The Seven Seeing Stones
Author's Note:
Oh dear I seem to have lost a few people, that will teach me for lagging in my updates I guess. Anyway to anyone who is still reading I hope you enjoy this chapter and please review.
Author's Note 2:
Also if anyone has a strong grasp of Elvish I would greatly appreciate your help in a translation. I have done as best I can with my very limited resources but the name in used the latter part of the chapter "Avaanta" needs to translate roughly to something along the lines of 'without face' or 'faceless'. As it is really the translation that is most important rather than the sound of the name I would greatly appreciate any help in fixing it if I have it wrong.
Four
Two Stones With One King
Five heads jerked in the direction of the throne room's entrance as the heavy doors crashed against the walls. A figure swathed in a scorched black cloak strode gracefully into the marble hall. The clang of the doors reverberated off the walls as the figure continued his march between the tall columns.
"Who do you think you are?" The young man perched upon Gondor's throne leapt to his feet in outrage.
Upon his brow, nestled amongst wavy brown shoulder length hair, sat the crown of the King but it looked cumbersome and out of place on his young head. He barely filled out the robes his father used to don as if they were a second skin. His eyes blazed in anger and yet in their depth there was uncertainty.
The cloaked figure did not reply but as he drew closer the other four men in the room stepped quickly out of his way, their loyalty to their King did not seem to stretch as far as giving their lives for him.
The young King shrank back from the menacing figure as he ascended the stairs to the throne, disregarding entirely the laws that forbade such an action. Eldarion backed up so far he was forced to climb up onto his throne and crouch there beneath the shadow of the tall figure. He gasped before releasing a blood-curdling scream as he saw the face beneath the dark hood of the cloak.
A pale face with finely chiselled features; dull blue eyes and perfect pink lips stared out at him. But it was only half a face, the other half was obscured by a mask made of a bright metal. It covered the whole left side of the face except for the nose and mouth, a furious blue eye looked fiercely out of an eye hole cut into the metallic mask and the young king's lower lips trembled in fear at the frightful oddity before him.
"W-who are you and what right to you think you have storming in here unannounced I am…" Eldarion's voice had evened out by the time he was cut off by the masked figure before him.
"I know very well who you are Eldarion. You are King of Gondor and son of Aragorn, but I think if he had lived to see what you have become he might not be so proud to have you for a son."
That voice… Eldarion knew that voice. He knew it well too but he was sure he would remember someone as fearsome as the man before him if he were employed within his city. Truth be told Eldarion knew very little about the city he was king of and even less about his subjects, Aragorn had been a wonderful king and had done so much for the kingdom and its people, his son seemed to spend the majority of his time enjoying being king rather than focusing on the responsibilities that came with the title.
"Well how can you know so much about you when I don't even know who you are." Eldarion tried to sound strong but his voice came out barely above a squeak.
The masked stranger erupted into manic laughter before he reached a hand down to grip the front of the king's tunic and pull his face up close to his.
"You do not recognise me Eldarion? I was your father's dearest friend and for far too many years your loyal soldier, but no more King of Men. I am done."
He forced the king roughly back down into his throne and spun on his heel to swiftly descend the small flight of stairs to the ground. The four men present shrunk back from him in horror and the guards, who should have run to the king's aid as soon as the figure had set foot on the stairs, seemed almost pleased with the strangers actions.
He slowly turned his head to look at the young king trembling in his throne over his shoulder. He narrowed his eyes and glared fiercely up at the young man.
"One more thing Eldarion. I'll be taking Gondor's Seeing Stones with me."
"What?" Eldarion looked confused but this was only a front for the true fear welling up inside of him, no one knew about the Seeing Stones. He had been sure to keep them a secret that very few in the kingdom knew. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."
"The two Palantiri you keep locked in the tower. I'll be taking them with me."
Finished with the king he turned and strode elegantly from the room, smiling to himself for the first time in many months though it was really more of a satisfied smirk.
Eldarion was left in stunned silence as the cloaked figure disappeared out the large door. He did not know who he was but he feared him greatly for a reason he could not wholly explain. He was frozen in his throne, unable to move or even speak despite the fact that he knew the masked intruder would be after the Palantiri in the Citadel's great tower.
