In An Age Before – Part 132
Now the histories of Gondor tell that though the sons of the Lord Admiral escaped, Castamir the Usurper was indeed caught at the Crossings of Erui and thither slain by the Lord Eldacar, completing thus the tale of the return of the king. Yet of those deeds there is more to tell, for as has been said aforetime, the memory of Men wanes, whilst the Elder Children of the One forget 'naught, recalling in perfect detail all that they have seen. Amongst the deeds of those days one act of heroism shalt be set forth hither, for the unexpected came to pass, and the failure of the quest was averted by the presence of a Man whose presence was also unexpected.
Upon the next morn, that being 1 Nórui, (June 1st), King Eldacar and his forces began moving south towards the Crossings of Erui, intent upon capturing the Usurper and his party. Helluin and Beinvír, together with the one hundred cavalry sent south by the king, and reinforced by two thousand soldiers of Gondor, began moving northwards. Most hunted to the east, 'twixt the road and the west bank of Anduin, yet lands of 'nigh twenty miles' breadth were encompassed thither, and through ill-fortune, the fugitives managed to elude them upon that day.
The frustration of the king grew with each hour lost, whilst the reinforcements from Pelargir drew closer with each hour that passed. 'Twas but a league of land to be searched, and yet care demanded that the king's Men advance but slowly lest their quarry slip through their grasp. In the afternoon they widened their net to encompass more land to the west of the road, yet evening came and 'naught had been found save the hastily hidden trenches of recent hunter's fires and some trampled undergrowth.
Night fell, and 'neath the 'nigh hidden face of Ithil, now waxing in a narrow crescent, the king ordered watch fires set at close intervals and sentries to stand within sight of one another. In two alternating shifts, half the army stood watch through the night, though the Lord Eldacar was loath to deprive thus his Men of rest upon the eve of battle. Despite their advance being harried by the Rangers during the last half-day, Castamir's reinforcements from Pelargir were expected to arrive at the Crossings of Erui by mid-morn.
In the late hours of the night, a lieutenant of the Rangers came bearing tidings to the king as he took counsel with the two ellith and his Northmen kin, Anræd and Hæleþ.
"My lord, I am Tálviel, a lieutenant of scouts, and I have somewhat to report on the advance of thy enemies," the Ranger said ere she greeted the First Guardians. "Cónhal Beinvír, 'tis good to see thee again. Úlairdacil Helluin Maeg-móremenel, 'tis my honor to meet thee at last."
Recalling their meeting at night upon the road ere the war, Beinvír greeted the lieutenant.
"Mae govannen, Tálviel," the Green Elf said. "I congratulate thee on thy promotion from sergeant to lieutenant and I rejoice to find thee well."
"Many years have passed indeed and much blood has been shed since last we met, First Guardian, yet soon comes its conclusion," Tálviel said, then, turning to the king, she gave her report. "Lord Eldacar, the reinforcements from Pelargir art encamped this night upon the road two leagues south of the crossings. We harry their encampment by night as we harried their march by day, yet they number some fifteen thousands horse and foot; too numerous art they to be turned aside save by defeat in battle. We deem they shalt reach the crossings ere the fourth hour after dawn."
The king nodded to her, having received her tidings, but Helluin asked 'aught of her, the beginnings of a plan arising in her mind's eye.
"Lieutenant Tálviel, have the soldiery of Pelargir ranged far off the road?"
"Nay, they have not, First Guardian, favoring the paved way in their haste. In this we have been fortunate, firing freely upon them from the verges of the road whilst enduring no sorties in retaliation."
A dark grin shaped the lips of the Noldo and she turned to the king to offer counsel.
"My lord, in their headlong rush to join and ensure the safe passage of the Usurper, the troops from Pelargir and their sought-after leader could easily be entrapped. They seek for him in haste, and he awaits them in hope. If we but withdraw from the road and let that meeting to come to pass, all thy foes would then be in one place, strung out in narrow formation upon the cleared ribbon of the road, thither to be assailed upon both flanks and from the fore and rear, and slaughtered."
To this the Northmen laughed in anticipation and the king nodded in agreement ere issuing his orders.
"After breaking their fast at dawn, five hundred cavalry art to retire to each side of the road hither, whilst the remaining cavalry is to advance south of Erui, but their advance shalt be to the flanks as well, abandoning the road. All art to take cover, but remain ready to charge. Lieutenant Tálviel, thou hast my thanks for thy tidings. Return now to the Lord Barahíl and tell him of our plans."
Dawn came upon 2 Nórui and the king's soldiers tarried not at their mess as they broke their fast. Within an hour they were moving to take up new positions. Hidden in the wood to the east of the road, and still more concerned with avoiding discovery, the Usurper and his party were unaware of the new deployment of Eldacar's soldiers. So too were the reinforcements from Pelargir, for the Rangers denied them the freedom to scout the lands ahead. Forward they marched in haste, enduring the same fire from the flanks, and expecting their leader to find them whilst they battled at the crossings.
