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Journey Of A Butterfly	By : Mel99Moe Category: -Fourth Age to Modern times and beyond > Het - Male/Female Views: 5714 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or places of Lord of the Rings/Tolkien. No money is being made. This is for personal enjoyment only.

Chapter List
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Chapter 41 - The Plan

Feredir and Terrwyn stood outside of the building that housed the Captain’s office. On the way there, he explained to her what he was going to say to convince Captain Glandur to let him go to Rhûn.

“And what am I supposed to do?” she asked sounding as if she had no say in the matter.

“You just stand there and look upset,” he said bluntly. He looked back to see Terrwyn standing there, arms folded and tapping her foot. “Very good, just like that,” he jested.

Terrwyn said nothing but shot him an angered glance and followed him into the main headquarters. They went to the Captain’s office, knocked and were greeted by Glandur. He smiled, his face lighting up as he set eyes upon Terrwyn. Behind her stood Feredir and the Captain gave him a questioning look.

“What brings you here? I was not expecting a visit today,” Glandur questioned.

They entered the office, Feredir stepping past Terrwyn. He bowed as was expected of him and came to attention. “Captain, Terrwyn and I would like to speak to you about the matter of the information we have just received.”

Glandur nodded. “Ah yes, I have been discussing our options with Prince Legolas, and it seems to me that--.”

“I would like the chance to explain my thoughts on this,” Feredir interrupted.

Glandur cocked an eyebrow in his direction. “And since when does a prison guard have a say in matters outside of our city?”

“Border guard, Captain,” Feredir corrected.

“Not if you keep up this unusual behavior,” Glandur threatened. “This issue is out of your hands, Feredir.”

“If it has to do with Terrwyn, it has to do with me,” Feredir said standing his ground.

Glandur sensed the young elf’s determination and decided to let him have his say. “Go on then, what plan have you devised?”

“Allow me to go, Captain. I am stealthy and I am smart. If I disguise myself, I can slip right in and blend with the locals. I know I can find this man called Mazzin and I know I can convince him to tell me all he knows.”

“It may take more than that,” Glandur said. “If he is our only link to these land dealings, he will need to speak in person, otherwise a messenger’s word will not do. This may lead to an extraction of the person in question and it will take more than one elf to do this.”

“Then let me go with them,” Feredir pleaded.

Glandur looked to Terrwyn who stood silently in the background. “And what do you have to say about all of this?” he asked her.

“Well, I was told by a certain stubborn elf to not say anything, Captain, but now that you have asked me, I say that you are all mad. Have you heard nothing about the lands beyond the Sea of Rhûn? You are not dealing with dimwitted barbarian Wildsmen. These are the Haradrim. They operate much differently than the men you are used to. They base their existence on a certain foundation, one in which every person is trained to pick out those that do not belong. If you are not with them, they will know and you will die. Even those born into their lifestyle are open to these punishments. No one disobeys the clan leaders or they will not exist. Spying is what they do best. A group of elves in disguise will stick out like a sunflower in a field of dandelions. This mission is doomed before it has started.”

Glandur smiled and turned his sights to Feredir. “It seems she had quite a bit to say,” the tall Captain jested. Feredir just rolled his eyes.

“I know much about the Haradrim, Captain,” Terrwyn went on. “I would be glad to tell you all I know about how they function as a society. If you truly mean to do this, you should know everything there is. Now, I don’t much agree with Feredir going and risking his life, but he understands my situation more than anyone else and he made a good point to me earlier. He has certain aspects to his looks that will help him to blend in physically. He may have a better chance than anyone. But he mustn’t go alone. You would be safer with a small group, say three or four, but no more than that. If something goes wrong, you will need each other to escape.”

Feredir watched Terrwyn as she spoke, surprised by her wealth of knowledge. He understood now that this was not going to be easy. He could not use his warrior expertise to march into Rhûn. He would have to be even more cunning than he first thought. To have Terrwyn’s support in this made his heart swell.

Glandur smiled and nodded in agreement, then gestured for Terrwyn and Feredir to have a seat. “I would like to know more, but first let me summon the Prince. He should know about these things since he is the deciding factor. If you will excuse me a moment,” Glandur bowed and left the room.

Feredir sat next to Terrwyn on a small couch. He reached for her hands and brought them to his lips. “I am sorry, Naru. I should not have tried to quiet you. I did not see what an important part you would play in all of this.”

