Chapter 11 - Chapter 11

Chapter 11



The next day dawned, sunny and clear, and Gilthoniel wearily rode Arvedui with Galdor, who was astride his palomino mare on her right hand side. She listened to his talk and responded, as she knew she would be wanted to, not really putting her whole heart into it. She noticed that the less she talked, the more Galdor talked.

Either he is making up for my lack of talking, Gilthoniel thought, tuning out of his idle chatter for a bit, or whatever I say enthralls him into talking even more.

Gilthoniel turned her head and looked back to where Findiel was. He wasn't very far back, but far enough to stop her talking to him, which is what Galdor wanted.

Findiel watched with disgust as Galdor talked about whatever came to his head. It seemed that talking was the only thing he ever did. At one stage, Gilthoniel had pointed this out, making Findiel laugh.

`Do you enjoy the sound of your own voice?' Gilthoniel asked when Galdor was just about to launch into a speech about nothing in particular. `Or does silence make you irksome?'

Galdor blushed at this, and Gilthoniel called to Findiel `The sun is too high in the sky for us to go further on, unless we wish to be burned to a cinder. Is there anywhere suitable to stop off and have luncheon?'

`Of course, my lady,' Findiel shouted back. `There is a stream not to far from here, about 5 minutes if we walk.'

They agreed this was a good idea for them and the horses; it would stretch their legs and the horses where getting tired by the heat.

They led the horses to this stream in a place Gilthoniel couldn't remember ever seeing before. It was shaded here by the trees, and there were many plants there to make it give off a sort of eerie green glow. There were many small animals too, insects of all varieties, small lizards, birds in all the colours of the rainbow and little fish in the stream.

Findiel opened a saddlebag he had brought with them which had some luncheon inside it. Gilthoniel sat against a stream close to the stream and watched the fish dart in every direction, in a sort of pattern only they seemed to know, as if they were dancing. Gilthoniel wondered what it felt like to be one of those fish, and swim in the cool, clear waters of the stream. But she was snapped out of her wonderings by Galdor, who came and sat beside her, startling all the fish so they swam to the other side of the stream.

Gilthoniel did not say anything, but when Findiel caught he eye pretending to hang himself, she smiled in a way which showed to was enjoying his humour but it was too hot to laugh out loud.

Galdor began his chatter again and just when she thought she was going to say something to shut him up, she felt like she couldn't remember what she had wanted to say, her head was swimming and she had gone all light-headed. She closed her eyes and rolled over, right into the stream.

Findiel was dosing by a tree, made tired by the heat, when he heard a splash. He half opened his eyes and looked around him, Gilthoniel wasn't anywhere to be seen, and Galdor had stopped talking and was staring into the water. Findiel ran over to him, and looked in.

There was nothing to be seen. Literally, there was nothing there. The floor on the stream couldn't be seen, and the walls stretched down into darkness. Findiel looked around him, but he knew that the only thing to do, was what he really didn't want to do. He took off his belt, which his scabbard was hanging from and took a deep breath and dived into the water after Gilthoniel.

He kicked his legs so he was propelled downwards and he soon left the bank where Galdor was still staring into the water after him far behind. He swam down and down, knowing his breath was leaking from his body and knew he would have to find Gilthoniel soon. But he kept swimming, desperate to find her.

Soon, he reached the bottom, which seemed to curve away to the right. He followed it, amazed to find it sloping upwards. He felt his last breath leave him when his head broke the surface and he gazed around him, half afraid, half bewildered.

He was in a sort of underground cave. The walls where lit up by the light reflected from the water, the light which seemed to come from nowhere. He hauled himself out of the water and looked around. At his feet was Gilthoniel, curled up in a ball. She wasn't moving at all but he grabbed her wrist and was surprised to find a pulse. He was even more surprised to find she wasn't wet at all, as if she had never been in the stream. He felt his own clothes, skin and hair; he had also somehow dried of all the water that was on him, although the cave was cold and damp.

Gilthoniel stirred slightly and Findiel picked her up in his arms. She woke up and looked around her, frightened.

`Wh-where are we?' Gilthoniel stuttered. She drew herself close to Findiel, suddenly very cold.

`I don't know,' Findiel shook his head. He held her tightly in his arms as if to protect her from something. `Lets have a look around.'

She nodded and he set her on the ground. Gilthoniel straightened up, shakily, and shivered. She looked around the cave, looking for any sign of an entrance or an exit. But the only clear one was the pool that they had arrived by. They wandered around the cave, which was surprisingly small and bright. Gilthoniel began to wander who had made the cave, and for what purpose.

Findiel was clearly thinking the same thing as he was looking around, trying to see any telltale signs that someone had been here before they had. Then he saw something that made his insides churn.

Over to one side of the cave there was a large stone chest. Findiel approached it and pushed off the stone lid. Slowly, it moved. Findiel called Gilthoniel over to help him and together they heaved the lid off. They set it on the floor and looked inside. Findiel chocked as he saw what was inside.

