~~~

Return from the Void ~Míriel

Chapter 7 ~The Deepening of the Night

~~~

            “Arwen, meleth?”

            “Yes, Estel?”

            “Do you feel it?”

            “Yes.”

            “I feared so.”

            “‘Tis still but a whisper of what it was.”

            “Yet a different whisper.”

            “A different song.”

            “Ah, yes, to you elves, everything is in the song of Iluvatar, is it not?”

            “Yes, and it would be well for you men think the same.”

            “If only we could, meleth.”

            “Estel...”

            “Yes, Arwen?”

            “I fear for our son.”

            “How is that?”

            “I simply feel uneasy when I think of him.  As if...”

            “As if he were endangered?”

            “You have felt the same?”

            “Yes, and after much thought, I have a plan.  We shall send Eldarion into the city with his nurse.”

            “But why?”

            “He will not be recognized, and he will be in much less danger than here in the palace.  Think of how many children there are in the city!”

            “You will be the one to tell Eldarion what plans you have devised for him...”

            “I shall, meleth.  And perhaps, you must think of yourself as well.”

            “Nay, Estel.  My place is with you.  Perhaps, together, we can fight against this shadow.”

~~~                                                                                                                

            Tears streamed down Eldarion’s red face as he alternated screaming and crying.

            “But Mommy, I don’t want to go!” he wailed.

            Arwen knelt down and looked her son.  “I know, love, but,” her voice broke and she took her son in her arms; tears silently flowing.  Eldarion buried his head in his mother’s shoulder and wept.

            Aragorn knelt as well; resting his hand upon his son’s head.  “Eldarion, my son.  Do you want to be a soldier?”  Arwen looked up in surprise at the question.

            “Yes,” came Eldarion’s muffled voice.

            “Well, all soldiers must do things that they do not wish to do.”

            Eldarion lifted his head.  “Even you, Ada?”

            Aragorn smiled.  If his son only knew!  “Yes, even me.”

            Eldarion furrowed his brow.  “Then I have to go with nurse?”

            “Not for very long,” Arwen said reassuringly.  “Several weeks, at the most.”

            “And soldiers do not complain when they are asked to serve.  They simply do their duty.” Aragorn continued.

            “Do soldiers cry, Ada?”

            Aragorn reached for his son.  Eldarion left Arwen and threw his chubby arms around his father’s neck.  “Do they?”

            “Yes, my son.  All soldiers cry.  But that is what makes them brave; the fact that they do what they must, no matter how afraid they are.”

            Eldarion gazed into his father’s eyes unwaveringly.  “So does that mean that I’m brave?”

            Aragorn could not keep the tremble out of his voice.  “Yes, my son.”

            Eldarion tightly hugged his father, who scooped Eldarion in his arms and rose.  Arwen put her arms around both of them, and they stood for a moment; a quiet sanctuary.

            “Darien?”

            Aragorn set Eldarion down.  They had decided that he would be called ‘Darien’, since it was close to his name that he would answer to it but not enough that he would be recognized.

            “Hello, Miss Iorwen,” Aragorn said quietly.

            A lovely woman stepped into the room.  She was twenty-five years of age with long dark hair and soft grey eyes.  She had married three months past to a soldier of Gondor.  While she hoped to have children, she loved Eldarion as her own and would die for him.

            “Did you say farewell to your mum and da, Darien?”

            “Yes, Miss Iorwen,” Eldarion whispered.

            “Bless your heart.  Come here.” She reached for him, and he went willingly to her.  She lifted him and stood.  “Don’t you worry about a thing, your majesties.  Amandil*and I shall love him as our own.  He’ll be back before you know it, none worse for the wear.  Even perhaps a bit less spoilt.” She muttered under her breath.

            Aragorn nodded to her.  “Be brave my son,” he said.

            Arwen nodded.  “I love you, Eldarion,” she whispered.

            Eldarion could say nothing as he burst into tears.  Iorwen nodded to Gondor’s king and queen and exited the room.  She would be escorted by several men of the King’s guard to be sure she arrived safely back at her house.

            Arwen finally let all the tears free as she found shelter in her husband’s arms.  His body shook as he held her.

            They stood there, unaware of time, and wept; for they knew not how long it would be until they saw their son again. 

            Outside, dark clouds began forming in the sky.

~~~

            Iorwen nodded to the guard who had escorted her home.  “Thank you.”  She said.

            He nodded to her in return; then turned and left.

            Iorwen stepped inside her house and set Eldarion down.  “Well, here we are,” she said cheerfully.

            Eldarion looked around in fascination.  Iorwen very much doubted that he had ever seen the inside of a commoner’s house before.

            “Well,” she said cheerfully, “I’m going to get started on supper.  How does some nice, hearty stew sound to you, Darien?”

            Confusion clouded his face.  “What’s stew?”

            Iorwen sighed.  What had they been teaching this child?  “It’s a bit like soup, love, just thicker.” 

            “Oh.  We’ve had soup before.  I like it.  Especially the chicken soup.”

            Dragging a chair over, Iorwen motioned Eldarion to the chair.  Confusion again filled his face.

            She sighed.  “Darien, get up on the chair, love, you’re going to help me make supper.”

            Wide-eyed, he complied.  “Mommy never let me do this.  She would yell at me to get down.  One time, it was Tuesday, and,”

            Iorwen smiled as she listened to his chatter.  The house would certainly be cheerful with this little one, and would help ease the loneliness she felt when her husband was away.

