"Stop, Alyan please!" Alassë sobbed, gasping wildly for breath before her brother pushed her head back under the water again.
"Stop whining, you stupid little brat!" Alyan snarled, as he towered over her on the lakeside; repeatedly pushing her head and shoulders into the water, waiting until she was shuddering with lack of air and then pulling her back out. He allowed her a couple of frenzied gasps and then he shoved her back under water again.
From their position on the bank, Voronwë and Raunien grinned maliciously. It gave them a great deal of satisfaction to see their sister hurt and weeping. She deserved it after all!
"Do not drown her, Alyan!" Raunien laughed. "I do not want to be the one who has to explain to Ada that his precious little daughter is at the bottom of the lake!"
The spite in that one comment was incredible. Ever since the twins had been born, Calanon's five elder sons had hated their young sister with a passion and irrationally blamed her for their mother's death; for Tamuril had inadvertently let it slip that their mother would have lived had she taken the strengthening herbs and let Alassë die instead.
And so all five were determined to make their sister suffer for her so-called crime. They scorned her, whispered spiteful comments at her, pinched her, pulled her hair and tripped her up at every opportunity; taking delight in making her weep and beg for mercy. But they had never yet dared to tell her why they made her suffer so much, for fear that either she or Feredir would tell their father. They had no wish to incur the wrath of their father; who favoured and over-protected Alassë as she was the spitting image of their mother.
"Let that teach you to interrupt me when I'm talking to Voronwë!" snapped Alyan, pulling his drenched sister – who was only the mortal equivalent of three years old – back out of the water and shaking her like a bedraggled rabbit. "Do you understand me, little orc?"
"Yes! Yes, Alyan, I am sorry! I will be good!" sobbed Alassë desperately, her little feet flailing uselessly above the ground as she choked and hiccupped. She never understood why her brothers were so cruel to her. She always tried to please them so that they would smile at her like Ada and Feredir did, but it never worked. And she had not meant to interrupt Alyan – she could not help sneezing when the wind had blown that dusty gravel into her face!
"Very well then!" sneered Alyan, who always treated her worst, as he threw her to the ground like a piece of rubbish. "And remember, brat, if you say one word of this to Ada, I will put you over my knee and strap your backside, understand?"
Alassë nodded, gulping and trembling as she was roughly hauled to her feet by Raunien and dumped bodily in the freezing cold water of the lake. Panicking wildly, she thrashed about in the water for a couple of minutes, going under the surface and gasping for air while her brothers laughed. Eventually, Voronwë pulled her out and sneered as she collapsed on the ground at his feet.
"Well, we had to make it look convincing!" shrugged Raunien lightly. "Come, we have to be heading back now. Ada will wonder where we've gone. Get up, you malingering little runt! Do not think that I am going to carry you!"
Alassë weakly got to her feet as they strode off. She had to run to keep up with them; her little legs unable to match their brisk pace. Twice, Alyan tripped her and sent her sprawling into the undergrowth, while the brothers' laughter echoed round the clearing.
By the time they reached their home, Alassë was almost dead on her feet. Calanon was waiting at the door, and when he saw the state his youngest child was in, he hastened along to meet them and scooped her into his arms. Alassë collapsed against him in exhaustion and clung to him tightly in relief. Her brothers never hurt her when her ada was there.
"Darling, you're soaked to the skin!" said Calanon, looking with anxiety at the shivering child in his arms. "What happened to you?"
Alassë opened her mouth to speak, then shot a fearful glance at Alyan, who was standing behind her father. He drew his finger swiftly across his throat and she shut her mouth again quickly.
"She fell into the lake, Ada." lied Raunien smoothly. "We told her to stay away from the edge, but she just would not listen!"
"Oh well, accidents happen. At least she wasn't hurt badly." said Calanon, rubbing Alassë's back. "Come along, my heart, let's get you cleaned up."
He led the way back inside, where they found Aradan and Nithron playing chess and watching in amusement while Feredir, in his sleeping tunic, was lining up his toy soldiers. Strangely enough, not one of them bore a grudge against Feredir; only his twin.
