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Light Fingers - Chapter 13 - Daren
The sun was only barely beginning to show her light into the bedroom window when Ivoreth heard the apartment door open and close again very quietly. She’d heard much the same a long while earlier – how much earlier she had no way of knowing, but she’d slept very little the night before and had heard every little sound. The first opening and closing she knew had been Elladan – Ada – leaving to take over caring for Daren from the King; this latest had to be Elrohir leaving to take Ada’s place so that he could get some rest as well.
She rolled over and stared at the dark ceiling. It was going to be a very long day, waiting for word that Daren was getting better. Daren was going to get better – the King himself had taken care of him! He had to get better! Daren had to come north with them – to get away from this City and all the bad things that had happened there.
But… The door was opening and closing again! It was too soon.
Ivoreth flew from her bed and out into the hallway. It was Ada – he was back – but so was Elrohir. But Elrohir was supposed to be caring for Daren while Ada rested…
No!
Elladan saw her in the hallway, and walked slowly up to her before dropping to one knee to gather her into his arms. “Ivoreth – I’m so sorry…” he murmured with a catch in his voice
“No…” Ivoreth began to shake her head.
He can’t be!
“He was just hurt too badly, little one – his body too badly damaged to mend.” Elladan held her tightly.
“He… was just a little boy!” Ivoreth wailed, wrapping her arms around her Ada’s neck and holding tight. “He didn’t do anything!”
“I know,” Elladan whispered to her. “I know.”
“He just wanted to play in the sunshine for a little while. I should never have let him go…”
“This isn’t your fault, Ivoreth,” Elladan’s large hand cupped Ivoreth’s head as she sobbed into his shoulder. “You did nothing wrong.”
“But I let him go – and now he’s dead!”
“He didn’t die because you let him go.”
“Daren!”
Elladan picked Ivoreth up and carried her into the sitting room and sat back down with her in the chair they’d shared only the night before. She heard Elrohir speak sadly from behind her, hearing both Celebriel’s and Raini’s names mentioned along the way. But she didn’t care. Nothing mattered except the fact that her little brother was gone – really gone, this time – and there would never be any hope to make it right again.
Elladan nodded silently, and then the two of them were alone in the sitting room.
Ivoreth sobbed until the robe beneath her cheek was thoroughly soaked – until she had run out of tears and lay exhausted and breathing hard in her foster-father’s arms. As if waiting for her to quiet again, he began to sing to her – a song stunning in both its beauty and its intense sadness. He rocked them both, and Ivoreth once more felt the wetness fall from above that told her that her new Ada was weeping with her. His voice cracked more than once, but he kept on rocking and singing until, unable to keep her eyes open any longer, Ivoreth dropped away into a dreamless sleep with the music still in her ears and dreamed of Daren playing ball with his friends in the corner, against the wall. Smiling. Laughing. Alive.
oOoOo
Why does it have to be such a pretty day?
Ivoreth shifted on her feet and stared into the deep hole in the ground with an empty feeling in the pit of her stomach. To her left, her Ada reached down to reclaim a hand and offer comfort – but the small, linen-wrapped body lying next to the grave, ready to be lowered, stole any comfort there was to be had from her. On her right, Celebriel softly shushed at a fussy Raini, who had taken this development with the resignation of one very young who had already accepted her brother’s death.
At the head of the grave stood the King, and to his side, the Queen and Steward, Lord Faramir. Their attendance at what normally would have been a very quiet affair had brought a number of well-dressed strangers into the cemetery where the common folk of Minas Tirith were buried. Elessar looked stern and regal as he recited formal words of farewell to a young boy taken too early in life. Ivoreth wasn’t listening – she didn’t care.
Finally, at a signal, the six Guards standing in back of the King came forward together in formation, and each picked up an end of a rope that stretched under the small body. Slowly they lifted and then lowered the body into the grave. Together, the Guards then carefully dropped their ends of the ropes into the grave and stepped back.
“Ready?” Elladan asked Ivoreth in a whisper, giving a small tug on the hand in his.
No.
She nodded. Her new Ada had talked to her about this the night before. She had her flower clutched tightly in her right hand, and when her Ada stepped forward, she did too. “Goodbye, Daren,” she whispered, her eyes yet again filling with tears; and then dropped her flower into the grave to rest on her brother’s wrapped chest along with Ada’s. She worked hard not to just break down and sob like a baby again – with all these grand strangers about, watching everyone and everything, she needed to be strong. She felt Ada’s grip on her hand tighten just a little, and she looked up into an understanding face that wore tear-tracks of its own.
Beside her, she heard Raini murmur a quiet, “Bye-bye, Daren,” and another two flowers fell into the grave. Elrohir stepped forward with the King, Queen and Steward, and each dropped their flowers into the grave without a word. At a nod from the King, the graveyard workers moved forward with their shovels and began filling in the hole – each thud of soil hitting the bottom striking a blow to Ivoreth’s heart and making her flinch.
Finally, Ada leaned down, picked her up and settled her on a hip, letting her lean her head on his shoulder and have a little privacy to cry. She tucked her nose under his ear and hid her face in his long hair, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. From behind, she felt a soft hand press gentle circles into her back, and the voice of the Queen murmuring soft comfort at her, but she didn’t care. Nothing mattered except the thought of her little brother at the bottom of that very deep hole with all that dirt pouring in on top of him.
Ivoreth had never lived through such a long stretch of time as that needed to fill in the grave of her little brother. But finally, thankfully, the ordeal was over. Without another word spoken after the workers backed away from the slightly mounded grave, all turned away and began walking slowly toward the road that led back to the City Gate. Ivoreth turned her head on her Ada’s shoulder and numbly looked out over a countryside she’d never seen before, never having been beyond the City Gate in her entire life.
