Not So Long
~
Elrohir sat on the mattress opposite of Vittorio. "How long have you been here?' Elrohir asked after a few moments of silence.
"I've been here since I was thirteen, I'm now eighteen so that's five years. They have been the longest five years of my life." Vittorio sighed and put his head in his hands.
"What about Valora?" Elrohir asked sadly.
"She came only a few months after I did, she is one year younger than me." Vittorio looked up at Elrohir and Elrohir could see the sadness in his eyes. "I'd rather see Valora free than myself. I'd do almost anything to set her free." Vittorio said.
"Why's that? Do you love her?" Elrohir asked.
"Yes, I love her more than anyone I've ever known. Though I've not known many people. And it's not the love you're thinking of, I love her as a dear friend, sort of my sister, I feel that I need to protect her really. I wouldn't marry her if that's the kind of love you're thinking of." Vittorio stood and walked to the one small, lonely window that graced the room.
"She's special then?" Elrohir didn't dare to look out the window, it would only make him sadder.
"Yes, she's nothing like you've ever known before. She's wild and crazy and you can't help but be drawn to her, she's a free spirit and she needs to be set free." Vittorio turned and looked back at Elrohir.
"Have you ever tried to get out?" Elrohir finally dared to look out the window, the river was in clear distance and the water was trembling and fearsome.
"I have once, and I failed. Valora though, she used to try and escape at least once a week. She used to work in the stables but she kept stealing the different horses and trying to get away. Then after a year and a half of that Giolla ordered her to be brought to the house." Vittorio smiled at the memory. "Valora demanded that I come to the house also, or she wouldn't work. She tied herself to the door until Giolla sent for me." Vittorio laughed and looked at the floor.
Elrohir smiled at the thought, Valora did sound like quite the characters.
"Then I came and I was ordered to make sure she didn't try and escape again but of course I just helped her and sure enough she was back to her old habits of trying every possible way to get out, though this is an impossible city to escape from. The castle is set by the largest most ferocious part of the river so you can not even hope to swim across. And if you tried to go up the river the people of the village will catch you and bring you right back expecting some sort of payment for it too." Vittorio shook his head hopelessly. "Then about two months ago, something happened that I never though would come to be, Valora stopped trying to escape. It was one of the saddest moments in my life when I realized what was happening to her," Vittorio stopped for a moment, "her spirit was slowly breaking. I knew that day would come sooner or later. She has a flame in her but all these years being trapped in here are beginning to take their toll." Vittorio let out a heavy sigh and lowered himself back into his bed.
Elrohir sat not saying anything, this was horrible. How could men do this to one another? Keeping such young people trapped like with no hope for a better life? It was unthinkable and yet here he was, sitting in a room with a slave, as a slave. Waiting for another slave to come up and join them.
After a few moments Elrohir could hear footsteps on the stairs, he guessed it must have been Valora by the way the person was skipping steps and coming very fast.
"I think she's coming." Elrohir said to Vittorio.
"You're hearing must be excellent, I can't hear a thing." Vittorio strained to hear but nothing came.
Sure enough a few seconds later Valora flung open the door.
"What luck!" Valora kicked the door shut with her foot and flopped down on the mattress next to Elrohir. "Giolla is in such a foul mood! That witch made me fold those towels over and over! I think she enjoyed seeing me roll my eyes at her!" Valora sat up and looked at Elrohir, "Oh, sorry! I'm Valora." Valora smiled and stuck out her hand.
Elrohir took her hand and she shook vigorously.
"Elrohir." Elrohir smiled back at the girl, Vittorio was right, you couldn't help but be drawn to her.
"So, how'd you come to the nether regions of Middle Earth where the earth and the sky end and the torture begins?" Valora asked lying back onto the mattress and stretching.
"Well, my horse brought me really." Elrohir said, he didn't really have a story why.
"Well, that horse must not have liked you!" Valora laughed, "No, I'm just kidding. Were you sold here?"
"No, he wasn't" Vittorio answered, "The lovely town wench caught him wandering through town looking for a place to stay and told him that he'd find a job and place to stay here."
"Well, she was right. You've got a place to stay and a job now." Valora smiled.
"Yes, but the condition being you now belong here permanently." Vittorio pointed out.
"That dreadful woman, she's just like every other woman in this whole town, dreadful! I wish I were a man, I don't want to be associated with such dreadful people anymore!" Valora exclaimed.
"Oh, come now Valora, you're no woman, you are a girl. That's a world of difference. You must be old and ugly with a dead husband and children that you let get stolen into slavery and some poor innocent man to boss around before you can be a woman." Vittorio kicked off his shoes and lay back into his mattress.
"Oh, shut it you!" Valora threw her shoe at Vittorio. "But, Elrohir, let us let you talk now!" Valora poked Elrohir on the back.
"I don't have much to tell really. I traveled for many, many nights and ended up here, as you say where the sky and earth end and the torture begins. Though I have you and Vittorio to go through it with, which makes me feel slightly better about it." Elrohir laughed.
"You're funny, I like you. I think we will all get along jolly well." Valora pulled Elrohir back to lie next to her.
"That's good news for me." Elrohir smiled at her.