            With Eldarion’s “help,” supper took a bit longer to make than usual, but Iorwen did not mind.  The afternoon had passed faster than any since her sisters had come to visit her.

            There was a creaking at the door.  Iorwen turned as her husband walked in. 

            “Is that stew I smell?” he called jovially. 

            Iorwen ran to her husband, flung her arms around his neck and kissed him.  “It certainly is,” she replied a moment later; “And I had a lot of help today.”

            Eldarion ran out from the bedroom.  “Hello, sir.” He said with a salute.  Iorwen winked at her husband and walked back into the kitchen.

            Amandil saluted back.  “Hello soldier,” he answered.  “I heard that you helped with the evening meal?”

            “Yes Sir!” Eldarion chirped.

            Amandil ruffled Eldarion’s hair before kneeling and pulling him into a great hug.  “It’s good to have another man in the house,” he whispered in Eldarion’s ear.

            Eldarion grinned. 

            Suddenly, Iorwen cried out, and the clatter of dishes was heard.  In one swift movement, Amandil scooped up Eldarion, stood, and ran into the kitchen.  Iowren was staring out the window, a faraway look on her face.  Around her feet were the wooden bowls they would use for supper.

            “Iorwen, what is it?!”

            She blinked and glanced at her husband before turning back to the window.

            “Amandil?” she murmured faintly.

            He joined her at the window.  When he saw what she did, his arms tightened involuntarily around Eldarion as he gasped.

            The sky had gone black.

            Iorwen spoke without turning, transfixed by the sky.  “Amandil, you were just outside.  Was it like this?”

            Amandil was silent a moment before he began to slowly shake his head.  “No...No it wasn’t...”

            With a small whimper, Eldarion buried his head into Amandil’s shoulder as the room grew darker, then completely black.

~~~

            “Fools!”

            Melkor and Sauron looked up from the table, where they were bent over a piece of parchment.  “What?” Melkor said irritably.

            Omar stomped over to them.  “Thanks to your witchcraft, the whole city is in a panic.”

            A smile crept across Sauron face.  “That was quick work, eh?”

            Melkor sneered.  “It was indeed.”

            Omar shook his head.  “No!  I thought the plan was to come in, take the child, and leave!”

            “Plans have changed.” Melkor said nonchalantly.

            “Why—was—I—not—informed?!” Omar said through gritted teeth.

            Sauron answered for Melkor.  “Because you did not need to know.”

            Omar slammed his hand down on the table, rattling the single candle that illuminated the room.  “Fools!” he said again. 

            Melkor and Sauron merely watched him in amusement.  Omar began to rant.  “While I was out on the streets, you two were up here in this rented room, which I paid for by the way, making the city dark!  Did you have any idea that the citizens of Minis Tirith would riot?”

            “Oo, they’re rioting?” Sauron said with relish.

            Omar ignored him.  “So, I had to fight the crowd to get back here, after stabling your pony, and when I do finally return, you two just sit there and inform me of your changed plans!  What are you two looking at anyway?!” he broke off at the end.

            “Our plan.” Melkor said.

            “Your plan.” Omar repeated.

            “Mm-hmm.” said Sauron.

            “Give me that,” Omar said, snatching the parchment up.  Melkor and Sauron exchanged looks of exasperation.

            “Omar,” Melkor said, “In case you are forgetting, I am your lord.”

            “That may be, but we are all in this together.” Omar replied as his eyes beheld the writing on the parchment.

            OUR PLAN TO TAKING OVER ARDA

            ~By Lord Melki and his Lieutenant Salir

            STEP 1

            Set up base inside the city of Minas Tirith.

            STEP 2

            Turn city black.

            STEP 3

            In the middle of the night, slip into the palace and take the king’s son.

            STEP 4

            Leave Minas Tirith

            STEP 5

            Hold King’s son for ransom.  The king and queen of Gondor will then give us Gondor and its tributaries in exchange for their son.

            STEP 6

            Conquest the rest of Arda

            Omar stared at the parchment in shock.  It was so...simple.  And stupid.

            “My lords, if the city is black why must you wait until the dead of night to kidnap the king’s son?”

            Sauron gave him a look of disgust.  “Because then it’s darker.”

            Omar threw up his hands in frustration.  “I give up.”

            Melki calmly removed the parchment from Omar’s hand.  “Now, where were we...?”

            “Kidnapping the prince.” Sauron answered.

            “Ah, yes, kidnapping.”

            Omar was dumbfounded.  “You are actually going through with this?”

            “Do you have a better idea?” asked Melkor.

            “Well, actually, yes,”

            “Too bad.  I do not wish to hear it.”  Melkor tossed the parchment onto the table.  Walking over to the bed, he picked up two black coats, tossing one to Sauron and putting the other one over his clothes.  He then began removing his medals and jewelry.  Sauron did the same.

            “Tonight, Omar,” Melkor said; “We shall go to the palace and capture the prince.  You shall be waiting here for us, with Little Barrel, ready to make our escape.”

            “But then why did you have me stable him?”

            “Silence!  We shall meet you here.  Then, dear Omar, we shall conquer the world!”

~~~

*Amandil is actually the name of one of the Numenorian kings.  I believe that it is possible for a Gondorian to be named after said king.

Author’s notes: Well, there is longer and darker.  Let me know how I did, I’m worried over how my darker chapter is. 

Oh, and if anyone has any good descriptions of hailstorms, having lived through one or being knowledged about such things, could you tell me?  Thanks.

And, if you are enjoying this, please review.  Once again my hit counts were higher than reviews.  (Zero reviews.)  Anyway...