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[The Ruling Ring]

"Try not to sound so confused," the Easterling spoke sharply.

Maeralagos looked full at him for another instant, then, narrowing his eyes a bit, shifted his gaze to the quivering tip of the arrow, less than hand's-length from his heart. He looked back up at the man, forcing his expression to remain the same as he looked at him. Slowly, the man began to raise the arrow, gazing fixedly at Maeralagos' head. Maeralagos felt his blood turn to ice. He shut his eyes, not so violently as before, and more in fear.

"May the Valar have mercy on me..." he whispered, then clamped his tremulous jaw shut.

There was a terrible pause, then Maeralagos heard the arrow fly. He let out an involuntary gasp, but opened his eyes to find that nothing had happened to him. The man was staring at him expectantly. Maeralagos looked at him in pure and plain astonishment.

Suddenly, Telpeheled's clear, familiar laugh rang out behind Maeralagos. All other sounds vanished from Maeralagos' consciousness as he turned to look at Telpeheled, whose laughter didn't seem like it was going to end shortly. Had he gone mad?

"Maybe I have," Telpeheled chuckled, gazing back up at them all. He redirected his attention to the Easterling who'd shot the arrow. "Don't you see? Everyone volunteered for you to kill them and you couldn't do it! What kind of fighters are you?"

The man responded by leaping over to him and clouting him savagely in the side of the head. Almost as a reflex, Maeralagos drew his sword, but froze, realizing that the man was going no further than talk, now, speaking fast and hot to Telpeheled on the ground, bleeding from the nose but seeming hardly to notice it, at that instantly. He stopped suddenly, dropping to a crouch next to Telpeheled. Maeralagos raised his sword slowly, unsure of what this man was planning to do.

"You are injured."

Maeralagos could hardly believe his ears. He was only examining his wound! He barely heard the exchange that followed, between the Easterlings and Telpeheled. He came up next to his friend at the words of his apology.

"You are certainly right that we judge you a certain way, as I'm sure you do to us. But, I am willing to put aside enmity for now, if you are? Our grudges may or may not be equal, as we do not know what your kind have done to our home, but shall we forget recriminations for a while at least?"

Maeralagos dropped down beside Telpeheled at these words, looking at the Easterlings beseechingly, not for mercy, but for forgiveness, at least in the short run.