Chapter 9: Finiorë's testimony

Mírimë nervously fidgeted in her seat. The trial of those three elves who attacked Lady Celebrían was in progress, and so far it looked as if Horëamo's grandson and his servant were trying to get the severest punishment possible. Neither of them seemed to regret his actions. King Ingwë looked disgusted with their behavior and prince Findaráto was angry. Lord Elrond's face turned into a cold, expressionless mask and he stared at the two culprits as if he was trying to read their minds. Mírimë was glad her testimony was over. She was sure she wouldn't utter a sound should she be questioned by the three nobles in their present mood.

The double door to the room opened and the last culprit, Finiorë, was escorted inside by two guards. The young nér was almost unrecognizable. Instead of walking with confidence and head held high he dragged his feet and his shoulders were slumped. He was also paler and thinner than Mírimë remembered. Her classmate let the guards lead him to a chair in the middle of the room. He sat down when he was told to and hung his head. King Ingwë broke the silence.

"Finiorë, son of Failaquen, tell us how you came to be a part of the group who attacked Lady Celebrían and how did it occur to you to do such a thing."

Finiorë swallowed and slowly looked up. When he saw the expressions on the king's and prince Findaráto's face and met Lord Elrond's gaze, he seemed to shrink. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth, trying to talk, but no sound could be heard.

"Speak," prompted the king.

The young nér forced himself to try again. Mírimë almost felt sorry for him.

"I have met Ruinayar, Lord Horëamo's grandson, at school. We started to spend our free time together and I was soon introduced to his servant, Verion. I suppose he should have kept his eye on us and prevent incidents similar to that with Lady Celebrían, but all he ever told us were stories about Moriquendi and their loose morals. Nor did he try to stop our frequent late night revels and it didn't occur to me or to my friend to cease, we have had very good time and not a care."

Here Finiorë chuckled in self-derision and continued his narrative:

"Then, almost every evening, as we were headed to one party or another, we noticed a female tree-hugger sitting at the fountain in the main square, then wandering off somewhere."

At the words "female tree-hugger" Elrond glared at Finiorë. The latter flinched and looked away. After a moment he cleared his throat and when no questions were asked, he continued to speak.

"One evening we started earlier than usual and when we came across the Sinda, we were drunk just enough to lose all inhibitions but not the ability to coordinate our movements. When he saw her, Ruinayar got the idea to try to have some fun. We were often told Moriquendi had loose morals and there was a pretty Moriquendë all alone. What could be better?"

Again, Finiorë used a derisive tone. It was clear to Mírimë that he thought about his actions and realized their possible results. Ruinayar had a disbelieving expression on his face and Verion seemed to be seething and perhaps slightly crazed. The latter's countenance sent shivers down her spine and she was extremely glad that the nér was well guarded. She once again focused on Finiorë.

„We followed her when she went away from the square. She noticed us and started to run. We were congratulating ourselves when we realized she was running to an area where nobody would be outside at that hour. We went faster than her and caught her soon, but she fought us. I held my hand over her mouth to keep her quiet and Verion removed her loincloth. After that, she struggled even more and bit my hand. Before I had the chance to place it back on her mouth she screamed. Almost immediately a door banged and someone shouted at us to leave the nís alone. I saw those two," he pointed at Avacauro and Mírimë's father, "run towards us. We let go and ran away, each to his own home."

Finiorë fell silent and Mírimë felt nauseous. She could clearly remember one of the trio waving a piece of white cloth and boasting of getting a souvenir.

When it was clear that Finiorë finished speaking, prince Findaráto added a question of his own:

"What did you do after you got home?"

"I took some herbs to clear my head. When I sobered, I realized what we were prevented from doing and the consequences for the nís if we had followed through. I never intended to seriously injure anyone and when it became evident that my actions under the influence of drink could have cost a life, I panicked and my first thought was to run away as fast as I could. And I did it. I ran away from Valmar in fear, without any supplies. For a fortnight I ate what I came across. Then, the two travelers appeared and stopped for the night. I tried to take some of their food, but they caught me and brought me here. I tried to escape again, but little Miri here spoiled my plans. That is the end of my story."

King Ingwë motioned to the guards to lead Finiorë to the bench where Ruinayar and Verion were seated. The latter let out an angry hiss. The king, prince Findaráto, Lord Elrond and some of the royal advisors headed for an adjacent chamber to determine a punishment for the three attackers. Elrond was about to cross the threshold when Verion shouted:

"The wench got far less than she deserves for sleeping around with a half-bred freak!"

That sentence broke the elf-lord's self-control. In an instant he was in front of Verion, one hand firmly clasped around the Vanya's throat, the other fending off the guard who was attempting to stop him. Verion choked and began to turn blue. Ruinayar and Finiorë were frozen in shock and fear. Another guard joined the one who tried to get Elrond to let go of Verion's throat. Alerted by the commotion, prince Findaráto rushed in and together they managed to calm the elf-lord down and Findaráto escorted him outside. Verion attempted to catch his breath and sent a look of pure hatred at Elrond's back.