In An Age Before – Part 64
Chapter Forty-five
The Forming of the Last Alliance – The Second Age of the Sun
Author's note: I feel this chapter goes out on a limb to address plot bunnies in the canon that JRRT created. I've tried to work around them while retaining the sequence of events in the forming of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, and for setting the stage for events in the later War of the Ring. If the palantíri allowed communication between the north and south kingdoms of the Dúnedain in exile, why did Isildur need sail to Lindon to bring tidings of Sauron's attack and the fall of Minas Ithil to Elendil and Gil-galad? Surely he could have done thus with the stone in Osgiliath and then remained to aid his brother in the defense of their realm. Nevertheless, JRRT states that Isildur and his family sailed from Osgiliath to Lindon following the fall of his city. He also states that the palantír of Minas Ithil did not fall into Sauron's hands at that time, but no other solution would have made the brothers so distrust the palantír of Osgiliath that Isildur would feel required to make so long a trip by ship.
The day peace died had begun like any other, for oft times no warning comes in the weather of the doom a day's sunset shalt witness, yet afterwards the world is ne'er to be the same. It had taken the Dark Lord many decades to coalesce the remnants of his spirit, from the pure etheric state in which he had escaped the inundation of Númenor, to the physical manifestation of a vapor. Yet once a sufficient portion of the dark energy of his being had transmuted itself again into the stuff of Arda, the Master of Lies fabricated for himself new forms.
E'er of old had he been a shape-shifter and this he was still, and thus by his conjuring he appeared, sometimes in form akin to the Children of Ilúvatar, save that he was taller and black as with gangrene, mantled in a stench that alone cowed all, and having bloody red eyes rimmed in yellow that none could look upon and not quake in horror. When such a form served him he wore it, whilst at other times he resolved his being as a great eye of yellow lightning and fire that drew inwards in a gyre to a slitted pupil, black as a pit of hell, which swallowed light, and life, and souls.
Now once his form was achieved he called to him his wraiths and his servants, and he mustered again his armies, for his hatred of the Dúnedain had grown even greater than aforetime, and his hatred of the Eldar had ne'er diminished. Then Gorgoroth was filled again with a black host of Yrch called from their warrens or bred anew for war, and with Men from Harad and Khand and Rhûn, (save those faithless who had fled long ago to the Ered Nimrais), and others of mortal kind who had worshipped him in the years ere he went 'cross the sea. There too were Tor and Wargs¹ and other allies fell. These he marshaled, and the tramping of their feet upon the ashen plain raised a cloud of dust that o'ertopped the Ephel Dúath and unsettled the counsels of the Men of Gondor. And when all was ready, he donned again his One Ring of power and Orodruin burst into flame. ¹(Wargs, wolves of Sauron, these appear to have been wolves bred by the Dark Lord to greater size and ferocity, sometimes acting in packs on their own, and at other times ridden as mounts by Yrch. They were distinct from the white wolves of northern Eriador and the earlier werewolves of Morgoth. Westron)
Now in the spring, when blossoms of apple, cherry, peach, and orange were still laden upon the boughs in the orchards about Anduin, yet the greater part of the spring rains had abated, a host came o'er that pass then known as the Cirith Dúath, and they assailed Minas Ithil by night. Almost were they held at bay, but they were reinforced by a second and greater host that had come from the Nargil Pass to the south. Then Isildur was forced to flight, and gathering his wife and his three sons, and a seedling of Nimloth, he fled to Osgiliath. He left behind some treasures which he had no time to remove, and some few soldiers for whom he long grieved, and when the Tower of the Moon was taken, then Sauron himself came forth to claim what plunder he could.
In the ruins of the palace the Dark Lord found 'aught to make his cold heart rejoice, for there in the courtyard before the keep stood Nimloth, the White Tree, saved by Isildur from the Whelming of Númenor. In a guarded chamber he found the partially eaten body of the king's custodian, and swaddled in a cloth still clutched by the corpse, the Palantír of Minas Ithil, which had been left behind by the king in the haste of his flight into exile. With a mailed fist Sauron lifted this prize. Great did he deem his profit would be from it in the days to come. Ahhh, Sauron thought, long hath it been since so sweet a victory have I tasted as on this day. In glee he turned thence to the courtyard before the citadel and hewed the White Tree of Gondor, and upon the wood of it he sacrificed alive all such of the king's people as had fallen prisoner. And as he had aforetime at his temple in Armenelos, he chanted a prayer to his master as the smoke rose to the heavens. 'Twas 17 Gwirith, (April 17th), 3429.
