Earendur's Life: Part One of Three
Chapter 1: Nienna Telperien
Nienna went through her wardrobe wandering what to wear to the Greeting Feast. Prince Rohiras from Gondor was visiting Lundell this week and Nienna wanted to make a good first impression.
"Your Highness, the feast starts in a half hour! We need to hurry!" cried Nienna's maid, Serene.
"I'm trying to hurry, Serene! I can't decide which gown I want to wear." Nienna replied as she threw aside a green gown with a gold collar.
"Her Majesty, the Queen, wished you to wear this one." Serene showed Nienna a gorgeous ruby gown with diamonds sewn in at the waist.
"It's lovely!" exclaimed Nienna as she took the gown and held it in her arms. "Tell my mother that I would be honored to wear it!"
"Of course, Princess Nienna, right away." Serene walked out of Nienna's quarters.
Nienna quickly dressed in her new gown. She put her hair up in a bun and put her diamond tiara on top. Nienna looked in the mirror and smiled. Her eyes shown like stars as she admired herself in the mirror. She quickly left her room and went down to the Great Hall for the feast.
Chapter 2: Earendur Seregon
"Foolish elven servant! Why did my father ever bother to hire you? You're no good!" Prince Rohiras shouted at Earendur, his elven manservant.
"I'm sorry, sir, but I was not trained as a servant. I was trained as a soldier. I do not belong here! I beg of you to let me go." Earendur said kneeling down in front of Prince Rohiras.
"Earendur, you are a servant of Gondor. You know perfectly well why you became my servant. You were caught stealing food from the palace kitchens, and my father decided to save you're life instead of cutting off your hands like he does to other thieves. You of all people should be grateful!" Rohiras looked down in disgust at Earendur who now had his head bowed.
"But, Your Highness, King Boromir IX said that when we reached my homeland that you would let me go free! We are now in my homeland, but you have yet to give me my freedom!" Earendur said quietly trying not to sound disrespectful.
"Earendur, I take pleasure in seeing people suffer. That is how I entertain myself. What makes you think for one second that I would let you go? If you left then I would have no one to torture. Besides, torturing you has to be the most entertaining thing I have done in years!"
Earendur frowned and stood up. He drew his dagger that he had concealed at his side and held it at Prince Rohiras throat.
"Set me free or I'll end your life of torturing people right now. And if you know me so well, you'll know that I would do ANYTHING for my freedom!" Earendur smiled as Prince Rohiras squealed like a child.
"Alright, you have your freedom! Now, get out!" Prince Rohiras cried.
Earendur quickly left Prince Rohiras' chambers and walked down the corridor, smiling to himself. At long last he was back in his homeland where he was born and raised by peasant elves. When he was five years old, his parents had been killed by the king of Morarda, a neighboring elven country. Earendur fled after his parents were killed. He had traveled all around Middle Earth. Now he was 19 and skilled in swordsmanship and archery. A few months ago he had been caught and forced to work as a servant until he came back here, to Lundell.
Now that he was finally free, Earendur planned to become an elven lord and live in the palace with the royal family. The reason he did this was due to the fact that Earendur had fallen in love with Lundell's princess. Princess Nienna was the most beautiful elven maiden that he had ever seen. He loved her the first time he had set eyes on her and he planned to marry her.
Chapter 3: Their First Acquaintance
Nienna ran down the corridor. She was already fifteen minutes late and her parents would be furious with her if she was delayed further. Nienna rounded a corner and knocked into a handsome young elf.
"Pardon me, sir......" Nienna looked up and saw Earendur's face, "I know you, you're Prince Rohiras' servant! How dare you run into me!"
"I'm sorry if I sound rude, Your Highness, but it was you who ran into me. And I'll have you note that I am no one's servant except for yours, My Lady." Earen kneeled.
"So you're NOT his servant, or are you?" Questioned Nienna.
"I am not Prince Rohiras' servant nor do I tend to ever be. I am a squire, actually." Earendur lowered his face so that Nienna could not tell that he was lying.
"Oh, then I am sorry for accusing you of being a lowly scoundrel. What is your name young sir?"
"Uh.... Earendur Seregon. I am the son of an elven lord from Lothorien. My father died a year ago, so I decided to come here and train as a knight and serve in Lundell's army." Earendur dared to look back up at Nienna who was smiling down at the young man.
"It's nice to meet you Lord Earendur. You may stand up now." Nienna motioned for Earen to stand, and he did so, "Lord Earendur, do you have anywhere do stay while you are here training in Lundell?"
This question had not struck Earendur. He had not thought about a place to stay after he was freed from Rohiras' service.
"No, I do not, Your Highness. And please, you may call me Earen. Most of my fellows do so." Earen smiled at Nienna feeling every urge to kiss her luscious lips.
"Then you could stay here in the palace. I'll have one of my maids prepare your rooms," Nienna turned around and shouted, "Serene! Serene, I need you at once!"
In a couple of minutes Serene had arrived, panting. "What is it, My Lady?"
"Tell the servants to prepare rooms for Lord Seregon. He will be staying with us for awhile." Nienna smiled as she said this.
"As you wish, Your Highness. My Lady, why have you not gone to the feast yet? The Majesties are waiting for you."
"Oh, I almost forgot! Just tell them that I have fallen ill with a small fever and cannot attend the feast. Send my greetings to Prince Rohiras. Also, tell the prince that he may meet me here after the feast. Send my deepest regrets to my parents! Thanks, Serene, you're a life saver!"
