[Imladris]

Jinan, with nonchalant carelessness, wiped his bloody sword and tossed the rag away. He remembered the battle with grim pleasure, and it suddenly occurred to him that Frôzhal’s troops had attacked with surprising vigor -- well, as much vigor as raw troops could be expected to muster in their faint hearts.

But speaking of Frôzhal, Jinan suddenly realized that he hadn’t noticed him in the fray. He had seen the others, but not the puppy dog Frôzhal. Narrowing his black eyes, Jinan wondered if he had scuttled to the shelter of the shrubs, his tail between his legs. He scoffed, and muttered that soldier of Harad would not display such misdemeanor -- surely the boy had managed to find the shards of a warriors bravery underneath his cowering skin.

“Hello, Jinan,” a voice said, tainted with bitterness. “I do hope all is well and you do not suffer any wounds?”

Jinan laughed coldly, and turned to the field officer who spoke to him: Erfâzh. “I don’t know, friend,” he said, clapping him on the back, “but I think that I could boast a few more scars…maybe one slashed across my eye to make me look like weathered veteran,” Jinan added with a fierce scowl.

“More fitting for a corsair, if you ask me. Besides, your vanity would be violated with a scar,” he added with a half hearted shove.

Jinan looked keenly at him. His normally cheerful face was downcast, his brows were kitted together, and he glared at the ground, scuffing the dirt with the toe of his boot. “What is wrong Erfâzh?”

“Frôzhal gave me the command of his forces today,” he said bluntly, “while he said that he would watch.”

Jinan’s brows shot up and he stopped, and said, “Turned the command over to you while he crouched in the brambles like a hunted hare, you mean,” he snapped, twirling one of his earrings.

Erfâzh nodded, his lips twisted into a scowl. “The honour of leading the troops was severely shadowed by his cowardly actions.”

Jinan nodded wisely and said, “I should say so. But why don’t you mention it causally to the Capt -- Lieutenant,” Jinan amended hastily. It would not do to make a sly reference to Lan’Kâsh’s overbearing manner even in front of a friend.

“I don’t really relish the possibility of being accused of treachery.”

Treacher …the word sounded sweet to Jinan’s ears, and dripped with poisoned honey. “Not if we could prove that Frôzhal was the one committing the treachery,” he said softly. “Why else would he skulk off before the battle?”