10: The Roof of the Prancing Pony (Andreg & Amlan)
“This is probably a crime, you realize.”
“How so? Have we broken and entered?” Amlan’s voice is as light as Andreg’s, ready for a joke, but he still won’t look round. He stares out at the hills that rise over Bree-town, and keeps well back from the edge.
“Attempted burglary, I suspect. Especially if Watcher Ashbluff is on duty. She still calls her dogs to attention whenever I pass.”
The Prancing Pony is the largest single building in Bree, though the houses on and around the Scholar’s Stair are so closely fitted they might count together. Many dormers run off the center gables on the roof, and the bridge over the courtyard is almost level if one doesn’t step too hard. Right where Andreg balances the shingles have been twice replaced, the wood not yet weathered.
“How long have you been up here? I’ve been three times around the town by now.” He hadn’t thought for a moment Amlan had left it. Amlan wouldn’t have thought it for a moment either. Duty was duty, and he’d found a place to hide nonetheless.
“Long enough for three patrols, and no one’s noticed.”
Then no one will, probably.
“It’s a fine view,” Andreg concedes, and trusts the footing enough to come sit beside Amlan. “Honestly, we ought to keep a post up here, keep an eye on the whole town.”
well I anticipate you getting some angsty ones, so for the wellbeing of our guys I'm just gonna sliiiiide 34 (Trust/Comfort/Safety) in here. heck why not a 79 (hugs) and 57 (rescue) while we're at it
The warg-father, minion of sorcerers, and fell-guardian of the Blackwolds was finished.
And so was Ningeryn, daughter of Nirondil, Ranger of the Dunedain. She lay under the corpse, still holding one sword in her hand as it pierced the heart of her enemy. The other was lodged in the beast's back. Not enough to have killed it the first time.
It hurt too much to cry properly so she let the tears stream down her face. Her first assignment... and her last. At least she'd done it. At least she'd found the warg, even if she didn't have enough time to track it to its den, or warn Andreg. She was supposed to get backup before she faced the beast in combat. She hadn't had enough time.
The warg was now too heavy to lift. She tried, but she was well and fully pinned. She'd scared birds in the otherwise silent Chetwood when she cried out. It wasn't how she wanted to die, in the silent, empty forest. Alone. She tried to put a brave face on it. At least she'd done a good turn for the people of Combe, Archet, and the surrounding towns. Farmers wouldn't get eaten. Woodsmen neither.
And she'd put down the sorcerer's beast. The minion of the one that took Amdir from them. And Mundol and Toradan. And Reniolind... Reniolind had been her friend, and they'd ensorceled Amdir until he'd been stolen from them completely. Until he couldn't see friend and foe.
The tears came faster now that she thought of her friend. She'd die not far from him, maybe have her name etched next to his. But she'd wanted to live. She'd wanted to avenge him as she could, and keep the lands they'd promised to watch over safe. But she'd lashed out too hotly. Swung her swords with no thought of defense, only destroying the warg that represented everything horrible in Breeland.
Everything became dimmer for a bit. She wasn't sure how much later it had been when a horse whinnied in protest. Boots crunched in the leaf litter and then Baugarch's corpse lurched on top of her. She cried out again. The dead warg rolled into the grass and a blurry face filled up her vision.
"Ningeryn! Hang on. Hang on..." It was Andreg! He'd made it... She never thought anyone would. "You had to go and challenge the beast yourself..."
But the rescue had come too late. She squeezed his arm once and all went dark.
-------------------------------
Ningeryn woke up screaming. She hadn't meant to, but the warg was clawing her again and that had already killed her once. She didn't want to do it again.
"Help her, Amlan!"
But that was Saeradan, and Saeradan would rather die than let her get torn to shreds. Well, if he could help it. And if Amlan was there too, they would be more than a match for some scruffy warg of Angmar.
On instinct she pressed her shoulders and head into the surface she was laying on. Wood. A floor maybe. There were hands on her arms, and she could feel them wavering as if they were actively afraid they'd hurt her. Someone was laying across her legs with equal hesitation. Saeradan needed her not to kick and roll. She would do it- anything- for him.
Ningeryn reached out for a hand and found one quickly. Heedless of the fact that there were bones under the skin, she squeezed it for all she was worth.
"Ningeryn?" It was Amlan this time. Sounding pained. Likely, his were the bones being reduced to dust. "Can you hear me?"
She nodded. It was all the motion she could stand, rigid and tensed against the pain as she was.
"Can you drink something? Saeradan can't stop now, you've lost too much blood. You were asleep before, but now--"
Now she knew. They were trying to save her. Ningeryn had fought to be here, in Bree, in the ranks of the Rangers. She would fight, but not fight Amlan and Saeradan and Andreg. That warg wouldn't kill her twice.
