Chapter 79
The tower of Amon Sul is a marvel, both beautifully wrought and ancient, and as we approached I realised it was further away and taller than I had realised, commanding a tremendous view of all the lands around even without the aid of a seeing stone. The hill on which it stood rose suddenly and steeply from the plain for almost a thousand feet and it was crowned by two sets of ramparts, the original construction and a second more extensive one below it which had been added more recently. At the foot of the hill, where a road branched off and began the steep zig zag climb up its flank stood an inn and several other substantial stone buildings, alongside which a large well ordered encampment with neat rows of tents and pennants flying in the breeze had been erected. Surveying the scene I realised that it would have been laborious and difficult to assail the fortress directly from the road, and I knew that the intention had been to replicate the tactic used by my uncle and the young Lord Angon during the last successful attack and approach instead along the ridge from the north.
It took quite a while longer than I expected for us to reach the foot of the hill, and many soldiers from the camp had gathered there to watch us pass, curious as to what was happening. I recognised their gear from the battle, the black of Arthedain mingled with the deep blue of Cardolan. They watched in silence as we passed and I avoided their gaze, but it struck me that if they had donned red surcoats instead then most of them could easily have passed as men from my own company. My escort, perhaps reading my thoughts, turned to me and asked me if I had been in the battle. "Yes" I replied, "I fought in the centre, and most of the men under my command perished". He looked a little surprised at this and then seemed to regard me with newfound respect. "You and your men fought well on that day, when many of your host did not, and I honour their memory". There was a thoughtful silence between us and I replied, though I was acutely aware that I was not in a position to speak freely. "It gave me no joy to find myself fighting Dunedain soldiers. I deeply regret that we came to this pass when I know that we share a common foe to the north. But it is not given to the likes of us to know or understand the minds or deeds of great men and kings". "Indeed not" he replied, and we fell quiet once again as we left the East Road and took the road up the hill.
The way was steep, and turned upon itself several times as it climbed and it was not long before we found ourselves looking down on the camp below and could see an ever increasing vista of the lands around us. Here and there the paved road was supported by stone revetments and walls of ancient and marvellous workmanship as it climbed that put me in mind of the parapets of the bridge over the Hoarwell. Perhaps they were of a similar age, and had been wrought by the same masons? Who knew. As we rose ever higher, the wind began to whip up, and I realised that the Hills Of The Wind were well named and tugged my cloak a little closer to me. Soon the encampment below looked like no more than an elaborate child's toy, and the lower ring of battlements began to loom into view above us. Some of my men looked distinctly uncomfortable, for the ground fell away steeply from the road now, but their mounts were sure footed and apparently untroubled. To the south I could now see a long line of wooded hills marching across the horizon perhaps some fifteen leagues distant, but in all other directions the plain seemed to continue more or less uninterrupted, the road snaking away westward towards the horizon.
We reached the lower gate two and a half hours after commencing the climb and passed through into the first circle under the watchful gaze of the guards. A deputation was waiting for us there, and Amdir indicated that we should dismount. We did so, furling our banners, and grooms came forward to take our mounts away and tend to their needs. Between the first and second walls there were well ordered stables, workshops and smithies, and everywhere we looked men were purposefully going about their business. An old man with a white beard, but tall and upright came forward and bowed, and I returned the courtesy. He spoke in Sindarin, as was the habit of the nobility in Arthedain. "We welcome you, men of Rhudaur to the great watchtower of Amon Sul. I am Norgalad, Steward of the Tower and Master of the Stone. The Prince will receive your deputation in due course, but first you must be tired and hungry after your long journey and we have prepared some refreshments for you. If you will accompany me?" I nodded and replied. "Esteldir, son of Galdirion of the House Of Rushwater Vale at your service. We thank you for your hospitality and accept your invitation." I briefly translated what had been said for the benefit of my men and then we followed Lord Norgalad and his guard up the steep road towards the second circle, conscious of the immense tower rising to a dizzying height overhead.