The approach of a cart moved the entire party to the left of the road. A tired looking horse pulled a crude, wooden cart filled with children and young men, heading out of the City. Ivoreth’s eyes slipped carelessly over the pale faces until it landed on a particular one – small, big-eyed and tear-stained. “Ada…” she whispered, stunned. When Elladan didn’t respond immediately, she shifted in his arms. “Ada?”
“What is it, little one?”
Was he surprised I called him Ada? I thought he’d like it…
“Didn’t the King say that he had the others taken with Daren brought into the city?” Ivoreth watched the cart lumber over a rut from the crossroad that jerked the forlorn passengers roughly.
“Yes…” Elladan looked down at her. “Why?”
“Then why are they taking Samul away again?” Ivoreth pointed.
Elladan pivoted and stared at the cart for a moment, and then called out to the King – who in turn called out an order that had his six Guards spinning on their heels and trotting after the cart. Several bellows cut through the quiet before the cart rattled to a halt, the driver turning in his seat to argue with the Guards.
“Ivoreth.” Elessar walked up to Elladan and spoke briskly to her. “You say you recognize someone in the cart?”
“Samul,” Ivoreth said softly. “He was playing with Daren before…”
Elessar’s eyes narrowed, and he spoke sharply to Lord Faramir. The man who looked so much like the King got a sour look on his face and stalked over to join the Guards who surrounded the cart. Ivoreth watched, moving from numbness to interest as Lord Faramir took charge of whatever discussion was going on – and then pointed at the cart. The driver, obviously disgusted, climbed down and moved to the back end of the cart, lowered the end, and motioned rudely for those within to get out.
“We will need you to point out which one is Samul,” Elessar told her. He put out his hand and, after a quick glance at her Ada, her feet once more touched the ground and her hand slipped into that of the King. Moving quickly, but not so fast that Ivoreth was forced to run, Elessar led her over to the small huddle of ragged prisoners. “Which one is he?” he asked her after Faramir had the small group line up.
“There.” Ivoreth pointed to the tiny, grime-faced boy laden with the heavy chains of his status.
Samul looked as if he were ready to fall under the weight of chains far too heavy for one of his size. He stared at Ivoreth for a long moment before his mouth suddenly fell open. “I…Ivo…” His gaze darted in terror from one of the grand nobles surrounding his friend’s sister to the other and swallowed hard.
“Do you recognize any of the others?” the King asked, his voice tight.
Ivoreth studied the faces in front of her and then shook her head. “No – only Samul.”
“The little one – release him from his chains!” barked the King. “Guards, take him into custody and bring him with us.”
Little Samul’s face drained of what little color it had left under the grime as the driver pulled out a heavy key and began working the lock that held the larger chain to the boy’s waist. As the driver straightened after releasing the smaller chain that held the boy’s feet, he leaned in to whisper something into the boy’s ear that made Samul shrink together even more – and then shoved the boy in the direction of the King’s Guards. Samul had no chance to get his feet under him, and he fell into the gravel of the road.
“That’s enough!” Lord Faramir shouted angrily. “Off with you, then!” He turned and gestured at two of the Guard surrounding the cart. “And you two go with him, to make certain things are carried out properly.”
“What was that boy doing in that cart?” The King demanded of Faramir. “I ordered him returned to the City to be questioned – not shipped out again before any have a chance to talk to him!”
“The driver claims that he was just following instructions,” Faramir responded. “He says he makes a trip to the outlying farms every week with another group of convicts – this is just his regular delivery.” The Steward put his hand on the King’s arm. “The problem, if there is one, lies within the City and the Guards at the prison, Sire – not with this man. Let him make his delivery – we can question him more closely when he returns.”
Elessar didn’t look convinced, but sighed heavily. The rough words and shoves that the driver used to force his passengers back up into the back of the rough cart made Ivoreth shudder against his leg, and the King quickly turned and returned her to her guardian’s keeping. Ada’s hand was warm on hers, and he spoke soft words of comfort to her; and slowly Ivoreth relaxed again. After the cart was once more rattling and lumbering down the road, a point and a quick command from the King had the nearest Guard pulling the terrified little boy that had been left behind up into his arms and falling back into formation with the rest of the Guard.
“They aren’t going to hurt him, are they?” Ivoreth wondered aloud. Samul bore several new bruises on his arms and face that spoke of times when he’d been unable to dodge blows thrown at him already.
“I don’t think so, sweetling,” Ada answered gently. “Samul’s in the keeping of the King himself now – and the King is nothing if not merciful. You know this.” He lifted his head and spoke softly to Elessar, who turned back to Ivoreth.
“We’ll have the healers look to your brother’s little friend – and then we’ll hear what he has to say,” Elessar assured her. “My Guard will not harm him. You need not worry.”
“Can I hear what he says too?” Ivoreth asked, her voice breaking. “I want to know what happened to Daren.”
Elessar’s grey eyes gazed first into hers and then up into her Ada’s face – and then the King nodded. “Very well. I’ll send word when we’re ready to hear the boy, so that you can be there.” The King bent and brushed aside a stray wisp of hair that had come from the braids Celebriel had woven just that morning. “After everything, I can see you deserve to know.”
Ivoreth watched the King walk back to join hands with the Queen as Ada leaned over and picked her up again. Once more the group began the long walk back into the City; and as Ada began moving, she laid her head back down on his shoulder and clasped her arms tightly around his neck. She had thought that she was done with tears, but from someplace deep inside one last slow tear made its way down her cheek as she stared over the top of the shoulder at the low stone wall that surrounded the place where her brother now lay, and she finally closed her eyes against the echoing emptiness in her stomach when she remembered the sound of dirt hitting the bottom of the grave.
It had been the most horrible sound she’d ever heard – and one she doubted she would ever forget.