The Kinstrife
Part
39
In
which we dine with Aradan, discussing murder, politics and the dark arts,
followed by prolonged speculations regarding the nature of the Benish Armon cult.
Evening
Aradan
invites us to dinner in a sumptuous wood-panelled dining room, even more lavish
than Brand’s quarters in the Loremaster’s house,
though the furniture is a little sparse; these buildings are little used aside
from funerals, after all.
Aradan, of
course, is dark-haired and grey-eyed, as befitting the heir to Principality of Belfalas, and every inch his father’s son. Though his
training is pure military and he has a reputation for directness that may count
against him in society, especially at Court.
I thank him
for his hospitality and for caring for Estel and he
tells us what happened…
He and
Maeglin were discussing a private matter in the dressing room adjacent to their
bedchamber when they heard the screams. They both ran in to the room to find
Lady Miriel lying in a pool of blood. Aradan remembers Maeglin rushing forward
to tend to his wife but at that point Aradan admits to some confusion. He
thinks he recalls seeing a glowing form in the shape of a cat and Maeglin
falling to the floor, writhing as if its claws were raking him from the inside.
Maeglin
still seemed alive just after the attack but he was most definitely dead a few
hours later, despite the efforts of the healers, and his body took on the
appearance of something mineral and inert.
Aradan
definitely seems a little vague about the glowing cat and his doctors have told
him that he may be ‘rationalising a subjective experience’. To me this seems an
extraordinary thing to say. If I’d seen a man mauled by a glowing cat before
dying and turning to stone, I would not assume I had hallucinated.
Ilviren
promptly reminds us of the glowing cats we saw in the marshes around Tarranon’s Villa but Aradan is unaware of any significance
aside from the old nursery tales about Beruthiel. He had scholars search their
archives in Morthond but they could uncover nothing of relevance.
Aradan
confirms that Estel was in the room. Tirazôr was also visiting but Aradan ordered him and his
entourage back to Belfalas and ordered Morthond
troops to exclude any foreign troops that might try to enter the principality.
These in fact foiled the King’s uncle, Morlaen, who
is currently camped on Morthond’s borders with a
small force of troops. This happened about a week after Maeglin’s
death, which is suspiciously quick but not outright evidence of conspiracy.
Aradan does not know where Maeglin’s force marched
from.
I ask after
Aradan’s political leanings, (answering a query from Misternil, I explain that there are two factions in Castamir’s court centred around Morlaen
and Castamir’s queen and that I and my family are members
of the Queen’s faction); he and his father, Prince Adrazôr, wish to preserve
their political neutrality and that of Morthond.
But
obviously my question is getting at what stance they intend to take towards the
disposition of Morthond as an inheritance. Aradan now reveals that he and
Maeglin had been discussing that very point when they heard the screams.
It seems
Maeglin had recently had a dream in which he met with the dead over the Stone
of Erech, only he couldn’t hear what they were
saying. Taking this as prophetic, he rode to the Stone of Erech
and there indeed the dead men cursed by Isildur
warned him that his death was near and they were concerned as ‘dark forces’
were working against Morthond that would seek to prevent the dead from ever
finding delivery from their curse.
Maeglin
realised they were referring to the Morthond succession issue so straightaway
he decided to make his will. His problem was, as ever with cryptic prophecies,
that he couldn’t decide whether the dead were warning him against Castamir or
Neithan. His solution was to place Morthond in the hands of Prince Adrazôr of Belfalas, leaving it to him to choose a successor.
Its
legalities have yet to be confirmed but Aradan will send copies of this will to
me on the morrow. I will ask Pimm to offer an opinion
both to it’s legality and its enforceability. Aradan
plans to announce the will at the funeral but Castaher
will be present and doubtless wants to secure Morthond for himself or his younger
brother. It would be a gift to Castamir, greatly extending his direct influence
in Gondor south of the
I’ve met Castaher and my opinion is that he’s a more honourable man
than his father but nonetheless I suggest things might nasty and Aradan should
be prepared. He looks suddenly cautious and says he will ponder the disposition
of the island’s small garrison. He has a fast ship already prepared to get Estel to safety. I suggest several ships sailing in
different directions as Castaher has made a name for himself in the navy and may have a squadron waiting for a
small ship trying to get away. Ilviren volunteers her
ship.
Adrazôr
does not yet know of the will as Aradan could not risk a message falling in to
the wrong hands – which tells me that he’s reasonably aware of the politics of
the situation already.
We take our
leave of Aradan to discuss the situation in the House of the Loremaster. Ilviren is certain
that Iriel cast the spell that killed Maeglin but
Brand and I have our doubts.
It seems to
me strange that Aradan should doubt his own memory of the events. As a soldier,
he must have seen gore and sudden death before so it’s not likely to be shock
that afflicts him so. Maeglin’s own appearance is
proof, were any needed, that dark forces were at work, so why doubt your senses
when you see them at play?
I wonder if
Aradan’s memories of the events have not been
tampered with in some way? In which
case the glowing cat might have been an illusion. Ilviren
is primed to point the finger at Benish Armon at the least suggestion but that would make it easy
to frame.
Beruthiel’s
diary is beginning to make more sense to me now. She speaks of binding the cats
(by which token we may infer the cat cult as well) to the protection of her
then unborn child. Now that child, we believe, was Gildor, from whom both
Maeglin and Neithan are descended.
Now Ilviren is deeply suspicious of Benish
Armon and I have no reason to doubt her when she
claims they indulge in blood sacrifice - I have seen their altar in Tarranon’s Villa - but yet Colfen
serves Neithan faithfully and we have the evidence of our own eyes that they
are not servants of Morgoth or Sauron,
Colfen being ruthless enough to kill his own brother
over the issue.
My thinking
is that Benish Armon may be
devoted to protecting Gildor’s bloodline and are
willing to go to any ends to do this. That might explain their darker
activities but yet put them on the side of the Valar.
Which, of course, means they are hardly likely to slay any
member of that bloodline.
Brand takes
a more practical point of view in that he has studied magic and he reckons Iriel simply hasn’t the knowledge or the power to do such a
thing. It takes time to learn such stuff and she simply isn’t old enough,
neither could she muster the spiritual power. For that matter she probably
couldn’t have cut Miriel’s throat and got away
without Aradan seeing her.
I am not
sure we have convinced Ilviren but she has no plan of
her own, even though she’s sworn to both Rastorin and
her father to defend Neithan.
Tomorrow
were must peruse Maeglin’s will and perhaps speak
with Estel again – is there not a more powerful
healer than Aerin about?
To do list:
Pimm
to peruse Maeglin’s will
Get Estel to safety
Survey my
estates and produce a plan to improve them
Ensure
Brand looks for the 5fth part of the Key of Fuinur’s Well
Who was Tevildo from the Benish Armon tomb in the Ethir Anduin?
Inquire
after Perhaladin – might be a cult for Ragnor