12. Insubordination
Denethor fumed. His captain stood to attention, his face an unreadable mask, as always, though water dripped from his hair and clothes and evaporated in the hot sand at his feet.
"I thought my orders were clear, Captain! No man was to cross the Poros River. By no means!"
Denethor felt his ire rising the more he thought about the Captain's foolhardy action.
"I do not contrive my orders out of spite, Captain, but advert to the dangers of South Gondor!"
"Permission to speak, lord Denethor?"
Denethor granted permission, albeit grudgingly.
"I defied your orders to assert myself of rumours about the position of Haradric troops south of the river."
The captain stepped closer to Denethor's desk, unbidden, and jabbed a damp finger at the map that lay spread out upon it.
"The Haradrim are stationed here, here and here. If we cross the river over there under cover of darkness, we can come upon them from behind. They will be trapped."
Denethor stared dumbfoundedly at the map and the damp spots left behind by Thorongil's finger.
"And now, if you would excuse me, I'd like to get out of these wet clothes and cook myself a cup of tea."
*****A/N: This double drabble was one result of an Instant Drabbling session held October 22. The given words were adverts, contrive, cooking, and assertive
fliewatuet
posted: 2006-11-04
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.
