Hey there! Thanks for the nice reviews *happy grin*. We have got a few days
off from university (Easter holidays :) and it's warm outside and the sun
is shining and yes, I'm in a disgustingly good mood. Well, what I was
trying to say before I started babbling....have fun with this chapter and
please, let me know what you think about it. Happy Easter to you all and
take care! Cya!
Chapter 6: Reveal
"Let you go?" Aragorn repeated after her. An amused smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"I have absolutely no reason to trust you and even if I did it would be very unwise to let you go. I guess you can't give me any guaranty that you or your mother will never try to attack us again. You could be fooling me and then I would let you free, just to be faced with the same problem again, for sooner or later one of you would surely return, in order to see your evil plot through."
"But if what you said is true, I might need your help to protect my city, because Sauda will come for us anyways. The hatred she feels for me will not diminish simply because I showed mercy on you. People like her never give up until they reach her goal. The witch would unleash her wrath upon us and the only person who can provide me with essential information about our attacker will be gone," Aragorn paused and looked her straight in the eye and she had the feeling his piercing gaze penetrated the depths of her soul.
"So, if you were in my place how would you decide?"
If she couldn't come up with a satisfying answer to his question, they would never let her free. She ragged her brain about an adequate solution to this problem, but she was not able to answer his question and finally hung her head in defeat. The overwhelming feeling of helplessness, that had been briefly chased away by the problem at hand, seized her again.
She felt like she was nothing but a chessman that stood on a board that was so gigantic that she could not overlook it. The next move was already predetermined by a higher power that knew everything. She was nothing but a tool, a toy that couldn't make its own decision. Used and manipulated by everyone. Her own life was so small and insignificant, but yet again, in this very instant it determined the fate of a whole city. She didn't want all this. All she wanted to do was to return to the orderliness and peacefulness of her old life.
"I see," King Elessar said calmly. He had noticed the young woman's distress. Her demeanour had changed considerable since she had entered the room. At first she had been agitated, full of energy and now she seemed but a sad shadow of herself. He almost felt compassion for her.
"Maybe we should continue this conversation in private and let my guests enjoy their dinner in peace. Mithrandir, Prince Legolas, would you please join us?"
Aragorn walked ahead of the little group. He let them out of the dinning hall into a small room with rather Spartan interior. There were only a few padded and comfortable looking chairs and a huge polished table made of mahogany wood. Several maps of Middle-Earth adorned the grey stone walls and presented the only decoration one could let his eyes roam over. It was conference room that served only the purpose of discussing urgent problems and making quick, but also well-rounded decisions. Everything was designed to provide as little distraction as possible.
King Elessar got straight to the point. "Gandalf, most importantly of all we need to find out whether she can be trusted or not. It is essential for us to know if she speaks the truth. I don't want to take any risks, especially not with Elrond and Arwen arriving tomorrow."
"She hasn't lied to us about the name of her mother. I do indeed know a witch by the name of Sauda, but apart from the name I can't give you any other information about her. At least not yet. My own knowledge about her is very limited and before I can tell you more, I will have to investigate thoroughly in this matter."
"There is indeed a spell that can force a person to tell the truth, but I can only perform it if she agrees to it," the wizard answered and looked from Aragorn to the young witch.
At that Arnaya's eyes sparkled dangerously and her fighting spirit was reawaken, "I think you have already cast enough spells on me."
"Arnaya, you have to try to understand the King's point of view. Only few days ago you tried to kill him and now your asking him to trust you with his life and those of his subjects.," Legolas tried to mediate.
"I.I...," her voice broke. She was faltering between so many different emotions. Fear, Anger, Helplessness, defeat. She closed her eyes and took a calming breath, trying to calm her emotional upheaval.
"I will do it. But I will not tell you anything that will allow you to harm my mother."
"You can tell us much or as little as you wish to. You don't have to answer our questions if you don't want to," Gandalf informed her.
"Well, then lets get it over and done with, grandpa," Arnaya said dejectedly.
Gandalf motioned her to sit down in one of the chair and when she had done so, he positioned himself in front of her. He closed his eyes and focused the energy of his thoughts on the spell he was about to cast. He felt the power inside of him rise and familiar tingling sensation ran through his body. He extended his arm and his hand hovered a few inches above Arnaya's head. "Elea i'dolen", his authoritarian voice resounded loudly in the silent conference room. The spell had been cast and was now effective.
