CHAPTER TEN - FORGIVING
Kelly handed a piece of rolled parchment to Chrissie, despite the redness in her face that told Kelly she was about to explode. Kelly had timed it so that the healer was still fiddling about with something across the room, so with any luck, news that Chrissie and Fred had left would be public knowledge within hours.
Chrissie stormed out, still annoyed to be a 'messenger' even though she knew full well the parchment was a blank decoy. Fred followed her out quickly, pleased to be leaving this dark, scary place.
Kelly sat back against the wall and sighed. She herself would be leaving at dusk, despite no amount of pleading she expected from Lee. She had to find that palantir. She also had to pay a little visit to Faramir before she left, in order to correct his fate.
***
As expected, Lee insisted she stay, but she politely thanked them for their assistance and sneaked out. She wanted nothing more to do with them, since she'd overheard Lee talking about the meeting soon after Chrissie and Fred had left.
Kelly stalked up through the shadows and soon selected a suitable tree to climb that would give her full access to the rooms inside. Wincing at the pulling of her stitches, she climbed up carefully and slipped inside. Predictably enough, Faramir was studying maps in his study, the comment she'd made about orc attacks had seemed to put him on edge.
"Hello Faramir."
He jumped a mile out of his chair and immediately reached for his sword.
"You're not going to need that, Faramir, I'm not here to fight." She said quietly.
"I.killed you." He stuttered out, silently damning his guards for letting her gain entry to his home a second time.
Kelly smiled. "Well it was a close thing, but that's not what I'm here to talk about."
Faramir backed up a little against the wall, wondering what he'd done to deserve a visit from a demon, ghost.thing.
"Are you listening?" Faramir nodded quickly. "Okay then. In several months time, you will be faced with a decision that will change the fate of Middle Earth. It is imperative that you make the right choice.
Try to remember Faramir, that not everyone is a spy or a servant of Sauron. Not everyone is against you, there's no need to be so suspicious of everyone.
I'm not saying hug everyone in sight, but be careful not to mistake a friend for a foe."
Kelly took a deep breath. She'd thought about that speech for most of the day, hoping that when Faramir met up with Frodo and Sam, his mind wouldn't be influenced by his experiences with her, Chrissie and Fred.
Faramir appraised her silently. Her words had a ring of truth to them, but he didn't quite grasp what she was trying to tell him.
"What of my brother? Is it true he's in danger?"
Kelly sighed. She'd hoped to make her speech and leave before he could ask any awkward questions.
"Can you think of a time when he is not? But Faramir, your place is here, protecting Minas Tirith in whatever way you deem necessary."
Kelly turned to leave. She was getting tired from all this running around and she was beginning to run out of diplomatic sounding excuses. She was just crouched in the window ready to step out into the tree when Faramir touched her shoulder.
He'd thought much over that day in the courtyard and hadn't been able to sleep since. He hadn't been able to rid the betrayal in her eyes as he'd thrown that knife into her and had preyed that there might be someway for him to undo the hurt he'd caused these last few weeks.
"I'm sorry. For the dagger that day. Tell your friends I'm sorry as well." He pressed three daggers into her hands. One was the jewelled dagger Fred had tried to steal that day and the other was Karth's dagger, the one that he had taken from her after trying to kill her. The handle was obsidian crystal with a shining black blade. It meant a lot to her.
The third was an beautifully engraved Elven dagger, obviously meant for Chrissie. How Faramir knew she was in love with an Elf, she had no idea.
She smiled. Perhaps he would make a good man after all. "Thank you Faramir, for this. It means a lot."
He reached up and stroked one lock of hair from her face.
"I did like your hair colour, you know." He whispered.
Kelly laughed and brushed his hand away. "You have other people to meet Faramir, you are meant for great things. Never forget that."
Kelly stepped onto the tree branch and disappeared back into the shadows, leaving a confused Faramir stood on his balcony for the rest of the night, searching the shadows for her.
