Revelations

(These events follow on directly from Dead Man's Cloak - Xan's Humble Chronicler)

As Addiela made her way into the Rusty Barge to break the bad news to Nethrida, Ryn and Ane and Xandilif helped Kraddock prepare Septimal Caine’s body to be taken back to Minas Tirith, Finchley looked around for a way to make Nik more comfortable.

In no mood for any such activity, Eduwiges sat on the edge of the fountain, looking up at the sky and listening to the drone of the townsfolk as they discussed events and their new Mayor, Neth’s father Lindhard. Her hair hung down in pale wet tendrils as she simply tried to forget the events of the last few days, her mind drifting towards worry over Xanderian’s continued absense.

Standing near the other side of the fountain, Ordan, the former mayor or the town and one time member of the Blood Eye, was looking closely at the tall woman.

It didn’t take long for Eduwiges to feel his eyes upon her and she looked over at Ordan, her eyes already flashing with anger. 'You have something to say, blood man?'

To her surprise, Ordan nodded. “Edusomething you said your name was...from somewhere in the Norcrofts?'

Eduwiges sighed. “Look, you are way too old for me, and not my type….but I come from Faldham, what’s it to you?'

Ordan nodded as if something had been confirmed. "Should have seen it..ya look just like her back in the day.'

“Just like who?” Edu’s eyes narrowed.

The old man smiled. “Just like Rowenna...it’s the hair. Her’s was just like that…not white, but not exactly blonde either. Like new, clear wine.'

Eduwiges went deathly pale and all the color vanished from her face. “Rowenna? You knew my mother?' she asked in a whispery voice.

Ordan nodded and dug his pipe out of a pocket. "Mmmhmmm…When she weren’t much older than you...quite the looker she was, good hands too.'

Eduwiges stood up and walked over to Ordan, 'Choose your next words carefully old man.' Her sword, Badu Druit appeared like magic in her hands.

The old man looked shocked, but casually lit his pipe. "What's the fuss...there bad blood between you and her?'

'She died when I was very young. What did you mean by good hands?' Eduwiges stared menacingly into his eyes.

Ordan laughed, understanding. "Ahhh....nothing like that, Missy. I just mean she was a clever little cutpurse...she could strip a mark clean before he even finished tippin' his hat to her. She had a perfect smile for it, truth be told. You got her hair but not her smile. Ya got your daddy’s temper it seems though but you can save it, I've been threatened by professionals.”

For a moment she was tempted to test that, but then Eduwiges realized she had had enough that day and just shrugged her shoulders. She put up her sword and reached for her flask, draining the last of the mirorvor as she sat on the edge of the fountain beside him. 'You are telling me my mother was a thief? Seriously? Old man that is the worst pick up line I have ever heard.'

Ordan looked surprised. "She never told ya?'

'She died when I was three years old.” Edu looked away. “My father raised me.”

The old man nodded sadly. "I heard she was gone, sad she passed so young then and if Knockdoor raised ya by himself, that does explain a good deal.”

Eduwiges tilted her head, confused but intrigued. 'A knockdoor?'

“Ah those were days...” Ordan laughed. “…that's what folk called him, Knockdoor. One knock, no door…that was Alfara.'

Eduwiges stood, but rather than the menace she had had before, her voice had the quaver of a little girl, holding desperately onto a memory. “My father was a Thane….a Thane for Theoden-king.'

Ordan looked confused for a second, staring up at the powerfully built woman as her lip quivered slightly, her clenched fists shaking. "Ahhh? Well...alright then. Must be my mistake. Forget I said anything.' He rose to go but the woman stopped him.

Eduwiges poked the old man in the chest, rocking him backwards slightly. ”NO, you started this, now finish it! My father was in the service to the King. He was sent to Faldham on the King’s business, he rode with the Elfgard, I know this to be true because I lived it...he fought with Elfhelm himself! They buried him with honors!” Her voice grew louder, more adamant as she spoke, attracting attention.

Ordan nodded softly, more and more moved by the young warrior before him despite himself. "That mighta been, he was always a fine man in a fight. And glad ta hear of the honors he earned…but that ain’t all Alfara Knockdoor was, and it weren’t the only dice he had in the game., Thane or no Thane.”

