Seeds of the White Tree

Chapter 9 - Parlay

OoOoO

An hour later saw them all gathered in the Commanders' Tent at the heart of their encampment. Aragorn sat on a folding chair of dark cherry wood in the north of the tent, the flag of Gondor hanging upon the tent wall behind him; a backdrop of black weave and white stars. Éomer sat likewise at the western side, Elfwine standing at his right hand and the mossy green flag of Rohan with its prancing white horse and sun behind them. Eldarion likewise stood straight and alert at on his father's right, Elboron hanging just slightly behind him. Kingsguards of both Gondor and Rohan watched the three men at the center of the tent warily, their gloves tight on the hilts of their swords and spears.

The Haradrim envoys were strange to Eldarion's naive eyes, and he took in all aspects of their appearance as closely as they were watching the lords of the West. Very interestingly, their armor, rather than being of steel or chain instead was fashioned from basketwork components. Their shoulder plates and corset-like midriff protectors were made of dark reddish basketwork with vertical lines of strange beads, bone and amber, decorating the front. Some of the beads were large skull shapes, while smaller beads were bright blue and amber. Their clothing underlay was of ragged dusty-red and red-brown linen, the skirt of the outfit almost layered torn strips. There was a protective burnoose and face cloth that had some stitching to shape it, dyed red or dark brown colors. Even their weaponry, which the guards had insisted surrendered at the entrance to the tent, was in the same reddish colors, and their bows were reinforced with some of the same basketwork as in their armor. Eldarion wondered how simple dried reeds could possibly protect the Haradrim from harm in combat. Then he remembered that most of the Haradrim fought from the backs of Mûmakil, and so had no need for close quarters protection.

The three men wore their black face cloths right up until they stood before the kings themselves. Rather than bow, they lifted their hands, palms inward, toward their faces before turning their palms outward. Aragorn and Éomer likewise inclined their chins slightly in a minimalistic greeting and acknowledgement, as befitting an exchange between enemies. Elfwine, Eldarion and Eomer, being out of the main focus, did not have to make any such gestures. Instead they kept silent, watching every move made by all parties. Only after this exchange did the Haradrim reach up to unpin their cloths, revealing the faces beneath.

All three were of a deep olive complexion, darker than even Elfwine could ever have managed after a long summer out riding in the sun daily. They lined their eyes with a black smudging, similar to ash, which seemed to make the brown within shine like polished stones in a riverbed. All three were also heavily painted, their jaws and cheeks streaked with yellows, browns and reds in all manner of odd patterns. Beneath all that though, Eldarion was able to note some distinctive features of each man.

One was enormously tall, taller even than Aragorn himself. There were bits of grey noticeable in the stubble along his chin and cheeks, and his brow was lined by a lifetime of wind and desert sand. No doubt in his youth, with his height the strength of his features, he would have been a terrifying opponent to come up against. Come to think of it, he still was; Eldarion certainly wouldn't want to square off against him. Even so, there was a slight pull of his iron-gray brows that gave the man a quizzical look that softened his overall imposing presence.

The second Haradrim, the one in the center of the three, was shorter than his companions but no less of a commanding figure. Wild black hair hung down from beneath his head wrap, clinging to the back of his neck and around his ears. Red paint in the shape of talons had been worked down the sides of his nose, lending the man a fierce, peaked look. His dark eyes smouldered like burning coals as his gaze slide from Éomer to Aragorn...and then to Eldarion. Eldarion tried to match those eyes for focus and intensity, but had a feeling his youth was all too obvious to this man of Harad.