Author's Note:
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Aragorn
The streets were littered with fallen petals. More fell from the sunlit sky. Aragorn sat on his horse in his full armour. His crown, hair and armour gleamed in sunlight. Behind him, Aragorn's guards formed neat and tidy lines. Their passage through the town spared nothing.
"Heed well, King of Gondor! Not even the Kings of old were as frivolous as you are!" A voice shouted from the crowd.
Aragorn instinctively drew in his horse and searched the masses for the speaker.
The guards responded immediately. They halted and two of them dismounted. They shouldered their way through the crowd and found the woman who spoke just as Aragorn's eyes fell on her. She was a short, stout woman, heavy from bearing children. Her reddened face was turned up in defiance. The stance was courageous and Aragorn admired her boldness.
He stirred when he saw one of the men reach out for her.
"Let her go!" He immediately ordered, his voice cutting the air like a whip. The guard dropped his arm as if the woman burned him. Silence fell and Aragorn felt numerous eyes burn holes into his armour. Such was their attention.
"The lady spoke truly." Aragorn said quietly. "And we who wear crowns, holding power in one hand and wealth in the other tend to forget that we are no different. All men must die, after all."
Soft murmurs broke through the people and Aragorn felt emotions rise from them; surprise, amusement, incredulity and admiration.
When he turned his attention to the woman again, he saw that she was smiling. She bobbed her head in acknowledgment.
And that meant more to Aragorn than any meeting with his subjects.
Author's Note:
Based on a true story.
An Arabian Caliph was worried that the dowry was going too high. Dowry does not hold the same meaning among Arabs as it does everywhere else. Dowry is a gift that is given from the husband to the bride. It should be according to the bride's satisfaction and neither his nor her family has any say in her money. She may invest it, give it to charity, keep it or do anything she wishes. So the Caliph called a public meeting and made a law that the dowry may only reach a certain amount and no more.
A woman from the crowd spoke up and openly challenged him, quoting the verses from their book. She told him he had no right, and what he was doing was an oppression. The Caliph fell silent, thought about it, and agreed. Later, he also mentioned that such courageous people were necessary in a nation, to make sure their rulers did not go astray (meaning corrupt, or tyrannical).