Now fleeing in duress to Osgiliath, Isildur met briefly with his brother Anárion, and he shared the tidings of the taking of his city. Anárion beseeched him to proffer those same tidings to their father in the north, for the force that had assailed Minas Ithil was great. But Isildur would chance this not, for by using the palantír 'neath the Dome of Stars, any who gazed thither might be entrapped by the will of Sauron who had taken as spoil the palantír of the Tower of the Moon. Neither for themselves, nor for their father would they chance this. Instead, Isildur declared his intent to sail for Lindon with all haste. There he would report, not only the fall of his city, but also the danger of the Seeing Stones.
So then, after committing to Anárion the defense of Gondor, Isildur took ship with his family to bear hence his tidings and beg aid from his father in the north. With sails billowing full, the king sailed down Anduin to the sea, and making his course westward from Ethir Anduin, at first followed the coast. Upon the third morn he ordered his ship anchored for a day, and in a longboat he went ashore.
Thither at the first landing of his ships in their flight from Númenor he had left the remains of one stricken vessel, and as a marker upon a highland well above the floodtide, he had set a great round stone. Now this stone later came to be called the Stone of Erech, and thither now went Isildur and his party. There he let blow a fanfare upon a silver trumpet, summoning hence the Men of the Mountains.
These Men had sworn to stay their aggression against the Men of Lebennin and Gondor in 3320, for they quickly recognized these mariners as kin to those long known aforetime and sought not to cross their might save at some great need. Now to Erech did Isildur summon them and to Erech came their king.
"War has come," Isildur said, "and now either to fall or to live is thy choice, for in this war I would have with thee alliance against the Lord of the Black Land. Fight for our cause and thou shalt have e'er after, peace and honor from Gondor."
"I and my people shalt join thy fight, O King of the Land of Stone," the King of the Mountains swore as the fear of his old god filled his heart, "for of Sauron only shalt we have terror and suffering. We shalt fight for thy cause, come life or death." And he slit open his left hand and let flow his blood upon the Stone to consecrate his oath.
Then Isildur clasped forearms with the King of the Mountains and departed back to his ship, having secured the allegiance of another ally that he and his brother could not afford to fight as an enemy at their back. Isildur set sail on the morn's tide and made again his course northwards toward the Firth of Lune.
By the end of the first of Lothron, (May), Isildur's ship had come to Mithlond and tidings of the attack were known to the Eldar of Lindon. Swift messengers from the Elven King accompanied the Dúnadan to Annúminas whereat Elendil held court. Thither did Isildur beseech his father's favor for to send aid to Anárion, who defended the southern realm in his absence, and he warned him of the peril of the palantíri. Being a Man of valor and e'er forward in his causes, Isildur had planned to return thence south with whate'er strength Arnor could spare in haste, leaving his sons and wife in the safety of Lindon. Upon the three princes of his house, Elendur, Aratan, and Ciryon, he had laid the duty to guide thither at the earliest possible time, such forces as could be mustered to battle against Sauron, leading them through Calenardhon or perhaps by ship.
It took significant energy and persuasiveness on the part of Gil-galad to dissuade Isildur from this course. For one, Ereinion reasoned, Minas Ithil had fallen primarily due to the surprise attack and the co-coordinated reinforcement from Harad, a plan of which no warning had come. But now the field had stabilized. A wide land lay 'twixt Minas Ithil and Osgiliath whereupon any advancing army would be long espied aforetime. Anárion would face no such sneak attack and his forces were now fully mustered, with reinforcements coming to Minas Anor from the lands of Lebennin to the south. And the army of Gondor was very great; scarce less than 70,000 all told in those days, divided into two divisions east and west of Anduin; they would hold at bay the enemy for some time.
