Fading Light

A Favor

He trudged through the deep snow. Worn boots caked in ice as he struggled to lift them with every step.

He had seen many winters come and go but this one had to be the worst.

He pulled his hood tighter around himself trying to shield his face from the cold, biting wind.

The lights of a small village shone in the distance. He sighed in relief as he neared his destination.

Warmth and food were the only things on his mind, that and the reason he was going to the village in the first place.

As he entered the village his eyes searched for the inn that his "friend" had told him to meet him at.

Finally catching sight of the inn he opened the door and entered, stamping his boots on the wooden floor in order to shake off the ice.

He kept his hood pulled up as he searched the many old tables for a familiar face.

Seeing him sitting at a lone table in a dark corner, he quietly made his way towards him.

"I was beginning to think that you would never arrive."
The old man asked while watching the weather-worn man take a seat in front of him.

"I had trouble finding this place in the storm."
The man removed his hood, revealing dark, shoulder length hair and stormy grey-blue eyes.

"Well all that matters is that you are here now."
"May I ask why I am here Gandalf?"

Gandalf glanced at the other men in the room, all worn out travelers who would pay no heed to their discussion.

"I have a favor to ask of you Estel. There is someone I have been trying to find for many years now, but he seems to have vanished."

"Who is he?"
Estel asked, his curiosity growing with every word Gandalf shared with him.

"He is an old friend of mine, although I doubt he thinks of me as one."
"Does he dislike you?"
"It's not that, he is merely cautious of whom he calls 'friend.'"

"How long has he been gone?"
Gandalf shook his head.
"I am not sure, I only heard about his disappearance two years ago. I have searched for him ever since but have found no trace of him."

"Who told you that he was gone? And why have you not told me his name?"

Gandalf cast another glance at the men sitting near them. Some of them had cast curious looks at them during their conversation and had turned away, uninterested.

But some did seem interested, maybe too interested.

"I wish to keep him protected from those who would do him harm."

Estel figured that other men were listening so he nodded in understanding and lowered his voice.

"Where was he last seen?"
Gandalf shook his head.
"Near the southern border of Rivendell, but that was many years ago."

Estel drummed his fingers on the table as he mused over Gandalf's words.

"Correct me if I am wrong, but you want me to find someone that you call 'friend' but does not think of you as one, who has been missing for over two years, and whose name I shall never know unless I find him and ask him myself."

Estel ceased drumming and locked eyes with Gandalf.
"Why me Gandalf? Of all the people you know and could have asked for assistance why me?"

"First of all, I have gone to others. I have asked the elves of Lorien to keep watch for him, the elves of Mirkwood, and the elves of Rivendell. I even spoke with Halbarad and the other Rangers before I came here, letting him know to inform me if any sign of him was found."