***
As Kelly left the city she smiled at the irony of Faramir. Four days ago he'd tried to kill her and just now he was hitting on her? Nothing in her life seemed to make sense anymore.
Hopefully by now Chrissie and Fred would be in Mark's company, and that brought her a measure of relief. With any luck they would be at least halfway to Cair Andras by now.
Kelly shook her head. Luck had favoured her many times over the past weeks, times when she should have died and hadn't, times when she should rightly have lost her fights yet had survived all.
Would it favour her friends as well? Her thoughts drifted to Duin-Shiel. Even though she hated him with a fury unrivalled only for her tormenters, knowing he was with them would settle her mind somewhat. Even admitting that fact to herself was hard, but it was a start if she was going to heal the rift between herself and the Elves.
If she was ever going to get out of here, she was going to need their help.
***
Chrissie and Fred crept on cat's feet up the stairs to the hay loft, not only surprised that he hadn't been waiting for them downstairs, but concerned by the innkeeper's words that he hadn't been out of his room for the past two days.
They were expecting the worst, but what they found was beyond any expectations they had and left them feeling sick.
Mark sat in the middle of the floor, as white as death and shaking like a junkie, his hands still placed around the palantir.
"I knew you were coming." Mark stuttered, almost to himself. His body shot upright as if lightning had passed from his hands through his body.
"I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" He screamed, sending Chrissie and Fred back against the walls in fright.
"How do we 'disconnect' him from that thing, Fred. It's a palantir. How did Gandalf get it off Pippin?"
Fred paused and cocked her head slightly. "I don't know, I can't remember. I think he should kinda separated Pippin from it and shook him or something."
Chrissie nodded, focused on her task.
She walked over to Mark and grasped him by the shoulders. She yanked him back as hard as she could whilst Fred tossed the stone into a sack.
Mark began shaking uncontrollably and yelling incomprehensible words into the air.
"Mark?" Chrissie asked, slapping him across the face in fright.
Mark's body relaxed as he came to, but it took him a full minute to remember where he was.
"Chrissie? Fred? Oh.I remember now. I found it in the corner and I was worried.and I only wanted to look once, but it called to me all the time. Then he came and it felt like I was being burned alive and he asked me things, but I didn't say anything."
He shuddered at the memory. Chrissie and Fred looked around the room then back at Mark.
"We have to get him away from this thing." Fred said, looking distastefully at the sack in front of her.
"But we can't just leave it here. What if someone finds it and uses it to speak to Sauron?"
Fred nodded, but kept the sack at arm's stretch away from her as they walked down to the stables.
Thankfully their horses were still in good condition, despite being in need of a good rub down, but there was strength in them left to ride.
"We should get going." Fred insisted, not wanting to stay a minute longer in this city, still wary that Faramir might find them and take her up on her word.
***
Chrissie looked back on the city as they left, admiring the spiralling towers and shining marble domes. It really was a sight to be seen, but the image would always be marred for her from her experiences in the lower portion of the town.
Looking ahead, the lake town of Osgiliath approached, but since none of them had any wish to spend a night in a city, they steered well clear of it's boundaries, hoping to make as much distance while the light still held.
Mark still looked fragile, but she caught the fact that his eyes kept darting to the bulge in a sack strapped to the back of her horse. She did not need to guess what was in there; the look in his eyes confirmed it.
When they could no longer see clearly, they stopped the horses and brushed them down lightly. Consulting quietly with Fred, they decided to take turns watching it through the night. Fred would take the first watch, additionally watching for any soldiers who might catch up with them. Chrissie would take over just after midnight.
Fred sat against the trunk of a tree, the palantir next to her, the side of the sack actually touching the side of her leg for comfort's sake. They had built no fire, so she could see quite a distance in clear moonlight, so despite her exhaustion, she was happy.
Happy was a broad term for what she was feeling, but in her present state she could think of no better adjective. It was more a feeling of liberation, from Faramir and the sect, escaping with their lives and Mark's, of being so close to saving Frodo.
