A/N: A thousand thanks to Sapphire Immortal who beta read these chapter for me.
Aragorn stood tall there, gazing around the fields of Pelennor till he heard of our coming from a long way. "My lord, you called me. I come. What does the king command?" I asked, bowing as deeply as I can. My wounds are less than recovered.
He nodded towards Eomer, who returned the greeting. He took a good look at me; I tried flexing my shoulder blades because they ached too much for my liking. "Faramir, you are feeling better I trust?" I nodded my head happily. In approval, Eomer laughed and gently patted on my shoulder. We all laughed, glad to be alive and standing before each other.
Aragorn stopped the laughter with his sober look. "Then let us call a council together. Come, Faramir, the leaders of Middle Earth have assembled." He then rose from his seat and led me to another, larger tent filled with dignitaries, most of whom were my friends – I could see that they were mostly unharmed. Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, Elrohir (son of Elrond dark-haired, grey-eyed, with an elven-fair face, clad in bright mail beneath a cloak of silver-grey), Eomer, my uncle Imrahil (my mothers brother, he has a noble bearing and is quite tall with dark hair and sea-grey eyes), and Elfhelm . I looked around the table and felt quite unworthy to sit among such noble people, and all the more worse with my visible injuries. Gimli and Legolas however, caught my eye and nodded as if they respected me to be standing with so many injuries about me. Gandalf's smiled slightly, and I felt like battling Orcs again.
"My lords," said Gandalf, starting the council. Everyone sat up straighter than I thought was possible and tried to follow. Thankfully my condition wasn't too serious, saving some face for myself. "Listen to the words of the Steward of Gondor before he died: You may triumph on the fields of the Pelennor for a day, but against the Power that has now arisen there is no victory. I do not bid you despair, as he did, but to ponder the truth in these words.
"The Stones of Seeing do not lie, and not even the Lord of Barad-dûr can make them do so. He can, maybe, by his will choose what things shall be seen by weaker minds, or cause them to mistake the meaning of what they see. Nonetheless it cannot be doubted that when Denethor saw great forces arrayed against him in Mordor, and more still being gathered, he saw that which truly is. 'Hardly has our strength sufficed to beat off the first great assault. The next will be greater. This war then is without final hope, as Denethor perceived. Victory cannot be achieved by arms, whether you sit here to endure siege after siege, or march out to be overwhelmed beyond the River. You have only a choice of evils; and prudence would counsel you to strengthen such strong places as you have, and there await the onset; for so shall the time before your end be made a little longer."
I was somewhat confused by Gandalf's statement, it sounded as if he wanted us to retreat. Gandalf, who had so fearlessly led us during the battle of Pelennor fields, wanted us to retreat. Did an Orc hit him on the head, or was I imagining things? Some were murmuring darkly to themselves, wondering if it was wise to heed his warning. Although I trust Gandalf to any point of life or death, I could not help but feel the shame of doubt of his words, however wise he is from his aged years.
'Then you would have us retreat to Minas Tirith, or Dol Amroth, or to Dunharrow, and there sit like children on sand-castles when the tide is flowing?' said Uncle Imrahil, voicing my thoughts. Obviously he was skeptical, and his expression wasn't the only ones around.
"That would be no new counsel," said Gandalf with a snort, thumping his white staff. "Have you not done this and little more in all the days of Denethor? But no! I said this would be prudent. I do not counsel prudence. I said victory could not be achieved by arms. I still hope for victory, but not by arms. For into the midst of all these policies comes the Ring of Power, the foundation of Barad-dûr, and the hope of Sauron.
"Concerning this thing, my lords, you now all know enough for the understanding of our plight, and of Sauron's. If he regains it, your valour is vain, and his victory will be swift and complete: so complete that none can foresee the end of it while this world lasts. If it is destroyed, then he will fall; and his fall will be so low that none can foresee his arising ever again. For he will lose the best part of the strength that was native to him in his beginning, and all that was made or begun with that power will crumble, and he will be maimed for ever, becoming a mere spirit of malice that gnaws itself in the shadows, but cannot again grow or take shape. And so a great evil of this world will be removed.
"Other evils there are that may come; for Sauron is himself but a servant or emissary. Yet it is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succor of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule.
"Now Sauron knows all this, and he knows that this precious thing which he lost has been found again; but he does not yet know where it is, or so we hope. And therefore he is now in great doubt. For if we have found this thing, there are some among us with strength enough to wield it. That too he knows. For do I not guess rightly, Aragorn, that you have shown yourself to him in the Stone of Orthanc?"
Now this was news to me. If Aragorn had indeed shown himself to Sauron and walked away, then he was far stronger than any had imagined. I remembered Pippin's cry when he came in contact with the thing, and he was left shivering in the dark. Only Gandalf could comfort him because he is the only one who could bring him out.
