The Dark Tower

Chapter 8 - Bangles and Baths

'Dangerous?' I asked, staring at it as though seeing it for the first time. It didn't look dangerous.

Percival looked at it closer and then nodded. 'It's one of the Bracelets of Nybling.'

'The what?'

'Bracelets of Nybling. You say you think Gwaine must have seen it?'

'Yes, when I tried to stop him fighting Aragorn. You know he's dumped me, don't you?'

'Broken off the engagement? Yes. But I think this might explain it. He's seen one before.'

'When? Where?'

'On his sister.'

'Clarissa?'

'No, Elainne.'

'I've not heard him talk of her.'

'He probably wouldn't. She . . . she had one of these bracelets. Men fell in love with her and she with them. She became so . . . love sick, I suppose, that she faded away and . . .'

'She died?' I asked, shocked. Percival nodded. 'Did you ever meet her?'

'No. He spoke of her only once to me, but showed me a drawing of the bracelet to warn me against their magic. They are supposed to have other powers as well, but I don't know what they are.'

'So you think that seeing the bracelet means he thinks the same will happen to me as happened to his sister? But that's not true at all! I have no interest in any other men!'

'He knows you kissed Aragorn.'

'But-'

'I know, I know.' He held up his hands in defence. 'But he's seen the results of the magic from a bracelet like this and he couldn't help his sister. He had to just watch her fade away.'

'Percy, he won't talk to me. He won't even be alone with me!'

'He doesn't want to be part of the spell.'

'But he wouldn't be! What we feel for each other, or at least, what he did feel for me, that happened before I ever got this.'

'Maybe he thinks he can't separate his feelings from the magic of the bracelet.'

'Percy, I need to speak to him, but he won't stay still long enough.'

Percival thought for a moment. 'I'll persuade him to take a bath in our room. He'll have less chance of escape then.'

As I laid my hand on Percy's arm to thank him, I saw Gwaine looking over and then turn away, but not before I saw the look of hurt on his face.

Percival found me later. 'He's in the bath,' he said. 'I'll stay with Legolas tonight in the hope that he comes to his senses.' I hurried up to their room. Gwaine didn't look up as I entered. He had drawn his knees up, his head back in the water so that his hair was floating around his face like a dark mane, eyes closed.

'What did you forget THIS time?' he asked, assuming it was Percival.

'How stubborn you can be,' I replied, and watched him jerk up into a sitting position.

'Beth? What . . .?'

I dragged over a stool and sat down next to the bath. 'We are going to talk, whether you like it or not.' My eyes couldn't help but wander over his finely honed body, the muscles defined, a few bruises and scratches from recent encounters. The body belonging to the person I loved passionately. I absolutely had to get this situation resolved. I stuck out my wrist under his nose.

'This bracelet,' I said and saw him wince. 'It's not mine, the naiad put it on me. I don't want it, I can't wait to get rid of it, and we would have gone straight back to the naiad if Leon hadn't found us to say Gwen was ill and was here and needed my help.' I said this all in one breath as it was so important to explain it.

'Percy set this up, didn't he?'

'Gwaine! We need to talk about this! About us!' He flicked his fingers in the water and said nothing. 'Gwaine? We might all die tomorrow!' Still nothing. I softened my voice. 'I know about your sister and the fact she had a bracelet the same as this one.'

'You do?' Finally he looked back up at me. 'Percy had no right to tell you about that!'

'Maybe not, but he thought it was important that I knew. But, Gwaine, I'm not your sister and that's not going to happen to me.'

'But you . . . and Aragorn. He would be much better for you than me. He's heir to a throne.'

'But he's not you. It's you I'm in love with. Only you.'

'But . . .'

'But what, Gwaine? I had to kiss him to stop him killing Percival. I felt nothing for him because he wasn't you. But if you're saying you don't trust me, then that's all there is -'

'No! It's not that.'

'So what is it?' He lapsed back into silence. I'd had enough. 'Well, when you finally decide you can tell me, I'll be somewhere in the tower probably being shot at by orcs. Unless we all die tomorrow, in which case, I'll never know,' and I huffed out of the room and headed up to the battlements. A couple of the elves were there on guard and I nodded at them and then leaned carefully on the wall deep in unpleasant thoughts.