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b2mem2012-03-20 12:32 am
dwimordene-2011.livejournal.com) wrote in b2mem2012-03-20 12:32 am
Annihilation by Dwimordene
B2MeM Challenge: B9: Aspects of Aragorn: Aragorn; Rangers of the North: Eriador
Format: ficlet
Genre: drama
Rating: K+
Characters: Saruman
Summary: “The enemy has set traps for me before…” – “Strider,” FOTR
Annihilation
The test of loyalty is always blood – his, or another’s. Saruman prefers it be another’s, though with such a task, it may yet be his…
But he Speaks, sends the winter early and harsh, and come spring, can claim one: Argonui. The son survived, though, and chance brought him nearly into Saruman’s hands: for the Ranger come to play herald, who pleads on his Chieftain’s behalf for aid for Tharbad’s refugees, and for good introduction to Gondor or Rohan, begs a meeting with Saruman for his Lord. And were it not that Gandalf had come, too, Arador, when he arrived, might not have lived the night.
When at length, though, Arador and Gandalf are busy elsewhere, Saruman takes ample from among those newly settled nearly on his door, for he’ll need them for his orcs, if he is to rival Mordor’s uruks. Later is soon enough to send the trolls, and in due time, he can claim his second Chieftain.
Then he must hunt, for Arador’s heir is less known to him – young still, he thinks, perhaps unmarried? He pleads Conciliar business in Elrond’s library, and discovers there a name in the Book of Kings: Arathorn. No wife set beside him…
That must surely change soon, though, and so he barters another of the Tharbad settlements, this time to gain the help of the orcs of the Mountains, for he will not risk his pedigrees failing for want of time. Pity, for it takes such hired help four years to draw their quarry out, but he can credit a third kill.
Thus ends the House of Isildur! Eriador is purged of that bloodline – so he tells his brother, who would be his master. Sauron wastes orcs and Dunlendings, and sends the crébain flying for two years and more, but finally – finally – he is satisfied of the truth. Saruman is admitted to the ranks.
The years pass, and Saruman is consumed with his own studies – he must find the Ring! To the devastated Dúnedain remnant, he can devote little time, but he devises now and again traps to cull their leaders, whoever they may be. On occasion, word comes to him of captains caught and killed in them, and this is enough to satisfy Mordor of his allegiance and ensure himself no trouble from that quarter.
Thus it is that for want of a name entered timely into Elrond’s book, ‘tis not ‘til after his own star has fallen and he has escaped to a mean exile that Saruman learns who the witness to his humiliation at Orthanc was, and with bitterness laughs as he traces the name of one of his nine unlikely saviors: A-r-a-g-o-r-n.
Format: ficlet
Genre: drama
Rating: K+
Characters: Saruman
Summary: “The enemy has set traps for me before…” – “Strider,” FOTR
Annihilation
The test of loyalty is always blood – his, or another’s. Saruman prefers it be another’s, though with such a task, it may yet be his…
But he Speaks, sends the winter early and harsh, and come spring, can claim one: Argonui. The son survived, though, and chance brought him nearly into Saruman’s hands: for the Ranger come to play herald, who pleads on his Chieftain’s behalf for aid for Tharbad’s refugees, and for good introduction to Gondor or Rohan, begs a meeting with Saruman for his Lord. And were it not that Gandalf had come, too, Arador, when he arrived, might not have lived the night.
When at length, though, Arador and Gandalf are busy elsewhere, Saruman takes ample from among those newly settled nearly on his door, for he’ll need them for his orcs, if he is to rival Mordor’s uruks. Later is soon enough to send the trolls, and in due time, he can claim his second Chieftain.
Then he must hunt, for Arador’s heir is less known to him – young still, he thinks, perhaps unmarried? He pleads Conciliar business in Elrond’s library, and discovers there a name in the Book of Kings: Arathorn. No wife set beside him…
That must surely change soon, though, and so he barters another of the Tharbad settlements, this time to gain the help of the orcs of the Mountains, for he will not risk his pedigrees failing for want of time. Pity, for it takes such hired help four years to draw their quarry out, but he can credit a third kill.
Thus ends the House of Isildur! Eriador is purged of that bloodline – so he tells his brother, who would be his master. Sauron wastes orcs and Dunlendings, and sends the crébain flying for two years and more, but finally – finally – he is satisfied of the truth. Saruman is admitted to the ranks.
The years pass, and Saruman is consumed with his own studies – he must find the Ring! To the devastated Dúnedain remnant, he can devote little time, but he devises now and again traps to cull their leaders, whoever they may be. On occasion, word comes to him of captains caught and killed in them, and this is enough to satisfy Mordor of his allegiance and ensure himself no trouble from that quarter.
Thus it is that for want of a name entered timely into Elrond’s book, ‘tis not ‘til after his own star has fallen and he has escaped to a mean exile that Saruman learns who the witness to his humiliation at Orthanc was, and with bitterness laughs as he traces the name of one of his nine unlikely saviors: A-r-a-g-o-r-n.
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Nice touch in the last sentence about "the nine unlikely saviors".
(Nitpick: something seems to have gone awry with the grammar of this clause: " for the Ranger come to play herald and plead on his Chieftain’s behalf"?)
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But otherwise, given that Saruman's interests aren't furthered by Aragorn's being alive, I figured it would make sense to have him, as the most powerful of Sauron's would-be allies based west of Anduin, be given the task of hunting down and exterminating the entire line.
(Nitpick: something seems to have gone awry with the grammar of this clause: " for the Ranger come to play herald and plead on his Chieftain’s behalf"?)
That's meant to be an intervening clause - the object of the main verb is after two other clauses, but yeah, something went wrong on top of that. :-S I think I've fixed it.
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Just a slight point - these are prompts for B9 not I27.
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And thanks, too, for the heads up re: numbers. Strangely enough, I got it right everywhere else. Writing this late at night is probably not good for my ability to track the details....
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- Erulisse (one L)
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I think this was well-reasoned. It provides explanations where canon is lacking, and it's a great vision of the Saruman-Sauron alliance. I'm left wondering if Sauron was truly convinced by the proofs, or merely pretended that he was convinced in order to hopefully render Saruman a bit complacent. (If Saruman is pulling one over on Sauron here, I am duly impressed...takes some mettle to hide things from the Great Eye!)
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So yeah, I'm sure each one has one or two contingency plans to use against the other at need - it's the smart bet.
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Nicely done indeed, Dwim!
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