By
G.S. Donaghy CHAPTER 1
A NEW EVIL
At first, the reign of King Elessar seemed peaceful but as the years went on the world became much darker and it seemed that a new evil was in the air. Ill news was heard in the lands of Middle-Earth that spoke of orcs and goblins multiplying in the mountains again, and the forests were becoming inhabited by wargs. But the years following the destruction of the Ruling Ring of Power brought much needed peace and good-fortune to the people of Middle-Earth.In Gondor, King Elessar had plans for rebuilding the great river-city of Osgiliath because it had almost been completely destroyed by the ongoing attacks from the Dark Lord Sauron and the armies of Mordor during the War of the Ring. King Eomer of Rohan was in good friendship with Aragorn and he sent many men to help Gondor rebuild Osgiliath.
For five years the land of Mordor laid empty and no news was heard from it. None ventured too close to Mordor for fear that there was some evil curse placed upon it. Even the Great Eagles of the Misty Mountains dared not go near or fly over ever since the Dark Lord Sauron was overthrown and the Dark Tower of Barad-dur destroyed. Some feared that orcs and goblins and other evil creatures still dwelt there and at any minute they would lash out and attack the peace and tranquility of Middle-earth. For this is what Aragorn feared and that is why he was so eager to rebuild Osgiliath. Aragorn went to Meduseld, the golden hall of Edoras, and sought out the advice of Eomer. "Ill tidings have I heard in the northern lands that trolls and orcs were multiplying again," said Eomer. "Then what I feared was not just my mind playing tricks on me," responded Aragorn, for he knew that something evil was abroad. "What shall be done in case of an assault?" "I do not know yet, but I think it would be wise to send many scouts into the Dark Land in order to find out what evil is there," answered Eomer. "The Great Eagles will not fly near Mordor so the men of Middle-earth must venture in to face the unknown peril." So, against their will, many men from both Rohan and Gondor were sent out a few days later to venture into the desolate black lands of Mordor and to see what has become of that dark place.
Aragorn did not stay long in Edoras because a messenger came from Minas Tirith, and he had brought ill news. He spoke to the king two days after the riders were sent out. "Our scouts have reported that the men that were sent to rebuild Osgiliath have been slain by some unknown evil and their heads have been impaled into the ground outside the city gate, but their bodies have not been found!" said the messenger Falorn. He was winded and tired because he had been riding to Edoras for two straight days and had not rested, for the need was urgent. Aragorn was in dismay at the news that he had just received. "Now it is known that some new evil is in Mordor and it is my fault for sending those brave men to their deaths," said Aragorn. "Alas, and now I have just sent the valiant men of Rohan and Gondor to their doom by persuading them into passing the Mountains of Shadow into land of Mordor where they know not their fate." "What great evil has befallen this day!" cried Aragorn.
So it was that later that day he set out to return to Minas Tirith, and he told Falorn to ride fast to the White City and tell Faramir, Captain of Gondor, to send out riders to all of the free peoples of Middle-Earth warning them of this new evil. With Aragorn went one hundred Rohirrim-horsemen to assist the Men of Gondor because another messenger came from Ithilien and reported to the king that bands of orcs and goblins were assaulting the men that were rebuilding Osgiliath. In Gondor, Faramir had not been idle. He gathered many soldiers to drive back the assault in Osgiliath and he sent word to the elves of Mirkwood and to their king Thranduil to be aware of any assault from the Misty Mountains or the lands near the forest. Legolas was there and he made for Minas Tirith to help his old friend in need.
The fighting in Osgiliath had been going on for four days when Aragorn returned and at once he went to help the men fight the orcs. It was as if the fighting never stopped there and like before the orcs and goblins had taken control of the east bank of the Great River. The fighting there was intense and it seemed that the enemy's numbers never decreased. Many brave men of both Rohan and Gondor were slain in the fighting that lasted for days.
After what seemed like a week of fighting the orcs and goblins were finally driven back out of Osgiliath and peace was restored there for at least a while. Aragorn had not received any fatal wounds but he suffered a large laceration on his head. Gondor had not lost as many men as did their enemies even though they were greatly outnumbered. Sixty-three riders of the one hundred Rohirrim-horsemen had fallen in battle and their bodies were taken back to Edoras and a large mound was erected over them serving as a memorial of the battle to all that came there. The morning after the battle Aragorn awoke in his bed and found Legolas standing next to his bedside. "Good morning, I would have hoped that you would be happier to see your old friend again," said Legolas.
"I think you were a little too late if you wanted to slay any orcs," said Aragorn. He was now wide-awake and the morning sun was shining into the chamber in which he slept. The light of the room reminded him of Lothlorien and he was reminded of his stay there with the Fellowship which now seemed long ago. "I already fought some orcs while riding in Rohan. Bands of orcs are roaming freely in these lands," said Legolas. "I suppose that those orcs that I fought were from the Misty Mountains or some other dark place because your scouts would of known if the orcs and goblins came over the Mountains of Shadow," said Legolas.
