Things get a little…out of hand, shall we say? Have quite a long chapter for you, enjoy the ride!
Chapter 125I jolted awake as I heard a commotion outside of my tent, somewhere in the camp. Knowing it could be Candaith and the others, I fought my way out of the tangle of blankets I had found myself in, and threw the tarp door back. Squinting into the sunlight, I could see what looked like a confrontation between various people, and my heart sank. The Dunlending prisoners must have arrived along with the Dunedain, and things likely were not going well.
Wrapping my borrowed cloak around myself, I quickly made my way over to the gates, where the activity was coming from. A sizeable force of Rohirric warriors, armed to the teeth, were standing threateningly at the entrance and holding their swords up. I looked and noted archers readying their arrows on the walls, and felt a jolt of fear. Would they slaughter the prisoners, after all they had done to escape?
I had to do something, but what?
Noticing a ladder leaning against the wall, I quickly climbed up to get a better look. A man next to me gave me an astonished look and stammered, "M-my lady? Why are you up here?"
I motioned with my hand at the standoff below us. "I came to see what was going on." I looked down over the scene with dread in my stomach. "Why do you aim your weapons at these refugees?"
The man frowned, "Refugees?" He turned back and looked closer. "Ah, they do not seem at their best." He hesitantly lowered his bow, clearly unsure what to do.
It was true; they looked just as haggard as I had, perhaps even more so. They were leaning on each other, and some had lowered themselves to the ground, too exhausted to remain standing. I quickly looked and finally spotted the Dunedain and the twins, looking grim and on edge. Ergothorn seemed uncomfortable at the tension, but stayed close to the refugees. Would he fight his own people, should they fire upon the Dunlendings? I shuddered at the thought.
"Candaith? Look up to the wall." I noticed him frown, before raising his gaze searchingly. His eyes widened in delight when he spotted me, and despite the dangerous situation, I smiled. Before he could do anything else, I held up a hand. "We must be careful. I do not want to cause a scene by my sudden appearance."
He gave me a tiny nod. "You are right; this is a dangerous situation. Halbarad is trying to handle it." Sure enough, Halbarad had slowly made his way towards the front, and I noticed Mair by his side. Despite the fear she was likely feeling, she stood tall and proud. I knew she would not go down without a fight. Noticing Halbarad begin to speak, I listened in.
"Westu hal, men of the Rohirrim," Halbarad greeted them with a small bow. "We have aided in the escape of those who had become thralls in Saruman's dungeons, through no fault of their own." My brows raised at the more dire name for prisoners; I had not heard the word since I was an elfling, learning about Morgoth and Angband in my lessons. It was said Earendil helped rescue these 'thralls' from the wretched fortress, for they were more than just prisoners. They were slaves, languishing there for many, many years, even centuries in some cases, forced to do Morgoth's will. Saruman had nothing on the fallen Vala.
Grimbold, who was at the front of the group of soldiers, greeted him in return, eyes full of suspicion. "How do we know they are innocent? Many Dunlendings have sided with Saruman."
Halbarad shook his head, "That may be, but none of these did so. They were imprisoned because they rejected Saruman's 'offer'. With the help of some of my own people who were captured, they escaped from that cursed place." Halbarad looked towards Mair, and gave her a tiny nod.
The daughter of the Brenin bravely made eye contact with Grimbold and said, "We refuse to fight for the White Wizard. He is evil, and would only use us for his own ends, before casting us aside with nothing but the clothes on our backs, or our bodies in the ground." The captain went to open his mouth in protest, but she continued, "Nay, horsemaster, we do not wish to be your enemy. If we are to defeat Saruman and his forces, we must work together."
Grimbold looked shocked, but after a lengthy pause, realized he needed to respond. "How can you assure us that this is the truth? How do I know you will not slit our throats once you step foot into my camp?"
Mair's eyes flashed, and her jaw tightened, clearly offended. She took a steadying breath, before saying, "I assure you, we will not. Put us under guard if you must; all we ask for is shelter for the night, while we consider how best to return to our families without facing death on the road."
There was another pause, where Grimbold stood in thought. He turned and whispered to who I assumed were his marshals, but it was so faint I could not make it out. The young soldier next to me was fidgeting anxiously, and I put a steadying hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. "All will be well," I murmured. My words seemed to steady him, and he took a deep breath before replying, "Thank you, my lady."