"I did so ere I rode from the Hornburg," answered Aragorn, nodding. He shifted himself for a better position to speak. In doing so, he made himself look even more kingly than before. One should admire him for that. "I deemed that the time was ripe, and that the Stone had come to me for just such a purpose. It was then ten days since the Ring-bearer went east from Rauros, and the Eye of Sauron, I thought, should be drawn out from his own land. Too seldom has he been challenged since he returned to his Tower. Though if I had foreseen how swift would be his onset in answer, maybe I should not have dared to show myself. Bare time was given me to come to your aid."
"But how is this?" asked Éomer, frowning deeply. "All is vain, you say, if he has the Ring. Why should he think it not vain to assail us, if we have it?"
That was a very good point, the likes of which I had never considered. I looked for reactions from others, and they agreed with his question, but at the same time had that look that they'd rather not have Sauron assail us. I second their thoughts.
"He is not yet sure," answered Gandalf with his wondering tone of voice, "and he has not built up his power by waiting until his enemies are secure, as we have done. Also we could not learn how to wield the full power all in a day. Indeed it can be used only by one master alone, not by many; and he will look for a time of strife, ere one of the great among us makes himself master and puts down the others. In that time the Ring might aid him, if he were sudden."
He looked straight at Eomer in the eye, full of thought and understanding. I still couldn't fathom how old the wizard is. "He is watching. He sees much and hears much. His Nazgûl are still abroad. They passed over this field ere the sunrise, though few of the weary and sleeping were aware of them. He studies the signs: the Sword that robbed him of his treasure re-made; the winds of fortune turning in our favour, and the defeat unlooked-for of his first assault the fall of his great Captain.'
"His doubt will be growing, even as we speak here. His Eye is now straining towards us; blind almost to all else that is moving. So we must keep it. Therein lies all our hope. This, then, is my counsel. We have not the Ring. In wisdom or great folly it has been sent away to be destroyed, lest it destroy us. Without it we cannot by force defeat his force. But we must at all costs keep his Eye from his true peril. We cannot achieve victory by arms, but by arms we can give the Ring-bearer his only chance, frail though it be.'
"As Aragorn has begun, so we must go on. We must push Sauron to his last throw. We must call out his hidden strength, so that he shall empty his land. We must march out to meet him at once. We must make ourselves the bait, though his jaws should close on us. He will take that bait, in hope and in greed, for he will think that in such rashness he sees the pride of the new Ringlord: and he will say: "So! He pushes out his neck too soon and too far. Let him come on, and behold I will have him in a trap from which he cannot escape. There I will crush him, and what he has taken in his insolence shall be mine again forever.
"We must walk open-eyed into that trap, with courage, but small hope for ourselves. For, my lords, it may well prove that we ourselves shall perish utterly in a black battle far from the living lands; so that even if Barad-dûr be thrown down, we shall not live to see a new age. But this, I deem, is our duty. And better so than to perish nonetheless - as we surely shall, if we sit here - and know as we die that no new age shall be." And with that, he leaned back onto his grand chair, a little weary perhaps by trying to give advice to those whose age are like children to him.
We sat in silence, contemplating Gandalf's counsel. At length Aragorn spoke. "As I have begun, so I will go on. We come now to the very brink, where hope and despair are akin. To waver is to fall. Let none now reject the counsels of Gandalf, whose long labors against Sauron come at last to their test. But for him all would long ago have been lost. Nonetheless I do not yet claim to command any man. Let others choose as they will." Yet when he said it, it was like he challenged anyone who dared refuse Gandalf's advice.
Then said Elrohir, his voice set and determined along with the echoing voices from the forests and woods: "From the North we came with this purpose, and from Elrond our father we brought this very counsel. We will not turn back."
"As for myself," said Eomer, "I have little knowledge of these deep matters; but I need it not. This I know, and it is enough, that as my friend Aragorn succored me and my people, so I will aid him when he calls. I will go." There was a pause, and I wondered if he still grieved for his uncle. Should I still grieve for my father, who whipped me from the time I came back after writing that letter? Gandalf would've said that now was not the time to grieve yet, but how Boromir would take the news, whether by his madness, death or both, it would wound him to the heart further than any injury.
With these thoughts, I knew that it is time for me to speak my piece. "As for me," I said, "Lord Aragorn I hold you to be my liege-lord, my King, whether he claim it or no. His wish is to me a command. I will go also. Yet for a while I stand in the place of the Steward of Gondor, and it is mine to think first of its people. To prudence some heed must still be given. For we must prepare against all chances, good as well as evil. Now, it may be that we shall triumph, and while there is any hope of this, Gondor must be protected. I would not have us return with victory to a City in ruins and a land ravaged behind us. And yet we learn from the Rohirrim that there is an army still un-fought upon our northern flank." For a moment there, I thought that my pain from my wounds subsided as I spoke. Tis quite an interesting feeling.