"No orcs came near Minas Tirith because we were fighting them for a week in Osgiliath. We lost many men there. I'm sure you heard that we were rebuilding the city when out of the black gates came many orcs and they assailed our men and drove them back from the city," said Aragorn.
"Well it is good that you are well and did not become one of the fallen," responded Legolas. Aragorn and Legolas spent many long hours conversing with each other far into the night and they did not cease until they spotted, far away among the dim light of the darkening evening, several riders approaching the city gates. The riders were from Rohan and they rode at great speed. They were lead into the city and their horses were taken to one of the nearby stables. Aragorn welcomed them and he led the riders to one of Minas Tirith's great halls and bade them to sit down. Servants were called to bring the men food and drink. After the riders had eaten their fill, they were obliged to talk with Aragorn about their errand. They spoke of many things, some news that Aragorn had already heard and some that he had not. "Evil news has been heard in Rohan that spoke of an evil creature that has inhabited the dark confines of Mordor," said one of the riders. "Men are speaking of such tales and there is now little doubt that this is true after what we have found. The King of Dale, Bardin, was slain near the great battle plain of Dagorlad, said the other rider. "With him went many men from Dale and no trace of their bodies have been found. Scouts of Rohan found the fallen king impaled in the ground surrounded by the weapons of his men and those of orcs. The scouts left Edoras after they had heard from Dale that the King and his men had not return for quite some time," spoke the rider.
"This grieves me much because Bardin was a great warrior and a great friend to the people of Gondor," said Aragorn. He knew Bardin since he was little and now he was weighed down by the loss of his friend.
"Send word to the dwarves of the Iron Hills and Erebor that the realms of Gondor and Rohan are in need of their assistance and that we are at war with the new evil that has arisen in Mordor," said Aragorn to the two riders.
The Riders stayed the rest of the night in Minas Tirith and at the break of dawn they set out from the city and made for Rohan. Every soldier of every army was alert for this new evil and they warned the women and children not to stray too far from their town or dwellings, especially after nightfall. Faramir gathered an army of soldiers and they marched to Ithilien, the land of many fountains, to see if they could learn more of the evil that now dwelt in Mordor. With them they brought many stores of food and weapons and other resources that they would need. Some men would be sent out later to go back and retrieve more items. Faramir knew the lands of Ithilien well because he roamed that land often was stationed there during the War of the Ring. In Ithilien was Gondor's fortified base of Henneth Annun and only the Men of Gondor knew the base's location. Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, and the creature Gollum were the only other living creatures that came to Henneth Annun.
This is the road that Faramir and his men now took, and in haste, because scouts of Gondor reported that the Harad, a people that had long been enemies of Gondor, were building up their forces as they had done during the War of the Ring and were planning an attack on the lands of Gondor. Patrols of orcs had been spotted along the banks of the Anduin and South Ithilien was crawling with orcs and evil men.
It was getting dark, on the third day after they had set out, when Faramir and his men finally came upon the entrance to Henneth Annun. They stood there as if in a dream because the base had been deserted ever since Sauron was destroyed. The red sun was broken into many flickering beams shining through the thin veil of water that was before them, and as they entered they stood upon the long deserted floor of polished stone and looked into the darkness of the cave. As they stood there other men came in through a dark narrow door on the other side of the cave. They began to light fires and at once Faramir sent out spies to gather news of the Southrons. Some men began setting up tables and cooking food because they had not eaten since the day after they had set out. Others were putting the food and weapons where they were to go and began opening the casks of wine. In an hour all of the men sat down to a feast and they ate to their heart's content. The scouts that were sent out came back soon after and reported that no movement of the enemy could be seen and the land of Ithilien was in an awkward silence.
"Are you sure that you did not see the enemy, not even orc spies?" Faramir asked to one of the returning scouts.
"No we came across no living creature save birds and other wild animals," said Atras, the head scout. "We searched just the land around Henneth Annun and not the land beyond. But my guess is that orcs and the evil men are in South Ithilien," said Atras.
Faramir was troubled by this news because it was just as it had been during the War of the Ring; the land was in an awkward silence, the calm before the storm that soon followed.
Turning aside he told one of is men to set watch around the perimeter of the base and to alert him if they saw anything suspicious. "Alright sir, your will shall be done. We will alert you right away," said the guard. Faramir retreated to the back of the cave and sat down deep in thought. He was not only troubled by the news that the scouts had reported but also a fear was growing inside of him that this new enemy might be even more powerful than the Dark Lord Sauron, if that was possible.
Back in Gondor, in the great-hall under the white tower, Aragorn held a counsel. At this counsel were Eomer, Legolas, and Thranduil, who had rode out from Mirkwood the day that Faramir had set out. Also at the counsel was Gimli who had received the news in Erebor and was eager to meet his two friends again, who he had journeyed with during the War of the Ring. They spoke of many things long into the deep hours of the night. None save those that were at the counsel knew of the deepening peril that was before them. Thranduil set out the next day to return to Mirkwood and Gimli Gloin's son traveled back to his father's mountains to report what was spoken at the meeting and gather as large a dwarve army as he could. Something that they had not expected was about to happen.
