"Though Sauron had passed, the hatreds and evils that he bred had not died,
and the king had many enemies to subdue before the White Tree could grow in
peace."
J.R.R. Tolkien, Return of the King
"Everybody be quiet and listen up!"
The harsh voice calling out belonged to the hideous being Zleauk, one of the last remaining orcs of Saurons former force. He was addressing the mixed group of foul creatures crowding a small dark cave hidden far into the Misty Mountains. Orcs made up the majority but among them there were goblins, a couple of Uruk-hai, and some rather evil looking men were present.
"Ever since claming the throne of Gondor, the miserable King Elessar has refused to leave us in peace", this statement was greeted by several dozen growls if anger.
"Wherever we go his people peruse us, attacking moments after the sun has risen. We have been driven back to hide in these cursed mountain caves but even here we find no refuge. By midday tomorrow this very spot where we rest now will be swarming with his hunters and perhaps some Elves. Trackers of every race will follow us to the ends of Middle Earth killing us off one by one. It was only a few short years ago that we were a force that none could resist. We were millions strong and now just look what we have been reduced to. If we don't act quickly our only remains will be shadows in children's tales. Now we must destroy our enemy in Minas Tirith before he gets any stronger"
Every man, orc, and goblin started yelling at once. Everybody had felt the sting of Elessar's fury; most were sporting scars of battles in which hundreds fell to elven archers. Nothing could be understood through the muddle of evil anger, all those present were becoming consumed with rage. It was very clear Elessar must die in the very near future.
"Elessar must be punished for his crimes against our people and the fall of our master, the problem is getting to him. The coward sits in his city protected by an army, any attempt at an open attack and we would be slain before we got within a hundred leagues of the man. If we are to have any hope of laying hands on the man he must be separated from his people."
"And how are we to do that?" a voice called out from the back. "The people of Gondor protect their king fiercely. His guard never lets him out of their sight; rumor has it Elessar is not very pleased out it though. He could not leave the city unescorted even if tried. The King objects to his guard but he endures it due to pressure from his subjects. They love their king and will risk no harm to him".
"Fool you forget that the man was once a ranger, it is nearly impossible to keep hold of an unwilling ranger. Should he wish it Elessar could slip even the most attentive watch, it is said that he does on occasion, much to the anger of the guard. What we must do is provide the right motivation to draw out the rat."
"How are we to do that?" one of the men sneered. "It would have to be something drastic for him to go against the wishes of the people and risk his own safety. Everything he holds dear is protected, we could never harm his family, and I know of nothing else that could force Elessar to come out."
Questions were starting to come from every corner and the tiny cave was becoming quite loud. Zleauk put up his hands and roared for attention
"I have thought about this" he said "It is true Elessar leaves nothing unprotected but some things are easier to get at than others. We could never hope to lay a hand on any of the royal household but some of his friends might provide a more suitable target. There were nine who set out on the quest that ultimately brought about the destruction of our master. Elessar was among them; the other members of his company have his love. Of the nine walkers there remains six in middle earth. Excluding Elessar himself there is an elf, dwarf, and three halflings. Any one of them the king would give his life to protect, and they may be within our reach."
The cave went silent as the foul creatures considered what Zleauk was proposing. It was common knowledge that the elf was the Prince of Mirkwood. Any threat on elven royalty would bring about a ferocious attack from many sides. Thranduil would never allow his son to be kidnapped and ill treated in any fashion, he would soon rally all the strength of the elves against their small group. Watchful eyes may not constantly protect the prince but he is a warrior. The capture of an elf, any elf, is very difficult even with great numbers. They never go down without a fight and normally take several dozen with them. With the weakened force of the party, odds of laying hand on the prince were not good. Even if they succeeded, elves do not make willing captives and are difficult to subdue. The idea of taking the prince was quickly abandoned.
A dwarf also proves to be a difficult target, though small in size, they are very strong and can fight long and hard. To complicate things further dwarves are a very social race and are very seldom found with less than seven companions when they leave their stone halls. In war or peace the mountain dwellers are armed to the teeth with weapons second only to those of elves. If caught alone and off guard the dwarf might be easier to get than an elf but would be no more cooperative. Dragging a very angry dwarve across Middle Earth is not an appealing thought to any Orc.
Abducting halflings was by far the most popular course of action. Unlike with dwarves their small size is a weakness. Most are slow, fat and weak, no match for the size and strength of even the smallest goblin. They carry no weapons; the little people live in a land of peace where danger is never a thought. The traveling halflings would no doubt be a little more on guard but still unprepared for attack. The king's most inattentive and weak guard only loosely watch the borders to the small land. Nothing ever happen in the shire, halflings have nothing of value and wish only to be left alone.
It was very quickly agreed on that the little people would be attacked. Only one was necessary but if the opportunity presented itself they would take all the traveling vermin. They could make them pay for their part in Saruns downfall while they were at it. Some winged spies instantly set out to gather information so the abduction could be planed.
Revenge would be sweet.
