She Returns

[Morwen]

A figure shrouded heaveily in black hunched over the inn table as if with age and cold. There was nothing to distinguish the vistor from any other traveller. They were complelty ordinary.
But for thier presance.
The stranger could not hide that, it made people look twice.
Whenever one did approch the strangers table they would be asked in a husky voice about the situation in Rhun; to a casual observer it would seem nothing out of the ordianry.
But for the brown eyes that flashed from under the hood occasionaly; full of a sharp intelligance and power.

The stanger had come in secret; travelling tirelessly from the far north till she reached this humble in. She was here for a perpose; for power and more importantly for revenge. But for the moment information would serfice.
Hadn't the Nazgul Lord taught her that in her long absance; knowledge is power.

They watched as a man entered the tavern. He was cloaked as any normal man would be and seemed as inconpiciouse as her. But she knew that walk, knew that way of standing. She would see where his loyalty's now lay. His mode of dress was nothing to go by, she knew that well. In Rhun things were not aways as open and honest as they seemed. She had learnt that to her cost.

The man at the bar called him Morhin; but she knew as well as he that that was not his name.

[Morhin]

Rawhide sliped into the tavern walked over to the bar. The Inn Keeper was a friend of his, on he could trust. "Old Timer. What is the latest rumor going around?" He asked. The old man poured two mugs of ail and set on in frount of Rawhide. "Oh, the usal. The latest fasion seems to be old solder garb. The price of ail is up becasue of the bad drought we had this year." He looked around to make sure that no one else was lesioning and said, "Morhin, there is talk that the Tatteyen have found themselfs a new Queen. One of royal blood. They're just waiting for the chance to aproch you. Several Rhun lords have implyed that they would help them take you down. Others, who fear you, said that they will not get in their way, and even give them support if they win. I tell you Morhin, Rhun looks like its on the verge of a civle war."

Rawhide took a drink of his ail and thought about this. This was nothing new to him. Most of the lords hated him because he would not give up the throne to anyone he thought to be enfereor. But this news of the Tatteyen finding a new queen troubled him. That is just what he needed, another claim to the throne. As of now though, nobody could oppose him. All the armies of Rhun were behind him. But he had heard that some of the Chapters were uneasy. They were begining to question his clame to the throne. Though Rawhide had never claimed the throne for himself, he did it just to keep someone else from getting it untill he found someone he could serve.

He glanced around the Inn. Men having a drink after a hard day in the feilds. Solders flirting with serving wenches. A couple tables with just on occupant. People who wanted to be left alone. Rawhide found one such person was watching him. For all aperences, it looked like just another weary travaler. Except the eyes. Rawhide felt his skin craw. Those eyes were sharp and calculating, the kind of eyes of a assassign. He put a hand on the handle of his whip. Come on, he though to himself. Make a move. I haven't had an assassignation attemp on me for over a week. I'm ready for anything you've got. Slowly, Rawhide set his mug down and walked over to the strangers table. "Hello stranger." He said, but there was nothing friendly in his voise. "Where have you travled from?" His hand was still grasping the handle of his whip, ready to put his mark on another assassign.

[Morwen]

"The north" was the cryptic repsonse he got for his pains.
Come on Rawhide, lets see where your alligance really lies.
Her voice was husky and guteral; neither the voice of a man or woman. no part of her but her glittering eyes could be seen. There was nothing recogniseable about her to the queen of Rhun. She supressed a chuckle at the site of his hand on his whip; it would cause her disguise problems if he chose to use it against her, but she knew he was no match for her.
"My master has an intrest in Rhun, he heard it was leaderless and sent me to discover if this were true?"

Will you proclaim yourself as ruler Rawhide? Stealing my throne? Will you name my Tatteyen sucessor? For i know it was them that killed my son and tried to kill me...maybe it was you that sent them after me, they've converted those that hated them many times before now. Or are you still loyal to the woman who gave you power? Who do you serve Rawhide? Me? Yourself?...Them? Her dark eyes glittered coldly with suspision.

