The night was clear, bright and cold. The stars shone over Evendim and the lights of fire and war gloomed in the pits between ruined buildings of Annuminas. For now, though, everything was quiet in the camp where the last remaining Dunadain held their post against the forces of Angmar. They waited for the next strike, to strike back.
Ynel sat in one of the tents, next to Revio, who slept soundly. They had come a long way from Bree, travelled through the North-downs and crossed the gloomy fields of Fornost. Using the arts of deal-making and bold manipulation, Ynel had convinced the Dunadain rangers to bring them to their camp in Annuminas. This was to be their final stop, before they would return to Bree, and yet, the journey did not feel satisfactory. Their urges had not been fufilled.
Revio begins to stirr awake.
Ynel puts her finger on Revio's lips and whispers to him "hussh...Revio. Pretend to sleep. I want to whisper to you..."
Revio wrinkles his brow then nods just slightly and closes his eyes.
Ynel glances over her shoulder to the opening of the tent, and the Dunadain rangers that move around. Then she leans in to whisper to him again. "I don't think I can hold it, Revio... My urges. We have come such a long way, and I wanted to see the palace, and collect atleast some treasure."
Revio nods ever so slightly.
Ynel "the rangers who brought us here said that they wont be assisting us any further. I do not think they woudl approve with it, if we pursued towards Tyl Annun. After all...we have no true excuse to give them for a reason. They woudl expect the worst, and be very right about it. Even if they came with us...they would watch us like hawks and give us no freedom."
Ynel wets her lip before she continues "They have let me scout the area. I have found a path to the palace. One that goes past all enemies and friends alike. I have seen the Palace, and two doors on it's sides. One of them is guarded, the other is not." she inhales anxiously. "We could get there, without anyone knowing of it."
Revio fights the urge to sit upright but lies still.
Ynel smiles to the light fidgeting of the man "Do you want to?"
Revio can't contain himself and turns his head toward her and nods.
Ynel brushes his hair with her fignertips "Then pretend to sleep a while longer. I will continue my scouting and leave camp. Wake up, after the next assault, and come to search for me. I will wait for you past the eastern gate."
Ynel taps his nose with her fignertip and smiles to him for a while quietly. Then she grawls out of the tent, sighs, looks around as if pondering, and begins to wander towards east.
Both of them were driven by urgest just as impulsive and strong, yet very different in nature from oneanother. The Bard's calling to see the capital of the glorious kingdoms long gone, and the greed of a burglar to follow the promise of treasure. Those two urges had binded the two together on this journey, and carried them across land to Evendim. They were but only one step away from the Palace of the King, and his tomb, and there was no turning back, - atleast not for Ynel. She scouted east, past the first gate frm the rager's camp, and waited for her companion.
Revio: <looks out from the ranger camp with great apprehension>
Ynel smiles at their meeting and pecks a quik kiss on REvio's lips.
Revio looks around after this kiss. 'This is kinda scary Ynel.'
Ynel glances about aswell, and speaks in quiet tones. "It is...but I have checked the path. We will go past all enemy camps. None shoudl see us..." Then she glances up to the sky. "But we ought to hurry, before the dawn breaks. Darkness is our best ally here."
Revio says, 'Let's get goin' then.'
You say, 'This way...'
They climbed over walls, jumped great leaps, and ran across the rooftops of the marbled buildings that shone white under starlight. They swam, and climbed again, meeting no enemy, nor seeing one ranger in their path. The towers of Tyl Annun ahead marked the direction and beckoned to them invitingly, and the sound of beasts and men echoed hauntingly in the night. Eventually, they made it to Tyl Annunn, climbing up the cliff like miserable wet rats from the lake. Within their hearts, silently, a strong fire set ablaze by the effort and the seemingly victory, when they finally reached the white and turquoise walls of the palace on the peak of the cliff.
You say, 'shit...'
Ynel and Revio stopped agaisnt the wall, seeing a figure coming their way. They recognized him a one of the rangers, and cursed under their breaths. Had their intentions been exposed?
Luinor says, 'What are you two about?'
Revio says, 'Out for a walk.'
Luinor says, 'This must be the bard, hm?'
Revio furrows his brow. 'What's that mean?'
Ynel blinks her eyes for a moment
Revio looks back and forth between Ynel and Luinor.
You say, 'We came to investigate. Find pathways, like I do.. As you can see...I've found one past the bridge'
Luinor says, 'So it seems.'
Luinor says, 'But what are you investigating?'
You say, 'The routes. I am the path-finder and scout, after all. I told Mr. Greenhood's company, that I will find a way to Annuminas, past the enemy forces, and I've done that'
Revio nods again.
Luinor says, 'I will accompany you from this point, and see you do not get into trouble until you are out of the city.'
Ynel and Revio, only bothered by this offer and company, remained silent for a moment.
Luinor says, 'Is this acceptable?'
You say, 'As you wish. And I can show you the safe way, if you want.We can get aroudn the corner, on this side..'
Ynel gestures back the way they had come. Luinor steps forward, seemingly ready to proceed without a word. Ynel led them along the palace walls to a steep corner, where the cliff barely supported the side of the wall.
You say, 'This is how I found it..'
You say, 'One can slip aroudn the beam in the corner, to the other side. There is a pathway there, that is hard to see...but it is there.'
Revio looks at the wall. Seriously?'
You say, 'IT looks tough...you will have to make a leap...but we've done those before haven't we?'
Revio says, 'Yes. And not easy ones.'