"It's my duty, Your Highness. I am off now." Serene bowed and rushed away. Nienna turned back to Earendur.
"Earen, I know that you like me. I can tell from the way you look at me, and I must confess that I am starting to like you too. Meet me here at 8 o'clock. I must go now." Nienna said looking into Earendur's deep brown eyes.
"I will wait my whole life for you." Earen said as he watched Nienna turn and leave. "I will wait for you, my love."
Chapter 4: Late Night Jealousy
Prince Rohiras waited strolled into the courtyard at 8 o'clock just like the princess had told him. He looked very pleased with himself.
"Is that you Nienna?" Another voice asked from behind a statue. Earendur stepped from the statue and was shocked that he was standing face to face with Rohiras.
"Earendur! What are you doing here?" Rohiras asked with rage.
"I'm here to meet the princess." Earen proudly replied.
"You, meet the princess! Ha, honestly that's the best laugh of the year! She's coming here to meet me!" Rohiras laughed.
"No she's not, Rohiras. She's coming here to tell you that she's already found a charming young man."
"And who would that be?" Asked Rohiras.
"Well let's see. We're both here because Nienna asked us to be. She wants to break you're heart. That means that I'm here because I like her and she told me she likes me. I'm obviously the winner for once." Earen smiled.
"Huh...... I guess, knowing you, that you're always unarmed when meeting a woman?" Rohiras said, sneaking a hand into his pocket to pull out his dagger.
"Naturally, it's not polite to have weapons around a woman. It's not the Lundellian way." Earen shrugged.
"Then that means you have no way to defend yourself!" Rohiras threw Earendur against a wall. He pulled out his dagger and held it at Earen's throat.
"Aha, so finally I have the brave Earendur at my mercy. Never did see that coming, did you Earendur? Tell me, how did you get Nienna to like you? I know if you told her you were a servant she would have you thrown out of the palace."
"I didn't tell her anything! You won't get me to talk. You of all people should know that I don't talk under torture." Earen dared to smirk.
"Shut up! I don't think it's wise for you to push your luck! Just tell me how you did it!" Rohiras pushed the dagger harder on Earen's neck. Blood was starting to show on his skin.
"STOP! Don't you dare hurt him!" Came Nienna's voice from the entrance. Rohiras turned his head to look at her. Nienna was crying and holding up a knife.
"Stop? I don't think so! I'm about ready to teach your little boyfriend a lesson!" Rohiras lifted his dagger in the air and brought it down into Earendur's shoulder.
"Ah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" screamed Earendur as he fell to the ground clutching his shoulder which was bleeding fast.
"No!!!" Nienna ran over to him and held him in her arms. "Oh Earen! Stay with me! Please stay with me!" She cried rocking back and forth, holding his head in her arms.
"It's time to say goodbye, Earendur, once and for all!" Rohiras lifted his dagger in the air once more, but before he could bring it down, Nienna took her dagger and thrust it into Rohiras' chest. Rohiras gasped and fell to the ground, dead.
Nienna turned back to Earen, who was now gasping to breath.
"Earen, can you still hear me! I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to be this way!" Nienna cried.
"It's alright, Ni....Ah!!!!!" A pain had shot through Earendur's body, blinding him. He closed his eyes. "I love you..." He managed to say as he blacked out.
Chapter 5: Catching Up
Earen woke up in a large room. He was in a nice bed with curtains that were open around him. He looked to his side and saw Nienna, who looked like she had just fallen asleep. He smiled as he looked up at her face.
When he tried to sit up, his shoulder gave a big burst of pain. Earen quickly covered his mouth so that he would not scream and wake Nienna up. He glanced at his right shoulder and noticed that it had been bandaged up. It still hurt immensely and kept him from moving around.
Earendur reached his left arm up and touched Nienna's face. Her face was soft and shown like the face of an angel. Earen noticed that she smiled a bit when he touched her.
"Nienna, are you awake?" He asked unsure of whether she was truly asleep.
"I am now." She opened her eyes and her face brightened as she looked into Earendur's eyes. "Oh Earen, you're finally awake! You've been unconscious for three days! I was worried that you'd never wake up!" Nienna knelt down and hugged him.
"Ah!" Earen shouted as a shot of pain swept through him when Nienna clung to him.
"Oh, I'm sorry! It must still hurt pretty badly." Nienna took her arms off him.
"Yeah, it does hurt. Um, Nienna, what happened after I blacked out that night?" Earen looked into Nienna's eyes, waiting for an answer.
Nienna sighed. She stood up and sat in her chair beside the bed.
"I was wondering when you'd ask. Well, after you blacked out, I screamed for help. A couple of the guards came. At first all they did was stare at you, me, and Prince Rohiras' body. Finally, I ordered one to go and get my parents and a few more guards, I told the other two to take you to the rooms that I had Serene prepare for you. Then I stayed and waited for my parents to come. When they showed up, I told then what happened. They were shocked at first, but after they got over it they told me to go and wait in my room. I waited in my room for what seemed like hours until finally my father came in and had a talk with me. He asked me if I really truly loved you enough to kill. I immediately told him I would do anything for you. He frowned and nodded his head. I don't know what he was thinking, but I don't think that I would like it. I reassured him that you loved me more than anything and that you'd protect me. He still didn't seem too convinced. We were silent for awhile and then he left and told me to stay where I was. I waited for another hour when my mother and father came to talk with me. They told me that they trusted and loved me more than life itself. My parents said that they trusted me when I said that I was in love, and that they are happy for the both of us! Then they said that they were going away to Gondor to explain to King Boromir IX what happened to his son." Nienna smiled, "So now their gone and they have left you and I in charge for a couple of months."