A second reason gave Gil-galad to the co-regent of the south kingdom. Long had the Elven folk dwelt with the threat of war before them, and indeed many had fled the Hither Shores in the years whilst Sauron's influence waxed in Mordor. Now their ancient enemy had returned and war was indeed upon them, but they had as allies the Dúnedain of Arnor and Gondor, and with some others who might be convinced to join them for the common good, they stood a chance of doing after 2,100 years what they had not in S.A. 1,700. Were they to withhold their retaliation 'til their strength was full wrought, they could destroy Sauron utterly, not merely defeat him!
And last, did his Elvish eyes mislead him, or was Isildur's queen not with child? At this unexpected assertion the elder son of Elendil gaped at the Elven King in astonishment and stuttered. He knew 'naught of such, nor had either he or his wife yet suspected it. The High King assured Isildur that 'twas indeed true, even if that new life was yet only in its first moon, and e'er it had been the way of both their peoples to deprive not a child of its parents in those most tender first years. Thus Isildur would be best served in accompanying the host when it marched on the Black Land with such strength as would uplift his heart and lay low his enemy. After some 36 centuries of diplomacy, Gil-galad was indeed quite convincing; Isildur and his sons stayed in the north.
Now though in later times much is recalled concerning the great strength of Gondor, in those waning years of the Second Age, 'twas more truly in Arnor that the great strength of Men lay. In those days Elendil was High King of all those Númenóreans who called themselves the Faithful. He was older and wiser than his sons in the south, and he was the last true lord from the Land of Kings 'cross the sea. As Lord of Andúnië in Exile, he commanded the allegiance of all those who had come to the Hither Shores fleeing the kings' persecution. Generations had sailed east from Rómenna and their descendants all acknowledged Elendil as their lord. So too did the Men of Eriador, save the Enedwaith and some few in the far north and east, and even with these latter the king had succeeded in parlaying, thereby allaying their hostility.
When first Isildur was received in Annúminas and there told his tidings, Elendil was wroth. Straightaway he sought the palantír in the Tower of the West and fearlessly commanded its vision south. First he surveyed Minas Anor and the custodian quailed at his rage and reported all that he had seen. Thence to Osgiliath did his sight travel and there he gave comfort to his younger son and promise of aid. Thence to Minas Ithil did Elendil cast his sight at last. There he was greeted by the sneering countenance of Sauron Gorthaur, become hideous after his survival of the Downfall of Westernesse. Sauron mocked the king, promising to take piece by piece his realm in the Hither Lands, just as he had taken down the Realm of the Kings 'cross the sea.
Elendil cursed Sauron that day from afar and promised him both war and death. Sauron laughed at the king and showed him the ashes of the White Tree, but in his heart he felt the twinge of fear, for Elendil looked unwavering into his eyes and the Dark Lord could cow him not with his menace. Light shone in the Man's eyes, a living gift of his ancestors still preserved, and the High King showed Sauron a sword forged by his ancient enemies in Beleriand; Narsil, wrought by Telchar of Nogrod in an Age before. The blade had a light all its own and Sauron read his bane in its chiseled runes.
Within three days the army of Arnor began mustering at Fornost Erain, the knights, squires, heralds, and infantry, the healers, cooks, scribes, engineers, and armorers. All massed in the fortress of the north 'til 'twas o'erflowing with warriors and horses. Not even in the War of the Elves and Sauron had so great a host amassed to march upon an enemy. Even the Laiquendi, watching as e'er in stealth, could scarce believe what they saw. And into the fortress came wain and wagon uncounted, filled with supplies and material, for the army would march far and the campaign would be long.
In the following year, S.A. 3430, the leaders of Elves and Men in the north came together in Lindon for a formal council of war. Thither were gathered Ereinion Gil-galad, Glorfindel, and Gildor Inglorion of Lindon, Círdan and Galdor from Mithlond, Elendil, Isildur, and the princes Elendur, Aratan, and Ciryon. From further away came Elrond Peredhel, Lord of Imladris and Gil-galad's Vice-Regent of Eriador, accompanied by his advisor Erestor. And from further still, from the land of Belfalas, came Celeborn and Galadriel. With them traveled their daughter Celebrían, and her reunion with Elrond was a source of joy to them both and a renewal of their love in darkening times.