While Alyan gleefully whispered the happenings of the evening to a smirking Nithron, Calanon stripped Alassë of her cold wet clothes and dried her by the fire. He dressed her in her sleeping tunic and wrapped her in a blanket, holding her gently on his lap and rubbing a bit of warmth into her icy skin. Worn out by crying and the tiring journey home, Alassë fell asleep on his shoulder, sucking her thumb.
Calanon shifted her in his embrace and pressed a soft kiss to her damp hair, before looking over at his sons with a slight frown on his face.
"You should have kept a better eye on her!" he told Alyan sternly. "She is only a child. When you said you wanted to take her with you, I trusted you would look after her!"
"I'm sorry, Ada. I should have been more alert," said Alyan, forcing a contrite look onto his face.
"I think we'd be better off keeping Alassë and Feredir at home for now," said Calanon, getting to his feet with his daughter in his arms. "Taking them into the woods is just asking for disaster. They are far too young and have no idea of the dangers. I'll feel better knowing they're safe here. Come, Feredir, it's time for bed, my little hunter." Feredir happily leapt to his feet and took his father's hand, and they climbed the stairs together.
"Do not you hate the way he favours her?" snapped Aradan petulantly, as soon as they were out of earshot. "It is not as if she is something special; merely a cringing little coward!"
"I know!" huffed Nithron. "I wish to the Valar she would just disappear."
THE MIRROR CLOUDS OVER AND THE IMAGE CHANGES
Alassë lay curled up under her bedclothes, sobbing her heart out into the sheets. She felt so afraid; Ada had had to go away for a few days, so Alyan was in charge and she was totally at their mercy.
They had shut her in the kitchen cupboard that morning and shouted threats at her from the other side of the door. It was a cramped cupboard and in a short while she was close to full-blown panic.
"Alyan! Nithron, let me out!" she screamed, tears running down her face. "Please, gwadoriath-nin, I will do anything! Anything you say, just let me out, please! Please!"
"Do you hear something?" chuckled Raunien, grinning round at his brothers. As one, they shook their heads.
"No, it must just be an annoying fly buzzing around! We should squash it and shut it up!" said Voronwë, with a particularly nasty grin.
"No, let us go outside and leave it to buzz." smirked Nithron, and they all got to their feet and exited the kitchen, leaving Alassë screaming in the cupboard. It had been almost five hours before they finally let her out and when they did, she was so close to hyperventilating that she couldn't even speak. She'd simply fled up to the sanctuary of her room, desperate to escape.
Suddenly, she was disturbed by someone slipping into bed beside her. It was Feredir.
"Did they shut you in there, gwaleth?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly. They were very young for elves and only the equivalent of four year olds in human terms, but Feredir was already extremely protective of his sister. He had threatened numerous times to tell their father of the abuse they heaped on his twin, but Alyan always countered that if he told their father, then Alassë would be sent away. And the young elf simply couldn't bear the thought of being parted from his sister.
"It is all right 'Las, it is all right," he whispered, cuddling his crying twin. "I promise, when I am bigger, I will make the stop. I will make the stop hurting you."
"Why…do they…do…it?" sobbed Alassë. "I am not bad like they say I am!"
"I know you are not!" Feredir soothed her. "I think it is because you are the only elleth. They are stupid! But it is going to be fine. Ada will come home tonight and they will not be able to hurt you anymore. It is going to be all right, I promise."
THE MIRROR CLOUDS OVER AND THE IMAGE CHANGES
"What are you doing?" asked Alassë fearfully. She was silenced by a sharp blow to her cheek from a glowering Alyan.
"Be silent, runt!" he snarled, and he began to unbuckle his belt. Alassë's eyes widened to inordinate size and she backed away in terror. Alyan had taken his belt to her only once before and she had no wish to repeat the experience.
"Not so fast, little orc!" Raunien grabbed her and slammed her savagely against the trunk of a tree, ignoring her cry of pain. Alyan advanced menacingly and used his belt to bind her tightly to the slim tree-trunk.
"You are going to stay here until we decide to come back for you!" taunted Alyan, pinching her face cruelly. "You had better hope that no hungry wolves or spiders come by, for then you will be as good as dead, brat!"
