Secrets, by Himring

[hhimring]

Author: Himring
Title: Secrets
Characters: Inzilbeth, wife of Ar-Gimilzor; Inziladun (Tar-Palantir), her son
Pairing: Inzilbeth/ Ar-Gimilzor
Text type / Format: Double drabble
Source / Fandom: Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales
Rating: Teens
Warnings: dysfunctional family, allusion to oppression of the Faithful in Numenor
Word Count: 200
Summary: Forced into marriage with Ar-Gimilzor, Inzilbeth has her secrets.
Author notes: For the thematic prompt (duck, egg, and the bonus duck box)

In the palace gardens, Inzilbeth sits by the ornamental pond. In a whisper, she tells Inziladun of home, of Andunie, how, when she was young, she would explore the coastline of the bay, how she would part reeds and sedge to discover, maybe, a resting mallard or a nest of duck eggs. Inziladun, leaning against her, listens as if it was the greatest adventure.

She cannot take him there. Any attempt to leave Armenelos is forbidden, any attempt to leave with her son doubly so. Even Inziladun knows that.

She knows: to the Andunie she remembers there is no returning.


For the New Year, Lindorie gives her daughter a box ingeniously carved like a duck. The bird’s back is the lid, hidden by its wings. Ladies uses such boxes for cosmetics. Female frippery, thinks Gimilzor. His gaze passes over it.

Inzilbeth stores athelas beneath the duck’s back, against tension headaches, for luck, and below in the tiny concealed compartment in the duck’s belly the small secrets she manages to keep.

Years later, she gives the duck to her granddaughter. Just a pretty thing, a toy—Inzilbeth hopes that Miriel will never need to hide secrets from those close to her.

Comments

[shirebound]

This is beautiful and very moving. It reminds me of that line from Titanic -- "A woman's heart is a deep ocean of secrets."

[hhimring]

Thank you very much!
That is a good quotation and very pertinent!

[erulissedances]

We all have secrets that we keep. I think the construction of the duck was quite ingenious.

- Erulisse (one L)

[hhimring]

We all have secrets, but some have to be more secret than others.
I'm happy you liked the construction of the duck box.

[lferion]

Very speaking! I particularly like the tension you put into the piece, underlying everything.

(I interpreted that object as a lamp, but it certainly makes sense as a box too. I should go follow the link you put in the prompt post about it.)

[hhimring]

Thank you!
Good to hear you felt the tension was palpable and effective!

(The object in the image is officially labelled as "toilet box or spoon". The accompanying text explains that it is one of a series of similar objects from the general area and period and, in fact, they don't quite know what they were for. This particular one is made from hippopotamus tusk ivory and seems to have had a lid, which might make using it as a lamp a bit more difficult. But that doesn't meant others might not have been used as lamps!)

[chestnut_pod]

Oh, very moving.

[hhimring]

Thank you very much!