Hebo Estel

Chapter Eight: Confessions and a Secret Romance

A/N: Hey all! This is the EIGHTH chapter! Hurrah! Please remeber to review! Thanks to LothirielofRohan for being my helpful beta, and huge thanks to all of those people who take the time to read AND review...

The royal stables, where the horses of all of the Citadel's inhabitants were kept, were on the sixth level, the level below the Citadel. The three sisters had to figure out some way to get past the gate to the sixth level to retrieve their horses, and then get past all of the other gates and finally out of the city. They had to get out without raising suspicions from the many guards.

"Sisters, I have a confession to make," Eirien sighed, pulling them back into a shadow of the Citadel so that they would not be seen.

Dera protested and wrenched her arm away from Eirien's grasp. " Eirien!" she hissed. "This is not the time for confessions! We must discover a way out of this city without any trouble!"

Eirien glared at her younger sister, although it was hard to tell in such darkness. "I am telling you this now, because I think I know a way to get us past the gates!"

Dera winced. "Sorry," she muttered.

Eirien nodded. Then, taking a deep breath, she said, "For the past few months, there has been a soldier, by the name of Beregond, who has… shown interest in me. He's been begging me for my hand in marriage, but I have refused him."

Delyth furrowed her brows. "Sister, I do not understand. Why would you refuse him? He is a soldier of Gondor! You cannot ask for more!"

"Quit interrupting me!" scolded Eirien. "We haven't got much time! Now let me tell my story in full, and you can ask me questions later. I would not marry Beregond, because although I am very fond of him, I was scared. You see, sisters, Beregond has two sons already. His previous wife died of a fever. I did not want to suddenly be a wife and a mother. I have spent a lot of time with him, and his sons, but I was still too scared to get married. The day before yesterday, Beregond came to me and asked me to marry him once more. I refused, and we fought. He asked me why I kept rejecting him, but I wouldn't tell him. So, he stormed off and I haven't spoken with him since. But today, while I was talking about love and such, I realized that I truly do love him. I can't live without him." Eirien's voice trailed off in a whisper.

Delyth, who understood what her sister was feeling, moved closer and patted her on the shoulder. Dera, however, just rolled her eyes. "And what has your love life got to do with our current situation?" she asked, incredulous.

"Dera! Shame on you!" Delyth growled. "You haven't a drop of sympathy in your entire body, have you?"

Eirien shook off her thoughtful mood and said, "I shall go to him, now. I will tell him that I need him. Then, he will hopefully escort us out of the city. He is an important man, very close to Faramir; the other guards will not question his authority."

Dera clapped her hands with joy. "Wonderful! That should work out perfectly!" Delyth nodded her head in agreement.

"Alright, follow me," Eirien instructed. Her face, which was now rather pale, was easily visible in the darkness, and her two younger sisters eagerly followed her lead. They ran back inside the palace, and had to creep in the shadows past several patrolling guards.

Eirien led them through so many doors and corridors that Delyth soon lost her sense of direction. They drew near a large door with light spilling out from behind it. Delyth could easily hear men laughing and talking inside.

Eirien paused before the door, and turned to her sisters. "Usually, Beregond lives with his sons in a small house on the sixth level. But with all that's been happening in the East, Beregond has left his sons with his friend, and has come to stay temporarily in the Citadel with a few other select soldiers. They stay up late mostly, and while away their time in this common room." Eirien was speaking swiftly, and very quietly, so her sisters had to strain their ears to understand all that she was saying. "I will go in, and ask Beregond to come out here. Then, I will talk with him."

Eirien handed the provisions she was still carrying to Dera, adjusted her weapons and pack, and took a deep breath. Delyth could tell her elder sister was nervous because her hands were shaking and her eyes were wide. Delyth hastily put her provisions on the ground and drew Eirien into a large hug. "All will be well, sister," she whispered, kissing Eirien on the cheek.

Eirien nodded and stood up a little straighter. She took hold of the large door handle and pulled with all of her might. The door slowly swung open, because it was large and heavy, and light and smoke spilled out into the corridor. Delyth caught a whiff of some strange manly scents and scrunched up her nose in disgust.

She gathered up the food in her arms again and watched silently as her sister entered the room. Dera moved forward so she could see what was happening, and Delyth followed suite.

They saw about twenty men lounging around a roaring fire, all drinking beer or smoking. When they saw Eirien and her sisters, they stopped laughing and stared.

"Well, well. What have we got here?" sneered an older looking fellow. He set his beer on a table and took a few steps towards Eirien, causing her to stumble backwards.

A man, who had been sitting by himself in a corner, stood up and shouted, "Stop!"

The older man halted his advance and looked angrily at the young soldier. "What? Do you think you can have them? You should honor your elders, lad, and let them have fun first. You ought to wait your turn." There was a chorus of agreement from a few other older looking soldiers.

The young man's face burned red, and his eyes glowed and sparked angrily. "You will not lay a hand on her."

"Are you going to try and stop him, laddie?" called a different man who was smoking from a pipe.

Delyth was getting nervous, and she suddenly wished she hadn't agreed to go after Boromir. She stepped in front of Dera, who was looking positively fierce. If any man wanted to harm Dera, he'd have to get past her older sisters first.

Summoning all her courage, Eirien called out, "You will not harm me, because I am Beregond's betrothed, and these are my sisters.

There was a collective gasp from the men, and Beregond's eyes widened in shock. One of the men nearest to the fire stood up and said, "Is this true, Beregond? Have you taken a woman without telling us?"

Beregond looked as though he couldn't speak, but he managed to nod. A wide grin spread suddenly across his face, and he moved swiftly across the room and gathered Eirien in his arms.

"I'm sorry, Beregond!" Eirien sobbed into his chest. "I love you, and I am ready to be your wife!"

The men looked on with interest, and the first man said angrily, "But what of the other two? They're young and pretty; why can't we have them?"

Beregond glanced at Delyth and Dera, and then said, a bit hoarsely, "Sit down, Damrod! These women will soon be my sisters, also, and I will not have you defile them such. You should never treat a woman with such indignity as you are now. If I hear that you have laid a hand on one more maiden, I shall tell Lord Faramir, and you will get what you deserve, you filthy scum!"

Damrod looked very upset, but he sat down nonetheless. Beregond pulled Eirien out of the room, and then closed the door. "My dear, what are you doing here? It is past midnight! Where is your father?" he asked, looking frantically at each sister as he spoke.

Eirien sighed. "Perhaps, sir, you should let us explain." With that, Eirien and Delyth launched into their story, with some help from Dera.

A/N: Thanks for reading... Please review now...