Friends of Nimrodel: Tapestry of Dreams

[littlemanpoet]

Raefindan gestured to the ranger Erundil to lead the way, saying as he did so that they would willingly follow him, since he was the most likely to find Ravion. He asked Mellonin to follow Erundil, leading Gond as she did so. She agreed to with a curt nod of her head.

Since Aeron and Gwyllion were no longer officially members of their party, Raefindan felt that it was not his place to make a request of them as to what place in line they should hold to, so he let them decide. Aeron chose to take up the rear, Gwyllion with him. Jorje made it quite clear that he had every intention to dog Raefindan's steps.

They set off. It was a new direction, not the way they had come, even though it was the only way Raefindan knew to Minas Tirith. He assumed there must be another way. He was glad of it, for all that, for it meant walking wide of the home of the swamp elf.

They walked for an hour, slowly, for Erundil got down on hands and knees often, to make sure of his trail, saying that Ravion's skill as a ranger was making it harder for Erundil to track him.

Once, when this happened, Raefindan glanced behind him and saw Aeron, but not Gwyllion.

"Aeron," said he, "where is your sister?"

Aeron looked about him, dumbfounded. "I do not know. She was walking with me just minutes ago!" He made a face. "Well, behind me minutes ago. I think."

Raefindan turned to face the ranger. "Erundil! We have lost a member of our party!"

"Make that two, for Ravion's trail has confounded me in the dark. I may as well see to this other lost one." He stopped near Aeron. "When was she last seen?"

"We do not know," Raefindan said.

"Stay here while I test the trail behind us," Erundil said.

Worse and worse. They really did need Ravion, and this pointed it up as clearly as anything. Ravion would have forced his will on Aeron, no matter how difficult that proved to be, and would have made sure to keep track of all of them. Just over an hour under his leadership and their youngest and most helpless member was gone, drowned in a murky bog, for all he knew. Jorje had not even nosed or heard her disappearance.

Raefindan looked to Mellonin. "We needed Ravion. Such as this would not have happened with him."

"Do not blame yourself, Raefindan. This breaking of the fellowship has riven our group into aimless factions and it was Ravion who caused that."

Gond snorted, whether in annoyance at Mellonin's blame or something else, Raefindan did not care to guess. He shrugged in response to her well argued point, and looked back down the path, trying to peer beyond Aeron, to see if he could make out Erundil's hoped for return. He knelt down and scratched Jorje's ears. Jorje sniffed at his other hand, and whimpered. Gond snorted again. Maybe the horse could tell that something was a miss in their group. Raefindan heard sniffles and whimpers behind him. Mellonin crying again. He could imagine why. She liked her privacy in such moments, so he kept his face toward the path they had walked.

Gond snorted again, seeming more disturbed this time, and moved a few steps. It was dangerous in this swamp to move a horse in the dark, path or no path, especially without a ranger to lead them. Mellonin had stopped crying, so Raefindan felt it was seemly to ask her to keep the horse still. He turned to speak, but she was not holding Gond. She was not there.

"Mellonin?" The horse looked back to him. Jorje trotted forward and sniffed the ground where Mellonin had been standing, then sniffed the air, whining.

"Mellonin!" Raefindan sighed. "Just great."

"What is wrong?" Aeron said.

"Mellonin is missing too."

If Aeron had had a ready quip to comment on the good fortune of Mellonin being gone, it died on his lips. Instead he turned and called out his sister's name, fear and panic in his voice. Raefindan called Mellonin's name again.

"What is wrong?" Erundil asked, hurrying back to them. Raefindan gave him the news.

Erundil nodded. "I have found the place where this one's sister was last with us. I cannot make out the cause of her loss in this dark, though I checked the waters around that place carefully enough, and I do not think she merely stumbled into a bog. Have you enemies?"

Raefindan's heart went suddenly cold, and he watched Aeron's eyes go wide.

"The swamp elf!"

"Tell me of him," Erundil said.

Raefindan related his own experiences, but did not mention his dreams, even though he suspected the swamp elf regarding them. When he was finished, the ranger nodded.

"We should remain where we are, facing each other, until dawn. Do not sleep!"

[Imladris]

Aeron listened carefully to Raefindan tell of the swamp elf. How rudely the swamp elf had treated him, of his and Ravion's part in rescuing him (a broad grin of pride broadened his face), and finally his suspicion that the swamp elf had captured Gwyllion and Mellonin.