Now the reinforcements from Pelargir reached the Crossings of Erui 'nigh the fourth hour past dawn, and thither they were stopped by withering arrow fire from both banks and a blockade of some six thousand soldiers of Gondor loyal to King Eldacar. So battle was joined in earnest at last, upon a narrow front encompassing the road and its cleared verges, for 'twas with a sense of relief that the Men of Pelargir faced at last an enemy they could see. Soon their superior numbers served to force a slow and contested retreat by the king's troops, and the hopes of the reinforcements grew with each step they won north.
By the fifth hour they held the crossings, and the retreat hastened apace. Now the reinforcements advanced with their hopes of finding the Captain-Admiral's party rekindled, and so encouraged were they by their success upon the road that they marked not their losses upon their long flanks, for the shooting ne'er ceased. Ere noon, they had pushed 'nigh a mile past the banks of Erui and lost three thousands.
'Twas in the hour past noon, with a second mile north of the crossings won, that the Captain-Admiral, his sons, the Lord Gwing, and the rest of the Usurper's party broke from hiding and charged out to meet their troops upon the road. O'ercome with relief at their successful repatriation, they questioned not whyfor none had hindered their passage. Great was the rejoicing of the troops who formed a cordon about them, yet now more arrows came, fired with Elvish skill, though 'twas deemed 'naught but ill-fate that some amongst the Usurper's party fell despite standing well shielded by knights and common Men-at-arms who remained untouched.
Having achieved his goal, the Lord Admiral ordered his troops to withdraw south. Despite his raging desire to slaughter those of Eldacar's soldiers whom he marked in combat with his own, he deemed his escape paramount, and so the column began to retreat down the road, back towards the Crossings of Erui.
The call of trumpets greeted the Captain-Admiral when he reached the crossings, and for a moment he and his soldiers sought for their source. Then King Eldacar's cavalry charged from the woods bordering both sides of the road. Scarcely had they reached a full gallop ere they slammed into the line of soldiers, and many were slain in their onslaught. Further down the column shouts went up as full volleys of arrows flew into the ranks ere company after company of Rangers appeared from the woods. From his place at the head of the reinforcements, Castamir watched his Men fall as the king's trap was sprung, and though they died not without a fight, 'twas sure that the field would soon be lost. Then from the north came the thunder of horses, and turning thither, the Usurper saw a wall of knights riding down upon him with Eldacar son of Valacar at their head. He could do 'naught but draw his sword and plant his feet.
A great battle was fought at the Crossings of Erui that day, and thither soldiers of Gondor's Southern Army crossed swords with soldiers of Gondor's Northern Army and with Rangers of Lebennin. Yet even ere the loss of those Men shot down on their march from Pelargir, they had been outnumbered both mounted and afoot. The Men of Umbar fought with bitter determination and the afternoon hours passed with the clash of arms and the shedding of blood. Anor sank, sanguine o'er the woods of Lebennin ere 'twas finished, and the river Erui ran scarlet down to Anduin.
At the head of the column the Usurper withstood the cavalry charge, and though again and again Men beside him were struck down, still he and his sons remained untouched. Eldacar's knights drove his bodyguard back down the road with much slaughter, but he and those closest to him were unblooded, and he deemed himself protected by a power that had reserved him for greater things to come. Even when he marked his Commander of the Armies slipping into the woods ere the ranks of Eldacar's knights closed their circle about him, he was confident and begrudged not what he deemed to be Lord Gwing's cowardice in deserting his king at the last.
Finally there stood about him the half-breed pretender to the throne, his hapless heir, the two Elvish wights, the old Ranger, and several others he knew not by name. Beyond them, new come down the road, was a mob of commoners, late to the battle just as they had been left behind at birth by fate. They separated him from his party, whom they held off the road at swordpoint. 'Twas the Elvish warrior who addressed him on behalf of the king.
"Lord Castamir, thy rule has failed and the House of Valacar is restored. Aforetime thou usurped the throne of Gondor by force of arms and in defiance of the laws of the Dúnedain," Helluin announced, proclaiming the formal charges. "Thou may either surrender and submit thyself to the king's justice, or thou may stand for thy honor and face the Lord Eldacar in a duel, in satisfaction of thy trespasses against his lordship and the realm."
Before them the Lord Castamir sputtered, stuck speechless at first by the audacity of the charges. Yet in a heartbeat the very same fey and self-absorbed rage that Helluin herself had cultivated during years of torment through the palantíri burst forth.