With that, the two brothers turned and walked away, leaving Alassë squirming in her bonds and pleading for them to come back. She got no answer, and was soon very much alone.
Several hours later, the sun began to set and Alassë was beginning to shake with fear. She could hear the wolves howling, and Alyan's words were buzzing round in her head. She was sore and stiff from being bound so tightly and she had cried until she had no more tears left to shed.
She was beginning to get very worried. They'd taken her into the woods before when they wanted to hurt her, but they'd always taken her back before sunset. Were they really going to leave her here all night this time? She almost jumped out of her skin when she heard a twig snap nearby. Then she heard murmured voices. Her little knees almost buckled with relief.
"Gwadoriath, please let me go now!" she pleaded. "My legs hurt and I want to go home to Ada."
"Well, my friends, isn't this a pretty little captive?" growled a deep voice. Alassë almost fainted with terror when she saw several figures walk towards her. They all had broad chests, muscled arms, dark hair and beards…ai! They were humans!
"She certainly is," One of them grabbed her quivering chin and roughly forced her head up. "She'll do very well for a servant, though when she's old enough I'm sure I'll find a better use for her!"
"And all bound up and just waiting for us to take her!" snickered a third, opening the belt and grabbing Alassë by the scruff of her neck.
"Let me go!" she shrieked, having no idea where this sudden burst of courage came from. "Let me go! ADA!"
She was silenced by a blow so powerful that her head rocketed sideways and she fell to the ground. It made all Alyan's beatings seem like gentle pats in comparison.
"We're going to have to tame her, though!" sneered the tallest of the men, who was obviously the leader. "She will have to learn her place, like the little bit of scum that she is."
Alassë sat there on the ground, dazed and smarting from the blow, feeling terrified and not exactly understanding what was going on. When the peaceful clearing was again disturbed, her heart leapt to see all five of her elder brothers standing there. She gave a sob of relief and ran to hide behind Nithron's legs. She looked up at the smirking men and clung to his tunic hem tightly.
"I knew my brothers would come for me!" she told them, her voice hoarse and shaky. They merely laughed, with menacing grins plastered over all their faces.
The poor child squealed in surprise as Alyan seized her by her ear and dragged her over to the leader of the group of men; who was holding a large clinking pouch.
"As we agreed," he said, in a deep, booming voice and he held the pouch out to Alyan, who accepted it with a smile.
"My thanks, friend," he replied smoothly, as he pushed his little sister forward. "All yours."
"What? No!" Alassë wriggled out of the human's strong grasp and tried to run in the direction of her home. Her little legs, numb and sore from her hours tied to the tree, could barely hold her up so she was caught in no time. The human flung her to the ground and brought a whip savagely across her back, leaving her sobbing in a heap on the ground.
"A pleasure doing business with you, master elf," the aggressive human said to Alyan, who again replied with a smile.
Alassë looked up in confusion, blinking away her tears, and saw that her brothers were pocketing items from the purse the human had given to Alyan. Much of it looked like silver.
Suddenly, she understood.
"No! Noooo!" She sobbed, burying her face in her arms. Alyan spat on the ground beside her and then knelt to grab her face in a pincer-tight grip, squeezing until her cheeks were hollow.
"Do you really want to know why we hate you, little orc?" he snarled at her, venom blazing in his eyes. "You killed our mother! She would have lived if she hadn't tried to save you. It was all your fault, you disgusting little worm, and you will never be forgiven! Joy? Of all the undeserved names! I hope you remember the grief you have caused our family every time some one addresses you by it. I curse your name forever! And do you really think Ada loves you? He hates you! He hates you, brat and he would have had you killed long ago if it were possible. We will all be much happier without you! I never want to see you again!"
"Come along then, little captive; let us be on our way,"
Alassë was jerked upright, her hands were tied, and she was roughly dragged away. She squirmed in the hold of the human who dragged her, turning terrified green eyes to her brothers and making one last plea to them.
"Please Alyan, Nithron, no! Please do something! Don't let them take me! Gwador-nin I beg you! Please! I'm your sister! I'm your sister!"
"Not any more!" said Alyan calmly, as they all turned and walked away