Thanks to all who reviewed! I really appreciate it! Please continue to review the chapter if ya like it :) or even if you hate it :( Well anyways, this is a pretty gosh darn long chapter -- 5 pages woot -- and I've probably rewritten it at least four times to get it to be the best I could make it. I was just having trouble writing this chapter and that's one of the reasons I haven't updated in a week or two. Soo I would really be grateful if you would review!
Disclaimer: I own all those characters I've listed in my previous chapters' disclaimers and my plot! huzzah for owning things! But everything else is owned by the fabulous JRR Tolkien. Holler at him
Oh yeah! Old English name time! (applause) Okay, since I'm probably not going to include any of Aragorn's children in the later chapters..because well..you know what happened to them :( .. so I'll just say what their meanings are now. Gilphnis, Aragorn's 10 year old daughter, means proud beauty because she got the pride of a ruler from her father, who is obviously a king, and the beauty of her mother. Bilengel, his six year old daughter, means best angel...yeah that doesn't really make much sense... I just thought angel could have a meaning of innocence, and Bilengel was Aragorn's youngest daughter and I imagined her to be an innocent, little girl. Felan, his 13 year old daughter, means loved one, which I thought sounded really pretty and also has a really sweet meaning because she was loved by her parents. Okay...so I'm not an Old English professor and the names aren't that great haha -- don't shoot me! haha read on!
Chapter 4
Cilcyn was peacefully sleeping but was woken up when something nudged her shoulder. Her sapphire eyes fluttered open and she saw her beautiful gray horse, Freosefa, staring back at her intently. She looked around the stables for a moment and took a breath in of the night air, the strong smell of straw filling her nose. She stood up slowly, trying to gain back the feeling in her legs since she had fallen asleep curled up in a corner of the stables after riding Freosefa for a few hours. Cilcyn couldn't quite understand why Freosefa had woken her up, but then she heard the sounds of a horse's hooves in the distance.
She crossed from one side of the stables to the other, climbed up onto a haystack, and peered out of a small window that overlooked her home, draped in darkness. The moon was small that night, but with the thousands of scattered stars in the sky, Cilcyn was able to see the outline of a man dismounting his horse, and waltzing into her home. Cilcyn began to panic as she glanced around the stables. All of the horses were accounted for, so obviously her father had not taken one out. Who then was the man who was riding the horse? She stared out of the window once more, but the man had vanished. His horse stood on the balcony abnormally still. Being as curious as she was, Cilcyn stroked Freosefa along her nose before hurrying across the hill to the balcony where the horse stood.
The stars glittered onto the green hills as Cilcyn ran across them to her prominent home. Cilcyn darted up the wide, wooden stairs that led to the huge balcony, trying to catch her breath from the steep climb as she reached the top. An auburn horse stood at the edge of the balcony proudly, looking as if it was gazing across to Minas Tirith. Cilcyn approached it slowly, hoping not to scare it away. As Cilcyn came closer to the horse, she saw that it's breathing was deep, as if it had just come a long way in a short period of time. It moved about its hooves in pain as Cilcyn stood next to him. She stroked the horse's nose lightly to try and calm it down before retreating back towards her house.
Even in the darkness, the huge wooden home that Cilcyn had grown up in looked magnificent and breathtaking. Of course, Cilcyn had grown used to the scene, but for someone who had just laid eyes upon the residence would be mesmerized. It was almost like an enormous wooden cabin, but with somewhat of a royal touch. Colossal columns of timber protruded from the balcony's wooden floor and connected up towards the roof. Cilcyn glided her fingers along a few of the columns as she walked towards the entrance to the hall. When reaching the door that seemed to be made for a giant as it was insanely tall and wide, Cilcyn placed her hand on the stone handle and pulled open the heavy wooden door.
Whenever Cilcyn wandered through her home late at night she always got an unsettling feeling in her stomach, and the feeling didn't change when she entered into the grand hall. The light from the stars and the moon that poured in through the windows cast an eerie sense throughout the hall. Cilcyn even shivered as if the light was indeed colder than normal because of its gloomy appeal.
