|
Hilderinc stopped and gazed at Crabannan.
"Royal minister!" he laughed roaringly. "Indeed, no, that's what I would not like to be, Crabannan! Did you hear what he said?" He looked around at the others. Áforglaed looked back at him, puzzled. The others were also stirred by the sudden outburst, including Crabannan, as Hilderinc's roar could not have gone unnoticed by him.
"Let me tell you something, my untainted friend," Hilderinc turned towards Crabannan, his expression unusually agitated. "I am not repeating words from taverns, perhaps unlike you, but even though I haven't been to Gondor, I know what people need! People need a lord who understands them, yes! But they need maturity as well! They need it more than they need a lord who only pats their heads and is being nice, or..." Words failed him in the middle of the unprepared speech. "Whatever," he finished, not sure how to continue. He had never been good with words and this rather emotional response to Crabannan's not less emotional outburst had caught him completely unprepared.
But Áforglaed shook his head and backed away from Hilderinc somewhat, as if he had just seen a ghost.
"Whatever happened to him," he muttered quietly to those close to him, "I swear I never heard him laugh since I have met him. I thought he never laughs aloud. In fact I have never seen him shouting, have you..."
"What I meant to say," Hilderinc came to himself a bit, but felt his face turning red, "was that people need a good lord. But they also have to be able to recognise a good lord from a bad one, and dreams and wishful thoughts won't help them to do it right."
Now he was again speaking almost calmly, only his voice was trembling a bit after the unexpected outburst. He looked back at the others, being well aware of his own blushing face.
|