Did you like it? If I get no reviews I may decide finishing the story is not worth the effort. Criticism is welcome, flames are not.
J.R.R. Tolkien, Return of the King
"Everybody be quiet and listen up!"
The harsh voice calling out belonged to the hideous being Zleauk, one of the last remaining orcs of Saurons former force. He was addressing the mixed group of foul creatures crowding a small dark cave hidden far into the Misty Mountains. Orcs made up the majority but among them there were goblins, a couple of Uruk-hai, and some rather evil looking men were present.
"Ever since claming the throne of Gondor, the miserable King Elessar has refused to leave us in peace", this statement was greeted by several dozen growls if anger.
"Wherever we go his people peruse us, attacking moments after the sun has risen. We have been driven back to hide in these cursed mountain caves but even here we find no refuge. By midday tomorrow this very spot where we rest now will be swarming with his hunters and perhaps some Elves. Trackers of every race will follow us to the ends of Middle Earth killing us off one by one. It was only a few short years ago that we were a force that none could resist. We were millions strong and now just look what we have been reduced to. If we don't act quickly our only remains will be shadows in children's tales. Now we must destroy our enemy in Minas Tirith before he gets any stronger"
Every man, orc, and goblin started yelling at once. Everybody had felt the sting of Elessar's fury; most were sporting scars of battles in which hundreds fell to elven archers. Nothing could be understood through the muddle of evil anger, all those present were becoming consumed with rage. It was very clear Elessar must die in the very near future.
"Elessar must be punished for his crimes against our people and the fall of our master, the problem is getting to him. The coward sits in his city protected by an army, any attempt at an open attack and we would be slain before we got within a hundred leagues of the man. If we are to have any hope of laying hands on the man he must be separated from his people."
"And how are we to do that?" a voice called out from the back. "The people of Gondor protect their king fiercely. His guard never lets him out of their sight; rumor has it Elessar is not very pleased out it though. He could not leave the city unescorted even if tried. The King objects to his guard but he endures it due to pressure from his subjects. They love their king and will risk no harm to him".
"Fool you forget that the man was once a ranger, it is nearly impossible to keep hold of an unwilling ranger. Should he wish it Elessar could slip even the most attentive watch, it is said that he does on occasion, much to the anger of the guard. What we must do is provide the right motivation to draw out the rat."
"How are we to do that?" one of the men sneered. "It would have to be something drastic for him to go against the wishes of the people and risk his own safety. Everything he holds dear is protected, we could never harm his family, and I know of nothing else that could force Elessar to come out."
Questions were starting to come from every corner and the tiny cave was becoming quite loud. Zleauk put up his hands and roared for attention
"I have thought about this" he said "It is true Elessar leaves nothing unprotected but some things are easier to get at than others. We could never hope to lay a hand on any of the royal household but some of his friends might provide a more suitable target. There were nine who set out on the quest that ultimately brought about the destruction of our master. Elessar was among them; the other members of his company have his love. Of the nine walkers there remains six in middle earth. Excluding Elessar himself there is an elf, dwarf, and three halflings. Any one of them the king would give his life to protect, and they may be within our reach."
The cave went silent as the foul creatures considered what Zleauk was proposing. It was common knowledge that the elf was the Prince of Mirkwood. Any threat on elven royalty would bring about a ferocious attack from many sides. Thranduil would never allow his son to be kidnapped and ill treated in any fashion, he would soon rally all the strength of the elves against their small group. Watchful eyes may not constantly protect the prince but he is a warrior. The capture of an elf, any elf, is very difficult even with great numbers. They never go down without a fight and normally take several dozen with them. With the weakened force of the party, odds of laying hand on the prince were not good. Even if they succeeded, elves do not make willing captives and are difficult to subdue. The idea of taking the prince was quickly abandoned.
A dwarf also proves to be a difficult target, though small in size, they are very strong and can fight long and hard. To complicate things further dwarves are a very social race and are very seldom found with less than seven companions when they leave their stone halls. In war or peace the mountain dwellers are armed to the teeth with weapons second only to those of elves. If caught alone and off guard the dwarf might be easier to get than an elf but would be no more cooperative. Dragging a very angry dwarve across Middle Earth is not an appealing thought to any Orc.
Abducting halflings was by far the most popular course of action. Unlike with dwarves their small size is a weakness. Most are slow, fat and weak, no match for the size and strength of even the smallest goblin. They carry no weapons; the little people live in a land of peace where danger is never a thought. The traveling halflings would no doubt be a little more on guard but still unprepared for attack. The king's most inattentive and weak guard only loosely watch the borders to the small land. Nothing ever happen in the shire, halflings have nothing of value and wish only to be left alone.
It was very quickly agreed on that the little people would be attacked. Only one was necessary but if the opportunity presented itself they would take all the traveling vermin. They could make them pay for their part in Saruns downfall while they were at it. Some winged spies instantly set out to gather information so the abduction could be planed.
Revenge would be sweet.
Did you like it? If I get no reviews I may decide finishing the story is not worth the effort. Criticism is welcome, flames are not.