A/N: Thank you to everyone who is contuing to read (including ghost read!) and to comment, especially LadyForlong. Y'all are the best. I've enjoyed this fic so much, and I hope others do too! Even if it is a tragedy.
Chapter Thirty - Maedeth
Maedeth stood alone amidst the bustle of the Gondorian outpost the next morning. The soldiers changed our duties, some heading to the Seat of Seeing and others to man their guard posts overlooking the river. A heaviness weighed her down.
She had hoped to sit in the Seat of Seeing. She wanted some glimpse of Middle Earth around them, to perhaps gain some insight into the right course of action. She doubted she could see Arthedain, but maybe. Maybe.
Berenor refused. Maedeth had seen wariness and regret fighting within him, but in the end the duty he held to protect Amon Hen won out. None were allowed to the Seat of Seeing without the express permission of the King or the Steward.
So she waited. Elladan hurried about coordinating the plan he and Berenor had drawn up the night before. He and three others would see them safely down the Emyn Muil beside the Falls of Raurus to the marshland below. He warned them to move quickly through Nindalf towards Cair Andros and on to Osgiliath.
"At Osgiliath, you can seek out fresh horses," Berenor had said.
It would be nice to ride a horse again. She wished to never ride in a boat the rest of her life. But comfort was of little consequence in times of war.
"Are you ready?"
Maedeth turned from her musings to look at Elladan. He stood with his arms crossed. She wasn't sure he'd slept much, despite his promise.
"Indeed. Are you?"
"Very."
At least he shared her sentiments. They followed Berenor and two of his men down a worn path between trees. It wove around and over fallen boulders and treacherous mountain falls.
Elladan helped carry the boat. It was remarkably light, much to the shock of the Gondorian soldiers, but even so it made maneuvering a bit challenging. They walked behind Maedeth as she followed Berenor.
"The path we will take is known to few. Only those of the Company of the Seats use it, only at need, and we are few these days," Berenor said. "I trust you can keep knowledge of it to yourselves?"
"Of course," Maedeth said, echoed by Elladan.
"Good. Then let us find it."
The steady roar of the waterfall grew and grew as they approached the edge of the Emyn Muil. Speech became difficult. They veered away from the Falls of Rauros until they came to a shallow cave.
"Follow me. This will be the most difficult, with the boat," he said.
Maedeth did not fancy the idea of going into a cave. But she trusted these men. They had been kind, and this Company of the Seats had likely used their path for centuries at least.
She ducked inside behind Berenor. The cave had a dry, sandy floor full of boot scuffs that had likely lain there for many years. Water dripped down the sides of the rock. They followed the natural progression of the cave to the left.
The soldier not carrying a boat lit a torch as sunlight disappeared. Shadows danced on cave walls as stalactites and stalagmites jeered like wolves' teeth in the firelight. A coldness gripped her heart as they continued to descend.
About half an hour into the cave, it narrowed greatly. Berenor paused. He looked back at the boat.
"If we can maneuver it through here, it should reach the river without issue."
Maedeth stood back. Elladan and Berenor began to work at the slim passage, trying to get the boat of Lórien through undamaged. She turned her mind to memories of better days, the rare times she and Rínior had found peace in Rivendell. He had laughed back then. She had not seen him laugh in far too long. Maedeth bit her cheek. How had she not noticed his descent into despair?
She opened her eyes. Wolf teeth in firelight lunged for her. Heart racing, she reminded herself where she was. This was a cave, not the mouth of a beast. They were seeking safety.
"Yes!" Berenor said, around the corner.
They had succeeded. Elladan grinned as he came back to her. He was covered in dirt and had a scrape on his cheek but otherwise seemed to have gotten through unharmed.
"Come," he said, taking her hand. "You must see this!"
Following behind, she walked through the sharp bend in the cave passage. Instead of cave floor her feet found roughly hewn shallow steps. And before long, sunlight.
A small, continuous window had been carved into the rock on the southern side. It was about a foot tall. She had to blink back at the sudden brightness and the roar of the nearby waterfall. But when she had recovered, Maedeth hurried to look out.
They were far above. Down below she could barely see through the mist of the Rauros. But she thought she could see many rivers snaking through a green land. Years of wind and rain had worn away parts of the window to the outside world so it was hardly uniform. But Maedeth felt that made it even more beautiful as she held her hand through it to reach the sun.
They couldn't speak in this meandering tunnel. Rauros tumbled from above roaring down into the delta below. But even if they could, she would not have. This place felt sacred somehow, fit for honor and not useless prattling. Her heart calmed as gentle spray from the waterfall hit her face through the carven window.
It had been years since she felt so at peace. She did not risk closing her eyes in case she tripped down the gently descending steps, but she felt if she could maybe she would gain some insight. The Anduin reached all the way to the ocean, after all. But the Valar did not aid her, and to think such things was foolish.
Nevertheless, she clung to that fool's hope as they continued on. She listened to the waterfall. As hours went on and they drew further away from it, she mourned. But they had much to do. She could not afford hesitation.
"We come to the end," Berenor said, the waterfall far enough away that speech was possible. "We seal the base of the stairs with a large boulder. Once you are in your boat again, we can offer no more assistance."
"The aid you have given us so far is incredible," Maedeth said. She bowed deeply to him. "This quest would have failed if not for you and your men."
"We do our duty, my lady, nothing more."
"Do not sell short the importance of duty."
