Disclaimer: The same as usual, I'm afraid. Still don't own anything other than characters created by me.
Things Worth Fighting For
Chapter 21
"Watching to the night, the hope is gone
Carrying so much burden in my heart
Watching to the night with tired eyes
Waiting for nothing all my life"
"Battle Against Time" by Wintersun
Talon was furious. How dare she? She was a princess of Gondor, not some common tavern wench! He deserved better than a wife who'd shared beds with half the population of Middle-earth! He deserved an obedient wife. He would find a way to make her obedient.
Talon looked at his brother. "How did you come by this information?"
"Not all servants at his court are loyal to the Rohirric king," Arlos said with a smirk, taking a bite of his apple. "Delicious, you should try one."
Talon took an apple, looked at it and threw it into the wall. "I will make her pay for this!"
"As you should, dear brother, as you should," Arlos said. "But do nothing rash. She is no good to us dead."
"Believe me, brother, Lothíriel will not die. I will have her as my queen. All I have to do is to ensure her spirit remain broken."
"If you believe her spirit to be broken you need to have your eyes examined, Talon," Arlos looked at his brother, pouring himself another drink. "Every night she stands on her balcony, facing north. She still hopes to escape this fate, to live with her barbarian king. No, Talon, what you have to do is to ensure that she remains here."
Talon scowled. He hated to admit it, but his brother was right. He had to make sure that his future wife remained in Dol Amroth. He would find a way.
"When will we be ready?" Arlos asked, changing the subject.
"By the end of the week Father will have the answer from the Haradrim commander. In another two we will be ready," Talon answered.
Arlos smirked. "And Gondor will be ours."
They heard someone let out a gasp and the brothers looked at each other. Talon swiftly walked towards the door to the adjoining room. In a few moments the eavesdropper was dragged by Talon into the room and thrown roughly onto the floor.
"Lady Valinea, what an honour it is for you to join us," Arlos greeted pleasantly.
Val glared at him. "It'll never work!" she spat. She then proceeded to kick Talon in a very sensitive place and the man groaned, doubling over. She swiftly got to her feet and fled towards the door, but Arlos suddenly stood before her, with the tip of his sword pointed at her chest.
"A very bad idea, don't you agree?" he asked, keeping the pleasant tone and manner that had fooled them all since the first time he visited his brother's future wife and her family.
Meanwhile Talon had recovered and walked stiffly over to his brother and their prisoner. Without a word he backhanded her. It surprised her and she let out a small scream, falling onto the floor.
"Well, now that that is dealt with," Arlos broke the silence. "Brother, we have our solution. Lady Valinea will ensure the continuing presence of Princess Lothíriel."
Talon smirked. "Indeed she will, indeed she will."
He looked at Val, and she could not help but feel terrified. She quickly buried this feeling, however, and glared defiantly at her captors. "You will never succeed! Prince Imrahil will have you imprisoned and the Council will execute you!"
"Such faith in your Prince and the Council," Arlos commented. "You do realize that your faith is misplaced, do you not?"
"Neither Prince Imrahil or your father or the Council will find out anything before it is too late," Talon added menacingly.
"You will get what you deserve," Val replied.
"Oh, we most definitely will," Arlos agreed.
"Traitors," Val said, getting to her feet. "You're nothing but traitors."
Talon smirked. "Berand!" he called and a man entered, one Val recognized as captain of Talon's guard, assigned only for his protection. It did not take long for her to realise that the man was so much more than Talon's bodyguard.
"My lord," Berand bowed.
"Take Lady Valinea out of the palace and keep her hidden. Keep her alive, for now. The Lady will also write a letter to her father, explaining her absence."
"Then perhaps such an explanation could be that she left, searching for evidence against you, my lord," Berand suggested.
Arlos seemed pleased. "What an excellent idea!" he exclaimed. "Please make certain this is done, Berand."
"Of course, my lord," Berand bowed.
As Berand lead Valinea out of the room, Arlos sat down in a comfortable chair, sighing contentedly.
"Now all we have to do is wait," he said.
Talon snorted. "One thing seems to elude me, dear brother," he said.
"And what is that?" Arlos asked, pouring himself yet another glass of brandy.
