The journey from Minas Tirith to Dol Amroth would take longer than it would take for Denethor and his riders to get to Edoras. Finduilas knew that Denethor had gone after Thorongil and her little Faramir and she only begged that the gods would somehow protect them. Denethor did not know that he had no right to lay a hand on the infant, Finduilas had him convinced that the child she carried was to be Denethor's second-born. Indeed, there was no one else who knew the truth but Mithrellas and Thorongil himself, and "two may keep counsel when the third's away."
Her greatest fear was not so much that Thorongil could be caught with any ease, she knew better than to fear for a Ranger in the wild, but more that somehow Denethor would learn that the baby was not his, for that would bring peril to them all. Finduilas tried not to think on these matters overmuch, though, and Mithrellas was invaluable in keeping her distracted, as was Gondor's finest little soldier.
At every halt Boromir would switch between riding in the carriage with his mumma and riding with Lorindol, the soldier who had rather adopted Boromir on the excursion south, letting him ride with him and telling him of all the things he had done over the years as a soldier for Gondor. Whenever Boromir would ride in the carriage he mostly napped, curled up on his mumma's lap, or talked excitedly about all the things Lorindol had told him.
Traveling was never easy, especially not when traveling with a young, rambunctious child and his mother who was not a well woman. They were given more than generous supplies and graciously accommodated for a couple nights by Lord Forlong of Lossarnach, who had always thought the world of Boromir and spoilt him rotten every time he visited Minas Tirith. Traveling under the banner of the Steward made finding suitable resting much easier and pavilions only had to be used between large towns. It was learned quickly that Finduilas had no qualms about staying in a simple little inn in some village rather than camping outside the town. Always had she been a woman of the people and for it they treated her as they would a queen. She was well loved even by people who had only heard about her, and people went out of their way to help her and ease her road home.
It was after their first week of travel, after they forded the River Gilrain in Lebinnen, that Finduilas realized that she was no longer constantly worried and afraid, that she was feeling much better, sleeping well at night, and no longer feeling perpetually exhausted and less than hungry when offered a meal. As she looked north to the high crests of the White Mountains, she came to the conclusion that it was not only how distant she was from the Shadow of Mordor, but also the fact that all those invulnerable peaks were now serving as a barrier between her and her husband. Denethor's mere presence made her uneasy these days and she realized that she no longer wanted anything to do with him. She had known it for some time, but never permitted herself to own up to it; and even that night she spent with Thorongil she knew that it was normal for men of status to lay with another woman, but not for women of status to lay with another man. She wondered now why she never had the courage to leave Minas Tirith sooner.
Mithrellas saw the change in her dear friend as well and she wondered why she had not insisted that Finduilas and Boromir come home with her when she returned to Dol Amroth to care for her ailing father. That would have prevented this entire situation in the first place.
ooo
Denethor kept his men riding at a grueling pace for two days and they had only just exited the Gap of Rohan. Denethor did not like the feeling he had as they crossed at the Fords of the Isen, it felt as though he was being watched, though there was no one about but his company. He felt as though the River Isen itself, or perhaps it was Dol Baran or even the last peak of Misty Mountains, Methedras, watching him.
It never entered Denethor's mind that it was the White Wizard was watching him closely, having become interested in the doings of his city since he was able to access its palantír through the one at Orthanc. The most recent report from his eyes and ears at Edoras told Saruman that there was intrigue running high in the world of Men these days and he was most interested in the Ranger who was alone with an infant child and heading north with speed, pursued by the heir to the Stewardship of Gondor himself.
Though by far the most interesting fact was that this Ranger was accompanied and abetted by none other than Gandalf the Grey. It seemed to Saruman that Gandalf was ever involved with shepherding and concealing secret things and he intended to keep a closer eye on his fellow Istar.
For the time being, though, Gríma had done more than enough for him by sending Ecthelion's heir after the Ranger and Gandalf. Knowing what he knew about Denethor, he was fairly sure that if the Steward-to-be caught up with them with the belief that the infant was his, there would be Mordor to pay. Saruman was more than content to sit back and watch the world of Men unravel itself.
As Denethor changed on through the foothills of the Misty Mountains in the land of Dunland, his heavy-horse riders effectively tamed the Dunlendings that might have objected to strangers. There had been reports of a Ranger with an infant and an elderly man traveling through their lands several days prior, but no one in the villages had seen them and no one reported any disturbances.
