I do not own the Prydain Chronicles, any of its characters or affiliates. Oh well.
Wow this is the last story I'm writing in 2006! Happy New Year, everyone!
Eilonwy felt a stab of alarm as she saw Taran's head connect with the rock as his body flailed and tipped into the river. She and Gurgi began to sprint to the river bank, but skidded to a stop as Ellidyr spun around and met their eyes with his crazed stare. Eilonwy realized that her chances of saving Taran would decrease significantly if Ellidyr killed her where she stood. She shot another glance at the river to track her companion's progress before turning on her heels and racing back towards Fflewddur who was clumsily drawing his sword with his one good arm. Eilonwy's shouted warnings could not have helped the wounded bard, and as Ellidyr attacked it was all she could do to break her friend's fall. She shouted again angrily as Gurgi's attempt to stall Ellidyr ended shortly with the poor creature being tossed like a rag against a tree. Eilonwy tried to shut her ears against the stream of violent words spewing from Ellidyr's mouth and concentrated on preparing her bow.
"Will the scullery maid try and stand against me too?"
Please get up! Get up and run! She thought desperately at Fflewddur and Gurgi.
"You and your filthy pig boy have kept me in second place long enough!"
Her friends were slowly pulling themselves to their feet. One hand on her bow, she deftly reached the other behind her to retrieve an arrow. Ellidyr was striding closer, too close.
"Too long! You've robbed me of my honor! My glory! Mine! You dirty-" Ellidyr snatched the bow from her grasp and snapped it as if it were a twig. Eilonwy wondered for a moment if that was the same sound her neck would make in Ellidyr's hands before screaming "RUN!" and pulling Fflewddur and Gurgi behind her as she headed for the trees. When she was sure that the two were running properly and at a pace that would keep them away from Ellidyr, she diverge from their path and began to rung along the river. Hoping with all her heart that their pursuer would not catch up with the friends she had left, she focused her attention on the friend she needed to find. Still running as fast as her legs would take her, she desperately scanned the water. Finally, she thought she saw an assistant pig keeper - shaped form bobbing down the river farther away from shore than she would have liked. How like Taran to make an already difficult situation worse. She sped up until she passed the helpless body and spun around in place frantically trying to think of an idea – any idea. Nothing. She kicked the trunk of a felled tree in frustration, and the pain shooting up her leg brought her to her senses. The branches of the tree reached into the river, but far enough? There was only one way to find out. She waded into the current clutching the tree as best she could. As Taran's body approached she pushed herself as far into the middle of the river as possible while still holding onto the remaining branches. She was going to catch him, she could tell. She was struggling to keep her head above the water and her long hair was wrapping around her neck, a sensation which would have induced panic if she hadn't been concentrating so hard, but she was going to catch him. As he rushed towards her, she reached out and grabbed the neck of his shirt, holding on with all her strength. She let the water push them so that she and Taran swung around the tree and back towards shore. She struggled for a few sickening seconds until she felt the ground return under her feet and threw her body onto the bank, dragging Taran with her. She hooked her arms under his and pushed with her legs until they were both completely on dry ground.
She rolled Taran off of her so she could take several deep breaths, filling her lungs and clearing her mind. Something was wrong – Taran wasn't taking the same gasps of air that she needed, in fact he wasn't breathing at all. Her own breathing became faster as she put her ear to Taran's mouth, still hearing nothing. The nothing consumed her mind as her hands somehow worked by themselves, loosening the cloak from around his neck, the cloak that Taran had kept Adoans clasp on. Eilonwy screamed through her teeth in desperate frustration. All the events that lead to this moment were flashing in front of her faster than she could think. Adoan's death, Taran giving up the clasp, Ellidyr's turn to madness. None of it was fair and she was sick of it. She wanted the magic of the clasp back, no – she wanted Adoan back. Adoan, who was always composed and clear sighted, who never lost his head or his nerve. Eilonwy had always felt calm in his presence, and ached for that comfort now. The way he treated her had always made her feel like the princess Dallben was always reminding her she was, and his startling intelligence had somehow never made her feel inferior, but had made her own mind active as well. Adoan would know exactly what to do. She closed her eyes and took a long breath through her nose, remembering Adoan's grey eyes and all their wisdom and kindness. She unclenched her teeth as all the qualities that Adoan had brought out in her surfaced once again. She knew what to do.
Bedraggled and shaking from exhaustion, Fflewddur and Gurgi trudged through the woods towards the river. Ellidyr had finally given up on them and returned to claim the cauldron for himself, but he had certainly given them a chase before doing so. Their only consolation in the situation was that while Ellidyr was after them he was leaving Eilonwy to retrieve Taran, which is what they assumed she was doing when she slipped away from their merry little hunt. Sure enough, as they came into view of the river bank they saw Eilonwy administering to a heap they supposed was Taran. They jogged to the girl and saw that she had propped Taran on his side against her knees. Her face was all white and pink from chill and exertion while her hair, deep red with water, still dripped steadily into the little pool surrounding them, tinged with the blood from Taran's head. His wound was covered by a clump of Eilonwy's skirt that she had gathered and was now holding against his skull with one hand as her other was alternately checking his mouth and pushing against his abdomen. Her powers of articulation afforded her only a relieved "Ah!" as they knelt down beside her and quickly began pumping the water out of Taran themselves. After situating herself more comfortably with Taran's head, she finally managed to ask; "Ellidyr?"
"Gone, along with the cauldron." Eilonwy sighed and nodded.
"At least you're safe. That's all that matters. We're all safe, for now." Her eyes lost focus and she began absently stroking Taran's brow. "Do you think," she asked softly, "do you think he really would have killed us?"
"He nearly did." Fflewddur replied dryly.
"Adoan always talked of a black beast on Ellidyr's shoulders. I fear it has begun to devour him, and it has destroyed our quest as well." Her eyes flashed angrily. "That evil cauldron is cursed."
"Yes, it certainly hasn't helped us. Although this whole mission seems to have been doomed from the start."
"I suppose it was worth a try."
"Worth our lives? Worth Adoan's life?"
Eilonwy looked at the bard sadly. "I don't know. I don't know if it was fate or his decision or…" She rubbed her forehead with the back of a blood stained hand as her voice stuck in her throat. "I'm just so tired." She reached into her robes and pulled out her bauble, its glow began to fight off the looming dusk.
"Princess' treasure will not stop quiverings and shiverings" Gurgi said, eyeing his two water logged friends.
After weighing the situation a fire was started and they gathered around it gratefully, waiting for Taran to come back to them. Eilonwy was painstakingly untangling her hair with her fingers while keeping her worried eyes on the unconscious figure beside her.
"I do hope he wakes up soon. It would be dreadful manners if he didn't, after all the trouble I went through to fish him out of that river. Not to mention getting all that unneeded water out of him."
"I'm glad Taran was in such good hands," added Fllewddur. "You had things well under control when we arrived. I'm sure I would have panicked, that is, if Fflams were prone to such weaknesses." Eilonwy smiled.
"I had help."