The Lingering Darkness Fan-fiction

[Ealasaide]

Benia

After leaving Gilly in her room, Benia walked swiftly in the direction of the gardens, feeling as though she could scarcely breathe. She needed time to think. More than once she raised a hand and rubbed her temple where a throbbing pain had begun to set in. While she felt deeply fortunate to have such a wise and caring friend as Gilly, Benia found that Gilly had raised more new questions than she had offered answers. She found herself wondering now if Kaldir really did understand the kind of pressure he had placed upon her. After all, she knew from hard experience that he was a man accustomed to working his will by force, if by no other means. He was a smart man. Was the guilt he had placed at her feet - should she refuse him - merely another weapon he wielded when it suited him, like the sword at his side, in order to gain a certain end? She had seen him in action. He was a master at manipulation and deceit. Could he really have changed so much?

Gilly had been right in that it was easy to overlook a scarred face. The hidden scars were the ones that she should beware. Like jagged rocks under the placid surface of a lake, a disfigured heart would only be revealed with time. Had Kaldir's heart merely been wounded by his experiences in Mordor? Or had it been disfigured in some ugly and dangerous way? Gilly had been right to urge caution. On the other hand, Gilly had not seen Kaldir's eyes when he had spoken to Benia of his need for her and his hopes for the future. They were not the same eyes that she had looked into that afternoon in Bree when he had forced her to hold a knife to his throat and ordered her to kill him, yet the situation seemed remarkably similar: she could either save him or run him through; the choice was hers. Or was it? Both then and now, while she held the knife, he still seemed strangely in control, bending her to his will by the sheer strength of his personality.

Instinctively, Benia reached up and touched the carved wooden whistle that she still wore on the leather thong around her neck. Dúlrain. A sad smile touched her lips as she thought of the too brief hours of happiness she had shared with him the day before. Surely that happiness was not already a thing of the past. With her other hand, she wiped a tear from the corner of one of her amber eyes. If it were merely a choice of the heart, then there would be no contest at all. Her heart would always and completely belong to Dúlrain. All she had to do was picture his face in her mind, his clear gray eyes, his gentle smile, and her heart would flutter in her chest like a butterfly. A song would rise to her lips. But now, with the thought of losing him forever staring her starkly in the face, she found herself unable to breathe. The dull throb that had begun in her temple shifted to the pit of her stomach, where it continued to trouble her with a persistent ache.

"Dúlrain," she whispered, closing the carved whistle in her fist. "Please..." she added softly, unconsciously echoing the single word she had spoken to him when she had lifted her veil in those few fateful seconds on the dusty sidestreet in Bree. Feeling suddenly light-headed, she reached out for support and found herself steadied by the touch of a strong hand. Wishing for Dúlrain, she looked up only to find herself looking into the concerned eyes of an unfamiliar elf.

"Are you all right, miss?" he asked gently. "I was behind you on the path. It seemed you were about to fall."

"I-I'm fine... thank you," stammered Benia. "Thank you." Carefully, she disengaged herself from his grasp.

"You're very pale," he persisted, giving her a stern, though caring, gaze. "Are you sure I can't at least help you to a bench?" He gestured toward a stone bench that stood in a bower only a few paces distant from where the two of them stood on the garden path.

"Thank you," Benia repeated softly. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then gave him a weak but determined smile. "But no. I'm fine, really." She took a step back.

Finally seeing some color come back into her cheeks, he nodded agreeably and set off again past her down the path. "Be careful," he called over his shoulder to her as he disappeared around a bend. "If you start to feel dizzy again, be sure to sit down."

Benia nodded at his back. "I will," she murmured, but sitting down was the last thing in the world she wanted to do. She needed to walk, to think. She needed space. Turning, she happened to glance up and see the crowns of the tall oaks and pines that lay in the forest beyond the garden walls. That was what she needed, the solitude of the forest, not a busy garden where elves sang incessantly and zipped up and down the paths like so many brightly colored hummingbirds. She needed to be alone. Without thinking of what dangers might still lurk in the forest so soon after a battle, Benia went to the gate and slipped outside. Within moments, she was concealed within the shadows of the trees.

[Ealasaide]

Naiore

Naiore’s fingers tightened around the hilt of her drawn dagger as she faded back into the undergrowth. She had sensed Vanwe, Léspheria, and the ranger well before she had heard their actual voices. As Menecin turned his head toward the sound of their approach, she had weighed the option of rushing in to finish him, but decided in the last instant that there was not time. Even a slight struggle on his part would have held her there long enough for Vanwe and the others to reach them. Knowing that if they found her she would be captured, she had then seized the opportunity to escape while Menecin looked the other way. A burning rage raked over her as she slid silently into the trees.

"Another betrayal!" she hissed. First Toby, then Avanill, and now Vanwe had turned against her, one after the other, all of them traitors. Toby and Avanill, well, that could be expected; termites, the both of them. But Vanwe! Naiore had never believed for a moment that Vanwe would fail her. But she had. And, not only that, Vanwe had caused Naiore herself to fail in her only objective in coming to Imladris at all. Because of Vanwe, Menecin still lived. Naiore took in a deep breath, her slender hands still trembling with rage. She was unaccustomed to failure and had no intention of making a habit of it. Still, she could not believe that she had been so wrong about her own daughter. She had been so sure of Vanwe, so sure of her own success when she had set her plan into motion that failure had seemed inconceivable, yet the inconceivable had come to pass. Someone else must have had a hand in it. Nonetheless, Naiore had never been one to dwell on failures. There would be other plans, other chances. Already, her mind raced ahead into the future.