"But why?" Aeron blurted angrily, his hands balled in fists. "Why would he capture Gwyllion?" He ran his fingers through his tangled hair. "Why would an elf do that anyway," he snarled, pacing. "I thought they were supposed to be good and gracious and full of light and goodness," he added in a mocking high pitched voice. "Or do they turn out to be just like our 'good' rangers?" he added, glaring at Ravion's friend.

He breathed heavily. What would the elf do to her? He never should have put her down...never should have woken her up. He should have held her like he had been doing. If they hadn't been delayed, if they hadn't listened to that dratted ranger...

Don't talk about the ifs.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Stupid Aeron not holding me, Gwyllion thought resentfully as she plodded behind him. She wasn't that heavy...he could have held her until they found Ravion. But no, he had to be all pushy and mean.

She rolled her eyes and sent him daggers with her glare. She dropped her eyes. She was too tired to make sure that he felt the piercings in his neck. Sleep wrapped her arms around her...fogged her brain with her whispers.

Dreams -- frightening dreams. She was underwater...she was drowning. A great tentatacled monster drifted closer. His snake like arms clutched her, grabbed at her. Poison rushed through her veins...she was dying...

[littlemanpoet]

Raefindan smiled at Aeron's protests and questions as he hunkered down beside Jorje, whose right flop ear perked up as he sniffed the menacing air.

"Let us be fair to Master Erundil, who has shown nothing but honor so far. And he has told us some of why Ravion may have proven less able a leader than we thought, and that is a good deed. Come, sit with us and watch."

Erundil secured Gond's reins and walked the horse over to the other side of Raefindan from Jorje.

Reluctantly, Aeron shuffled over and knelt next to Jorje. "I would rather be looking than sitting," he said.

"I would the same," Raefindan replied, "but it is no use in the dark. Let us bear each other-"

There was a sudden thud, and Gond rose on his rear hoofs with a scream. Erundil stood, holding onto the reins tightly. Raefindan and Jorje stumbled out of Gond's way, which was lucky, for the horse came down on its side. There was an arrow protruding from Gond's neck, near the left shoulder.

"Hold him down!" cried Erundil. "That arrow must come out now!"

"Should we not take cover?" Aeron yelled.

"Where would you go?" Erundil said. "We are in the open all about. The only safe place is under water, and we may end up there yet! Hold steady now!" Erundil grabbed the arrow in one hand, and placed his other on Gond's shoulder for purchase, and pulled.

Suddenly, Erundil and Gond screamed together: an arrow had pierced the ranger's hand and sunk into the horse's shoulder. The ranger switched his free hand to the new arrow and pulled, groaning loudly with the effort.

"Raefindan! Pull the other arrow out! Aeron! Grab a cloth from Gond's saddlebag!" Aeron looked up at the darkness fearfully, then furrowed his brow, and dove for the saddlebag, rummaging through it with quick hands. Raefindan grabbed the arrow still in Gond's neck, and pulled at it with both hands, unwilling to give their tormentor a fresh and easy target.

Erundil bent down and sniffed the wound in his hand, as well as the two on Gond. "Poison! Curse it! The arrows are coming from there!" Erundil pointed beyond where Gond had been standing. "Hide behind the horse!"

But no more arrows flew for the rest of the night. Erundil fought to stay awake, but his breathing became labored, despite Aeron carefully preparing poultices according to the ranger's directions. One was wrapped around Erundil's hand, and two more were laid on Gond, who did not get to his feet.

[Imladris]

Aeron paced the mucky floor of the swamp like a trapped dog, his tangled hair flying into his face, mud splattering onto his baggy trousers. Of all the things to happen so far this was the worst. Drat Ravion for leaving them. If he hadn't left then this wouldn't have happened. His eyes darted across the land scape, searching for Gwyllion.

A snort from the horse and a particularly heavy breath from the other ranger (drat his name -- impossible to remember) caused Aeron to turn on his heal. The ranger's eyes were only half open. What remained to be seen of his eye was glazed and foggy and unfocused. A barely perceptiable grimace flickered around Aeron's mouth.

"I'm going to look for Gwyllion," he said abruptly.

