After leaving the fair forest of Ithilien we traveled south along the Road. Since we all had steeds we moved quickly, and it wasn't long before we reached the border of Gondor and Harad. Here it seemed as though the trees had fled, and had given reign to tall grass and rocks. On either side of the road were lush fields of green grass waving in the wind, and there was no sign of habitation as far as the eye could see. Every here and there were herds of wild cattle, and strange, long legged birds strode across the plains. I had never seen birds of that kind, and seeing them now filled me with curiosity.

"Those are called Cawara," Hadar said as he noticed my attentive gaze. "Their eggs are quite good! The meat... Not so good."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why isn't the meat good?"

"The birds can spit poison. They don't have alot of it, but even a drop can be deadly. It's rare, but sometimes the poison travels through their bloodstream and ruins the meat. It's better to be safe."

"Ah," I said thoughtfully. "Are they aggressive?"

"Only when their offspring are threatened." He laughed. "The eggs are worth the danger though. They're delicious."

Just as I was about to open my mouth, I saw a cloud of dust on the horizon. I instantly tensed.

"It looks as though we have company," I said.

"So it does." Hadar halted the company. "Draw bows!" 

His men all pulled shortbows from their horses' saddles, watching as the cloud drew nearer. Caledorn rode swiftly to my side.

"They're Haradrim. There's around ninety of them, and they're well armed. But they don't seem to be hostile."

I glanced over at the elf in surprise. "How do you know all that?"

At this he tapped his temple with a long finger. "Elves have keen senses, mellon. Try and keep up." When he said this, he came close to grinning and a mischievous twinkle came into his eye. I tried to ignore it.

"Of course, silly me." A second later I rose my voice so the whole company could hear me. "Do not attack unless we are attacked!"

I could now see the approaching horsemen. Caledorn was right. They were indeed Haradrim, and they were very well armed... More so than I had ever seen before. They all wore midnight black armor, and around their angular, serpentine helmets were dark blue bands. There was one, however, whose helmet had horns, and he wore a blood red band instead of a blue one. He approached me ahead of the rest of his men.

"Hold! What business do you have in the sovereign Kingdom of Harondar?" The man's voice was deep, deeper even than Hadar's, and despite the thick armor I could tell that he was a hulking brute of a man.

"We merely travel through, m'lord," Hadar said with a bow. It was clear they knew each other, for at these words the armored man visibly relaxed.

"Hadar? It has been too long, my friend. Tell me, how have the Northlands treated you? Last I heard you went to seek your fortune in Rhun, of all places!"

"That I did, and it was quite an experience!" Hadar looked over at me. "In my travels I met this man. Allow me to introduce to you Prince Rukil, of the Dorgeshi."

"My honor, ruler. I am called Nadow, I too am a prince. My father rules Harondar, the land which you see around you." Seemingly trusting of us now, he ordered his men to lower their weapons, and he removed his helmet. He looked relatively young, but his dark skin was scarred in many places, including a large gash on the top of his shaved head. It was clear he was no stranger to battle.

"Does my appearance bother you?" He asked, noticing me observing his scars. "This land has been torn apart by war since I was but a child. When you fight as much as I do, you learn to forsake appearances," he said with a laugh. "Tell me, Rukil of the Dorgeshi, why do you travel along this road? It would take less time to travel along the North road."

"This road hides us from unfriendly eyes," Hadar said. I looked at him in surprise. We didn't know this man's loyalties, perhaps he was an ally of Sauron himself.

"We can trust him, Rukil," Hadar said in response to my look. "Harondar is one of the last tribes that hasn't allied with Sauron."

"Nor do we plan to," Nadow said with pride. "The other tribes were weak. Mordor bribed them with gold and promise of conquest. But we have need of neither gold nor land. So we shall keep our independence."

"For now. If Mordor does not gain your loyalty willingly, it will gain it by force," I said emphatically. Surely he knew that.