Slowing her pace, Naiore turned and let her gray eyes scan the forest around and behind her, her ears listening for any sound of pursuit. There was none, only the soft chirp of birds and a murmur of distant voices moving away from her, as Vanwe, Menecin, and the others retreated back in the direction of the buildings. Naiore reached out with her mind, touching each of their minds in turn. She sensed strong emotions flowing from all of them, yet each one stood clearly and distinctly separate from each of the others: Menecin, Vanwe, the ranger, Léspheria. Cousin. Interfering meddler. Perhaps she was the real reason that Naiore’s plans had failed, managing somehow to undo a mother’s careful work. The Ravener’s eyes narrowed slightly.

They would pay. All of them. Maybe not today or even tomorrow, but the time would come when she would have another chance at them. She could be patient. For the moment, however, she knew that she must concentrate on her escape. Barrold Ferny awaited her on the ridge above the elven refuge with travel supplies and the bounty hunter’s gray horse. She must retrieve her own pack and her two curved swords from where she had hidden them in the forest, then rejoin Ferny on the ridge. From there, they would make their escape. Once she knew that she was free of pursuers, then she could begin to think about circling back to renew her efforts against Vanwe and Menecin. After all, this time, she had come so close.

As serenity once again began to settle over Naiore’s fair features, a slight frown creased her brow. Ferny, her one loyal and remaining ally, expected nothing less than Vanwe as his reward. She had promised him at least that, but now, with this latest betrayal, it did not appear as though she would be able to deliver. Her frown faded to an expression of cool neutrality as she flicked a stray braid back over her shoulder. It was an inconvenience, that was all. She should have known better than to make such a promise, but the one advantage to a scoundrel like Ferny was that he would not be particular about his reward just so long as he was well paid. She would see to it that he was. For the moment, however, he would still have to make do with the mithril book covers he had taken from the home of the slain ranger, Tallas.

With renewed calm and confidence, Naiore arrived at the place where she had hidden her belongings. She was relieved to find them undisturbed, precisely as she had left them. She smiled to herself and bent down to pick up her pack, but went instantly motionless as the sound of softly rustling leaves arrested her attention. Straightening, she reached out with her mind. Was it Vanwe - Menecin, perhaps - coming to find her, after all? Judging by the sound, it was only one individual, and that person was not taking any particular care to conceal his or her approach. Whoever it was seemed completely unaware of her presence and moved with no attempt at stealth. Touching the stranger’s mind, Naiore realized at once that it was neither her daughter nor her former lover who moved with such careless and heedless energy along the nearby path. She could sense in the stranger great turmoil and unhappiness, but no malice or fear. Naiore relaxed.

Judging herself safe for the moment, she bent once more and finished the task of securing her pack and her swords to her person. Straightening once more, she looked in the direction the stranger had gone, her curiosity piqued by the question of who might be roaming about the woods alone when there very well could still be orcs about. It wasn’t an orc. She could tell that by the quality of the creature’s mind. But who was it? Moving stealthily, she followed a course that would eventually intercept the stranger’s path. The silken garrote twisted between her fingers. Reaching the point of intersection well ahead of the stranger, Naiore concealed herself around a bend and waited. Her starlit eyes watched the path with interest.

When the stranger finally did appear, a chilling smile danced across Naiore’s beautiful face. “Perhaps you can be of use to me,” she murmured as the slender figure of the southern woman she had seen on the stairs came into view. “Aren’t you the bounty hunter’s lady?” Falling into silence once more, she waited until the southern woman had passed, then Naiore moved in swiftly behind her, dropping the silken garrote around the unsuspecting woman’s throat. Pulling it tight, she forced the woman first to her knees, then the ground. As the woman’s fingers scrabbled helplessly at the tightening garrote, Naiore placed her leatherclad knee between the woman’s shoulder blades, pinning her to the earth. She bent down, placing her lips next to her captive’s ear.

“Do you value your life?” she asked coolly. The woman stopped struggling, but Naiore felt a wave of fear wash over her from the consciousness of the downed woman. Naiore tightened the garrote. “Do you?”

The southern woman nodded, struggling for breath.

“Then do not move a muscle.” When the woman nodded again, Naiore transferred both ends of the silken garrote into one hand and pulled a short length of rope from a side pocket on her pack with the other. When she was certain that the southern woman was well under her control, she released the garrote and bound the woman’s wrists tightly behind her back. Leaning forward, Naiore spoke to her again.

“Do you know who I am?” she asked. “Some call me the Lady of the Swan.”

The southern woman nodded. “I know who you are...” she gasped into the moss and dry leaves that carpeted the forest floor.

“Good.” Naiore smiled. “Then you know that I would just as soon kill you as look at you. The only reason you still breathe is that you may be of use to me. Are you not my old friend Kaldir’s ladylove?”

The woman said nothing, but her spine stiffened under Naiore’s weight which gave the Ravener all of the answer she required. “I thought as much,” continued Naiore. “Benia, isn’t it?”

“How - ?”

“You would be surprised at the things I know,” Naiore answered. She unwound the garrote from the southern woman’s throat and put it away, drawing her dagger in its place. Rising, Naiore took a firm grip on Benia’s thick black braid and the back of her neck with her free hand and, with surprising strength, hauled the semi-conscious woman to her feet. Pushing her ahead of her, Naiore forced her to walk. “Move quickly,” she ordered, maintaining her grip on the back of Benia’s neck. “Remember that I hold a dagger to your back. If you attempt to get away or even if you fall, it will find its mark. Walk.”

Benia said nothing, but stumbled forward at Naiore’s bidding. Moving in this way, with Naiore half-guiding and half-pushing Benia along by an iron grip to the back of her neck, they arrived very quickly at the base of Naiore’s hidden pathway out of the valley. There Naiore paused. Reaching around to Benia’s face, the Ravener closed her fingers around the fine silver chain that the southern woman wore across her cheekbone and gave it a firm tug. The chain snapped at either end, falling limply into Naiore’s hand. Smiling confidently, Naiore dropped it in the center of the path.