"Wow that was a lot to tell!" Earen smiled. He closed his eyes. "Nienna, I think I'm going to take a nap. You don't have to stay here. I'll be fine, now, thanks to you."
"You're right. I think I'm going to rest up as well." Nienna got up and started for the door. "Sweet dreams, my love." She smiled as she left the room.
Chapter 6: New Found Friend
Six weeks had passed since the night of Prince Rohiras' death. Earen was now fully recovered. Nienna had shown him around the kingdom and had introduced him to her best friend, Nessa Serelonde. Earen and Nienna had gotten to know each other better now that they were allowed to see each other. They got along very well and loved one another more than life itself.
"Earen, Nienna, quite all that lovey-dovey stuff! It's making me nauseous!" Nessa joked. She pretended to throw up.
"Get used to it, Essy! Anyway, you're just jealous because your 'boyfriend' had to go with my parents and leave you all by yourself!" Nienna replied, sticking out her tongue.
"Nessa, you have a boyfriend? You didn't tell me that." Earen looked over at her.
"Well, yeah, if you could even call him a boyfriend. He's a soldier in King Camthalion's personal escort so that means he went away. We just saw each other a couple of times in the courtyard, that's all. And we might have kissed a little, but I don't know if you call that a relationship..." Nessa blushed as the words came out of her mouth.
"If you like each other then it's pretty much called a relationship." Nienna laughed at her friend's embarrassment.
"I know some of the soldier's here. What's his name?" Earendur asked Nessa.
"Orodreth Culnamo. He's the prince of Morarda. His adoptive father, King Caranthir Tasardur, sent him here to train as a soldier."
"Adoptive father?" Earen asked confused.
"King Caranthir found Oro when he was 14 on some road in Gondor. He looked like he had just got beaten up. King Caranthir took pity on him and raised him to be the son he never had."
Earendur's heart began to race. When he was 14 he had been traveling in Gondor with his best friend, Orodreth Tulrunya. When Earen had stolen the bread, it was Orodreth who allowed Earen to be caught and taken to the castle. When Earen had been released as a servant he had gone after Orodreth and beat him up. He intended to kill him for betraying him, but Prince Rohiras caught him before he did.
"Earen, hunny, is something wrong?" Nienna asked noticing that Earen was in deep thought.
Earen shook his head and smiled. If he told Nienna that Orodreth wasn't who they thought he was, Nienna would find out that he wasn't a real Lord.
"No, I'm fine. Why don't we ride horses in the plains outside the palace?" Earen suggested trying to get off the subject of Orodreth.
"That sounds like a perfect idea! Let's go!" Said Nessa as the three friends raced to the stables.
They went to the stables and saddled up their horses. In minutes they were riding around the open land laughing and having a great time.
Earen chased Nienna on his black stallion. The horse galloped gracefully over the ground. Earendur smiled as he drew closer to Nienna and her horse.
"I've got you now.....Huh?" Earen stopped his horse. He saw something move in the trees up ahead. He dismounted his horse and walked under one of the trees looking around. Suddenly a creature jumped down from the tree branches, landing on Earen's head.
"Ai!" Earen shouted as he scrambled to stand back up.
"Sorry mate. I thought you were an ugly monster!" Came a voice from behind Earen.
Earen turned around. He stared, what he thought was a creature had been nothing but a harmless hobbit. Still, Earendur was angry for being made to look like a fool.
"Mani uma lle merna, saurar?" Earen asked in his native tongue, elven.
"What did you say?" asked the hobbit.
"Mani uma lle merna. Do you speak Elven?"
"Obviously not, mate. I didn't understand a word you said!" Laughed the hobbit.
"I asked what you wanted. Why are you here? Did you know that you're on Elven territory?" Earen asked the hobbit.
"I'm here to live with the elves. Yes, I did know that I was on Elven territory. I may be a little stupid, but not stupid enough to not know where I was! By the way, mi name's Milo, Milo Proudfoot." Milo smiled and put out his hand.
"Lord Earendur Seregon." Earen shook Milo's hand. "That's Lady Nessa Serelonde and Princess Nienna Telperien." Earen pointed behind him at Nessa and Nienna who were still riding their horses.
"Wow! You mean I'm really seeing an elven princess?! Hail Frodo in the highest!" Milo exclaimed with a huge smile on his face.
"Yeah, Princess Nienna's a real princess. You're weird little hobbit. Why do you want to come live with the elves?" Earen asked.
"Ever since I heard the famous tale about Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee, I've been fascinated with the elves. They traveled with an elf for part of their journey, you see. His name was...."
"Prince Legolas Greenleaf of the Mirkwood elves, I know." Earen said interrupting Milo, "I've read about the journey. Anyway, I should know about Prince Legolas because I am one of his descendants."
"By the love of Pippin, are you really?" Asked Milo in amazement.
"Of course I am! I have his blonde hair and archery skills." Earen replied proudly.
"Earen, who is this?" Asked Nienna as she and Nessa got off their horses and stood by Earendur.
"This is Milo Proudfoot, a hobbit who wishes to live with us." Replied Earen.
"Really? Well, I hope you will enjoy your life here in Lundell." Nienna said, smiling at Milo.
"If you are with me, I will!" Milo said gazing at Nienna in awe. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
"Unfortunately, that's not possible seeing as that Princess Nienna and I are hitting it off well as an unmarried couple." Earen said instantly as he saw the way Milo looked at Nienna.