Raefindan rose slowly to his feet. "You can't, Aeron."

Aeron flushed hotly. "And why is that, Red Head? You doubt my courage? You think me a coward like that skulking, lying, thieving Ravion?"

Raefindan sighed and shook his head. "I only doubt your eyes, Aeron," he said slowly. "You do not have the skill of the ranger's in tracking."

"I don't care," Aeron snapped. "I'm going to find my sister. It's not as if he'll be able to find her," he said, gesturing to the ranger. "We have no idea what sort of poison flows within his veins. He could be dying!" Aeron shouted. "So it doesn't really matter when I go look for Gwyllion, does it, because either way he won't be able to help me!"

"We don't know if it's septic yet," said Raefindan quickly.

"What?" asked Aeron irritably. "Use words we can all understand."

A strange expression passed over Raefindan's face, but he said calmly, "We don't know if it's deadly or not. And," he went on before Aeron had a chance to continue his rant, "if you leave us now you'll either be sucked to your death in the swamps or else fall captive to the swamp elf."

"Are you going to try and stop me?" asked Aeron softly, his eyes narrowing. "Just try and do it, why don't you?"

He turned on his heel and began to trot towards the swamp. He had no idea where to start looking...he figured that if he looked under ever scraggling bush, crossed every bog, he'd find her sooner or later.

A heavy weight bored into him, sending him to the ground. Drat him! Aeron flailed wildy, but Raefindan wrapped his arms around him and said, "I can't let you go!"

"Get off me!" Aeron shouted, trying to flip over so that he would be in a suitable position to pound Raefindan's stomach into a pulp. "Let me go, my sister's out there! I'm not going to sit around watching a ranger sleep when Gwyll could be dying! Let me go!"

[mark12_30]

Water, water, get me out of the water. I cannot breathe. I cannot see. Oh, how I long for air. All is dark. I cannot move; tentacles surround me; their poison sucks the lifeblood from me. All is fading, and yet I cling to life.

She clawed at her knife-sheath, but could not reach it; the tentacles held her arm pinned to her side. She twisted, left, right, to no avail.

Ravion could have saved you, and you let him leave. You are a fool. And now you will drown, and will he ever even know? And with you gone, what will become of your brother? Your parents will pine, and die.

The cold slowly seeped into her heart. My parents. I cannot bear their sorrow. How they will weep.

She strained against the tentacles, but they held her fast.

I must breathe. Why do I die not? There is no breath to be found.

[Imladris]

In the dark waters, Gwyllion tried to push the tentacles away, but she could not. Just as she could not push away the nightmares that whispered in her ear of death and sorrow. She opened her mouth to scream, remembering too late that she was under water and if she screamed she would surely drown. To her surprise, no voice echoed blurrily in the depths. She was not drowning. She could...breathe. Why could she breath? Was she dead?

She could feel bubbles pelt her skin, and she turned. Aeron was in the water, thrashing as he fought the tentacle that was clinging around his throat. His eyes were shot with blood, his face pallid. His fingers scrabbled at the tentacle, trying to pry it from his throat. His legs churned the water and she could hear his muffled screaming.

"Aeron!" she tried to shout, but she could not move. She could not swim. She was tied, her legs could not work, neither could her arms. She tried to swim towards him frantically. She tore at the ropes that bound her but they would not come undone.

He was dying, and she could not help him.

Her stomach turned to ice as she watched his strugglings grow feebler. Finally, as his eyes glared unseeingly at her, the flame of life snuffed from them, she felt a shriek strangle within her, and all was darkness.

[littlemanpoet]

Raefindan hung on as tightly as he could. Holding onto Aeron was like trying to hang onto a triple jointed weasle, but Raefindan had the greater weight and the longer limbs, and was able to keep purchase, and most important, Aeron beneath him. He waited it out while Aeron wriggled and punched and spit. It hurt. Raefindan felt his gore rising, but he hung on. It was too important for them to stay together. Aeron's pounding ceased and his wriggling got more violent. After a few minutes, the wriggling stopped.

"Raefindan, you big oaf, if my sister dies because you're holding me here, I'll make you pay."

"There is nothing you can do to save her until it is light. You can do her no good by going alone in the dark while our enemy knows our every move. I need to have surety that you will stay with me this night. I need you by my side, Aeron, for the sake of us all."