18. March 9, 3019: Coil
But 'twas to the guardsmen Ajhinaš spoke: "'Bitter the shieldman's duty,' yet you must swallow it – that is a mother-duty, for she teaches you to eat."
"Dark matters, mistress," Varendur said, puzzled, while Menarion eyed Ba-a-šuvon and Chodakh.
"You have sown my family's shame," Mother explained, "so you must redeem it, as farmers redeem fruit from cast-down seed."
"What nonsense – ?" Menarion began, but Varendur silenced him.
"How, lady?"
"Gondor denies my family war-duty, in your favor," Ajhinaš said, then set the bitter dish before them: "If our obedience to such edicts be not shameful, then you must be my sons."
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.