"Guards" He tried but it came out as hopeless gasp so he swallowed and tried again, his voice coming out much stronger this time. "Guards, don't just stand there! Get yourselves up to the tower room and stand guard at the door. No one enters do you hear me, and kill any who try."
His guards hurried from the throne room to put into action the king's orders. The young man watched them go before his noticed his four councillors were still standing at the base of his throne.
"What are you all still doing here? Get out and make yourselves!" He yelled at them in frustration.
He sat fidgeting in his stone throne like a child getting ready to throw a tantrum. He searched his memory frantically for any friend of his father's who had worn a mask similar to the one the stranger had been wearing. Not surprisingly he came up with no one, someone like that stuck in your mind after only one meeting. His voice had been so familiar and yet he did not know a single one of his subjects well enough to match a voice to a face. Not even one of his council members or the whores he took into his bed each night would be familiar enough to him for a voice to match a face.
Rage slowly took over any other emotion he had been feeling since the stranger exited the room. He had been humiliated in his own throne room, in his kingdom, by some black-cloaked stranger with a silver mask. Eldarion would not stand for that, not when he was King of Gondor. This stranger would not leave his kingdom alive and he would certainly not leave with his Palantiri, not when he had a hired Elf swiftly tracking down the remaining five stones. Soon they would all be his.
Two guards stood by the entrance to the great tower in the courtyard of the White Tree, idly chatting between themselves, that is until a tall, elegant stranger strode up to them, a dark hooded cloak obscuring his face from view.
They looked up from their conversation and both stepped inwards, effectively blocking the stranger's path into the tower. One of the guards ran his eyes over the cloaked figure but was unable to see his face clearly enough to identify him. The other spoke.
"Identify yourself and your business in the White Tower."
"I go by Avaanta. It has not always been my name but things have changed. I've come to take the Palantiri."
The stranger spoke in such a level manner that the two guards had to exchange a confused look, neither sure of what to make of him. Both were certain their King would not let anyone in to see his Palantiri without himself being present, but this Avaanta certainly sounded as though he had been given permission to walk right in, unopposed.
"Are you going to step aside or not? After all, I don't think King Eldarion would be too pleased to hear you troubled me while I was trying to carry out his orders."
The two exchanged another look. Something still felt off to both of them but lately their King and been fraternizing with some strange folks and everyone's loyalties towards him had been waning. The one who had spoken shrugged his shoulders to his companion and stepped aside. The other man followed suit and the cloaked stranger who called himself Avaanta strode by them and into the tower.
He smirked to himself beneath the shadow of his hood, pleased by how easy it had been to gain access to the tower. Now all he had to do was climb the great winding staircase to the room at it's top, break the door down, take the two Palantiri into his possession, and escape the tower and the city before Eldarion had time to rally his guards after him.
He dashed up the stairs, taking them two at a time in his hurry to reach the tower's top. He reached a slender hand, a white scar across his palm, up to tug the hood back off his head. The long black cloak swirled about him as he climbed but his head and face were no longer obscured. The silver mask that covered half of his face caught the light that filtered in through the small arched windows dotted along the wall and shone brilliantly. It was newly crafted and many hours of painstakingly hard and loving labour had gone into it. It was a beautiful peace of craftsmanship and served to hide the hideousness beneath it well. His features twisted into a menacing scowl every time he though of his spoilt face. The scars on his torso did not bother him but he had once been considered an Elf of great beauty, desired by many and he had used these qualities to his advantage. Now he found himself cruelly stripped of that beauty, left with half the face he had been so admired for. So he had changed his name to one that suited him better, now that he was so hideous, and he would have his revenge upon the one he thought responsible.
Avaanta almost laughed at how easy it had been to break the door open to the room at the tower's top. It had been almost as easy as getting by the two guards at its base. He swung the door open and stepped into the room. Swirls of dust danced in shafts of light pouring in through the four windows arranged about the circular room, and there in its centre atop a raised platform hidden beneath a sheet of heavy green velvet was the outline of two great orbs. The Palantir of Minas Anor, used by Denethor during the war of the ring, and the Palantir of Orthanc, which had been captured from Saruman during the war or the ring and entrusted by Gandalf to Aragorn when he had been pronounced king. The two stones had remained hidden away in the tower ever since and only the King of Gondor had access to them, but Aragorn had never touched them the same could not be said for Eldarion though.