The wizard stepped aside and motioned the other two men to ask a question. The young witch crossed her arms over her chest, while she waited with her fingers tapping impatiently on the polished and cool surface of the table. She tried to keep up the impression that all this didn't bother her the least bit, but in reality she was scared to death. Arnaya felt like her inner most feelings were turned inside out, free to be seen by everybody.
"If you were now given the chance, would you try to kill me again?" Aragorn asked.
Arnaya face became very serious and a contemplative look past over her face before she answered him. "No, I wouldn't."
"Why not?"
"I have no reason to and also you are not so high up on my priority list right now."
"And what would then be your top priority right now?"
"I don't know... finding out who's actually telling me the truth for starters? Or maybe who I can trust?"
"Did you lie to me during our conversations?" Legolas asked curiously.
"Not a single time," she said and looked him straight in the eye.
"What about .?"
"Come on let's just cut straight to the point. I'm getting bored with this little twenty questions game. Sauda is going to come here and finish what I've started, about which I'm really not happy, but it will happen. I've known her all my life. You can trust me on this," she said and rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"Then we will have to prepare ourselves for her attack, " Aragorn said with a grim expression his face.
"You are going to kill her, aren't you?" Arnaya asked with fear in her voice.
"If we have to."
She could let this happen. No matter what her mother had done in the past or would do in the not so distant future, she would always love her. Nothing would ever change that, not even the fact that she had lied to her and used her in order to carry out her plan. Sauda had offered her a home and had loved her without asking question, without holding back. Arnaya's childhood memories were happy ones. Whenever she thought back to those days, the happiness, warmth and love she had experienced engulfed her like a warming blanket which chased the realty and the worries of adulthood away, be it only for a few moments. Love is not something that stops because you get hurt by somebody. It always stays with you no matter how far you run, how many times you try to forget about it. It can live in your memories, it can change into something else. It sheds its old skin and takes a new one, but it always stays.
"Please, I beg you.I would even offer you my own life, but don't kill her," Arnaya looked at the king with open despair shining in her expressive brown eyes.
Gandalf decide to intervene before Aragorn could answer to her ply. "You have been her apprentice. Is that true?"
"Yes, I have," the young witch answered hesitantly and it already began to dawn on her what the wizard was alluding to.
"There might be a way to stop her without taking her life. You know all her tricks, all her abilities. You could help us capture her," Gandalf said to her and looked at her expectantly. This was a very crucial moment, because if they pressed too hard, she would retreat into her shell again.
"You mean you would give me back my powers and I would have to help you fighting her in exchange?" Arnaya asked hesitantly. Aragorn nodded in response.
Different emotions flitted over her face and her foot was tapping nervously. The weight of her decision was lying heavily on her shoulders. She was taking a high risk. Not only her own fate would be determined by the outcome of this conversation, but that of her mother and of this city. Arnaya was virtually standing on a crossway. Only a few days ago she would have had no difficulty in choosing, as they were only two ways to go, what she thought was right or wrong. Now the possibilities had multiplied. She had not only two ways to choose from, but a few dozen.
"I will do it," she said finally and only seconds later she wished she could take back her words. She asked herself whether there was another way, but could only come up with the same answer again and again. There was none.
Legolas stepped closer to her and laid a soothing hand on her shoulder. "You made the right decision. You can trust us. We will not break our promise to you."
"I don't trust...," she tried to finish her sentence, but she couldn't. The spell was blocking her. Originally she had wanted to say that she didn't trust anyone, but the words wouldn't come, because they were a lie. Her eyes widened in surprise. Before she could explore her feelings any further her attention was reclaimed by the situation at hand.
"Then it is settled. You have my word, that neither you or your mother will be harmed," King Elessar extended his hand to her and his gesture meant more then just setting a seal on a promise. It didn't mean forgiveness, but it was a sign of understanding.
Arnaya hesitantly took the hand offered to her. It was an uncomfortable situation for both of them so it finished as quickly as it had started. After a few moments of silence the young woman cleared her throat and asked, "So, could anybody, please, help me get rid of that pesky truth spell and give me back my powers?"
"I agree with you we should most definitely free you of this spell. The truth is a very dangerous thing and it would be a sheer inhumane punishment to let you walk about in this state, for you would most likely insult everybody who is unfortunate enough to cross your path."
"When it comes to your powers, I will give you back as much of them as I see fit," Gandalf told her.
"You will have to earn them back."