"Trespasses!" Castamir thundered. "A great service I have done Gondor, to wrest from this half-breed whelp, the honor, dignity, and purity of Anárion's realm! Thy charges be damned. I shalt neither surrender to, nor duel with, a wildman of the uncouth North. A third choice I have…"
"Aye, a third choice thou hast and no other," Helluin grated out, cutting him off, "that I slay thee now as a dog unrepentant, for thou usurped the Lord Eldacar's birthright. Thy subjects thou treated with callousness and cruelty. Even the Valar thou disregarded. Thou art no king."
All Castamir had done was predicated upon noble birth and purity of lineage, and though a grandmother of kings, Helluin was and would always be a commoner. E'er had she honored those who ruled with honor, and from the start she had reverenced those to whom reverence was due, but ne'er would she suffer one undeserving. Blue fire sizzled in her eyes and a ríl of silver and gold enveloped her.
"Thou art an affront to me, whose blood has run in the veins of every king and queen since Tar-Meneldur of Númenor. Not since I slew Tindomul, son of Ciryatan upon the quays of Pelargir have I been so wroth with a son of Atalantë."
She sheathed her dagger and drew instead the Sarchram.
"I bid thee name thy choice, Usurper."
The Lord Admiral's choices were clear, and despite his madness, still a calculating self-regard ruled him. Upon any day would he rather face the diluted blood of a half-breed Dúnadan than contest with a pure-blooded Calaquende. And he reckoned that when the mixed blood of the pretender ran from the blade of his sword, Gondor would cleave again to him, for having thereby demonstrated yet again his superiority, whom else could they favor? Surely not even the commoners would embrace Prince Aldamir, for tainted blood a generation removed was tainted blood still and Gondor deserved better.
"With thee I have 'naught to gain. With him I have but to gain," Castamir said, pointing the tip of his sword at King Eldacar, "for the blood of a true king will tell."
"Aye, that it will," Vinitharya Eldacar, the son of two royal families replied, and he closed with his foe as the circle of witnesses drew back 'round them.
Akin they were in age, both living the last decade of their second century. Akin too they were in stature, tall, vigorous, and blessed with the good health of the Númenóreans, and such was to be expected 'twixt second cousins of noble birth. In many battles by land and sea had the Captain-Admiral raised his arms against the foes of Gondor and no few had found death upon his blade, for he had been by all accounts an expert swordsman. Yet the years of his kingship had brought others full willing to spill blood in his name, and scarce were the times when he had been called upon to unsheathe his sword. Vinitharya Eldacar had been raised amidst the martial culture of the Northmen and he had spent the last ten years 'neath the tutelage of one who had matched swords with Sauron's Nine.
Now whilst the battle of the Crossings of Erui yet raged, the duel 'twixt Castamir and Eldacar went forth, and though 'twas hard fought upon both sides, the prowess of the king finally won the day, for he had learnt much from Helluin which the swordplay of the Dúnedain knew not. With this knowledge he drew first blood and second, and amongst the witnesses 'twas perceived that his mastery was but a matter of time.
Amongst those witnesses was one apart. Within the shadows of the woods stood the Lord Gwing, and though unwilling to be taken, he was still full willing to shed blood in his master's cause. Seeing his lord cut by the half-breed's sword set a rage in his heart, and taking up the bow and quiver of a fallen Ranger, he knocked and drew. Down the arrow's shaft he sighted, and he shifted slightly to bring Eldacar's back into line with the point. A twig snapped 'neath his foot, yet o'er the sounds of battle t'would be marked not. He inhaled and prepared to fire.
One only amongst the witnesses to the duel marked the soft snap of that twig, yet all his life he had spent schooling himself to awareness of such slight sounds as would reveal his quarry. 'Neath 'aught else his ears might hear, marking such a tell-tale was now second nature to him. 'Twas the way of the hunter, and so he turned.
Of courage one may say that 'tis the will to go forward into danger despite whatsoe'er fear a Man feels, and such would oft be true. Yet 'tis just as oft that in the split second when there is no time for thought, action belies the character of a Man. He heard the snap of a twig and whilst still turning heard the release of the bow. A heartbeat only would the arrow's flight take. Yet now the target was no buck or boar. He hadn't the time to know 'twas his king, yet in his heart he knew. Time only he had to lunge forward whither his senses foresaw the arrow would pass.
At the twang of the bow Beinvír snapped 'round and Helluin too. They were still turning when the arrow caught Boromir the Hunter high in the chest ere he completed his lunge and crumpled upon the road but two fathoms behind his king. A heartbeat later an arrow from the Green Elf's bow took the Lord Gwing in the eye.
The sounds of the commotion caused the Lord Eldacar to chance a glance back, just in time to mark Gwing's body falling and the body of a commoner face down in the road, shot with an arrow. 'Twas treachery sure, for with the true sight of kings he read what had come to pass. One of his people had laid down his life, and not in battle. Pity warred with anger in his heart and he had yet another reason to take the Usurper's life. Grim now he turned Castamir's strokes and sidestepped his slashes, cutting and bleeding him with unexpected turns of his blade, goring him with the crossguard, and finally impaling him following a sliding deflection of the Captain-Admiral's lunge. At last, after all that had come to pass and all the years of fighting and bloodshed, 'twas done.