Inside was a young elf, who looked a lot like Findiel himself did; the same long dark hair, the same sharp features. Findiel picked up the stone lid and tried to replace it, but Gilthoniel stopped him. She looked down into the chest and saw him. It was as if Findiel were lying in that very chest, his eyes closed, no breath left in his body. With a quick look at him she leaned over the side of the chest and lifted up one of the elf's eyelids. His eyes, like Findiel's, we dark brown.

Gilthoniel stared at this young elf, then at Findiel. Then she asked him, her voice unsteady and shaky `Is this your brother?'

Findiel nodded and Gilthoniel said no more. They put the lid on the chest again and turned away from the chest.

Together they swam back up to where Galdor was waiting for them. When they surfaced, Galdor reached down and pulled Gilthoniel out of the water, covering her in his cloak.

`Oh, Gilthoniel, are you all right? You were down there so long I feared the worst.'

Findiel cursed under his breath and was about to climb out of the water when a hand reached down and took hold of his. He looked up and saw Gilthoniel smiling at him and thanked her as she helped him out of the water and put his clock around his shoulders.

They rode back in silence, this time Findiel was on Gilthoniel's right hand side, and Galdor on her left. Gilthoniel was stuck in her mind, thinking about Findiel's brother, down in the cave. She knew he probably wouldn't talk about to in front of Galdor, so she sat nothing.

When they reached the sky again, Gilthoniel put Arvedui in her stable and set about grooming her. She brushed her mane and tail, threw a horse rug over her and got her some water. She also threw a hay bail into her stable and then made her way up to her chamber.

Gilthoniel changed out of her riding clothes into a purple dress and then she set out to find Findiel. She saw him talking to Fëanor about something. Fëanor was a healer and was a good friend of Gilthoniel. Gilthoniel felt a pang of jealousy as Fëanor laughed at something Findiel said but then she approached Findiel and poked him on his shoulder.

Findiel looked around at Gilthoniel and smiled. Gilthoniel greeted Fëanor but pulled Findiel away so she could talk to him.

`I want to know about your brother.' She said, before he opened his mouth. Then she continued in a whisper `Please tell me. Remember, there are no secrets between us.'

Findiel sighed then he began. `My brother was called Findegil and he was my twin. We were born in the Gray Havens and it is there my mother is still. We traveled with my father, who took us all over the world with him. My father was a high elf who had taken to exploring the land. My mother was also a high elf, but her father sent her to the Gray Havens so she could have her children there.

`My brother and I hardly ever saw our mother. We spent so much time away seeing her was like coming back from a dream. But we always had things to tell her and never missed out spending time with her.

`One time we were away and Findegil and I were having a practice fight with our sword. Our father made sure we know how to fight in case we ever needed the skills. Findegil was better than me at everything though. He taught me swordsmanship and archery to my hearts content. When I began to creep up to his level, he would always put me down. I always tried though, so I could please my father.

`Findegil was better than me at fighting but I was my father's favourite. Findegil could never forgive me for that. He grew bitter and rarely ever practiced with me, and when he did, he was very competitive.

`Anyway, we were having one of our practice fights and for one everything was going well. He didn't shout and often corrected my stance, just like he used to. But when I made a mistake and I took advantage of it, he grew angry. He swung at me from side-to-side, really trying to hurt me. It stopped being a practice fight, and for me became a fight for my life. I tried to make him stop but every time he cut me, I could see he enjoyed having the upper hand and knew I had to do something to stop him. Behind him I say a small pond. If I could get him to fall in I could go and get my father.

`I forced him backwards, taking advantage of his gloating to give him weakness. He stepped backwards and fell into the pond, I ran back to get my father but as I neared the house he yelled after me to come and fight him like a man. He was drenched with pond water and had pondweed in his hair but he didn't care. As he approached me, his eyes full of angry, I drew up my sword to stop him. He began to run towards me, his arms holding his sword above his head. I tried to stop him, but he kept running at me. I swerved around him and ran back to the pond. He came running towards me, tripped and fell into the pond.'

Findiel took a breath again, as if this next bit was very painful for him. `When Findegil didn't get up, I approached him with caution. I looked down into the pond and saw he was lying face down in the water, not moving. I grabbed his hand but he made no movement. I hauled him out of the water and saw he was dead.

`Someone behind me shouted, and I looked round to see my father striding towards me. He looked angrier than I had ever seen him before in my life. He grabbed me and pushed me to one side and took Findegil up in his arms and ran back to the house. I ran after him and saw him lay Findegil down on the table and heard the maids gasp at the sight of his body. My father wheeled round to look at me and grabbed my wrist and threw me to the floor.

`”What did you do to him?” he yelled at me. “What did you do to your brother?”

`Then a maid stood before my father. “I saw what he did, Lord. He was fighting with his brother, and then he pushed him into the pond. Findegil tried to get up and run back to get help but he held his head in the water and drowned him.”

`I couldn't believe she was telling such a downright lie. I tried to defend myself and tell my father the whole story, but he didn't want to here it. He ignored me and told the maid to pack my things. After a while he did look at me, to tell me to leave and never come back.

`The maid brought my things and I ran from the house. I could see my father inside with Findegil's body, weeping. Then, I turned, and never looked back.'

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