CHAPTER 18
"Are you out of your mind?" Bard's words were spoken harshly, yet more out of concern for his friend than in anger, considering the circumstances they were in. "I thought that I had made myself clear on our way here!" He continued, getting no reaction from Arahad. "What are you trying to achieve by this? Unleash the King's wrath?"
Still no response. They were in Bard's room, the first safe place where he had managed to half drag Arahad as soon as King Thranduil left the room and the council was clearly over. They were not alone. Gandalf had come with them, he was not done yet with this proud but courageous and intriguing young fellow.
Seeing that Bard was getting no answers to his questions, the wizard moved away from the door and walked towards a small table on which lay a bottle and some glasses. "Wine, anyone?" he piped in merrily. "This Dorwinion is excellent and I think we all need to calm down and clear things out."
He took a chair and moved it closer to where Arahad was standing. "Now, are you ready to tell us the real reason why you went to explore Gundabad?"
"Why are you asking me, if you already know the answer to your question?" came the ranger's reply, eyes set in annoyance and frustration.
"Because I want you to say it out loud," said the wizard calmly, "I assure you my young friend, that you will feel better once you take this burden off your chest."
"Can one of you enlighten me on what is going on here, if you don't mind?" Bard seemed clearly confused, looking from one to the other, having no idea of what they were talking about.
Arahad picked up the glass he had been offered and drank it in one gulp. It was immensely difficult for him to open up on this matter. He had never told anybody about this before. His mother had been the only one to know, urging him, even on her death bed, to keep it to himself for fear that he might be scorned at or ridiculed, or worse, dismissed as insane. People tend to resort to this whenever they are faced with things that they cannot comprehend.
Still, he had to admit that she had lived a very secluded and uneventful life in the small village of men he had been brought up in. Magic, strange creatures and other races belonged only to children's tales. It was only when she died and he left the security of the village to explore what was beyond, that he realised that they were, in fact, real.
Standing here now, in this room, deep inside the Elvish Kingdom, a couple of days after battling orcs and talking to a wizard, made his power seem not only smaller, but almost insignificant, making it much easier for him to face the subject. Hmm…he looked at the empty cup he was still holding…or maybe it was the wine that made him see things in a different light? It was really good. He grinned.
Arahad looked at them and started explaining to Gandalf and a rather baffled Bard, his sixth sense, if one had to give it a name. He told them of when he had first felt it as a young boy, how he had opened his heart only to his mother about it, and to nobody else until today. He explained of how it had to do with situations and places…how he kept on thinking and even dreaming about a place until he went there to explore and see for himself what was going on.
This was what had made him go to Lake Town a year ago; and he admitted to an incredulous Bard how it had been days, or rather nights, of him dreaming and having visions of fire before arriving there. He then turned towards Gandalf.
"I could not take Gundabad off my mind. Day and night it kept calling out to me. My sensitivity towards magic kept turning me in that direction…until I answered that call. I felt there was no danger and I knew that I would find something there…although I had no idea what or in this case, who." He let out a sigh.
Gandalf had been listening attentively to Arahad's every word that had come forth from his mouth. He didn't miss his sigh, nor his sad tone at the end of his story. Thus he wanted to choose his words carefully for he did not want to cause him any grief other than necessary. However, although it was difficult, it was crucial for him to understand.
"My friend, you have got an amazing gift, a gift which can no doubt bring with it extreme happiness or great sorrow. You have been most admirable in this quest, for you have brought back great joy and happiness to a kingdom which had been robbed of it so cruelly many a century ago. Because of what you have done, all the Kingdom of Mirkwood will be grateful to you, especially the King himself." Gandalf stopped here, stood up and moved toward Arahad before he continued.
"Yet kindness must never be underestimated. Arahad, and I am speaking to you clearly now, make no mistake that gratitude can easily turn into wrath if the King senses you might be an obstacle between him and his Queen; for keep in mind my friend, that she is first and foremost Queen of this Realm and his wife."
Arahad was feeling his irritation surfacing again. "I know that!" he snapped, gesturing at Bard, "We have discussed this already."
"We did?" Bard replied sarcastically. "Strange! After what I heard in the council room I doubted any of my advice had actually entered that thick head of yours!"
"What do you mean by this?" said Arahad, looking puzzled.
"What?" Bard rolled his eyes. "Have you already forgotten the words you used to describe her, as soon as the King's adviser mentioned hidden treasure?"