[Morhin]

Rawhide stared the hooded figure uneasaly. He had hope to learn something from just hearing the figure speak. But the voice was not that of a man, or a woman. He had to check himself when it spoke of Rhun being leaderless. It is only leaderless because I can't control it. The military is my realm, not polotices. Rawhide said, "Your master has been missinformed. I have searved as a solder of Rhun for many years and I know that we are not leaderless." He did not reveil to this creature that he was the leader. Perhaps if he could find out who this 'master' was, then he could prepare Rhun for an attack. If someone saw Rhun as a ripe place for picking, they would be very disapointed.

"The Grand Warmaster Rawhide is our leader, ever since the disaperance of our Queen." Rawhide paused, he wasn't sure why he had said that, but it was comon knowledge so it couldn't hurt. There were many rumors going around about what had happened to her, and this figure probably already heard two or three diffrent stories. "The Warmaster belives that she was attacked by the Tatteyen. And he will not submit to their claime to the throne." He paused a moment, thinking back. "I know that I will never submit to the Tatteyen. They murdered my father, and have tryed to kill me several times. The Grand Warmaster will not bow to them. He loves Rhun. The only thing that would make him step down would be if our Queen returned."

Rawhide decided that if he was going to get anything out of this cloaked and hooded figure he would have to reveal his name. Luckly, he had two names. "I am Morhin, Commander of the Black Dragons Chapter." At the mention of his name, several men around the tavern got up and left. Morhin watched them go. They were afraid, good. Fear would keep them away long enough for him to find out what he needed to know. The only ones left in the Inn were the Inn Keeper, and three older men whome Morhin knew. Turning back to the figure, Morhin said, "Now perhaps you would care to tell me who you are and who your master is." He then pulled out his whip and cracked it once. He eyes were hard and his voice deadly cold. "Before I deside that you are a spy and have you executed."

[Morwen]

A laugh rang though the tavern. "Very good Morhin, or should I call you Rawhide hmmmm?" The laugh again; still revealing nothing of her sex. "You were never a good lier; if your going to take on an alias then don't take important facts from your real identity. I find it hard to belive that two men of Rhun's army would hate the Tatteyen becuase they killed thier fathers." She stood up, she was shorter than he, but even under her ragged cloak; though that too hide her gender and identity could not hide the fact she was trained for battle and constantly alert.

"However; if you had been recruited by the Tatteyen then you would have become a better lier. So i'l belive you on that account." Her eyes glittered coldly and the was the flash of keen steel beneath the cloak. "But now you rule this land in the stead of a probebly dead Queen. And will do anything to defend that? Do you love power Rawhide? Has it crept into your soul and corrupted you as it did the royal house of Rhun? I know its harder to corrupt an elf...but your only a half breed" she circled him slowly goading him on

"Your no match for me Morhin, however hard you may train you are too trusting in your enemy to play by the rules, never trust anyone, especially those close to you."
Sereghin...my sister...my betrayer....you joined those that sought my death and killed those i loved most dearly...have you become like her Rawhide? The long dagger shot out of the cloak as she continued to circle him; but it was held loosely. It was a threat. She was not going to attack unless provoked.
"I'm sure you've gathered by now that no one sent me here...and that i am no spy. I would advise you to pick your answeres carefully or the only thing that you belive stands between the Throne and the Tatteyen will be lyeing dead at my feet."

[Morhin]

Rawhide froze. His mind was so confused at this strange turn of events that his body wouldn't funtion. Slowly, he got his mind and body back under control. So, this.... thing knew who he really was. Knew more about who he was than anyone else in Rhun. That bother him greatly. Trying to keep himself from lowering his guard, he steped back and pulled out his large elven knife. "I was raised never to lie." he replyed coldly. He watched the hooded figure as it slowly circled him. He was on his guard for any kind of attack.

The questions the figure asked almost made him freeze up agian. But this time he was ready for it. "I have never loved, nor wanted power. But it has been given to me anyway. I never wanted to rule, that was why I begged our Queen to return. I cannot handle both the Military and the Econimy." A half-elf?There are few in Rhun that know that. Just who are you? He thought.