All the things she'd thought about so much in the last few days were coming to a head, everything they'd planned for coming to fruit. It was that feeling, the one she couldn't describe.
She believed Kelly would probably call it exhilaration.
Chrissie shook her awake in the dead of night and for a moment she was ashamed she'd fallen asleep. She immediately touched to her side, but gladly the comforting touch of the palantir was still there. Fred moved over nearer to the centre of their camp and snuggled down, watching as Chrissie tried to get comfortable against the trunk of the tree. She smiled. That knot just to the right of her spine was probably bothering her too.
***
Chrissie stared out into the shadows, half afraid a glowing pair of eyes might appear out of the gloom and race towards her. That experience in the Misty Mountains still haunted her. But as usual when her mind cleared of thoughts, thoughts of Duin-Shiel always came to the surface.
She thought of how he would look here, probably sat in one of the trees, for a better vantage point he would say, silhouetted against the shape of the moon. Go to sleep he would say, he would keep watch. And then in the morning, he would gently touch her face to wake her, but the light touch he gave her was always too short.
Her eyes were just beginning to glaze over when she heard a twig snap somewhere in front of her. Her eyes shot open and she felt for the palantir beside her. Luckily it was still there.
She peered into the darkness, but could see nothing. She was just about to dismiss it as an animal or something, when a shadow darted through her peripheral vision. That shape was way too big to be a fox, or even a badger. It was more like orc size. She crawled over to Fred, as quietly as she could and woke her silently.
"I think there's an orc over there." She whispered into her ear. Fred nodded and reached for the table dagger at her belt. She may not be trained in weapons or know how to use it, but she would damn well try.
Chrissie woke Mark, who spluttered as he woke, but soon the three were gathered in the centre of their camp, holding a mini meeting.
"What are we going to do?" Chrissie asked. She almost wished Kelly were here. Almost.
"Where there's one, there's always more." Fred thought out loud. One orc they could probably handle. Two or three perhaps. A whole band of them would be a problem.
"I can't believe they're this close to Osgiliath, the city must be in turmoil for orcs to wander the western shores." Mark said, drawing the glances of the other two. They'd forgotten he'd studied Elven lore for weeks, so obviously knew much of tactics and orcs.
Fred glanced nervously in the direction Chrissie had pointed in. She could see nothing now, but who knew what was really out there? She looked around, looking for anything that could be used as a defensive position.
She did a little dance and jumped in glee. "Chrissie, Kelly said Cair Andras was an island right, and not far from Osgiliath."
Chrissie seemed to catch on her line of thought and nodded. "Let's go, quickly before they come back."
Mark stared at the two women. "Do I get a say in this at all?"
Chrissie and Fred both answered simultaneously as they saddled their horses.
"No."
***
Fred looked into the swirling black ink that was the River Anduin. She could see the island ahead, but it seemed so far away. Behind her she could hear the pounding of feet on earth and the drums of war. Whether or not she liked it, they were crossing to that island.
Holding firmly onto her horse's bridle, she took a step into the waters, hearing Chrissie follow on behind her. The palantir was in a sack tied to her horse's flanks, but she couldn't ease the feeling it might just fall off and be lost forever.
The water started to numb her limbs as it climbed over her waist. She took a deep breath and carried on, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach. She gripped tighter onto the bridle as the ground disappeared beneath her feet and her head went beneath the surface.
She came up spluttering, but held firmly to her horse. She hoped it was a better swimmer than her.
It seemed hours than she was submerged in that icy water, but as long as she focused on the shore ahead of her, she held onto the hope that she would survive. Anyway, being in this water was better than being back on the western shore, with the orcs.
When her feet finally touched the sand at the bottom of the river, she almost shouted in relief. She led the horse up the bank and tied it to tree, walking back to help her friends from the water. Chrissie looked drenched and on the verge of exploding, so she stepped very lightly around her.
Mark was muttering something about if only they had looked, they would have seen the orcs coming. Fred didn't understand what he was on about, so just took it for the after effects of using the palantir.
