Silver sat within the confines of her camp, small cozy and hidden from the surrounding lands in a stand of trees. Nearby, her great steel-grey steed whickered softly in his sleep whilst before her the campfire crackled pleasantly. At peace for the first time in a long time, Silver smiled to herself, eyes half-closed against the warm orange firelight.
A cracking from behind her caught her attention. She knew better than to mistake the breaking of twigs for the popping of embers, and her years upon the road had taught her never to visibly acknowledge such noises lest she give up the element of surprise. Could it be Aeruthuil returned for one last conversation? The thought was dismissed as soon as it occurred; that man had a tread lighter even than her own. He would have announced his presence rather than give away his position in such a manner. An intruder then. Interesting.
She waited in silence, keeping the illusion of being unaware. Minutes passed and more quiet cracks sounded from between the trees. Whoever it was, they were circling the camp. Perhaps seeking a better view of who, and what, sat within. Silence reigned again.
More time passed before eventually a figure stepped from between the trees. White clad, with a messily shorn shock of red hair bound back by a horse-head fronted circlet, the woman was of average height and slim build, with a great sword strapped across her back. Cool green-blue eyes surveyed the area before settling firmly upon Silver.
It took a moment for Silver to recognise her, so long had it been since last they had been face to face. She bit back her annoyance, expertly concealing it behind a smile that was at once both mocking and warm.
"Well, look at you, all grown up," Silver purred.
The woman raised her chin, looking haughtily down at Silver. "I've been looking for you for a long time," she stated simply.
"So I'm told."
"And it never occurred to you to find me?"
"I never cared enough to," Silver responded with a chuckle. "Clearly you never quite got that hint."
"I have a duty to..."
"Of course you do," Silver cut her off. "So, let's get this over with; what do you want, Varani?"
Varani planted her feet firmly apart and rolled back her shoulders. Though her stance was one of pride, her cold gaze never altered. "Father requests your presence at home. He wishes to reconcile with his wayward daughter before he breathes his last."
Silver laughed. Clapping her hands together, she rose from her log seat, taking a few paces in one direction and then back again as she waited for the mirth to pass. Finally turning back to the younger woman who, by now, was visibly annoyed, she placed her hand upon her hip with a smirk.
"Oh, very good!" she remarked brightly. "Did you rehearse that? No matter. Why, after all these years, would your father want to see me?"
"He regrets the manner of your upbringing," Varani spoke through clenched teeth.
"Why? Because I survived it? And how does your mother feel about this sudden guilt?"
"She's dead."
"Oh really?" Silver smiled genuinely for the first time. "I do hope she suffered."
Varani's hands clenched into fists. Nostrils flared as she fought back the desire to lash out at such a callous remark. "Will you return with me, Sairona?"
"Of course not," Silver dismissed the question outright.
"Then I am bid to retrieve the items you stole during your departure," the younger woman stated firmly as she reached above and behind herself to draw her sword.
"And there it is..." Silver breathed, satisfied that the truth of this visit had been reached. She watched as the youngest of her half-siblings moved warily toward her, each step placed with care. Well-armoured beneath the impractical white tabard, Varani was clearly not unused to her equipment. Silver moved not an inch, standing her ground with a grin designed to infuriate her opponent. Varani advanced. Silver waited.
When within a comfortable range, the shorter, stockier woman swung her sword, seeking to simply cut down Silver where she stood. Silver danced backward, just out of range, then darted back in as swift as could be. As the arc of the sword reached its widest point, Silver darted within arms reach, taking Varani's farthest wrist in a tight grip, her thumb pressing hard against the tendon. Twenty years of swinging a pickaxe and wielding a shovel had blessed Silver with a greater physical strength than her lithe form would suggest. This coupled with several inches of height and reach advantage, allowed Silver to wrench Varani's arm further still. As the pressure on her arm and wrist caused Varani to lose her grip of the sword, Silver aimed a light punch for the woman's throat with her spare hand. Varani, momentarily unable to breath, fell to her knees in time to receive Silver's knee square in the face.
Silver stepped away as Varani, gasping for breath, fell to her back. She retrieved the fallen sword, studying it by firelight for a time before looking back to the recovering girl.
"For how long have you dogged my steps, Varani? Five years? Ten?"
"Ten," came the croaked reply, muffled further by hands cupped to a bleeding nose. Blue-green eyes watched the taller woman with suspicion and fear.
"Oh, worry not little sister!" Silver dismissed the unspoken fears with a wave of one hand. "I'll not kill you. That's why you were sent, after all; out of all of your wretched siblings, you were the one I'd be most likely to hear out.
"So," she continued lightly. "For ten years you've been denied a life of your own, doomed to follow me around Arda like a good little bloodhound. And for what? It's not for reconciliation, darling. It's so daddy dearest can get his hands upon a trinket that was never his to begin with. What price this time, I wonder? Does he seek to curry favour in Edoras by gifting it to the king - one last ditch attempt to reclaim what he blames me for losing? Is it simply to have his crabby hands upon riches one last time? Or is it to be your dowry, should he find someone to sell you to who holds enough prestige to erase a little of his own disgrace?"
Varani simply glared.
"Nice sword, by the way," Silver remarked, running her hand down the length of the steel blade. "It belonged to Anasis, did it not? Since you have it, I assume he's dead too. I hope his demise was long and painful."
Varani, unable to stand the taunting any longer, rose to her feet with a snarl. "How dare you?!" she roared. "You heartless witch! How could you speak so ill of the dead?"
"Heartless?" Silver let forth a short laugh. Eyes that lent her her name glittered with malice as she spoke further, her voice dripping venom. "Not at all. You, I don't hold to quite the same level of disdain as the others for you were but a child and knew no better. Even so, witnessing their treatment of me, or the aftermath of it, did you once stop and think 'This is wrong'? Of course not. Your sainted mother brought you up to believe that it was not only perfectly acceptable behaviour but also right and proper. Anasis, Yanna, all of them were capable of more than blindly following. They did know better. But as they would show no compassion for me, what makes you think that I would show any for them? I'm not heartless, girl. I'm unforgiving."
Her ire ebbing in the face of Varani's shock, Silver smiled almost gently as she offered the sword back to the young woman.
"Take it," she said firmly. "Go home. Tell your father that he'll receive nothing from me and find for yourself the life that his greed has so far denied you. I bear you no ill-will, little sister, but I've no desire to see your face again."
Varani, silent and resigned, nodded once. She took her sword by the pommel offered and slipped it back into the scabbard across her back. With one last look to the taller woman, she turned and strode away.
Silver watched impassively until the white material of the girl's cloak had faded into the night before turning to her tent. She took out a sturdy tin mug and a flagon of spiced wine. Placing an old, blunt dagger into the flames of the campfire, she sighed as she seated herself back upon the log, waiting for the metal to heat enough to mull her wine.
