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Stirrings of Shadow  by Fiondil

25: The Secret of Aldburg

They brought Théoden into the King’s Hall, placing him in the room that was his whenever he came with his family to Aldburg. Aragorn quickly explained the situation in Edoras and how he happened to be in Aldburg.

"Grimbold and Wídfara are camped further up the valley," Aragorn told them. "If I do not return, they will look for me and in doing so endanger themselves."

"We will discuss our options," Thengel said somewhat distractedly, "but first I would see to my son’s comfort. Do you know how much poppy juice they gave him?"

"Too much," Aragorn said with a grimace. "There were two empty vials by his cot when I found him."

The others all hissed in shock at that.

"What about a purgative?" Erkenbard asked.

Aragorn shook his head. "Too much has entered into his system for that to be effective. The only cure at this point is sleep."

Thengel nodded his understanding, though his frustration was evident. He sat beside his son’s bed and lovingly stroked the boy’s hair. Finally, he looked up at Aragorn.

"Thank you," he said simply. "Thank you for my son."

Aragorn bowed. "iBelain ah hon ar nin fuin hen," he said softly.

Thengel nodded and stood. "Go with Erkenbard and take what rest you will, for you have earned it. Time enough on the morrow for deciding our next move. I will remain here to watch over my son."

"Grimbold and Wídfara...." Aragorn started to protest, but Erkenbard cut him off.

"There may be a way to get a message to them," he said, "though it cannot be done immediately. Come, let me show you to your room and I will do what I can to warn them."

Aragorn wasn’t happy about it, but saw he had little choice, so he agreed and was soon asleep in a small room not far from where a king kept silent watch over his beloved heir.

****

When Aragorn entered Théoden’s room later that morning it was to find that Thengel had barely moved from his position by his son’s bed, though he had spared some time to freshen up and change his tunic.

"He has not stirred," Thengel informed him as Aragorn entered the room, "yet his sleep seems more natural."

A quick examination showed Aragorn that indeed the boy was no longer in a drug-induced coma. He looked up at Thengel with a smile. "He sleeps indeed, sire, and will awaken sometime today."

Thengel’s entire posture became more relaxed. "That is good news," he said with a relieved sigh. "I have asked Erkenbard to join us here for I will not leave my son’s side until he opens his eyes and knows me."

Aragorn nodded in sympathy. He remembered not too long ago when his foster father had remained by his side, waiting for him to recover from a blow on the head that had left him unconscious for nearly three days. He well recalled the look of utter relief on Elrond’s face when he finally opened his eyes and smiled at his adar in recognition.

Shortly thereafter Erkenbard arrived with a couple of servants bearing trays of food. Thengel raised an eyebrow at the sight. Erkenbard gave his king and friend a hard stare.

"You need your strength, nýdmæg," he said, gesturing for one of the trays to be placed before the king. "You will do your son no good when he awakens and you are fainting from hunger."

Thengel sighed and gave Aragorn a feigned grimace. "I was unaware that ‘spymaster’ and ‘nanny’ were synonymous."

Aragorn couldn’t help but laugh at that and soon the other two men joined in. Thengel accepted the tray with good grace and began to eat. Erkenbard gestured to Aragorn to take the other tray and the younger man proceeded to break his fast. While he and Thengel ate, Erkenbard filled them in on what was happening.

"The army that camps before the gates appears to be in turmoil," Thengel’s spymaster informed them with a slight grin. "No doubt last night’s activities have them still all agog."

Aragorn choked on a piece of toast. Erkenbard gave him a wicked grin and began slapping him on the back. Thengel grinned as well, and handed the younger man a mug of small beer, which Aragorn took gratefully.

"At any rate," Erkenbard continued, "I managed to sneak someone out of one of the side posterns while everyone’s attention was elsewhere. He will have found Grimbold by now with the news."

Aragorn looked relieved and gave the man his thanks. Erkenbard waved his hand in dismissal. "That was the easy part," he said. "Now we must decide what we will do ourselves."

"Yes," Thengel said gravely, "While Théoden was a hostage I dared not go against them."

"Do you know whose sigil is the starburst on a black field?" Aragorn asked.

Both Thengel and Erkenbard grimaced. "Only too well," the king said darkly. "It is the sigil adopted by my mother."

Aragorn raised an eyebrow. "It was she who had her own grandson as hostage?" he asked in disbelief.

Thengel gave him a feral look. "And I promise you she will pay for that."

"How is it that you are here inside Aldburg and she is outside?" Aragorn asked, hoping he didn’t sound accusatory.

"Trickery," Erkenbard exclaimed with a disgusted snort.

"My own arrogance," Thengel replied at the same time.