"And how am I suppose to do this?" Arnaya asked and rolled her eyes.
"You will be my apprentice."
"We will see," the young witch answered with narrowed eyes.
Chapter 6: Reveal
"Let you go?" Aragorn repeated after her. An amused smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"I have absolutely no reason to trust you and even if I did it would be very unwise to let you go. I guess you can't give me any guaranty that you or your mother will never try to attack us again. You could be fooling me and then I would let you free, just to be faced with the same problem again, for sooner or later one of you would surely return, in order to see your evil plot through."
"But if what you said is true, I might need your help to protect my city, because Sauda will come for us anyways. The hatred she feels for me will not diminish simply because I showed mercy on you. People like her never give up until they reach her goal. The witch would unleash her wrath upon us and the only person who can provide me with essential information about our attacker will be gone," Aragorn paused and looked her straight in the eye and she had the feeling his piercing gaze penetrated the depths of her soul.
"So, if you were in my place how would you decide?"
If she couldn't come up with a satisfying answer to his question, they would never let her free. She ragged her brain about an adequate solution to this problem, but she was not able to answer his question and finally hung her head in defeat. The overwhelming feeling of helplessness, that had been briefly chased away by the problem at hand, seized her again.
She felt like she was nothing but a chessman that stood on a board that was so gigantic that she could not overlook it. The next move was already predetermined by a higher power that knew everything. She was nothing but a tool, a toy that couldn't make its own decision. Used and manipulated by everyone. Her own life was so small and insignificant, but yet again, in this very instant it determined the fate of a whole city. She didn't want all this. All she wanted to do was to return to the orderliness and peacefulness of her old life.
"I see," King Elessar said calmly. He had noticed the young woman's distress. Her demeanour had changed considerable since she had entered the room. At first she had been agitated, full of energy and now she seemed but a sad shadow of herself. He almost felt compassion for her.
"Maybe we should continue this conversation in private and let my guests enjoy their dinner in peace. Mithrandir, Prince Legolas, would you please join us?"
Aragorn walked ahead of the little group. He let them out of the dinning hall into a small room with rather Spartan interior. There were only a few padded and comfortable looking chairs and a huge polished table made of mahogany wood. Several maps of Middle-Earth adorned the grey stone walls and presented the only decoration one could let his eyes roam over. It was conference room that served only the purpose of discussing urgent problems and making quick, but also well-rounded decisions. Everything was designed to provide as little distraction as possible.
King Elessar got straight to the point. "Gandalf, most importantly of all we need to find out whether she can be trusted or not. It is essential for us to know if she speaks the truth. I don't want to take any risks, especially not with Elrond and Arwen arriving tomorrow."
"She hasn't lied to us about the name of her mother. I do indeed know a witch by the name of Sauda, but apart from the name I can't give you any other information about her. At least not yet. My own knowledge about her is very limited and before I can tell you more, I will have to investigate thoroughly in this matter."
"There is indeed a spell that can force a person to tell the truth, but I can only perform it if she agrees to it," the wizard answered and looked from Aragorn to the young witch.
At that Arnaya's eyes sparkled dangerously and her fighting spirit was reawaken, "I think you have already cast enough spells on me."
"Arnaya, you have to try to understand the King's point of view. Only few days ago you tried to kill him and now your asking him to trust you with his life and those of his subjects.," Legolas tried to mediate.
"I.I...," her voice broke. She was faltering between so many different emotions. Fear, Anger, Helplessness, defeat. She closed her eyes and took a calming breath, trying to calm her emotional upheaval.
"I will do it. But I will not tell you anything that will allow you to harm my mother."
"You can tell us much or as little as you wish to. You don't have to answer our questions if you don't want to," Gandalf informed her.
"Well, then lets get it over and done with, grandpa," Arnaya said dejectedly.
Gandalf motioned her to sit down in one of the chair and when she had done so, he positioned himself in front of her. He closed his eyes and focused the energy of his thoughts on the spell he was about to cast. He felt the power inside of him rise and familiar tingling sensation ran through his body. He extended his arm and his hand hovered a few inches above Arnaya's head. "Elea i'dolen", his authoritarian voice resounded loudly in the silent conference room. The spell had been cast and was now effective.
The wizard stepped aside and motioned the other two men to ask a question. The young witch crossed her arms over her chest, while she waited with her fingers tapping impatiently on the polished and cool surface of the table. She tried to keep up the impression that all this didn't bother her the least bit, but in reality she was scared to death. Arnaya felt like her inner most feelings were turned inside out, free to be seen by everybody.
