The Family Line Part 1 – In the Wake of the Razing

The Family Line

Part 1 – In the Wake of the Razing

The clang of swords and deathly foul screams filled the night air. The horrifying noises were coming from Langhold, a small town in the Wold. Theomin and his family could not help but watch from a distance, terrified by the noises. Theomin felt sudden fear by the peculiar screams and a momentary glimpse of a dark winged beast before the backdrop of the night sky. He did not want to share his fear with his family with the hopes of not scaring his siblings.

No help, no aid came from Rohirrim horsemen that night. It looked as if they were on their own. What foul happening occurred in Langhold? They had, of course, heard rumors of ill tidings in Edoras with the king and his slithery advisor, but again, they were only rumors. Edoras was so far from the Wold, Theomin did not believe these foul things could come so close. But, here they were, watching the downfall of Langhold, watching in horror as this beloved town burned to cinders.

Theomins father, a strong man but just a meager farmer, patted his children on their heads. “We had better go inside. There is nothing we can do for Langhold tonight.” His children looked up at him, innocent fear was in their wide eyes as they clung to him. “I will travel to Harwick in the morning and find out what happened in Langhold.”

With that, the family retreated into their house for the night. The cries receded over the course of a half hour. Then it was silent. Theomin listened intently to hear any footsteps outside. No doubt his father was doing the same. No one came. All was quiet and eventually, Theomin fell asleep.

The next morning, Eölf, the patriarch of the family, had already gone to Harwick. Theomin had gone outside to look for signs of his father. He hadn’t come back yet. He must have still been in Harwick. Theomin decided to do some maintenance around the house while he waited for word from Harwick. Through the morning he worked hard on reattaching the shutters on the windows when he heard horse hooves thumping on the ground approaching the house. He looked out and saw his father returning from Harwick. A sigh of relief washed over him after what he witnessed the last night.

His father jumped off his horse and immediately headed inside, not even acknowledging his son. Theomin headed inside after his father, eager to hear news of Langhold. Inside, his mother, Eothea, was fixing an egg breakfast when she was interrupted by Eölf. She immediately paused as she and the rest of the family gathered to hear the news. They were never as interested in the news as they were at that moment.

“It is true, Langhold has fallen.” Eölf said grimly. “The thane has been slain and a good number of Langhold guards have either fallen or been taken captive.” Eothea had fallen on the closest chair. Theomin’s siblings looked anxious with fear, not knowing what this meant. “There is hope for the people of Langhold, though.” Eölf said with confidence. “A group of Langhold refugees has camped outside the city of Harwick. The Reeve is not allowing them inside the city, though. It is not too odd as his is not a trusting man.” Eölf, with concern, continued. “They are saying that brigands are responsible for the attack. I have never heard of the brigands being so brazen. So who leads them? Orcs? Goblins? Easterlings?”

Eothea looked up at her husband with concern. “What does this mean for us? What do we do?”

“Absolutely nothing.” Eölf said with absolute confidence. “We will continue every day like we have. This attack changes nothing. We had just better make sure we have a plan to keep ourselves safe. I have been thinking about digging a basement for just this reason. Perhaps it is time we get ourselves going on this task.” He looked at Theomin, getting ready to give commands to his son, “I need three shovels, plenty of rope, and two axes. We will need to dig into the earth just next to our home. I know the trees here in the Wold are few, but we will have to find some to cut up and erect poles inside the basement for stability. We will be safe if we are smart.”

Over the course of two days, the family dug from morning to night. Eölf, Theomin, and Eothea dug under the house as the younger
children transported the dirt away from the house. Later, they found trees to cut, creating polls and strung them together inside. By the end of the day, they looked as though they had been rolling through the mud like pigs. Pigs on a desperate mission.

Theomin was absolutely tired. His clothes were drenched in sweat. The dirt and sweat mixed together, creating a muddy outfit. His family was not much better. With shaky exhausted arms Eothea made potato stew with her last remaining strength while Theomin and his two brothers took a breather before going inside to eat. Later, the family ate in silence. Only the clang of the utensils hitting the bowls could be heard. The kids immediately hit their beds with a thud. Eölf, who by far worked the hardest, went right to bed. Only Eothea and Theomin stayed awake.

They headed out to look over the dark scenery of the Wold. They stared over to the Undeep. Flickering in the dark were the torches of the watch as the guards manning the Undeep kept vigilance over The Anduin, the Eastern Boarder of Rohan. It was eerily silent. Not even the sound of the cows grazing on the range could be heard.

“I have something to tell you.” Eothea said, shattering the silence. “It will not be easy to tell you but after what happened in Langhold, but I feel I must.”

Theomin looked at his mother, confused. Her head was down as if she kept something hidden for a long time. “Whatever it is, you can tell me, mother.”

She started, with quiet trepidation. “Your father and I vowed never to tell you. That we would take this to our graves. I was a firm believer in this secret until yesterday.” Eothea sighed and looked at Theomin. “We are not your true parents, Theomin.” She continued as the truth hit Theomin like the ground after falling off his horse. “You were given to us while you were still an infant. I only knew of this woman as from Langhold. If she made it out of Langhold and ended up in Harwick I know not.”

Theomin’s breathing became sporadic while he attempted to fathom the knowledge that was just presented to him. All he could mutter was, “okay.” He was not sure if it was “okay” that he heard the right thing or if he meant “okay” as if he was okay upon hearing this new knowledge.

“It doesn’t mean we love you less, Theomin.” Eothea tried to comfort Theomin, grabbing his shirt sleeve. “We love you just the same as our own children.”

“But that just it.” Theomin interrupted as he ripped his arm from his mother. “I know now that I am not your child.” He turned away from the woman he thought was his mother. “It would have been better if you had not shared this with me.” Then, with the final word and no thought behind it he said, “It would be better if you left me in peace.”

All Theomin heard was a silent protest then a sob, steps, and then a door open and close. He looked in the distance and started to compare his lot with that of the still smoldering corps of Langhold, the once proud city atop that picturesque hill.