He had not had time to descend back to the floor of the plain from the rocky outcropping before the man sprang at him. He heard the cry of the slave and turned quickly. Moonlight glinted against the swiftly advancing blade. He stepped to the side to avoid the steely bite, throwing up his arm to catch the arm that held the blade and deflect it. He swung his fist, meeting the jaw of the attacker. Then pounced on the downed man, giving him several hard blows to the head.
‘Ranchard!’ he spat out.
Rhûnnaro took the coil of thin, strong rope that hung across his chest. Throwing it to the girl who had come up near them, her small knife drawn, he told her to tie him up. ‘Help her,’ he ordered the other slaves who had drawn near . . .
[ May 19, 2003: Message edited by: Envinyatar ]
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‘Many are the strange chances of the world,’ said Mithrandir, ‘and help oft shall come from the hands of the weak when the Wise falter.’
– Gandalf in: The Silmarillion, 'Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age'
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