This things knowledge of Rhun, the knowledge of his life, the confedence that it was so much more powerful than him; there was only one person that Rawhide knew of that would know so much. But why would she...? Two things came to his mind, Eather that is Morwen and she's testing my loyalty. Or that is a Tatteyen and is trying to kill me. Rawhide acualy smiled as he steadied himself for an attack. Eather I'm going to die, or I'm going to find my queen. Both ways work for me. Rawhide raised his knife in a salute and said, "Your eather a Tatteyen come to assassignate me and claime Rhun's throne. Or your Morwen, the rightful Queen of Rhun. Eather way, the throne is not my problem anymore." With that, Rawhide attacked. Only one woman had beaten him in single combat. He silently prayed that she hadn't lost any of her skill.

[Morwen]

As he attacked she allowed herself a breif smile before kicking a table up into his face, her speed had only increased while she was gone. You can't live with a Nazgul and not force yourself to reach your full potential and above...otherwise you get killed. Her own dagger was at his neck and she stood pressed behind him. She leaned foreward and whispered in his ear. "No war now Morhin...thankyou for being loyal to me." The dagger was withdrawn as quickly as it had come and he was pulled into a tight embrace. "I missed Rhun Morhin; you have no idea how much i'v wanted to return."

She stepped away and shethed her sword pulling her cloak off and sat down again at the table. Morwen shook out her hair and looked over at the men in the couner. "I hope you trust these men Rawhide? I don't want anyone knowing i'm back....i want my enemies caught and dead." A harsh tone came into her voice.

"They ambushed me Rawhide. They forced Bamini to commit suicide to save me, they took my royal jeawls and my memory. I have only just regianed it." She did not mention the part Ratha had played; still played. She had the feeling he would not approve; and she needed his help. "I want the Tatteyen caught and made to suffer what i have suffered." She smiled at him. "But enough of revenge and sadness. Tell me how Rhun has been getting on?"

[Morhin]

To his amazment, and uter joy, almost faster than his eyes could follow, the figure had it's dagger against Rawhide's throught. When the figure spoke, he finaly reconized the voice. A voice he had longed to hear again. It was his Queen. He returned her sudden embrace. It was the same emotion he felt in his heart. Then, just as quickly as it came, Rawhide pushed it aside and moved his right fist to his left shoulder, bowing to one knee as he did so. "Morwen, My life is at your disposal. Command me my Queen." said Rawhide as he blinked back a single tear of joy.The other men in the tavern, though old, knew their queen by sight and mimic Rawhide's movements. "They are old solders of Rhun my Queen." Rawhide said. "I've trusted them with my life before. They will not reveal your idenity to anyone." A sudden though came to him. "Old Timer! Check around the Inn. Make sure that there are none watching. Then send someone to Commander Boris. Tell him to prepare his Chapter and to send a squad of his best men to await me outside of town. Say nothing of Morwen." The old men bowed again and hurried off. Rawhide noted that they moved like young solders rather than old men at the appearence of their Queen.

Rawhide burned inside at hearing what had happened to Morwen. "There is no curse in any language I know that would show the magniture of this." His temper almost got the better of him. But Morwen's smile and words allowed him to get his anger under control. With a sigh, Rawhide spoke. "Several lords of Rhun have been questioning my right to rule. Though I have only claimed the throne to prevent the Tatteyen from taking it, many see this as me making a grab for power." He paused and shook his head. "Only the armies of Rhun support me. But a few Chapters are begining to doubt my claimes. The Tatteyen have aproched me and say that they have one of royal blood that is the rightful heir to the throne, but they have not given me a name nor have brought this person before me." He looked at Morwen again and smiled. "But now you have returned. At long last, the Queen of Rhun has returned."

[Morwen]

Morwen smiled touched by thier loyalty. "Be sure this shall not be forgotten. Anything you wish for will be yours when I have restored Rhun." Her smile was that of a mother, kind and loveing. "Those you trust Rawhide; I shall trust." She watched with intrest as the old men ran to do his bidding and help her. She had not expected such loaylty from her people. In her long abasnace she feared they would turn back to the ways of corruption and would support the Tatteyen who had once ruled them and still carried such power. She wondered who this Commander Boris was; it was not a name she remembered. But much time had passed and he may have risen in rank while she was wandering memoryless around Middle Earth.

