Lord of the Rings
The Tale of Ceddoc Bronadui
Chapter 1
Birth
There is a small village on the coast of river Kelos, southwest of Minas Tirith. It is made off around two dozen wooden huts, built close together as if trying to fight off the cold that is always crawling in the mountains. On the other side of the river, one can see that the ground is being farmed, while a small wooden bridge stands firmly above the cold waters of the river Kelos. Its waters flow south until they merge with the waters of river Sirith. They are finally met with the Great River Anduin, the greatest river of all Middle Earth. The village is built on the foots of the mountains that ran across the entire region of Gondor, so the temperatures were generally low. The jobs of the villagers were a preparation for the survival of each year's winter. Throughout the year the gathered as much food and animal hides as possible. The more they did the less harsh would winter be. However that was not always easy. The weather conditions there were not favorable for farming which meant that food from that department was limited. Hunting animals was also a way to get both food and hides for clothes however they could not venture too deep into the mountains to hunt, for it was way too dangerous. Sometimes, but not often, merchants would show up. Their arrival was always welcome by the villagers but it has been years since they last showed up. The merchants were also the only way for the villagers to learn news as the village was isolated and none of its denizens travelled too far away from it.
There lived Braddoc, a veteran soldier of Gondor. He was the only one of the villagers who was not born there. He arrived at the village on a cold winter night at 2986 of the Third Age, carrying a baby boy, and has lived there since. Braddoc never really explained his past to the villagers themselves. All they managed to find out was that the boy was his son and that the mother had died during his birth. The baby's name was Ceddoc. During all of his infant years, the fact that he was never heard crying, not even once, did not go unnoticed by anyone.
Ceddoc grew up listening to stories about the great kingdom of Gondor that his father told him. He told him of Minas Anor, now known as Minas Tirith a great white city, built on a steep mountainside, with consisted of seven layers on top of another, getting smaller as it went up. He told him of the once proud fortress of Minas Ithil, which was lost to the Enemy and was now the dark bastion of Minas Morgul, now hosting the Nine Ringwraiths. He told him of proud soldiers in shining armor, cutting through anyone who would do harm to the people of Gondor. He told him of the noble people, descendants of the famed Numenoreans, which inhabited the city. And he told him of the fabled white tree, a tall spacious tree of graceful form, white thin unwrinkled bark over white wood.
And Ceddoc grew up listening to these stories, feeling proud that he was the son of a man who had seen these things and had fought to protect them.
Ceddoc was narrating what his father told him to his friends from the village, who all sat around him listening ecstatic.
"And then King Earnur went all by himself to Minas Morgul, in order to accept the challenge of the Witch-King of Angmar, the most terrible and the leader of the Nine" Ceddoc said in a deep, but excited voice. "Ignoring the words of his advisors, he took his sword and shield and walked to the cursed tower without fear, and he called forth the Witch-King. King Earnur was never heard of again and with him died the line of the Gondor kings. The stewards now rule Gondor from Minas Tirith"
"What happened to the king?" a boy asked.
"No one knows" Ceddoc answered with a smug expression of someone who knows everything on his face "Some say he was turned into a Ringwraith too, others that he was tortured to death."
"It's too bad the kings are gone" another boy said "If they were here they might help our village during the winters"
"My dad believes that there are long descendants of the old kings still alive. He believes that one day the king will return."
"How do you know all these things?" a girl with long hair in the color of grain asked Ceddoc.
He blushed.
"My dad talks to me about Gondor all the time. He says one day when I will be ready I will go to see all these things and fight the great Evil in the east."
"You really will go?" the girl exclaimed excited.
Ceddoc grabbed a stick and started wielding it as a sword, slashing at invisible enemies.
"Of course. I will become a soldier of Gondor, fight the evil Orcs and find the true king of Gondor and with him we will bring Minas Morgul to the ground and reclaim all the lands the Orcs have taken from us."
Years were passing by and soon Braddoc had told his son everything there is to know about his beloved kingdom. The stories stopped, however Ceddoc still held them all in his heart, his love for an unseen place ever growing.
When he was twelve one day his father showed him a sword. It was nearly as tall as Ceddoc, and its blade was pure white, as if it was covered by a magic white paint that did not diminish the reflections of metal when light fell on it. An inscription of strange elegant, slender letters was visible on the part of the blade closer to the hilt.
"This sword was given to me by my father, and he took it from his own father. It goes back many generations. It was given to one of our ancestors as a Gift from Isildur himself. All the hands that had wielded this blade were loyal servants to Gondor. And one day, this sword, the Faendagnir it will be yours"
"What do the letters say father?" the young boy asked.
"This is written in the elven tongue boy. It says Estel i bell megil. It means Hope is the strongest sword."
Ceddoc could not take his eyes of the shining blade.
As Ceddoc entered his teenage years it was obvious that he was different from the other children his age. He was taller, stronger and more handsome. His expression was always serious although he was quick to smile and laugh, and willing to help whenever he was asked. For years now, ever since Braddoc decided he was of proper age, he had been training in the art of war. Ceddoc's father being a veteran soldier himself was an excellent teacher. The training was hard and demanding but not cruel. Ceddoc learned of swordsmanship, archery, and even fighting without weapons, only his fists. He father also taught him of ways to stay alive in the wilderness. He taught him to learn to track animals or Orcs and remain unseen. He showed him many plants he had collected in his travels, the properties they had and how he could use them. He also taught him how important it is to trust your fellow companions and that it was important for them to respect each other. During summer, the both of them were leaving the village for days venturing deep into the surrounding mountains or forest.