Inside the second gate there was a small square, mercifully level after all the climbing and sheltered from the wind, and beyond it stood the entrance to the tower itself and a great doorway with many runes carved around the massive stone frame. The tower itself, like the rest of the fortress was built of a lighter honey coloured stone than was found further east, and as a result the general effect was warm rather than grim. All around the small square, and around the inside of the walls were clustered more buildings, but of much greater age than those without, and I guessed that among these were the kitchens, mess rooms and dormitories that serviced the tower.
It was to one of these buildings that we were taken first, rather than the tower itself, and we entered a cosy well furnished hall lined with benches and tables upon which places had been set. The men filed in and took their places, and I was ushered to the top table where I took my seat between Amdir and Norgalad. Servers came forward and brought roasted birds, cheese, sausage and bread along with some truly excellent ale, and we tucked into it with relish, unaccustomed to such good and varied fare. The meal was eaten in a polite silence to begin with, though I exchanged a few pleasantries with my neighbours, remarking on the qualities of the food and drink, and asking some polite questions about the tower and fortress and its history. My men too ate in silence, but soldiers are soldiers the wherever you go, and after a while they struck up conversations with those seated near them, speaking of the things that soldiers always do. For his part Amdir asked me about my family and our lands, and their history, and I decided to be frank with him and told him that I was the last of my line and that our lands had been abandoned in the long fightwith Angmar. I reasoned that they had the seeing stone, and that I did not betray anything they would not have been able to discover for themselves if they had chosen to. Norgalad, who had been listening with interest shook his head and said "we are all threatened by the power that has risen in Carn Dum, but while Rhudaur and Cardolan have suffered greatly, Arthedain as yet stands firm and unyielding in their path, and they have been worsted every time they have tested their strength against us. Your King would have been wiser to send an army here to join their strength with ours, as Cardolan have done, rather than in pride and folly try to take what has never belonged to him. Too many good men now lie under the earth along the Great Road as a result of it, and they died in vain". I did not reply, but bowed my head respectfully and we fell silent.
After the meal I left the hall with Norgalad and Amdir, though the latter bade me farewell and wished me good fortune, for he and his men were returning to the plain. I returned his good wishes, and told him that I hoped we might meet again one day in better circumstances, and he agreed that it would be a good thing. Then I walked up with the old man and his guard to the doorway of the tower, and we paused there. "I must ask you to surrender your weapons, for it is ordained that none shall bear arms within the tower itself. I noticed that he himself bore no blade, and though it made me feel uneasy I unbuckled my belt and handed it over. I reasoned that I was alone amongst several thousand already, and that if they had wanted to harm us then they would not have waited so long or fed us so well. As I did so my eyes fell upon the runes over the doorway, which were in an ancient script which I was unfamiliar with, though I thought I recognised the first few. Norgalad followed my gaze, and must have read my thoughts. "Here did Elendil witness the coming of Gil-Galad Elven King" he said. "This place is ancient beyond reckoning and it has stood here since the first days of the Kingdom in the north and the last alliance between elves and men. We walk on hallowed ground among these stones".
We entered and found ourselves in a hall with a high vaulted roof lit by windows far up the walls. Opposite the entrance, on the far side beyond another doorway a wide staircase, sufficient for two armed men to pass abreast, wound its way upward and out of sight. It was to this stair that we made our way and began to climb, endlessly circling until I felt I must become giddy with it. Every so often we came to a landing with a door that let into the rooms on the next floor, with the way lit by a small window. I caught glimpses of the view as we passed, and knew that we had already reached an impressive height. Finally, when I was beginning to wonder if the climb would ever end we halted on another landing and Lord Norgalad rapped on the carved oak doors and received a word of assent from within. He was obviously well used to the climb as it did not seem to have taxed him unduly, and he opened the door and strode into a spacious chamber lined with countless books and scrolls and lit by four large windows which as far as I could tell faced each point of the compass. In the centre of the room a man stood poring over a large map on a table, looking up as we entered, and when I saw him I knew with certainty that I was in the presence of Argeleb, Crown Prince of Arthedain.