Chapter 6 - An audience with the queen


I could not have said how long I spent in that strange, semi-conscious state, aware only of the weakness and aching in my body that seemed to penetrate down even into my bones, only that it seemed a very long while. When at last it began to subside I found myself on a soft bed by a sunlit window. Teti sat in a chair beside me.

"Abrazîr! How good it is to see you awake," he said, with uncharacteristic emotion and relief in his voice. "Please forgive me. You were right that it was a reckless idea, and that I would have fared much worse than you had you allowed me to do it myself. I fear I often mistake my intelligence and knowledge for wisdom. I am grateful to have you to set me straight, and most sorry that it is necessary to do so."

"I regret neither the wine, nor your friendship," I said. I looked down at my arms, now speckled with red. "I suppose we have shown that Elrond is innocent then?"

"At least we have shown that Zigûr could not have seen him poison the wine as he claimed," said Teti, "but there is still one matter that I must resolve before I can say that he is innocent."

"What is that?"

"The mango, Abrazîr, the mango," he replied cryptically.

Before he could explain, a woman appeared in the doorway, and I gasped. She was dressed modestly in a black linen and red silk dress with a high neckline and long sleeves that must have been uncomfortably warm in this season, or really any season in Númenor. Her shining dark hair was cut just below her ears, accentuating her stern jawline. Her eyes were grey and clear. I had seen her only once before, from a distance, but it was unmistakably the queen, Ar-Zimraphel.

Her maidens accompanied her and were dressed similarly. One of them - she had golden hair and smelled strongly of lilac - brought a tray of breakfast to Teti and me.

"I am so glad to see you awake," Ar-Zimraphel said to me. "When I heard what you had done for my uncle - by which I mean Elrond - I knew I must thank you in person. The investigation has not been closed, but you have cast serious doubt on the original theory."

"Elrond is still a suspect then?" I asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid he is," she sighed. "You must admit, the timing is suspicious. They think perhaps he had an accomplice who placed the poison, and that Elrond was there to ensure it found its target."

"Do you believe he did it?" asked Teti.

"I cannot ignore the possibility," said Ar-Zimraphel.

"But do you believe it?"

"No," she admitted. "No, it is not like him at all; I cannot believe he is capable of such an act."

"You speak as though you know him."

"Yes, I suppose I did speak that way," she replied. "Well, I will come clean, for I cannot bear to see this happen to him, and I will not hold back anything which might save him. As you likely know, my parents were among those who believe we should remain allies with the elves. As a child, they brought me in secret to the east to learn Sindarin and Quenya. Elrond is the one who taught me. I admit, I was only a child then, and I have not seen him since, but still, knowing him as I do, I could not believe he would ever murder someone. That is why I insisted you be allowed to investigate."

"Is there anyone else you think could have done it?" asked Teti.

"There is no shortage of people that could have done it. My husband has many enemies that are known to him, and undoubtedly many that are not."

"Do you think it was Zigûr?" asked Teti.

"I would not dare say such a thing," said Ar-Zimraphel, a bit too loudly. Then, whispering, "But I looked up the poison you said it was. You do, of course, know what they call it in Harad?"

"I do, yes," Teti replied. "The name in Harad translates to Sauron's eyes, named after spotted rash it produces."

"Do you think that's significant?"

"In a way, yes," Teti answered.

Ar-Zimraphel rose "I must go now, but thank you both for all you are doing."

"If you could spare just one more moment, there is something you might do to help with our investigation," said Teti, "I believe I will get no further until I have spoken again with Elrond, but I have been told that no visitors are being allowed. Is there anything you can do?"

"I will arrange it," she said. "Rabêz will accompany you today." She gestured to the woman who had brought us breakfast. "Please let her know if you need anything else."

The queen was true to her word, and that afternoon Teti and I, with Rabêz, returned to the oppressive underground prison where Elrond was held. He was asleep when we came to the cell, but the lamplight woke him with a start. He was dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and trousers, as they wear in the east. Despite the weeks that had passed, he did not appear to have recovered much from the poison, and if anything, looked worse off. His movements were weak and stiff, and his face was gaunt and tired-looking. Relief filled his face when he recognized us.

"Teti! Abrazîr! I feared I would not see you again. Will you take up my case then?" Then he noticed my arms. "But what has happened? Has there been another attack?"

"I have already begun my investigation, and have made considerable progress," Teti answered. "My friend here was able to show definitively that the wine was poisoned in the bottle, which is how he got the rash."

A thought occurred to me. "Teti, how long does this rash last anyway?" I asked.

"It should start to fade in about six months," he answered.

"Six months!" I exclaimed.

Teti turned back to Elrond. "There are one or two more things that I must" - he paused suddenly, and turned to back to me in a panic. "Abrazîr! Sit down quickly and take deep breaths."

"What is the matter?" I asked. I felt fine, but after my ordeal in the kitchen I felt it best to trust Teti.

"Shh, just breathe," he replied. "Rabêz! Fetch a doctor."

She hesitated. "I'm not supposed to leave you alone."

"This is hardly the time for such concerns," Teti replied, now with a distinct note of rising panic in his voice. "Fetch a doctor at once. This is surely a secure place to leave us. Please!"

She nodded, and ran into the dark back toward the stairs. I focused on taking deep breaths, wondering what could possibly be wrong with me.


We've just passed the halfway point. Maybe a good time for a review? :)