#the doc is literally named 'i'm sorry tolkien' so there's that

[reylohno]

Call me Halbrand

Halbrand. The name is plain, and so is his mortal form, but he decides to keep them both as he returns to the Southlands. His days of aimless wandering are over, and it is time for him to finish what he started when he served under his former Master. He will bring order to Arda, and thanks to the Elf, he now knows where to start. He may have lost Galadriel’s trust, but the Men of the Southlands welcome their king with open arms.

*

Despite the protests of his new subjects, he spends as much time as he can in the smithy. Though mending tools and sharpening weapons is hardly a suitable task for a king, he needs the distraction to keep his sanity intact.

He cannot afford to reveal his identity yet, and ruling over humans without the using his powers is near torture. His yearn for order and perfection is a part of his very being, etched into his core by Ilúvatar himself. Men need a firm hand to guide them, because if left to their own devices, they choose whims and desires over common sense. Since Halbrand cannot be that hand yet, he hides away in the smithy, distracting himself with things that can be broken, remade, and brought to perfection with the steady beat of a hammer.  

*

In Mordor, under the heavy clouds created by the eruption of Orodruin, the Orcs prosper under the leadership of the traitorous Adar. Halbrand protects his people from the Orcs’ occasional attempts at expanding their territory, but he does nothing to prevent their steadily growing numbers. He’s going to need that army one day. When the time is right, he will deal with the traitor, and the Orcs will rally to his side once more.

*

He knows that Galadriel will come for him. When he ripped her mind open, he saw the raging darkness within her; a merciless, insatiable tempest, stronger and more destructive than he could ever have imagined. She will come for him, and her desperate need to see him dead will be her undoing. Her wisdom is clouded by pride and arrogance, and despite her formidable age, she is still naïve. Once she realizes that she alone cannot defeat a being like him, she will reach out for the power he once offered her, believing herself strong enough to resist him. The fall of Galadriel will be a sight to behold. Patience has never been one of his virtues, but for this, he is willing to wait.

He does not need a queen to accomplish his goals, but the vision of the Elf standing by his side still haunts him. Sharing his power was never a part of his plan, yet he still convinced the Elven smith to create two rings instead of one. He figures that this might be the price a being like him has to pay for choosing to take the form of a low Man. There is a longing inside him that he does not recognize, something irrational and unexplainable that burns almost as hot as his yearn for order and control. He does not need Galadriel, but he wants her.

She will come for him, and when she does, he will be waiting.

*

Halbrand’s days of aimless wandering are over. His plan has been set in motion. He will rid Arda of chaos and disorder, and he will rule Middle-earth with a queen by his side; a Dark Lord and his Lady of Light.