“We must make sure your lover finds you,” she said. “He and I have some unfinished business.”

“He will bring others with him,” Benia responded, twisting in Naiore‘s grip. Her amber eyes flashed with anger and, Naiore noticed with interest, fear. For herself? Or for the bounty hunter? “And they will kill you.”

Naiore laughed her silvery laugh. “I see that you do not know him as well as I do. Kaldir will come alone, and, when he does, you and I will be waiting.” She pushed the southern woman forward and upward along the steep path.

Behind them, the spangled chain sparkled in the grass at the base of the path, like a trace of dew touched by the morning sunlight.

[Hilde Bracegirdle]

Gilly

Gilly sat on a low bench close by the Great Hall, squinting in the sunshine as she tatted rather furiously. The hobbit was mumbling to herself as she worked to pull out a mistake she had made. It appeared that she was having trouble concentrating on her work, and from time to time she stopped and looked around, absently waving her hand over an untouched plate of food that sat beside her.

She was beginning to worry, Miss Benia still had not returned from her walk. And though she had left messages for her friend to meet her here, both in the Halls of Healing and at her room, Gilly was starting to imagine that Miss Benia might have succumbed to her anxiety and fainted away in some unknown recess of the garden, or worse yet run off. But surely, she would not do that with out saying goodbye. It wasn’t in Miss Benia to hide from such problems. She would sort it out in time, Gilly consoled herself. It was just a rather messy job and no doubt that was what kept her. At least that is what the hobbit fervently hoped.

Looking up once more after pricking her finger, she brought her injured hand to her mouth in time to see Kaldir walking with long strides toward the entrance to the guest wing. "You’ll not find her in there!" she said to herself, quickly going back to her work, and reminding herself with each loop that Benia wanted to handle this situation with Kaldir. "And you’ll keep your peace Gilly Banks. Don’t go about meddling where you’re not entitled, or no good will come of it."

But honestly, someone should tell him, such things; else he’d never learn! She reasoned. A person’s heart is not so much to be given as it is to be won. And if it weren’t for his ill-timed proposal, she wouldn’t be a worried sick over Miss Benia. Her friend would be sitting here right now, smiling, as she ought to be, with a brimming heart and full stomach. Gilly looked mournfully at the food spoiling in the sunshine next to her. But he’s gone and robbed her of all that, just as if he had taken her hard earned gold.

Finally, striking a compromise with herself, Gilly decided not to speak at all to Kaldir about Benia unless he brought it up. Then she could not be blamed for what she said, for she had always prided herself on her honesty, and being honest she would not take pains to hide her opinions, from him either. And so as she tatted, Gilly began to construct in her mind all that she wanted to say to him, until she was surprised by the sudden appearance of a pair of well-worn boots in front of her. “Mrs. Banks,” she heard the familiar voice of Kaldir say. “I have been looking for you.”

“For me, Sir? Why is it you’d be looking for me?” Gilly asked, thinking to herself that the man probably wanted to find out from her where Miss Benia was, or more likely what answer she might be expected to give. For hadn’t she been sitting here in broad daylight all along?

“I had promised to take care of a sword for you,” Kaldir said. “Do you still have it?”

This wasn’t the reason she had expected, and she softened somewhat to see that he had not forgotten his promise. “Dúlrain’s sword you mean? Yes well, I do have it. As a matter of fact, I was about to ask you whether we could get it seen to earlier, but I had entirely forgot!” she babbled, and remembering Benia’s distress at seeing the sword, she looked again to the plate beside her.

“After you have eaten then,” Kaldir said noting her gaze. “I will not be staying in Imladris much longer.”

“Oh no, I have already eaten, this isn’t mine. Quite cold by now anyway I should think, or I’d offer it to you,” she said, realizing that happily Miss Benia would be granted a little more time to consider the offer extended her. “So you’re leaving then?”

“Hmm…” Kaldir affirmed. “I will accompany you to the Shire when I return,” he said sitting on the bench, so the plate was between them. Observing the hobbits edgy demeanor, he spoke again as he stretched out his long legs “Tell me, if this food is not for you, who is it for? Master Longholes?” he pursued, joking good-naturedly with the hobbit.

“Really now, sir, I’m sure he is capable of looking after himself here!” Gilly exclaimed, clearly offended by the implications. “It is for Miss Benia!” But she became all the more flustered wondering if this mention of her friend actually counted.

“Miss Nightshade,” he mused. “And yet the food is cold. Where is Miss Nightshade that you would be so uneasy speaking of her to me? Has she gone again to the Halls of Healing?” he asked carefully studying the hobbit though pale eyes.

Gilly could bear it no longer, “Gone to be at Mr. Dúlrain’s side?! Excuse me for being so bold, sir, but I can’t go on with much more of this, or I shall burst. And as your friend, I mean to set you straight while you still have time to make things right. Your talk this morning with Miss Benia couldn’t have come at a worse time. Yes, I haveheard about it. But what did you mean professing your affection for her after she had gotten her heart all tangled up with Mr. Dúlrain! Don’t you know you should have said something long before this! No she is not with Mr. Dúlrain, though I would not blame her if she were! And neither should you, if you would just think twice about it!” Gilly paused, regretting this unruly outpouring. “And if you were to tell me now that I can find my own way home, I would understand, entirely”, she added with a note of sadness. “But I just can’t abide to see you upset her so, even though she wished me to hold my tongue.”

Gilly saw that Kaldir steady gaze wavered ever so slightly, as if some thought had occurred to him. “Mrs. Banks, if she is not with you and not with Dúlrain, where is she?”