At one point Denethor sent scouts ahead to track and make their ride more efficient, for Denethor wanted to get his hands on Thorongil as soon as possible. It would not be easy for him to keep from killing the bastard with his own bare hands, but he knew it would be much more gratifying to drag him back to Minas Tirith in chains, try him for treason, and watch as he was tortured to death.
The scouts, however, did not seem to have an easy time of it. It should have been easy to trace two laden horses going north, but there seemed to be conflicting signs every time they thought they hit upon a lead. What they could tell, though, was that those conflicting signs had been made less than a week ago. With that information Denethor insisted that they move faster, stop less, and shorten their night camps. He was staunchly determined to catch up to them before they reached any manner of civilization.
Many of the men in Denethor's company did not understand their captain's strange mood and it seemed to them that it was only getting worse the further north they went. Some of them complained (very quietly) that they were being dragged all over Middle-earth, away from their wives and children, and other, more important duties, upon the whim of the heir to the Stewardship. Others were critical of the fact that Denethor hastened away from the city with both his father and wife so unwell. Some figured that they were out here after a fugitive, but could not understand why they, of all, had to take on this sort of mission that ordinarily reserved for lesser companies.
They had been on the road for weeks and, according to the scouts, were starting to gain ground on the two horsemen. They were now in the area of the three high peaks of the Misty Mountains, an area of which these soldiers knew little but what childhood tales told and some did not even know those tales. Denethor knew more than he let on though, he knew Hollin, Eregion, had once been a land of the Elves, but that they had retreated to one little nook in a valley of the Bruinen. From the signals that could be discerned, it seemed to him that Thorongil and Gandalf were heading for the House of Elrond Peredhel indeed, and it seemed that they were now only about three days behind their quarry.
It was the next day when the signs grew extraordinarily interesting. That morning they found orc carcasses all over the place. That afternoon, hurrying away from the foul death, it was found that one set of tracks seemed to circumvent the fray whilst one remained and was joined by another two sets of horse tracks. Yet there were at least 50 dead orcs and no one could figure out how it was possible that three had brought down that many. The three sets of tracks then went off, north again, and joined up with the set of tracks that had absconded during the fight, and on they carried northward. Then it seemed that the traces grew fainter, but no less fresh, the further north they went.
Denethor was well familiar with maps and knew that as the space between the Bruinen and the Mountains narrowed, they were coming closer to the secret home of the Elves. It was said that it was nearly impossible for strangers to find hidden in the river valley, but Denethor cared little for such nonsense lore, he was much too close to give up now. Had he had any inkling of what awaited him, he would most definitely have turned back.
ooo
linda: Arwen really does have much goodness in her and it is a good thing that she does. I have come to learn that it takes strength to accept that kind of thing, but more over, if love is strong enough, it won't really matter. I've been there (in a way), my heart has gone through a lot, but i have learned how stong my heart really is and have not regretted a second of it. I think you did read and review Im Meleth Le, but that was based on an encounter i had almost 8 eight months ago (it still feels like yesterday), and just goes to show that i still love him with all of my heart, no matter what he has dealt with in his own past. Love can heal in amazing ways.
Elenhin: Forward in time, you say? That is tricky. Back in time and you pretty much know what to expect, but going ahead... nothing is certain. We shall have to get back to darling Fara' soon, but i think you might have a good idea of what is coming next, your suspicions seem to be near the mark :)
grumpy: Given the opportunity, i think Erestor would find nests for every orphaned bird in Imladris. A place for everything and everything in its place. Estel may have more to explain to his beloved, but i do not think she shall require it.
steelelf: Do you know how hard it is for me to type your handle without typing "Steelers"? I'm a major football fan, and it's just so difficult... Anyway, never let it be said that i should ever disappoint a reviewer. I hope this update was speedy enough for you. I tend to get a lot more updates in on a weekend than i do through the week, but i won't go for like a month or something and leave you hanging, i promise that much.
Ok, request time: I know i have a sort of international following, if you will. What i am looking for is general information about a town called Burgess Hill in Sussex, England. I was going through some old papers this weekend and found that written down, with what i suspect is my great-grandfather's birthdate I knew Burgess Hill is nearish to the Channel in the south, but that's about all i know. Thanks for anyone who can tell me anything. You can email me if you like, link from my author profile.