Strangers no More

I do not own the rights to Lord of the Rings

Chapter One

Return to Minas Tirith

The War of the Ring has ended but the tale of the English who came to Middle Earth and fought in that war is not yet over. Now I shall tell you the tale of what we did in the years after the war ended. Although the king, who asked me to write my first account, believed that all I needed to write was an account of the war through my eyes, I feel that would be a disservice to all of you who read this; so now I will finish my tale.

'Next time someone invites me to travel to a far away kingdom, lock me in a box.'

'And if you say that one more time Rickard I will lock you in a box.'

'And if you argue this again I'll lock both of you in a box.'

I, my uncle and my cousins rode down a road. I had a head of black hair and a short layer of stubble covered my face from where I hadn't shaved in weeks. My cousin Rickard's hair was the same colour as mine but it was extremely short. He also had a clasp of hair growing around his mouth. My older cousin, Markus, was clean shaven and had a head of neatly combed black hair. My uncle had greying black hair and was a little stocky, but for a man his age he was in good shape. His most obvious feature though was his missing left arm which he lost after a battle with a Troll. It was cold as the early morning November air bit at us. It wasn't as cold as Novembers could be in England but it was still cold. A light scattering of snow had fallen the previous night but there were only a few patches of snow were left. My cousins had been bickering a lot while I watched them in an amused silence. My uncle decided to stop their arguing before they gave all of us a headache. Strapped to the saddle of my uncles horse was a wooden chest filled with some of the gold he had inherited from his father.

As we moved along the road I kept my eyes fixed in front of me. We were only an hour from Osgiliath and then Minas Tirith. We'd be at Minas Tirith by that afternoon.

'I can't wait to get back,' said Rickard as he smoked on his pipe, a habit he had picked up in Erebor. 'A real bed at long last.'

'We stayed at an Inn only three nights ago,' I reminded him.

'And they let us pay less,' said Markus. 'Why did the landlord let us stay for less father?'

'His son was at Minas Tirith in the siege,' he explained to us. 'Apparently I helped save his life and when he realized who I was he wanted to do something to thank me.'

'Nothing like some fame,' Rickard commented dryly before looking at me again. 'That Inn didn't have a good bed. I think there was something alive in my mattress that kept squirming.'

'It was probably scared of sleeping with you,' I joked.

'So half the women in York,' shouted Markus.

My cousins and I belted out laughing while my uncle just shook his head and sighed at us but I think I saw a slight smile on his face.

We talked and joked until we reached Osgiliath. It was still a ruin, a shattered shell of what it once was, but all of the bodies had been taken away. Soldiers patrolled the city, it was still a vital strategic point, and it couldn't be left unprotected. As soon as we rode into the city we were stopped by a sentry.

'Halt,' he said to us. He was young but had a few scars on his face. He almost looked bored with his duty and only lazily glanced at us. 'What is your business here?'

'I'm returning from a long journey soldier,' my uncle answered for us all.

The soldier then looked at my uncle more carefully and a look of shock crossed his face. He snapped to attention, standing as still as a statue and saluted.

'Sir,' he crisply said to my uncle. 'Forgive me sir but I didn't realise it was you sir.'

'You're forgiven soldier,' my uncle told him. 'Will you let us through?'

'Of course sir,' he said and then stepped to the side of the road into Osgiliath letting us past.

We rode through the city, a few soldiers saluted my uncle as he rode past and even though he wasn't their commander anymore they still had respect for the man who led them to victory at Minas Tirith.

'It will take a while to rebuild this city,' I commented.

'It's better than it was the first time I was here,' Rickard told me. 'I took a hammer to the face and nearly got killed by a Fell Beast.'

'Don't remind me,' my uncle told him as we crossed the bridge. 'Gondor has a new king and with it a new age. This city will be rebuilt and I know that Aragorn will make it grander than ever before.'

'You're confident in him then?' I asked.

'Yes. In the end time will tell what sort of King he'll be.'

As we rode across Pelannor Fields I saw that all of the carnage of the battle had been cleared away. It looked so peaceful there with the occasional patch of melting snow breaking apart the green grass. After a while we came to a stop by a stone monument. It was a tall cross made from white stone. It was the spot we buried the dead English who fell in battle were buried. As I looked at the cross I saw words written on the wide round base of it in Latin.

NUMQUAM OBLIVISCERETUR. VIVERE ENIM CECIDIT VOS

'Never forget us,' Markus read the words in English. 'Live for we fell for you.'

'Perfect words,' my uncle said with a satisfied nod. 'Let's get into the city.'

Together we galloped towards the space once occupied by the Great Gates where we were challenged by a group of sentries. The leader was a Captain who took one look at my uncle and he knew who he was.