“That is just it, Sir. I don’t know! She found me in my room early this morning and went out for a walk just after that. She said she would come back, but hasn’t yet, and no one has seen her since morning. I’m getting worried Mr. Kaldir, really and truly worried. You don’t think she could have gone to the river to drown herself? I have heard of such things you know!”

[Ealasaide]

Kaldir

Kaldir listened to Gilly's outburst with a growing sense of misgiving. Not being particularly well-traveled in matters of the heart, he had been under the impression that his conversation with Benia that morning had gone rather well. True, she had seemed a bit troubled at their parting, but he had chalked it up to the suddenness of his proposal, rather than the circumstances. If she wished to reject his offer of marriage, all she had to do was tell him. He would accept her decision either way, whether it favored him or Dúlrain in the end. However, the knowledge that he had upset her so much that she would seek the counsel of Mrs. Banks so quickly and then vanish into thin air troubled him greatly.

“Drown herself!” he repeated, surprise and concern showing plainly on his usually impassive face. “Surely not. I can’t imagine Benia doing such a foolish thing... even to avoid me. But this notion of a walk does trouble me. The woods are far from safe. Did she say where she planned to go?”

Slowly, Gilly lowered her tatting into her lap, thinking hard. Finally, she shook her head. “No, I don’t think she did. She said she needed to take a little walk and think things over. I suggested a lovely garden they have not too far from the guest quarters...I think she went in that direction when she left, but, not having gone along with her, I really can’t say for certain.” Gilly paused, a haunted look coming into her kind eyes. “Oh, Mr. Kaldir, you don’t think anything awful has happened to her, do you?”

Kaldir shook his head. “I certainly hope not.” He rose to his feet and looked down at the hobbit lady with a gentle look in his eyes. “It is easy to lose oneself in a place like Imladris. Perhaps she has just found herself a quiet corner and lost track of the time.” He paused, his hand landing idly on the hilt of his sword. He gazed thoughtfully past Gilly toward the door that led in the direction of the gardens. “On the other hand, it is always best not to take anyone’s absence for granted. Just this morning I told Benia that I would sooner die than see any harm come to either one of you. To be the cause of it, would be unacceptable.”

When he glanced back down at Gilly and saw the fear in her eyes, Kaldir smiled encouragingly. “I shall be off to find her at once,” he said, kneeling down to look more directly into Gilly’s face. “Rest easy in your heart. After all, I am a tracker and a hunter. I should be able to find her fairly easily. If I have done her any harm with my talk of the future, then I shall do what I can to set things right with her again.” He rose again to his full height and, turning away, added under his breath, “Her happiness does matter more than mine.”

Leaving Gilly behind, Kaldir went to the garden that she had described. As he walked, he turned over the things Gilly had said in his mind: that he should have spoken for Benia sooner; that once Benia’s feelings for Dúlrain had taken shape, he should have stepped aside. If he really loved her, Benia’s happiness should matter more than his. Kaldir frowned darkly. Perhaps Gilly had been correct after all. His interpretation of the situation had been that since Dúlrain had yet to speak for Benia’s hand, he, Kaldir, was still free to do so. If she wished to reject him in favor of Dúlrain or anyone else, all she had to do was tell him. So, what was the problem? Why had she gotten so upset? He sighed. Apparently, he had no understanding whatsoever of women. That was the problem. Admittedly, he had never spent much time around them. He had not even had a mother around growing up, his own mother having died giving birth to him. He had no idea how their minds worked, he was discovering, particularly not in matters of the heart. He had never proposed marriage to anyone before, and, while he knew that his proposal to Benia had not been made under the most ideal of circumstances, it had certainly never occurred to him that she would be upset by it.

Walking through the garden, he thought about all of this as his eyes scanned the well-trodden path for any sign of Benia’s passing. He had noticed that morning in the Hall of Healing that she wore a pair of elven boots in place of her own, which made distinguishing her trail from that of the many elves who trafficked the garden nearly impossible. As a last resort, in the hope of eliminating the possibility that she had strayed outside, Kaldir deserted the path and went to the seldom-used gate that led out of the garden to the woods beyond. To his dismay, a single set of fresh footprints showed that a woman had passed that way. Kaldir slipped through the gate and followed the faint trail of boot prints into the woods.

For a long distance, the woman - Benia, perhaps?- followed a straight path through the trees, turning only with the turns of the trail. Her strides were long and steady, without any pause or hesitation, like a woman in a hurry... or a woman deep in thought. Kaldir paused to examine a low-hanging branch that hung across the way. A grim smile touched his lips as he found what he had both hoped and dreaded to find: a single long, black hair caught in the rough bark. Her head had apparently brushed the branch as she stooped to pass. He drew the hair from its place of rest and pulled it between his fingers. It did look like hers. Tucking it away into his pocket, Kaldir passed under the branch and continued along the way, his eyes studying the ground. Rounding a sharp bend, he stopped abruptly.

A second set of elven boots had joined the first. A second woman.

“No...Benia...” he murmured, his hand reaching up to touch the scarred side of his face. His pale eyes narrowed as he deciphered the tale told by the, now, two sets of prints. Benia had been seized from behind by the owner of the second pair of boots. Whoever it was had forced her to the ground, held her there briefly, no doubt to tie her wrists, thought Kaldir, then dragged her to her feet again. The second woman had then forced Benia onward, deeper into the forest. Kaldir drew his sword. There was only one elf who would do such a thing to such a gentle creature as Benia Nightshade, if the footprints and the strand of hair did indeed belong to her.

For a fleeting instant, he felt a familiar rush of memory and muzzy thinking as the horrors of Mordor sought to free themselves from the dungeon in the bottom of his mind, but he forced them back with a steely determination. If Naiore had Benia, then he must go forward. He must think clearly. With all of his senses alert, Kaldir tightened his grip around the hilt of his sword and followed the trail where it led, northward, through the valley. Finally, at the base of a steep and well-concealed trail that twisted upward out of the valley to the ridge above, he stopped. The two females had stopped there as well, briefly, before continuing onward.

