Tolkien Fan Fiction
| 10 |
| Chapter Ten |
| Prince Imrahil had been a little shocked when his eldest son came to him to suggest that, while officially Lothíriel would be in residence with the family at the Amrothian townhouse in Minas Tirith, she should not stay there during the night as he did not feel it was safe for her. He advised she stayed secretly at Osimir and Tamarillith’s house one level below the steep cliff face around which the city of Minas Tirith had been carved. Both Éomer and Éowyn, had also been invited to stay at Osimir’s with their cousin, Frea, ahead of Éowyn’s wedding to Faramir, thereby offering even greater protection. As only family were to be aware of the arrangement and Elphir had been most insistent, Imrahil had acquiesced. Lothíriel herself had reacted to Elphir’s suggestion on her return to Minas Tirith earlier with some degree of suspicion, although very much pleased. She took her brother aside to promise him that even though she was unofficially engaged to Éomer, and they were ‘close’, given that their expected marriage was at least nine months away, they were taking no risks that this might need to be brought forward by any indiscreet family arrival. Elphir regarded his sister somewhat quizzically. ‘That would be wise, Lothíriel. I think Father would be glad to have this reassurance, but perhaps from Éomer. You know how sensitive he is about… anything to do with you,’ he had suggested, not unkindly. Osimir’s house was large enough to accommodate all the guests in their own rooms. The ladder to the Amrothian residence had already been installed in its habitual place to gain easy access between the two gardens and it was no surprise to Lothíriel that her brother, Amrothos, escorted her over the wall separating the two residences and into the house below. Éomer had ensured that his sister and Frea had retired early ahead of Éowyn’s big day and he stood up to greet them as they entered. ‘She’s waiting for you upstairs,’ he said to Amrothos with a conspiratorial smile. ‘Does Elphir really think the Astari will try tonight? Surely the house is too heavily guarded?’ he asked him. ‘He’s not sure. There is one route leading directly to Lothíriel’s room he has left relatively unguarded for a skilled enough Astari to access from Hannedriel’s house, but he’s not convinced that Lothi is the main target. It’s just another test. He has been setting up a great many to get a feeling for their intentions. You have good men guarding this house, I almost feel safer staying here.’ He looked up at them both almost sheepishly and made his way upstairs to Frea, his own soon-to-be bride. ‘And you, my love, do you feel safe?’ Éomer asked Lothíriel gently as she crept into his arms. ‘I only feel safe, truly safe, when I am close to you,’ she replied her eyes closed savouring the intimacy. She was dreading leaving him in two days’ time. It would be far easier to marry him tomorrow with Éowyn and Faramir, no one would mind. Éowyn had confessed that she had hoped for a joint wedding, but they both knew that true peace would only be theirs if she followed her fate north. ‘It was very considerate of Elphir to arrange this for us. There were other rooms I could have slept in at the house. Father is taking this all very well, he is even deliberately ignoring the fact that Galador is staying in the room next to Erchirion, or rather not staying in that room, but I think we are all so overjoyed to have Erchirion back with us, and so obviously happy, that Father would accept anyone in Erchirion’s life as long as it wasn’t Amedlan.’ ‘Did you have the chance to talk with Lord Elrond or Mithrandir about tomorrow and Maglor? Are you sure that he will face judgement? Wasn’t it enough that he received the Silmaril from Lord Ulmo?’ he asked stroking her cheek with his hand as she turned her face away from him to hide the worry in her eyes. Her body had tensed in his arms and she clung to him more tightly. ‘No one knows. Lord Elrond told me in the Brown Lands that he felt that for Maglor to be forgiven, only Alatar would be able to persuade the Valar, which is why we couldn’t wait to starve Pallando out from Sennebar. I had to release Alatar before tomorrow. Maglor didn’t know this is why we pushed for the plan we adopted above all the others he had proposed. He was more concerned that Pallando would come to understand the importance of the Palantir and destroy it or hide it somewhere we would never find…’ ‘Assa is quite an incredible woman. When did Ottakar realise that she is his cousin?’ he asked. ‘It seems not for a long time. It was only when he asked her why she had saved him, she told him then, as though it was nothing of particular importance, which in many ways I don’t think it is for her. She doesn’t care that he is of royal blood or has status, only that her mother had spoken of his father favourably. And then of course she grew to trust him, which is not easy for her to do. I think Gallend is going to find it a long tortuous road ahead. I’m not sure he has the patience.’ Éomer had stepped back from her to look at her more clearly. ‘Yes, I wondered about that too. I have seen him like this before. He is as smitten with Assa as he was with Sigulla. In this case though, I’m not sure the lady is so inclined….’ he mused. Lothíriel snuggled back close to him and playfully began to unbutton his tunic. She smiled seductively up at him and whispered while nibbling his ear, ‘Well this lady is most certainly so inclined and in need of much reassurance ahead of tomorrow.’ He kissed her gently and took her by the hand quietly upstairs. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Across the other side of the city, in the house Éomer had rented the year before above the Delantine quarter, which had become an unofficial residence of Rohan, Gallend had just retired to his room having spent the evening with Assa, Hadán and Genting discussing tactics. Hadán had recovered well such was Genting’s extraordinary gift of instilling calm and love into those around him. Éomer and his father Éomund were renowned for the talent of soothing disturbed horses and Genting had proved their equal. His promotion by King Théoden had been rapid, becoming the youngest ever Master of Horse but none had thought it undeserved. As Hadán was able to finally unburden himself of his past to the one he loved, a peace so long denied him had swept over him. Gallend had happily left them together to find his own repose. Gallend stripped and washed himself down at the basin to cool down. It was not an especially warm evening, but he had found being so close to Assa more intense than he had expected. She set every fibre of his being on fire, not just in his head. He had loved Sigulla, his wife, to distraction, theirs had been an intensely physical relationship. She had also been kind, and she had never challenged his judgement nor his assessment of a situation. Assa, conversely, challenged him on every front. She could not be described as normal in anything, she was simply exceptional, especially in the one area he felt he had a unique talent: understanding when someone was not what they seemed. He turned from the wash basin and there she was, standing naked, between him and his bed. She had a disconcerting way of staring directly at whatever she was intent on observing, with no sense of shame or embarrassment. She was looking down to his cock with curiosity uppermost in her eyes. He studied her, bemused as to why he was not more shocked by the situation. She was so waif-like, so thin and yet all muscle, revealing small but beautifully proportioned breasts. ‘Why isn’t it hard?’ she asked. ‘They are usually hard,’ she said matter-of-factly. His mouth opened in a wide amused smile. ‘Why are you here, Assa?’ he asked her gently. ‘Not that I want you to go, I don’t,’ he added quickly when she looked as though she would leave. ‘I want you to stay and…’ he said as his eyes hungrily devoured her nudity, ‘…by the Valar, I want you…’ He stopped as she launched herself on him, twisting him round and pushing him on to the bed with her straddling him. Béma, she is strong, he thought as he adjusted himself on the bed to sit up to try to kiss her. His cock was well and truly hard now. She pushed him back down to lie on the bed as she quickly pulled his cock into her. It was an experience like none other he had ever had. While completely faithful in his marriage to Sigulla, he had had many encounters before then, always careful to be with married women or those who would accept some form of payment. But since Sigulla had been slain he had not even noticed other women, not until he had seen Assa in Lothíriel’s sketching. He was barely moving. Assa was subjecting him to the most intense pummelling he could not even have achieved by his own hand. The moment he felt her rising to a climax, he gave in to his own extreme pleasure as she shuddered, placing a hand to steady herself in his chest. He clasped her hand to him as she slowed her pace but when he moved to draw her close to him, she just slipped off him and reached for her clothes. ‘Assa, no, don’t leave,’ he gasped as he turned onto his front. She stopped dressing and looked at him confused. ‘Stay with me,’ he said. ‘I don’t snore,’ he said jokingly. ‘Please stay with me. I do not want you to leave.’ ‘But I do not want to stay. It’s always awkward in the morning. It’s easier just to leave,’ she answered. ‘I promise you it won’t be awkward in the morning,’ he said, stopping a while to think about that, he continued, ‘although I grant you, your brother might not be too pleased…’ ‘That’s what they all say and it’s still awkward. And Hadán is doing the same thing with Genting so I don’t see why he would be displeased.’ Gallend, so rarely lost for words, was not quite sure if he could find a way to explain to her that he was still probably right. ‘I’m not sure your brother likes me very much,’ came his limp reply, noting that she had accepted Hadán’s choice of name by which he would prefer to be known. He had declared that he had no wish to ever be associated with Pallando. He wanted a true name of Rohan, not a name of Sennebar that had been forced upon his mother. ‘Assa,’ he called to her, trying to slow her down in her haste to leave. ‘Leave if you must, I will never force you to stay with me, but please understand that I do want you to stay, tonight, tomorrow night, the night after that and all the ones after that.’ He looked at her intensely. ‘I haven’t looked at another woman since I saw my wife butchered in front of me…’ ‘I will be no man’s wife!’ Assa interrupted scornfully. He backtracked subtly, ‘Wife, no, not unless you wish it, but this place,’ he said patting the bed next to him, ‘this place here next to me is yours whenever you wish to seek comfort. There will be no other lying next to me. Wherever I am, this place is yours.’ She hesitated, her eyes flitting between him and the bed, making some decision in her head. She nodded, finished dressing and walked silently out of the room. Gallend collapsed back on the bed in wonder at the delayed sensations he was experiencing and promptly fell into a deep sleep. ------------------------------------------------------------------- The household woke early. Lothíriel and Amrothos were still in Osimir’s house but Lothíriel was careful to leave Éomer to go to her own designated room unseen by anyone else. Amrothos, on the other hand, ambled his way back over the wall quite openly to be greeted by a guard who told him that he was wanted in his father’s study. There had been an intruder, he was being interrogated in the study right now. Amrothos sprinted inside. Tuor was already there and Gallend had been sent for. He turned up shortly afterwards flanked by Hadán and Assa. As all the Amrothians were to be prominent at the wedding on Faramir’s side and Hadán and Tuor, as Gelian’s husband, on Éowyn’s, Gallend suggested that he was left to interrogate the man together with Assa, who had not much relished the prospect of attending the wedding. Before the Amrothian party left for the wedding, Gallend took Galador aside. For some reason he thought Galador would know better than anyone else the answer to an all-important question. ‘Galador,’ he began trying to make it seem that he was asking a question relating to their investigations, ‘would you know what the more common word is for the Calanthum flower? And where I might be able to find some in Minas Tirith?’ Galador looked at him in some confusion. ‘It’s important,’ Gallend added by way of encouragement. ‘Wait a moment, I have no idea, but I know who might be able to help,’ Galador answered, calling for Erchirion, much to Gallend’s surprise. Galador repeated Gallend’s request to Erchirion, who replied enthusiastically. ‘They are more commonly known as Star Buds, but they are almost impossible to grow in the wild further north than Dol Amroth. I’ve only been able to grow really heathy ones at the Palace.’ Gallend’s face fell. ‘What did you need them for?’ he asked Gallend earnestly, pleased at having the chance to help ongoing investigations in any way he could. Gallend quickly hid his disappointment and muttered that it was enough to know what sort of flower they were. Erchirion surprised Gallend further by launching into a detailed description of the type of soil and growing conditions the plant preferred, what medicinal properties it had and what other plants were similar to it. Galador came to his rescue, ‘Erchirion has always been fascinated with plants and flowers. Lothíriel owes her extensive herbal stores to Erchirion’s great passion. Did you want the flowers for Assa by any chance? I remember from Aldburg these have significance for her.’ Gallend’s quick look of alarm gave Galador his answer. ‘For Assa?’ Erchirion interjected. ‘I’d be happy for you to take the four flowers I have growing here in the hothouse. They are not the best quality, but they are still very pretty. She saved Lothíriel’s life in Sennebar. I have been wondering how best to show our appreciation, it’s not easy to know what she might like….’ ‘Erm… that is extremely kind, Erchirion. How long would one cut flower last, if properly looked after?’ While Erchirion went to fetch him one cut flower and wrap it in a damp cloth to preserve it as long as possible, Galador probed Gallend further on his real interest in the flower. Galador’s whole life had been surrounded by subterfuge, he was no fool and Gallend, knowing he needed all the help he could get, gave him a mostly honest answer. He smiled sympathetically and told Gallend to leave it with him. He should not need to use more than one more of Erchirion’s precious buds. He would find a longer-term solution for him. |