Eduwiges sighed and sat back down as somewhere in her mind the blood stones she had found in his gear long ago and her father’s mysterious fate began to come together. 'What do you know of my mother? Did you know her well other than her, uhm, having good hands?' Eduwiges blushed despite herself.

Ordan raised both eyebrows. "OH, I thought that was what you were getting all bent about...no, she was a sweet girl, but can’t say we ever passed any time in that way...she was awful stuck on Alfara, even when I first met her, and any fool that sought to make time with Alfara's girl...well...they didn't live long. Besides, he was my friend...they both were.'

Calming, Eduwiges asked, 'What was she like?'

Ordan sat forward on the edge of the fountain and puffed on his pipe, remembering. "A sweet girl...clever, quick. Pretty as the dawn but knew how to not be seen when she wanted which is a rare talent in a beautiful girl. I can’t say I knew her well, she wasn’t gonna tell me her secrets and I wasn't askin'...but she was a good hand to have on a job and I liked her.'

Edu watched him intently. 'Was this in Edoras? My father said she was from Edoras.'

Ordan shook his head. "No, I never traveled that way myself...that was not my territory….and as for where she was from, ask a grifter that question three times, ya get four answers. She may have been from Edoras, or she may not have been. She was a Rohan lass though, she had the hair and skin and that god awful accent. A lot heavier than yours. Some of the boys could barely understand her…'

Eduwiges frowned softly, 'Well then where did you meet them?'

“Ost Rimmon…” He took another puff. “That was where the Blood Eye started, and they would come around to bring swag and information to the Boss....for a few years, a pretty coin was made off gear he would bring in, mail and swords and saddles...until the Doves caused trouble.'

Ordan looked up at the sky, remembering. "Alfara was always a favorite of Sarick's...I was awful surprised when he stayed on after the Angmarim closed their fist.'

Eduwiges looked blank and a bit sick. “Who is Sarick? What are the doves? What in Bema's name does Angmar have to do with anything?' She tried to drink from her flask again but it was empty. The tavern was beckoning but so was her shadowy past. For now, the past won.

Ordan looked a bit concerned..."Knockdoor really told you nothing? Well...not sure it is my place then.' He started to rise again.

Eduwiges stopped him, her voice taking on a soft pleading tone, 'Look you, my parents are dead, you are here, so it IS your place. They....they never told me any of this, I don't know why.' Her face softened, 'Please? If you don’t tell me, I may never find out, may never really know what.…' She stopped herself before a tear could escape.

Moved, Ordan nodded, speaking slowly. "Sarick was the boss, founder of the Blood Eye...decent man, stood by his word in any weather, good to have at your back....excellent operator with a lot of charm. Sure he was a cut-throat, but he was my friend and he never did the dirty by me, I can't ask more of a man. Under Sarick, the Blood Eye did well, a bit too well if ya follow...it attracted attention. It is never good practice for a thief to attract attention. Plus some of the underbosses, Alfara among em, got just a touch too greedy. There was a problem, a battle went south and the horselords noticed their armories were getting a bit drafty so they raised an alarm....long and short is Gondor got annoyed, sent in the Doves. They were a bunch of knights, sort of like that one-eyed dragon and your dead friend, but they were told to deal with crime....meaning us. The heat got to be too much, and we were near to breaking up and scattering. We needed help. So Sarick made a deal with Angmar....a deal Alfara helped broker, using some contact of his...a slimy rat called Erach.'

Eduwiges went completely pale again, 'What did you say? What was that name?'

Ordan grimaced. 'Erach...typical of those Angmar types, more twisted then an orge's short hairs...I knew it was a bad business, but we were up against a wall.'

Eduwiges shook her head, having trouble processing that Erach was involved. 'Elbereth!'

Ordan continued. 'It all went downhill from there...before too long, Sarick was gone and Angmar called the shots, Alfara slipped out of Edoras with Row, and from what I heard a baby girl, set up in the Croft, running his same grift...selling arms, moving goods, breaking legs and keeping up appearances.'

Ordan paused and sighed. "The Blood eye started cause we were sick of taking orders from the high and mighties, wanted to be masters  of our own fates...now from what I seen, they just take orders from different High and Mighties, and ain't masters of nothing...typical.'