"If you were now given the chance, would you try to kill me again?" Aragorn asked.
Arnaya face became very serious and a contemplative look past over her face before she answered him. "No, I wouldn't."
"Why not?"
"I have no reason to and also you are not so high up on my priority list right now."
"And what would then be your top priority right now?"
"I don't know... finding out who's actually telling me the truth for starters? Or maybe who I can trust?"
"Did you lie to me during our conversations?" Legolas asked curiously.
"Not a single time," she said and looked him straight in the eye.
"What about .?"
"Come on let's just cut straight to the point. I'm getting bored with this little twenty questions game. Sauda is going to come here and finish what I've started, about which I'm really not happy, but it will happen. I've known her all my life. You can trust me on this," she said and rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"Then we will have to prepare ourselves for her attack, " Aragorn said with a grim expression his face.
"You are going to kill her, aren't you?" Arnaya asked with fear in her voice.
"If we have to."
She could let this happen. No matter what her mother had done in the past or would do in the not so distant future, she would always love her. Nothing would ever change that, not even the fact that she had lied to her and used her in order to carry out her plan. Sauda had offered her a home and had loved her without asking question, without holding back. Arnaya's childhood memories were happy ones. Whenever she thought back to those days, the happiness, warmth and love she had experienced engulfed her like a warming blanket which chased the realty and the worries of adulthood away, be it only for a few moments. Love is not something that stops because you get hurt by somebody. It always stays with you no matter how far you run, how many times you try to forget about it. It can live in your memories, it can change into something else. It sheds its old skin and takes a new one, but it always stays.
"Please, I beg you.I would even offer you my own life, but don't kill her," Arnaya looked at the king with open despair shining in her expressive brown eyes.
Gandalf decide to intervene before Aragorn could answer to her ply. "You have been her apprentice. Is that true?"
"Yes, I have," the young witch answered hesitantly and it already began to dawn on her what the wizard was alluding to.
"There might be a way to stop her without taking her life. You know all her tricks, all her abilities. You could help us capture her," Gandalf said to her and looked at her expectantly. This was a very crucial moment, because if they pressed too hard, she would retreat into her shell again.
"You mean you would give me back my powers and I would have to help you fighting her in exchange?" Arnaya asked hesitantly. Aragorn nodded in response.
Different emotions flitted over her face and her foot was tapping nervously. The weight of her decision was lying heavily on her shoulders. She was taking a high risk. Not only her own fate would be determined by the outcome of this conversation, but that of her mother and of this city. Arnaya was virtually standing on a crossway. Only a few days ago she would have had no difficulty in choosing, as they were only two ways to go, what she thought was right or wrong. Now the possibilities had multiplied. She had not only two ways to choose from, but a few dozen.
"I will do it," she said finally and only seconds later she wished she could take back her words. She asked herself whether there was another way, but could only come up with the same answer again and again. There was none.
Legolas stepped closer to her and laid a soothing hand on her shoulder. "You made the right decision. You can trust us. We will not break our promise to you."
"I don't trust...," she tried to finish her sentence, but she couldn't. The spell was blocking her. Originally she had wanted to say that she didn't trust anyone, but the words wouldn't come, because they were a lie. Her eyes widened in surprise. Before she could explore her feelings any further her attention was reclaimed by the situation at hand.
"Then it is settled. You have my word, that neither you or your mother will be harmed," King Elessar extended his hand to her and his gesture meant more then just setting a seal on a promise. It didn't mean forgiveness, but it was a sign of understanding.
Arnaya hesitantly took the hand offered to her. It was an uncomfortable situation for both of them so it finished as quickly as it had started. After a few moments of silence the young woman cleared her throat and asked, "So, could anybody, please, help me get rid of that pesky truth spell and give me back my powers?"
"I agree with you we should most definitely free you of this spell. The truth is a very dangerous thing and it would be a sheer inhumane punishment to let you walk about in this state, for you would most likely insult everybody who is unfortunate enough to cross your path."
"When it comes to your powers, I will give you back as much of them as I see fit," Gandalf told her.
"You will have to earn them back."
"And how am I suppose to do this?" Arnaya asked and rolled her eyes.
"You will be my apprentice."
"We will see," the young witch answered with narrowed eyes.