haven't even got to the punch line yet," continued Jaena. "I pestered, because I could tell that he wasn't telling me everything. Then he tells me that he does have a nephew."
"Okay, I'm confused," said Estriel.
"Then he asks me if I can keep a secret, and I say that I can. Don't worry, though, he told me that I could tell you. Anyway, he had a nephew, and he had a twin sister. About three years ago, a man called Gualbarad was trying to take over the village where Darain lived and rule it unfairly. He was totally evil; he even killed a few people. As a defence, they put up a wall around the village and to get passed it you had to have a password. Someone must have betrayed the village and told him the password, because one day he got through the gate and stormed the village. They were more prepared for this than he had thought, because they fought back. Anyway, they didn't manage to kill him, but he surrendered and left.
Two days later they found Mäegel - his twin sister, dead in the river. They thought that it was an accident that it had happened when they were trying to flee. They thought that he had died too, even though they didn't find his body. Then, when Aragorn and the twins' father, Telbaran, were walking in the woods they saw him. They saw him speaking to Gualbarad." The girls were hanging on her every last word. Usually she would be enjoying it, but not when she had to tell them something like this.
"Well? What was he saying?" asked Alcarin.
"He was saying...he said,"It is done. I come to seek my reward." Later they looked through Mäegal's room and found a diary, which contained sightings of Gualbarad planning to attack. Guys...he killed his twin sister for Gualbarad because she had seen too much. Don't you see? It was him who gave him the password; he led Mäegal the wrong way purposely and killed her. He betrayed his family. He killed his sister. He hasn't been seen for three years and then he shows up in a place where he knows he's gonna get recognised and I danced with him." She stopped, and looked around at her friends.
"Aragorn says that I'm.I'm not safe."
A/N: This is a FINAL WARNING: you don't review & I stop posting!