Later on, in hindsight, she would wish she had paid more attention to it
Kelly handed a piece of rolled parchment to Chrissie, despite the redness in her face that told Kelly she was about to explode. Kelly had timed it so that the healer was still fiddling about with something across the room, so with any luck, news that Chrissie and Fred had left would be public knowledge within hours.
Chrissie stormed out, still annoyed to be a 'messenger' even though she knew full well the parchment was a blank decoy. Fred followed her out quickly, pleased to be leaving this dark, scary place.
Kelly sat back against the wall and sighed. She herself would be leaving at dusk, despite no amount of pleading she expected from Lee. She had to find that palantir. She also had to pay a little visit to Faramir before she left, in order to correct his fate.
***
As expected, Lee insisted she stay, but she politely thanked them for their assistance and sneaked out. She wanted nothing more to do with them, since she'd overheard Lee talking about the meeting soon after Chrissie and Fred had left.
Kelly stalked up through the shadows and soon selected a suitable tree to climb that would give her full access to the rooms inside. Wincing at the pulling of her stitches, she climbed up carefully and slipped inside. Predictably enough, Faramir was studying maps in his study, the comment she'd made about orc attacks had seemed to put him on edge.
"Hello Faramir."
He jumped a mile out of his chair and immediately reached for his sword.
"You're not going to need that, Faramir, I'm not here to fight." She said quietly.
"I.killed you." He stuttered out, silently damning his guards for letting her gain entry to his home a second time.
Kelly smiled. "Well it was a close thing, but that's not what I'm here to talk about."
Faramir backed up a little against the wall, wondering what he'd done to deserve a visit from a demon, ghost.thing.
"Are you listening?" Faramir nodded quickly. "Okay then. In several months time, you will be faced with a decision that will change the fate of Middle Earth. It is imperative that you make the right choice.
Try to remember Faramir, that not everyone is a spy or a servant of Sauron. Not everyone is against you, there's no need to be so suspicious of everyone.
I'm not saying hug everyone in sight, but be careful not to mistake a friend for a foe."
Kelly took a deep breath. She'd thought about that speech for most of the day, hoping that when Faramir met up with Frodo and Sam, his mind wouldn't be influenced by his experiences with her, Chrissie and Fred.
Faramir appraised her silently. Her words had a ring of truth to them, but he didn't quite grasp what she was trying to tell him.
"What of my brother? Is it true he's in danger?"
Kelly sighed. She'd hoped to make her speech and leave before he could ask any awkward questions.
"Can you think of a time when he is not? But Faramir, your place is here, protecting Minas Tirith in whatever way you deem necessary."
Kelly turned to leave. She was getting tired from all this running around and she was beginning to run out of diplomatic sounding excuses. She was just crouched in the window ready to step out into the tree when Faramir touched her shoulder.
He'd thought much over that day in the courtyard and hadn't been able to sleep since. He hadn't been able to rid the betrayal in her eyes as he'd thrown that knife into her and had preyed that there might be someway for him to undo the hurt he'd caused these last few weeks.
"I'm sorry. For the dagger that day. Tell your friends I'm sorry as well." He pressed three daggers into her hands. One was the jewelled dagger Fred had tried to steal that day and the other was Karth's dagger, the one that he had taken from her after trying to kill her. The handle was obsidian crystal with a shining black blade. It meant a lot to her.
The third was an beautifully engraved Elven dagger, obviously meant for Chrissie. How Faramir knew she was in love with an Elf, she had no idea.
She smiled. Perhaps he would make a good man after all. "Thank you Faramir, for this. It means a lot."
He reached up and stroked one lock of hair from her face.
"I did like your hair colour, you know." He whispered.
Kelly laughed and brushed his hand away. "You have other people to meet Faramir, you are meant for great things. Never forget that."
Kelly stepped onto the tree branch and disappeared back into the shadows, leaving a confused Faramir stood on his balcony for the rest of the night, searching the shadows for her.
***
As Kelly left the city she smiled at the irony of Faramir. Four days ago he'd tried to kill her and just now he was hitting on her? Nothing in her life seemed to make sense anymore.
