48. The Black Blade

Wandering in the Halls of Mandos aimlessly again, Aragorn came to a pedestal. A broken sword lay upon it, but it was not Narsil. The sword was dark, and the sharpness of the shards seemed almost cruel. There were bloody stains near the hilt, but nobody bothered to clean them. Aragorn came closer to see the inscription upon the pedestal. It read: "Gurthang". The sword that killed Beleg and Glaurung the father of dragons, and at the end, it killed Túrin Turambar by his own hand… Always he thought it is lost, buried under the earth or the sea. But it was here, in Mandos - to be reforged again, maybe?

Next to it was a helm - the famous Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin, forged by Telchar and given by Azaghâl the Dwarf to Maedhros for the saving of his life when he way waylaid by orcs upon the Dwarf-Road in East Beleriand, and through Fingon it came as a heirloom to the House of Hador. Aragorn took a step back in awe. Maybe Túrin Turambar, the slayer of Glaurung, will put the helm on and wield Gurthang again once, when Melkor breaks the Gate of Night and the Last battle comes. Until that day, they will wait here.

He turned away and did not touch the black blade.