Her steps echoed in the empty hall as she peered around each and every stone column, expecting each time to see that mysterious man who had left his horse on the balcony pop out at her. After inspecting every dark corner and checking under every ornately carved table but found no sign of the intruder, she began to think that she had imagined the man every existing. However, the horse on the balcony proved her wrong, and when she heard voices coming from the dining hall, she believed the man to have invaded!
She dashed towards the door leading to the dining hall and pressed her ear to the door, hoping to hear who was talking inside the dining hall and what about. Immediately, Cilcyn could recognize that there were three voices: one of her mother, one of her father, and another was a voice that she did not recognize, which was obviously the "intruder". Determined to hear what the conversation was about, Cilcyn quieted her breathing and wished that the door wasn't so thick as she pressed her ear between the small gap.
"Precisely when was this going to be brought to my attention?" said Faramir, his voice sounding angry, hurt, and hushed all at the same time.
"I couldn't just…explain it all to you Faramir. It was all too complicated…" said Eowyn in a timid voice, saying it as if she was pulling her words out of the air in a desperate attempt to explain herself.
"After fifteen years one should be able to come up with an explanation Eowyn!" Faramir shouted, outraged.
Cilcyn jumped back from the door, startled from her father's sudden explosion. What was this secret that they were speaking of, and why was Faramir so angered by Eowyn keeping it from him? Cilcyn quickly went back to the door, this time peering through the small gap in between the door and the stone wall instead of putting her ear to it. She saw her father, leaning against the wooden dining table, his face showing an expression of anger, while Eowyn stood fearfully across from him on the other end of the table. The man whom the horse belonged to was standing in between them, and Cilcyn could tell that he hadn't really intruded, but was there to alert her parents of something.
The man was standing erect, his back as straight as one of the stone columns in the grand hall, with his chest out proudly in front of him. He held a rolled up piece of parchment in his hands, and his emerald eyes kept gazing back down towards it nervously every couple seconds. Wavy, light brown hair with a hint of gray framed his pale cheeks causing his bright green eyes to stand out more amongst his features.
"The reason of my visit was not to cause trouble, but to try and prevent it. Danger can come to the one that King Elessar has informed me to bring to Minas Tirith if action is not taken immediately," said the mysterious man, known as Bysmor.
"Minas Tirith?" Cilcyn whispered to herself.
She thought that hopefully she was the one that could travel there, ignoring the fact that the man had said the person could be in danger. Cilcyn was totally naive to the dangers of the world, and her mind trailed off for a few seconds, thinking of all the splendor of Minas Tirith and how she could actually be there! Finally, after fifteen years of dreaming of leaving the Emyn Arnen, her dreams were to come true. Her mind swirled with visions of the beautiful city as she began twirling around in the middle of the gloomy hall. She didn't care how big of an idiot that she must have looked like, but she was so happy! It wasn't as if she despised living in the Emyn Arnen, but she wished for greater things, not being confined to the grassy hills. She wished to ride on Freosefa out to the places that she had listened to stories of for years. She leaned against a stone pillar and smiled happily, not listening to the continuing conversation between the three in the dining hall.
"I shall not let my daughter travel to Minas Tirith for a purpose as vague as the one that you have given us," said Eowyn angrily.
"You shall be informed at a later time of the circumstances, however at this time King Elessar wishes to keep everything confidential for his own safety, and his daughter's as well," Bysmor stated.
"His daughter?" Faramir shouted, "I do not believe that he has any right to claim her as his child!"
"Excuse me," Bysmor said apologetically and bowed his head in respect, "But these are only the words of the king."
"If the king," Eowyn began angrily, "would like to inform me why he has not wanted to keep in contact with his daughter—
"SHE IS NOT HIS DAUGHTER!" Faramir screamed fiercely.
Cilcyn heardher father's screaming words even from inside the grand hall. She scrambled back towards the door, pressed her eye up to the gap, then placed her hand on the large stone handle for balance..
