Scout of the Third House by Himring
Fanwork Notes
For the following "Times of Bliss" prompt:
“And in those days the strength of Men was added to the power of the Noldor, and their hope was high; and Morgoth was straitly enclosed, for the people of Hador, being hardy to endure cold and long wandering, feared not at times to go far into the north and there keep watch upon the movements of the Enemy.” ~ The Silmarillion, Of the Coming of Men into the West
Fanwork Information
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Summary: In the days of Fingolfin and Malach Aradan, an unnamed scout of the Third House of the Edain (later called the House of Hador) returns from a long journey in the North to Hithlum. Major Relationships: Genre: Poetry Challenges: Times of Bliss Rating: Teens Warnings: Creator Chooses Not to Warn |
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| Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 109 |
| Posted on 6 March 2021 | Updated on 6 March 2021 |
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This fanwork is complete. | |
Chapter 1
Read Chapter 1
Those were tough times I had of it, up north,
scouting out orc holes amid rock and ice,
the fumes the Ered Engrin belched forth,
constant danger, lack of rest—not nice,
but what got to me was going it alone,
for months never seeing a friendly face,
until I shed tears, cold to the bone
with more than wind chill—yes, a sorry case—
but, oh, when I turned home south again,
how warm a welcome, such praise and gifts,
I received from my own Lord Malach then,
that, remembering, my heart still lifts,
and more—the Elven King himself, of high fame,
poured mulled wine for me, spoke my name!
Chapter End Notes
A poem with fourteen lines for the March challenge at tolkienshortfanworks
(1) Comment by Grundy for Scout of the Third ... [Ch 1]
Poor scout - after all that, mulled wine was the least the king could do!
The poem is lovely. :)
Re: (1) Comment by Grundy for Scout of the Third ... [Ch 1]
Thank you very much!
I wondered whether the mulled wine might come across as a bit stingy, after all that. But our scout is more impressed by the close personal encounter with Fingolfin than by any further material reward!
(2) Comment by elfscribe for Scout of the ... [Ch 1]
Lovely! I like pieces about characters Tolkien so casually mentions that toil behind the scenes. Glad he (or she) was praised and feted upon return. I especially like the final couplet.
Re: (2) Comment by elfscribe for Scout of the ... [Ch 1]
Thank you very much, Elfscribe!
Yes, the implications of this sentence about the hardihood of those Hadorian scouts were so easy to miss, until reading it in a prompt made me consider what that would have been like for them.
I am glad you liked the final couplet.
The scout is probably a he - not because anything in the poem itself requires it, but because I had a plot bunny about a friendship between the scout and a very young Hador which suggests it.