The two men looked at each other and then they both chuckled. Thengel turned to Aragorn with a sheepish smile. "Perhaps a little of both," he offered.

"What happened?" Aragorn asked, keeping his expression and tone neutral.

Thengel sighed, running a hand through his hair. "When Morwen and the children were threatened I knew I could no longer stand idly by. I gathered my éored and came to Aldburg to confront my mother, only to find her gone."

Erkenbard took up the tale. "She summoned me one night, claiming that she wished to discuss a matter of importance, though her note failed to say what." He paused and grimaced. "I suspected nothing, so I was unprepared when upon entering her room I was overpowered and knocked out. Why she didn’t just have me killed I do not know. I only know that when I came to, I was locked in a cell beneath this hall."

"When I came to Aldburg," Thengel then said, "I discovered a strangely deserted city. There was no sign of my mother and none knew where Erkenbard was. I was too busy trying to find answers within that I failed to notice the army approaching without until it was too late."

"Where did Éolind get herself an army?" Aragorn asked in confusion. He remembered the old lady at Dúnælfenedale. Formidable without a doubt, but to be able to gather an army to her...

"She didn’t," Erkenbard stated baldly, "but Isenbert and Léodward did."

"The two men she met at Dúnælfenedale," Aragorn said, suddenly understanding. Both Thengel and Erkenbard nodded. Aragorn thought for a moment. "The attack on Queen Morwen was obviously meant to draw you away from Edoras whether the attack was successful or not."

"And you say Edoras has fallen," Thengel said, his expression bleak.

Aragorn nodded. "But your queen and daughters are safe in Dunharrow, as are many who managed to escape. And now, your son is also safe."

As if on cue, Théoden began to stir. At once the three men were around the bed. Aragorn examined the boy then turned to Thengel. "Call to him, my lord. Call to your son."

Thengel knelt by the bed and stroked his son’s head. "Théoden, hên nîn, i-lû an echuiad."

The boy started blinking his eyes and looked up at his father sleepily. "Ada, man sâd nana?" he asked with a yawn.

"Safe, hên nîn," Thengel said gently, still brushing the boy’s hair. "How are you feeling?"

Théoden stirred a bit and tried to sit up. Then his eyes widened and he turned white. Aragorn, half-expecting such a reaction, grabbed the wash basin and shoved it under the boy’s chin just in time. By the time he was finished being sick, Théoden was in tears, trying to apologize. Thengel held him in his arms and rocked him until he fell asleep again.

Aragorn took care of the basin and then returned. "Sleep is the best thing for him, my lord," he told Thengel, smiling. "When he wakes again, he’ll be feeling more himself."

Thengel nodded distractedly, still rocking Théoden. "We must break this siege," he said softly yet with great finality. "I will not stay here any longer than necessary. Winter approaches and I would away before the snows trap us more surely than that army outside these walls."

"What do you intend?" Aragorn asked.

For a moment Thengel did not answer, merely rocking the boy for a bit longer before laying him down and covering him up, planting a loving kiss on his forehead. Then he stood up and the look in his eyes was deadly.

"Erkenbard, go to my study and bring the maps on my desk."

Erkenbard bowed and left. Five minutes later he returned bearing several maps. There was no room to lay them out except on the floor at the foot of Théoden’s bed. The three men crouched on the floor, flattening the maps with books and knives. The top map showed Aldburg and its environs. Someone — Aragorn suspected Erkenbard — had neatly drawn in the besieging army indicating every tent and sentry post. Along the edge were notes detailing the rotation of the guards and the estimated strength of the army. Aragorn glanced at the map, mentally estimating how difficult it would be to dislodge Eólind’s besiegers.

"You only have one éored with you, lord?" Aragorn asked as he perused the map.

The king nodded. "I was not expecting treachery, though looking back, I realize I should have, but I feared to leave Edoras defenseless." He gave them a deprecating grin. "For all the good it did."

"We will retake Edoras, sweordbroðor," Erkenbard said emphatically.

"Your people will support you, Thengel King," Aragorn added. "Many were able to flee the city and are encamped at Dunharrow and, if they have not been found out, I suspect there are many within Edoras itself who will rise up against the usurpers when you come to retake the city."

Thengel nodded. "Then let us see what we can do to effect our freedom and begin the retaking of our realm."

****

They pored over the maps while Théoden continued to sleep. One map, older than the others, showed the layout of Aldburg itself. Aragorn could see the truth of what Grimbold had said — there was no other way out save through the front gates. And yet...

"This street here," he said, pointing to a line that ran behind the King’s Hall, "does not seem to go anywhere."

It was true. In fact, the street began just behind the king’s house and ran along the southern wall, ending at the east wall, yet no other streets were connected to it. The three men examined the map more closely.