Eduwiges slid down from the fountain to the ground and put her back to the side of the stone. She looked at Ordan, eyes wide, adrift in ways she had never been before. 'How can this be? My father was honored by the Elfgard, I saw this with my own two eyes. He was sent to help protect Faldham...'

Ordan patted Edu's hair. "I told ya...he was a good man, a dependable man...and damn good at what he did....if he wanted to, he could have convinced an Orc-lord that he was just a short Uruk with a skin condition and the monster would have made him his number two….he was that believable when he started spinning a tale.'

Eduwiges climbed to her feet, not sure what to believe anymore. She just stood there, silently listening to the fountain, trying to put it all together.

Ordan rose as well and reached up to pat Edu on the shoulder. “We all come from something girl...and if I had ta pick, I would say Alfara and Row were better than most, whatever mistakes he made. I was sorry ta here they turned on him in the end.'

With a start, Eduwiges looked at Ordan, her voice grew harsh and suspicious again. 'What do you know about that?'

Ordan shrugged sadly. "Just scuttlebutt...I still got some connections in the Blood Eye, thought not enough it seems as Yula took me by surprise. I heard it from Dee, that Alfala wanted out after all that time, seems they finally found a gig he wouldn’t run...and the flint-eyed bastards did for him.”

Eduwiges asked slowly, 'Who is Dee?

Ordan smiled. "Daedre, one of the last of the old timers left...rum girl. She keeps her fingers in the pot cause someday, she intends to get revenge for what they did to Sarick...'

Eduwiges nodded, 'And where is Dee? I reckon Sarick was killed like my father was?'

Ordan looked down grimly. "Killed? No...not really....and Dee moves about, never know where she'll turn up. She prefers it that way.”

'Surely you have some idea.” Edu was not going to let that go.

The old man just shook his head. "Nope..not a safe pastime, prying into Dee's business. I wouldn’t recommend it.'

Eduwiges sighed to herself, 'Hmmph, at least I have a name and an idea...I dont know what to say to all of that. I suppose I should be thanking you.'

Ordan shrugged. "It don’t really change much at all...we are who we are in the end.'

Eduwiges looked sadly at Ordan then walked towards the tavern, seeking more grog and a chance to sort out all she had just heard. She passed Finchley who didn’t even notice her, distracted after tucking Nik into a bed she was not at all sure was good enough. Ordan shrugged and nodded to Finchley but was soon drawn away by townspeople who were still seeking to understand the day’s events.

As the dark haired girl came to the fountain, Leon moved closer and watched her, seeming to studying her. “So....your name's Finchley, eh?'

Finchley seemed to wake up, looked to Leon and nodded. "Aye. Just Finchley... I'm guessin' from what you said of this place, you ain't been to Gondor before?"

Leon shook his head..."No, never. To be honest, I am not supposed to be here. That's why I am."'

Finchley tilted her head a bit. "Oooh, I think I get it." She winked and lifted a hand to her mouth and whispered, or at least she thought she was whispering. "So you're on the run? I have to ask; you wouldn't happen to have a nasty spirit called Mans stuck inside you right now, would you?"

Looking a bit taken aback, Leon shook his head again. "No spirits...I am pretty careful about that. And I am not on the run per se…I came here because I am supposed to be doing a job on the other side of the Greenswath....but I out smarted myself I think.'

Finchley smiled, satisfied. "Sorry, had to ask. We're in a bit of an... unusual situation here…But nevermind that. What sort of job, if you don't mind me askin'? Someone ask you to do somethin' dangerous or not right?"

Leon looked at Finchley, eyes and voice level and matter of fact. "I am supposed to kill you and bring part of you back to Angmar."'

Finchley froze and simply stared at Leon for a moment before practically jumping into a standing position, walking backwards away from him while gripping at one dagger, sheathed on her belt still. "... N-No. No you are not gonna kill me."

The old man did not move, and mainly looked weary. "No...no I am not going to kill you. I was told to find you around Breeland...so I came here....and what do I find? The Cenotaph I was sent to find...Cinder is a fickle thing.'

Finchley pulled her dagger from her belt and held it out in front of herself defensively. "... I dunno anythin' about a Ce-no-taph. Or a Cinder." She backed away another step but spun the dagger in her hand, showing a skill she had not had long ago in Bree. "Who told you to find me? Folks in Angmar? Are you a slaver? Why change your mind?"