Catching sight of something shiny in the grass, winking at him in the afternoon sunlight, Kaldir bent and closed his fingers around a short length of silver chain. It was decorated with tiny silver spangles. Kaldir recognized it at once. His face grew hard as he tucked it into his pocket alongside the single strand of Benia’s hair. There was no doubt now who had made those tracks. His only hope was that he might get to her before it was too late.

[Ealasaide]

Naiore

As Naiore pushed her captive into the camp high on the ridge above Imladris, the southern woman stumbled and fell. Barrold Ferny turned from where he had been tightening the cinch strap on the saddle of the bounty hunter’s gray horse. Naiore watched as his close-set eyes first widened in surprise then narrowed suspiciously.

"That ain’t Vanwe!" he objected harshly. He straightened, eying the southern woman with a mixture of irritation and, Naiore noticed, appraisal.

"How observant of you to notice, Barrold," she replied coldly. "Pick her up. If she pleases you, you may have her when she has fulfilled her usefulness to me. In the meantime, tie her to that tree." With a nod, Naiore indicated a scrubby tree near the fire pit, that stood well-removed from the boundaries of the camp. "We will soon be having company."

"Who?" asked Ferny. He reached out and grabbed the southern woman roughly around the elbow and dragged her to her feet. When Naiore did not answer immediately, he spat at the ground. "With all them elves around, and orcs, it’d be nice to know who’s coming for dinner," he grumbled. "Wouldn’t it, sweet’eart?" he added into the southern woman’s ear, a wide and rather lecherous grin creeping over his features.

The southern woman looked at him sharply and tried to jerk away, but Ferny’s grip was too tight on her arm. He pulled her back toward him, his eyes glittering dangerously.

"That’s enough," quipped Naiore. "Tie her to the tree. Make sure the bonds are secure."

For a brief instant, Ferny glared at Naiore, then dropped his eyes and did as he was told. "Later, sweet’eart," he muttered to the southern woman, pulling the ropes tight around her torso.

Naiore watched with detachment, letting her mind drift, searching, searching, searching... The bounty hunter would come. It was just a matter of time. She took a seat on a large stone, curling her long legs up under her, and waited. As the minutes passed, Barrold Ferny completed the preparations for their departure, his eyes slipping again and again in the direction of the exotic dark-haired woman tied to the tree. While this woman was no elf, Naiore could tell that Barrold Ferny had already decided her an apt substitute for Vanwe as part of his reward. She smiled to herself. Scoundrels like Barrold were so easy to control, to satisfy... so base. He was vastly different from Kaldir, who had been so interestingly difficult. She had enjoyed the challenge that the bounty hunter had presented back in Mordor when he had lived or died at her whim. It would have been enjoyable to joust with him again, but this time, she knew she did not have the time for games. She would use the leverage that she had in the person of the southern woman against him. And she would play no games. Finally, at last, Naiore felt the presence she had been waiting for. She sensed him faintly at first, on the far reaches of her consciousness, but it quickly grew stronger. The bounty hunter was coming.

Naiore turned to Barrold Ferny. "He comes," she said sharply.

"Who?" grunted Ferny yet again.

"An old friend," answered Naiore with a smile. "I believe you would be familiar with him in his professional capacity. A certain bounty hunter? It seems that we have his lady."

"Ah, crikey..."

"Be on your guard, Barrold." Naiore slid down from her perch on the stone and took up a position near the bound woman, her dagger in her hand.


***************************

Benia

"No..." Benia whispered. She twisted her hands behind her, feeling the coarse rope bite into wrists. An hour or so earlier, she had been upset with him and willing to believe any number of evil things about Kaldir, but now as he approached the trap that Naiore Dannan had set for him using her as the bait, Benia could only see him as the man who had delivered her and Gilly and Dúlrain safely into Imladris, and who had only a short while earlier held her hands in his and asked her to become his wife. She cast a fearful glance over her shoulder in the direction of the Ravenner. He must not be allowed to fall into such evil hands. Knowing that her life would be forfeit if she dared even to attempt to thwart the evil elf’s plans, Benia strained against her bindings. She came to a decision. As far as she could see, her life had already been forfeited.

"KALDIR!" she screamed at the top of her voice. "NO! SHE’S -" A sledgehammer-like blow struck Benia full in the face, cutting off her words, and plunging her into a state of semi-consciousness. Benia slumped against her ropes. Slowly, she struggled back toward consciousness. As her amber eyes fluttered open once more, she saw that the Ravenner had not moved, still standing like a woman of ice off to Benia’s side, her eyes distant and cold. Barrold Ferny grinned down from directly in front of her.

"Now, sweet’eart," he said in an oily tone. "That wasn’t too smart." He pulled a filthy handkerchief out of his pocket and shoved it deep into her mouth, snorting with laughter as she gagged and struggled to breathe. "I’ll hit you again if I have to..."

"Hush," ordered Naiore. Her clear gaze scanned the perimeters of the camp. Slowly, she stepped up behind Benia, raising the naked dagger to the bound woman’s throat.

Ferny stepped back, glancing around nervously.

"Greetings, dúnedan," purred Naiore in the direction of a thick patch of underbrush. "It has been a long time. You haven’t forgotten me, have you?"

When only silence answered her, Naiore laughed softly, a silvery sound that was both chilling and beautiful at once. Benia felt a trill of shivers race down her spine.

"It’s no use pretending that you are not here, my friend," she continued. "You are quite near. I can feel your presence. Show yourself that we might speak civilly."