Now when the day of the council drew 'nigh, a messenger rode swiftly back to the court, and he whispered his tidings to the high king alone.
"My Lord, I regret to inform thee that I was unsuccessful. Either she is nowhere within the borders of thy realm, or else by her stealth she hath eluded me."
Gil-galad sighed and dismissed the messenger. For the first time he had allowed the pleas of Finarfin's daughter to sway him and he had sought for Helluin in time of war. Now it seemed she was unavailable to him. Another sigh escaped him, but this was one of relief. Then he put the matter from his mind, for other messengers had arrived.
"My Lord, King Amdír of Lórinand shalt honor the court with his presence in council."
"My Lord, an embassy from the woodland realm of Calenglad i'Dhaer has arrived for the council."
"My Lord, the entourage representing King Durin IV, Lord of Khazad-dûm is now 2 days east upon the road."
To all these announcements Gil-galad nodded, and beside him Elendil smiled. Their alliance was coming together as they had hoped it would. And Ereinion thought to himself, what is the absence of one more warrior to such a strength as we now forge?
When the council convened upon 21 Gwaeron, (March 21st, the Spring Equinox), there met the lords of Lindon, Mithlond, Arnor, Gondor, Belfalas, and Imladris. Joining them were King Amdír and Prince Amroth of Lórinand, King Oropher and Prince Thranduil of Calenglad i'Dhaer, and a party of a dozen Naugrim of Hadhodrond.
In all the generalities the emissaries agreed wholeheartedly. They would commit their strength to a campaign to destroy once and for all, the threat of Sauron Gorthaur. In only a few particulars was there dissent. 'Twas decided that the armies of King Oropher and King Durin would fight 'neath their own banners, but in coordination with the remainder of the alliance. King Amdír's troops, being relatively few in number, would join their Nandor brethren and fight beside King Oropher's army. These decisions had been foreseen and accepted. The added strength was far more important than the notion of a singular supreme command.
"I shalt meet thee 'nigh Amon Sûl¹ in one year's time," King Elendil told Ereinion as he prepared to leave for Annúminas, "and thence shalt we march east to Imladris. Some further strategic planning shalt we needs make in light of developments to come." ¹(Amon Sûl, Hill of the Wind = amon(hill) + sûl(wind) Sindarin)
Gil-galad nodded in agreement. Ere they mustered and marched, much could shift upon the field of battle. There were great matters of logistics to wrestle and many details to address ere the host could go to war so far afield. A year seemed barely time enough. How strong were the enemy troops and what was their composition? How long could Sauron hold out 'neath a siege of Mordor? How long could he hold his Barad-dûr? What sorcery did he command? What effects would his Ring bring to the battles? He sighed. T'would be a long year indeed. Now last he wondered, howe'er shalt I contact the Laiquendi? I can think of no finer home guard for this land in our absence. And thinking thus he realized that the one Noldo he knew who could have arranged such a meeting was beyond his call. For once, Helluin hadn't arrived with ill-tidings upon her lips; indeed she was still nowhere to be found.
In early Lothron, (May), King Oropher and Prince Thranduil returned to their realm in Greenwood and immediately the king sent for Helluin and Beinvír. He desired to know any more that she could tell him about the probable deployment of the Noldor and Sindar. But the messenger returned to his king without the two ellith, and he told his lord that they had indeed left the realm, headed south, a month past.
Prince Thranduil bid his father recall the words Helluin had spoken when first she had made her offer of aid; "…I shalt make available all my expertise. None upon Arda know better the practice of combat, and none art more…available. I expect no summons from my king. 'Til the war comes, I offer my service as consultant, trainer, and tactician."
"My Lord," the prince said, "she hath kept well her word such as she could, for the war began with the attack upon Minas Ithil in Gwirith of the year past. Indeed she stayed longer than expected."
King Oropher nodded in understanding. During the entire time he had been in Lindon he had not once heard the name of Helluin Maeg-mórmenel pass anyone's lips. Now the warrior had been called to battle, and with her friend, she had gone forth to meet the enemy. He could do 'naught but await the Host of the Alliance and then do the same.
To Be Continued