To my companions...
*There lies a note halfway stuck out of the battered old journal that reads “To my companions”, at a quick glance it appears naught but a letter, but upon closer inspection, despite the generic title it appeared to be a most emotionally charged pledge of allegiance of sorts... Despite the Author's usual messy scrawl, more care than usual has been taken to ensure that there was no ink spillages or blotches on the paper. The letter appeared to be directed to one particular person...*
To Ulfey...
Though you may never read this, I must write down something. My mind has been nervous of late and I grow more worried for you by the day.
A hunted woman you are, in grave danger and peril... Though heedless to the warnings, was I not clear enough when I told you? Was I not clear when I warned that these gullible folk truly mean to burn you alive? Perhaps rumors have been spread about you before and that they were but false tales spread by the local gossip... And perhaps you believe that they mean no harm even now...
But this time it is different...
They see you as a witch of terrible power... They believe that you have caused the recent blights of Bree, from dark dreams to a terrible sickness of the mind... They believe you to be the source of this shadow and they are willing to hunt you down and kill you if they could...
Rumors spread by a fool boy who knows not what mistakes he is making, many times have I confronted him but I fear in my anger I have only stirred things up worse, I do not think for a minute that Rue has given up his hunt for you, though he tells me otherwise. I believe he is bluffing, and not only that, we know he is sending out folk to hunt you down... I stay up at night worrying what would happen to you if they caught you, not a day goes by that I don't worry about you... I am protective naturally but there is something about you that compels me to be as vigilant and I suppose as worrisome as I am... I am just not sure of what that is yet...
They fear your 'magic' for you are a healer of no small skill and wise in the lore of herbs... Alas, for they know not the truth, the only magic about you is how well you can heal wounds and keep our morale boosted with your gentle spirit and kind nature... Nay, there is far more about you than that, Ulfey... You are a gentle soul who even in the face of chaos and madness of battle would not harm a single living thing. You do not mean to blight the land at all, in fact I can still remember our trip down to the Old Forest... When I had that little incident with the bear trap... You were in fact warding the sickness of the forest with your charms. These simple folk of Bree know not the truth, there is not a single evil bone in your body! If only they knew...
In fact, if it was not for your skills in healing both body and mind, I fear I would not be alive today. If anything, I owe you for your services... And I intend to honor my word and oath to my companions as best as I can... They will see soon enough that I Arostir, Warden of Annúminas, wielder of Silhernya, has more to offer than anyone knows...
It may be that no one will truly know the lengths I would go to protect you, as a champion and as a friend...
I would travel the frozen wastes of Forochel, sleeping in the freezing snow if I had to...
I would walk barefoot many leagues over the sharp rocky crags of Angmar if I had to...
I would swim the length of Nenuial from South to North a hundred times if I had to...
I would fight the great beasts of the underworld, the Balrogs and other nameless things... I would charge into the dark city of Carn Dûm armed with only my sword if I had to...
I would give my life for you...
And the same goes to all of my companions.
*What this letter meant seemed rather vague, perhaps it was but a letter expressing Arostir's inner emotions... Perhaps it was indeed a letter of allegiance as a champion and protector... Perhaps it was a strange form of love letter? But whatever it was, the feeling that Arostir was deadly serious when writing this lingers with you for a while... And leaves you with one question...
What is going on in the struggling mind of this man?*