"You're with the princess. Never saw that coming. Nope, not by a long shot!" Milo laughed.
"Stop your nonsense or I'll cut your throat, midget!" Earendur pulled out his dagger and held it at Milo's throat.
"Watch it! I was only jokin'! Please, just take that dagger away from my throat and let's get going back to the palace so you can show me where I am to stay." Milo said, pushing the dagger away from his throat.
"Mr. Proudfoot is right. Let's show him where he is to stay." Nessa said eager to get away from this situation.
"Fine. Let's go! You can ride with me little hobbit. I don't want you bothering the ladies." Earen helped Milo onto his horse and then he mounted as well. The three friends along with their new friend, Milo, rode back to the palace with smiles on their faces.
Chapter 7: Old Friends Meet Again
"Enna! Enna! Enna, where are you?" Shouted Nessa as she ran down the hall with a scroll of parchment in her hands.
"I'm in here, Essy!" Nienna said from a room to Nessa's left.
Nessa turned to her left and entered the room where Nienna was reading.
"Oh there you are! I have some fantastic news!" Nessa exclaimed with excitement.
"Do tell!" Nienna said motioning for Nessa to sit down beside her.
"Orodreth is coming home this afternoon! The king, your father, allowed him to come back so that he can look after you and me! I'm so excited about seeing him! I've missed him so much this past month. I especially can't wait to introduce him to Earen and Milo!" Nessa finished.
"You were right that was wonderful news!" Nienna hugged her friend. "Go to your chambers and get ready while I go tell the news to Earendur and Milo. Do you know where they are?"
"Last I saw Earendur was trying to teach silly Milo how to speak elven in the throne room." Nessa laughed a little as Nienna and she stood up.
"Okay, I'll meet you outside the palace in a half-hour. Will that be enough time for you to get ready?"
"Sounds great to me!"
Nessa turned and went to her chambers as Nienna went to the throne room to find Earen and Milo. As she walked into the room she saw Earen sitting on the steps arguing with Milo.
"It's lissenen ar' maska'lalaith tenna' lye omentuva not Listenen art mask laith ten lie omenta!" Earendur said angrily!
"What does that mean anyway? It sounds a bit long for a 'goodbye'." Milo asked.
"It means 'sweet water and light laughter till next we meet.' It's a nice and pleasant way to say goodbye to an elf."
"I don't want a complicated goodbye, I want a simple way! I prefer one to two words."
"Fine! Namaarie. It means farewell. We don't have a direct way to say 'goodbye' in Elven." Earen replied angrily.
"Hello Earen, Milo! Come, I have something to tell you that can't wait!" Nienna walked over to where Earen and Milo were arguing.
"Well if you're goin' ta interrupt us you can at least tell us right away!" Milo said in an annoyed tone.
"Shut it, midget!" Earen slapped Milo on the shoulder gently, but just enough to make him quiet.
"Anyway, Nessa received a letter from Orodreth Culnamo saying that he is coming to the palace in just a little bit! It turns out that my father, King Camthalion, is letting him come to check up on us! Isn't that exciting?"
"To some of us it may seem to be..." Earen said under his breath. He wasn't looking forward to seeing his old traitorous friend. If Orodreth found out that he was pretending to be something that he wasn't he would tell Nienna and her parents. He would be beaten and banished from the kingdom.
"Does that mean we have to quite my lesson and go meet him?" Milo said sadly.
"Shame on you two! We should all be happy about this! Besides, you guys haven't even met Orodreth. He's a pretty charming guy." Nienna smiled.
"Charming guy?! Nienna, my dearest, may I remind you that we're in love?" Earen said jealously.
"Unfortunately, we are." Nienna said sighing. When she saw Earen's shocked face she laughed. "I was only joking! Earen, can't ever take a joke?" Nienna smiled.
"I can! You just caught me at one of my serious moments, that's all..." Earen said in his defense.
"Anyway, we better get going. I told Nessa that we'd meet her outside the palace. Let's go." Nienna, Earen, and Milo rushed out of the room and outside the palace. They found that Nessa was already there. She had changed into a pretty lilac dress and had put on her diamond necklace.
"It's almost time!" Nessa shouted as she saw her friends coming.
"Calm down, Nessa, before you get hurt!" Said Nienna.
"Ed' I'ear ar' elenea! By the seas and stars! I see him coming!" Cried Nienna as she pointed to a rider who was approaching them.
Nessa ran to Orodreth's horse. A dazzling smile appeared on her face as Orodreth dismounted his horse and gave her a kiss. They walked over to Nienna, Earen, and Milo.
"Orodreth I'd like you to meet Lord Earendur Seregon and Mr. Milo Proudfoot. I'm sure you remember Princess Nienna!" Nessa said as she introduced Earen and Milo.
"Nice ta meet ya Mr. Oro. Nessa hasn't stopped talkin' about ya!" Milo shook Orodreth's hand.
But all this time Orodreth's attention was on Earen. He gave Earen a little smirk.
"Nice to meet you Lord Earendur. Do you mind if I speak to you in private? His Majesty, King Camthalion, wanted me to tell you something." Orodreth gave Earen a fake smile. He had hatred in his eyes.
"No, not at all. We can step into the gardens. Enny, do you mind?"
"Go right ahead. It would do you two good to get to know each other."
Earen lead Orodreth to the gardens. As soon as they got there he turned around and glared at Orodreth.
"Why did you really come back?" He asked.
"I thought it was obvious. The king told me about you and I had to come back to see if it was true. Tell me Earendur, why are you pretending to be a lord when you know full well that you are a peasant?" Orodreth glared back at Earen.