"Be sure Rawhide I would have returned before now if i had known to. But when i lost my memory i lost my identity as well...and then those that helped me retive it expected...'payment'." She said with slight distaste And I shall always be paying him. The more powerful i become the more his intrest in me will grow. She shook her head slightly and moved on from her gloomy thoughts.
"But sit with me Rawhide. Now i am here we can reclaim Rhun for herself. So Rhun is currently under a military dictatorship; i presume our forign policy is all but dead then." She laughed. "Who are our allies, who our enemies, what wars are we fighting?" Morwen was back with a rengance. Not for her the celebratory reunion; that would come when the battle was over.

"Who is Rhun will support me? I need to know if i have the commen people, the army at my back. Whitch Lords will welcome me and whitch are the Tatteyen's own? How many will dispute my claim and will have to be...persuaded?" she sighed. "Rhun has never before been in this situation. Always the young have killed the old ruler and taken power themselves. It is be or be killed for the young nobels. Now we have the old ruler come back seeking rengance, the young looking for power, and the Tatteyen seeking to destroy the sytem utterly."

"I am intrigued by this 'rightful heir'. The very way Rhun is ruled stops there from ever being a rightful heir unless I named them so. Royal blood is eaiser to come by, but i am intrigued non the less" What he had said made her all the more determined that her course of action was the right one. She could not blaze in and take thr throne once more; first she must work in secret. She had taken the Throne useing her assasins skills once before, it seemed those same skills must be used again.

[Morhin]

"They were solders when you first took the throne." Rawhide said. "They saw your strenght and hard determination. That is how most of the solders are." He smiled. "I made it a point to visit ever Chapter over the last few years. They see me not only as their commander, but a fellow solder. I fought with them, on the frount lines, and because of that I have their loyalty and respect." Rawhide answerd Morwen's unspoken question. "Commander Boris was the Lt. of the Black Dragons when you first gave me command of them." His smile faded as he remembered what had happened. How Krait and Sereghin had almost killed him.

Rawhide sat down beside her and tryed to answer her questions. There were many. So of which he had never even thought about during his five years as leader of Rhun. Just goes to show that I my strenght is in running an army, not a country. He thought to himself. "I have made no alies." He said shamefully. "I did march to Angmar several months ago. The lord of Angmar sent me a message saying he wanted Rhun for an alie. Cureous, I marched off with three Chapters." Rawhide hung his head. "I foolishly got involved in a scermish with the Riders of Rohan. Their numbers and horsemenship cost me almost half the men I took. Angmar sent no help, so I left." He pounded his fist on the table, angry at himself for waisting his the lives of his men.

After a moment, Rawhide collected himself and continued. "The elves of Lindon aproched me and asked if they may travle Rhun and search for other elves that may be in Rhun. Since the Elves first awoke in Rhun long long ago, they belive that there may be some still here. I granted them leave to travle through Rhun, as long as they made no trouble. I have assigned a commany to watch them, but I don't think that they are spies. If I have acted wrongly, I am sorry."

Rawhide thought for a moment. "The militray is behind you, that I know. The common foke I think would follow you. They know how cruly the Tatteyen are. But they do fear them. They may support them out of fear of retrobution. The lords..." Rawhide shook his head. "Only one or two do I trust. Four others sway with what the majority opinion is. The rest are power hungry fools. They would like nothing more than for me to be killed and for themselfs to fill in the position."

Rawhide was also cureous about this heir the Tatteyen claimed they had. Though he had never really thought about it, Rawhide wondered just how many Royal Blood lines there were. He turned back to Morwen and asked. "What are you planing?"

[Morwen]

"You did not do wrongly, familly is important, and if it means the Light Nations think of us as peaceble more the better for when we attack. As to the lack of allies that is no problem. I can gurentee that Forodwaith will support us....or Ratha knows i shall try and kill him and he'l have lost me...our 'freindship' as he calls it is tenouse....as for the skirmish with Rohan that is unfortunate. Very unfortunate. However it means we can co-erce Agmar into a strong alliance with them. We lost men for them and they did not help. In future though I do not expect us to lose." She gave him a hard look. It was clear that her excile had forced her to become a harder person. Failure would be tolerated with less patince than it had been. But then she smiled and turned her mind to the task in hand.

