Category: Tolkien-Universe
Rating: M
Couples: -
Warnings: AU, blood, mentions of torture, character death, Loss of bodily autonomy (no Non-con)
Chapter: 6
Copyright: Characters & places © By Tolkien Estate, Plot & OC´s © by me
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"Nelyo! Nelyo!" Kano's voice echoed, the full power of his younger brother bend to making himself heard. He could barely get up from where he had been perusing their scouts' reports before the door to his office was thrown open, slamming against the wall. "Quick!" Clearly, whatever urgent matter had come up, it was so emotionally loaded that the only words to be found where in their native tongue.
He scrambled from his seat, knowing his brothers too well to ignore such panic in the eldest of the six. Neither of them acknowledged the mess of papers flying in their wake. "What?"
The Second of the Sons of Fëanáro could not speak, or perhaps simply did not know the words, so dragged him to the nearest window that looked East.
"That!" Rising from just south of Mount Rerir, a plume of smoke tried to reach for the sky.
Dread suffocated him. "Carnistir..." It had to be coming from their middle brother's holdings. Where Curufinwë and Tyelperinquar were as well.
"It has to be." Kano's hand around his wrist was punishingly tight. "The summer was nowhere near dry enough for a wildfire of that size." And even if it had been, it would not have started out on the large grasslands of Thargelion so near to the Gelion or Lake Helevorn, but rather one of the patches of woods far from the rivers. It would not have come from the small, yet grand city on the lake's shore.
"Tielinta!" He ran, remaining hand holding his brother's, pulling the slighter form along.
"Horses are ready!" His stable-master was leading their horses out of the wooden structure that held the stables among others. Several guards were putting the last touches to their own steeds, preparing to join them for the journey east. The smoke had to be visible from most parts of Himring.
He probably should have taken the time to put on proper riding-clothes, but... He would later swear he could smell the smoke, unrealistic and impossible as it was at this distance.
It was taking too long. Their guards were taking too long. Grinding his teeth, the only reason he did not simply abandon was the memory of what had happened to their father when he had done so.
The few minutes seemed to last for years, and he set a punishing pace the moment most of the escort was mounted. The rest would simply have to follow.
They thundered across Kano's Gap, crossing the Greater Gelion over the bridge that connected Himring with Thargelion, then turned East on the northern trade-route. Even the fact that they could see the smoke grow less did little to calm them, because it did not explain how it had happened to begin with.
Horses lathered, trembling on their legs, the two eldest of the House of Fëanáro arrived at the gates, and from there were pointed up to the main keep.
What remnants of smoke remained came from behind its' walls, curling up to the mockingly blue sky.
"My Lords." Their brother's steward greeted them.
"What has happened here?" He jumped from his charger with little grace, marching up to the female. "Why are neither of my brothers greeting me themselves!?"
She was ash-covered, had clearly been aiding with the extinguishing of the fire before the sentinels had warned her of the approaching group of riders.
"Explain!" Kano joined them, voice pitched in his worry. Her eyes flicked between them, as if wondering who to face for this.
"Now." He snarled, remembering their family's last encounter with fire only too well. That had cost them their father.
"They are... missing." Carnistir might have appreciated her bluntness that drove her to get straight to the point, but to Russo it felt as if she had stabbed him in the chest with those few words.
"Missing?" He echoed, numbly. No, no, no... The last time of their number had been missing...!
"Or killed." Which was hardly a better statement to make. He did not want either his own, or their father's fate to have happened here. "We are still working on the fires and rumble, to confirm which of the two happened."
Long years of diplomacy, and even longer history of containing his brothers, were about the only things that kept him from choking her and shaking her like a doll. "Explain." His voice dropped to dangerous registers.
"I think Lord Tyelperinquar might be better for that, My Lords."