"If you knew about my betrothed's unfaithfulness several months ago, why did you not tell me?" Talon glared at his younger sibling.
"Simple, my dearest brother," Arlos answered sweetly. "I never do anything unless it proves useful to our cause."
"And how is it useful now and not when we were still in Rohan?" Talon asked, his anger rising with each word.
"Because if I told you then you would confront your future bride, and during the winter she would probably find a way to escape. The wedding is now only three weeks away and you can confront her if you wish, and ensure her continuing presence much easier," Arlos explained calmly. "For you know as well as I do, brother, that if you had known prior to this day you would have confronted her, possibly having the means to ensure that she remain at the time, however much could happen over such a long period and we had greater chance of failure."
"All this time you chose to keep this from me," Talon growled.
Arlos, however, was not concerned. "Of course I did. You would let your temper guide your actions and it would lead to utter ruin for all of us. Father agreed with my reasoning." And let us not remember that the look on your face when I told you, dear brother, was priceless, Arlos thought with a smirk.
"I will kill Imrahil just because he insisted to postpone the wedding till after winter," Talon muttered.
"No, you will kill him because he is the ruler of Dol Amroth," Arlos corrected. "Besides, the timing is perfect. With the outcome of the War as it was and the return of the King, we needed the delay to get our plan back on schedule. And it was you who wanted it all to happen the night of your wedding."
"No, that was you," Talon said. "Something about dramatic effects or whatever your argument was."
"Oh, yes," Arlos smirked. "How could I forget? When the Princess is finally your wife, we kill her family and all the royal guests, including the King, and become the new rulers of Gondor."
Talon didn't answer, but he was, like his brother, quite confident that they would succeed. One thing bothered him, though, one thing he needed to deal with. He turned to his brother. "No one takes what is mine and walks away unharmed," he said menacingly. "I want the barbarian king's head on a silver platter!"
"That can be arranged."
The sound of the door closing and approaching footsteps awakened her. It was still dark outside and the moon was hidden behind a cloud, making it hard to see inside her dark chambers.
As was her habit since returning to Dol Amroth after the war, she slept with a dagger within easy reach. Ignoring the desire to look at the intruder as he or she approached, she reached for the blade. When the intruder shook her shoulder to awaken her she had her dagger at his throat within seconds.
"Amrothos!" she gasped in surprise, staring at her brother. She immediately removed the blade.
Amrothos was staring at her, eyes widened in surprise and face white as a sheet. "Well," he said after a moment, "whatever it was I expected when I snuck into my sister's chambers, it certainly was not that!"
"Díhena nín," Lothíriel said. "I did not expect company," she added dryly.
Amrothos grinned and took a seat at the edge of her bed. "Well, my apologies, tithen muinthel, to frighten you was not my intention."
"What was your intention then?" Lothíriel asked, ignoring the remark about him frightening her.
Amrothos was suddenly serious, as if just now remembering what he was doing there. "Have you seen Valinea?"
Lothíriel's brow furrowed. "Not since yesterday morning," she answered. "Why? Has something happened?"
"I am not sure," her brother answered, obviously worried. "When I spoke to her she said she had something to do, but it would only take a few hours. I have not seen her since."
"Why are you worried? It is not unusual for Val to forget time when she finds something that catches her interest," the Princess said.
"I know that," Amrothos replied, scowling. "It is just that…"
"What?" Lothíriel looked at her brother questionably. He looked… scared, she decided. Something more must have happened to frighten Amrothos. It was nothing unusual for Val to disappear from time to time. If she found a good book she would find a quiet spot and read it until she finished it. Once they hadn't seen her for days. She had been found on the stable roof, reading a book while two others were lying by her feet. Amrothos knew how she was, why was he so concerned then?
"I'm not sure, but something about her behaviour troubles me."
Lothíriel's eyebrow rose. "What do you mean?"
"I cannot put my finger on it," Amrothos replied with a sigh, frustrated. "It was something she said, the way she said it or something about her voice. I cannot say for certain." After a moment he shook his head and rose to his feet. "Forget I said anything. I am sure it is nothing to worry about." He turned to leave.