Benia stared with horror as there was a soft rustling and Kaldir stepped into the clearing, his sword drawn. Still, he said nothing.

"Very good." Naiore raised the tip of her dagger to touch Benia’s face. Behind her, Benia heard Barrold Ferny draw his sword. "Now drop your sword," the elf ordered Kaldir, ignoring the man behind her.

Kaldir shook his head, his pale eyes filled with bitter loathing. "I cannot do that."

"You forget that I have something you value." Naiore’s blade traced gently down Benia’s cheek. "Shall I carve her up slowly? Would that suit you better? Perhaps I shall start with her eyes." The point of the dagger pricked the smooth skin just to the outside of Benia’s right eye. The muscles twitched along Kaldir’s jaw. Scarcely breathing, Benia watched as Barrold Ferny crept along the outside edge of the camp, moving himself into position behind Kaldir. She did not dare move as the tip of dagger pressed deeper into her flesh. She looked again at Kaldir‘s eyes and saw not loathing now, but pain.

"Give up your weapons and she lives," said Naiore. "I give you my word, my friend, but defy me and she shall die a slow and torturous death." Again, the chilling laugh. "I’m sure you know well what things I am capable of."

A long silence passed as the four of them stood motionless, in a temporary stale mate. Unable to speak, Benia prayed within her heart that Kaldir turn and walk away, leaving her to her fate. She had been foolish to wander off when she knew full well the danger that surrounded them. She deserved whatever happened to her. But he did not. Closing her eyes, Benia waited for the cut of the Ravenner’s dagger. Her heart sank as, instead, she heard the soft clink of steel striking gravel. Kaldir had dropped his sword.

"Search him and bind him!" barked Naiore to Ferny, withdrawing her dagger.

Benia opened her eyes in time to see Barrold Ferny kick Kaldir’s sword out of the bounty hunter’s reach. He sheathed his own blade and, fetching a rope, tied Kaldir's arms behind him, once at the wrist and again just above the elbows, pulling his broad shoulders back at an awkward angle. He attached a second rope, for additional control, around Kaldir's throat in the shape of a noose. Then, as Naiore watched, Ferny searched him for weapons, adding a small pile of daggers and small throwing knives to the sword on the ground. At last, Ferny nodded.

"He's clean."

Naiore stepped away from Benia and sheathed her dagger, returning to her place atop the stone. "Bring him to me."

As Ferny reached out to push the bounty hunter in the direction of Naiore, Kaldir, who had been enduring all of this in a smoldering silence, raised his head and gave Ferny threatening glare. Instinctively, Ferny dropped his hand and took a step backward. Scowling, he cinched up on the noose around Kaldir's throat instead. Naiore stilled him with a raised hand.

"What is it?" asked Naiore, her hand falling again toward the hilt of her dagger. "I thought we had a deal - your life for hers."

Benia watched as Kaldir nodded. "We do," he said gravely. "But I would like to speak with her first."

Naiore paused for an instant, then nodded her agreement. "Very well, but make it brief," she said impatiently. "You and I have much to do." Turning her gaze toward Ferny, she continued, "Take the rag out of her mouth. I don't think she will be screaming again."

Barrold Ferny did as he was told and, at a glance from Naiore, retreated a short distance away, still keeping a firm grip on the rope around Kaldir's throat.

"Why didn't you leave me?" Benia whispered as Kaldir stepped within a pace of her. "You should have left me."

Kaldir merely shook his head and bent to rest his scarred cheek against her soft hair. "She doesn't want you. She wants me," he said softly. "This way, I can perhaps gain you some time. Dúlrain will find you. I am sure of it."

"What will she do to you?"

Again, Kaldir shook his head. He started to say something else, but was cut off as Barrold Ferny, at a nod from Naiore, jerked sharply on the rope, causing Kaldir's head to snap violently backward. As he was dragged away, Benia heard his last words to her, uttered so softly that she nearly missed them:

"I'm sorry."

Unaware that she was even doing it, Benia made a soft keening sound in her throat as she watched him be forced down on to his knees in front of the Ravenner. Smiling serenely, Naiore uncoiled her long long legs and slid down from her rock. Her slender fingers stroked the bounty hunter's scarred face.

[Hilde Bracegirdle]

Rauthain

After leaving Amandur, Rauthain went directly to the ranger’s lodging to look for Avanill there. But finding him gone and no one else about in that place, the old ranger hurried to gather those few things that he had brought with him on his journey, heaping them in a small pile within in hand’s reach of the door. When he had finished, he left again quickly to search not only for Avanill but Kaldir also, and it wore heavily on him as he strode over the grounds that he should find them. For he was eager that they make haste now that Amandur had bid them be ready to depart, and would leave this place just as soon as the horses were saddled and their provisions obtained.

Going to look for Kaldir’s room, the old ranger stopped those who passed by him, asking where the guests might be staying. He did not feel comfortable in the beautiful halls and gardens there, but as if he somehow were intruding on the place, disrupting the natural flow of activities, like a branch that water must swirl around in passing by. But at length his heavy boots found the threshold of the room he had been told was used by his friend, and though all was quiet inside, he knocked, the sound echoing lightly down the hall. “Kaldir,” he called, but no one answered. And so, after a few moments decision he opened the door that creaked on its ancient hinges. At first glance he thought he had the wrong chamber, for this one seemed unoccupied. Indeed Rauthain, finding it both empty and reasonably orderly, stepped into the room to check for a sign that anyone had lately been there. Crossing over to the bed, he ran his hand across its fine coverlet, but it appeared smooth and unused. And the fireplace, it was clean with newly stacked wood in the grate. And it was only when he opened the empty wardrobe expecting to find Kaldir’s weather worn bag and rope that he recalled Kaldir had lost his gear when his horse had run off in battle.

