#narndir

[hallothere]

oh oh one last one, have you put Meneldir in the plinko yet? would highly recommend. how about uhhhh, is 6 (Guilt/Blame) too on the nose for him? maybe 28 (Exhaustion/Insomnia) if you've already gotten the other one

6. Guilt/Blame 28. Exhaustion/Insomnia

"'S my fault."

"It's not. People can steal cattle without you. I swear, Mennie, you don't know how to say a lot else do you?"

"...Don't call me that."

"Stop acting like a child and I might."

"Mmm."

"There you go again. Use your words."

Narndir sighed. His friend could barely sit upright but still refused to sleep. Meneldir looked several days without rest as well, and likely didn't realize he had half a wheat field in his hair. But that was something he'd always admired about Meneldir. He cared too much.

"You need to eat. You can't chase cattle thieves if you don't eat." He had some dry rations, but soup would do better on a night like this. Something hearty, warm, it would lull his stubborn friend straight to sleep.

"Caught them." Meneldir grunted. "Herne jailhouse."

Narndir rolled his eyes. "Of course you did. Did you scare the guards at the jailhouse too? Appear from the shadows and say something witty? Or had you been on your feet too long?" He found the soup pot among his things and went to get the fire started again. "Probably scared the daylights out of them either way. A cloaked figure, a gravely voice, some utter gibberish they're already too frightened to try and make sense of-"

A snore.

Narndir turned to find his friend slumped over on the bedroll, propped up by his satchel. Shaking his head, he got up to fetch one of his blankets. The camp could house two tonight. Meneldir needed a good night's sleep just as badly as he needed a friend.

[a-lonely-dunedain]

"it will be a reminder to me that there can be beauty even in sadness." A faded red blossom is tucked between two leaves of Narndir's journal, and it crinkles as your turn the pages.

[poetry-draws]

Please don't die of sadness, anon. But do click to experience the bestest of buds in HD

[a-lonely-dunedain]

mental image that hit me: Meneldir meticulously training baby Tossdir in the hopes that his first word is something silly a kid would think of, and then Tossdir confidently blurting out "mmmmmNELLY" one day, affectionately bopping his brother in the face

🥺omg wait hang on I gotta draw something

that moment when you're trying to influence what your baby brother's first words will be in order to prank your besties, but he loves you too much to follow instructions (also guess who's never tried to draw a baby before-)

Also in drawing this I remembered that Duindil and Meneldir used to be childhood friends and I- I'm so normal about it guys :') so so normal about it...........

[a-lonely-dunedain]

65 + 70 for mini fellowship (or whatever combo of them you desire)

oooh “what’s left/remnants” + “false promises” that's a good combo! I suppose there's two mini fellowships in the game now lol, but I'm going with the Before the Shadow one! (from this ask game. so far the only ask I got from it so do feel free to feed the askbox!)

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The two of them watch as Boromir departs, and a little longer still, even after he disappeared beyond a bend in the road. The two brothers stand alone, just as they had begun this journey, all that remains of their little group.

Neither of them had expected it to dissolve so quickly, and especially not with betrayal at the root. Tossdir regrets that those Rohirric folk songs Egfrith taught them around the fire will likely always leave a bitter taste in his mouth. He finds he is more saddened than angered by that realization.

After a while Meneldir sighs heavily, “Well Tossdir, unless you too wish to leave me, I think we should return to Herne-”

Tossdir laughs despite his mood “Me? Leave? Have you forgotten who you are talking to?” He elbows Meneldir’s arm “I’m afraid you will not be rid of me that easily.”

Meneldir breathes a humorless laugh “Hah, suppose you’re right. I wish the same could have been said of our other companions...” they turn to walk the long road back to Herne

“I had hoped it might be easier to face the scorn of the Dúnedain with more friends at my side.” Meneldir’s shoulder hang “But Boromir is gone and Egfrith was no friend at all, in the end.”

“She might have slain us in our sleep, but did not.” Tossdir quietly reminds him.