"I love Nienna and I would say anything for her to love me. What about you and Nessa? Do you really like her or is there more to this than meets the eye?"
"You don't need to know a thing, Earen! Why don't we just get down to the chase, we both hate each other for what again those long years ago. Why don't we finish what we started, eh?" Orodreth flashed Earendur a smirk.
"You mean fight. All right but before we do I want to know one thing, why did you betray me?"
"You really want to know don't you? Well here's the truth, we're blasted twin brothers! We share the same blood! I always thought there was some reason that we looked alike."
"No, No, it can't be!" Earen said in shock.
"It's true, Earen, believe it. We're blood, face the facts!" Orodreth laughed at the bewildered look on Earen's face. "I know what you're thinking, Earen. You know you can't kill your own brother. It's against the Lundellian law to kill a sibling. But I'm the lucky one here. I don't follow the laws of Lundell. I can kill you right now!" Orodreth pulled out a poisoned dagger and cut Earen's arm.
Earen fell back in surprise. He could feel the poison moving swiftly around his body but he could do nothing to prevent it. Suddenly he felt a darkness sweep over him and he fainted.
Chapter 8: Brothers
"Wake up, Earendur! I don't have time for this!"
Earen woke up. He looked around the room. He was chained to the wall. Orodreth held a knife to his throat.
"Why don't you just kill me?" Earen asked. He was hurting all over. Apparently the poison made him faint, after that Earen guessed that Orodreth had punched him so that he would be weak.
"That just wouldn't be fair to me. I've been waiting for my revenge for years. Killing you now just wouldn't satisfy me! I want you to crawl on your hands and knees, bleeding, begging for me to end your miserable life!" Orodreth smiled as he pictured it.
"I never beg!" Earen shouted as he spat in Orodreth's face.
Orodreth cut Earen's shoulder, deeply. "You're going to regret that!" Earen's shoulder bled fiercely. He began to fell weaker from the massive loss of blood.
"SOMEBODY HELP ME!" Earen screamed with whatever strength was left in him.
"Shut up!" Orodreth began cutting at Earen's skin, making him bleed more. Earen fell to his knees in pain. Orodreth grabbed Earen's neck and pulled him up to his face.
"Why.......do.....you hate me so?" Earen asked gasping for breath.
"I didn't used to. When we traveled Middle Earth together I was happy to be your friend. On the day that you stole the bread I was wondering the fields. I came across a graveyard of some kind. It was a graveyard for elves. I bent down and read the first tombstone that I came to. It said:
Here lies the beloved couple of:
Indor and Inwe Seregon
Descendants of the legendary Legolas Greenleaf
Their last words were:
'Live forever, dear Earen. Don't forget to look after your brother, Orodreth. We love you.'
"That's the reason I hate you. You've always been cherished over me. You've always been the 'better' one! Well, I'm going to prove them all wrong today by killing you!" Orodreth raised his dagger to finish Earen off, "Any last words, Earendur ..."
Sure enough, a guard walked in and gasped at the sight he saw.
"Sir Orodreth, what are you doing with Lord Earendur?" The guard asked shocked.
"I was...uh....saving him. Someone locked him up here and I'm trying to cut the chains! For Elrond's sake, do you not have the brains to give me your keys so I can unlock these chains?!" Orodreth said.
"Oh! Here you go Sir Orodreth." The guard handed Orodreth keys. Together they unlocked Earen and had laid him on the ground.
"I'll carry him upstairs to his bedroom." The guard said as she hoisted Earen up in his arms, "Lord Earendur can you hear me?"
"Yes....." Earen said faintly.
"I'm going to take you back to your bedchambers and let the healers attend to you."
"That.....sounds.....good..." Earen replied with a faint smile.
Chapter 9: Hard Explanations
Earen was taken up to his room and laid on his bed. The elven healer came to bandage him up.
"You look like you've have one rough day, my lord." The elven healer, Tathar Ancalimon, joked.
"You couldn't imagine. I was poisoned, threatened, and cut repeatedly. I would say that this has been one interesting day. Do you think that I could see Princess Nienna now?" Earen asked.
"I just have to finish this one bandage and then you'll be ready. The Princess, Lady Nessa, and Mr. Milo have been informed of your accident already. They are waiting for you in the library." Tathar smiled, "Here we all now, you are all finished! Now, I don't want you to do anything that involves moving fast for at least two weeks. By then your wounds should be healed. If they are not, you know where to find me!" Tathar smiled.
"Thank you so much Tathar. I would be dead without you, you know!" Earen said as he managed to sit up on his bed.
"It's my duty to look after the palace residents, my Lord Earen. I must say that I find it a privilege as well as a fantastic experience. Well, enough of my chatter, I will let you be." Tathar bowed and walked out of Earen's room.
When Earen decided he had enough strength, he headed off to the library. As he arrived he saw Nienna, Nessa, and Milo. Nienna was pacing, Nessa was sitting in a chair staring into space, and Milo was reading what appeared to be a book about the Elven languishes.
"Need some help there Milo?" Earen asked with a smile. The three looked up at him in surprise.
"Mate, I'll always want help from you!" Milo smiled at him.
"Earen, I'm so glad that you'll be okay!" Nienna ran to him. She helped him to a chair.
"What happened Earen? All we've heard so far is that you were locked up in a dungeon cell and that Orodreth came to rescue you." Nienna said.
"Rescue me? For Elrond's sake he tried to kill me! He nearly succeeded too." Earen said.