Leon looked even more tired. "So many questions…which first? Well, a Deacon of the Unkindled sent me to stop the Necromancers of the Unsealed from gaining the Cenotaph, which as far as they could see would likely require killing the Cenotaph and bringing the Cursemark of the Tribute Infernal back to the Lords of Cinder for them to use as a way to put the Unsealed in their place...and the Cenotaph was called Finchley, being you.'

Leon nodded as if this made it all clear and waited. However, Finchley furrowed her brows and looked more confused than afraid after his speech. "I... know nothin' of any of this. But whatever it all means, I'd appreciate if you didn't call me a Cenotaph. My name is Finchley." She stayed in place this time and only lowered her dagger a little. "But you said you weren't gonna do all this. Why?"

Leon didn’t not seem concerned by the dagger, taking out a bit more of the jerky and chewing it. "I don’t take their orders anymore, but they assume I do....what can they do, kill me? They are welcome to. You really know nothing of this? You are quite the company… A Spark with no clue about Cinder....a Cenotaph unaware of their Cursemark. What’s next? A wight that believes he just has a bad cold?'

Finchley just stared at Leon some more and her gaze grew somewhat sad. "You shouldn't say it like that. Talkin' like your life ain't important or that you don't care about it." She sighed and resheathes her dagger, running a hand through her short hair. "All these words your sayin', I can understand them but they don't mean anythin' to me save for one. Yeah, I guess this brand is sort of a cursed mark," she whispered to herself. "So what are you gonna do then? Roam around everywhere and hope they don't find you?"

Leon shrugged, the question had never occurred to him. "Well. I am not sure now.'

Finchley stepped closer to Leon and looked down at him with a mixture of caution and something akin to pity. She felt a deep sadness in him that she couldn’t explain yet. "...Well, I ain't one to run from things. If I ask you a million questions about this and that so I can understand all those words you've said, would you answer them? And if I asked you to stay with us so I can ask you those questions, you won't change your mind and kill me?"

Leon looked at Finch and smiled. "I won;t kill you....you seem very nice. Ask what you want....I will try to answer, Greenswather.'

Finchley pressed her free hand to her mouth to stifle a gigglesnort. "Okay, first question right off the cuff. What is a Greenswater? You can call me by name, Mister Leon."

"Greenswather, one who lives in the Greenswath...” Leon shook his head. “You people don’t even know where you live? All these lands, are the Greenswath.'

Finchley looked around. "If you're referrin' to color, I suppose it's pretty green. At least in spring and part of summer. And some places, like the Shire, it's green almost the whole year 'round... But ain't no one call it Greenswath. Different places have different names and such... I ain't-- Well, I guess I can't say I've never been to Angmar. But I don't remember it. I'm guessin’ it ain't very green?"

Leon shook his head. "I have never seen green save for when I came down into the Swath on business.'

Finchley frowned in sympathy, unable to imagine never seeing green things. "Well that's a cryin' shame. You've missed out. Lots of pretty things are green. It's my favorite color but more questions later. Since you said you'd answer 'em, I think you should stick by me for awhile. Only... That means you've gotta tell my friends what you've told me. Or I can... Is that okay?"

Leon nodded. "Either way is fine..but for the moment, your friend the Spark is about to open....and that will be bad.'

Finchley looked confused but then offered Leon a hand up. "I ain't understandin' any of that but if you say it'd be bad then maybe we should go fix it. Uhh, and, just in case, don't think of tryin' anythin'." She pointed to where Lif was with Kraddock. "See that elf over there? She's really great but she'll kick your arse if you try anythin'."

Leon nodded. “I had noted the Quendach is your servant. I wish no conflict, for Cinder has clearly guided me here...'

Finchley gigglesnoted at the thought of Xandilif as her servant, leading Leon towards the Rusty Barge. “She’s not my servant, whatever a Quendach is…she’s my friend Mister Leon, you got those in Angmar don't ya…but anyway….lets get Spark stopping, or whatever. Hopefully Addie has finished…well…what she went to do.”

Finchley winced as she heard raised voices from the tavern. "Sounds like she hasn’t yet...."