Estarfin

The sudden ending of my guard-duty, and the headache from the battle wound I incurred was very hard for me to endure, but I bore it as well as I could.

We set out from the Tauremorna, and ventured past the doomed hill-top village, the wind blowing very hard across the grasses. Here the land is exceeding good, but the people run great risks in settling on account of the Enemy: which we avoided, and our passing went unnoticed. We walked about five miles farther, where we came to a large grassy plain. We saw several wild beasts, which I went up to as near as possible without danger, and I counted six bears, and we found the remains of several cows something had killed and half-eaten.

On the 24th day, we left that swampy part of the Tauremorna when Lord Veryacano led us away under the trees and across a small river to the southeast. He seemed puzzled, as if something he expected never came into sight, and would often pull out the map that he copied from Grimbold’s men, and stare at it blankly.

My kindred, not content with any common enemies that lessen and destroy us, were set on reducing the great multitude of despicable Men into far less numbers, and deliver a powerful blow to our Enemy by purging the land of their tribe, settled so close to the borders of the Horse-Men’s lands; and by this bloodshed, show that we stood on the same side, and meant them no ill will. It was decided that one of the Dun-Men would be spared, to become our bartering tool to the Horse-Men.

I lie down and look at the rest of the company around me, and I felt each one being alone with their own thoughts. Lord Veryacano had told us to watch over the massive camp of dunlendings warriors while he considered Parnard's idea of sending his falcon down.

The 15th day we left the Gravenwood, crossing through it not far from where I was caught in the accursed orc mangling trap. It was to the Gap of Rohan that we were bound, to recover Lord Anglachelm, at least, that was the idea.

It seems to be hours since I left lord Estarfin and Turmagor to go to sleep. And still sleep evades me as the past two days events keep coming to my mind. Oh, alright, not all these days’ events. Just some of them.

How Parnard basically owes his life to the fact he was suffering from more than one arrow wounds to beginning with and how I didn’t noticed the state of Parnard’s ankle, which could have healed badly, provoking a permanent fragility of the joint, chronic pain and blood circulation problem.

“Well done, O cracker-eating varlet! And so I am to be roused, and awakened out of my sleep, to listen to more of your sing-songing prattle! See how my leg is wound up, and my limbs yet trembling and shaking, from the putrid orc arrows? No, varlet, I suppose you must not, else you would give me a moment’s peace, and not twine my thoughts like some noisome, overgrown weed, filling my head up with a bramble chain of idle fancies. You must not suppose I need rest, varlet; but if you do, you are widely mistaken – “

He stood apart from the others, the faint glow of the fire still visible from the copse of stunted trees that he stood in. The rain had ceased its downpour hours ago but his cloak was still wet through, clinging to his light armour and inner layers of clothing. He stood still, leaning against the rough bark of one of the nameless trees, silent, uncomfortable and cold in his wet clothing. Drops of rain fell on him from time to time, a residue of the storms still left upon the dark leaves of the tree.