Many years ago, in the wilds of Enedwaith, I was tracking two known thieves by the name of Adaryn and Jairyth, old adversaries of mine whom I was never overly fond. They found refuge in a settlement, Lhanuch it was called. Perhaps foolishly, I thought I could assail the village and draw them out of hiding. The mistake of a reckless man, for I was soon overwhelmed and soundly defeated. These Wildmen spared me but offered some passing remarks before I fled. A woman, a crone of sorts and no doubt one of the village elders, told me that no matter how far I travelled or how hard I tried, violence was in my blood and would always find me. I thought nothing of it at the time, but perhaps there was some wisdom in her warning.
It has been several days since my arrival in Bree. Izre has not yet visited, however I would be very surprised if she took me up on my offer. She is no doubt occupied by her affairs and I with mine, although my business took a rather unwelcome turn. It was late, perhaps a little over midnight as I wandered through the streets of Bree. My faithful steed, Sparrow, was in tow. The rhythmic sound of her hooves upon the cobbles roused my senses in the silence. We were making our way up the hill through one of the alleyways beneath the Scholar’s Stair. I had been drinking wine, but by no means enough to dull my mind. It was at that moment; a shadow emerged from the corner of the ally. I could not see their face, for they were hooded and cloaked. They had an apple in their hand, casually chewing upon it as they approached. I saw no reason to reach for my blade, not yet.
They began by engaging me in idle conversation. Asking me what I was doing out so late, why was I here, the usual nonsense locals tend to probe you with when travelling through the town. I gave as little detail as possible, for I was not in the mind to discuss my business with strangers. A scrape of a footstep, several footsteps. I glanced slightly to my right; in the corner of my eye, I saw a further two shadows emerge. I was surrounded, but I steadied myself. As the three advanced upon me, Sparrow began to struggle against the reins I held. I loosened them, allowing her to move through the group and up along the alleyway. With her out of the picture, it was just between me and the assailants. A flash of a knife, one of the rogues from behind lunged forward and attempted to stab me in the back. I stepped to one side, evading the strike if only by an inch, seizing their arm and placing a palm upon their back. Using my momentum, I spun them on the spot to shield me from a further attack from the others. The villain writhed in pain, crying out and dropping the knife. I contemplating breaking the arm entirely but was cut short by a cudgel striking me in the neck. I released my quarry and stumbled forward, placing a palm upon the ground to steady myself. It was not long before I was kicked hard in the side of my ribs, driving my breath from me. Drawing my sword at this point would have been futile, given the narrowness of the ally. I had to resort to other measures.
I reached out and drove my hand into a pile of mud, whirling around and throwing it into one of my attackers faces. They reeled backward, enough time for me to gain some ground. The knife that had been dropped had been retrieved. No doubt seeking revenge for the hold I had on them, the same attacker attempted a second thrust. I kicked hard at their legs causing them to buckle, leaping upright and rounding on the ringleader. Casting their apple aside, they advanced. They drew no weapon or tried to engage me in combat. Instead, they clapped slowly, perhaps mockingly at the display that had unfolded before them.
The three of us, myself and the two assailants, gathered ourselves with laboured breath whilst he, the leader, delivered a small speech. He introduced himself as Ardyn, and his two companions as Fealorn and Malvor. Why this Ardyn decided to divulge this information confused me in that moment, but it wasn’t until he had finished his flaunt that he told me that he was looking for ‘able-bodied men’ to join his brotherhood, or so he called it. I wasn’t sure whether to be angry, intrigued or insulted. Their recruitment skills left something to be desired, that much was true. But the thought of this man being so brazen as to attack someone in the street to test their mettle vexed me greatly. If I were half the man I was, I would have murdered him for the attempt.
Composing myself, I carefully explained to Ardyn that I was no criminal, nor did I wish to engage in such activity. Malvor, the third of their party, thought it wise to threaten me with further violence, I welcomed him to try. Ardyn however convinced him to stand down, he was unfazed by my refusal. He did nevertheless invite me to their base of operation on the outskirts of Bree, should I change my mind. He seemed to think, for whatever reason, that a man of my calibre would ‘do well’ for myself should I join them. I remained unconvinced. We parted ways and I retrieved Sparrow who was grazing on a patch of grass in the market square.
It seems that despite my best efforts, violence remains constant companion of mine. I came to Bree to find myself anew, but trouble seems to descend upon like an oncoming storm. It was then I thought about the old woman of Lhanuch, her parting words. No matter how far I travelled, or how hard I tried. Violence was in my blood…
Image created by AI, sourcing a screenshot from The Lord of the Rings Online