“And you have much to learn of this woman of Rohan if you think I will sit idly by and say nothing. You must understand, Feredir that I want to protect you just as much as you want to protect me. If I can be of use in a situation, I will speak and I will join in if it is at all possible. For years, since my brother was kidnapped I have plotted and planned my entrance into those lands. The one thing I came to realize was that I could not do it alone. As much as I wanted to just run away and find my own way, I knew I couldn’t. You are much like me in that way. You want to do everything yourself with no one’s help, but there are times when it is not possible. This is one of those times.”

“You know something, Naru?” he asked.

Terrwyn caught a glimpse of a sparkle within his eyes as he looked at her. “What?” she smiled dreamily.

“You still talk too much, but I love you even more for it now.” He leaned towards her and kissed her lightly on the lips.

After a while, Glandur came in with Legolas. The Prince went to Terrwyn and she stood immediately to show her respect. He smiled warmly and embraced her then held her back so he could look at her. “My, prison life tends to agree with you,” he teased.

“Elves have an odd idea of incarceration and it has felt nothing of the sort,” she answered.

“My lord,” Glandur interrupted. “Terrwyn can tell us much about the people we are to deal with,” he started. Everyone took a seat and she filled them in on everything she just told Feredir. After she finished, they sat silently a moment.

“I think it is clear that Feredir cannot go into Rhûn alone. However, you cannot stay as a group once you get there. We are going to need a certain type of soldier to be able to blend well and not look suspicious. Feredir will need support at a distance. Glandur, who do you have in mind?”

“I will begin assessing my choices right away, my lord,” Glandur answered.

“But you are forgetting one very important thing,” Terrwyn added. “How are you going to have them travel to Rhûn without bringing too much attention to themselves?”

Feredir was standing by a table that held a map of the area. “Captain, do we have any information about how the Haradrim dress or if it plays into their politics?”

Glandur looked at Feredir questioningly. “Why yes, I believe we have some drawings of the different ranks and how their dress signifies their wealth and status.”

Terrwyn looked over to where Feredir stood and could see his mind working. He was on to something and she waited to see just what it was.

“And has the King sent word of when his men will come for Terrwyn?” His eyes came to rest upon her, a certain sadness and concern buried deep within their silver hue.

“I have received none, though I expect to hear from them soon enough,” Glandur answered, and he too was beginning to see the stirrings of a plan. “But I could send correspondence to Rohan telling them that Ithilien will deliver the prisoner personally, saving his men the journey.”

“I agree with this. I would much rather see our people escort Terrwyn to Rohan,” Legolas added. “I will send a message directly to King Eomer myself,” Legolas added. “There should be no problem.”

Feredir continued. “We could have our tailor’s make disguises, one of lesser wealth and the others of higher status within the clans, but not more than a well-off citizen. I will take Terrwyn to Rohan and get her settled, speak to the King and ask that the hearing be delayed then the others can come along in a few days. When we are all in Rohan, we will leave for Rhûn and find the slave.”

Terrwyn sat mesmerized by these three elves, the Lord of Ithilien, the Captain of Ithilien Guard and their finest warrior. How did it seem her luck was finally changing after months of worry? But it was too soon to tell that. If anything, this was one last chance to prove her case in Rohan, if the elves found this mystery man.

With the plan finalized, the meeting adjourned and Terrwyn left with Feredir. It was time to get her back to Master Curuven’s home. They walked slowly, savoring this time together.

“How long before we leave?” she asked.

“I would think in a few weeks’ time the spring will be well under way. We do not want to risk a late winter storm by leaving any sooner,” he said and stopped by the elvish fountain in the middle of town. He stared up at the stone women, admiring their faces. “They always did remind me of my mother somehow. They do not look like her, but there is something about their faces, a motherly appeal.” He turned to Terrwyn and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her. “When this is over, I will have to travel to Mirkwood. I know not how long I will be there.”

“And I do not know if I will still be on this earth by that time,” she said sadly. “Everything depends on finding this one man, and who is to say he will cooperate, whether he comes along by his own free will or forcefully.”

Feredir lifted her chin. “Did I not find your precious butterfly when all I had to go on was a story?” He kissed her and felt her lips tremble. “I will find this man, Terrwyn. I made you a promise and I mean to keep it. And if I must leave you, it is only for a short while.” He paused and looked off into the distance, creasing his brows as if to ward off some new emotion.

Terrwyn looked up, studying his strong jaw, clenched tight in frustration. “You cannot be by my side every minute. I have survived this long. I can take care of myself. You must do the same, Feredir.”

His face relaxed and he smiled at her again. “I suppose you are right.”

Terrwyn held out her hand, offering it to Feredir. Then she led him to the healing house.

* * *

The next morning, Terrwyn awoke to a strange sound. Having an elf to curl up to during the night was bliss, but waking to the sound of metal scraping over metal was not what she expected. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, finding Feredir sitting on the edge of the wide windowsill.

