Prompt 12: Betrayal
For Annafan who asked and Altariel who set the bunny running.
.
~~~000~~~
.
Victory before the Black Gates of the Morannon was oh so sweet. The Shadow was swept away. Day dawned again, bright and high and beautiful. Full of hope and promise and on May-Day a new King was crowned on Minas Tirith's height. Handsome. Just. Strength was in his hand and wisdom on his brow. His foreign Queen was beautiful and beloved. All the free peoples of Middle-Earth rejoiced.
At least for a little while.
It was not that they didn't have peace of course. The golden spring gave way to a summer of shining adamant. The harvest bulged in the tithing barns. Swords were beaten into plowshares and spears into pruninghooks. Dol Amroth's warfleet could turn their efforts to exploration and man could travel the Great West Road and know he'd find a creditable pint and a quiet bed.
All to the good, but it was the King's other 'improvements' that gave the people pause:
The Causeway Forts rebuilt in the shape of bookshelves.
The ban on open swearing.
Twenty lashes for touching books with grubby fingers.
Faintly horrified, town after town assembled in their squares and raised their voices in compulsory weekly song. Elvish lays and poetry. Adunaic death haiku. Whatever took the King's fancy in that week. None dared grumble openly. Especially to the new local archivists. Every town from Bree to Anfalas had one. Drunk on power and overbloated budgets—they were the new 'Sharky's men' and woe betide the unwary who crossed their inky way.
Frodo Baggins, honoured and renowned, stood to attention on compulsory 'Second Son Appreciation Day' and cringed.
`Sam! '
'Save me! ' said Sam turning white, and then flushing scarlet. `There I go again! When ever you open your big mouth you put your foot in it the Gaffer used to say to me, and right enough. O dear, O dear!
`Now look here, sir! Don't you go taking advantage of my master because his servant's no better than a fool. You've spoken very handsome all along, put me off my guard, talking of Elves and all. But handsome is as handsome does we say. Now's a chance to show your quality.'
Handsome is as handsome does.
Yes, well, handsome did.
Frodo stood with the curlews calling and the sunlight glint upon the golden ring and felt the queasiness rise up again. A Queen- beautiful and terrible as the Morning, fair as the Sun, dreadful as the Storm, stronger than the foundations of the earth—stood not beside him now for she had passed the test.
As had not the good Captain of Ithilien's Rangers.
He would never forget the great and terrible moment Faramir, son of Denethor, future King of the Reunited Realms, stood up to his full and mighty height, slipped a prize upon his middle finger and declared:
"All shall love literature and despair."