"I never noticed that," Erkenbard said ruefully. "Indeed, I was unaware that such a street even existed."

"It doesn’t," Thengel said and the other two men gave him surprised looks. The king returned their looks with a sour grin. "Look closely. It is not a street. It’s more an alleyway, very narrow. People don’t know it exists because no one has ever seen it."

Aragorn gave Thengel an appraising look. "A secret passage?"

Thengel nodded. Erkenbard looked upset.

"And you never thought to tell me? All this time..."

Thengel raised a hand. "Peace, Erkenbard. I did not tell you because I never learned the secret of opening it."

"Why not?" Erkenbard asked, now more intrigued than angry.

Thengel gave him a rueful look. "The secret of opening the hidden passage has been passed down through the generations since the time of Eorl. Each heir, upon reaching his majority, is told the secret." He raised a hand to still the protest that was on both Erkenbard and Aragorn’s lips.

"I know what you are going to ask: how could the secret be passed down from father to son when the line of kings has been broken twice?"

"That’s one question," Erkenbard acknowledged, his face darkening again.

Thengel nodded. "And the other is: why do I not know the secret?" He sighed before continuing. "As to the first question, always the king’s sister-son was also told the secret as a precaution. You will recall, Erkenbard, that we were embroiled in a coup at the time of my majority. Father never told me the secret because I did not stay long enough in Rohan for him to do so. The only other person who would have been told was an eleven-year-old boy."

"Fréawine," Erkenbard said with a nod.

Now Aragorn understood. "So the secret is lost."

Thengel shrugged. "I was shown the entrance as a child and it was explained to me that the secret of its opening lay in a rhyme of the Sea Kings."

Aragorn gave Thengel a surprised look. "Do you know this rhyme?"

Thengel closed his eyes, as if to better call to mind that memory of a small boy. Slowly, hesitantly, he began to recite the rhyme:

"Tall ships and tall kings, three times three. What brought they from the foundered land, over the flowing sea? Seven stars and seven stones and one White Tree."

Aragorn felt a frisson of shock run through his soul. That that particular rhyme should be preserved among the Rohirrim....

"Show me," he commanded, his eyes bright with a light that Thengel thought of as elvish in its strangeness. "Show me the door."

"Théoden..."

"Will sleep and will not waken for some time," Aragorn said authoritatively.

"Call one of your servants to sit with him," Erkenbard suggested when Thengel hesitated and the king nodded.

Thus, it was not long before Aragorn and Erkenbard were following Thengel down a little used corridor that came to a dead end. A faded arras showing a hunting scene graced the wall before them. Thengel pushed the arras aside to reveal a door. From a pouch he retrieved a key which opened it. A flight of narrow stone steps descended into the bowels of the hall. They lit some torches and made their way down, traversing a narrow passage running eastward. Eventually, they came to another dead end where they found themselves facing another door.

This door, however, was truly remarkable. It was an oak door, intricately carved, and there was no handle. There were five panels, a large central one and four narrow ones surrounding it. The central panel had a leafless tree carved in low-relief. Above it in an arc were seven stars while below its roots were seven globes or stones. On each of the two side panels were three ships also carved in low-relief. The top panel consisted of a single ship upon which stood a crowned figure. There was writing on either side of the ship. The bottom panel was similar, except there were two ships with crowned figures with writing carved between the ships. Incongruously, the corners where the panels met were carved with running horses, as if to make a concession to the fact that this was a Rohirric door and not a Gondorian one.  A close look at the upper and lower panels revealed that the writing was in elvish script. There were two lines on either side of the single ship and two lines between the two lower ships.

Aragorn saw the door and stared at it in wonder. Thengel frowned, trying to read the words, while Erkenbard just stood there dumbfounded.

"The words make no sense," Thengel finally said. "Look." He pointed to the first line. "The first and fourth words aren’t in any language I know but the rest of this is in Sindarin."

"The first word is ciryar," Aragorn said musingly as he scanned the carved text. "It is Quenya, the language of the Blessed Realm. It is the same as the Sindarin cîr."

"Ships?" Erkenbard asked in Rohirric.

Aragorn nodded.

Thengel then pointed to the fourth word. "Arani... the same as... erain, isn’t it?"

"Yes," Aragorn said, "it is the same word. Both words mean ‘kings’."

"These are the words of the rhyme," Thengel then said. "But why are some of the words in Quenya?"

"Why isn’t the rhyme written in Rohirric or even Westron?" Erkenbard asked, clearly puzzled.

"I think the door was designed by Gondorians," Aragorn answered. "I think Cirion had this made for Eorl."

"Are there any other words in this Quenya?" Erkenbard demanded, clearly intrigued.

Aragorn nodded, pointing to two words on the fifth line and the last word on the sixth line. "The words for ‘stars’, ‘stones’ and ‘the White Tree’."

