2008 Birthday Drabbles
Dwimordene's 2008 Birthday fics: 4. Least Expected - by Imhiriel
Soon after crossing the Fords of Isen a sharp challenge disturbs the night.
"Halbarad Dúnadan, Ranger of the North I am," I call back. "We seek one Aragorn son of Arathorn, and we heard that he was in Rohan."
One rider comes forward from the shadowy host facing us. No warrior, this: a wizened figure, face oddly pale by starlight.
"You won't find him here; unbidden stranger that he was..."
Too slow to react to his furtive hand-signal, the lethal arrow quickly robbing me of all senses but pain, the last I hear in life his mocking words:
"...like you."
~*~
A/N:
- "Of all joys this is the least expected!" - Aragorn's words in RotK, The Passing of the Grey Company.
- Halbarad's dialogue is taken from the actual scene ibid.
- Gríma's appearence is as described in TTT, The King of the Golden Hall.
- "We welcomed guests kindly in the better days, but in these times the unbidden stranger finds us swift and hard", says Éomer in TTT, The Riders of Rohan.
~*~
Imhiriel