"Why hasn't he exchanged any words with…our daughter…before?" Eowyn asked to Bysmor annoyed, with extreme emphasis on 'our'.
"I am not entirely sure, my lady," Bysmor said, as he honestly had no idea that the king even had another child.
"Perhaps when you have the answer, then we will consider sending her to see the king," Eowyn said shortly. "Bysmor, may I see the letter from Aragorn once more?" she asked.
Bysmor passed the rolled up parchment to Eowyn that was creased in the places that Bysmor had held tightly. She unrolled it, and her eyes scanned the letter quickly, though she took in the words thoroughly.
Prince of Ithilien, Lady of IthilienTragedy has been instilled upon my family, and I am afraid that the circumstances lead me to have my child brought to Minas Tirith immediately. I did not believe that such an event would ever occur, nor would I ever think of bringing my child, who has been raised not as my own but as yours, to Minas Tirith. Due to the importance and danger of the situation I cannot give you as much information as I would like, however, you must have the knowledge that the child will be safer under the protection of the walls of Minas Tirith.
King Elessar
...Aragorn
"I cannot make a decision based on such a vague command," Eowyn said crossly as she noticed that there was a few darker spots on the parchment that looked as if they were tear drops.
"Do you not understand that the consequence of not sending her to Minas Tirith could be death?" Bysmor argued.
'Death?' Cilcyn thought as she stood at the door. Had she heard Bysmor clearly?
"It is for her protection," he continued.
"She is protected here—in her home!" Faramir objected.
"Well," Eowyn said to Bysmor, "unless you do not tell us the reason of why she must travel to—"
"The reason is protection," Bysmor said, annoyed.
"That is not clear enough!" Faramir shouted and slammed his fists on the table.
Cilcyn had placed her hand on the stone handle to keep her balance, but when Faramir had another unexpected outburst, her hand pushed in the handle, causing the door to fly open. Cilcyn fell flat on the stone cold floor, her mother, father, and Bysmor staring at her in surprise.
She quickly stood up, smoothing out the creases in her sky blue dress that matched her eyes perfectly. Brushing her hair out of her eyes, she immediately regretted it, wishing that she couldn't see the somewhat horrified looking expressions shown on her parents' faces.
"I…I apolo—" Cilcyn started, but was cut off by her father.
"What are you doing in here?!" Faramir shouted, outraged.
"I…I fell asleep in the stables again," Cilcyn stammered, looking towards the floor in embarrassment. Faramir had never yelled at her before, and she was in disbelief. She even felt tears sting her eyes, but held them back as much as she could.
"Faramir," Eowyn said angrily, "She does not know either, so do not bring your anger out on her."
"She does not know?" Bysmor asked, confused.
Cilcyn felt her mind exploding with questions but her lips were shut tight as to not cause any more problems. She thought that if she just listened intently to the conversation she could pick up on what was going on.
"Perchance it would be the best idea to keep it that way then," Bysmor suggested quietly.
"I do believe only I have the authority to issue such a statement, Bysmor," snapped Faramir with a chilling glare.
"Apologies, but it might be the best decision," Bysmor said with a hostile tone. Faramir's lips twisted into a scowl as his eyes narrowed in on Bysmor who still stood with the utmost perfection.
"If you would excuse us from the hall, it would be most appreciated," Faramir said softly to Bysmor. Bysmor bowed his head and strutted towards the entrance to the grand hall. When he passed Cilcyn, his eyes locked onto her, and he smiled at her, revealing somewhat gapped teeth. She looked to him, and was somewhat alarmed at how fake his smile seemed as he passed her. Cilcyn heard the door shut loudly behind her, the sound bouncing off of the stone walls.
"Sit down," Faramir commanded, motioning towards a wooden chair at the long table. Cilcyn obeyed, her eyes never leaving the floor.