Erkenbard stared at the carvings for a moment. "Ships... kings... stars... stones..." he muttered to himself, then paused before speaking more loudly. "Have you noticed how everything is in low relief except for the ship on the top, that star in the middle and this stone here that is also in the middle? These are all in high-relief."

Aragorn took a closer look, and in the torchlight noticed a thin crack along the base of the ship. Acting on instinct, he reached up and pressed his hand against the carving. It moved slightly. Pressing harder, it moved further in until it became flush with the rest of the door. He heard Thengel and Erkenbard gasp. Without stopping to think, he pressed the center star, which also moved. Crouching down he did the same to the center stone, suddenly realizing that these must represent the palantíri.

He stepped back, but nothing happened.

"Ship, star, stone..." Erkenbard muttered.

"Tree!" Aragorn exclaimed.

They took a closer look at the tree. It was obviously the White Tree as Gondor knew it now, as Cirion had known it — dead and leafless — and yet...

"There!" Thengel said suddenly, pointing to one branch. Aragorn brought the torch over and then he saw it: a single leaf. He glanced up at Thengel, who nodded, then pressed his hand against the leaf. Almost at once the door began to swing silently open. All three men drew their swords, shielding their eyes against the glare of the sunlight streaming in.

When their eyes had adjusted they found themselves staring across the vale looking east, with an arm of the White Mountains jutting out before them several leagues away. Thengel started to cross the threshold but Aragorn stopped him with a hand on his arm, his expression puzzled.

"Why did Eorl lie?" he asked. "Why did he deceive his people?"

Thengel and Erkenbard exchanged looks that Aragorn could not interpret before the king turned to the younger man, giving him a sympathetic smile. "Why do you think, son?" the King of Rohan asked gently. Then he gestured to the outside. "What do you see?"

Aragorn shrugged, "The vale, the mountains, the..."

Thengel held up a hand. "Perhaps I should have asked: what don’t you see?"

Aragorn gazed out across the vale, the grass sere in the late autumn. The air was chilled and frost rimed the ground. The land was empty....

"There is no army before the door," he finally said and Thengel clapped a hand on Aragorn’s shoulder, nodding his approval.

"Exactly." He turned to Erkenbard, his tone decisive and commanding. "Go. Bring two of your best scouts. Have them pack enough food for a two-day’s journey."

Erkenbard did not hesitate, but gave Thengel a bow and left. Aragorn stepped closer to the threshold and looked out. "I should go to Grimbold and Wídfara and bring them here."

"No, Thorongil," Thengel commanded. Aragorn looked at the king in surprise, but any protest he might have made died on his lips at Thengel’s expression. "Grimbold and Wídfara are safe enough where they are and I have a different task in mind for them, or at least for Wídfara."

But what that was, he did not elaborate and Aragorn had to content himself with staring out into the vale. Erkenbard arrived shortly thereafter followed by two men dressed in green and brown motley to better blend into the landscape. Thengel addressed them briefly, pulling off one of his rings and handing it to one of the scouts.

"Take this to Lord Fréawine of Brandingsdale and give him this message: Tôl i-lû ir gwist phain coren vaer."

Aragorn raised an eyebrow at the words but remained silent as he listened to Thengel patiently repeat the message and correcting the scouts’ pronunciation until he was satisfied that both men could repeat the words flawlessly.

"Tell him what has happened here," Thengel instructed them. "Tell my cousin that I will meet him before the walls of Edoras by the full moon of the third month after Yule, for winter is nigh, and Edoras cannot be taken before Spring."

The two men bowed and Thengel gave them one more set of instructions. "Remain with Lord Fréawine and put yourselves in his service."

The scouts nodded their understanding and with bows, they silently slipped outside, making their way, not east, but south. At first Aragorn wondered at their route then realized they were keeping the bulk of Aldburg between them and the besieging army. Eventually, he knew, they would head eastward along the edge of the mountains towards Brandingsdale.

Only when the scouts were out of sight did Thengel speak again. "Let us make plans."

With that, they closed the door, though Aragorn thought it best to test it by pressing the carvings again. It opened as silently as before. Satisfied, the three men returned to Théoden’s room to plot their escape from Aldburg.

****

All words are Sindarin unless otherwise noted.

iBelain ah hon ar nin fuin hen: "The Powers [were] with him and me this night".

Nýdmæg: (Rohirric) [Male] Cousin, near kinsman, blood-relation.

Théoden, hên nîn, i-lû an echuiad: "Théoden, my son, time to wake up".

Ada, man sâd nana?": "Papa, where’s mama?"

Tôl i-lû ir gwist phain coren vaer: "Comes the time when all oaths [are] made good".





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