You say, 'After you, Ranger. 'we'll pull you back up if you slip'
Ynel stood back. She knew, that no one could make it, but she had apparently made the ranger believe that he could. She stood back now, watching how the ranger inched himself around the corner above the long fall, and slipped...
...
You say, 'there he goes'
You say, 'let's move!'
Revio says, 'You're clever'
They hurried back towards the front of the palace. They had to move quikly now, before the ranger coudl find his footing after that fall and come back for them. The door was not far. The door, that led into the palace, and was still unguarded. Without hesitation they both slipped in before the opportunity would fail them.
Revio says, 'Holy Moly.'
Revio stares with his jaw hanging out. They had come to a low hall, decorated lavishly with blue colors and the king's statue. Behind it was a metal gate, seemingly guarded by two strange figurines that shone magical light.
Revio says, 'We are so dead.'
You say, 'Umh... I do not know... I expected some danger in here. But so far....no assault'
Ynel looks aorudn in awe
Revio says, 'What about those things?'
Revio points at Elder Morelendil Guard.
Revio feels dread come over him.
Revio says, 'There's something really bad in here.'
You say, 'They do not seem to be moving.. They msut see us here, but..they are ju standing there'
Revio says, 'So what do we do?'
you say, 'What do you want to do?'
Revio says, 'I don't know.'
ou say, 'Are you not happy to marvel this place?'
Revio says, 'It is that!'
You say, 'Look at the stars in the ceiling.I coudl swear, that each of them has it's place. Carefully calclated, and meaningful.'
Revio says, 'I know. And that statue. It's all marble. And that window in the ceiling. It's just beautiful.'
You say, 'It is... But I expected more. I expectes....well, you knwo what I expected.'
Revio says, 'No, what?'
You say, 'Gold... Jewels...All that what I came here for. There is nothing to pick up hre. Absolutely nothing'
Revio nods.
Revio says, 'Well...What about that purple rug there?'
Revio kicks some of the detris from the rug.
Revio after clearing the rug as best as possible rolls the rug up.
You say, 'Revio...'
Revio says, 'What?'
You say, 'I am gogin to try to get through.'
Revio says, 'No, Ynel.
Revio says, 'You can't get past those things.'
You say, 'They just stand there. They don't move..Perhaps they are only lanterns'
Revio says, 'Probably because we're not close.'
Ynel tries to peer through te metal gate and down the hallway beyond
Revio puts his arms around her waist and holds tight.
Revio says, 'I won't let you.'
Ynel bites her lip and lowers her head
Revio says, 'There's no wealth worth losing your life over.'
You say, 'I know that you are right in this Revio... And I have only one life. It is difficult to choose between that...and the chanse. The chanse of a lifetime.'
Revio looks up.
Revio says, 'Ynel?'
Revio says, 'Do you think those stars are made of gold?'
You say, 'Oh! You mena...the ones in the ceiling!'
Revio says, 'Yes.'
You say, 'Hmm. they do look like metal.'
Revio says, 'Over here.'
Revio says, 'I'll hold you up and you look.'
Revio says, 'Get on my shoulders.'
Revio bends down and holds his hands up to Ynel.
Ynel gets arodun Revio's back, and puts her hands to the wall. She steps up on his shoulders and lets him lift her up.
Revio rises slowly.
Revio says, 'Can you reach?'
Revio gets on his tippy toes to help.
Ynel supports herself up the wall and reaches out to the sars at the brim of the ceiling. "Hmm. yes they are mtal. Possibly even gold." Ynel takes her dagger and begins yanking one of the stars off the marble
Revio says, 'Can you pry it out?'
You say, 'I ..think so!'
Ynel fidgets on his hsoulders, pulling and leveling the metal free from the stone where it is implented. 'There! One of the stars falls with a clang to the floor.
Revio steps to the right so she can reach another star
Revio says, 'If those are gold what would they be worth?'
You say "I do not know. They are rather heavy. I doubt that I can easily carry more than two." she looks at the rug. "You don't seriously plan to carry the rug out of here, do you? The rangers might get mad if they saw it."
Revio "It is just a rug, it's nothing."
You say. "But then they'll know that we've been here!" she thinks for a moment. "I know. We put these gold stars in the rug, and throw the load off the cliff, to the outside of the Walls of Annuminas. Then we will pick the bundle up at our own time."
Revio "Great idea"
They prepared the bundle, securing two golden stars that Ynel had reached off the ceiling, into the rug. Once the effort was done, they stopped for a moment to look aroudn once more.
You say 'So...we leave this place behidn then.'
REvio says 'Are you sad to leave such a dangerous place?'
You say 'I know I will likely never come back again. Have a good look now, while we are here.'
Revio put his arm aroudn Ynel's waist and looked. "It is great to have been here."
Ynel 'Then you can think of it in yoru old days, and know that you have been to the King's tomb.'
They stood there for a while longer, taking in the view. Then they left, as easily a they had come in, exept with their load of a rug with them. Going aroudn the corner, they reached the edge of the cliff on the lake-side without difficulties, and dropped the rug in a suitable spot in the lake below.
"We may have to borrow a boat to fish it up. We'll see."
They stood a while on the brim of the cliff, agaisnt the starlit sky and the black water extending into darkness below. Words were exchanged, gestures were passed, that are not for every reader's knowledge, but which each of you likely has some idea of. Tomorrow would set them back towards Bree, richer than they were when they left - in more than one ways.