"Why would he want to kill you. He sounded very concerned when we talked to him." Nienna replied looking at Earen confused.
"It's obvious that he doesn't want you to know! He doesn't want to get into trouble! Why don't you believe me?"
"My Oro would never hurt someone unless he HAD to. You're just jealous that you had to be rescued. You probably feel ashamed of being beaten up and found helpless in the dungeons." Nessa stood up and glared at Earen.
"Can't you understand? Orodreth cut me and had every intention of killing me. If that guard didn't come in when he did, I would be lying on an embalming table right now! Don't you realize that Orodreth is not what he seems?" Earen shouted, looking at his three friends.
"Earen, my mate, you were hurt badly. I think some of that medicine junk has gone to your head. Orodreth said that you were hit in the head a couple of times. See, you have bruises..." Milo pointed at a bruise on the top of Earen's head.
"That's it! How could he have known that I had been hit? How could he have known that I was poisoned unless he had been there?"
"First of all, your blood reeked of Mordac poison. It's used to weaken enemies in Morarda. Second of all, the bruise on your head is enough to say that you were hit on the head. It's not hard to tell. Earen, I think Milo is right, something's gone to your head." Nessa said.
Earen stood up madly. Why didn't anyone believe that Orodreth was a madman? Why did they think he was just making this stuff up? Orodreth must have told them something. He must have convinced them that the poison did more than just weaken Earen.
"Please believe me! I'm telling the truth! Has he brainwashed you or something? JUST BEILEIVE ME, DAMMIT!" Earen yelled. He started going on a rampage. He threw books, candles, anything that was in his reach.
"HELP!" Nienna cried as she hid behind a chair with Nessa.
Two guards, along with Tathar, came into the room. Tathar had something in his hands. He approached Earen and shoved some substance down his throat. The next thing Earen knew, he was on the floor, twitching madly. Something inside him was burning. It felt like a fire inside his body that he couldn't put out.
"Stop it! Make it stop!" He yelled. Tears ran down his eyes as he looked up at Nienna, Tathar, Nessa, and Milo who were all standing around him.
"Why must we do this to him? Who gave you the orders to do this?" Nienna asked looking at Tathar.
"Prince Orodreth. He said that the substance would keep Lord Earendur from hurting anyone while he was being controlled by the poison." Tathar replied with a hint of a smiled.
Earen caught glimpse of his smile and shouted, "You're working for him! You, stay away from me! Stop hurting me!"
"Princess Nienna, if I could have your permission to have Lord Earendur locked up in his rooms until he gets better. I think it would be best if he's alone while he recovers." Tathar said to Nienna.
"Yes, you have my permission. Take him to his rooms, now! I can't stand to watch him suffer!" Nienna cried.
Tathar and the guards took Earendur back to his rooms. There, they chained him to his bed.
"What did Orodreth promise you if you helped kill me?" Earen asked Tathar as he was being chained.
"He promised me that I could rule Lundell when he conquers it." Tathar replied, "But that's not all. Prince Orodreth also promised me Princess Nienna as my bride."
"NO!!! I won't let you touch her! Stay away from her or I'll..."
"Or you'll what? Lord Earen must I remind you that the odds are not on your side. Prince Orodreth has you chained to your bedposts while everyone thinks you've gone mad. I think the best thing for you to do is to give in to him. Either way, you will die in the end. When you do die, Orodreth will have the go ahead to conquer all of Middle Earth!"
"He could easily conquer Middle Earth without killing me first! Why must he kill me?"
"Why must I kill you? I think I already explained that to you, Earen, but if you truly don't remember I would be more than happy to explain it again." Orodreth appeared in the doorway, "Tathar, go outside and guard the door while I have a little bonding time with Lord Earendur." Orodreth smiled as Tathar walked outside. He sat in a chair beside the table, watching as Earen struggled against the chains.
"Why do you want to conquer Middle Earth? I thought you only wanted me dead."
"Not having one king has made Middle Earth a very confusing place. For example, a lot of the creatures in Middle Earth speak completely different languages! For Elbereth's sake, we elves have at least five different languages. Wouldn't it be nicer just to have one language? Wouldn't it be nice to have the same set of rules everywhere you went instead of trying to remember all different sets of rules? It would be SO much simpler!" Orodreth replied with an evil smile.
"You forgot that you would be the one making every person's life a living nightmare! I would NEVER put up with you as the king of all Middle Earth! I think you're insane!" Earendur spat at Orodreth.
Orodreth pulled out his sword and held it at Earen's throat, "If I were you, I'd shut my mouth."
"If you were me, I'd be ugly." A smile crept onto Earendur's face, "In fact, I'd be so ugly that all the girls in Middle Earth would run away from my face."
"You're a fool to be smiling when I could kill you in seconds. But then again you've always been a fool. You were a fool to think that I was your friend. You were a fool to think that I wouldn't come back for revenge!"
"And you're a fool to think that I will let you kill me!"
"Ah, but it seems that you have no choice."
"How will you explain my death to Nienna? How will you get her to believe you this time? She'll see the put mark at my throat and know that somebody killed me."
"Damn, your right! I need a better plan..."
At that moment Tathar rushed in, "Sir, Princess Nienna is coming with her guards! You'd better get out of there quick!"
"I'll deal with you later, Earen." Orodreth rushed out of the room seconds before Nienna appeared in the door way.
As soon as she saw that Earen had been chained, she ran over to him.
"Who did this to you?" She asked.
