Journey Of A Butterfly

Chapter 15 - Confessions

 

 

The two High Guards that brought Terrwyn to the highest level of the White City now led her down a long dark hallway lined with sporadic simple looking doors on either side.  At the end was a thick wooden door with an engraving of a tree on it. One of the guards knocked and opened it, slipping in to announce her arrival. She glanced at the guard standing next to her, but his face remained fixed without expression. There was no use asking him what was happening. He would have nothing to say. It did not matter anyhow. She was about to find out once she went through the door.

 

After a brief time, the man came back out of the room and looked at the other guard without even a glance at Terrwyn. “Bring her in,” he demanded as he swung the door open wide enough for them to enter.

 

This room was an office it seemed. Dark wood paneling lined the walls. There was a tall bookshelf on the very back wall that went almost to the ceiling. Terrwyn quickly glanced at the leather bound books neatly put in their places. Some had lettering on them; others had golden runes in what she thought was elvish. Terrwyn was not educated in the ways of the scholars and could not be sure, but they looked similar to the runes on her dagger.

 

In front of the bookshelf was a very large desk, the same color as the dark paneling, and a bulky leather chair with a high back. There was a candelabra on one end of the desk, which gave the room its light. Parchments were neatly stacked in the middle and on the other end lie a book opened to a page full of more of the familiar runes. She thought it was odd that the Captain of the High Guard would have an interest in such things. Surely, he was a very busy man. But this was Gondor and men of this realm were better educated than those in Rohan.

 

Terrwyn felt her arms free from the grip of the guard’s hands. She looked at them, waiting for them to give her some kind of instructions, but they turned and left the room where they had entered it, closing the large wooden door behind them. Not sure what to do, Terrwyn stood still and waited to see what would happen next.

 

“Do you know why you have been brought here?” said a low womanly voice from the oversized chair, which was turned to face the bookshelf.

 

Terrwyn was shocked to hear a female’s tone. “I have my suspicions,” she answered, trying hard as she might not to sound intimidated.

 

“I have every right within my power to have you arrested,” said the voice.

 

“I thought I had already been rousted,” Terrwyn replied, her voice steady. “Otherwise, why would I have been plucked from my bed in the middle of the night?”

 

“And from the reports I have been made aware of, I could have you incarcerated and thrown into our prisons without worry of having ‘plucked’ you from your home. We do not tolerate criminals or their despicable acts here in Minas Tirith.”

 

That was all the proof Terrwyn needed to hear to know she had finally been tracked down. Word reached the city of her crimes. “I do not know what your reports say, but I know what happened and I am innocent. It was self-defense,” she pleaded. Not since speaking to Taldred had she spoken this aloud.

 

“Well now, that is why I brought you here,” said the womanly voice. The chair moved, slowly spinning around to reveal whom it was that Terrwyn was speaking with.

 

A familiar face met Terrwyn’s. “Lady Rhavaniel?” she said, astonished to see the beautiful elf. “But where is the Captain of the High Guard?”

 

Rhavaniel laughed. “Who did you expect to see? Ah, let me guess . . . a rather tall, worn faced older man who has seen more than his share of war?”

 

“But you are the Queen’s royal bodyguard.” Terrwyn was quite confused.

 

“That I am, but there is more to this job than just dressing up and sitting by the Queen’s side. I am in charge of all royal guard or High Guard, as they are known. When there is something important taking place, I am the first alerted to it. This is why I brought you here, Terrwyn. Some very serious charges have been placed upon you, but you know this.”

 

Terrwyn nodded, looking to the floor. “It is the reason I left my home.” She finally felt as if she should tell her whole story, the truth. Maybe Rhavaniel would see she was being honest and help her find somewhere else to escape to. Certainly, she would understand. Before she could speak, Rhavaniel was asking her questions.

 

“So is this statement true? You are a thief and a murderer. You stole precious jewels from a noble family and when confronted by one of the family members, you attacked him, stabbing him in the neck and killing him, and then tried to run away from the crime scene.” Rhavaniel’s voice was not one of compassion but of accusatory tones. This was not a friendly conversation. It was an interrogation.

