Heáfod was the captain of the King’s Guard and the Doorwarden of the Lord of the Mark. Soon he would have been considered an old man, as he was born a handful of years before King Thengel. But he was determined to serve for as long as he would have the strength to carry his spear. He served old King Fengel for most of his life, not out of personal devotion to the callow king but out of love for the line of Eorl. Fengel, for his part, kept Heáfod close for his value as a bodyguard whose loyalty came cheap.
Heáfod quietly disapproved of Thengel’s flight from his homeland, and eyed suspiciously the new Lord of the Mark when he returned, for he suspected that Thengel had abandoned his people’s ways. Yet he kneeled before him when Thengel came riding from Gondor and brought him the sword of his ancestors. From that day, Heáfod served the new king as steadfastly as he served the old, and for the same reasons. Heáfod’s opinions were not as well guarded as he thought. Thengel knew how Heáfod felt, but was determined to win the old warrior over, however long it took. Queen Morwen knew, too, and feared that Heáfod might be manipulated by Thengel’s enemies, nobles who once prospered under the rule of his father Fengel.
Heáfod’s once-golden plaits had turned grey, but his dark blue eyes had lost none of their keenness. His wide shoulders still bore heavy mail with ease. Heáfod cropped his silvery beard short with a simple knife. No one in Edoras could ever remember seeing him smile, only rare occasions when his scowl lightened.
References[]
- The One Ring - Roleplaying in Middle Earth - Horse Lords of Rohan