"I am confidant in the people, plus i have some mesures that I think should win them over. Of course if i need to then i shall settle for takeing Rhun by streaghnth alone and winning the people back later. I know that with you I have the military, they shall be important. Make contact with those Lords you trust, have them meet with me.Those that are undecided I shall have to buy over, thraten, or simplely hope they follow me. The rest..." she laughed "Well they sound like normal Rhunish aristocracy. They will fall into line quickly enough, though some may challange me I think I can still beat them, plus they are not expecting a liveing ruler. If they oppose me too strongly they shall be killed." she finished curtly.

"Sinply; get as much support in secret now as I can, from the Lords, the army, and those of the people we trust. Find out as much about the Tatteyen as is possible. I want to know who thier leader is once and for all, thier movements, how i can get to them. Make contact with the Tateyen, say you are resigning the Throne becuase you cannot handel the diplomatic side and know that they are the best. Let them make a move towards instateing thier own person and I shall declare myself openly and kill every Tatteyen I find. Hopefully i will not have to kill to many of my own people in the process. I shall execute every Tatteyen member; blood will flow, more than i would like. But it is nessery." she finihsed with a sigh

[Morhin]

"I will not fail you again." Rawhide said. The defeat from the Rohirrim had bothered him greatly. The next time they fought, it would be there blood that softened the ground. He was cureous what Morwen had been doing in Forodwaith, but decided that if he was to know that she would tell him.

When Morwen said that she would destroy the Tatteyen, Rawhide had to wonder about her change. Years ago when we were betrayed by Sereghin I begged you to let me destroy the Tatteyen. But you had said that they were nessisary. Nessisary for what? To kill you and the dragon and throw Rhun into a civle war? But he decided that Morwen had been through enough did not need a reminder. But something about the Tatteyen bothered him. "Morwen, why didn't they just kill me after they tryed to kill you. Killing both of us would have been the easyist way to take the throne. But instead, they attack you, leaving you to wander and leave me to command Rhun. By not attacking me right off, they gave me time to win the hearts of the military. Something is amiss." Rawhide thought a moment then asked, "Do you know who is the leader of the Tatteyen?"

[Morwen]

"Huh" It was a point she had not considered, so busy had she been with thinking how best to reclaim the Throne that she had lost that she had not given full thought to all thier actions.
"That is true; though I would not be overly surprised if thier scouts lied and they belive me truley to be dead. The body they brought back was badley burnt yes? And they have my royal jewlry so it would be easy to fake. However you are right and we must proceed with extream caution, they must be hideing something we do not yet know."

She thought back over all she had heard "I belive it is a man going by the name of Elapidae, though i do not know his use name or anything about him." And i should have done this long ago when Sereghin betrayed me. "I know what your Rawhide; why now, why not then when they betrayed us both?" she took a sip of her ale before continuieng. "What we are embarking on is an almost impossible task, i am hopeing that if we kill enough and hopefuly kil the head the rest will disband and come bck into line but this snake may regrow its head. The Tatteyen has been around for centuries, they control part of the economy, many are of a nobel if not royal bloodline. This disadvantage of the crown not being kept within one fmailly is that almost every nobel house has some small cliam to the Throne by virtue of some ancestor or intermarriage. The Tatteyen are instrumental in training the young nobels to be assasins, even if they don't eventually follow this path. They are such an almost integeral part of Rhun that it would be like cutting a leg off a horse to destory them.
I hoped before to warn them with Sereghins death, to curb thier lust for power. It did not work and I and Rhun have paid the consequences."

