The Blacksmith

The two of you dressed quickly, and you thoroughly checked Halbrand's armour to make sure it was securely on him. You felt the ship come to a rest, its destination reached. The fear was starting to creep back in. Would this be the last time you would ever see him? The paranoia was unavoidable, and he saw it in your eyes, and your trembling hands. He took them in his, holding them still, bringing them to his mouth. A soft yet lingering kiss, eyes closed as he savoured the feel of you. "A heartbeat, remember?"
You sighed deeply and nodded. "Yes... only a heartbeat."

Halbrand kissed you, before just holding you in his arms where you both stood. The only sounds in the room were your breath and the beating of your hearts. Soon enough, a knock came at the door. When no words were uttered, Halbrand invited them in. You turned to see Commander Galadriel dressed once more in her spectacular silver armour, her hair braided beautifully. An elven warrior ready for battle. She smiled at the sight of you, happy to see you and Halbrand reunited. "And when did this happen?"
"Not soon enough." spoke your love, holding bitterness for the past.
"But not too late." you countered, trying to grab onto any positive you could. He looked down at you and smiled. Galadriel's warm expression began to fade, shifting to a determined one, her next words matching it. "Unfortunately, we must make haste. Elendil expects we reach Tirharad with the sunrise. They are readying the horses as we speak."

Halbrand nodded, and the three of you swiftly exited his cabin. You turned your head back as you left, knowing it would be the last time you would be inside. The memories you had made in there would stay with you always. You disembarked the vessel quickly, making for the horses stationed nearby. Soldiers had already began to congregate, finding their horse and mounting it, the plumes of white from atop their helmets blowing in the night air. Galadriel found Elendil, who pointed her and Halbrand in the direction of their own horses. The she-elf would be riding a white horse that suited her fair appearance, whilst your love would command a glorious brown steed.

Galadriel mounted her mare and prepared herself. You scanned the sea of soldiers and noticed almost all of them were ready to charge. "Come Halbrand, we must not delay." she spoke, and bid you farewell, trotting over to Elendil and the Queen Regent. It was time to say goodbye. and it was going to take every ounce of courage you had, for you could already feel the tears forming in your eyes. You crashed your body into Halbrand's in a frenzied embrace, and he squeezed you tightly. Before you broke apart completely, he kissed you passionately, one last time. You returned it in equal measure, memorising exactly how it felt, praying a day would never come where you would forget it. As it ended, Halbrand rested his forehead against yours for a moment, then stepped away to mount his horse. Not a word was spoken between the two of you, for neither knew what to say. He kept eye contact with you until the last possible second, before riding off, charging with the rest of the soldiers. Your tears spilled over and you covered your mouth, as you saw Halbrand reach Galadriel's side, and you stood there motionless until they disappeared on the horizon.

Before you could spend too much time overthinking every single aspect of what could happen, a voice called out to you from a short distance away. It wasn't one you were familiar with, but considering everyone else you knew had just galloped away, you turned towards it as if it were an old friend. The voice belonged to a young woman, similar to you in age it seemed, with gorgeous chestnut locks that stopped at the top of her belly. She had a kind face, and grinned at you as you made eye contact. She introduced herself as Nisarien, and she had been put in charge of you by Queen Regent Míriel. Her watchful eye made flesh it seems. You wondered then if word of your reconciliation with Halbrand had reached the Queen. No doubt she would be pleased, and hopefully not too concerned with the movements of your love. You decided to again heed the advice Míriel had given you, and be wary of Nisarien. Although she really did not come across as the suspicious type.

As the first beams of sun finally broke through the sky, those that remained behind began to set up base camp, which would sit in a position of safety with a vantage point in case the enemy advanced too far. You remained with Nisarien and followed her lead, from setting up tents, beds, a makeshift kitchen, and whatever else needed attending to that wasn't already looked after. You were grateful to be kept busy. "So what exactly brings you along on this quest?" you asked your new companion.
"I work in the palace, closely with the Queen Regent. When she was looking for volunteers, I did not hesitate."
"What about your life back on Númenor? Don't you have a family or friends that will miss you?"
"Oh yes, very much. I come from a rather large family actually, and I have a twin sister."
"Did she come as well?"
"Sadly no, I am the sole being of my kin to set foot on Middle-earth. Which I think is rather exciting." she exclaimed happily. She was almost too happy and it made you uneasy. "Speaking of exciting," she began whilst unloading medical supplies. "I've heard all about you! Your majesty!" she giggled.

You didn't quite know what to make of Nisarien, and you prayed she wasn't the gossiping type. You just continued to organise the supplies as she unloaded them, waiting to see what she'd say next. "You two were the talk of the crew the whole journey across the sea!" Too late, the gossip's been had.
"Oh we were, were we?" you humoured her, and she nodded giddily.
"Oh yes you were, my lady! At first it was the rumours of the stowaway, 'Who is she?' 'Why is she here?' 'How did she get on the ship?' and then once your connection to Lord Halbrand and Commander Galadriel was confirmed, even more rumours were spreading, 'A low man with a Númenórean woman?' 'It's a lie, she's up to something.' 'They're both up to something.' I mean I could go on and on with this!"

