Category: Tolkien-Universe
Rating: M
Couples: Rog/Egalmoth/Maeglin
Warnings: AU, blood, character death
Chapter: 9
Copyright: Characters & places © By Tolkien Estate, Plot & OC´s © by me
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Several months later, when he had formally decided not to leave the city, he arranged with Penlod that he could move into his old mansion, rather than have a whole new one build. He couldn't live in his uncle's place, so marked by his mother's presence, though it had been years since she'd been in there.
Penlod's house had been stripped bare when he'd moved out, so he spend the first week orso just arranging for all the furniture and servants he'd need to live there. The only people that had entered the place after abandonment had been two of the gardeners, to keep it from turning into a full overgrown mess. Still, they had only done the bare minimum; keep the paths clear and contain any new growth.
He didn't mind too much, as it felt more homely when the gardens were not as fully structured as some of the Noldorian gardens he'd seen. Not that he'd seen many after that first round his uncle had taken him on; most of the Lords seemed to evade him, only four of them actively inviting him to things, not that he'd often accept those. Some of them he'd only seen a few times, on those few events he'd attended.
Still, that he did not mind. They were far too busy, far too loud for his liking. So he stayed at his new home when there'd been the invitation to some kind of anniversary, though the invitation had come from his neighbors; Egalmoth and Rog. It was some anniversary of their relationship, one that they would spend in seclusion, if what he heard was correct.
He hadn't asked too much - or lingered too long after the formal dinner had been over - though he had heard plenty teasing from the others present to be able to make a good guess that he did not want to go over for a drink until he'd spotted them outside.
Deciding to use the evening to research his new house a bit more - and wasn't that a thing he had never expected he'd need - he walked through the backpart of his garden. He'd been on the walls there, looking down over the plains surrounding the city, but now he worked his way through what perhaps had been the most neglected part. The two gardeners had barely done anything here, since it had been a decorative minor forest, making only sure it did not overtake the rest. But he was half-Sindar, having grown up in a forest, so he had barely any trouble getting through the trees to the foot of his wall.
Where he found a door, which was not what he'd expected. As far as he knew, the wall was solid all the way through, since it was part of the city-wall, so where did this door come from?
Pulling the dagger from his boot, he carefully worked it free from the plants and rust that had covered it ever since Penlod had moved out. He was half-amazed that there even was rust, but the work had come from someone distinctly not part of Rog's smithies, a novice's skill. It was no wonder that there had been no Song woven into the metal to keep it from being affected by the elements.
There was no key of any kind, so once he'd freed it, he could easily open it. Or well, he could have, if the other side had not been in a similar state to his.
With some minor cursing, and a lot of squeezing, he managed to get through the opening, to find himself in another batch of woodland. At least it was not outside the city-wall, so it was no longer a real security-risk. Just still a mystery.
"Oh!" He must be in Rog's gardens, which had been the gardens of Penlod's brother. Apparently the two brothers had had this door added to their shared wall so they could easily visit one another. Depending on how long after the brother's demise Rog moved in, the door would have been hidden under the plantlife, assuming the smith even poked around in the trees and Penlod clearly had forgotten to mention it to either of them. Well, he might have to talk to Rog to see what they'd do with this door.
His ears perked up when he heard something... was that yelling? No, it wasn't quite loud enough, but still...
Deciding he'd better not be the kind of neighbor that stood aside while something happened he ought to help with, he started making his way through the trees to where the screaming had come from... and then sped up when he heard the clear commotion of a struggle.