3. Respite
Sweat trickled down his face. Aragorn paused to wipe his brow.
"We have reached the river," said Halbarad.
The weary Ranger quickened his pace. At the water's edge he knelt, cupped his hands and drank deep.
Halbarad gazed longingly at the river's smooth surface. "Dare we?" he enquired.
"Why not? We should be safe here. A bath would feel good."
Aragorn was already peeling off his travel stained garments and casting them on the bank. Halbarad did likewise.
Laughingly the Rangers dived into the river, splashing and ducking one another like heedless children, their cares cast aside with their clothing.
"We have reached the river," said Halbarad.
The weary Ranger quickened his pace. At the water's edge he knelt, cupped his hands and drank deep.
Halbarad gazed longingly at the river's smooth surface. "Dare we?" he enquired.
"Why not? We should be safe here. A bath would feel good."
Aragorn was already peeling off his travel stained garments and casting them on the bank. Halbarad did likewise.
Laughingly the Rangers dived into the river, splashing and ducking one another like heedless children, their cares cast aside with their clothing.
This is a work of fan fiction, written because the author has an abiding love for the works of J R R Tolkien. The characters, settings, places, and languages used in this work are the property of the Tolkien Estate, Tolkien Enterprises, and possibly New Line Cinema, except for certain original characters who belong to the author of the said work. The author will not receive any money or other remuneration for presenting the work on this archive site. The work is the intellectual property of the author, is available solely for the enjoyment of Henneth Annûn Story Archive readers, and may not be copied or redistributed by any means without the explicit written consent of the author.