She managed to nod again, and to swallow something sweet and heavy. It went down bitterly, but it stayed down. Saeradan was muttering something soothing as he went to apply a different salve over what she presumed was a section he'd already sewn. Or, just maybe hot lava, as something like liquid flame touched an open cut and she screamed again.
She held Amlan's hand until it went dark once more.
-------------
Next she awoke, she was in the middle of drinking something freezing. She sputtered and that lit a fire in her torso. It was dulled, red embers maybe, but it was still there and it still hurt. The drink had been moved and someone was drying her face with a towel.
"You're safe. You're in Saeradan's house. It's me, Andreg, and you've been asleep for almost a day. Nestadam is on her way from Nen Harn, and she'll be here soon."
Ningeryn didn't respond as gently and eloquently. "Whahappen?" Her mouth felt dry- probably the reason for the offered drink- and she felt like her head was wrapped in wool.
"Do you remember anything? What was the last thing we talked about?"
She wanted to curse his protocol and his probing questions. But, she was still leaned up against him where he'd helped her to drink and she was very comfortable. One arm hugged supportively around her shoulders, the other lost to the void or possibly still holding the towel. Ningeryn was unfortunately familiar with being nursemaided, but it was still a safe feeling. A good feeling.
"I killed it," she said at last, "I killed that warg."
Andreg sighed. "Without backup. What possessed you--"
"Don't rile her up, Andreg." That was Saeradan. All gentle admonishment. "You think she hasn't learned her lesson?"
The hand she could feel tightened around her shoulder. "No, of course not." Not a true retort. Andreg was uncommonly quiet. But she was sure about why now, as she was coming out of the fog. He'd even warned her about it before she left. He couldn't lose another of them so soon. Not after Reniolind.
"I'm fine." Ningeryn said. If she sounded sure enough she might convince them both. "I'm tired, and it does hurt a little, but I'm fine."
"No you're not."
Aha. Two voices in tandem. Ningeryn let herself smile. Oh she was fine now, and she was sure they'd make certain of it.
FLASH REPORT: Former Amlanon resident "Lola Enring" dies at 89 on Heart Failure [#OnlyOnOneNETnews] (updated as final!!!)
(Written by Rhayniel Saldasal Calimpong / Freelance News Writer & Presenter of OneNETnews, Online Public Broadcaster of ONC Holdings, and PWD President of Pulantubig Persons with Disabilities Association)
(2nd & FINAL UPDATE!!!) DUMAGUETE, NEGROS ORIENTAL -- An elderly woman in Negros Island Region (NIR) who is forever unable to speak or cannot walk herself inside a restful home resident of the Calimpong family. "Lola Enring" (real name 'Milagros de la Cruz Calimpong Sr.'), a former resident of Amlan, died peacefully on Wednesday night (December 10th, 2025 -- Bacolod local time).
Before, in the 20th Century when she was born in mid-January 1936… Milagros previously was a daughter-in-law in 'Ilog, Negros Occidental'; following after the events of World War 2 in September 1945, prior to the Philippines' Martial Law in late-September 1972. She moved to Kabankalan, the same province when Milagros discouraged to be participating to witness the Escalante massacre in late-September 1985. It later moved to 'Amlan' in Negros Oriental before or during the Millennium era, and about last year in 2024, now became a resident in 'The City of Gentle People', known as Dumaguete. Not only that, she was a veteran and avid listener of DYWC-AM 801khz's Radyo Bandilyo in Sibulan.
The medical history shows that she was diagnosed with acute decompensated heart failure and hypertensive cardiovascular disease. Milagros was laid to rest at home at 7:20pm on Cornelia Road with a funeral service due to take place, with the final redemptorist church mass at 'Our Mother of Perpetual Help' (OMPH) in Barangay Taclobo, Dumaguete City; and burial ends in Amlan Catholic Cemetery (ACC) on Tuesday morning at 10am onwards. Only family members, friends and relatives of the Calimpong family, in partnership with 'St. Peter Chapels' and Disney XD News will be present when commemorating grief and sadness due to their departed loved ones in heaven before the holiday and the new year celebrations.
For the last time, between January 2023 and the same month for 2024, the news team of OneNETnews and Calimpong family visited Amlan to celebrate her 87th birthday, and are now in Dumaguete to also celebrate her 88th birthday, a year after she relocated to 'The City of Gentle People', coping with health complications involving her heart. Nevertheless, it was the last night of her life, almost a century after she started in Ilog. Milagros was 89 y/o.
ONC Holdings expressed deepest condolences to the family, friends and relatives of Milagros.