"Please don't." you said without hesitating. You had heard quite enough. Suddenly you felt like a hundred eyes were on you and you wanted nothing more than to lock yourself away back in Halbrand's cabin. However there was maybe only ten of you that had remained behind to fulfil your duties. Still, you could feel their gazes on the back of your skull. How much did they know about you, about Halbrand? Did they see the surface of it, a blossoming romance filled with turbulence? Or had they dived beneath the waves and seen the truth of it all that lurked within the murky depths? You begged it to be the former, and told yourself that whatever rumours they might come up with would not be as bad as the truth. Or could they be worse?

"So how long have you worked in the palace for, Nisarien?" you changed the subject before your mind could wander too deeply into the darkness. Nisarien didn't even blink as she went along with it, talking about herself and her daily life in service of her Queen. After an hour or so of this, you decided she was harmless, and despite her penchant for gossip, she clearly was not the type to commit any ill deeds, whether on behalf of the crown or not. The sun shone brightly in the sky, morning well and truly underway, yet you were quite exhausted after your labours, especially after not getting enough rest the night before. "Nisarien, I'm going to lie down for a while, now that things seem to be on track."
"Of course, my lady." she grinned, then wished you pleasant dreams. Something told you that whatever dreams you might have would be anything but.

You stood atop a great tower, a giant sceptre symbolising your power over the land. An obsidian sky stretched out as far as your eyes would go, the lands over which you ruled were endless. Beneath you raged armies at war, elves and men against orcs, good versus evil, weakness versus power. You could hear the screams of the dead as they fell in combat, the metallic clashing of swords, the roaring of battle cries carried up to you on the wind. Your black dress flowed around you, your crown sharp as thorns. You glanced over to your love, who appeared nothing short of spectacular. His dark charcoal armour glistened in the glow of the mountain as it erupted in the distance. He too wore a crown, six long spikes sat atop his head, like claws grasping at the heavens. His long hair brushed behind him by the breeze. He turned to you then, noticing your gaze. As your eyes met, you felt a surge of power hit you. His hazel orbs were gone, all that remained were black slits, serpent like, surrounded by glowing irises that shone like embers. He smiled at you and called you to him without words. You obliged and let your bodies collide, and as you gazed at the death, decay, and despair at your feet, a lustful kiss was exchanged, the hunger within you both begging to be satisfied. "How about we join them, my love." he spoke, his eyes wandering back down to the pit. You hummed in devilish delight. "Yes... let's." you responded, excited for what was to come. Upon your descension into the masses, you stood back in awe as your love wreaked his havoc on his enemies, killing all who came near. None were a match for the lord of the rings.

A sonic boom stirred you from your slumber, bringing you back from the nightmare your mind continued to hold you hostage in night after night. The very ground shook beneath where you had been sleeping, and your stomach dropped instantly. Surely it could have been anything, but your gut told you otherwise. There was only one thing it could be: the mountain from your dreams had erupted. You did not yet know why you were having these visions, but the coincidence of them, the timing, sadly made sense. And you knew of a mountain that matched the description of the one you had seen in your slumber, that was located not far from Tirharad.

Suddenly your stomach dropped even more. Halbrand.

You screamed and hurriedly ran outside the tent, the sunshine blinding you from above. You didn't wait for your eyes to adjust before sprinting out across the hills before you, trying to get to the highest point, to confirm your suspicions. You could hear Nisarien calling for you but you ignored her. You didn't stop running until you reached the very peak, then scanned the horizon before you as you caught your breath. You didn't have to look for long though. In the distance you saw it. A giant ash cloud hurtled high into the sky and wide upon the ground below. You clasped a hand to your mouth in shock, not believing what you were seeing. You heard footsteps on the grass around you, as others of your company had followed you to this view point. The weight of what you were witnessing took its toll on you, and you fell to your knees in grief. No one could have survived.

You remained in that spot for what felt like an age, watching as the darkness from the volcano spread out across the sky, just like in your dream. Soon day turned to night, but you were unable to move. Eventually, Nisarien came to fetch you, reminding you of your duty. "It's some kind of miracle... somehow... some wounded have started to arrive." she spoke heavily, unable to understand the words she was speaking.
"Halbrand?!" you exclaimed in hope.
"No, my lady, no sight of the Southlands' King."
"Then leave me. Do not disturb me until he is returned."
"But my lady-"
"I SAID LEAVE!" you screamed at her then, your tears threatening to drown you. Nisarien gasped and backed away in fear, scampering off quickly. You knew going with her was the right thing to do, but you did not care. You had resigned yourself to let all men suffer until your love was returned to you.