Berenor smiled. "No, indeed, my lady." He bowed too as his soldiers pushed a large boulder away from the cave entrance.
"Thank you for your assistance," Elladan said. They shook hands.
When they stepped out into the warm evening, Maedeth took a deep breath. The scent of damp earth and the sound of insects met them. But they were not far from a small tributary.
"Go with good speed," Berenor said. "And take great care until you reach the Anduin. Some of these rivers in the delta are more shallow than they appear."
With that, the boulder was put back in place. She and Elladan stood alone. A blood red sun sank in the sky casting pink and purple hues all around them. The first stars began to show.
"Ready?" Elladan placed the boat down in the river and held it in place with one foot. "Our journey is almost at an end."
Maedeth took another deep breath. She nodded. With Elladan's help she climbed back into the boat. They still had many miles to go.
Days passed. She caught what sleep she could as they maneuvered from the Entwash river delta back into the Anduin. But her sleep was fitful.
She jerked awake as they drifted down the Anduin. The moon still shone high in the sky, crowned by Lady Elbereth's stars. She counted them as she caught her breath.
"Are you alright?"
She sighed. Sitting up, Maedeth ran a hand through her dirty hair and frowned. Elladan watched her closely.
"My dreams do not rest these days," she said. "They confuse me. Some are filled with war and death. In the Kin-strife ruins of Osgiliath I see a woman with silver-white hair and a crown of iron with a bloody sword. Others are more hopeful. I see a woman clothed in greens holding her hands towards the light of Eärendil's star." She shook her head. "Always there is the sound of water and music of harps."
Elladan did not respond. She saw him deep in thought as he paused in his rowing. The river carried them on.
"You have never seen them before?"
"Never."
"You should seek the counsel of my father," Elladan said. "He is wise. I am not."
Maedeth laughed. A sudden lightness filled her chest as she sat with Elladan beneath the stars on the river. At first he pretended to be hurt. But he could not resist joining in with her for long.
"Oh, Elladan," she said, wiping a tear from her eyes. Her mouth hurt from smiling so wide. "Thank you. For everything."
"You know I would do anything for you."
She smiled at him, illuminated by the moon and stars above and the reflections in the water below. Not far down river she saw torch lights. But for this moment they were alone. She wished to speak the three words that would bind them forever. And yet the words of King Finrod rushed back in again: to wed in times of war led to tragedy, and even more so between two kindreds. She did not know which life she would choose. She could not do that to him.
"Thank you."
They passed the small garrison on the island of Cair Andors quickly, with brief words and the seal of Berenor allowing passage to Osgiliath. She remembered when that great city had been the jewel of the Free Peoples. Now it lay decaying and deserted.
The sun began to rise as they reached the northern river gate of Osgiliath. Soldiers of Gondor hailed them. Elladan and Maedeth maneuvered their boat to the Eastern shore as directed. They tied off at an old pier.
"State your intentions."
Always the same question, and always the same answer. Maedeth introduced them, plead their cause, and hoped they would not deny them further passage. The river warden looked at them more suspicious than others.
"Come, follow me. You will speak your piece with my captain."
And so they followed him into Osgiliath. Maedeth felt her chest tighten at every street they passed. The beautiful Númenorean craftsmanship had faded and fallen to pieces. She remembered the way it still stank of death when she'd first arrived. The Kin-strife had decimated the city. And plague had finished it off. Now it was a ghost town but for the few garrisons of soldiers and a handful of scholars still working to recover and preserve the knowledge lost in the burning of the Dome of Stars.
By midmorning they stood before a great captain. He was tall, broad-shouldered with dark hair and a clean face. Maedeth doubted he was anything but of pure Númenorean descent. He watched them warily, arms crossed with a wide set stance in front of barracks.
"My runners say you are messengers of the North Kingdom?" He looked them up and down. "I am Captain Faelher. I command the garrisons at Osgiliath. Your names?"
"Lady Maedeth of Arthedain," she said. "And my protector is Lord Elladan of Rivendell."
"Elves?" He paused. "Why should an elf speak for a kingdom of men?"
"Half-elven," she said. "And I speak for Arthedain now as I have for five hundred years, because it is my home and this is my duty."
She hoped it would appeal to his own sense of duty. Maedeth released a small breath as she watched him soften as her words. Good.
"Your message is no concern of mine," Captain Faelher said. "If the Company of the Seats saw fit to aid you and Cair Andros did not stop you, then we will see this task through. But I wished to look in your eyes myself. It is difficult to know who to trust otherwise."
Maedeth bowed deeply before him. A wise course. She preferred the same, which was why she battled in council rooms, not behind armor.
"You can spare two horses then?" Elladan asked. "The faster we can travel the better. Autumn is closing in already, and we have been gone for many months."
Faelher nodded. "We keep several fresh horses for messengers. Come."
They followed him. By noon they had packed their horses with what meager supplies remained. Maedeth felt her heart pounding. They would ride hard through the homesteads of the Pelennor Fields. They hoped to ride faster than any messenger, so they would reach the King unbidden.
Her hands shook as she messed with the last few straps on her red roan steed. It all came to this. One more push. One more ride.
Elladan gripped her hands with his. He wasn't shaking. He was steadfast. Always steadfast. In his grey eyes and warm touch she found a moment of peace.
He released her hands, and she her breath. They had one more push to make. Maedeth mounted her horse at the great gate of Osgiliath. Elladan did the same. With the warmth of the early autumn sun on her face and the wind off the Anduin in her hair, she raced off.