Hopefully by now Chrissie and Fred would be in Mark's company, and that brought her a measure of relief. With any luck they would be at least halfway to Cair Andras by now.
Kelly shook her head. Luck had favoured her many times over the past weeks, times when she should have died and hadn't, times when she should rightly have lost her fights yet had survived all.
Would it favour her friends as well? Her thoughts drifted to Duin-Shiel. Even though she hated him with a fury unrivalled only for her tormenters, knowing he was with them would settle her mind somewhat. Even admitting that fact to herself was hard, but it was a start if she was going to heal the rift between herself and the Elves.
If she was ever going to get out of here, she was going to need their help.
***
Chrissie and Fred crept on cat's feet up the stairs to the hay loft, not only surprised that he hadn't been waiting for them downstairs, but concerned by the innkeeper's words that he hadn't been out of his room for the past two days.
They were expecting the worst, but what they found was beyond any expectations they had and left them feeling sick.
Mark sat in the middle of the floor, as white as death and shaking like a junkie, his hands still placed around the palantir.
"I knew you were coming." Mark stuttered, almost to himself. His body shot upright as if lightning had passed from his hands through his body.
"I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" He screamed, sending Chrissie and Fred back against the walls in fright.
"How do we 'disconnect' him from that thing, Fred. It's a palantir. How did Gandalf get it off Pippin?"
Fred paused and cocked her head slightly. "I don't know, I can't remember. I think he should kinda separated Pippin from it and shook him or something."
Chrissie nodded, focused on her task.
She walked over to Mark and grasped him by the shoulders. She yanked him back as hard as she could whilst Fred tossed the stone into a sack.
Mark began shaking uncontrollably and yelling incomprehensible words into the air.
"Mark?" Chrissie asked, slapping him across the face in fright.
Mark's body relaxed as he came to, but it took him a full minute to remember where he was.
"Chrissie? Fred? Oh.I remember now. I found it in the corner and I was worried.and I only wanted to look once, but it called to me all the time. Then he came and it felt like I was being burned alive and he asked me things, but I didn't say anything."
He shuddered at the memory. Chrissie and Fred looked around the room then back at Mark.
"We have to get him away from this thing." Fred said, looking distastefully at the sack in front of her.
"But we can't just leave it here. What if someone finds it and uses it to speak to Sauron?"
Fred nodded, but kept the sack at arm's stretch away from her as they walked down to the stables.
Thankfully their horses were still in good condition, despite being in need of a good rub down, but there was strength in them left to ride.
"We should get going." Fred insisted, not wanting to stay a minute longer in this city, still wary that Faramir might find them and take her up on her word.
***
Chrissie looked back on the city as they left, admiring the spiralling towers and shining marble domes. It really was a sight to be seen, but the image would always be marred for her from her experiences in the lower portion of the town.
Looking ahead, the lake town of Osgiliath approached, but since none of them had any wish to spend a night in a city, they steered well clear of it's boundaries, hoping to make as much distance while the light still held.
Mark still looked fragile, but she caught the fact that his eyes kept darting to the bulge in a sack strapped to the back of her horse. She did not need to guess what was in there; the look in his eyes confirmed it.
When they could no longer see clearly, they stopped the horses and brushed them down lightly. Consulting quietly with Fred, they decided to take turns watching it through the night. Fred would take the first watch, additionally watching for any soldiers who might catch up with them. Chrissie would take over just after midnight.
Fred sat against the trunk of a tree, the palantir next to her, the side of the sack actually touching the side of her leg for comfort's sake. They had built no fire, so she could see quite a distance in clear moonlight, so despite her exhaustion, she was happy.
Happy was a broad term for what she was feeling, but in her present state she could think of no better adjective. It was more a feeling of liberation, from Faramir and the sect, escaping with their lives and Mark's, of being so close to saving Frodo.
All the things she'd thought about so much in the last few days were coming to a head, everything they'd planned for coming to fruit. It was that feeling, the one she couldn't describe.
