"YOU NASTY, WICKED DARK ELF!"
Somewhere in Southern Gondor
Night of April 6, 3020
While returning on a journey from Minas Artano, April 6, Lord Ashtum and his escort had been attacked by brigands, and his wife Adibe, daughter Debanni and son Atar had been kidnapped. Wounded during the scuffle with the outlaws, Lord Ashtum had been released by Algund, the captain of the brigands, and told that within two days he would receive instruction on how to pay the ransom. Then the outlaws had ridden off, Algund taking Atar on his own horse; Ceolwulf leading the horse of Ashtum's daughter Debanni and Mindon leading the horse of Adibe.
After riding for hours in separate directions to delay the pursuit, the outlaws began changing course and finally converged in a clearing where other outlaws waited with fresh horses. Quickly the men and their captives mounted fresh horses and scattered again, each one going to a place determined ahead of time with their charges. All of the kidnapped were given in the charge of one or two outlaws with Atar being the charge of Vardamir, Adibe being the charge of Ceolwulf and Debanni being the charge of Algund. All the highwaymen rode until nightfall or past when at last they arrived at three small camps miles from each other set up by the other members of the van.
Atar portrayed by Eowyn
Vardamir portrayed by Hobbitness
A few miles away, Vardamir looked at Atar, the son of Ashtum, a lad of nine summers, who sat across from him on the ground. Vardamir had given the lad his supper of cram, dried meat, fruit and cheese, and a water flask to wash it all down.
The boy sat with his mouth drawn down in an unpleasant grimace as he looked disparagingly down at the piece of cram he held in his hand. "I do not like this!" the boy exclaimed and threw it down on the ground angrily. "This is not fit to feed swine, and I do not have to eat it!"
And with that announcement, the lad got to his feet suddenly and was partway across the clearing before Vardamir could get to his feet.
Vardamir: *Vardamir had been about to respond
to the lad's temper tantrum with a characteristic joke, but Atar
jumped up and ran away. Now Vardamir groans and begins to run
after him* Wait! Come back!
Vardamir: You do not want to get lost in the woods, do you? Because
that is just where you are headed! *coaxes* Come back and enjoy
some of this nice, finest-quality cram I have here. *grins*
Atar: *Atar ignores Vardamir's cries and runs further into the
woods, hiding behind a tree out of sight.*
Vardamir: Ai! Come back! I will not hurt you! Blasted little.....*he
trails off, panting as he runs after Atar. Vardamir uses his tracking
skills to follow the boy's trail through the leaves and grass.*
Vardamir: *Though it is dark, Vardamir's eyesight is keen even
in the twilight, and his ears can pick up Atar's running footsteps.*
Atar: *The boy crouches down behind a tree, sulking, but keeping
an eye out for Vardamir.*
Vardamir: *Vardamir stops running when he hears Atar's footsteps
stop, then a loud, despondent sigh. Vardamir smiles to himself;
Atar must think he has picked a good hiding place, but he has
just revealed his location.*
Vardamir: *As quietly as possible, Vardamir tiptoes through the
trees, toward the rustling sounds Atar makes as he shifts his
position behind his tree.*
Vardamir: *Finally Vardamir spots the boy sitting with his knees
pulled up to his chest, looking miserable. Guilt lances through
Vardamir's heart; he hates this mission. He even begins to wonder
if being part of this...crime...of kidnapping was worth it, even
to stick by Ceolwulf.*
Vardamir: *Vardamir creeps close to the boy and realizes that
in order to prevent his escape, he will have to use force. Vardamir
sighs, steels himself, then jumps out and tackles Atar*
Vardamir: *He tries to make it seem like a joke...* Aha! There
you are! *he exclaims merrily* All right, no more games, let's
go have some supper!
Atar: Aiii!! *the boy screams, and sinks surprisingly sharp teeth
into Vardamir's arm, kicking and hitting at him.*
Vardamir: *Vardamir cries out and jerks his arm away from his
small attacker, then grabs him with redoubled quickness. Ignoring
the boy's struggle, Vardamir picks him up and holds him at arm's
length.*
Vardamir: Now look here! I know you're upset, but this isn't going
to do you any good! You want me to just let you get lost? You'd
be all alone and starving.
Vardamir: Here, I can look after you. And I have food *he cajoles*
You must be awfully hungry after the long ride. I'll add more
dried fruit to your rations if you come along!!
Atar: Let me go, you horrid beastly man! *Atar spits at the man
who holds him at arm's length*
Vardamir: *Vardamir feels guilty again, but how to explain the
situation to the boy? "Sorry, but we had to kidnap you?"....How
should he explain the situation to himself, for that matter?*
Vardamir: See here, lad! I am not a horrid beastly man. Kidnapping
people is beastly, I will give you that...but we are only doing
it for the money. Nobody will hurt you. You will be much safer
at the camp than traipsing through the woods.
