B2ME Day 4 - Initiating Movement by Erulisse

Chapter 1

 Initiating Movement

He stood as if made from stone, barely breathing, afraid to call attention to himself.  The Doomsman’s words echoed in his mind “…To evil end shall all things turn that they begin well; and by treason of kin unto kin, and the fear of treason, shall this come to pass.  …slain ye may be, and slain ye shall be:  by weapon and by torment and by grief; and your houseless spirits shall come then to Mandos…”.  The fear of that spoken doom kept him immobile.  He was unable to move forward or to retreat. 

While he stood in silent reverie, others continued to file by him facing towards the north and the frozen lands beyond.  They were, for the most part, silent, the soft rustle of clothing and jangling of armor and weapons were the only sounds breaking the quiet around him. 

He was only a second cousin, a friend to those who were closer to the throne, and he was young, just barely over his sixth decade.  He had been caught up in the actions of others and had eagerly joined them in this march away from the cities of his youth and into the unknown lands of the dark.  But now he stood restrained by fear, knowing that to move forward would cause his doom.  As he gazed ahead, a friend approached him and stopped in front of him.  Leaning towards the young elf, the lord took him into his embrace and spoke softly into his ear, promising a future of love, companionship, and adventure by his side. 

At that moment his fear lifted and the young elf knew that his life would be spent in service to his friend.  His feet began to move and he joined the march again.  He began to encourage and gather the strays at the back of the procession and walked towards his destiny. 

And so he, who would later be celebrated for his supreme sacrifice at the Cirith Thoronath, pushed his fears aside and joined his future King.