OAKENSHIELD !

night threatens to fall an hour early at his arrival.     the sun is hidden from the sky,   obscured by dark and heavy clouds which let her golden rays pass only scantly and light everything but the nazgûl - lord’s large form,   shining on him but not illuminating him.   black yet shines his raiment in a hue of blinding nothingness,   darker than dark ;    but his riding armor is bright,  and forged hard and cruel.    he needs no armor,   for death cannot come for him   ( deathless is he who walks alongside sauron! never knowing illness,   never falling to the weakened body and mind of old age.    never shall he die!    such is annatar’s gift. )    but it is worn nonetheless,   if only for the helmet to sit upon his unseen face as a symbol of his status and as heavy as a crown.

he has dismounted his horse already.    the black steed is restless for a mere moment until its master’s gauntleted hand,   sharp as a beast’s claws,   calms the animal in an unexpectedly gentle gesture by soothing it with a steady hand.     the witch - king turns his head to thorin son of thrain,   and two lights glint coldly from within the darkness where a face should be to meet thorin’s pale blue in the place of a greeting.

❝   rejoice,  king of erebor!   my good and merciful lord provides your people with yet another chance to earn his favor,   ❞         his voice is even - toned but terrible to hear nonetheless,    the emphasis on your people weighs heavy in the air.      he leaves his mount for the present and stands now before the master of this land,   tall and proud and still,   almost as peaceful and amiable as an emissary of great númenórë of old at the height of her glory.         ❝   and he hopes you do not waste it.   ❞

the shadow stretches its hand to the lone mountain and darkens its fringes as a fist prepares to grip .   skies turn grey with the migration of foul intent !   wings upon which herald destruction’s nigh flight .   through darkness hence rode once more outward along this murky flutter a black - clad horseman to the dwarf - king’s gates .   atop the ramparts the ruler doth stood   ( now a second time amidst the black air ,   to which you said neither yea nor nay !   more perilous are your decisions now ,   and days must be bided for ,   your burglar’s life at hand )   ,   mithril - haired as white as frosted stars no longer seen .   he leads erebor through this ever - night ,   the last shining of the east,   olden yet unwavering as the frozen peak .   hard ice - blue eyes look down with tapering corners to meet the faceless pitch swathed in metal .   erebor does not cower before such threats .   he will not let it .

( y’shouldn’t meet him !   dwalin insists as they tread down stone steps ,   but the mountain - king offers naught save a solemn squeeze to the dwarf’s shoulder as great gates swing wide .   without choice ,   he has to . )   shield of the east ,   the white - raven !   donned in his finery that flows behind him alike feathers as he traversed out upon the short bridge ,   crowned head held high and mien cool as the light - less mist that has settled across the land .   the clink of metal tells him that his guards have marched dutifully behind him , led by dwalin .   his gaze flickered between the steed and the figure ,   narrowed beneath his grayed brows .   this one is not the same as the first ,   clearly ,   lest my age and eyes deceive me .   halting at the end of the bridge ,   he nearsightedly met the face’s lights once more  ( you will not bow ,   nor offer the first greeting ,   for this being is even less welcome than the first .   o silver lord ! )   .   nothing is cause for rejoice ,   that he knows ,   and the dwarf’s thudding heart hitched warily .

𝚙𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚓𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚜𝚘𝚗          𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐭   ( an unexpected journey )   .

𝚙𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚓𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚜𝚘𝚗          𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐭   ( an unexpected journey )   .

EVENTUALLY ,  that  was  bound  to  come  bite  him  in  the  ass .    lorne  knew  it ,  and  those  that  were  privy  enough  to  the  meaning  knew  it  as  well   –   which  left  few  in  their  group  who  didn’t  just  see  it  as  a  term  of  endearment .    the  time  had  come  where  such  endearment  was  brought  out  in  the  open ,  questioned  because  WHY  would  he  choose  something  like  that ?    the  pylean  took  a  moment ,  as  if  he  hadn’t  heard  the  question ,  as  if  thorin  was  perhaps  talking  to  someone  else .    after  that  breath ,  lorne  turned  his  head  towards  the  man  and  raised  his  brows ,  feigning  to  be  caught  of  guard .    “    what ?    ”    another  breath  and  he  knew  he  would  not  be  playing  his  way  out  of  this  one .    “    well …    by  CERTAIN  standards ,  you  are  considered …    bear - like .    ”    which  was  no  PROPER  answer ,  but  if  he  could  prolong  a  proper  explanation ,  he  would .

lo !   suspicious becomes the stone - glow within his eyes ,   their age - creased corners tapering slowly amidst the prolonged silence as still as any drip - less cave .   fine - haired brows settle heavily atop his steadfast gaze   ( how your skepticism sparkles !   all the more starkly ,   suffering no ignorance of its growing gleam )   .   “ —————   lorne , ”   the dwarf speaks with baritone disbelief cutting into the other’s name .   bear - like   . . .   ?   his sight glanced the pylean up and down searchingly as hesitancy pursed upon his lips ,   though to the small smile his mouth holds ,   glittering with an enquiring line .   that doesn’t seem right .   what isn’t he telling me ?   he was no fool !   meager may forever be his knowledge of this re - made earth ,   but he knew when all was not being told to him   ( your sister would say you were too suspicious as ever !   the miner that doth not pick his newfound gem ‘til he is certain there are none of better repute )   .   it is something he dislikes ,   not knowing ,   his posture shifting more onto one leg than the other as he held his ground alike the budge - less mountain .   “ tell me what you know . ”   the drawl expectant ,   if not a tad exasperated .   “ what standards are these ?   they are none that i know   —————   and you seem to . ” 

RATIONALITY   he likes clarity and intelligent simplicity and he gets frustrated at messy thinking .   this can make him seem unreasonably pushy to some ,   but it is actually a virtue :   he is motivated by a horror at pointless effort and a longing for precision and insight into how things and people work .   his ability to synthesise and bring order is essential in producing thinking which is truly helpful .

REVERANCE   one part of him dreams of giving himself up   —————   perhaps just for a while     —————     to a hero or mentor .   in the right circumstances he can flourish by letting go of his ego .   in his inner life ,   reverence plays out as a willing submission to his own conscience .   in the outside world ,   he might get frustrated searching for something worth believing in   —————   a country ,   a person ,   a company     —————   but he will always be open to feeling respect ,   admiration ,   and wonder .

AUTHORITY   he is good at making decisions ;   he has a clear sense of what needs to be done and what others should be doing .   played out inside himself ,   this tendency drives him to value willpower and self - control .   he may be accused of bossiness .   but acting on his desire to dissuade ,   restrain ,   or guide is often appreciated by others   —————   who might secretly like a clear direction ,   and some firmness .

𝚙𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚓𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚜𝚘𝚗          𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐭   ( an unexpected journey )   .