The Family Line Part 15 – For the Family

The Family Line Part 15 – For the Family

Theomin fell to his back. As he looked back up at the man who punched him as chaos erupted in the crowd. Keymel took the man and dragged him away. The little girl followed her father, grabbing at the guards and crying, “Stop! Stop!” Her tears were streaming down her dirty face, leaving trails of her clean face underneath. The guards took the little girl and the man away while the rest of the refugees were yelling at the guards and pleading to let him go.

High above the chaos, on the second level of the Hornburg, a girl was watching the little girl and her father being dragged away from the scene as Theomin was left lying on the ground. Keymel helped him up and patted him on the shoulder. The girl stood up and headed down the steps toward the two men.

A guard approached Theomin and looked at his jaw, which was already starting to show a bruise. “Are you okay, sir?”

Theomin grabbed his jaw and moved it left and right. “I am okay, thank you.”

The guard left his side toward the group of refugees that were dragged away. Keymel guided Theomin over to a wall as he sat Theomin down. Keymel knelt next to him and looked at Theomin again. “There is nothing there that a nice ale cannot fix.”

“I am done with drinking.” Theomin announced remembering the Elthengles.

Keymel nodded. “Do you want to tell me what that was all about?”

Theomin looked down with shame. He did not know what happened to the family but the advice he gave them seemed to turn out bad for them. “I met them in Woodhurst two days past. I told them to leave because I heard word of a revolution in that town. I know not what happened between now and when they arrived here but the little girl’s mother was not there. She was not with the refugees.”

Keymel looked blankly at Theomin. He knew not what to say. The girl that was watching them before approached the two. “I hear that was the right move, stranger.” Keymel and Theomin looked at her. She was dressed in dark clothes, sporting a crossbow and a quiver of arrows on her back. She was hooded, making her appearance that much more mysterious. She looked like a fragile thing but also like a fierce hunter. “From what I hear, Woodhurst has been over run, by whom I know not.”

“Does that make you feel better?” Keymel asked Theomin.

Theomin thought for a few moments. He shook his head. He thought he was doing them a favor but could it have been better in Woodhurst than out on the open planes of the Stonedeans? “I do not feel better. What did they face on their way to Brockbridge? Why are they here and not there?”

Keymel looked at Theomin and the girl. “I suppose there is only one way to find out.”

Theomin looked down. He knew, “We have to ask the father.”

“And I know where they are being held.” Keymel announced. “They are setting up in the Glittering Caves for the impending siege we all know is coming.”

The girl excitedly said, “Okay, let us see him.”

Throwing up his arm to bar her from continuing he told her, “You are not going anywhere. Thank you for your help but…”She grabbed his arm and swiftly unsheathed a small dagger holding it up to the side of his ribs, “…but if you would like to join us you are more than welcome.”

She removed her dagger, placed it in her sheath, “If I wanted your approval, I would have asked for it.”

He chuckled nervously, “Of course you would have. Hey, let us go see that family.”

The exchange brought a little light to the start of Theomin’s day. They continued down the stairs to the Deeping-Coomb and to the Glittering Caves. The walked through the gates from the inner wall, out through the gates toward the stairs. Down they went into the Deeping-Coomb and toward the mouth of the caves. Two guards stood watch there at the entrance.

One of the guards held up a hand, halting the three. “I cannot allow you to pass. The caves are only…”

The girl quickly took out her crossbow and at the guard’s head. Keymel drew his sword and slowly lowered her crossbow. “There are better ways of dealing with this, you know.” The girl looked at Keymel with disapproval but did nothing to stop him. “I am Keymel, Eomir’s lieutenant. I am here on special orders to receive word on the state of Rohan outside of Helm’s Deep.”

The guard moved to the side. “Why not say that then, shoot a bolt at my head?”

Theomin chimed in quickly, “She has had a bad day.” As they passed he whispered to the guard, “And I believe she has anger issues.” The guard snickered as the three proceeded into the cave. Inside was a wonder to be beheld. The caves lived up to their name. Glittering were the rocks around a lake flickering and reflecting the light from the caves as waterfalls broke through the ceiling and poured into the glittering cavern lake. The three looked around at the sides in awe of the majestic site.

“I have seen many beautiful things in Rohan,” Keymel announced, “but none are more spectacular than this.”

Theomin looked at Keymel, “I have to agree with you.”

The girl was silent, just looking around at the site. Her mouth was open, showing more emotion than they had seen from her. As they walked through the caves, her eyes were wide with wonder, amazed like a child seeing a rainbow for the first time.

“I think our companion is amazed with the caves.” Keymel mused.

She had no attempt to show objection like she had done twice before. She just looked around like every site was a never ending wonder, sometimes walking backwards, soaking in all the beauty of the glittering caves.