So the old ranger moved to close the cabinet door when he heard someone clear her throat behind him, to his relief, a woman by the sound of it. Turning, he saw Mrs. Banks standing in the doorway scowling at him, a fistful of green lacework in her hand. “What are you doing poking around here then, while Mr. Kaldir’s away?” she demanded of the ranger, in a manner that put him in mind of a small but outraged lap dog.

Placing one hand on his chest and stretching out the other, Rauthain bowed deeply to her saying, “My apologies Madam, but I see now that I indeed have the right room. I have been looking for our friend Kaldir, but from the look of it, this room is little used. Do you know where he might be found? I carry a message for him that is quite urgent.”

“I don’t know about any urgent messages, but I do know, he’s off on important business of his own. And also that you ought not be prowling around places you’ve no right to be, Mr. Rauthain!” she scolded “And I have half a mind to tell him that I’ve seen you here poking about his room, when he gets back.”

“Please see that you do,” Rauthain interjected. “For we are to leave as soon as we can ready ourselves. That is the message I carry, and I think he will also deem it an important one, if you would be kind enough to tell him.”

“I see,” the hobbit said, looking around her. “He don’t have much to pack here, as you can see. But he’d be needing a bite to eat on the road, won’t he?” she said thoughtfully. “I don’t expect you’d leave without him?”

“Without him? No, I should think not. Why? Where is it exactly that he has gone?” Rauthain enquired growing a little anxious. “And what is this important business you speak of. Surely he has not gone to seek the Ravennor alone!”

“No sir, it’s nothing like that. It’s Miss Benia…Miss Nightshade. She was in a bit of a quandary and needed to sort herself out,” the hobbit began.

“Ah,” Rauthain said, Quick to suppress a smile of relief, as he remembered his discussion with Kaldir about the lady only the morning before. “But what has that to do with Kaldir?” he asked.

“Well, everything really,” the hobbit continued. “But to the point, she was a bit distraught and Mr. Kaldir has gone to find her and make sure she is alright.”

“Do you know where they have gone? I do not wish to intrude upon them, but as I said it is urgent”

“No, I don’t know where either of them is. And to tell you the truth, I have not seen them for some time,” she sighed. “But if he hadn’t have found her wouldn’t he have returned?”

“I would think so. But there again I am no better off then when I began!” Rauthain said with a hint of exasperation. “But if by chance you see them would you tell Kaldir that we are to leave?”

“Yes, yes. You can count on it.” The hobbit said straightening out her tattling.

“And I will also keep an eye out for them,” the ranger said, cocking his head sideways to view her work. “You do nice lacework Mrs. Banks, if I might say so. My wife also used to be quite good at tatting in her youth.” Then suddenly remembering the shuttle that he had found by the river, he untied the pouch at his side and drew out the little wooden thing, handing it to the hobbit. “I think that you might get more use of this than I would, though it reminded me of her to find it.”

“This looks like the one I used to keep in my pocket, but lost when we crossed the river Bruinen!” she exclaimed.

“It very well might bethe same, for I found it also in the waters of the Bruinen, and I’m glad it has found you again. But if you will excuse me, I must set about my business. Do not forget to pass on the message!”

“Thank you sir, and I won’t.” Mrs. Banks called after Rauthain, as he walked down the hall and outside once again.


It had been quiet some time since Amandur had charged Rauthain with the task of finding his two fellows, and still the old ranger had not been able to alert them. Now after looking again about the house he decided to return to Amandur to tell him of the delay, and strangely enough as he walked toward Amandur’s quarters he met Avanill walking along the path in the opposite direction.

“Hey there, Avanill!” Rauthain hailed him. “I bring from Amandur news that we are to leave immediately, but I have not found Kaldir. Have you seen him today?”

“Earlier on, I saw him entering a garden, but not since then,” Avanill said gestering back up the path.

“Isn’t that the way of it?” Rauthain grumbled. “And now I suppose we might never find him! Was he alone?”

“Yes, quite alone, and looking about there quite intently, though he seemed more interested in the ground than the blossoms. Why do you ask?”

“Evidently, the blossom he was looking for was Miss Nightshade, who had gone off on her own. I imagine I should try to find one or the other of them then, for I don’t think they would be far apart, but wish me good hunting if you will.”

“I do then. Is there something that I could do, meanwhile?” the young man asked.

“I suppose you might get our horses saddled. It shouldn’t take Kaldir long to prepare once we’ve found him,” Rauthain said as he started to leave. “I will let Amandur know were I am going,” he called over his shoulder. “But you might want to let him know when you and the horses are ready.”


By the time Rauthain reached the quarters there were a few rangers about, and Amandur was not to be found among them. The afternoon was already growing late and the old ranger did not want to wait, but still he pulled out a chair from under the small table, and sat for a while, waiting for Amandur to return and collect his things.

Finally, eyeing the cloak that lay over Amandur’s bags, he got up and slipped from his shoulder the satchel containing Avanill’s stores. He held it in his hands, as if weighing something in his mind, but then got up and walked over to the cloak. Placing the sachel under the soft folds, he was careful to conceal it well. He could wait no longer and would not have Avanill jump him in the lonely garden, to take off with these potent powders. At least this way too Amandur might have a little more hold on him, when the boy came back with the horses.

Closing the door behind him, Rauthain left making quickly for the garden were Avanill had last seen Kaldir.