I turned back to the standoff below me, but found Elladan and Elrohir's eyes on me instead. They must have either overheard my conversation with the soldier, or simply noticed me. They seemed tense, likely using all their restraint to stay where they were, instead of racing up to me. I gave them a smile, and their gazes softened.
Lothrandir and Candaith both hobbled forward to the front of the group, leaning on each other as they attempted to stand tall next to Halbarad and Mair. My eyes widened at their injuries; clearly Candaith had exaggerated when he said the wounds had been minor. I frowned as I noticed I could feel no pain coming from Candaith, and wondered if he had finally found a way to shield me from it. Lothrandir began to speak, his voice firm, "I can attest to the quality of these good people. They are brave, and true of heart. They will not pay back the kindness you give with anything but thanks."
My heart broke a little as one of the children began to cry softly, hidden behind her mother. The woman picked her daughter up and tried to shush her, and I could see her eyes fill with tears, as well as fear. Did she believe the Rohirrim would react in anger at this display of distress? This seemed to be the determining factor for Grimbold, and I noted a compassionate expression replace the serious one. I was unsure if he had children of his own, but anyone with a heart would be moved by the anguish of a child.
Finally, Grimbold made a decision. "You may stay here in the camp overnight, but you must leave for your homes as soon as you have rested and made a plan. I do not have the men to spare to accompany you, so you will need to be careful on your journeys."
Mair inclined her head, "Thank you, we will cause no trouble for you."
"There is some food to spare, as well as some extra clothing," Grimbold added, and I was pleased at his sharing of resources. However, I could tell a fair number of the other Rohirrim were not so pleased by this development. Many were shifting around and mumbling under their breaths, eyes hard and hands on their weapons. I worried for their safety in the camp, and hoped Grimbold would be firm in his direction to not harm them.
Although…he had made no such promise.
I shivered, feeling an undercurrent of dread slither into the pit of my stomach. The animosity between their peoples ran deep, and the Dunlendings were near defenseless. I watched as the soldiers directed them to lay down their meagre arms, which were comprised of old swords and common tool-making implements. Despite my decision to remain somewhat hidden and unnoticed, I had a hard time preventing myself from intervening when some of the Rohirrim approached the Dunlendings, thick ropes in their hands to bind them. Luckily, Halbarad did it for me. "No bindings. They have worn chains and ropes enough." Grimbold seemed uneasy, but acquiesced to the ranger's words. Quickly the Dunlendings, as well as the small number of Dunedain, were shuttled inside, and the gates closed firmly.
Knowing the time for hiding was at an end, I quietly descended the ladder and was abruptly pulled into two pairs of arms and squeezed tightly. "Elladan, Elrohir, loosen your grip, I can barely breathe," I gasped, and a laugh of joy bubbled up as they made their embrace a little gentler. I could tell either one or both of them were crying as I felt the wetness of their tears on my cheeks, and I pulled away to look into their identical sets of grey eyes. "Hello again," I whispered, my jaw wobbling at the emotion I could see.
"Hello to you as well, muinthel," Elladan replied, just as quietly.
"We missed you," Elrohir added, tucking a loose piece of hair behind my ear.
"And I you," I said softly, giving them a smile. I could tell how worried they were as they rapidly assessed my well-being, both inside and out. "I have much to tell you, but let us join the others. I want to make sure you are all well."
Elrohir raised an eyebrow, "Make sure we are well? What about you?"
I waved a hand dismissively, "Do not worry for me, I am doing much better than I was yesterday." His eyes grew a little stern, and I tried to smooth the tension from his forehead. "We will speak later, for there are more important things we must deal with at the moment."
He huffed a sigh, clearly frustrated, but gave me a rueful smile. "Very well Gwin, but you are not off the hook just yet."
I grinned and looped my arms through theirs, and we walked together to join the tight-knit crowd of the Dunlendings and Dunedain. My eyes found Candaith's, but he could not wipe his pained expression away quickly enough to fool me. The twins brought me right to him, and I let go of them before pulling Candaith into my embrace gently. He let go of a heavy sigh, and despite his best attempts, I could feel him leaning on me rather heavily. "Meleth nin, you must rest. You are clearly injured and need healing," I murmured. Casting my eyes around for somewhere to sit, I escorted him over to a conveniently-placed log and helped lower him down onto it. He groaned, his hand going to his right side as he winced. "Broken ribs?"