"Amrothos, wait!" Lothíriel got out of bed, grabbed her robe from a nearby chair and put it over her nightgown. She took a hold of his arm just as he reached the door. "You were alarmed enough to come to my chambers in the middle of the night. Tell me, brother, do you think Val is in danger?"
Amrothos took a deep breath and released it. He looked into the concerned eyes of his sister and nodded. "Aye, I think she is."
Having searched all the places they could think of within the palace, the siblings went into the gardens, hoping they would find their missing friend before long.
Lothíriel still wore the nightgown, but she had changed from the robe to a dark blue cloak. She had taken the dagger with her, knowing better than to meet any danger unprepared. She had been a rider with the Rohirrim, after all.
Thinking of her time with the Rohirrim made her think of Éomer. She hadn't allowed herself to think of him very much during the winter. Of course he would come to her each night in her dreams, making her remember what could have been, what he had promised would be. Realistically she knew she must wed Talon and forget Éomer. In her dreams it was different. In her dreams she wedded Éomer. Talon never existed.
She missed him. She longed to feel his arms around her, to feel safe again. She hadn't felt safe for a long time.
"I will take that part and you can take this part," Amrothos suggested, startling her. She recovered quickly and nodded her consent. The siblings parted, promising to meet thirty minutes later.
After searching for about twenty minutes, Lothíriel started to doubt they would find Val. She became more certain that her brother was right; that Val was somehow in danger. And she knew who was responsible.
She was on her way back to meet Amrothos when she heard a twig brake. Her heart started beating quicker. She looked around, but could not see anyone in the dark. She held the dagger in a tight grip, preparing herself for an attack.
Nothing happened.
She stood there for a few moments, wondering if it was only her mind playing tricks on her. But no, she was certain she had heard someone step on that twig. Someone was there, watching her. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She walked in the direction of the sound she'd heard. She found the broken twig underneath a tree. Someone grabbed her arm and she spun around, bringing the dagger to the person's throat.
She looked into the cold eyes of Talon.
"What are you doing?" she hissed.
Talon looked calmly at her, once he had gotten over his initial shock at having a blade pressed against his throat. "Be careful with that, dear princess, someone might get hurt."
She glared at him. "Someone might," she agreed.
"Lothíriel, my dear, there is no need for hostility. I have found it in my heart to forgive you."
For a moment she was speechless. Nothing he could have said would have surprised her more than those words. "For what?" she finally asked.
"Why, Princess, do you think me a complete fool?" He smiled, running his hand across her left cheek and brushed some of her hair behind her ear. Only the slightly added pressure against his throat made him withdraw his hand. "I know all about you…" he paused dramatically, smirking as he continued, "and your lover."
The dagger fell numbly from her hand as she stared at him, too shocked to form a coherent response.
"Oh, yes, I know everything," Talon continued. "The shared kisses, nightly rides… what would your father think if he found out? His daughter losing her innocence before her marriage and not even to the man she is to wed! The House of Imrahil would be dishonoured! And let us not forget…"
"Shut up!" Lothíriel snapped and slapped him forcefully. Tears threatened to fall, but she stubbornly refused to let them. She was angry and afraid, fearing not for herself but for her father and Éomer.
Talon smirked as his words had the desired effect. He had to admit, though, that he had not expected her to actually hit him. It was quite painful. She was obviously stronger than she looked.
"Your lover will pay for this," he said in a low, menacing voice. "I demand restitution. He robbed me of what is rightfully mine."
"You wouldn't dare go against him. He is a king. And by taking this matter to my father, you will be free of the contract. No man wants a wife who has already been with someone else." She hoped this was true. She hoped he no longer wanted her for his wife. She had been bound by the contract and had been in no position to demand it be declared invalid. He, however, could do so. Just because he was a man he had that right. But something told her this was not what he wanted. He had something else planned.
"You will not be so fortunate," he informer her. He traced her jaw line with his thumb, running it across her lips. He saw her fear in her eyes. He could feel it with every fibre of his being and it excited him. He moved his hand to her neck, running his fingers through her hair and pressed his lips against hers while his other hand found its way to her breasts, removing the cloak and kneading them through the thin material of her nightgown.