~
~
Elrohir sat on the mattress opposite of Vittorio. "How long have you been here?' Elrohir asked after a few moments of silence.
"I've been here since I was thirteen, I'm now eighteen so that's five years. They have been the longest five years of my life." Vittorio sighed and put his head in his hands.
"What about Valora?" Elrohir asked sadly.
"She came only a few months after I did, she is one year younger than me." Vittorio looked up at Elrohir and Elrohir could see the sadness in his eyes. "I'd rather see Valora free than myself. I'd do almost anything to set her free." Vittorio said.
"Why's that? Do you love her?" Elrohir asked.
"Yes, I love her more than anyone I've ever known. Though I've not known many people. And it's not the love you're thinking of, I love her as a dear friend, sort of my sister, I feel that I need to protect her really. I wouldn't marry her if that's the kind of love you're thinking of." Vittorio stood and walked to the one small, lonely window that graced the room.
"She's special then?" Elrohir didn't dare to look out the window, it would only make him sadder.
"Yes, she's nothing like you've ever known before. She's wild and crazy and you can't help but be drawn to her, she's a free spirit and she needs to be set free." Vittorio turned and looked back at Elrohir.
"Have you ever tried to get out?" Elrohir finally dared to look out the window, the river was in clear distance and the water was trembling and fearsome.
"I have once, and I failed. Valora though, she used to try and escape at least once a week. She used to work in the stables but she kept stealing the different horses and trying to get away. Then after a year and a half of that Giolla ordered her to be brought to the house." Vittorio smiled at the memory. "Valora demanded that I come to the house also, or she wouldn't work. She tied herself to the door until Giolla sent for me." Vittorio laughed and looked at the floor.
Elrohir smiled at the thought, Valora did sound like quite the characters.
"Then I came and I was ordered to make sure she didn't try and escape again but of course I just helped her and sure enough she was back to her old habits of trying every possible way to get out, though this is an impossible city to escape from. The castle is set by the largest most ferocious part of the river so you can not even hope to swim across. And if you tried to go up the river the people of the village will catch you and bring you right back expecting some sort of payment for it too." Vittorio shook his head hopelessly. "Then about two months ago, something happened that I never though would come to be, Valora stopped trying to escape. It was one of the saddest moments in my life when I realized what was happening to her," Vittorio stopped for a moment, "her spirit was slowly breaking. I knew that day would come sooner or later. She has a flame in her but all these years being trapped in here are beginning to take their toll." Vittorio let out a heavy sigh and lowered himself back into his bed.
Elrohir sat not saying anything, this was horrible. How could men do this to one another? Keeping such young people trapped like with no hope for a better life? It was unthinkable and yet here he was, sitting in a room with a slave, as a slave. Waiting for another slave to come up and join them.
After a few moments Elrohir could hear footsteps on the stairs, he guessed it must have been Valora by the way the person was skipping steps and coming very fast.
"I think she's coming." Elrohir said to Vittorio.
"You're hearing must be excellent, I can't hear a thing." Vittorio strained to hear but nothing came.
Sure enough a few seconds later Valora flung open the door.
"What luck!" Valora kicked the door shut with her foot and flopped down on the mattress next to Elrohir. "Giolla is in such a foul mood! That witch made me fold those towels over and over! I think she enjoyed seeing me roll my eyes at her!" Valora sat up and looked at Elrohir, "Oh, sorry! I'm Valora." Valora smiled and stuck out her hand.
Elrohir took her hand and she shook vigorously.
"Elrohir." Elrohir smiled back at the girl, Vittorio was right, you couldn't help but be drawn to her.
"So, how'd you come to the nether regions of Middle Earth where the earth and the sky end and the torture begins?" Valora asked lying back onto the mattress and stretching.
"Well, my horse brought me really." Elrohir said, he didn't really have a story why.
"Well, that horse must not have liked you!" Valora laughed, "No, I'm just kidding. Were you sold here?"
"No, he wasn't" Vittorio answered, "The lovely town wench caught him wandering through town looking for a place to stay and told him that he'd find a job and place to stay here."
"Well, she was right. You've got a place to stay and a job now." Valora smiled.
"Yes, but the condition being you now belong here permanently." Vittorio pointed out.
"That dreadful woman, she's just like every other woman in this whole town, dreadful! I wish I were a man, I don't want to be associated with such dreadful people anymore!" Valora exclaimed.
"Oh, come now Valora, you're no woman, you are a girl. That's a world of difference. You must be old and ugly with a dead husband and children that you let get stolen into slavery and some poor innocent man to boss around before you can be a woman." Vittorio kicked off his shoes and lay back into his mattress.
"Oh, shut it you!" Valora threw her shoe at Vittorio. "But, Elrohir, let us let you talk now!" Valora poked Elrohir on the back.
"I don't have much to tell really. I traveled for many, many nights and ended up here, as you say where the sky and earth end and the torture begins. Though I have you and Vittorio to go through it with, which makes me feel slightly better about it." Elrohir laughed.
"You're funny, I like you. I think we will all get along jolly well." Valora pulled Elrohir back to lie next to her.
"That's good news for me." Elrohir smiled at her.
~