Candaith nodded, "That is what Calenglad thinks, or at least bruised ones. Little to be done except to rest."
I quirked a smile at him, "Then I will do my best to help aid you in that endeavor." He narrowed his eyes, and I laughed. Settling down beside him for a moment, I laid my head on his shoulder, and he snaked an arm around my waist and pulled me close. "I was worried when I did not hear from you for a while," I whispered.
"There was much going on, and I needed to focus on protecting the Dunlendings while staying alive myself," he replied. "Was charged by a warg which had armored plates over its head," he motioned to his ribs again. "I was lucky to get out of that alive, for the orc riding it had a wicked-looking, curved blade. I have your brothers to thank for that."
"They know how much you matter to me, so they will always look out for you," I said with a smile. "Besides, they are technically your brothers too, now that we are married."
"Despite the trouble they sometimes cause, I am glad to have them in my life," Candaith murmured seriously. "They were quite dismayed when they realized you were not with me."
"Did you tell them who I was with?" I asked cautiously.
"I could not lie to them, so I told them the truth, although I left out the more…despicable aspects of his character," Candaith grumbled. "If I see that man again, he will get no mercy from me."
"He is gone now, and I doubt we will meet again," I insisted, wanting to change the subject. "If he survives his journey, he will be far from here, in Umbar." I planted a soft kiss on his neck. "Can we not speak of him any longer? I want to focus on being with you once more." I also had no interest in sharing some of my more shameful actions involving Galthrod. Would I ever have the courage to tell Candaith of it?
I felt a thrum of pleasure come from Candaith in my soul, and he pulled me a little closer. "As my lady commands," he breathed into my ear, and I felt a shiver run through me, but it was not an unpleasant one. I stiffened as he brushed his tongue against the sensitive tip, and he chuckled at my predictable reaction. "I will certainly focus on you tonight, when we are alone."
I felt a blush creep up my neck all the way to my ears, "You are supposed to be resting." My tone was breathy, and he gave me a heated look before replying lowly, "There is much we can do that does not require too much physical activity, meleth nin."
Already looking forward to it, I moved my head to capture his lips in mine, but only for a moment. I winked at his pout, before running a hand through his dark, wavy locks. "Let us sit here together for a minute longer, before I find someone to keep you company while I speak with the others."
"I can come with you, you know," he grumbled.
"I would rather you stay here and rest, and I will return to you as soon as I can," I assured him. Sure enough, we snuggled together for a short time, before I gave him one last kiss and stood. "I hope I will not be gone long, meleth nin."
"I will be waiting," he replied with a huff, but his eyes were twinkling. With that, I wandered over to Halbarad, who had been speaking with Mair and Grimbold. The ranger gave me a rare smile and an even rarer hug. "I am glad to see you, Gwin," he said with a smile, and I could see the relief in his expression. "May I quickly explain what happened?"
"Of course," I replied curiously. With that, Halbarad told me of how they had been let go by Lheu Brenin, and traveled to Theodred's Camp in the Gravenwood. Ergothorn had alerted the prince to my, Candaith, and Lothrandir's plight, and a plan was put in place to get a better sense of the layout of the land in Nan Curunír, and possibly rescue us. Luckily, we had put a plan of our own in place, and Candaith and Lothrandir, along with the other prisoners, met up with Halbarad and the rest of their small group.
"We were all worried for you." Halbarad murmured after finishing his tale, eyes kind and full of paternal affection.
"Yes, we were!" Radanir interjected, before accosting me with a hug of his own and a large, excited grin. I fought the urge to laugh at his youthful energy. He had gone through much turbulence this year, and I was glad to see the light-hearted side of Radanir once more. "You had us on quite an adventure, mellon nin."
Knowing he wished to make light of things, I went along with it. "Oh yes, I have quite the flair for the dramatic. I like to keep you all on your toes," I said with a wink. "Can you do me a favor?"
"Of course, how can I help?" Radanir asked.
I motioned over to Candaith, "Can you keep him company? I am certain I will be busy for a time reuniting with everyone and getting caught up to speed." My smile faded, and Radanir paid attention to the serious look on my face. "He was injured, as you know, and has gone through much since Tur Morva." I squeezed his shoulder. "He needs all the friends and distractions he can get right now."