"Tathar. He insisted on chaining me because I was a wild brute. Also, he told me that he hated me because I loved you." Earen flashed a faint smile at Tathar. He knew that if Tathar was accused of these crimes then he would be executed. Then Earen wouldn't have another enemy to worry about.
"How dare you, Tathar! I would have never expected you of such crimes. Guards, take him to the dungeons. He shall have a trial tomorrow morning." Nienna said.
The guards arrested Tathar and took him down in the dungeons. There, they locked him up in a deserted cell until his trial the next morning.
"Earen, are you okay? Has the poison worn off?" Nienna asked as she unchained Earendur's hands and sat down beside him.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Where are Nessa and the midget?"
"Nessa and MILO are still in the library. I'll go get them if you want."
"No, I just wanted to make sure they were okay. I think I'll rest now, I'm still a little shaken from the events that occurred today." Earen replied as he lied down on his pillows.
"I'll leave you in peace, dearest." Nienna walked out of the room.
Chapter 10: Hanging Out
Earen woke up the next morning. He didn't feel any pain from the events of the past few days and he was glad. Earen got dressed and walked out of his room.
Earen walked around the palace, trying to find Nienna, Nessa, and Milo. He peered into the courtyard and found his friends talking together.
"Look, mates, it's my dearest Earendur! How are you dearest?" Milo asked sarcastically.
"I may have been hurt, midget, but I still have my strength and I'm not afraid to use it on you!" Earen said.
"Then I'll keep my little midget mouth shut!" Milo covered his mouth.
"Really, Earen, how are you feeling today?" Nessa asked smiling at him.
"I feel wonderful! In fact, I feel like dancing!" Earen grabbed Nessa and started swinging her around.
"Are you sure you were ever hurt?" Nessa asked him.
"I don't know. All I know is I feel great!" Earen replied with a big smile.
"That's good, but if you don't mind can you let go of me? I'm starting to get dizzy."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Earen let go of Nessa and smiled.
"So, mate, you ready for Tathar's trial? It starts in about a half-hour." Milo said.
"You had to remind me about him, didn't you? Oh, I guess I'm ready. I hope he goes to hell for what he did." Earen frowned.
"Mate, don't be using bad words in front of the ladies! It's not right!" Milo said urgently.
"My apologies, Nessa, Nienna, I'm just very angry at Tathar for what he did. He could have killed me."
"Earen, dear, it's alright. The good thing is you're still alive, and I'm more than happy for that!" Nienna hugged him, "I'm proud of you."
"But I didn't do anything special."
"You've always pulled through. I admire that." Nienna bent his head down and kissed him.
"For the love of Pippin, please take it somewhere else!" Milo exclaimed as he put his hands over his eyes.
"Shut up, Milo! It's so romantic!" Nessa said as she sighed.
"Oh puh-lease! It's just plain nasty, that's what it is!"
"Who asked you, midget-boy?"
"Would you two please stop?! Earen and I were trying to have a special moment and you two argue throughout the whole thing!" Nienna turned and glared at her two friends.
"Sorry Enna! I was just trying to tell Milo that he should keep his mouth shut! He can never sit through a romantic moment without opening his big fat mouth!" Nienna protested.
"Can we please stop fighting? I'm really happy to see you guys again and I don't want any fighting today. Can you deal with that?" Earen said smiling at his friends.
"Yeah." The three replied.
Chapter 11: Tathar's Trial
"We gather here today to make a decision on Master Tathar Ancalimon's fate. He is charged with attempted murder and lying to the Royal Highness of Lundell. We shall now hear a plea for mercy from Master Ancalimon." The announcer said. He sat down in his seat in the throne room.
Nienna sat proudly on her throne with Earendur at her side. Sitting on Nienna's left were Nessa and Milo. Nienna frowned as Tathar approached the throne.
"Your Royal Highness, I beg of you to show me mercy. I did not commit these crimes. Earen was lying..."
"How dare you address Lord Seregon like that?! Furthermore, how dare you accuse him of lying? Lord Seregon has my trust. You are now accused of accusing a Lord of the court of lying." Nienna said fiercely.
"But Your Royal Highness, please! I beg of you not to kill me. I beg of you to forgive me of my crimes. Please, just banish me from the Kingdom of Lundell. Show me some mercy, please, I beg of you. I was the one who nursed you since you were a child. I made sure you grew up to be strong and healthy."
"I know but when you betrayed whatever trust I had for you, I stopped caring. Therefore, I, Princess Nienna Telperien of Lundell hereby vote you guilty. Lord Seregon, what is your vote?" Nienna turned her head towards Earen who was looking at Tathar with hatred.
"I, Lord Earendur Seregon of Lundell hereby vote Master Ancalimon guilty." Earen smiled slightly.
"I, Lady Nessa Serelonde of Lundell hereby vote Master Ancalimon guilty." Nessa said.
"I, Hobbit Master Milo Proudfoot of Shririto and Lundell hereby vote Master Ancalimon guilty as well." Milo smiled.
"Then it is agreed by this court council that you are guilty of all charges. Lord Seregon has requested that he choose your fate and I have agreed. Lord Seregon, what do you think is appropriate?"
"I think that 'Master' Tathar Ancalimon should be sentenced to death by poison. I want him to feel how I felt when he poisoned me." Earen replied.
"I think that would be a fair punishment. Guards, take Master Ancalimon to the dungeons. He shall be given the poison at midnight tonight. All who wish to witness may gather in the kingdom square at that time. I now decree this session over." Nienna rose and walked out the room followed by Earen, Nessa, and Milo.
"So are we going to watch Tathar get poisoned?" Milo asked.
