Changing Perceptions
By Nerwen Calaelen
Chapter 11
Disclaimer: I don't own LotR. I (possibly) own the characters that I invented and the plot of the story, nothing else, so don't sue me!
A/N: Another update! Finally!! Sorry it took so long, I've been very busy over the last month; hopefully I'll have more time to write now. I am aiming to have the next chapter finished by Friday, but that is probably too optimistic.
This chapter is quite short, but I had trouble writing it and wanted to finish it finally and get it posted so that I can stop trying to work it out better for the moment, and move on to the next section, which should (I hope) be much easier to write.
Beta read by Waseom.
Rating: PG-13.
Reply to Reviewer: Soledad: Thank you very much! I really don't know what to say!
The names came from a name generator for Orcish names, but I've altered some of them and changed it so that female names end with a s and male names end with consonants.
***
Arraga picked up the note and decided that she had better go and see how Razzuga was surviving the shock. The guard who had brought the note to her had said that Razzuga had seen the body.
// I am concerned about her, she has been so sheltered that no doubt the sight of any death, let alone such a violent one, is new to her. However, I am also interested to find out how much of the discussions of the last day she has been aware of. She has many friends among the slaves and it is possible that one of them will have brought the news to her in the hope of receiving a reward for it. But that would depend though on how much they trust her, for I could not tell if she would respond with s reward or a punishment. //
She summoned one of the guards to lead her to Razzuga's chamber, for she did not know her way around the palace.
Razzuga was sitting beside the window, listlessly looking out. She was shocked by what she had seen. Arraga walked over to her and waited for her to notice.
"What did we do? She's dead, I never realised the risks we were running. You always talked about the danger, but I never really believed in it, what I mean is that of course I knew but I could not imagine it…"
"She left a note before she died, I am sure it has some deep significance, but I can not interpret it. I was thinking that you could perhaps look at it and see if you can discern its meaning."
Razzuga took the note and read it.
"I do not know. You should send it to her brother; I would assume it was intended for him."
"Her brother! I had forgotten about her brother. I think we all had." She turned and went off in search of her father, realising that this could be the failing of all their plans.
***
Meanwhile Olrat was determined to face what he believed would be the hardest meeting of his life. He knew that he must confront Mauburz, but he could not tell what his uncle's reaction to all of his news would be. Mauburz would already have heard the news, but that did not make Olrat's task any easier. He had presented himself at Mauburz's house and waited for the doorkeeper to announce him. After a few minutes the slave returned with a pale face to deliver the following message.
"The Lord Mauburz has no wish to receive a coward and traitor in his house, now or at any time in the future. One who has so disgraced the family name does not deserve to bear it any longer." He opened the main door, and waited for Olrat to leave. Olrat, in shock from the words he had heard, somehow managed to walk out and keep on walking back towards the palace.
\\ I never even thought it possible that he would disown me, but he has done so. He has turned me out of the family, as is his right. He has been a father to me as long as I can remember and yet he will not even listen to me. Why can he not see that I acted for the best, why must acting with sense be interpreted as cowardliness? \\
As he recovered from the initial shock, Olrat's emotions changed from pain towards anger, which found a target in Razzuga, who was waiting for him as he returned to the palace.
"Olrat. I have been looking for you all morning – we must start making arrangements for our wedding. It will reinforce your position here and ensure…"
"SILENCE! That wedding will never take place. You had better return to your father's house immediately. If I have my way you will be banished from here forever for the grievous crime you have committed. However, I must consult with others before I act and it may be that they have different opinions of what your fate should be."
Olrat walked on past her into the palace, where he saw Gutka waiting for Razzuga.
"Collect all the lady Razzuga's belongings. She is retuning to her father's house. Have them sent there."
Hearing these words Razzuga realised that she must indeed leave. Holding in her tears she returned to her room, and looking around realised how much she would miss. She had grown used to the luxuries, even in so short a time and this caused her to feel anger towards her cousin, as he was forcing her to give it all up unnecessarily.