The king handed his bloodied blade to Prince Aldamir and walked to where Helluin and Beinvír knelt beside the fallen Man, and turning him, saw that 'twas the same hunter with whom he'd visited the tavern but a few nights past. Well liked he had been amongst his kith, and now many would miss him e'er after, even as they had missed him during his time in the north.
"My lord, here lies Boromir the Hunter whom we met upon our first day in Osgiliath fifteen years ago," Helluin told him. "'Twas his last act of many in thy favor, O king."
"He stepped into the path of an arrow meant for thee, Lord Eldacar," Beinvír said, "and in a moment proved his worth equal to any knight."
"The hands of the king art the hands of a healer, 'tis said, yet no king of Men may bring back a spirit fled from Arda," Eldacar said with regret. "Alone does that boon belong to a king greater than any Lord of the Dúnedain. 'Naught can I do for him save in recognition of his valor, yet mayhaps in that I have an inspiration." A sad grin shaped his lips.
Now some days it took to order all things following the battle, for many had fallen upon both sides, Soldiers of Gondor, Rangers of Lebennin, and common folk alike. And lacking ships and manpower, and with Osgiliath to secure and Minas Ithil as well, the king chose to invest Pelargir with but a minimal cordoning force at that time. Too, Castamir's sons had made good an escape, and with the remnant of the forces from Pelargir, first took their way thither, and after some months sailed back to Umbar, whither they created of the port fortress a stronghold in opposition to the crown.
Upon 21 Nórui, the Ré Anaro of T.A. 1447, King Eldacar convened his court, and before the people he formally retook the Throne of Gondor in the Dome of Stars in Osgiliath. Great was the rejoicing of the people that day, and if any amongst the nobility remained opposed to his succession, they dared not voice their dissent, for few kings had become more popular. After his coronation, the king made his first proclamations, and these strengthened further his standing amongst the people and friends of the realm.
"Harken to me now, O Men of Gondor, for the South Kingdom pledges anew its friendship and alliance with the Men of the North and the Men of Lebennin, welcoming both to come and to go freely within the lands of the king, and setting aside any such restrictions as the late king imposed.
Second, such courts of law as were appointed by the Usurper art hereby dissolved, and such appointments from the days of King Valacar as were put aside art restored, and in the days soon to come, such capricious laws and restrictions as oppose the laws of Gondor established long ago shalt be stricken, so that justice may be restored for all.
Third, though 'tis only lineage that makes one a noble, from this day forth I decree that there shalt be amongst the people of Gondor a lifetime order, conferred by the crown with honor to any subject who has demonstrated nobility of character, fealty to the realm, and courage at need beyond normal expectations, and this shalt be regardless of their standing or station at birth. They shalt thereafter be addressed as 'Sir' or 'Dame', and be granted the honors and privileges of a knight in the king's service. Now by their own will shalt the best of us be elevated from this day forth."
That eve three cloaked and hooded came to the common room of The Knave's Redoubt, and thereafter its doors were closed upon a full throng. Then the three did off their hoods and cloaks, and thither stood the two ellith and King Eldacar, and very warmly were they received.
"My friends, the tale of Boromir the Hunter is now known, and so too is my decree. I have learnt that Boromir had no kin, yet many friends, especially hither. That he acted with bravery and steadfast devotion shalt go neither unrecognized, nor unrewarded, and so I decree that Boromir the Hunter shalt be honored hereafter and known as Sir Boromir of Osgiliath."
In days after, a heraldry was sent from the Royal College of Arms, bow and game bag upon a field of sable, and this was displayed thereafter in the common room, centered behind the bar with great pride. Though Boromir had no kin to whom the crown could pay a weregild for his loss in service, as 'twas the custom in the North, to The Knave's Redoubt came victuals and ale throughout the days of King Eldacar's reign. From these things was born hope, and many a youth from the low town took up the bow and the snare, learning the ways of a hunter, and yearning in their hearts to someday prove their worth. And so the hands of the king healed that which was within their power to heal.
Now in T.A. 1490 King Eldacar lay down his life, and his son, Prince Aldamir took the throne of Gondor as its twenty-third king. Many wept in the City of Kings and especially in the low town whither the current innkeep, the aging son of the innkeeper in the days of the kin-strife, went out with a ladder, a brush, and a bucket of paint, and amended the sign o'er the door to read, The King's Redoubt, for from time to time the king had indeed repaired thither to sup and down a pint in evenings when the ways and forms of court had left him yearning for the simpler days of his youth in the North.
To Be Continued