Chapter 106

My first impression after I re-entered Lastbridge and we crossed the river over the famous stone bridge was how little things seemed to have changed in the intervening years since I had last been there. If anything the streets were now even more crowded, and there seemed to be many more Hill Folk amongst the throng than would have been the case before. One thing I did notice immediately that had changed however were the devices on the flags and the surcoats of the guards at the gate, for where the black bear under a Dunedain king had been a somewhat lifelike silhouette, its replacement was markedly more fierce with wild eyes, sharp fangs and claws and a lolling tongue. There also seemed to be far fewer if any of the destitute wretches who had lined the streets in the years before the fall, the whole place seemed markedly more prosperous.

We were regarded with curiosity or indifference rather than any actual hostility by the majority of the people we passed, and our guards who to my relief were mostly Hillmen for I did not want to run the risk of being recognised, spoke little to us as we made our way towards the citadel. I pointed out various landmarks to Saelon as we went, and he responded with interest, for he was apparently calm and untroubled by what lay ahead. My admiration for him continued to grow.

As we approached the fortress I saw that the walls had been decorated in a curious manner, and as we began the steep climb to the gate and came nearer I realised with a shock what they were, for the eyeless sockets of many skulls and a few more recently severed heads watched us pass atop poles in gruesome silence as we passed. "Who were they?" I asked one of our escort in the common tongue. "Traitors, rebels and thieving Westermen" was his scornful reply "enemies of the King, they stand on these walls as a warning to any others of like mind who would oppose his rule or attempt to thwart him". I wondered in disgust and dismay if I might have known some of them in life, and riding beside me Saelon looked visibly shaken at the sight. "I pray that this abomination is a new tradition and did not take place under the rule of Dunedain Kings?" he asked me "for to disrespect the dead thus, even sworn enemies is the work of dark and evil men". I was only too pleased to set his mind at rest on the matter, but it unsettled me to see him suddenly lose his composure.

The Fortress too was bustling, with the great courtyard full of activity and with signs of rebuilding and recent repairs everywhere. Once we arrived at the Citadel we dismounted, and leaving our escort and arms at the gate Saelon and I were led along what had once been for me the familiar way to the King's chambers and great hall. The many rotting tapestries and dusty relics that had littered the place in the old days were all gone and the whole place now had an altogether more brisk and workmanlike air, which although strange to me was not wholly against my liking. Our escort, a blunt Hillman in traditional dress led us to one of the antechambers outside the throne room, where we were told to await the King's pleasure. Beyond the great oak doors the clamour of many voices rose and fell, though it was difficult to make out what was said, and we remained there for some considerable length of time without being offered any refreshment. Saelon bore this with good humour however, describing it as a common tactic on the part of a host to discomfit him and attempt to place him at a disadvantage, something which he had expected and gave him no concern.

Finally someone came and we were shown into the throne room, which was crowded and stuffy. A watchful silence fell as we entered, and we made our way up the aisle towards the throne where the King was seated. I have to admit that he made a fine sight, for Ulfred son of Ulfraer was a handsome man, powerfully built, clearly possessed of great intelligence and a natural leader of men, very much like his father before him. He was slumped comfortably on the old carved throne of Rhudaur, the crown resting easily on his head, and he viewed us with a mixture of curiosity and contempt as we approached. But it was not the sight of the King that almost stopped me in my tracks in surprise, but the advisors who stood close by him, for I could scarce credit what my eyes beheld. For there, foremost amongst them and seated at the King's right hand, his faced deathly pale and dressed in black like a great lurking spider was none other than Lord Barachon himself. A thrill of fear ran through me when our eyes met for I saw at once that he knew me too, and I knew that I that I had walked into a trap.

But if Saelon noticed me falter he gave no sign of it, and spoke clearly to the hall, standing tall and proud. "Hail King Ulfred of Rhudaur, I, Lord Saelon of Nenuial in Arthedain do bring you the fraternal greetings and good wishes of King Argeleb of Arnor and his people, and wish to present his offer to you if you will hear it". The King acknowledged this with the slightest of nods, and Saelon continued. "Nigh on five hundred years ago, Arnor was sundered and the three kingdoms of Arthedain, Cardolan and Rhudaur came into being. They have been divided amongst themselves ever since to the detriment of all, for neither Cardolan or Rhudaur have prospered in that time, and there has been much blood spilt and much suffering endured in vain. Now all three realms stand at a crossroads, and we have an opportunity to right these ancient wrongs. Already Cardolan and Arthedain have joined together for the greater good of both; now we extend the hand of friendship to Rhudaur also, not from any desire for conquest or dominion, but so that that her people may also benefit from this union. For no Kingdom can now hope to endure alone and friendless in the times in which we find ourselves. These are the words of Argeleb, King of Arnor. What reply will you give?"