"That is true," said Gandalf, pleased with my answer. I smiled back. "I do not counsel you to leave the City all unmanned. Indeed the force that we lead east need not be great enough for any assault in earnest upon Mordor, so long as it be great enough to challenge battle. And it must move soon. Therefore I ask the Captains: what force could we muster and lead out in two days' time at the latest? And they must be hardy men that go willingly, knowing their peril."
Summoning up any men, let alone a full army would prove quite the challenge. I do not believe there was any man left in all of Middle Earth that had not been injured in some fashion. I immediately thought of Beregond. Most likely, he would insist that his pains are merely nothing and he could ride on a horse for two days without trouble. In fact, how was I going to go? It would be deeply embarrassing for me if my wounds held me back from this mission.
"All are weary, and very many have wounds light or grievous," said Eomer, giving me a quick glance. I should think that everyone looked at me, "and we have suffered much loss of our horses, and that is ill to bear. If we must ride soon, then I cannot hope to lead even two thousands, and yet leave as many for the defense of the City."
"We have not only to reckon with those who fought on this field," said Aragorn. "New strength is on the way from the southern fiefs, now that the coasts have been rid. Four thousands I sent marching from Pelargir through Lossarnach two days ago; and Angbor the fearless rides before them. If we set out in two days more, they will draw nigh ere we depart. Moreover many were bidden to follow me up the River in any craft they could gather; and with this wind they will soon be at hand, indeed several ships have already come to the Harlond. I judge that we could lead out seven thousands of horse and foot, and yet leave the City in better defense than it was when the assault began." This news lightened the mood. Perhaps we can accomplish this with few losses.
"The Gate is destroyed," said Imrahil gravely, "and where now is the skill to rebuild it and set it up anew?"
I felt myself smile at that comment. Even Legolas, Gimli and Gandalf followed. Aragorn had a perfect answer for that, there's no doubt.
"In Erebor in the Kingdom of Dáin there is such skill," said Aragorn in no time wasted; "and if all our hopes do not perish, then in time I will send Gimli Glóin's son to ask for wrights of the Mountain. But men are better than gates, and no gate will endure against our Enemy if men desert it."
And thus ended the debate of the lords. It pleased me that Aragorn's answer satisfied Imrahil. Now all that was left was to figure out just how many men we could summon.
It numbered up to about seven thousand.
Imrahil laughed aloud upon seeing this number. Some groaned at the sum, knowing that this cannot do. I cannot blame them, for I feel like demanding for more.
"Surely," he cried in incredulity – he was not alone in that part, "this is the greatest jest in all the history of Gondor: that we should ride with seven thousands, scarce as many as the vanguard of its army in the days of its power, to assail the mountains and the impenetrable gate of the Black Land! So might a child threaten a mail-clad knight with a bow of string and green willow! If the Dark Lord knows so much as you say, Mithrandir, will he not rather smile than fear, and with his little finger crush us like a fly that tries to sting him?"
The elderly wizard cocked his head to one side. "No, he will try to trap the fly and take the sting," said Gandalf in his obvious-to-see tone. "And there are names among us that are worth more than a thousand mail-clad knights apiece. No, he will not smile."
"Neither shall we," said Aragorn. "If this be jest, then it is too bitter for laughter. Nay, it is the last move in a great jeopardy, and for one side or the other it will bring the end of the game." Then he drew Andúril and held it up glittering in the sun. Some, including him looked at it in awe, seeing how the sun shines upon it as if it would only light for that once shattered blade. "You shall not be sheathed again until the last battle is fought." he said.
At these words the council was over and the men made to leave. I arose stiffly and awkwardly from my seat, irritated that I was to be reminded of my wounds and bandages. I headed for the door, gently refusing help from anyone, but let them know that I was in enough condition that I could walk well at least.
"Faramir, might I speak to you for a moment?" Aragorn called after me just before I reached the entrance. I went out of the way for others to pass and pivoted on one foot to turn to the future king of Gondor.
"Surely my Lord." I turned around and followed Aragorn to a corner of the room. I re-adjusted some bandages that nudged at my skin and looked Aragorn.
"What does the King wish?" I questioned, giving a respectful bow.
He sighed, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Do not be offended Mellon, for you know I hold no friend to be more dear to me than you. However, I do not think it would be wise for you to accompany us to Mordor." Aragorn knew that my heart sank at these words, but they have logic in them, so I cannot argue much. I should go to Beregond and tell him that he cannot go with the army as well. He looked worse than I do. He paused for a moment to let the news sink and then continued. "I would rather you wait here, as Steward of Gondor, and make her ready for the worse. I trust no man to defend her save you, for I know none who love her as you. What say you? Will you keep her ready for our return, whether it be in victory or defeat?
"I will, lord," said I, nodding in agreement. Gondor will be well looked after, that I swear in my heart. "For who would lie idle when the king has returned?"