Chapter 91
A silence fell over all those present in the room, for it now seemed clear to most from whence the main danger came, and whose hand was at work in this matter. For almost seven years now our borders had been relatively untroubled by orc or northman, but it was inconceivable that we had made any kind of decisive blow against Angmar even with the heavy defeat that was inflicted on his forces at Northford. The supposed peace with the Hillmen that had followed under a usurper Chieftain had come all too easily in hindsight and at little cost, and yet none had apparently chosen to question this. The garrison in High Burgh had been withdrawn around the same time we had abandoned Northford, and if indeed the Hillmen were now in league with Angmar then we would have little warning of any force sent down the valleys of the Hoarwell or White River. Turchon had been listening to the discussion but looked troubled and shook his head. "As had already been said you have only the word of the Prince of a land that bears us no love and seeks dominion over us that this is the case as evidence in this matter, the rest is merely speculation made to fit the facts of the matter. I have known Brodir for many years and in all my dealings with him he has been a proud but honourable man, and I find it difficult to believe that he is capable of the treachery he stands accused of". Daeron suddenly spoke up. "Be that as it may, if things are indeed as they seem then finding a new king who will meet the approval of the Hillmen would be a futile gesture, for they are bound to turn on us sooner or later anyway. I must away and find Berthedir and know his mind on all these matters, for unpalatable as it may be the best course for all might be to unite behind his claim and weather the coming storm together".
He departed the chamber, and filled with confusion and dismay at this sudden turn of events I decided that I needed to find a quiet place alone to gather my thoughts, and donning a cloak and taking a small lantern from the table made my excuses and followed him out of the door and returned to the library. I did not meet anyone on my way there, but when I arrived at the door I noticed it had been left slightly ajar, and there was a hint of flickering candlelight beyond. Suddenly filled with apprehension and holding my breath, I eased the door open just enough to admit me and passed through, closing it silently behind me. Leaving my lantern on a shelf near the door I crept forward into the shadow, curious and half hopeful as to who else I might find in this hallowed place so late in the evening. I reached the end of a row of shelves and saw a figure sat at one of the reading tables, illuminated by a single dancing candle flame and completely absorbed in what she was reading. I knew now how Beren must have felt when he first beheld Luthien, for it was none other than Idhrethil seated there, in a plain roughspun dress with her dark hair tumbling loose onto her shoulders. Her face was pale and more lined than I remembered it, but the eyes and mouth were still the same and I was overcome with love and desire for her. I stepped quietly into the light and spoke her name, and she started and rose to her feet with a look of surprise and joy on her beautiful face. "Oh my love, how my heart has longed for this moment! I knew not whether you were come to Lastbridge for the burial, but it is here that I come for solace and quiet, and I have always hoped that one day you would come back here too". With that we fell together, hungrily and desperately, and for a short while we were all there was in the world for each other and for a short while all our cares were forgotten.
We lay together for a long time in that beautiful and ancient place, wrapped in my cloak, blissfully happy, whispering the sweet words of lovers to each other. All too soon however it was time to part, for she did not want to be missed and raise suspicion, and as we dressed she spoke to me of the bleakness of her life now as Belegon's wife. He treated her with contempt, often struck her if she displeased him, and not only that but was wont to lie with younger women, serving girls and tavern wenches, and then boast of it to her face and name her a hag. Her softly spoken words were like daggers to my heart, and as I held her close to me again before we parted I knew I had to make an end of it and spoke to her, my voice was thick with emotion. "My love, this cannot continue, for either of us. For it seems Berthedir is likely to become king and the Hillmen will reject his rule and bring war down upon us all as a result. I owe loyalty to neither party, let us flee west as soon as it can be arranged, for I have the favour of the Prince of Arthedain and perhaps the dream we once shared of a new life there can be made real after all?". She looked into my eyes, deadly serious. "You would do this for me?" she asked and I nodded. "Yes I would, and I will. I will make arrangements and purchase a good horse and supplies for the journey and we will flee by the light of the next full moon. You will have to find a pretext to go down into the City that evening but I will do the rest. If we are unable to speak again before that time then meet me at the old bridge at sunset". She nodded, and then we kissed softly and she departed. I reeled at the import of what I had just promised to do, but the more I thought about it the stronger my resolve became to see it through. I had given myself less than two weeks to arrange matters and overcome numerous obstacles that lay in my path, and then I would leave Rhudaur and everything and everyone I knew for ever. The thought thrilled and horrified me in equal measure, and I knew only too well what the price of failure and discovery would be. But my love for Idhrethil surpassed all else and I knew I could do what was needed.