“I thought elves had the gift of song, especially in the morning,” she said groggily. “What on earth are you doing?”

“I’m sharpening my blade,” he said curtly, as if she should have known.

“Well, do you have to do that now? It is early and that sound is about to make my ears bleed,” she complained. She sat up and lowered her legs over the side of the bed. Feredir sat in the corner of the window, back leaning against the side, knee bent and his foot perched on the sill. The other leg dangled down, toes firmly planted on the floor. He wore a pair of loose night pants, cream colored, and no shirt. The morning sun reflected off his black hair making it shine like a piece of polished onyx. The muscles in his arms moved and flexed, rising beneath his skin. It was a most welcomed site first thing in the morning and Terrwyn smiled to herself knowing how blessed she was to have him in her life now. How long he would be in it was another matter.

It was something she thought very little of only because she did not understand it. Feredir was half-elven. He was young for an elf and could live for thousands of years before making his choice, but he did not have that kind of time. Elves were sailing from Middle-earth more often. Soon there would be none left. The world would belong to Men. She wondered what would happen to him now.

Feredir had told her a long time ago when they first met that he considered himself an elf and there was no other choice. One day he would sail with the rest of his kin. So, where did that leave her should she not be hung in Rohan?

“You seem lost in your thoughts this morning,” Feredir noted from the window. “Is everything alright?”

She smiled shyly and looked to the floor. “Everything is fine. I was just thinking of how much I will miss Ithilien and its people.”

The dark elf laid his blade on the windowsill and jumped down, walking to the bed. “Perhaps you will be back here someday.”

“And what about you? Where will you go after all of this is over with?” she asked sadly.

“Why with you of course, but why do you ask such things? Have I not told you I will not leave you?”

“But you will leave someday, Feredir.”

He regarded her seriously. “I have not yet made any decision as to my future.”

“Do not play me for a fool,” she responded. “Why would you even consider choosing . . . choosing . . .”

“Choosing the gift of Men? I must be honest and say I have never considered it before, but then I have not met someone like you either. Everything changed after you came along.” He reached out to her, but Terrwyn shied away.

“That’s just it. I don’t want to be the reason you choose mortality. Who am I but a poor girl from Rohan, abandoned, looked down upon. I have no kind of life that an elf, one of the ancient fair folk should give up his race to be with. For Eru’s sake Feredir, I have a criminal past. You should loath me. I have murdered one of my own kind, something that I know elves hold very sacred. My future is obscured by doubt and death may be definite. Even if I survive somehow, there are those who will always think I am guilty. And you . . . you are most pure, an elf. Why would you subject yourself to this kind of uncertainty?”

Feredir turned and walked back to the window, gazing out over the garden and beyond as far as he could see, to Mirkwood, to his heritage. “You regard me as if I was one of the ancient Eldar, but you could not be further from the truth. My father’s blood runs just as strong through my veins as does that of my mother. My body feels the need to grow old just as it feels the need to remain ageless. Yes, I was raised by elves, lived by their laws, but that has not quelled my desire to know what it is to be human. This conflict has haunted me every day of my life. I did not have my father’s advice of how it is to live as a mortal, yet my desire to experience this has not changed. If anything, it has only become more voracious since coming to Ithilien. Then, when I am in battle with my elvish army and I see how they fight to protect their immortality, I feel it too. My blood warms and races through my veins. I know that I will far outlive any of those enemies who aim to extinguish that life from me, and I will protect it. I will reap the reward of feeling everlasting and in that moment I am an elf with no doubt.”

Feredir turned around and faced Terrwyn, still sitting on her bed. “And then you came along, Naru and the very thing I fought to protect, I would now offer my enemy if it meant keeping you safe. That is neither elvish nor human. It is love, it is my heart and soul and it is yours now. That is where I had no choice . . . loving you.”

Tears threatened to spill from Terrwyn’s eyes and she jumped up from the edge of her bed, collapsing in Feredir’s arms. All of her emotions and stress of the upcoming days poured from her as she wept against his chest. Feredir cradled her in his arms and whispered his magic into her ear, calming her as he did the boy with the fever. When she calmed he spoke again. “If I died tomorrow, I would die knowing my heart was finally content and at peace. This is what you bring to me, Terrwyn. This is why you make me feel as if I belong no matter where I am or who I’m supposed to be.”

She smiled against the warmth of his chest. “I love you so much, Feredir.”
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A/N: Happy New Year everyone. What a great time to make a resolution. How about giving more reviews to all those stories and wonderful authors on this site and others.
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Journey Of A Butterfly