Giminzil is asked to enter Lord Zigur's private quarter and is reluctant.
GIMINZIL turned to the northern wing of the palace after dismissing Daira. Her maid was overprotective and disliked being away from her side, but Giminzil knew the queen wanted this matter to be private.
Lord Zigur's residence occupied the entire wing on the other side of the king's chambers. He had been in Anadûnê for less than twenty years, but he was already the chief adviser to the king. Everybody fawned over him, including her father.
The hallway was buzzing, slaves and servants busily carrying trunks and boxes. The king and the queen were to travel today to the vineyards in Hyarnustar. It was an annual trip once the harvesting of grapes was completed.
In front of Lord Zigur's door, Giminzil arranged her headscarf to make sure it fully covered her entire head. As she raised her hand to knock, the door opened and a group of slaves walked out carrying several chests. Behind them, Herumor barked orders.
Like herself, Herumor's father is one of the lords of the six regions of Anadûnê, thus a member of the Council of Sceptre. Upon coming of age, all children of the council members entered the King's House to serve in the court in either the king's or the queen's household. It was said that Lord Zigur handpicked Herumor amongst them for his own office, and as such, many powerful families tried to match him with their daughters. Giminzil knew that even her own father would welcome Herumor as a potential suitor for her. As the children of the lords of the Council of Sceptre, she had known Herumor since she was a child.
"Excuse me, Lady Giminzil. This morning is rather hectic." Herumor always looked pristine, but this morning, he looked harried.
"You must be looking forward to going home. I certainly was looking forward to visiting your home again with the queen."
"And I had something special I wanted to show you there, but all these schedule changes in the last minute…" Herumor shook his head.
The king and the queen were scheduled to go to Hyarnustar next week once Giminzil returned from Romenna, but someone had changed the schedule last minute to coincide with Giminzil's trip to see her brother.
"I had to reschedule everything to make this date. Regardless, I wouldn't be heading home with the others."
"Aren't you accompanying Lord Zigur when he goes with the king?"
"I will be accompanying Lord Zigur, yes, but not the king. My master received a notice about the rebels last night. We will be heading to Andustar to deal with them." Herumor patted the sword by his side. "I will be joining Lord Zigur's men in the hunt."
His dark gray eyes shone with glee. Something about it chilled Giminzil, and she shivered.
"I heard they were just gathering. It is not against the law to gather."
"Giminzil, they are rebels, traitors to the crown. They should be dealt with harshly otherwise you are letting others think it is all right to disobey the king."
"But they didn't disobey. Just gathering together does not mean they disobeyed."
"You can't possibly be siding with the rebels?" Herumor drew his eyebrows together.
"Of course not. There is nothing that say you are a rebel just because you gather, that is all. Is Lord Zigur here?" Giminzil had a sudden desire to get out of here as soon as possible. "I hope he isn't already at the courtyard."
Lord Zigur probably wouldn't leave the palace until after the king and the royal escorts left the palace, but if he was at the courtyard with the king, he wouldn't be able to fill the bottle for the queen before she left.
"His lordship is inside." Herumor pulled open the door for Giminzil. She stepped into an airy room with three floor-to-ceiling windows.
Lord Zigur was standing by a window. His hair, bound neatly within the gold clasp of marvelous design, shone like a stream of light cascading down his back. Although golden blond like the king and the queen, Lord Zigur's hair seemed to have a light of its own. Head taller even than the king, Lord Zigur, with his flawless skin and sculpted features, was the most beautiful man Giminzil had ever met. Yet, there was something about the king's adviser that frightened her. Giminzil did not know why because Lord Zigur had been nothing but kind to her and generous to her father.
There was a rumor that Lord Zigur was thousands of years old. But you wouldn't know it by looking at him. He hardly looked more than a young man of thirty summers. Giminzil's father was two hundred and twenty, one of the oldest living men in Anadûnê among those who did not have the royal blood of Tar-Minyatur. It was said that her people had the life span three times that of the normal men from the Great Lands, but very few lived past their two hundredth year these days. Even those from the House of Kings who used to live close to four hundred years in age barely lived past two hundred fifty years these days.
"My lord?" Giminzil called, knowing full well that the queen would be anxiously waiting for her return.
"You are here for the queen?" The adviser gestured for Giminzil to follow as he walked into his inner chamber.
Giminzil had never been invited inside Lord Zigur's private quarters, so she hesitated. She glanced at Herumor who had walked in after her, but he was busy giving orders to the slaves who had returned.
She followed the adviser into the room. The sitting room had a golden chaise covered in red silk and a few chairs in black. She had expected the room to be much more richly furnished, so the simplicity and the sparseness of the room surprised Giminzil. But Zigur did not stop there but strode into another door.
Giminzil stopped. Was that his bedchamber? If this was his sitting room, surely that was his bedchamber. It would be very inappropriate for her to be found there alone and without her nurse or another chaperone.
"Her majesty will leave soon. I should return to her…," but Giminzil did not finish when Lord Zigur held the door open, gesturing for her to enter.
"Come, Lady Giminzil. I do not have much time this morning." The adviser smiled, his golden eyes lighting up into deep amber. One corner of his lips pulled up, revealing his back teeth, white and sharp. Giminzil felt her cheeks sear.
His eyes, golden like his hair, glittered red from the light coming from the room.
"You want the potion, do you not? It is in here." He tilted his head toward the room.
Giminzil picked at her lips, a bad habit. Her brother, before he left for the Great Lands, had warned her to keep her distance from Lord Zigur. Abrazan never told her why, but he was never wrong.
Giminzil's heart beat wildly.
Council of Septre—Advisers to the king which comprises of the king's heir and the lords of the six regions of Numenor. They are the most powerful men in Numenor besides the King.
Hyarnustar—one of the 6 regions of Numenor which means southeast lands. It is mountainous in the west with great cliffs on the coasts of west and south. But on the east side, it was warm and fertile. It is known for its great vineyards.
Andustar-It means westlands and is one of the 6 regions. It is the seat of Lord of Andunie. Eldalonde, located in Andustar, is considered the most beautiful haven of all Numenor. It is where the Elves from Eressea came to visit the Numenoreans when there was friendship between them. Current Lord of Andunie (SA 3280) is Lord Amandil, father of Elendil and grandfather to Isildur. He and his followers were forced to relocate to Romenna and kept under surveillance during the reign of Ar-Gimilzor, Ar-Pharazon's grandfather.
Herumor-One of two known Black Numenoreans who escaped the destruction of Numenor. He rose to power among the Haradrim
Tar-Minyatur-Elros, twin brother to Elrond and the first king of Numenor