She believed Kelly would probably call it exhilaration.
Chrissie shook her awake in the dead of night and for a moment she was ashamed she'd fallen asleep. She immediately touched to her side, but gladly the comforting touch of the palantir was still there. Fred moved over nearer to the centre of their camp and snuggled down, watching as Chrissie tried to get comfortable against the trunk of the tree. She smiled. That knot just to the right of her spine was probably bothering her too.
***
Chrissie stared out into the shadows, half afraid a glowing pair of eyes might appear out of the gloom and race towards her. That experience in the Misty Mountains still haunted her. But as usual when her mind cleared of thoughts, thoughts of Duin-Shiel always came to the surface.
She thought of how he would look here, probably sat in one of the trees, for a better vantage point he would say, silhouetted against the shape of the moon. Go to sleep he would say, he would keep watch. And then in the morning, he would gently touch her face to wake her, but the light touch he gave her was always too short.
Her eyes were just beginning to glaze over when she heard a twig snap somewhere in front of her. Her eyes shot open and she felt for the palantir beside her. Luckily it was still there.
She peered into the darkness, but could see nothing. She was just about to dismiss it as an animal or something, when a shadow darted through her peripheral vision. That shape was way too big to be a fox, or even a badger. It was more like orc size. She crawled over to Fred, as quietly as she could and woke her silently.
"I think there's an orc over there." She whispered into her ear. Fred nodded and reached for the table dagger at her belt. She may not be trained in weapons or know how to use it, but she would damn well try.
Chrissie woke Mark, who spluttered as he woke, but soon the three were gathered in the centre of their camp, holding a mini meeting.
"What are we going to do?" Chrissie asked. She almost wished Kelly were here. Almost.
"Where there's one, there's always more." Fred thought out loud. One orc they could probably handle. Two or three perhaps. A whole band of them would be a problem.
"I can't believe they're this close to Osgiliath, the city must be in turmoil for orcs to wander the western shores." Mark said, drawing the glances of the other two. They'd forgotten he'd studied Elven lore for weeks, so obviously knew much of tactics and orcs.
Fred glanced nervously in the direction Chrissie had pointed in. She could see nothing now, but who knew what was really out there? She looked around, looking for anything that could be used as a defensive position.
She did a little dance and jumped in glee. "Chrissie, Kelly said Cair Andras was an island right, and not far from Osgiliath."
Chrissie seemed to catch on her line of thought and nodded. "Let's go, quickly before they come back."
Mark stared at the two women. "Do I get a say in this at all?"
Chrissie and Fred both answered simultaneously as they saddled their horses.
"No."
***
Fred looked into the swirling black ink that was the River Anduin. She could see the island ahead, but it seemed so far away. Behind her she could hear the pounding of feet on earth and the drums of war. Whether or not she liked it, they were crossing to that island.
Holding firmly onto her horse's bridle, she took a step into the waters, hearing Chrissie follow on behind her. The palantir was in a sack tied to her horse's flanks, but she couldn't ease the feeling it might just fall off and be lost forever.
The water started to numb her limbs as it climbed over her waist. She took a deep breath and carried on, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach. She gripped tighter onto the bridle as the ground disappeared beneath her feet and her head went beneath the surface.
She came up spluttering, but held firmly to her horse. She hoped it was a better swimmer than her.
It seemed hours than she was submerged in that icy water, but as long as she focused on the shore ahead of her, she held onto the hope that she would survive. Anyway, being in this water was better than being back on the western shore, with the orcs.
When her feet finally touched the sand at the bottom of the river, she almost shouted in relief. She led the horse up the bank and tied it to tree, walking back to help her friends from the water. Chrissie looked drenched and on the verge of exploding, so she stepped very lightly around her.
Mark was muttering something about if only they had looked, they would have seen the orcs coming. Fred didn't understand what he was on about, so just took it for the after effects of using the palantir.
Later on, in hindsight, she would wish she had paid more attention to it