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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 45 - Prisoner of Rohan

Rohan was mostly open plains, bordered by the White Mountains. Yet in the middle of that flat valley stood a single hill crowned by a golden thatched roof. This hill fort was the city of Edoras and its crown was called Meduseld, the King’s hall. Feredir looked off into the distance, studying the simple city. Its only protection was a high wall made of timber and the fact that only a single road allowed for access. It did not seem to offer much protection from enemies and now the elf understood why its people fled to Helm’s Deep during the war.

As they approached, Terrwyn’s heart leapt to her throat and she began to worry. Feredir felt her back stiffen against his chest. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Are you alright, Naru?” he asked as he leaned into her ear.

“It has just been a very long time since I have seen this place. I left on bad terms. I don’t suppose I’ll have any friends here anymore.”

Feredir kissed her cheek. “You have me,” he said as he watched her face flush white with fear.

Terrwyn forced a smile in return. “Yes and I am glad for this small comfort, but that is only temporary. Soon you will be on your way to Rhûn.”

“I must go. It is our only hope now. We will have some time before I must leave though,” Feredir answered to calm her.

“But I will be behind bars and they may not let you visit me. This moment, right now may be our last, Feredir,” she said as panic rose in her voice.

“You must keep hope in your heart and your faith in me. I will have you back in my arms, Naru if it means sharing a cell with you.”

“But you can’t, whatever you are thinking--.”

Feredir laughed and held her tight. “I am only teasing, my love. I will do nothing that will get me locked up in Rohan. You must calm yourself. It will do you no good to get so upset. I meant what I said. I will do everything within my power to have you with me again. I know I will find this slave. I can feel it. You know me; I thrive on victory and accomplish everything I set out to do. This is no different but for the fact that this time it is for you, not just for me . . . for both of us and our future.”

Terrwyn sighed and gazed at the distant shimmer of the golden thatched roof of Meduseld. “It has been a long time since I allowed myself to think I had any kind of future.”

Feredir turned her head and kissed her long and slow, savoring every feel of her lips upon his. Then he nuzzled his cheek against hers. “I want to be your future. I want to be in your life, Terrwyn, in that flet back in Ithilien or in a cottage in the city, or even in the wild forests of Middle-earth. Wherever you are, that is where my future is. That is where my home will be.”

* * *

The couple rode towards Edoras, almost to its gates. On either side of the road were mounds, graves of former Kings of Rohan covered in green vines. Terrwyn could almost feel the ghosts of the former lords looking upon her as they approached the gates. She pulled her cloak tightly around her and sunk back further in the hood, trying all but to disappear. Feredir kept a loving arm at her waist hoping it gave her even the slightest bit of comfort.

After speaking to the gate guards, the travelers were allowed access and started a slow climb by horseback up the winding dirt road that led to Meduseld. Rows of thatched homes lined the road and littered the hill, crammed in as close as they could. The inquisitive residents came out of their small homes to watch the new comers. The elf, dressed in his black and silver uniform, stood out prominently and the fact that he brought a hooded stranger peeked their curiosity.

Feredir did not like all the prying eyes upon them. He wanted to surround Terrwyn and make her disappear from view, but there was nothing to do. He sighed disappointedly, obviously irritated by the gawking townspeople. Terrwyn laid a hand over his beneath her cloak and whispered. “It is alright. They are just curious. It is not every day that an Ithilien elvish guard passes their homes.”

Now they were approaching the King’s hall. The homes higher up the hill seemed bigger and of better build. These were the homes of the nobles and well-off residents of Edoras. Most worked for the King and made their homes close to Meduseld out of convenience, but over time it became a thing of stature to live there whether employed by the King or not. These were the people of influence and the ones that Feredir worried about.

As they passed these homes, people were standing outside, glaring at the hooded rider. Terrwyn began to shiver. “They know, Feredir. They already know whom you bring. They have been waiting for this day.”