[Nerindel]

Dúlrain

Dúlrain Searched the house for Benia walking as if treading a shadowy path of dreams detached from the reality of true happiness by the weight of what he had now convinced himself was the only solution to the war that waged within his heart and soul. His brother had crawled with every ounce of strength he possessed from the pitched blackness of his tormentors prison and now stood precariously on a precipice, one push and he again could fall into darkness, Rauthain had all but warned him that it was so! But ahead lay life, love, friendship all things forgotten and stripped from his brother by the twisted hands of fate that had so cruelly delivered him into the hands of Naiore Dannan. Who was he to denying his brother theses things, did he not deserve this chance more than he, had he not suffered enough! His loyalty and conscious threw its weight heavily into the pitched battle.

Pausing momentarily he closed his eyes remembering the softness of Benia’s gentle touch as his heart countered his conscious in a heartbreakingly concise strike. He breathed deeply remembering the sweetness of her scent which lingered tantalisingly in the southern woman’s wake, beckoning him to stay with her forever. As he opened his eyes and continued up the winding stairs he was remained of her bravery and the fierce loyalty she had shown her friends, the strength and being of who and what she stood for and his undying love of that strength waged against the tide of his love and loyalty for his brother and so it continued until with clarity he saw that Benia was already bound to Kaldir, a small slither of thread that held him in place, a stabling presence that called his brother from the brink of darkness, without which he might slip and tumble back into the bleakness of his internal prison!

Taking a deep and steadying breath he realised that he again stood before the door of his quandary, his hand reached out to touch the dark wood as he pictured the woman he believed within. Her gentle smile and the loving warmth of her amber eyes filled his mind and for an instance he almost gave in to his hearts desire.

“I’m Sorry!” he whispered letting his hand slip from the door and turning . There was no point in upsetting her any more than he had too, he would leave with the others and not return, Kaldir would return and together they would escort Mrs banks to her home and with time he would be forgotten and she and Kaldir would find happiness together, all that was left for him to too was insure that his brother lived to return. With a resigned determination and a heavy heart he started to leave, but stopped as the door behind him slowly opened, he turned expecting to see the warm smile of Benia but was surprised to see it was the elven attendant.

“Good day Master Dúlrain it is good to see you up and about,” she smiled pleasantly, “If your looking for miss Nightshade she is not here at present, I thought she might still be with you,” she said her warm smile broadening, but seeing Dulrain frown pensively she asked him what was wrong.

“it may be nothing,” he said shaking his head thoughtfully, “but I have just come from looking for the lady downstairs, perhaps I just missed her,” he shrugged.

“No Master Dúlrain, I have been here all morning and have seen no other guest but Mrs Banks, Even Master Kaldir’s room has been untouched, oh no wait Master Rauthain was here sometime ago speaking with Mrs Banks, I remember noting that she looked a little trouble once he departed."

Dúlrain’s frown deepen slightly, "Do you know were the Hobbit lady went?" he asked.

“I’m sorry after the ranger left she went down stair, where she went from there I cannot say,” the lady answered apologetically.

Dúlrain nodded, thanking the elven lady for her help and left to look for Gilly if anyone knew were Benia might be it would be her. As he searched for the hobbit woman he asked those he passed if they had seen either of the two women, while none had seen the southern woman, several remembered seeing the hobbit woman heading out towards the gardens and this is where he found her, her head intently searching left and right.

“Mrs Banks!” he called gently wishing not to startle her, she turned and he saw clearly the worry and concern etched on her face.

“Oh! Master Dúlrain,” She cried as he crouched down before her. “I’m ever so worried, its Miss Benia …” she paused seeing her concern mirrored in his grey eyes, but he gentle prompted her to go on.

“Oh! Dulrain she went for a walk alone this morning and has not been seen back since, Masters Kaldir and Rauthain have both gone to look for her and neither have returned, what could have happened too them!” she sighed. Dúlrain followed her gaze beyond the gardens his own concerns and fear racing in his mind. “why would she have gone alone, it just does not seem like her to such a thing?” he whispered not understanding, but noting Gilly’s silence he turned to look at her.

“Oh Mister Dúlrain, she was so confused, feeling how she does about you and all!” Dúlrain frowned still not fully understanding.

“It was Mister Kaldir, He proposed to her.” the hobbit woman whispered sympathetically.

Dulrain dropped to his knees in shock, feeling as though his heart had just been rent from his chest, a numb constricting feeling caught his breath and his chest tightened.

“Oh Mister Dúlrain I am sorry, but I am so worried what if something has happened to her, perhaps I should have gone with her but she said that she needed some time to think! surely the others should have found her by now?"

Hearing the fear and worry in the hobbit woman’s voice he swallowed his pain and gently turned Gilly to face him. “I promise I will never let anything happen to her, but I must ask you something, it may be important so think hard.” he said levelling his eyes gently with the hobbit woman, Gilly nodded.

“Did you notice if Benia still wore the whistle that I gave to Kaldir in Bree?” Gilly thought hard for a moment then nodded, “Yes, yes she did!” she replied hopefully.

“Good, then there is hope, if anything has happened she at least has a way to call for help.” he nodded encouragingly. “Gilly I need you to find Amandur, let him know what has happened, Tell him to continue on we will catch him up as soon as Benia and the others are found.”

Gilly was about to protest and argue that she was going to go with him , when he sympathetically took her hands, “I promise I will find her and the others, but if something has happened it may be dangerous, I know and understand your loyalty to your friend, but I need for you to stay here and let Amandur and the others know what has happened.” She was silent for a moment then nodded reluctantly.

“Now go, I will find them!” He urged, Gilly nodded and hurried in the direction of the rangers quarters. Rising Dúlraian turned and went in search of the others. Finding the dusty prints of Kaldir and Rauthain he followed them into the forest that edged the elven refuge, he paused in horror as the tracks of the others told their terrible tale. With a sharp whistle he looked backwards towards the stables and after only a moment he heard the heavy hoofs of Dir Galloping towards him, grasping the reigns he lead the horse as he intently followed the tracks further into the forest, He had to find them! She had to be safe!