Our Most Beloved Star by Uvatha the Horseman

The First Night of Captivity

After five days of hard riding, they turned onto a path so narrow it could never be called a road, as it was only wide enough for the horseman to ride in single file. They didn't pass a village or even a small hamlet. There were no other houses, only the looming forest.

Hours later, the path opened up onto a small clearing. A great manor house rose from its center, two stories in height. Stone chimneys towered above the ends of each of several wings, and diamond-paned glass filled the windows. The house was surrounded by outbuildings including stables, dog kennels, and smoke houses. As far as he could tell, there were no other people around.

They entered the clearing and the dogs began to bark.

Maglor looked uncertain. "What are we going to do with them?"

"Lock them up somewhere until we figure it out. Maybe the spring house. It's stone, and it doesn't have windows," said Maedhros.

They're not going to separate us. Elrond relaxed slightly.

Maedhros lifted Elrond under the arms and a soldier reached up to receive him. Beside him, Maglor was handing Elros to another soldier.

A small stone structure occupied the lowest slope in the clearing. They move toward it. The ground was damper here. They slipped on the steeper parts, and the mud sucked at their boots.

The eaves of the spring house almost touched the ground and thick patches of moss on its roof covered the slates. The planks of the hatch had rotted from damp.

Someone produced a key. The hatch swung open, releasing a wave of damp. Elrond twisted away and tried to breath through his mouth.

"Inside." Maedhros pointed to the yawning door.

Elros ducked inside and Elrond followed. The door slammed closed, leaving them in darkness. The key clicked in the lock and the voices retreated.

Elros threw himself against the door. "Let us out!"

A line of daylight showed around the edge each time he hit the door, but the lock didn't yield.

Details of their prison began to emerge in the dimness. Light came in between the rafters and the top of the wall, and reflected from a pool of water at the far end of the structure. It looked bottomless in the dim light, but it was probably knee-deep, with shelves for eggs and butter.

After what seemed like a very long time, a serving woman brought a tray of food, mild, buttered bread, and a couple of apples.

"It's dark and damp in here."

"When can we get out?"

The old woman ignored them. She set the tray on the dirt floor, then pulled the door shut behind her. Elrond picked up a piece of bread but returned it to the plate, untouched.

"What's the matter. Aren't you hungry?" asked Elros.

"My stomach won't eat." Elrond hugged his knees and stared into the darkness.

When the light began to fail, the serving woman came back with some blankets, then left without a word.

Elrond wrapped himself in the scratchy wool and used his arm as a pillow. The damp from the dirt floor soaked through at his hip and shoulder. He lay in the darkness, his stomach in a knot.

"Elros, are you awake? What do you think they'll do to us?"

"If they were going to kill us, they'd have done it already."

"But they seem so angry. At least Maedhros does, and he's in charge."

"They want the Jewel and they're mad because they didn't find it. It has nothing to do with us," said Elros.

Elrond dozed, but he woke when Elros whimpered, "Mamma! Mamma!" in his sleep. Elrond bit his lip against tears.