There was a silence as deafening as a thousand horses that seemed to stretch for an eternity. As the silence lingered on, Cilcyn began to study her fingers and how they were callused and had dirt underneath the fingernails, however, her mind was still burning with questions. After much delay, Faramir spoke.
"How much did you hear, Cilcyn?" he asked seriously.
Cilcyn looked up from her hands and into Faramir's eyes.
"Only the words of traveling to Minas Tirith…but…" she paused. She dearly wanted to ask of why it was so important, but she thought better of it from the intense, cold stares from her parents. "But why am I leaving at nightfall? Shouldn't I wait until morning?" she asked, though that wasn't one of the important questions she had.
"On a trip for leisure then one would wait until morning, but the reason for you to travel to Minas Tirith is for your protection, my dear," Eowyn said softly as she knelt beside Cilcyn and put her hands over hers. "It could even be dangerous, Cilcyn."
"Dangerous!" Faramir shouted, "Yet another reason for her not to leave!"
"Faramir," Eowyn pleaded and stood up, "I do not wish any more than you for her to leave! But King Elessar ordered—"
"Do not speak that name in my presence ever again!" he screamed fiercely.
"He is your king, and you shall obey him," Eowyn said with a bloodcurdling tone, though she even wished that she did not have to respect the man that had broken her heart.
"He may be my king, but he is no longer my friend," he said rigorously.
"For a reason that is well in the past you deny him friendship? That is not only unwise, but careless!" Eowyn argued.
As she said those words, she thought of how hypocritical she was being. Had she not vowed to never speak to Aragorn as a friend ever since that night those many years ago? Of course, no one knew how much she disliked Aragorn since she could never have informed anyone of why she neglected his friendship. So, for the past fifteen years, she only spoke with Aragorn when he came to speak with Faramir at their home, which was not too often since Faramir usually traveled to Minas Tirith instead. Even when Aragorn visited, he never mentioned of meeting with his child, and Eowyn didn't particularly want Cilcyn to meet with the man that had destroyed her spirit.
"Cilcyn will not journey to Minas Tirith," Faramir stated.
"Please, Father, I wish to!" Cilcyn pleaded desperately and jumped out of her chair in objection, blocking out the fact that Bysmor had said danger could await her.
"You do not know what you wish!" Faramir screamed. Cilcyn stiffened her back in anger and fear.
"I do know what I wish! And I wish for you not to be so arrogant!" Cilcyn shouted, without really thinking of what she had just said. All of the years of being confined of living within the hills of the Emyn Arnen burst out of her in an eruption at her father, someone who she really was not angered at.
Within the blink of an eye, Faramir's hand smacked Cilcyn's cheek excruciatingly hard, leaving the entire right side of her face numb. She stood there in disbelief while Eowyn rushed towards her at once and placed her hands on Cilcyn's cheeks, as if her "mother's touch" could heal away the pain. Faramir had never laid a harmful finger on Cilcyn in all of her life, and that was what was making tears develop in her eyes, not the pain. She could bear pain, but not the pain that she felt knowing that her beloved father had just slapped her.
Faramir looked down towards his hand in atheism. Was it his hand that had just harmed his daughter? But…she wasn't his daughter…she was King Elessar's. The words in his mind stung like the deadly venom of a snake. He had hit Cilcyn because of his anger towards Eowyn and Aragorn for keeping the secret of her being their child for fifteen long years. He had not hit her for what she had said. Yes, her words had been disrespectful, but Faramir knew that given any other circumstance in which she said those words, he would have kept his hand at his side.
"I wish to leave," Cilcyn said coldly and strode out of the room into the grand hall.
Eowyn looked towards Faramir, tears stinging both of their eyes. They both did not want their daughter to leave them, but after Faramir's mistake, they knew Cilcyn would never want to come back.
"I…I'm sorry…" Faramir choked.
"Blaming Cilcyn for my mistake is wrong," Eowyn said, her voice merely reaching a whisper. She turned around slowly and walked out of the dining hall after Cilcyn, leaving Faramir alone and feeling dreadful.