FILE PHOTO COURTESY: Rhayniel Saldasal Calimpong (Freelance Photojournalist and News Presenter of OneNETnews)
BACKGROUND PROVIDED BY: TEGNA
(With regional reports from Molly Suksai McGee & Scott Denoga of Disney XD News)
Month-long fic challenge using these LOTRO Rangers + Situations prompts collected by a-lonely-dunedain. Minimum of 100 words, no particular adherence to timelines or canon.
29: Saeradan & truth potion
Saeradan laid down his last trick with only a glance at Amlan’s. Not even that was necessary, of course— his array could have trumped anything in the deck.
“How did you break it?” Saeradan asked, nodding toward Amlan’s leg.
“I fell,” Amlan answered. His smile, easier after whatever Saeradan had put in his tea, was tight again. He could have sworn that all the royals had been discarded.
“That’s not good enough.”
“I guess you need another question, then.”
This was not how the game was supposedto be played. It was usually how it ended up being played anyway, so Saeradan spared no more than a sigh for injustice before dealing the next round.
Amlan loosened up this time, risking the points he had for chances at higher cards. That was how Lenglinn played every time, and Lenglinn was the best card-player of Amlan’s age-mates.
Amlan lost by an even greater margin than the last round.
“What did you fall from?”
There was no help for it.
“A wall.” He tried, through gritted teeth. Saeradan hadn’t even managed to get the general area from him yet, so there was still a chance—
A wide, laughing grin spread across Saeradan’s face, lit with triumph.
“Was this wall part of the Greenway Fort?”
Amlan had the right to remain silent so long as Saeradan didn’t win another round, but the flaming heat in his face answered the question anyway.
LATE-BREAKING THIS AFTERNOON: Paulinian Student in Amlan wins Preliminary Round at 'Tawag ng Tanghalan - The School Showdown' [#OneNETnewsEXCLUSIVE]
(Written by Rhayniel Saldasal Calimpong / Freelance News Writer, Online Media Reporter and News Presenter of OneNETnews)
DUMAGUETE, NEGROS ORIENTAL -- A local nursing college student and singer representative of Dumaguete City named Mr. Vinz Dallin Leviste Villarosa of Saint Paul University - Dumaguete (SPUD) wins the daily preliminary round during 'Tawag ng Tanghalan - The School Showdown' (TNT-TSS), per the afternoon segment of Philippines' long-time running noontime show "It's Showtime".
Originally from Brgy. Tandayag, Amlan, Negros Oriental, where he previously studied in Tanjay City after graduating high school, and later transferred to SPUD in Dumaguete City, this said province, to compete the national amateur singing competition of TNT-TSS. OneNETnews can exclusively reveal and obtained the final score from DWWX-TV 2's Kapamilya Channel: Manila (formerly ABS-CBN network).
On Monday afternoon (July 15th, 2024 -- Amlan local time), Mr. Villarosa secured the preliminary rounds from the daily Entrance Examinations with a final score of 95%, per the emotional 2016 original pinoy music (OPM) rendition song called "Bakit Ba Ikaw" by Michael Pangilinan against Dabaweña's Davao del Norte State College (DDNSC) named Ms. Ethinyl Dear Ampo, also the final losing score of 89.3% with a 1993 song of 4 Non Blondes' "What's Up?".
Nursing and singing can be multi-tasking on both sides of his careers. In any case, he will be advanced through Weekly Preliminary Examination rounds coming this Saturday afternoon (July 20th, 2024), few days before 'State of the Nation Address 2024' with Philippine President 'Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr.' by Monday (July 22nd) this said year.
Similar to Mr. Kim Aniñon Hewitt of 'Tawag ng Tanghalan Kids' around not too long ago this year, there may be a potential 2nd time win in a different singer individual where local Dumagueteño singers makes history to do so. Villarosa will take home to PHP10,000 (or roughly U$D172) as a daily entrance winner to the weekly prelims.
EDITOR's NOTE from Rhayniel: From our management and staff of 5K Broadcasting Network Inc. and ONC Holdings Inc., do your best on all of this when you combine both careers in one go. Congrats to you and keep what you're doing ahead later this weekend!
This late-breaking local news report is brought to you by Pond's Men Acne Solutions, Xanthone Plus Beauty Soap and ClaireSkin Herbal Soap. A quality product of Ponds and Yes2Health Inc.
SOURCE:
*https://www.facebook.com/100001594098361/posts/8105780326151690 [Referenced FB Captioned Post via Vinz Villarosa]
*https://www.facebook.com/100069517464194/videos/1019626539763686/ [Referenced FB LIVE VIDEO via TNTABSCBN]
and
*https://www.facebook.com/100057066475214/posts/1034507281794811 [Referenced FB Captioned Post via SPUD Paulinian Student Government]