Radanir quirked a small, sincere smile, "I will do my best, mellon nin. Whatever I can to make things better, I will do." With a wave, he bounded over to Candaith, and I could hear him chattering away as Candaith gave me a playful, exasperated look. I winked, and as I turned, I was greeted by Golodir.
I could see how weighed down he was by guilt (however misplaced), and the wrinkles on his solemn face were more pronounced from the short time we had been apart. The stark contrast between Radanir's bubbly spirit and Golodir's grieved one was shocking. Before I could say anything, he muttered, "Forgive me."
"There is nothing to forgive," I replied softly, cupping his face in my hand so he would look at me instead of the ground beneath his feet. "You are not to blame for Lheu Brenin's actions. None of us could have known he would go so far."
Despite my efforts, he turned away from me and began pacing. "I suspected something was not right from the start."
"Yes, I remember you mentioning it," I said, watching him move back and forth sadly.
"Yet we did nothing but help them, and give them anything they needed while he plotted behind our backs," he bit out.
"I do not think he had such plans until Mair was taken," I insisted. "I could see the sincerity in his wish to fight against Saruman, when we first met him."
"How do we know he was telling the truth about what happened at that meeting?" Golodir countered, clearly agitated.
"Mair explained the situation to me herself, and there was no lie in her eyes, locked in her cell as she was, with little hope in her release," I replied, and this was enough to get Golodir to still his movements. "I told her I would try to help her escape, but knew she did not truly believe it was possible. She had no reason to tell me falsehoods, as we were both prisoners of Saruman."
Golodir sucked in a shuddering breath, before abruptly pulling me into his arms, "I know what it is like to be imprisoned, and I wish with all my heart that it had been me in your place, penneth," he stuttered, trembling. "You did not deserve such horrors as I had experienced, yet you faced them anyway." I stood there with him for a time, noting his valiant attempts to keep his tears at bay. "You are such a brave girl," he whispered, voice heavy with emotion.
Over Golodir's shoulder, I could see Corunir watching us sadly. He was not able to rescue me, as he had Golodir in Nurz Ghashu, and I knew it must weigh on him also.
How could I impress upon my friends and family that they were not to blame? It was Saruman, and Lheu Brenin in part, who were responsible for all the suffering I and the other prisoners experienced. Until I figured that out, all I could do was reassure them and help them try and let go of their misplaced guilt, as I was with Golodir.
Speaking of which, I gently pulled away from him and put our foreheads together. "No more despair," I whispered. "I am well."
Golodir's let out a long, heavy sigh, before saying, "It is difficult, but I will try to find some hope."
"That is all I can ask for," I replied with a smile. With a parting squeeze of Golodir's hand, I moved on and greeted Corunir. "He is struggling, and will need your support, mellon nin." The ranger nodded, and replied, "I had a feeling you and the others would escape. I am glad to be right for once." He inclined his head before giving me a small smile and wandering over to Golodir. They walked further into the camp and settled on the ground together, and I was comforted to see them speaking quietly.
I shivered and looked down at the cloak I had been lent by the Rohirrim. The morning was chilly, and I had somehow gotten it wet while I was up on the wall overlooking the gate. Taking it off gingerly, I set it down and determined I would go find my pack and see if my own was inside.
Suddenly another cloak settled over my shoulders, and Saeradan clasped it closed. "Hey Gwin," Saeradan said softly, giving me his signature almost-smile. "I am glad to see you, looking better than I feared. I was unable to save the day this time." I noted it was his own cloak, and relished in its warmth.
At this small action, I felt a swell of some unidentifiable emotion, and my mind cast back to when he had last lent me his cloak. It was after my assault, when I was wearing nothing but my skin. He must have seen something in my expression, for his smile turned a little sad as his eyes grew misty.
"Saeradan," I began hesitantly. "We have gone through much together, and I just wanted you to know that…" I paused, trying to come up with the right words. "I do not know if I would be here today without you." I had wished to tell him this in the past, for he had been there for me during some of my worst moments. His eyes were always kind, and his quiet, supportive presence had helped me more than he probably knew.
He settled his hands of my shoulders and squeezed gently. "You are stronger than you think, mellon nin. Even if we did not know each other, I am certain you would overcome your struggles just as well."