Disgusted, she pushed him away. He did not seem surprised or upset by that. He seemed quite satisfied with himself.
Rage flowed through her. She hit him as hard as she could; knocking him off his feet. In a moment she had retrieved the fallen dagger, and was ready to run it through him. Talon stared up at her, eyes wide with fear. He knew she would kill him. He had given her more than enough reasons.
Lothíriel took a deep breath. Could she kill a defenceless person? Could she make herself do it? Could she push the blade into him or slit his throat in cold blood? Even after everything he had done to her, could she make herself kill him? She moved the dagger to his throat.
Could she do it?
Just a bit more pressure to the blade and this nightmare would be over. It would finally be over.
Talon was so frightened for his own life that he failed to see the internal struggle the Princess was having. His goal now was to once again gain control. "If you kill me, she'll die!" he cried out desperately.
Lothíriel looked at him. "What are you talking about?" she hissed through gritted teeth.
"Valinea," Talon said, panting heavily. "If anything happens to me, she'll die."
Lothíriel glared at him. "You lie," she said evenly, adding slightly more pressure to the blade so that drops of blood trickled forth.
Talon closed his eyes, trying to shut out the pain. He opened them again and looked at her. "I assure you, I don't lie. If anything happens to me, she dies. If you do anything I disapprove of, she dies. If you disobey me, she dies."
Lothíriel swallowed harshly. She had lost. If she killed him, Val would die. She could not be responsible for that. She had to find a way to save her.
"Do you understand?" Talon asked, seeing he had her under his control. She nodded numbly. "Good. Remove the dagger." The blade was removed, although a bit hesitatingly.
Talon smirked as he got to his feet. "Remember, if you disobey me, Valinea will die." He received no answer, but it wasn't necessary. He knew she would do as he said. She would not risk the life of her friend. As he turned to walk away he touched his throat and frowned at the blood he then saw on his fingers. That little wench would pay for that, later.
Lothíriel sank to her knees and stared after him as he left.
When Amrothos returned and his sister failed to appear, he became worried. He knew very well that his sister could take care of herself, but that did not keep him from wondering what was keeping her. For his own peace of mind he walked in the direction Lothíriel had taken earlier, hoping to find her as soon as possible.
Low voices reached him from a dark part of the garden, now rarely used. They were low, faint, almost impossible to make out. Amrothos carefully moved closer, listening carefully. He recognized the voice now speaking. It was Lord Talon.
"The shared kisses, nightly rides… what would your father think if he found out? His daughter losing her innocence before her marriage and not even to the man she is to wed! The House of Imrahil would be dishonoured! And let us not forget…"
Amrothos could not believe what he was hearing.
"Shut up!"
That was unmistakably Lothíriel's voice. He could not see them, but he could hear them easily enough. He did not dare to move in case of discovery. He had no wish of being caught in a lover's quarrel between Lothíriel and her betrothed.
But as he continued listening he realised more was going on.
"Your lover will pay for this. I demand restitution. He robbed me of what is rightfully mine."
"You wouldn't dare go against him. He is a king."
Lothíriel had a lover that was king? What king? Surely not Elessar! What in the name of the Valar was going on?
Amrothos moved closer to a tree, just in time to see Talon move towards his sister and kiss her. Amrothos could clearly see his sister did not enjoy it, and was about to intervene when someone gripped his shoulders and pulled him back.
"What are you doing?" he asked angrily, staring at his oldest brother.
"Keep your voice down," Elphir ordered in a barely audible voice. "Come with me."
Amrothos had no choice but to follow, as his brother kept a tight grip on his left arm. Amrothos was a strong man in his own right, but Elphir was both stronger and broader built.
Well out of earshot of their sister and her betrothed, Elphir stopped and looked at his younger brother.
"What did you do that for?" Amrothos asked, crossing his arms, glaring at his older brother.
"I know you want to help her, but I could not allow you to expose yourself," Elphir answered.
"Expose myself? What are you talking about?"
"If you had tried to help her now, you would just make things worse. Talon does not need to know that you don't trust him," Elphir sighed deeply. "Look, you know I've never liked the man. He is the prime example of noble men who never do anything except to expand their own wealth. And I believe he only wish to wed Lothíriel because she is the daughter of Prince Imrahil."
