6. Forestry
Parasitic poisons wither—the tree yet stands, tho' the bole above seems like to die. Once young, strong, a branch lies dead, victim of the boring creature.
Ashen faced, he listens, hears the twisted mouth as it savors the news. Théodred is dead. Behind my ailing monarch stands his slender support.
The tender shoot holds the promise of life—if only ...
One quick thrust...pale flesh squirms on my dagger point. Repulsed, I grind it under a booted heel.
Heavy lidded eyes flick o'er his onetime master, seeking fresher sustenance.
I reach for the redeeming blade ...
'...another Worm for killing ...'
*******
There are several references in The King of the Golden Hall: Chapter VI of LotR: TTT: Book Three which provided inspiration for this. There is also the account given me by a friend, who cares pasionately about the trees on his property, of a rather nasty parasitic worm that bores its way into the trunk of a tree, eventually killing everything above it. He wishes it was so readily disposed of.
~N.
Ashen faced, he listens, hears the twisted mouth as it savors the news. Théodred is dead. Behind my ailing monarch stands his slender support.
The tender shoot holds the promise of life—if only ...
One quick thrust...pale flesh squirms on my dagger point. Repulsed, I grind it under a booted heel.
Heavy lidded eyes flick o'er his onetime master, seeking fresher sustenance.
I reach for the redeeming blade ...
'...another Worm for killing ...'
*******
There are several references in The King of the Golden Hall: Chapter VI of LotR: TTT: Book Three which provided inspiration for this. There is also the account given me by a friend, who cares pasionately about the trees on his property, of a rather nasty parasitic worm that bores its way into the trunk of a tree, eventually killing everything above it. He wishes it was so readily disposed of.
~N.
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.