Atar: I am the son of a lord! *the boy cries angrily* You cannot
treat me in such a wretched way! *he struggles against Vardamir's
grasp*
Vardamir: *Vardamir tucks him under an arm and starts back for
the camp, talking calmly as Atar thrashes and cries.*
Vardamir: Perhaps not, but unfortunately, this is the predicament
in which you find yourself, little lord. Now, let's go back to
that delectable hardtack and dried fruit. It's much better than
nothing. And if you're good, maybe I can catch us a deer and make
roast venison!
Atar: I do not want your filthy venison, you awful man! *he cries
as he kicks and tries to bite Vardamir* I hate you and all your
wretched friends! My father will cut your heart out when he catches
you!
Vardamir: *Atar is struggling so much that it is becoming almost
impossible to carry him. Vardamir lifts the boy up and puts him
on his shoulders, then holds his legs. Now, if Atar struggles
too much, he will fall off.*
Vardamir: He will not catch us, lad. He will catch you instead.
Think of this as a little trip in the woods while we wait for
your father to pay the ransom. It can be fun, you know.
Vardamir: *He goes into a long speech about all the species of
trees, plants, animals and birds around them, about the idiosyncrasies
of each type, though he is often cut off by Atar's loud protests.*
Vardamir: ...And in fact, if you let me, I can teach you a great
deal about the woodlands during your stay here! *he says cheerfully*
Atar: *As Vardamir carries Atar, the boy squirms and twitches,
whines and cries, begs and pleads and then threatens, completely
ignoring what Vardamir is saying.*
Atar: When my father's men capture you, I will tell them to have
one of our mumakil stand on your stomach and crush you slowly
like a worm! I have watched them do that in Harad, and that is
what I want to do when I become lord, crush evil men like you.
Atar: I like to see their entrails squeezed out as the mumak stands
on them; tis great sport and I look forward to seeing that done
to you, you nasty, wicked dark elf! And then when you are dead
and your eyeballs are crushed out of your head, one of the men
will sound the great horn of Harad, and I will laugh!
Vardamir: *Vardamir realizes the possibility of the boy's gruesome
words coming true...his heart flipflops. He wonders what a monster
this lad will grow up to be. Perhaps it would be better to keep
this child forever, to prevent the atrocities he will commit.
But that is not an option.*
Vardamir: *They reach the camp. Vardamir sets Atar down on the
ground, still holding him by the shoulders to keep him from running
away*
Vardamir: *through gritted teeth* All right...you have a choice.
You can eat what I have for you, or you can starve yourself. You
can sit still, or force me to run after you again, and maybe even
tie you up. I do not want to do that. Will you not cooperate?
Atar: If those bad men had not taken away my dagger, I would run
it in your guts, you nasty, nasty, wicked elf-man! Son of the
wood witches. I will starve before I eat your foul bread! No doubt
it is filled with some foul poison!
Atar: You would not dare tie me up! I, the son of a lord, do not
deserve such ill treatment. *he glares at Vardamir in a look that
shoots fiery daggers.*
Vardamir: There is no poison in the food! The only harm that could
come to you, you will inflict upon yourself, if you do not eat!
You will make yourself ill, and this is good food. See? *He holds
the cram up in front of the boy*
Atar: *He folds his arms in front of his chest* No! You lie. The
nasty stuff is poisoned, I know it! Men like you get thrown to
the big cats in Harad, for trying to poison the sons of lords.
Vardamir: It is not poisoned, but if you refuse to believe me,
I shall leave it here beside you for you to eat when you get hungry
enough! *He sits next to Atar, still close enough to grab him
if he tries to escape*
Atar: *Atar sits down heavily upon the ground* You eat it; that
is, if you dare. Of course you might enchant it and therefore
fool me into thinking it was unpoisoned.
Vardamir: *Vardamir smiles slightly. Perhaps now he can make a
little headway. He picks up the cram, breaks off a small piece,
and holds it up* See? No enchantment. *He eats it with exaggerated
relish*
Atar: *Hesitantly, Atar picks up the cram and breaks off a corner.
He puts it to his mouth and tastes it, then spits it out on the
ground* It still tastes bad. *he declares and sulks*
Atar: My father will make a leather pouch out of your skin when
I tell him how badly I have been treated by this roguish band
of ruffians!
Vardamir: Well, it is that or nothing, my boy. We have nothing
finer. *He sighs and settles in next to the boy, preparing for
a very long, tiring night.*