"He's not the only one," Amrothos pointed out. "Many men wish to wed our little sister because of Ada's title."
"Of course, but I believe there is something more to it. Do you remember when Mariel had taken Alphros to the docks and they were attacked, and fortunately Talon was there to save them?" Amrothos nodded and Elphir continued. "I never really believed that. Upon further investigation I found out that the man who attacked them was a man of Talon's own guard."
"What?" Amrothos stared at him. "Talon had his own man to attack Mariel? But why?"
"To gain my trust," Elphir answered. "You must remember, brother, that there are two forms of war. The one fought in open combat and the one fought in the shadows." Of course Amrothos was aware of this, but as the youngest brother he had never been required to bother much with politics. "Ever since he saved Mariel and Alphros, I have had him followed."
Amrothos raised his brow, surprised his brother could be so devious. "What have you found out?"
"A great number of things, actually," Elphir answered. "Among them the fact that Lothíriel is in love with King Éomer."
Amrothos gaped at him. "What?"
Elphir nodded, appearing quite calm about the matter. "And apparently he loves her as well. I shall tell you what you need to know later, but right now…"
"What do you mean by what I need to know?" Amrothos interrupted.
Elphir glared at him, not used to be interrupted, not even by his younger siblings. "Tonight I discovered some disturbing news. Talon has sent a messenger to someone in Rohan, ordering the assassination of Éomer."
Amrothos stared at him in horror. "We cannot allow that to happen, Elphir!"
"Of course not," Elphir agreed. "I have sent one of my own men to intercept the messenger, or if he fails to do that, to reach Edoras in time to save the King's life. But I want you to follow him. Make sure Éomer is not killed. If you ride now, he will only be a half day ahead of you."
"What about Lothíriel?" Amrothos asked.
"I will protect her," Elphir promised.
"Elphir, what do you know of Valinea's disappearance?"
"Nothing, I'm afraid, but I am certain Talon is behind it," Elphir answered grimly. "Nothing will happen to her, I promise you that."
Amrothos nodded. "And I will not let anything happen to Éomer. I would rather have him as our brother-in-law than Talon anyway."
Elphir nodded. "So would I."
The second day of his journey to Rohan, the messenger discovered that someone was following him. A Swan Knight! Someone knew of his mission to Edoras. He would have to take care of this.
Although his mission was to deliver a message, Lord Talon and Lord Arlos had made sure he knew the punishment he would receive if he did anything resulting in failure. Being followed by a Swan Knight and prevented from delivering his message would indeed be viewed as a failure.
As darkness finally came, the messenger hid his horse and went into hiding himself, patiently waiting for the Swan Knight to approach.
Cerevon, son of Elerhil, had been a Swan Knight for eleven years and had been under the command of Prince Elphir all those years, a man Cerevon respected immensely for his courage and leadership. He was a true leader, and Cerevon was honoured to serve under such a man. One day he would make a very fine ruler of Dol Amroth.
And now, Cerevon, a young man of the age thirty-one, was on his most important mission. He was considered one of the fastest riders by his fellow knights, one with skills enough to accomplish this mission. Lord Elphir himself had told him so.
Perhaps the Prince would have been right, had it not been for the messenger, one of Talon's most ruthless men. As a young man he had been a ranger in Ithilien, and was an experienced scout. His childhood years had been spent with his father's people in Harad. Since he had his mother's lighter colouring, he had no problem passing for a Gondorian when he had returned to Lebinnin with his mother, her home, when he was a youth.
The young knight of Dol Amroth never saw the messenger hiding in the trees. He never saw or heard the arrow that suddenly penetrated his flesh. He moaned, falling out of the saddle, slowly bleeding to death. Before he lost consciousness, his last coherent thought was that he had not been prepared to die.
The messenger smirked, seeing the blood and knowing it would not be long before the man was dead. Why waste a good arrow when the blood loss would do the job for him? Satisfied, the messenger returned to his mount and continued on his way to Rohan.
Translations:
Díhena nín – Forgive me
Tithen muinthel – Little sister