“It is alright, Naru. I am with you now. No harm will come to you,” Feredir replied as a means of comfort, but it was short lived as whispers reached the ears of the travelers.

“It’s that murdering wench,” some said.

“She will hang soon and our lives can get back to normal,” others stated.

Terrwyn tried to block out the sound of never ending whispers as they floated towards her. They sounded more like shouts than hushed voices and she was sure all of Edoras heard what they said.

They were almost to their destination and passing the last row of houses when Terrwyn’s eyes fell upon a particular couple standing close to the road. A husband and wife stood shoulder to shoulder, daggers shooting from their eyes. They glared at the hooded figure riding upon horseback. Terrwyn knew right away that this was Bregmund’s family. She could tell by the murderous look in the father’s eyes. She had seen those same glazed over eyes that night in the stable when Bregmund tried to strangle her.

The woman, obviously the dead man’s mother, absent-mindedly stepped into the path of the approaching horse, making them stop in the road. Her eyes were swollen and red as she tried to see Terrwyn beneath her hood and cloak. Her lip began to quiver as tear streamed down her face. “You bitch,” she said in a low drawn out tone. “You killed my son. You will pay and suffer death for this abomination, if I have to string you from the gallows myself.”

Terrwyn gasped and shook, pushing back against Feredir as much as she could. The dark haired elf glared down at the woman. “Save your breath for the hearing. Then we shall see justice prevail once her story it told.”

The distraught woman could see that the elvish guard was obviously standing up for the criminal. “I don’t know what lies she has told you to make you feel any sympathy for her, but around here she is known as a coward, a thief and a murderer. Justice will prevail, no doubt, and my son’s death will be avenged.”

Anger boiled its way to the surface and Feredir was ready to jump down from his horse and confront these people. Terrwyn found her last bit of courage and whispered to her elf. “Pay her no mind. She has a right to be upset. Her son is dead. However, I will not be silenced anymore and my story will be told, the truth will be known.”

Feredir gained his composure and clicked his tongue, signaling for his horse to move on. This forced the woman out of the road and she went back to her husband. As they passed, the woman spit on the ground at the horses feet. All of this seemed very antagonizing, but Terrwyn could not help notice that the father remained silent during the whole exchange. She thought it odd that he did not speak up to either stop his wife or add his own threats. He just glared at her with those horrible eyes and Terrwyn turned away, never wanting to be reminded of Bregmund again.

Finally, they were at the foot of the stairs that led to the golden hall. Stable hands came and helped Feredir unpack his horse before leading her off to the stables, the same stables where Terrwyn worked so long ago. She hoped never to see them again.

Feredir stayed close to Terrwyn as they ascended the stairs and approached the great wooden doors of Meduseld. He spoke with the guards who in turn opened the doors. Terrwyn’s eyes grew wide. All the years she lived in Edoras, she had never seen the inside of Meduseld. It was impressive and a glorious site. Even with all of her troubles, she was very proud to be born into this heritage.

It was a long hall with wooden columns supporting its high ceiling. Carvings of animals and beasts decorated the columns, painted in gold and other earthly tones. Light poured into the hall from windows on the eastern side and illuminated many tapestries that decorated the walls. This depicted Rohan’s history, each one representing one of its great Kings. Terrwyn noticed that one of the hangings looked new, the material not yet faded from years of exposure to light and weather. This one was of King Théoden who fought bravely and died in the last war. She had never seen him, but as a child heard many stories about him from her father. He had always told her what a fair king he was, that all of Rohan’s kings were fair and loved their people, no matter who they were or what they did. She hoped her father was right and that this extended to the new King Eomer.

Entering the great hall, they were met by one of the tall Rohirrim. He was no different from any other man of Rohan, tall and broad, golden sun bleached hair that just touched the top of his shoulders and a full beard and mustache neatly trimmed. He greeted the travelers once they came half way into the great golden hall. Feredir gave him a proper greeting, bowing with hand over heart. The man nodded and welcomed the Ithilien guard. Terrwyn did nothing and further slunk back into her cloak and hood.

