1. The Weight of the Dead
The pearl and silver crown upon my head,
the banner of the Tree and Stars waves bright.
“Behold the King,” the voices cry, and light
o’er all, the darkness broken, shadows fled.
Great battles won, the armies that I led
are now returned to peace and joy. The sight
of many brave companions from the fight
can lift my heart, free now from fear and dread.
And yet the voices of the dead are here
as well. I close my ears to hear the lost
and bring them near, hear some I loved, gone now.
I think about the price they paid. ‘Twas dear
enough. I feel the weight and bear the cost
along with pearl and silver on my brow.
***
Author's note: the title is taken from a line Boromir speaks to Frodo (movie). The speaker is Aragorn, at the time of his coronation.
the banner of the Tree and Stars waves bright.
“Behold the King,” the voices cry, and light
o’er all, the darkness broken, shadows fled.
Great battles won, the armies that I led
are now returned to peace and joy. The sight
of many brave companions from the fight
can lift my heart, free now from fear and dread.
And yet the voices of the dead are here
as well. I close my ears to hear the lost
and bring them near, hear some I loved, gone now.
I think about the price they paid. ‘Twas dear
enough. I feel the weight and bear the cost
along with pearl and silver on my brow.
***
Author's note: the title is taken from a line Boromir speaks to Frodo (movie). The speaker is Aragorn, at the time of his coronation.
This is a work of fan fiction, written because the author has an abiding love for the works of J R R Tolkien. The characters, settings, places, and languages used in this work are the property of the Tolkien Estate, Tolkien Enterprises, and possibly New Line Cinema, except for certain original characters who belong to the author of the said work. The author will not receive any money or other remuneration for presenting the work on this archive site. The work is the intellectual property of the author, is available solely for the enjoyment of Henneth Annûn Story Archive readers, and may not be copied or redistributed by any means without the explicit written consent of the author.