 

Terrwyn knew how it looked, but she also knew what really happened that awful night. Still, hearing her charges as described in the letter made her realize to what degree this situation had grown to. All evidence pointed to her. Wasn't it partly true? She had the jewels in her possession. She killed a man, and was escaping in the middle of the night. The stern look on the Lady’s face did not help either. Rhavaniel had the power to bind her hands and send her off back to Rohan. Fear settled in the pit of Terrwyn’s stomach. Why would Rhavaniel believe any other story?

 

When she finally found her voice, Terrwyn spoke. “From what you have read in that statement, yes, it is true, but only to a degree.”

 

Rhavaniel raised a questioning eyebrow. Terrwyn felt her suspicion. “It does not matter what I say now. I have proven my guilt by running away. No one will listen to my side of the story.”

 

“I have always believed that there are two sides to any story. It is my job to hear them out. You say you have not been given a voice, but you have not made yourself heard. You ran away before explaining yourself. I’ll admit, it did not help matters, but if you feel you have something different to add, please tell me. I am a willing participant.” Rhavaniel stood up from her chair and gestured for Terrwyn to have a seat opposite her. Terrwyn sat down and folded her hands in her lap. Rhavaniel observed her body language. She was not behaving like your typical criminal. “Now is your turn to be heard before the High Guard of Gondor. Explain yourself and then I will cast my judgment upon you.”

 

Terrwyn’s hands kept busy rubbing each other. She found she could not look Rhavaniel in the eye. Yet, she had finally been given an avenue to tell her own story in whole without interruption. She didn’t know what good it would do, but it was all she had left now. So she started from the beginning and told her about her parents dying, her brother’s kidnapping and how she needed to find him. She told her about living in a stable, meeting Alric and caring for him. She told her about the jewels he gave her and how he told her to leave Rohan after his death. Then she came to that fateful night when her world was turned upside down, how these men tried to stop her, take her, rape her and eventually sell her to the Southrons in exchange for land. Terrwyn told her about Bregmund’s plans to leave the rule of Rohan and start his illegal trade business, which he was the mastermind behind the theft of his own family’s treasure, though he did not steal them himself. Terrwyn was brought into all of this without her knowledge. But when things turned for the worst, she was unjustly accused. Yes, she had the bag of stolen jewels, but she had not known they were stolen until it was too late. Yes, she killed Bregmund, but only after he had choked her, weakened her and tried to rape her. And now, the two men who were in on the theft saw their chance to put it all on Terrwyn just to keep themselves out of prison. Terrwyn was innocent, but every event that happened that night pointed to her guilt.

 

Rhavaniel sat silently and without expression as she listened to Terrwyn’s story. Deep down, she felt for the young Rohirrim girl. Men could be so cruel sometimes, something she would never understand as an elf. It was a fact though, and there was nothing to be done about it. She mentally reached out to Terrwyn and found that she was telling the truth. Her body language was very clear as well as the way she spoke. This was truly what happened to this poor girl. However, a crime had been committed, whether in self-defense or not.

 

“You should never have run away, Terrwyn. I am afraid you have made matters worse and your one chance to prove your innocence may be lost. The innocent do not run and that is what you have done.”

 

“I know my Lady. There are times that I regret ever making that decision. But you must understand how our system works in Rohan. It would have been two men against one woman. No one would have believed me and I would have been hung for murder and theft.”

 

“You never gave them a chance to believe you,” Rhavaniel said matter-of-factly.

 

Tears came to Terrwyn’s eyes. “You believe me don’t you?”

 

“It is not my call to make. My job is to protect my Queen and the people of Minas Tirith. You have been charged with these crimes and that is out of my power. My only option is to arrest you and alert the Rohirric guard of your capture. I am sorry, but I have no other choice.”

 

Terrwyn’s last hope at help was diminished. Even the Lady Rhavaniel could do nothing for her. She was cornered with nowhere to run. She could no longer hide from her past. She slumped forward in her chair and felt her life drain from her. Terrwyn gave up.