“Thank you for bring the prisoner to us. It was a very noble gesture by your lord,” the man started. “I am Erkenbrand, Marshall of the West-Mark.

Feredir stepped forward. “I would ask permission to speak to your King on behalf of Lord Legolas of Ithilien and of the prisoner.”

Erkenbrand glanced past Feredir to Terrwyn, still hooded and hidden from his sight. “I am afraid King Eomer is away on unexpected business. I am second in command and you may speak to me instead.”

Feredir hadn’t given much thought to this predicament. However, it wouldn’t interfere with his mission. “My lord, while the prisoner has been in our care, we have come upon some possible evidence that may change the outcome her tribunal. We know she is no longer in our keep or under our laws, but we feel any further punishment would be unjust. Lord Legolas, along with the Captain of the Ithilien guard ask that you give the prisoner a stay of execution until we can provide such evidence on behalf of the girl.”

Erkenbrand furrowed his brow. “This is an unusual request. I do not see how she is any of your business anymore. She is now under Rohirrim law.”

“We understand and respect this, Lord Erkenbrand. However, the girl’s story has always been a mystery to us as we have been allowed the time to examine her in a more lenient environment. We felt there was a piece missing from the situation and have just recently come to realize that there may be only one person who holds information that will help prove her story to be true. If my lord will allow our request to postpone punishment, we may be able to present this witness. The elves know of the seriousness of the charges and would not stand in the way of your decisions if we did not think there was good reason. Rohan is a strong ally of Ithilien and all of Gondor. We would not see the trust between our lands tarnished, but rather strengthened by passing on important information.” Feredir finished speaking and stood firmly waiting for Erkenbrand’s answer.

The tall Marshall stepped aside and went to where Terrwyn stood. He reached for her hood and lowered it, finding a very scared and pale faced woman, not at all what he expected. “It seems you have friends in high places.”

Terrwyn did not speak, but merely looked to the ground and nodded in agreement. Erkenbrand spoke again. “You did not deny the fact that you committed the crime of murder,” he said reminding her of her charges.

Terrwyn looked up into his brown eyes. “I admitted to killing Bregmund, but not to murder. I very adamantly stated that it was self-defense, my lord. I would never willingly take another’s life unless my own was in danger. That was my confession.” Her voice was strong as she spoke, determined to force these facts on the Marshall.

Erkenbrand turned, walking away from them as he pondered his decision. Feredir turned and glanced back to Terrwyn. His face was like stone, set in a permanent scowl, but his eyes spoke of the love he held for her. She focused on this and nothing else for that one moment until Erkenbrand began to speak again. Then they turned their attention back to the man.

“This goes against my better judgment and surely that of the court, but I will allow this stay. However, I must meet with the court to determine how long of a delay we will allow. My suggestion to you is to find your evidence and bring it back as soon as possible. The court nobles will not be as understanding, nor will the family of the deceased. They have already requested the tribunal be held immediately. They will not go along with the decision to postpone, but I will do what I can until our King returns. However, when Eomer King comes back to take up his throne, it will be up to him what happens next.”

“Thank you Lord Erkenbrand,” Terrwyn said in a quiet voice. She held out new hope now that the Marshall made his decision.

With the counsel concluded, it was time to take Terrwyn to her holding cell. They followed the Marshall through the hall and down a corridor to a set of stairs that descended underneath the King’s home. It was dark, only lit by scattered torches. The air was damp and musty. Feredir was reminded of the cells of Mirkwood’s palace, though this seemed a bit more ominous, as if a person could be forgotten about and left to slowly die. The elf immediately felt closed in, missing the sun and the sound of trees rustling in the wind. A place like this could truly be torture for a wood elf who longed for the forest. He shook off the feeling and regained his composure. He needed to remain a symbol of strength for Terrwyn.

