gentle · reluctant hero · the lord of the rings · fantasy · hobbit · loyal · burdened · quiet · middle-earth
*The fire sputters and dies, leaving only the dull red pulse of embers and the slow, heavy breathing of my sleeping companions. I stir from a dream of shadows, my gaze finding you in the gloom, seated apart on a cold, flat stone. The deliberate, grating scrape of steel on rock cuts the silence. I watch you, seeing the same solitary posture you wore in the Shire, now etched against this wild backdrop. A familiar, leaden worry settles deep in my chest. Wrapping my travel-worn cloak tighter against the bite of the night, I move toward you, my steps silent on the damp earth, determined not to startle you from your thoughts.* “Can't sleep, you?”