1. Introduction: The Road taken
He pulled his mount to halt in the shade of an old, gnarled, holly tree and stiffly swung himself from the saddle of his steed. Animal and man both had the demeanour of a long journey, the experience of their companions' death rested heavily on their shoulders. They moved as ones who had not rested or eaten since the first light of day, who had clambered through the barren hills until their feet ached and their hearts grew heavy. Now, as the sun slipped into the grey shadows of the west, they had come to the end of their strength, and the end of their journey for the day. For a moment, as his booted feet struck the iron-hard floor, he allowed himself to feel the aches of his body.
With his camp prepared and his horse tended, he sat and ate his sparse meal in front of the fire. He propped his chin on his bent knees, staring sightlessly into the flames. As he did every night, he let his thoughts dwell on home. Home. How he longed to see the white city once again, how he wished he could turn his back on the cursed wilderness and return to his family. But home was league upon league away now and his task would only lead him further away. <I have a task.> he thought. He could not turn back now, not ever. The thought of returning to Minas Tirith without Boromir was inconceivable. He wrapped his dusty cloak around him and lay down, his head resting on his soft, leathery saddle. Behind him, his horse chewed thoughtfully on the holly and above, the heavenly stars watched over. Berethor son of Beregond, captain of the Tower Guard, closed his eyes and slept.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.
