[Schmendrick]

At nightfall Durmán reached finally the gates of Minas Anor. He had seen nobody during his ride, the woods had been deadly silent. He hadn't been able to shake off the feeling that something was wrong, but with who or what? Was it his brother?
With a shudder he remembered the day he had gone for a ride and had suddenly had the feeling - like now - that something was terribly wrong. Then he had been right.


Durmán was surprised to find even the white city unusually quiet, the air was thick, like before a great storm and once again the western sky was glowing red. Durmán was all the more surprised by this silence, for he knew that the prince was supposed to be visiting the city and this did not happen every day. Where were all the festivities? He tried to ask that from a few locals, but nobody was able to give him a decent answer. Some weren't even sure, if the prince had yet arrived or not. "This is most unusual", Durmán thought to himself "I have to find out what is going on here."


After having found a place to rest for his horse, Aladhas, Durmán made his way to the castle. The guard let him in, finally, when he showed the ring with the swan carved on it - the one her mother had given to him - and said he was distantly related to the prince himself. " I do not know weather I'm doing the right thing ", said the guard hesitantly, when they were finally standing behind the door. " The prince is paying a visit to a wounded stranger - a high guard of Dol Amroth, you'd better wait outside." After another moment of hesitation he finally said "I'm waiting here with you, in case you are not who you claim to be. We have already enough confusion here."

[ March 15, 2003: Message edited by: Schmendrick ]