Saelon's voice was musical and his tone amicable and persuasive, and a man of lesser will might have been swayed, but I saw at once that they were not well received, just as we had feared. Ulfred sat up straight and gripped the arms of the throne tightly. "I need no time or counsel to consider this matter, and you shall have my reply to give to your King. For fifteen years or more I was forced to live in exile in the wild in the foothills of the mountains by a Westerman king who sat idle while the land fell into decline and his people starved and became destitute, and my own were enslaved or put to the sword. Now we are rid of your kings none go hungry and the land prospers once again and yet you dare to come here and expect us to accept your rule once again?" His voice rose and there was genuine anger in it. "Tell your king that we reject his offer utterly, and consider it insolent and hostile. And we warn him that should he think to come against us in force of arms when honeyed words have failed him then he will find that we too are not without friends. Now get thee gone from this place else I have a change of heart and cleave your heads from your shoulders, rule of parley or no".

The audience was clearly at an end and those looking on within the chamber began to murmur excitedly amongst themselves, but Saelon was not to be deterred, and maintaining his air of calm dignity thanked the King before bowing and turning from the hall. I followed suit, hardly daring to breathe, for Barachon's eyes had been on me the whole time we had been standing there, boring into me, and as we turned to go he leant across and whispered something into Ulfred's ear. I braced myself for what would come next, perhaps an order to the guards to seize me as a traitor and deserter, and knew the fear of the rat caught in a trap, powerless and unable to defend himself, for here I was, unarmed, hopelessly outnumbered and very far from home. It was a bitter thing to so suddenly find myself thus at the mercy of an old enemy when I now had so much to live for, and I cursed the cruel tides of fate that always seemed to withdraw any chance of happiness just when it had been within my grasp. But remarkably the order to detain me never came, we cleared the doors of the chamber and we began to make our way at a smart walk down the passages towards the gatehouse. I still did not dare hope that I would be allowed to leave, but my fear began to subside once we reached the gatehouse and I had my weapons returned to me and was able to remount my horse. "What ails thee Esteldir? Saelon asked me in Sindarin as we crossed the great courtyard with a very relieved Amdir and his men "you look like you have seen a ghost". My reply was curt. "Indeed, I think that is exactly what I have seen". I explained to him who it was that had been sat at the King's right hand, and that he had recognised me, and he frowned and became thoughtful. "This is a riddle indeed, and I fear the answer to it must be an ill one, for I know that this Barachon was one of King Elion's most powerful Lords and a scourge of the Hillmen, and yet we have found him here still in a position of power and influence. I see the hand of Angmar in this, and I must tell Argeleb to prepare for war, for it will surely come now". We rode back the way we had come, through the bustling streets, and once we had crossed the old bridge and then passed out through the West Gate I finally allowed my fear to turn to relief.

I do not know to this day why Barachon did not have me seized and executed as a deserter, for it would have been in his power to do so, but he chose not to. Perhaps I knew too much regarding his own misdeeds and he deemed the trouble this might cause him did not warrant the small satisfaction of seeing my head planted on the battlements. Whatever it was, his continued presence in Lastbridge was deeply troubling and Saelon and I discussed it at length on the journey back to Amon Sul and on many occasions afterwards, trying to understand what it might mean. For my own part I believe the seeds of Barachon's treachery were first sown long before in his youth, when he beheld the King of Angmar himself at the battle of the Northern Plain and saw him strike down and wound his friend King Elion, for he was said to be a man of great stature and power, like to one of the old Numenorean Kings. Then there were the Silver Captains, Dunedain from far off lands who served Angmar and were captured during the first battles at Northford. No one knew what became of them after, or what messages or promises they might have carried to their captor, but at some point he must have secretly entered the service of Carn Dum. From then on, with the King weak and ailing he was able to deliberately influence his policies and actions to his own ends, sowing discord and weakening our defences at every turn. Many years have passed since those times and distance often enables us to see things more clearly, and it is now possible to imagine his influence in much of what befell us. The long and deliberate weakening of the defences in the north, the eventual abandonment of Northford and the brutal treatment meted out to the Hillmen would all have served his purpose, as did the suspiciously easy victory over Ulfred's rebellion and above all the doomed campaign to retake Amon Sul. The latter adventure stripped the kingdom of its heir and the remainder of its strength in arms after which the victory of the Hillmen, supported by a large part of the common people weary of war and hunger, was assured.