The three reached a small hill and at the top was the gathering of Rohan refugees. Theomin recognized the family of two right away. The little girl was rubbing her father’s head, gliding her hand over his hair, comforting him like he should be doing for her. The little girl seemed to have had to grow up in a very short amount of time.

The trio approached the father and his daughter. The daughter quickly retreated behind her father, fearing Theomin and the two others. The father just lied there, anger in his eyes, just looking at Theomin with a red hot hatred. “What do you want? Telling me to leave Helm’s Deep too?” he said with distain and pessimism.

Theomin knelt down next to the man, who seemed to be ruffed up by the guards of Helm’s Deep. “No, I came to know what happened to you and what happened out there?”

The man looked at his daughter. “Can you bring papa some water?” The little girl looked back at Theomin as she left. “You want to know what happened out there? Brockbridge was attacked by a mass of orcs no sooner than when we arrived.” He nursed a cut on his lip. “We and the small band of villagers from Brockbridge escaped toward Gapholt but were blocked by a band of roving wargs. So we headed south, hoping Marton was still standing. On the way we were attacked. There were thirty of us. My wife…” he paused. He was reliving what had happened in his head as he tried to fight back the tears yet could not. “My wife fell.” He covered his eyes and breathed in. “So many of us either died or were taken.” He removed his hands and looked up at Theomin, “Less than half of us made it here. Because we tried to make it to Marton after that. There was no hope in Marton. We just hoped that Helm’s Deep was still standing.” His daughter came with the water. “Now tell me,” he prompted Theomin, “Was it worth leaving Woodhurst?”

Theomin looked down. He could not stand the thought that he brought death to this man’s family. He just tried to help them but he destroyed them. He whispered with grief as a lump in his throat grew, “I am so sorry. I do not think it was. I tried to look out for you and your daughter but I…” a tear rolled down his cheek, “but I sent your wife to her death.” Both Keymel and the hunter girl looked at Theomin then down at the cave floor. Theomin looked at Keymel and the hunter girl, then back at the man. His thoughts were only about the family he had just destroyed. Then, he broke the silence, “I will find her for you. I will find your wife,” he looked at the little girl who was now starting to weep, “And I will find your mom. If it means my own life, I will find them.”

Theomin turned and left the astonished family behind. His two friends, who were just as astonished, looked at each other and then turned and followed Theomin. His quickened pace was difficult for the two friends to keep up with. He was determined with tears in his eyes. Rage boiled in his heart. He remembered the promise he gave to himself not to harm anything but he needed to find the woman. It was his promise and he was willing to even break his promise to himself to find her and bring her back, whatever state she was in.

“Okay,” Keymel tried to keep up with Theomin, “So you are wanting to find this lady.” Theomin in his quickened pace did not even respond to Keymel. “It is okay, you do not need to talk, but what you are thinking about is suicide.”

“I made it this far without being killed. I can find this lady.” Theomin spat out.

“I doubt you road the open planes of the Westfold. You do not know how is out there. I have seen terror and I have seen death out there and I tell you, it is not worth risking your life.”

Theomin stopped. “It is not risking my life? I told that family to go and they found not but death. That death is on me.”

“Okay,” Keymel looked at the girl then Theomin, “Then are coming with you.”

Theomin looked at Keymel straight in the eyes. “I will not risk two more lives to my mistakes.”

The girl spoke up, “We are not going because you want us to. We are going because we want to.”

Theomin looked at her, deep in the eyes, “I am not responsible for your fate. Whatever happens to you it is on your own terms, not mine.”

The three strode over to the stables near the main gatehouse of Helm’s Deep. From behind a man yelled out, “Eashae!”

The mysterious hunter girl, their companion, stopped. She shut her eyes in what looked like sudden fear. She turned to look at a man of Rohan. He had an aura about him that felt quite dark. He was a surely man with anger in his face. His movements were that of drunk anger. He grabbed the girl’s arm and threw her crossbow to the ground. “Get going and make me food, woman,” he said before he tossed her away from the stables. “Enough adventuring from you. You just do what little women should do. Cook and clean.”

Theomin and Keymel stole glances at each other before Keymel walked over and punched the man straight in the mouth. He fell on his back. Theomin knew what that felt like. The man sat up and spat out two teeth. “That,” Keymel pronounced to the man, “is for her.” He pointed the girl named Eashae. “I know not who she is to you but I have seen you about Helm’s Deep hitting her, kicking her, treating her like an animal. I know she is better off away from you.”

“Do not worry. Eventually you have to return to Helm’s Deep. When you do, watch your back.” The drunk surely man threatened.

Theomin took Eashae’s crossbow from the ground and handed it to her. He then walked over to the drunkard, “He is a lieutenant of Eomer, a rider of Rohan. If I were you, when Eomer comes to Helm’s Deep, and he will, you had better watch your back.

Eashae smiled. They mounted their horses and rode through the inner gate house, then the outer gate house through the Deeping-Coomb and out from Helm’s Dike into the dangerous reaches of Rohan.