Feredir had seen prisons like this before. He had seen how men were treated down in the dark recesses of this underworld. Things happened down here that no one could imagine. It was a well-kept secret, one that he did not wish to think about right now. He hoped that the people of Rohan were not as barbaric as these other’s he had seen. How would he be able to leave Terrwyn in a place like this? Yes, she was strong and even stubborn at times, but she was still a woman and this was no place for something so lovely. His thought brought him to their mission in Rhûn. Time was already running short. He did not trust what would happen while the King was away. Erkenbrand seemed fair enough, but he would only follow orders he was given. If the court overruled his decision to prolong her hearing or not, then the townspeople might just get what they wanted. Hangings were seen as a form of entertainment in many lands. Rohan would be no different, but the hanging of a woman would be anxiously awaited. People would travel far to see such a sight. This thought only made Feredir feel as though he should already be on his way to find this slave, this one connection to the truth of what happened the night Terrwyn’s life changed forever.

They finally reached her cell. It was small with a dirty mattress on a rickety wooden bed frame and a moth eaten blanket folded at the foot of it. At least it was not on the floor where rodents could easily crawl on her. On the opposite end of the cell, across from the bed was a stone bench carved from the earth itself. All of the cells looked like this, holes carved into the sides of a dark tunnel with iron bars erected across their entrance.

Feredir had seen other prisoners curled up in the corner of their cells. Some looked to be Easterlings or Haradrim, probably caught spying along the borders or elsewhere. He grew angry to think that Terrwyn would be housed with these others. Surely, there was a place less dank than these cells. He had to remind himself just why she was here in the first place. She killed one of her own and the son of a man with stature no less. The dark elf believed her that it was self-defense, but Rohirrim law did not excuse her from the act. He could see now that her fate was sealed. She would die. This would be her end. She would never return to Ithilien with him. He would never again know her touch or her kisses. She would be gone from his life forever and that was something he was not sure he could deal with. For the first time in Feredir’s young life, he felt the pull of his soul as if he wanted to fade without Terrwyn by his side. Being half-elvish, he had always thought this could not happen, that his human half would not allow his soul to fade, but love was stronger and fade he would without her.

He wanted to grab her in his arms and whisk her away from this place of certain death. He could not find the strength to leave her here, yet he knew to save her he must. Hot searing tears began to form in his eyes, but he clenched his fists, nails digging into the palms of his hands to stop it.

He watched as a guard unlocked the cell door. Terrwyn stood still a moment as if unable to move. The guard grabbed her by the arm to usher her in. Feredir stiffened at the sight of another touching her. Knowing this would upset the elf, Terrwyn glanced back at him and gave him a comforting look. Feredir calmed as soon as they made eye contact, however brief it was. While Feredir felt it was his duty to remain strong for Terrwyn, she was also his strength, showing him that she did not fear what was happening even though deep down she was terrified.

The cell door closed and the guard turned the key. Erkenbrand turned to leave with the guard, but Feredir stopped him. “Do you mind if I have a moment alone with the prisoner. I was her warden in Ithilien and I feel I have come to know her. Please, if you do not mind.”

Erkenbrand looked at Feredir questioningly. Something shown on the elf’s face and the Marshall knew he was more than just a warden to the woman. He knew it could do no harm to give the elf what he requested and nodded without a word, then left Feredir alone to speak to Terrwyn.

Terrwyn looked around her cell. She was frightened and wished she could have never come back to her home. It no longer felt as such. Ithilien felt more like home than Rohan ever had. Living amongst the elves was like having family again. Having Feredir in her life was the love she had always longed for. It was all there within her grasp, just outside of the prison bars.

Feredir stood silently as he waited for the others to leave. When he was sure they were alone, he turned to the cell, practically throwing himself at the bars as Terrwyn rushed to him. Their hands wrapped around each other and they gazed into one another’s eyes.

