Leídan Aznawar of Khand

The next morning when the sun rose over the mountains in the east Neida and Leídan prepared to leave and continue their journey through strange lands. They had no particular goal to go, they just travelled. Young men and women among the Azumenúkhad could choose that, instead of marrying right away after reaching majority. It was an uncommon thing to marry at a later age with some life experience behind the teeth on the plains of Khandur. But the Azumenúkhad were in many things unlike their neighbouring tribes. And they were the only one coming from the eastern plains of Rhûnaur and beyond. Many of the ancient ways had somehow survived among them. The Azumenúkhad weapons were literally born from the sands. In the sands near the Ered Harmal was stored a lot of iron and the burned wood provided coal. The smiths among the Azumenúkhad kept secret how they processed the metal and from that the weapons. It was by their zamirah and tagashur that the tribe had know to survive without superior rule from the Harmunekhad and Angashaghur. A zamira was a long sword and carried in the belt. The tagashur was a short sword and carried on the back. Neida had a tagashur, a knife and a bow with her. Bow and quiver hang usual at her saddle on her Azumeh. Leídan owned both a zamirah and a tagashur.

In the night, Neida had insisted sudden that she wanted to see the land of Gondor. They said both goodbye to the Sangohyang tribe and rode east again to find the road in this land of sand and rocks. Neida had one wish and that was to see the green grass fields of Laergaladrin, but first they had to leave the Emyn Laer hills behind them and still they stretched like some wall all the way to the mountains of Ered Duath. It took them about four days to reach the road from the south and another three days before they would reach the hills themselves. Along the road to the north, Leídan and Neida passed a deserted and destroyed fortress, where they spent the night in safety. The water well was still intact and the Azumeh drank liters from it. Neida remained with the animals, while Leídan walked through the ruins for human company. He just wanted to know if there were raiders hidden, or other threats. What had been a fortress were a field of half a wall and the fundaments of buildings. Grass grew rich everywhere between the fallen blocks of stone. Some streets were still quite intact, but either small bushes had overgrown most of the ruins. Leídan had to be careful to place his feet on the ground and avoid the stone blocks. The sky was clouded, but the there was no rain coming. Perhaps more to the north.

Leídan had seen more ruins of former civilization in his life. In the lands of Khandur were many abandoned towns of long ago, when the climate perhaps had been milder than it was now. The sands of the plains hid many things. And only the historians of the tribe knew it all, as they had scribed it down past all the ages and kept these scrolls safely hidden. The scrolls of history were the most precious possession of the Azumenúkhad tribe. And in the scrolls were written many facts. Leídan returned to his sister and the Azumehda knowing the ruins were safe to stay. In the whole vicinity was no living creature to be found. So for this night both could have a good sleep. He slept tight and awoke yet before dusk, while the first rays of the sun lightened up the sky in the east over the mountains. Yet over the mountains hang thick dark clouds, which seemed to be as tight as a thick door and the wind would not even remove them. With a frown on his face, he looked at the distant cloud deck and the sunrays coming over them. He knew it was not natural, but wizarded by the evil lurked in the land over the mountains. There was no wind now, just the silence of a land still asleep from the night. Slowly nature woke up and birds began to sing their morning songs. Leídan always loved these moments of the early morning. Lazy he stretched his arms under his head and lifted his head a bit. It was somehow peaceful, telling an ancient tale that lingered in his blood.

Neida had woken up also and dreamy she stared to the heavens above her. She liked the twinkling of the stars against the blue and red colours of the sunrise. “Bro, what would be up there? Would we be able to walk between the stars? Touch them?” Her voice was soft, not so far from him. Leídan looked aside, noticing how Neida still watched the sky. “I have no idea, sis. I guess it is such a fireplace as the Fire Sea is. The stars loose it against the sun. They are born again in the evening...” answered he back to her and then fell silent. The stars weakened quickly now, and would soon gone again. The night and day were strange happenings. But Leídan, despite all mysteries, was glad it was day again. The night hid many dangers. Inside a hour both were ready and on the road again toward the northeast. The Harondor road went slight toward the northeast, toward the mountains. Over the Emyn Laer the land went truly green and the Azumehda stopped to graze. It was the first delicious meal in a little while for them. It was a full day toward the river running from the east to the west and coming into a large delta. Tir Ethraid was the border place to the south and heavily guarded. The fabled lands of Gondor began here.

First to begin with Tir Ethraid was city on crossroads and therefore of a very mixed population. Here met the north and the south under the watchful eye of the Gondorians authorities. The same eye was also directed toward the mountains in the east, which were not far off here. The dark cloud cover from over the mountain range hung challenging there, waiting on the unspoken words to go west and so cover the sky for always. Leídan and Neida in their anonymous garb belonged to the southern coming here. And thus most likely enemies. Neida felt almost immediately at home here, as she saw women walk freely around here, their hair and faces uncovered by shagur. Neida uncovered her face as well and breathed the fresh air deeply in. Leídan rather kept his anonymity and did not. Their Azumehda were curiosity here, animals most Gondorians had not seen before. Tir Ethraid was a new world to both of them.

At the entrance of the gate both were allowed to go into the city, after having declared not to have come with war intentions. They used the sign language, which was understood here as well, for neither understood Gondorian of one of the western languages of Harondor. Languages from the plains of Kajbah were neither understood here. Neida knew she had not to be afraid here as woman. It was unlike she had known, and yet curious what would there be more up to the north, how rich the land was. And what there was over the delta on the other side. It was open land and she could see the other side well. Leídan rode up front guiding his Azumeh through the streets. It was quite narrow and his animal was anxious. He felt it by the tension in the neck. He decides to stop at an inn, where there was an inner place for animals to be housed. It lay not so far from the south gate, and perhaps was just for southern who travelled by Azumeh. The inner place was deserted, except for a few horses in the stables. Leídan dismounted, as Neida did as well. He brought both animals safely under in the stable, where they would be dry and well fed with grass and grains. Bro and sis took their saddlebags with them and entered the inn through the main door. The open chamber was empty, except for two people covered themselves in robes and enjoying ales in front of them. Neida nor Leídan paid attention to them and walked toward the back of the chamber, where the stairs lay to the first floor, as well was a hallway to the guest chambers on the main floor. Neida wanted a room on the main floor. She found the woman who ran the inn. Leídan could not dismiss the feeling of being watched when he had passed the two figures at the table. He held in his pace and looked over his left shoulder, discovering that indeed the man turned toward him followed him and his sister. From under the hood of the cloak stared two sea blue eyes back. There was something strange about this figure, but what it was, he didn’t know. Neither could he explain the bunch of suspicious feelings he felt going through him. He walked on and acceded to join his sister. Neida had arranged a room with the female proprietor. She had received a key. Ten minutes later both had installed themselves a room with two beds on either side and a free window on a garden behind the inn.