 

Rhavaniel could feel the young girl surrendering. There was no hope left in her soul. What could she do though? As Captain of the High Guard, it was her job to see that such matters were dealt with properly or the whole system would fail. There were still those amongst them that did not agree with the choice to make Aragorn their king. Threats still came to the royal family and it was Rhavaniel’s job to expose any and all that may be a threat. Still, she felt no such threat from Terrwyn. This was just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now things had gotten out of control and may not be fixable. She could not help Terrwyn in any way but for one. It was the only thing she could do that would keep her from the general population of the jails of Minas Tirith.

 

“As I said, I have no choice but to arrest you. That would mean you would go to our prison until the Rohirric guard came to claim you,” Rhavaniel said as she walked out from behind her desk. “Unfortunately, you would be thrown into a cell with many other ruffians waiting to be shipped back to their homelands or the place where they were charged with their crime. I have little to say of these men except that some are the lowest of humanity. One look at a pretty young girl like you and there is no telling what might happen to you. These prisons are out of my control as their inhabitants are not of Gondor. I cannot pass judgment upon them unless they have committed a crime in my jurisdiction. These are our laws and I must abide by them. However, I have never had to arrest a woman for such charges and I have made the decision not to put you in with these degenerates.”

 

Terrwyn felt the slightest bit of hope return as she waited for Rhavaniel to continue with her verdict. “I am sending you to Ithilien to be housed until such time that you are released to the custody of Rohan.”

 

Terrwyn lowered her head once more. She was still being arrested, just in another location. Rhavaniel felt for her and she spoke to her on a personal level now that she made her decision. “I am sorry Terrwyn. This is the way it must be. I am giving you a better chance by sending you to Ithilien. As you know, my husband Legolas is Lord and ruler there. You will be under the watchful eyes of the elves instead of men. I feel no harm will come to you there. You will be treated fairly. I can arrange for you to be kept on watch outside of the cells. You will still be a prisoner, but you will not be behind bars. You will be put on a rigorous work schedule and guarded at all times. There will be no escape, no matter how free you may think you are. The elves are much more lenient in this way, but they will not hesitate to shoot anyone who tries to escape. I feel you will not try such foolery. I trust that you will abide by the laws of North Ithilien until such time that you are released to Rohan.”

 

“I will Lady Rhavaniel. Thank you for allowing me this slight bit of reprieve. I understand what you have told me and I will abide,” Terrwyn said bowing.

 

Rhavaniel took Terrwyn’s chin in her fingers and had her stand tall, looking her in the eyes. “The best thing you can do now is to be honest. Tell them your story as you have told me and I believe justice will prevail. It is time that you faced this head on and stopped running. You cannot hide any longer. I will pray that the Valar open the hearts and minds of your judges so that they hear the truth in your voice and the honesty of your heart.”

 

“I cannot thank you enough, Lady Rhavaniel. You are right. I cannot run any longer. Whatever my fate may be, I will take it and stand strong,” Terrwyn replied.

 

* * *

 

Meanwhile, in another room at the opposite end of the hall in which Terrwyn was with Rhavaniel, Rosloch was being questioned by Rhavaniel’s second in command, a very unforgiving Gondorian High Guard.

 

“And you say she wandered into Firien woods looking for food and shelter?” said the guard sternly.

 

“For the hundredth time yes. I did not know the girl and I only helped her because she needed assistance. I had never met her before, nor did she reveal any other information to me. If she has committed these crimes as you say, I would never have known. She seems anything but a criminal to me. She said she was looking for someone to escort her from Rohan to Gondor. Her parents had died and she had nothing left. Gondor would give her a new life and that is just what she did. I gave her a home and she acquired employment. As far as I know, she was well liked and a hard worker, hardly what I would expect from a murderer or a thief. If you ask me, she has been wrongly accused.” Rosloch was tired of the interrogation. He was asked the same questions repeatedly and each time he had the same exact answer.

 

Finally, after what seemed like hours in the small dark room, the guard was satisfied with his answers and left, leaving Rosloch alone again. Another thirty minutes or so passed before the door opened again. The same High Guard entered and handed Rosloch a parchment. “Read this and if you agree to the terms, sign at the bottom. Then you can be on your way.”

 

Rosloch unrolled it and read it over carefully. Then he looked at the guard. “I agree to the terms,” he said and signed it before handing it back to the guard.

 

“Come with me then,” said the stern Gondorian and Rosloch followed him from the room.