"Perhaps," I replied sincerely, "But I thank you, all the same. I hope to be there for you, if you need me, always."
No more words were spoken, and we parted ways with a smile. I was feeling a little drained from all the reunions, but there were more to come, I knew. Spotting Ergothorn, I called out a greeting, and was pleased at the sense of purpose he exuded. Clearly, working with the Rohirrim had helped him find more fulfillment in his life, and I was glad of it.
"Hey Gwin," he answered, and I was perplexed as he made the beginnings of a motion to hug me before he brought his arms back down to his sides, and gave me a little bow.
Setting this strange formality aside for now, I said, "It sounds like I have you to thank for discovering we were captured."
He shifted, looking uncomfortable, "I was in the right place at the right time, that's all."
There was a beat of silence, before I asked, "Ergothorn, is everything all right?"
I raised an eyebrow as a faint blush appeared on his bearded cheeks, "Of course, why wouldn't it be? I should be asking you that, not the other way around."
"While I must admit my time in Isengard was a tough road, I am doing better now that we are all out of that cursed place," I replied, my voice calm and soothing as I noted Ergothorn seemed tense and fidgety. Something was going on here, and I was determined to get to the bottom of it. "Come sit with me for a moment." Not waiting for him to reply, I situated myself on a bench, and the Gondorian Rohir reluctantly settled next to me. "Will you tell me what troubles you, my friend?"
Ergothorn threaded his fingers together and rested his forearms on his knees. "I am not sure where to begin."
"How about the beginning?" I replied with a small smile, pleased to elicit a tiny one of his own.
"When I saw you being carted down the road with Candaith and Lothrandir, all I wanted to do was rush down there and somehow rescue you all," Ergothorn began slowly. "Yet, I knew it would be foolish and most likely suicidal. It took all of my willpower to turn away from you and run back to Prince Theodred's camp. Knowing you were in chains, and facing torments from your captors…it made me feel sick. Like a coward."
I frowned, "You are certainly no coward. Reporting to Theodred what you had seen helped set the whole rescue plan into motion, from what I understand. Without your report, things would have been much more difficult."
Ergothorn shrugged, "Perhaps, but I knew the Dunedain were eventually going to show up in the Gravenwood and then go off to rescue you." He sighed, running a hand distractedly through his thick, blonde hair. "Honestly I felt like no more than an extra body when I and the two Rohirric scouts I was with met up with the Dunedain and the Elves."
"You were not just an 'extra body'," I insisted. "You were a great help to everyone, even if you cannot see it. It took much courage to enter Nan Curunír, and I am so grateful for all you have done for us."
"It felt absurd, thinking we could all somehow rescue the three of you," Ergothorn admitted, seeming to almost not hear me. "The land outside of the gates was full of enemies which we had to work hard to avoid, and I couldn't imagine how much more dangerous it was inside Isengard." He shivered, "I admit I am glad we did not need to venture inside. Does that make me weak?"
"No, it does not. Even entering those lands was very brave, and some would say it was foolish. Yet, I am grateful nonetheless. You helped get Candaith and Lothrandir, along with the other prisoners, out of there, and it means the world to me." I frowned as he would not meet my eyes, and his brow was furrowed. "You have done well, mellon nin."
Ergothorn was fidgeting, and I could not understand why. Before I could ask, he whispered, "I am glad you are safe," He stood abruptly and walked away quickly. I huffed in frustration, but let him go. Hopefully we could speak again and try to resolve whatever this was.
Over the next hour or so, the other rangers gave me their greetings. I kept a smile in place despite my exhaustion; I was certainly glad to see them, but the past few days were finally catching up with me, and I was flagging. I startled as a felt someone gently place their arm around my shoulders, and looked into the kind eyes of Elrohir. "You must rest, muinthel."
I sighed, "I know. It has been a long day."
"I will not ask you to tell me what happened now, but I hope we will speak soon?" he asked hopefully.
"Of course," I replied with a tired smile. Elrohir guided me toward the tent I would share with Candaith, and despite the small space, I was grateful when I found myself in the strong arms of my husband. Despite our earlier conversation of engaging in…pleasurable activities, he was already dozing off when I slipped under the covers, so we both decided to sleep instead.
Luckily, it was a dreamless reverie for me.
Many reunions for Gwin and the others, and a safe place to spend the night for the Dunlendings. Thanks for reading!