[Fordim Hedgethistle]

Snaveling paused for a moment on the window-ledge unsure if it were wise to follow the far more agile Innkeeper on to her precarious seat. But the prospect held by the excitement in her voice was irresistible, so holding his breath he followed her as best he could. His movements were far clumsier than hers had been, and had it not been for Aman’s quick reflexes and ready hand he would have fallen. But after much scrambling he was on the roof and looking out at the land as he had been directed.

It was, indeed, a breath-taking sight. He had scaled the White Mountains in his youth in pursuit of prey, but had never taken the time to enjoy the view that it afforded of the low lands between them and the Sea. Once, many years ago, he had crossed the Misty Mountains and seen the lands of Eriador laid out beneath his feet, but that land – for all its beauty – had been wild and empty, with only the occasional ruin to mark that any had lived there. This land, however, was full of people and cultivation. As far as his eye could see there were the signs of industry and harvest, of happily ordered villages and sensible roads. He understood then what Aman meant when she warned him against his chosen course of action. For this land, as remarkable as it might be, was only a small portion of the world over which the King Elessar ruled; it reflected only in the smallest part the order, wisdome and might with which he ruled his lands. Far to the South he knew that there were more and more lands like this, peopled with Men who would regard Snaveling and all that he represented as a threat to the well-ordered industry and society that they had built.

He turned to Aman. A gentle wind stirred their hair, lifting and mixing the strands together. The sun shone bright, but Snaveling could see on the horizon, and fast approaching, clouds that threatened rain. “I believe I understand what you are trying to tell me with this view, my friend. But I am afraid that I will not be deterred from this. One way or another, word of me will reach the King. If he is, as you fear, sworn to my destruction, then will he not send for me? If I am to die for who I am, I would rather that it come at a time and place of my own choosing, and not at the end of an assassin’s blade on a lonely road, unseen and unremarked. I know what you will say next, that I should present myself to the King in humility, and beg his indulgence. This is, I admit, something that I have done before, when pressed. But I will not do so now. I have told you already, and I will tell you again, that I will not seek to press my claim to the throne. But I will not deny who I am, nor will I give up on the dreams that have been my reason for living, now that their realisation stands so near at hand!”

Aman saw the determination in his face and sighed lightly in apparent defeat. “Snaveling, my friend, I do not think you do understand fully…but I see that you are not to be deterred.”

“No,” he said, “I am not. But do not despair for me – and strange it is indeed to me that you should! The crimes that you speak of are long in the past, and were practised by Men about whom I know practically nothing. Surely that will matter for something in the eyes of the King? The past means little to my people, and while I know that this is not true for other Men, I will continue to hope that I will be judged for what I have done with my own life, and not for who came before me. But there, Aman, if you wish to despair of my fate, then there is much that I have done for you to worry about. Am I not bound to Roa to appear before her King for judgement of my attempt upon her life? While such a matter may appear trivial to a High King when set alongside the enmities of history, I assure you that it is a far weightier matter to me than all the ancient tales put together!” The mention of Roa drove his mind back to his purpose in seeking out Aman. Looking back out upon the landscape, he began carefully. “It was about Roa that I wished to speak with you, Aman. I am afraid that she feels much as you did – that I wish to challenge her King. I fear, in fact, that she sees me now as a blood enemy. This causes me…regret – and I do not wish to feel such, regret. Do you think there might be some way for me to reassure her of my intentions? For as I am bound to her, I feel it my duty to be clear and honest. And,” he paused for a moment before resuming, “it is important to me that Roa understand my mind fully.”