The day of the King Elion's burial dawned bright and mild, but the mood as I sat with my companions eating breakfast was in stark contrast to the pleasant weather outside the window. I had not been there when Daeron had returned from his meeting with Berthedir the previous night but it appeared that he and Turchon were no longer on speaking terms. Nor was I in any mood for conversation, for the certainty I had felt the previous night had evaporated with the dawn, and my feelings were now full of doubt and confusion, torn between my loyalty to my friends and the woman I loved. I could scarce look them in the eye knowing what I had vowed to do just a few days hence, but they were so preoccupied that they did not appear to notice my strange mood. In the end I spoke up and asked Daeron what had happened and he frowned and paused as if fearing the response his words would receive. "I have decided not to pursue my claim to the throne of Rhudaur, such that it was, and pledge my allegiance to Berthedir's claim on the throne. These are dangerous times and the Dunedain of this realm cannot afford to be divided and at odds amongst themselves when a greater threat faces us all". I was aghast and filled with dismay at this change of heart, and one glance at Turchon's expression confirmed that he was of a similar mind. I leapt to my feet. "How can you possibly support Berthedir?" I exclaimed "the man is a cruel heartless coward who will lead us all to ruin. Have you taken leave of your senses?" Daeron looked furious at my outburst, and it was a shock to me for we as we had never exchanged angry words before, and he too rose from the table. "If it were anyone other than you speaking to me thus then I would punish them for their rash and disrespectful words, do not forget who you are and to whom you speak! Yet I do not expect you, one without home or kin to understand what is truly at stake here, or that sometimes unpleasant choices have to be made in order to keep our loved ones the safe. I have three children in Watersmeet, and another on the way, and continuing any claim for the throne for myself will only cause division and strife amongst our people and place their futures in jeopardy". I wondered at his words, for it seemed I no longer knew him and that his new life had wrought a great change in him. "Forgive me" I replied "but I believe your course of action will doom us all". With that turned and left the room, and Turchon followed me out.
At noon, dressed in our best gear we gathered in the great hall where King Elion lay on a bier, his body shrouded and laid out with his sword and crown. Eventually a silence fell on the place and Princess Elien, accompanied by Lord Berthedir and others of high rank entered just as they had for the feast a few weeks since. As before towards the rear came Idhrethil alongside Belegon, beautifully clothed in a sombre dress and jewels. I felt a stab of anguish and love too when I saw her, remembering what had passed between us the previous night, but I did not attempt to catch her eye and she kept hers downcast and to the front in any case. Bearers took up the bier, a herald called on us to follow the King to his final resting place and the procession moved off slowly out of the main doors and down through the citadel to the gatehouse and the great courtyard. beyond. There we were arranged in some sort of order of precedence, with the Chieftain of the Hillmen following the Princess's retinue and various lords and captains behind his party. I was close to the front of this latter grouping by dint of my attending on Turchon, for although he was not high in the favour of those in Lastbridge he was still Lord of one of the largest towns in the wider Kingdom. Close by us walked Daeron and Cenric, but the former did not acknowledge our presence. Out in the great cobbled yard an honour guard were waiting and they took the head of the column as we began the descent into the town. At the bottom of the hill crowds of townsfolk watched in silence as we passed along the road, heading eastward toward the burial grounds. As we marched slowly I thought sadly of the last time I had made that same journey with Angon, and the thought of it made my growing hatred for Barachon and Berthedir and their kind burn all the stronger.
The burial grounds stood beneath tall forested crags and it was in tombs at the feet of these that the kings of Rhudaur had traditionally been laid to rest. The great doors in the hillside that led into the chambers within had been thrown open and the procession halted before them. We gathered around the bier in there and it was Berthedir, in a clear signal of his intent to succeed the old king who spoke the traditional words of departure. Afterwards torches were lit and the bier was taken within accompanied by the Princess and those who had been closest to him, Berthedir and Barachon among them, but also Idhrethil. She entered the tomb arm in arm with the Princess, who was by now in some distress, and I realised it was not just I who would have to betray my friends and abandon those I loved when we fled westward.