“I don’t think I can do this,” Feredir said desperately. “I don’t think I can leave you here.”

“Do not waver from your original course, my love. I think there will be some time before the tribunal, but I know now that my fate is sealed. I will be put to death and the hearing will only be to decide how it will be done.” Admitting she was going to die was the hardest thing she ever had to say. “Feredir, I don’t want to speak of this, but there is a good chance that things will not go our way and I may never see you again. I want to tell you how much I love you.”

Feredir clenched his jaw tight and shook his head. “No, I will not accept this. I will not let that happen.”

Terrwyn went on, ignoring him, needing to tell him what plagued her mind. “You have to go on without me. You still have a decision to make one day. Choose your path wisely and do not let your mind linger on me when I am gone. Feredir, you gave me the one thing I have always searched for. You showed me who you really are and who you are meant to be. You gave me your love and I know how difficult all of these things were for you. Know that I will always cherish your love and if all we were meant to have was this short time together then it was enough. Since I was a child, I always longed to know your kind, but I would never have asked to be loved by an elf. I was part of your world for a while and it was the best moments of my life. I mean that with all my heart. Feredir, I love you so much, but I want you to go on if I should perish.” As she finished talking, tears streaked her face. Feredir reached through the bars and wiped them away. Then he watched as Terrwyn pulled the wooden butterfly from the safety of her pocket and handed it to him. “Take this, please. I need you to keep it safe now. I need for you to continue its journey in case mine is at an end.”

Feredir shook his head, slowly at first and then with complete denial. “No, you cannot give this to me. It is yours. It will always be yours.”

Terrwyn shoved it into the palm of his hand and released it, forcing him to grab it so it would not fall. “Please, do this one thing for me. If I should die, I would not see it tossed away like trash. Keep it and know that my journey has not ended. It will just continue in another world, wherever my soul is sent. And tell Antien that I will finally have my wings. I will finally be free of my cocoon.”

Feredir shoved his hand towards her, trying to get Terrwyn to take the butterfly back, but she refused. He finally gave up trying and brought the trinket to his heart. “Alright, I will keep it . . . for now.” His face turned to the floor and his shoulders slumped. Never had he felt so helpless. Here he was, still a few days away from leaving for Rhûn and Terrwyn was already giving up all hope. He could not stand to see her like this. Already she seemed a shell of herself, as if the cell walls were draining the life from her soul. The elf wanted to stay with her, keep watch over her, but he knew he could not. Neither could he sit idle any longer waiting for Orthorien and Horphen to arrive. Waiting was no longer an option in this desperate hour. He went back to the cell, grabbing the bars in a tight grip and looked into Terrwyn’s forlorn eyes. “This will not be your end,” he said. “I can no longer delay. I am going.”

“Going?” she asked confused. “Going where?” The sudden wild look in Feredir’s eyes worried her. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m sorry, Naru. I must leave. I’m going to Rhûn . . . alone. Already I must see you locked up and it breaks my heart. I’m going by myself to find this slave.”

Terrwyn really did not like what he was saying. “But what about Horphen? What about your brother. You cannot go alone into that land. If you are caught--.”

“I won’t get caught,” he said stubbornly.

“Feredir, you can’t do this,” she pleaded. “At least wait and go with the others.”

Feredir took her hand and put his face to the bars. Terrwyn leaned in and their lips touched. He kissed her as if he would never see her again and there was a very good chance of this happening. When he released her, he looked deep into her eyes, seeing her soul. “I would do anything for you. I would go to the end of Arda and back. I would give up my immortality and grow old like my father if it meant sparing your life. You do not deserve this and deep down I have always known it. I love you, Terrwyn. I love you more than life itself and I want you with me. I don’t want to live without you.” He released her hands and stepped away from the cell. “I am sorry, Naru. I have to go.” With that, he walked down the hall.

“Feredir no!” she yelled after him, but he disappeared around the corner and was gone.
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Journey Of A Butterfly