“Aye, perhaps a foe with some fragments of a conscious left, but a servant of the Enemy all the same.” he remarks sadly

“You’re right, she was, but those fragments might have been enough. If only we could have caught up to her! Maybe she could have been reasoned with...” Meneldir is silent. He guesses that if they had caught up to her, Boromir’s sword would have done the talking long before Tossdir would get the chance. And Meneldir would not have tried to stop him.

“...Sometimes I think you put a little too much faith in people’s willingness to change.” he finally says “One cannot be so easily talked off such dark a path. Especially not with a Wizard involved.”

“I never said it would have been easy,” Tossdir says quietly “but I wish we could have tried, that’s all.”

There is silence for a long time as they walk, the sound of their footfall only ever joined by an occasional lonely birdsong, but that too eventually leaves them as they sky turns to dusk.

“I wish you could have tried too,” Meneldir finally breaks their silence “Perhaps you would have had better luck than myself or Boromir. I... don’t think I meant what I said earlier, about you having too much faith in people. Maybe that faith in and of itself could have done something.” he flashes a halfhearted smile “I mean, it worked on me, after all. I think anyone else should have given up on me a long time ago...”

Tossdir’s expression brightens, then falls again. “Somehow, being told that I’m right only fills me with deeper regret. We will never know now, as she has fled beyond our reach...”

Meneldir gives a resigned sigh “That is why it’s probably best not to dwell on wishes and what ifs. Right now, we should focus on finding Narndir. After all this, I will be doubly glad to see him again.”

The next day, they find Narndir, and bury what is left of him.

Meneldir does not speak for a long time after that, not until they come to Sarn Ford, and to Halbarad’s scorn. Meneldir did not speak to defend himself, but Tossdir bristled at the captain’s remarks. Though there was little time to dwell upon bruised feelings, once they learn of the true horror that befell Sarn Ford mere days ago.

They help gather Rangers at Caranost, and following the rumor of some new terror awakened by the Nine, come to Amon Firn, to Tyrn Gorthad, and then to Dol Ernil.

In the end they succeeded in finding the Grey Fear. Or rather, it succeeded in finding them.

Even when Tossdir was overtaken by it and used as the Grey Fear’s new vessel, Meneldir did not waiver in his defiance of it, and tirelessly hunted it down in desperate hope of saving his brother.

It cost Meneldir his life, but Tossdir was saved, and Grey Fear was at last banished from these lands evermore.

As he breathes his last, Meneldir remembers a promise he made to Tossdir some time ago, he promised that he would not leave him, that for a long as Tossdir lacked the sense to abandon him and go home, they would remain together.

Even as his spirit slips free from his body, he wills himself to remain at his little brother's side. Unseen, unheard and unfelt, but present all the same.

This promise, despite everything, will not prove false.

[a-lonely-dunedain]

[a-lonely-dunedain]

Narndir and Candaith were close friends

Saeradan is the one responsible for maintaining the Dunedain graveyard in the North Bree Fields, a task he imposed on himself

there was a non-zero number of young rangers that joined Golodir's company hoping to prove themselves, most of them didn't make it past Rammas Deloun. (Many other rangers hold themselves personally responsible for it)

Meneldir left his star behind when he went into his self-imposed exile. He never donned it again in life, but it was returned to him at his burial (either by Tossdir or Halbarad depending on the verse)

fun headcanons if you're feeling evil

it's Reniolind's first assignment after his sash ceremony to be stationed in the midgewater marshes

Amdir calls human or hobbit pcs 'jailbird' after the initial rescue mission

Radanir served in a big Ettenmoors conflict and at the Fords of Bruinen skirmish so he had experience being a line archer already

Calenglad swore oaths to grown Aragorn once he was of age to become chieftain, but also to Baby Estel, recently fatherless

[a-lonely-dunedain]

If I was in middle earth all the rangers (except Narndir and Candaith) would cancel me for being a Meneldir apologist