13. Angmar
"It's raining again," Khamul reported.
"So I can see," Morion said. He looked paler than usual. Khamul was starting to wonder if the ring was drawing out his life. He'll be a true wraith then, she thought. I just hope I don't follow him.
"The orcs make good builders, even if they are irritating little creatures."
"Are they nearly done?" Morion asked, surprised.
"Close," Khamul said with a shrug. "Maybe in another year."
Morion nodded. "Carn Dum," he said. "The capital of Angmar. Do the kings of Rhudaur know anything about this?" he asked.
"No," Khamul said, shaking her head. "Not a thing."
"Are you sure? If they get wind of this, Angmar may fall before it's truly ever risen."
"I'm sure," Khamul said.
Morion nodded. "Good. Go see that the orcs are working properly."
He's in a strange mood today, Khamul thought. Very testy. I wonder if he's ill. Actually, I wonder if we can even be ill.
"What's going on here?" she demanded, spotting a herd of chattering humans. What are they doing here? she thought. Probably here to raid the land. I leave this spot for two hours and what happens?
"It is under control," Vorea said. "These," She gestured to the humans, "have flocked to our banner."
"I wasn't aware that we were waving our banner around so much," Khamul said.
Vorea shrugged. "Sauron has been sending out scouts to the native tribes in the area. To see if there are any dissatisfied with the Numenorean rulers. As it turns out, there are quite a few."
"So I see," Khamul said. There were easily three hundred people here, though that included the women and children. "Farmers, craftsmen, we're going to have a working city."
"That was my idea," Vorea said. "And there are more already on their way. Angmar will be a bustling metropolis soon enough."
"I hope it's got the army to match," Khamul said. "Or else Rhudaur'll crush us."
"Rhudaur is the weakest of the three kingdoms. It is Arthedain that we have to worry about, and they are far to the west. They will know nothing of this."
"I hope you're right," Khamul muttered. "Say, have you noticed anything odd about Morion lately?"
Vorea frowned. "No. Is he all right?"
"I don't know," Khamul said. "He just seems to be acting a bit strange."
"Something with the Vala in his head, I would presume."
"I hope Melkor doesn't take over his mind again," Khamul said. "I have absolutely no desire to skewer him multiple times."
"Sauron will be able to keep him under control."
Khamul snorted. "Sauron's in Dol Guldur. He hasn't the foggiest idea what's going on around here."
"The Dark Lord is clever," Vorea said. "I would not underestimate him in any way."
With a shrug, Khamul walked off to find other ringbearers who could organize the townspeople into something resembling order.
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.