Ceddoc was fully devoted to his father's teachings and he was even training on his own or with his friends using the wooden sword Braddoc had made for him without neglecting his duties on the farm. It wasn't long before his body begun to grow strong, his reflexes quick and his mind accustomed to the way it should work when he was fighting.
"Remember" Braddoc used to tell him so Ceddoc would not be swallowed by his pride for his new skills "Real fighting is nothing compared to this training we do. Your enemies won't be fighting with wooden swords neither will they show mercy, compassion or try to fight you fairly. If they decide that it is better to kill you silently and without you noticing they will attempt. It is your job to be aware of everything."
Ceddoc did not take his father's words lightly but still he could not help but feel confident.
One night a man knocked on their door. Ceddoc was fifteen at the time. When he opened the door he saw a tall man, wearing a greenish cape and hood. Beneath the cape he saw clothes that were dirty and damaged by the weather and the travelling. A sword was hanging by his side and a bow was stranded on his back and shoulder.
Before Ceddoc could ask for the strangers name Braddoc returned home from the woods.
He seemed surprised by overjoyed by the stranger's arrival; the two hugged and exchanged words of friendship.
"It has been years old friend." The stranger said "How do you fare?"
"All is quiet" Braddoc answered. "Don't take my words as an offense old friend but as overjoyed as I may be for your visit, I am also that much worried"
"Indeed" the stranger said "perhaps if we could speak alone"
Ceddoc did not wait for his father to tell him to do something in order to leave them alone and he left the house. Instead of walking away however he waited a few seconds until he heard the footsteps of the two men on the huts wooden floor going towards the room he and his father used to eat. He walked, silently as a shadow, around the house, going for the closest window from the spot the two men were sitting. With his back on the wall he approached the window as much as it allowed him to still remain unseen. As a turn of luck, the two men were not whispering or lowering the voice in any similar manner, so Ceddoc had little trouble hearing them.
"What news from the faraway lands?" Ceddoc heard his father say.
"The world is unsettled friend. Orcs freely roam the lands and more and more smoke has been rising from the Fire Mountain. Ithilien is no longer safe, as is Osgiliath but that is not recent news. Orcs are raiding small villages like yours."
"Have you seen any Orcs around?"
"No but you know how they move. This place is isolated and weak. The only reason you are not attacked yet is because they probably don't know of its existence."
"Why doesn't Denethor send soldiers to protect these villages?"
The stranger let out a small chuckle.
"You know Denethor. He doesn't want to waste and men."
The two remained silent.
"Your son looks a lot like you."
"He looks more like his mother I think."
"When I heard about her you had already left Calembel. I never got to give my condolences to you"
"Much appreciated old friend."
"He seems capable of wielding a sword"
"I have been training him ever since he was eight. Although to be honest I always wished he would never had to use a sword in his life"
"Friend these thoughts are wrong. Dark times are looming on the horizon. Think not this way rather wish that your son will be in the middle of these events, for the blood that runs in his veins comes from people ancient and strong. People like your son shall make the difference"
"Your words fill my heart with hope"
The two started discussing about other news throughout Middle-Earth but Ceddoc was not listening. He moved silently away from the window and then started running towards the center of the small village. He searched among the crowd and finally spotted the person he was looking for.
"Caylith" he shouted.
The blonde-haired girl he knew since his childhood raised her head from the clothes she was washing and looked around curiously; she spotted Ceddoc immediately. She got to her feet and waited for him to reach her.
"Ceddoc?" she said once she took a closer look of his expression "Is everything ok? You look upset"
"Come with me, I need to speak with you" he said and took her hand in his.
They left the village in a hurry. Ceddoc led her to a spot he had discovered some years back while exploring around 1 mile away from the village. On top of a small rock wall was a flat area of the mountain were grass was covering the entire area. There was also a view of the entire village at their feet with the surrounding valley and mountains and river Kelos disappearing in the great distance. Behind the small meadow the snowy cliffs of the mountains were looming, now in a threatening but in a protective manner. He was always amazed by the fact that none of the villagers had ever found this spot and he had only shared his discovery with this girl.
Ceddoc realized as he was grown up that he craved for her company and he enjoyed the sound of her voice and the shine of her eyes when she laughed.
Caylith was also shy around Ceddoc and she also enjoyed his company. She would even leave her house at night, unbeknownst to her parents in order to be able to meet him. He was always over protective with her, which amused her but she accepted it so he was unafraid of her coming to harm.
The couple now had arrived to the destination. Caylith had sat down among the grass with her arms around her legs and her chin resting on her knees, listening carefully as Ceddoc, who was too upset to sit down, was narrating all her had heard.
"This is too much." He said when ended his narration "They both spoke like my fate shall be determining great events that carve the history of Middle-Earth instead. I always believed that I would be a normal soldier, and such was my wish."
"I thought your wish was to serve and fight for the free peoples."
"It was. It is. But I am but one Man. What difference can I make besides that of a simple soldier?"
He sat down next to her and she looked at him with a supportive smile.
"One man can make a difference. Remember the things you told us about all the great Men of the old times. Of Isildur who single-handedly defeated Sauron and ended his reign and all the others."
"I am not like them."
"They were no different than you when they were your age" she insisted softly touching her hand on his cheek "they grew up, became strong and they marked our history. You're different than the rest of us Ceddoc like your father. The more you grow the more visible it is. Your humble beginning does not signify a similar life. You have the same potential as the great kings of old. All you have to do is believe in yourself"
Ceddoc looked at her. Her smile grew a little and she pulled her arm back, only to wrap it around his and rest her head on his shoulder.
"I admit my heart shall weep when the time of your departure arrives"
"I will take you with me. I will bring you to the White City and the rest of Middle-Earth. We will see everything together" he said.
Caylith smiled but said nothing.