"Of course not, Milo. The princess and her council of friends are not to attend executions. I don't really know why, but it is the law and we must obey." Nienna replied.
"Although I would have liked to go." Earen said under his breath.
"Did you say something Earen?" Nienna asked looking at him curiously.
"No, my dear, I didn't say a word. I think you're starting to hear things..." Earen joked.
Chapter 12: Talk of Sweet Revenge
"Damn that Earendur! He's thwarted my plans! He shall pay for this." Orodreth screamed in his rooms after hearing about Tathar's execution.
"Sir, please, do not throw such a fit! I mean, He's your brother, why do you want to destroy him in the first place?" His assistant, Grug, asked.
"For revenge, you idiot orc! Earen must pay for what he did to me years ago. He has to pay for being our parents 'favorite'. He has to pay for being alive and not dead! If Tathar couldn't kill him, then I will! Orodreth, bring me my sword and dagger. Make sure both are extremely sharp."
"Right away, sir." Orodreth rushed out of the room and in moments brought Orodreth's sword and dagger.
"Earen has to be expecting me to do something since Tathar failed. He must know that I plan to kill him no matter what gets in my way. I don't know what to do! He'll be expecting something from me. Whatever I do, I have to do it with great caution and secrecy." Orodreth rubbed his chin.
"May I have permission to speak, Your Highness?" Grug asked shyly.
"What do you have to suggest, idiot?"
"Well, if Sir Earendur is expecting something from you.....uh......then why don't you challenge him to a duel?" Grug suggested.
"Very good, Grug, I like the way you think, but never call him 'Sir' or 'Lord'! We must remember that it's just his little act to impress his 'lovely girlfriend'! Yes, I shall challenge Earen to a fight. A fight to the death. Since I am the stronger of the two, I will surely win; there is no doubt about it! The plan is, to me, flawless. If worst comes to worst, I can always flee back to Morarda." Orodreth smiled.
Walking over to a table, he sat down and pulled out a piece of parchment and wrote:
Dearest Brother,
I have decided to stop playing games and get down to the point. I want you dead and I figured that the only way that I am going to kill you fairly is in a duel. So, Earen, I challenge you to a duel of death at 8 o'clock tomorrow evening. It shall be held in the training arena. I am looking forward to your death.
Sincerely,
Orodreth Culnamo, Prince of Morarda
Orodreth smiled as he sealed the letter with his wax seal.
"Grug, give this to Earen. Make sure he reads it. Don't leave until he gives you a reply." Orodreth said handing Grug the sealed letter.
At once Grug was hobbling down the hall to Earen's room.
"Halt! What do you want?" Asked a guard at Earen's door.
"I have orders to deliver this letter to Lord Earendur in person." Grug relied.
"Who gave you these orders? Only orders given by knights of Lundell can be carried out around Lord Seregon."
"Prince Orodreth Culnamo, knight of Lundell, gave me the orders."
"Prince Culnamo? Okay, you may go." The guard stepped aside and let Grug go into Earen's rooms.
"Lord Earendur, I bring you a letter from His Royal Highness, Prince Orodreth of Morarda." Grug said as he stepped into Earendur's rooms.
"Let me see it." Earen said as he grabbed the letter from Grug.
Tearing the letter open, Earen read it. When he was finished he looked up and frowned.
"I was expecting something like this. You may go now." Earen waved his hands, dismissing Grug.
"I'm sorry, My Lord, but Prince Orodreth told me not to leave without a reply."
"Very well..." Earen grabbed a piece of paper and wrote:
Orodreth,
I accept your invitation to a duel on these terms: No poison and no cheating. You must swear not to break these rules. If you do then I have power to declare myself the winner.
Looking forward to the match,
Earendur Seregon, Lord of Lundell
"There, take the note back to Orodreth pronto!" Earen thrust the note into Grug's hands and watched him leave.
Grug quickly returned to Orodreth's chambers and handed him the reply.
"No poison! What kind of person does he think I am! Of course I'll use poison!" Orodreth yelled after reading the note.
"Your Highness, wouldn't it be nice to at least fight him fairly, for once? I mean, you have put him through a lot. He deserves the change to have a proper duel. Anyway, he said that if you cheated he would declare himself the winner." Grug said shyly.
"I guess you're right. I'll fight him fairly, but only this once!" Orodreth shrugged and sat down in a chair. He put his feet up on a cushion.
"Earen won't last long. I've always been the better fighter. He has a weakness, a good heart. Me, I don't have weaknesses. Earen will die! I won't rest until I see him being carried away in a casket!"
Chapter 13: The Duel
At 8'clock the next night, Earen arrived at the arena with his sword. He looked around. Orodreth had not arrived yet.
"The bad guy always arrives last." Earen said rolling his eyes.
He raised his sword and starting practicing the moves that he had learned when he was younger.
"I see you're still as bad as you were when I last saw you, Earendur." Orodreth said as he walked into the arena.
Earendur turned around to face his brother. He frowned.
"Are you ready to settle this?" Earen asked with hatred in his voice.
"I wouldn't dare say 'no'. I've been waiting for this moment for years." Orodreth replied.
"Before we start we have to make sure what the rules are."
"Rules? What rules?"
"Don't play dumb with me, Orodreth. The rules are: No poison and no cheating. If these rules are broken by either one of us, the other is automatically the winner. Can you fight by those terms?" Earen asked.
"It will be tough but I can. Enough talking let's do it!"
"Okay then, let's go!" Earen shouted as he rushed towards Orodreth with his sword raised.