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he stepped slowly towards them. With these two in his possession he would be almost halfway to obtaining them all, and more importantly Eldarion would be two further away from completing his goal of collecting all seven.
He had left the door open and his acute hearing suddenly picked up raised voices at the base of the tower, drifting up the many winding stairs. He stoped beside the covered Palantiri and listened carefully to try and see if he could discern what was being said. It was no use, they were too far below but he knew for certain they would begin climbing the stairs after him soon enough.
So he turned his attention back to the Palantiri, resting upon the stone slab beneath the dusty velvet. Carefully the wrapped them in their velvet cover and then tied the ends of the material together to form a sort of handle so that he could thread an arm through and sling the bundle over his back.
He knew there was no hope of escape down the stairs as he could already hear multiple sets of footsteps hurrying up the stairs. Avaanta looked to the four windows and hurried over to the one closest to him. Carefully poking his head out he saw a gathering of the city's guards milling about in the courtyard. Not that window.
He pulled his head back in and headed to the window on the opposite side of the room. This one looked down over the edge of the cliff upon which the Citadel was perched. It was a long way down but it would certainly be the quickest way into the city without being seen and from there he could slip off to where he had left his steed and ride away.
The footsteps were drawing ever closer and it was time for Avaanta to leave. He made sure the bundle containing the two Palantiri was secure over his back before he swung a long, elegant leg carefully out the window. The other leg followed and tightly gripping the window ledge with his hands he spun himself around and lowered himself out the window.
Hanging precariously hundreds of meters above the ground he slipped the toe of a soft leather boot into a crack in the stoneworks and slowly began to climb down the side of the tower. Being nimble of foot the climb was quick for him and he could hear the guards yelling as they searched for him high above his head.
Feet clad in soft green leather touched down on hard stone and he glanced up at the towers top. His long golden hair flowed down his back and was kept off his face and the mask that covered half of it with a series of intricate braids at the side of his head.
The only good thing he could say about the injuries his face sustained was that once Celeborn had cleaned the puss from his left eye they has discovered he could still see from it. Two dull blue eyes gazed up at the window he had just descended from and quickly pressed his back to the stone wall as a guard stuck his head out and looked down. Avaanta held his breath as he pressed himself as hard up against the wall as he could, waiting for the guard to spot him and raise the alarm.
He heard the yell and broke from the wall and into a run. Dashing through the city's streets he weaved in and out of throngs of busy residents going about their daily business. Some gasped in fright when they saw the silver mask that hid half his face and mother's drew their children to them, covering their eyes.
His black cloak fluttered behind him as he ran and he adjusted the bundle slung across his back as he rounded a corner and found his horse waiting patiently for him. He pulled himself up onto the beast's back and once he was settled on its back the horse galloped down the city's main street and out of its great gates.
They were free. He had done it. He had walked right in there, stood face to face with Gondor's King and had not been recognised. Not only that but he was leaving with the King's two Palantiri; Eldarion's most prized possessions were now his.
He cast a look back over his shoulder but didn't see anyone pursuing him. Focusing his attention back on where he was going he decided to ride off into the mountains so as to throw off anyone who may be trying to pursue him, before riding to his new place of hiding where he had left the other Palantir in his possession.
His thoughts turned to the next stone as he rode on towards the mountains, the cold wind blowing down from their tops not affecting him in the slightest. He had heard rumours of its location, actually told to him by Eldarion who had hired him to find them on his behalf. Finding it would be quite another thing thought and with the stones of Annuminas, Minas Anor, and Orthanc already in his possession he knew the last four would be harder to find as the details of their where about were a little more sketchy. Maybe Celeborn knew more. Avaanta resolved to ask him as soon as he had stowed the two Palantiri slung across his back in the hiding spot he'd picked out. Then he would go and see Celeborn and see what he could learn from the older Elf Lord regarding the Palantiri.