"We are ready to defend our land. Our army is strong and our people are determined." He swept his hand toward his warriors, who nodded in agreement.

"Determination won't stop the forces of Mordor. And their armies exceed yours by far. Rhun is in turmoil because of them, and Rhun is much greater a kingdom than Harad, even if Harad were unified."

"You may be right," Nadow said thoughtfully as his horse shifted sideways. "But it is not my place to say. You must talk to my father, the chieftain of these lands." 

"How far is he from here?" I asked. "We cannot stray far from the road, our quest requires haste."

"It is not far, my friend. Only several miles down the road. That way," he said, pointing to the east.

   I glanced over at Caledorn, who wore a disapproving look. "We don't have time for this," he said curtly.

   "These could be valuable allies," I countered. "Lead us there, if you will." 

   Nadow smiled. "Very well. My father will be glad to see an ally, I think." 

===============================

   An hour or less later, we came upon a tall hill that seemed to stand a lone sentinel over the verdant plains around us.

   "That is the Warring Hill. Rival tribes would resolve disputes there, in bloody combat. Harond Castle lies on the other side." Nadow's voice held deep respect for the place, and I could tell that there was a rich history behind it. But we did not have time for a history lesson at the moment.

   "Let us make haste then," I said.

    The loud shout of surprise from one of Nadow's warriors gave me a start, and I looked over to see him pointing ahead. 

   "There's smoke coming from the castle!" He cried.

   "Quickly!" Nadow shouted as he spurred his horse into a gallop. We all followed him up the hill at breakneck speed, the thundering of our horses' hooves shaking the ground. When we reached the top, I saw a sight that struck my very bones with fear.

   The city was in flames, and smoke billowed high into the sky. Buildings collapsed as the fire claimed them. Nadow let out a cry of dismay and rode down the hill. Hadar and I followed him, along with several of Nadow's knights. When we entered the outskirts of the city, we were met by dark, flaky ashes falling from the sky like snow. My golden armor was soon covered in black soot, but I didn't notice at the time. I was too busy surveying the area in shock. Charred corpses were strewn throughout the street, seemingly cut down as they ran. Several of them had black arrows protruding from their backs. 

   But the most eerie thing as we rode further into the city was the silence. Aside from the steady sound of hooves, there wasn't a sound. No cries of distress, no birds, nothing. 

   Nadow rode ahead as if in a trance. He stared straight ahead and didn't seem to even notice the destruction around him. I noticed a single tear fall down his cheek as we stopped in front of what was once the palace. Now, it was little more than a pile of rubble, with only tall stone arches standing like the spine of some dead behemoth. 

   After what seemed like an eternity, Nadow turned to face me. 

   "Mordor did this."

   I nodded slightly. I had seen the orcish arrows, and the utter destruction spoke volumes.  

   "There was nothing you could've done. You would've only been killed along with the rest," I said quietly.

   "But there is something I still can do..." His hand went down and gripped the hilt of his sword. "I can get revenge. My warriors and I are coming with you. There's nothing for us here. But revenge lies on your road, and we will take it."

   "This is your land, Nadow. I will not ask you to leave it."

   "It isn't our land anymore. Sauron has taken it from us. Let us take something from him in return." His eyes narrowed, and I heard malice in his voice that seemed foreign to a noble man such as himself.

   "It is your choice, I will not turn away your help."

   "Then we are with you," he said, drawing his scimitar and raising it into the air. "We will no longer be called the Serpents of Harondar, for we have no home now. We are the Death-Bringers, for we shall bring death to those that brought it first upon our kin." As one his warriors drew their scimitars and rose them on high, and let out a blood-chilling cry that would one day fill even Sauron's greatest lieutenants with fear. 

Hey everyone! I really enjoyed writing this chapter, so let me know what you think! I'll be adding entries into the Dramatis Personae chapter detailing info on the new characters/locations, so be sure to check that out too! :)