Both Gandalf and Bard were surprised to notice that Arahad looked sincerely bewildered by what he was hearing. "I wasn't thinking clearly. I felt too angry at what that weird elf was saying."
Gandalf narrowed his eyes, no detail escaped his scrutiny. "And why is that, may I ask?"
He looked at them. "Sometimes my gift has to do with people as well, so let's just say, for now, that I don't trust him!"
In the light of what Arahad had just told them, this statement, which would have otherwise been easily dismissed, left both of them perplexed and wondering what it would lead to.
Valadhiel cringed as soon as she woke up, for her headache was considerably worse. She put her hand against her temple trying to ease the terrible tension inside. What had happened? The last thing she remembered was sitting on the couch talking to the King and then…nothing. She must have passed out.
She moved her head sideways, only to find Tuarwen sitting on a chair beside the bed and smiling sweetly, "You should drink some water my Lady."
Valadhiel nodded and smiled back. She slowly got up and swung her legs to one side of the bed to settle in a sitting position, gladly accepting the glass being offered.
No sooner had she finished than she stood up feeling restless. The room seemed small somehow and she felt that she couldn't wait to go out and breathe in some fresh air. She moved resolutely towards the door but was stopped short by Tuarwen's high pitched panicked voice.
"What are you doing my Lady? Both the King and Lord Faeron have left instructions to warn them as soon as you are awake. They both insisted that you should not leave the room before Lord Faeron makes sure that you are well enough."
She stood up straight, looking coldly at the elleth, a hand already on the door knob. All she had to do was turn round, open the door and leave. She just needed a breath of fresh air to feel better and ground herself from what was going on. But she knew that as soon as she stepped outside, the guards would try to stop her, and she did not feel like arguing and being difficult. Valar! This room was getting smaller and oppressive by the minute!
"Please, my Lady!" pleaded the healer, "They are very worried since you have fainted so suddenly and for no apparent reason."
Valadhiel looked at her. It was not fair and no use distressing this poor elleth for her irritation. It was not in her character. Yet determination certainly was. She smiled as a plan formed in her mind.
"Listen Tuarwen, I promise not to set foot out of this door if you go and get me something to eat before calling anyone. I am feeling rather famished to say the truth."
Valadhiel could see the elleth's face brighten up and she almost felt sorry for the way she was going to trick her.
"Of course, my Lady. I'll be back in an instant!" And with those words she left, closing the door behind her.
No sooner was she gone than Valadhiel turned her attention towards the balcony. She had already noticed that some of the branches of the enormous beech tree outside reached as far as the wooden railing and it took her no time at all to use them so as to descend swiftly onto the grass below.
Finally! She did not understand why but she couldn't endure those four walls any longer. She felt almost as if they were softly suffocating her and it was strange, now that she thought about it. She had felt nothing of the sort earlier this morning. On the contrary, the beautiful room had offered nothing but comfort from the moment she had woken up. So what was this desperate urge to leave? Strange.
She wandered further away, started walking along a narrow path winding among the trees, enjoying the soft, dry grass under her bare feet. She smiled, for in her hurry to get away from there, she had completely forgotten to wear any shoes. But it did not matter now. She continued walking, her feet moving as if on a will of their own.
It was mid-afternoon, the forest looked welcoming at this time of day, covered in all the different shades of green one could possibly imagine. But she didn't stop. As if by enchantment she continued on her way, feeling as if she was being lured somewhere, leaving her without any will to do otherwise.
She soon arrived near an open space in the middle of which stood a great oak tree. She stopped and looked around. Everything was tranquil, peacefully quiet, the beauty of nature almost surreal in its perfection. Yet Valadhiel felt far from content at this point. A growing feeling of anxiety started building up inside of her which she had no control over. She understood by now that her actions since she had woken up had been determined by no will of her own. She was under some sort of spell which had slowly but consistently brought her here, a spell which was growing in intensity with every passing instant. By now, worry was slowly turning into fear.
She looked down at her hands and it was then that she noticed it. A golden bracelet. Where did this come from? It looked like a sort of plait…but wait…looking at it closely she realised that the shape was that of three intertwined serpents.
"I hope you like my little gift!" His cold voice broke the silence. Her eyes opened wide as she saw him. He had been lurking in the shadows behind the tree, like the snake that he was. He looked at her, eyes filled with malice, mouth curled up in a hideous grin.