\\ For I will return and have all this returned to me. Father will ensure that Olrat sees reason and so we will marry. Once that has happened, nothing will be able to stop Olrat becoming Emperor, whether he chooses to or not. All his grandiose schemes for restoring power to the Variags will remain dreams. Even if Khand was governed so in the distant past it would be impossible to return there now. \\
"Collect my belongings, they are all to be sent to my father's house. Ensure that nothing, no matter how unimportant is forgotten. Gutka, accompany me, we leave immediately." The quite maid laid the clothes she was carrying into one of the trunks before following Razzuga from the room. Like all of the slaves, she had heard the news of Olrat and Arraga's impending marriage, but had feared to tell Razzuga the news.
\\ She has grown away from me. I no longer know who she is or how she will act. I never would have believed that she could murder anyone in cold blood, let alone her husband. The Emperor treated her well according to these people's standards, maybe even by my own people's standards. Perhaps she was not happy, but I doubt that she will be happier now. From her mood I think that she has learnt of Olrat's disloyalty to her, but what she will do in the longer term, I don't know. \\
\\ Before we left her home to come here I wondered if Mauburz, assuming Olrat was dead, was planning to arrange a marriage between her and Grubzar. It would be a very good match for him; she is a daughter of a noble house. However, I know it would be considered that she was marrying down. These people view him as an inferior as he has no ancestors, despite the fact that he is a good soldier and very clever. Is this different from what it would have been at home? I can not answer as I never met any member of the nobility back there. \\
They had reached Mauburz's house. It was in a very fashionable location and exceedingly impressive, although the front did not show any of the wonders that lay within. After the Emperor had decided to marry Razzuga, he had given the house to Mauburz, saying that it did not sit well with his dignity for his father in law to be not to own a city house. Mauburz had naturally graciously accepted the offer, notwithstanding the fact that he could easily have bought himself a city house years before if he had desired to own one. However, like many of the noble families he preferred to live on his ancestral estates and govern them in the name of the Emperor. The Imperial court was always full of younger sons and men without ancestors, who sort to rise about the current positions. It was therefore a dangerous place to be, full of plots and so the Emperor was always more likely to notice, or suspect, treason within the court than from outside it. It was far safer for those content with their positions to stay away from it as then the Emperor would rarely think of them.
***
Olrat had scarcely had time to recover his temper before one of the soldiers appeared and asked him to meet with Zagburz for a council, who had taken over one of the smaller rooms in the palace to be his study.
"Grimtrak has left. I have summoned the Imperial council to meet in an hour – there are a few members, who I think will attempt to cause trouble. I have given orders for the recruitment of a new army to march west with us. I have sent one of my best riders to Bazbog, hopefully he will arrive here within the week."
"Very well, but how do you intend to recruit another army? The country has been bled dry by sending so many armies to fight for Sauron. There are no men left to recruit – only boys and grandfathers. Also, we must arrange for my marriage with your daughter. It is necessary that it happens before we march west."
\\ At this stage I will say nothing about my uncle's attitude, hopefully he will not prove to be a problem for us. \\
"There are men. I intend to recruit from among the non-Variags. I believe that from this city alone there will be enough to recruit an army of twenty thousand which will be far more than we should need for this campaign. Indeed, taking any more would only increase the problems of finding provisions without bringing any additional advantage. I have enough experienced soldiers to train them and hopefully there will be enough volunteers from among the nobility, who where considered too young to send west before, to fill the command positions."
"Recruit non-Variags! How do you intend to pay for their equipment? They do not have the money to buy it for themselves. Can they be trained to be soldiers? It has never been done before; they are the worthless poor of the cities, reliant on the Emperor and nobility's generosity to survive…. However, I can see no other way of raising an army so I suppose that we must try this experiment."
A/N: I have taken the word Variag to mean 'citizen', one of those whose father is a citizen and whose mother's father is a citizen. I couldn't find anything in LotR to explain what this word meant, but it was used to describe the Khandian soldiers.
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