Adiwen placed the piece of paper on the table in front of her. Her movements were slow and deliberate. She took great care to not crease the folds of the paper. The lady of Rohan placed her hands on top of the letter, covering it, as if this would actually keep her safe from the contents. From the repercussions of her actions.
She was afraid. Adiwen knew this to be true because her heart thumped so fast in her chest that she was sure it would stop functioning any moment now. Her chest was heavy with pain and the breaths came out so slow, so labored.
"Oh my dear ," her husband's voice reached her as if there was a wall of water between the them. "You are upset. It is alright, all will be well".
Altor gently picked her up from her chair. For a moment he contemplated leading her to the porch overlooking Cliving. A few people would stare at them curiously. Their misstress was known for being steadfast, hard as a rock. A person to rely upon. No, she would not fair well to be under such scrutiny.
And yet lady Adiwen of Cliving was having a panic attack. He opened the office window and let the sunshine shine on her face and the fresh air to cool her down. Soon the fear was gone. Diminished to a dull pain through her body. Altor had not stopped holding her. He kept her in his arms waiting patiently for this crisis to pass. There was nothing else to do or say; only wait.
" Why was I so wrong?" Adiwen finally lamented " How could I not see it before?" A single tear was shed.
"No one is perfect my dear love, including you, no matter what your wish on the matter is". Lord Altor was perplexed though. What had caused this sudden eruption of fear and panic? He had to figure this out if he wished to help her but he had to tread carefully. It was always better to let her speak her mind with only some gentle prompt.
"I know!" she cried "but this was a huge missunderstanding, such a huge mistake that my quest to the North probably did more harm than good!" Adiwen felt ready to pull out her hair. "How could I not see it?" Adiwen, sensing her husband's worry on the matter, pointed towards their daughter's letter on the desk. Altor's gentle expression turned to that of horror once he read it till the end.
"Well, this is quite the predicament".
"You think so?" she raised her voice, full of panic and anger to his lack of help. "I am sorry, I yelled".
"It is alright, you were upset. I also feel like yelling". Instead he sighed and put the letter down. "She is not sure, she has no hard evidence…" his voice trailed off while he thought. "You should ride to Edoras and see the situation at the court for yourself".
Adiwen usually is very happy to take action, but not today. Today, she seemed… shy. "What if I am wrong again?"
Altor's expression was kind but firm. "You will know what to look for, to be suspicious… we did not know before, none of us did. Now, you are ready".
Adiwen stared at the rooftops of their little town, not as impressive a Meduseld's rooftop, but still it was her home for past decades. Maerstan and she had been back for only a few months. Maerstan should know… was her sudden thought. She had grown fond of the young lad, reminding her of her own kids. And right now it seemed the most important thing to do was to tell him the truth.
"I will call Maerstan and talk to him. Whether he wishes to accompany me or not, I will go to Edoras and face the devils residing there".
