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The Accords of Minas Tirith

Council was called, and all the visiting Lords and Kings were summoned to the Hall of Kings.

A large table was set in a meeting room, and around it sat King Ellessar and King Eomer representing Men, King Thranduil, Lord Celeborn and Lord Elrond representing Elves, Master Gloin representing Dwarves, and Meriadoc and Peregrin of the Shire, in the stead of their fathers to represent Hobbits.

Galadriel, Elladan, Legolas, Gimli, Frodo, Sam, Faramir and Eowyn also attended, as witnesses from each realm. Gandalf, also, was present, for being a Wizard, he meddled with every Council he could get his hands on, or so he told Pippin in cheek.

Tales were told, as each leader recounted the involvement of his people in the War of the Ring. Tears fell during many of the tales, and Legolas buried his face and cried when his father, regretfully, told the Council of the Battles Under the Trees, where many Elves had perished, and the forest had been set alight, for the Orcs had discovered that the Elves were using the canopy to travel throughout the wood, and attack without warning. Many of their people had perished in the flames, including the Commander, and several of Legolas' friends.

Thranduil dutifully recounted the attack on Dol Guldor, and Celeborn faithfully included his own people's involvement. When Gloin spoke of the Easterlings besetting the Lonely Mountain and Dale, Thranduil openly thanked the Dwarf Lord for holding the fort, and winning the battles, for the Dwarves had been all that stood between the Easterlings and the defenceless Elves in the Halls, as the Elves of Mirkwood had been battling not only in Dol Guldor, but also in every square mile of forest between the Blue Mountains and Dol Guldor.

Elrond recounted the many battles in the Northwest, and brought news also of the Dunedain who remained in the North.

Eomer told of the battles in Rohan, and the treachery of Saruman, and the final ride to the Pelennor Fields, after the Mark was cleansed of Orcs and Uruk-Hai.

Aragorn asked Faramir to recount the involvement of Gondor in the War, for Aragorn himself had only entered the fray at the Pelennor Fields.

Merry and Pippin had little to say, for they did not have any news from the Shire, and the Hobbits themselves were not a warlike people.

Finally, after the Council was informed of the situation of each ally in this War, Aragorn suggested the idea of a formal Alliance.

"With three Elvish Realms, any Dwarvish Kingdoms who wish entry, and two Kingdoms of Men, few enemies would dare to attack any of us openly," Aragorn argued.

"What we need at the moment is not force of arms," Thranduil considered. "The Enemy is all but gone, and we all felt secure enough in the defence of our homes to travel the distance to Minas Tirith. My people face starvation in the next year if we do not import food, for the forest we live in has more than half burnt, and much of the remaining forest is too far south, beyond Dol Guldor, to be of any practical use to us. In the meantime, we have an almost endless supply of wood, for only the upper parts of the trees were burnt, though that was enough damage to cause many trees to die. After rebuilding our own homes and other buildings, we shall have no way to remove the dead trees, which will harm our efforts to regrow the forest. I am willing to transport logs as far as Rohan, and perhaps even Minas Tirith by water, in exchange for food, and other supplies of which my people run short."

Gloin was nodding in agreement. "The Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain have no need of wood," he began, "but we also face starvation in the next year after the Easterlings destroyed our farms. We cannot offer material goods, but we can offer the services of Dwarvish craftsmen in rebuilding homes and fortresses."

"I would be very glad of Dwarves in Minas Tirith to repair the lower levels and the Gates," Aragorn replied. "And we will need much wood to repair dwellings. Unfortunately, the Pelennor fields were the field of battle, and the acres of crops were trampled by the Enemy hoard. The smaller fiefs have enough to feed Gondor, until the Pelennor can be replanted in the spring, and we may be able to trade food for labour and materials."

"Lothlorien is not in desperate need of any goods or services at present," Celeborn added, "but we have many willing Elves who can lend a hand. The woodelves of Lorien have little experience in building, for we do not live in houses on the ground, but can raise crops in any soil." He said this last with a touch of pride.

"Adar," Legolas asked his father, "would the woodelves of Eryn Galen be willing to come to Gondor for a while? There is a fair land to the East of the Anduin, in the fertile volcanic soil, which could be beautiful, and grow many things."

"Yes," Thranduil agreed, "I am sure many of your friends would be willing to come south. We can send logs down the river as we clear the burnt forest, for building materials, and up the river can come the fruits of your labours."

"Mine?" Legolas asked.

Thranduil grinned. "You weren't planning to let just anyone do it, were you? You can be close to your friends, both Elvish and Mortal, and we both know that was your intention with the question."

"Ah, you still read my every thought," Legolas proclaimed melodramatically. Thranduil winked.

"Rohan has much good farmland," Eomer brought the conversation back to trading. "But many of our villages and farms were burned or sacked. If Elves are truly able to grow crops in any soil, we could be able to raise crops even before the spring, for it does not become very cold in Rohan during winter. Food could be shipping out of Rohan by spring, with proper tending."

After much discussion, it was agreed that the Hobbits and unrepresented Dwarvish Kingdoms would be considered allies in times of war, and that the represented Kingdoms of Men, Elves and Dwarves would enter an alliance of both trade and war.

The Dwarves of Erebor would send a convoy of craftsmen to Gondor, and one to Rohan, where the fortresses and homes would be rebuilt. On the way, the Dwarves would help Thranduil's Elves to bring logs from the forest to the Anduin, where the Dwarves would then escort the first shipments of logs to Rohan and Gondor. Celeborn would send Elves to the Falls of Rauros, where they (with the help of some Dwarves) would rig a system to portage the logs down the falls, and the Elves would remain to operate the portage, so that only a few Elves from Eryn Lasgalen would be required to bring each shipment of logs downriver.

Rohan and Gondor would receive the manpower and building materials to rebuild homes and to run farms. The produce would then be shipped back upriver, as well as distributed around the areas of Rohan and Gondor without ready access to farms. The food shipped upriver would then be transported through Eryn Lasgalen, and some would be then sent on towards the Lonely Mountain.

Celeborn's people would be mainly providing manpower in this alliance, and Galadriel predicted that, with the passing of the power of Nenya from Lorien, many woodelves would defect to Eryn Lasgalen, a fact which neither Celeborn nor Thranduil mourned, for Celeborn knew the woodelves would be happier, and Thranduil welcomed any woodelves, or indeed, anyone willing to work on the rebuilding of Eryn Lasgalen.

Rivendell needed little it could not provide for itself, for it had not directly seen war, but Elrond offered the services of Elves throughout the Allied lands.

The agreement was soon penned by Faramir, and signed by each King or Lord, with a witness of his own realm. Many had teared up when numbers were mentioned, for few had realised just how many warriors had fallen, and it was with heavy hearts that Faramir and Thranduil realised their realms had been similarly devastated by Sauron.