Chapter two: Rats live of rotten flesh

"Well, that was far more dramatic than I had imagined." Gimli broke the moment of silence after the gates had closed.

"The people has high expectations of us" Faramir replied bitterly. "They must have been influenced by my father."

"The crowd is never content." Aragorn said in reply. "We ride for Osgiliath and will cross the river there. I believe a wooden bridge has been built in order for travelers and caravans to pass through, or at least, that is what I ordered to be done several weeks ago. The ferries were hardly fast enough and barely ever effective." He upped the tempo to a calm trot in which, he knew, the horses could travel for days. Osgiliath was clearly visible on the other side of the plains and would take no more than half an hour to get to.

Since the great battle between Mordor and the rest of Middle Earth, the sight in the eastern direction had changed. The once dark, forever clouded skies were nearly clear after five years. A weak red light still came from the raging magma in the pit around where the great volcano once stood, but nonetheless, the strange feeling of ominous darkness was gone.

Aragorn had seen the people of Minas Tirith change as the shadow subsided. They had become more cheerful. Quite a few had started small farms around Minas Tirith, because they felt that they could now go outside. It was far from a serious industry and more like gardening, but on a beautiful summers day like this, the farmers would wave and smile, and be indifferent to threats and rumours.

"Strange, how these lands have changed to peaceful plains."Legolas said, as if he had read Aragorns mind.

"Makes you far less nervous!" Pipin exclaimed. He waved his hands in front of Faramir, before whom he was seated on the horse. He looked over his shoulder. Faramir smiled to him with his lips, but his eyes did not have a laughing glister. He would probably never grow into a truly happy man if he did not overcome his father.

"Do you think you will ever come to like Gondor?" Legolas asked of Faramir. Aragorn threw him a suspicious look. It was impossible, but it really was as if his elvish friend had read his mind- They probably just thought very much alike. Strange perhaps, but Legolas was the most human of elvenkind after all.

"No… I do not think I ever will. I have too many bad memories here. Perhaps I should move to Rohan with Eowyn. I'm sure she will be happier there as well..."

"But…?" Pippin filled in, sensing the hesitation in Faramir's voice. "You're afraid to betray your honor as steward, aren't you?"

"I am." Faramir hesitantly admitted. "Even though I hated my father, I have to continue the line of stewards. I just cannot leave Gondor."

"Yet you are leaving Gondor as we speak. You should stop lying to yourself, my friend. Even if this is just for a shorter period, you are leaving your post to someone else just the same. The only thing you are regretting now is that Eowyn could not come along. Should you ever move to Rohan, you will be leaving your post and be able to take Eowyn with you."Aragorn said wisely. "It would make you happy." Faramir sighed and nodded in reply.

"I will consider" He said vaguely.

Aragorn sighed. Although he had a strong urge to make a father-like comment, he did not. Faramir was a grown man and would definitely not appreciate it.

"Well, we have reached Osgiliath." He said instead.

The city of Osgiliath still was a sad leftover of its former glory. Half of it lay in the water, in ruins, where the rats nested and hunted for food that had fallen of travelers carts. There was an incredible stench of rot hanging in the air. Beggars and thieves slept in the remains of the buildings.

"This was once a stronghold…" Faramir said.

"Not a place I'd visit on a holiday." Pippin joked. He threw a few crumbs down the wooden bridge and watched the rats gather. Pulling an ugly face out of disgust, he looked away. Merry laughed.

"You joke about it, but you can't even look at it without throwing up!" He said.

"Master Hobbits!" Aragorn said quickly. "Shut your foolish mouths before you attract the wrong attention." Anxiously he looked around. Any word about him being the king and they would be dead meat. He could not see the hungry eyes glistering beneath the bridge but knew they were there. They were not strong, but they were with many.

"We should pick up our pace…" Legolas whispered. His elven eyes saw more than any human could. With a careful glance Aragorn looked at the path behind them. Travelers had fled and murderers were hidden behind the stones.

"Let them come!" Gimli yelled. He had his axe ready in his hand and stroked his beard with a glister in his eyes. "Come on, let me off the horse! I can't roll into a fight!"

"They are not your enemy, Gimli." Aragorn slanted his eyes. "At the count of three, we all ride as fast as we can, understood?"

"But, but…" Gimli was disappointed, of course. He was how a dwarf is born: A fighter till death.

"One"

Aragorn could clearly hear footsteps behind them now.

"Two…"

They were getting close, but they had to wait. They had to take them by surprise or they would be shot.

"Three."

The men rode as fast as they could. Aragorn could see the hobbits desperately hanging of their hosts, trying not to fall of the vigorously galloping horses. In a short time, they had crossed the bridge and rode onto the plains beyond.

"To the crater!" Legolas yelled. They rode as fast as they could, following his directions and going straight for the nearest place where the ground had fallen away. As they got closer, the temperature rose and a red glow crossed the land. The air became dry and hard to breathe in.

"I think they've given up!"Merry yelled, looking over Legolas' shoulder. "Yes, they are going back! They don't want to get close to Mordor!"

"Even an Ent is faster than you!"Pippin mocked the muggers.

Graduately, they slowed down.

"And that is what I meant by saying the wrong kind of attention, Peregrin, Meriadoc."Aragorn said. He tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. "Not even an hour and you've done it already. Luckily the routes we will take after this are not as busy…"

"I do not think they caused it, Aragorn."Legolas said calmly. Even after a fast gallop like just before, there was no sweat on his brow and his clothes were still neat. "The muggers were gathered before the hobbits even spoke. It was no secret that we were riding that way. If all of Minas Tirith knows, the news will travel to Osgiliath easily."

"… I must admit." Aragorn said. "Adrenalin took the best of my brain."

"No offence taken!" Merry said.

"Nor by me!" Pippin continued.

"Good. We deviated from our route only slightly. We can follow the Harad road to the North or the South. It will bring us to the sides of Mordor's mountains either way."

"Shall we toss a coin over it?" Gimli said.

"Actually, that is not that bad an idea. We don't know what's in store either way." Faramir replied."North is heads?" he took an old Gondorian coin from his pocket and handed it to Aragorn, who threw him a questioning look.

"Well, you're the one who guides the way." Faramir shrugged. They were other words for 'you are my king', but Aragorn just smiled and tossed the coin.

"Tails. We're heading south." He concluded. At the back of his mind he thought about how foolish it was to let a journey depend on the tossing of a coin. There were of course enough things to think about, such as the paths they would have to tread. The south was far more dangerous. Although Ithilien was a beautiful country, the neighboring South Gondor was a desert and many enemies still resided in Near Harad next to it. "I think we should not go further than Poros then."He added.

"I have indeed heard that there is a pass near the river, which can take you into the mountains." Legolas added, he gave Aragorn a seemingly knowing stare, as if he was covering for his fear of going near enemy lands. Aragorn presented him a slightly hidden smile.

"Well, what are we doing, standing still like this? If it's south we are heading, south we go!" Gimli jeered. "You are all slow minded. We dwarves are thinkers. You see, my niece on my far cousins side was a writer and a damn good one at that…" Shaking their heads at their uncongenial companion, the fellowship laughed and turned their horses to the south.

In was inaudible and invisibly small, but there was a small spark that could set aflame a forest for two. It sunk into the duo's mind and settled there to rest, until slowly, they would come to understand it.