'Welcome back to Gondor sir,' he said after saluting. 'We heard that you were coming back sir. The King ordered that he wished to see you and your family once you returned.'

'Where can I find him?' he asked the sentry.

'In the Citadel. When I saw you coming I sent a messenger to him. He'll be waiting for you now.'

'Then we better not keep him waiting,' said my uncle and the four of us rode back into the city.

The rubble that had filled the city, and still hadn't been completely removed when we left for Erebor, was gone. Buildings were still in ruins though and many had to be demolished because they were too unsafe to be left standing. Now and again people recognised my uncle and a few waved but most just stood back and smiled. When we reached the spot where my uncle fought against the Troll, the place he was so badly injured, he stopped and looked at the scene. He just sat on his horse looking at the place it happened for a while until, without saying a word, he moved on and we followed him.

We left our horses in the stables, my uncle making sure the chest was properly locked, and then walked along the path towards the Citadel. We emerged through the walkway into the courtyard. The White Tree was still standing and looked healthier than it did before. The four of us walked towards the Tower of Ecthelion, past some of the Citadel Guards, I noticed that three of them were carrying Hand Cannons, and then we stepped into the Tower through the large doors. Looking at it then I saw that it hadn't lost any of its splendour. Standing at the base of the dais holding the throne stood two people. Aragorn and Faramir. When we got close to them we bowed our heads in respect before Aragorn spoke to us.

'Welcome back to Minas Tirith. I am glad to see you have returned.'

'We are glad to be back Your Majesty,' my uncle responded. 'Lord Faramir it is good to see you as well.'

'Thank you James. I am sure that many are glad that you've returned.'

'I'd like to think so,' my uncle responded with a small smile.

'I know so,' Aragorn told my uncle. 'The Council of England also wanted to be told when you returned. I've sent for them already.'

'I'm looking forward to seeing them again,' said my uncle. 'With any luck they haven't done anything stupid in my absence.'

'I assure you they haven't,' promised Aragorn. 'As far as I can tell they have done a lot of good work in your absence.'

'And what have they done?'

'I will let them tell you,' Aragorn responded as the doors opened and four men walked in.

Leading them was Robert of Essex, a knight in his mid fifties with years of experience in battle. Just behind him came Father Harold, the Priest who came through with us from England. He was in his forties and held an air of respectability and authority about him. Out of all of us he was the most educated of the English in Middle Earth. Walking just behind him was Edmund Howard, a merchant who became a knight before we marched on the Black Gates. He was a little older than me but suffered from slightly poor eyesight so he had to wear spectacles when reading. Next to Edmund was Jason Bridge, a commoner and one of the toughest soldiers I knew. In battle he was a merciless fighter and a loyal ally. He often served as a second in command, relaying the officer's orders to the rest of the army. He was badly scarred, with one of his eyes blind from a wound.

'Welcome back,' Robert said to us after bowing to Aragorn. 'It's truly good to see you again.'

'It's good to see you all again,' my uncle said to them. 'I'm glad to be back after such a long journey.'

'How was Erebor?' Jason asked my uncle gruffly. 'I bet your father was glad to see you again.'

'He was,' my uncle answered with some sadness in his voice.

Everyone noticed this in his voice and a few shared glances with each other.

'James,' Aragorn said to my uncle, standing next to him and Robert, 'if you wish to discuss anything with your council than you may use one of the side rooms in here.'

'Thank you for your kind offer your majesty but it has been a long journey. If you wouldn't mind but I wish to go to my apartment to rest.'

'Of course,' Aragorn responded. 'They have been kept ready for your return as promised.'

'Thank you. Robert, we'll have a full meeting in the morning.'

'At the barracks,' said Robert. When they saw our confused expressions Edmund decided to explain.

'We used a good chunk of our treasury to buy a headquarters for our Order. It's an old barracks that damaged in the siege but it has everything we need.'

'Excellent. I'll meet you there in the morning,' he then faced Aragorn. 'With your permission may we go?'

'Of course,' he answered and we turned to leave.

As we got closer to the doors Rickard and I fell into conversation with Jason while Markus started talking with Edmund. My uncle was talking to Robert and Harold. My cousins and I went to my uncle's apartment with him while the rest of the Council went to the barracks. We spent the rest of the day unpacking and settling back in. There was a lot of work ahead of us though in the days to come.

AN: That was the first chapter of this story and I hope you enjoyed it. With any luck you won't be disappointed. For the record, this story will focus less on action and more on the relationships and the development of the characters. Don't worry, there will be action here and there. Until then I hope you enjoyed this first chapter and I'll see you this time next week.

Have a nice day.