"When I assasinated my Uncle i did so for three reasons; it was what i was brought up and trained to do; he was going to rape me or I was going to have to sleep with him willingly; and he was leading Rhun down a path to destruction. The Dark Realms had just lost the War. Rhun had lost many men and resorces; but he wanted to bleed her dry and attack Gondor and the Light Nations while they celebrated. It was a doomed venture but he insisted on it. I killed him and I led Rhun into a time of Peace. I slowly built her up again to be a nation able to support itself. I made alliances with the Light Nations in order to protect ourselves. I wanted my name to be that of 'Morwen, Peace Bringer'. Not the 'Destroyer' as i was named at birth. I never wanted to embark on such a bloody and destructive campiagne as I am now."
She looked at him with sad but determined eyes. "I know that we cannot compeltly destroy the Tatteyen; to do so would not be wise. But if i can kill enough of them and enough that are high up then we may be able to control them."

[Morhin]

Rawhide leaned back in his chair, taking it all in. He thought he understood the Tatteyen a little better now. "Perhaps," he began stroking his chin thoughtfully. "The Tatteyen have been fighting among themselfs. They may have mixed feelings about the best way to cease the throne. Or some have come to the conclution that it would be best for them to alie themselfs with us and together make Rhun into a nation that all in Middle-Earth would fear." He shook his head. "Unlikly I know, but it would explain the delay in attacking the throne. The Tatteyen must be united together if they are to take full control."

Rawhide felt his blood boil again when he heard what Morwen's uncle had planed to do to her. Rapeing women was one thing that Rawhide could never tolerate. Ever since he had learned how his mother had been captured at mistreated by the hands of Easterlings, Rawhide had delt punishment siftly and harshly to any he caught raping a woman. He reached out his hand and gave Morwen's hand a gental squeaze. "You did what you had to do for Rhun. You saved Rhun and the Easterlings from total destruction. I know that you will do it agian." he said softly.

He removed his hand for her's and took a drink of his own ail. "Yes, slaying all the Tatteyen would be long and bloody rode, and one I would be quick to take if I don't stop and think of the consiquinces. If we destroy enough of the Tatteyen leadership, they may submit to us. That would be advantagous to all." A knock at the door halted their conversation. Drawing his knife, Rawhide headed for the door and opened it. The Old Timer steped inside and said, "We have killed two men who were hanging around near here. They wern't anybody I reconized and we were not about to take chances." He smiled with pride as he added. "Nobody saw us. The bodies are well hidden. I sent Sam to Commander Boris and he is sending a squad to meet you. He asked what was going on, but we didn't tell him anything except that the Grand Warmaster needed them to be swift and silent." Rawhide smiled and placed a hand on the old man's shoulder. "You have done well Old Timer. When this is over, you and your boys will be rewarded." The old man seemed insulted. "Solders do not ask for rewards. We only ask for the chance to serve." He nodded towards Morwen and said, "We fought for you once before. And we are ready to do it again." he bowed quickly and then left to contiue watch over the Inn. Rawhide turned back to Morwen and nodded. "The people still love you Morwen. They are ready for you to lead them again."

[Morwen]

Morwen was more touched than she would allow herself to show at his small gesture of compassion. She had killed the man but for all her training, all of what she was embarking on, despite how unaffected she was by death; Morwen was not a natural killer. It was training and self-disaplin "I hope so Rawhide, I hope to Araw I am doing the right thing for the People. Sometimes I think I am too weak; that the Tatteyen, or a Darker Lord than I would be better off ruleing our land."

She shrugged off her gloomy thoughts at the words of the old soldier. "I love them also; depsite his words; make sure he is rewarded ahndsomely; though in a way that will not insult his houner. Not mouney or titles, something he cannot refuse and can only be flattered by." She hid a smile as she contemplated what a conundrum she'd set him. "When you can send men to search for the tattoo on the dead spy's...i don't want us killing cirvilians....but if you can't find one have a tattoist mark the corpses so that our enemies can't acuse us of killing innocents.

"I don't think that there will be great disention in the Tatteyen ranks, but it is a possibility. I think they must have some thing they are holding back. Send messengers to those of the Rhuzons that are still loyal to me. They are all trained spy's and assasins. If we want to find out about our enemies we must use them. And I trained most of them myself, the Tatteyen will have little influence there." she took a sip of her drink "May i ask why you've sent for Commander Boris?"