"The second Sunday in May.
The Emperor leads the largest army since the Second Age to Mercedras Peak, the southernmost tip of the Misty Mountains. At that time, only twenty days had passed since the meeting of Elrond, and only nineteen days had passed since the army set off.
The enemy did not expect the army to advance at such a fast speed, and they also misjudged the emperor's courage and determination.
The peak of Mercedras is less than forty leagues from the South Kuruni Valley. To the east is the Pass of Rohan, and to the north is Isengard, the lair of the white-robed wizard.
But Saruman was still trapped in Orthanc, constructing his unknown conspiracy and evil plan, and never showed up.
Estel Teltar (Aragorn II), who had resumed his status as heir to the throne of Gondor, was keenly aware of the enemy's laxity, and proposed to lead a force to attack the ford of the Eshin River in order to This cut off enemy reinforcements in the east.
Fighting broke out before dawn.
As soon as the two sides encountered each other, a brutal fight broke out.
The enemy was the savages of the Dark Land and some recruited ruffians. They were no match for the homeless troops led by Aragorn and the warriors of the Kingdom of Elpera. After one night, the Rohan Pass was captured, and the enemy lost the enemy from the east. Reinforcements. "
At that time, large black clouds floated north of the Essin River Ferry, which were the black smoke and dust emitted by the white-robed wizard's never-ending smelting. They shrouded the land ominously, but became a reminder of their death.
Few expected the attack to come so suddenly. The discipline and wisdom of the savages in the Dark Land are far inferior to those of the humans of Gondor. There are even fewer people than the Rohirrim.
Many of them either lazily dozed against the fire, or simply hid in dirty tents, completely unaware of the wind of hope blowing from the north.
Suddenly, a loud horn suddenly sounded. Many people were awakened from their dreams and did not even understand what was happening. A large plume of arrows flew out of the darkness.
"The enemy is the enemy." someone shouted.
Nomads and Elpera warriors wearing dark gray cloaks and armor emerged from the darkness. The wanderers' arrows came fast and furious, like a torrential rain; the enemy was in confusion; the soldiers of the Kingdom of Elpera took the opportunity to push the antlers and fences, and poured into the camp. They held huge shields, like the rising tide of the sea. Every time they attacked, the enemy collapsed.
"Behold. This is the fire of the west, which will drink up the blood of its enemies."
Aragorn jumped out of the darkness, Anduril glowed like fire in his hand, and chopped off the head of a wild man with a sword. At that time, the frightened expression on his face was still vivid in his mind.
Boromir blew a large silver-inlaid horn, and the majestic, morale-boosting horn sound resounded through the sky.
Faramir took advantage of the flickering night and firelight to shoot down the enemy with arrow after arrow, with incomparable accuracy.
As a result, the enemy was finally defeated.
They didn't even know where the enemies came from or how many there were.
They abandoned their tents and weapons and fled into the valley. But many more died in the raid that night. In the early morning, when the sun rose, Aragorn, who had been fighting all night, received unexpected news.
"You mean: they call themselves the Horsemen of Rohan?" In the messy camp, Aragorn wiped Anduril's slender sword that was still as white as new, ignoring the filthy bloodstains on his body. Under the sunlight, the stars look like stars in the sky.
Around him, there were all kinds of savages wearing leather armor and tattered linen cloth, as well as the ferocious-looking corpses of fallen humans.
But Aragorn was not proud, because he knew that the white-robed wizard's trump card had not yet appeared. The strong orcs that the trees said had not yet appeared.
Maybe it's hidden in that valley.
Aragorn turned to look northwest. There, Orthanc's dark figure stood tall in the morning light.
"Indeed." The herald replied: "One of them wears a helmet decorated with white feather tails, his eyes are majestic and confident, and the sword in his hand has been famous for a long time. Unless you are a hero, you must not wear it."
"Then, he may be Éomer." Aragorn put Anduril's slender sword back into the scabbard and turned his head: "I have heard his name before. He is one of the Rohirrim people. hero."
At that time, Boromir and Faramir stood beside him. The marks of battle on their bodies are no less than those of Aragorn.
"But it could also be an enemy spy." Boromir reminded: "I have heard that King Théoden has become unconscious, and the Rohirrim are very likely to have surrendered to the enemy."
"Maybe." Aragorn said, "But what I heard is slightly different. According to my information, the Rohirrim are still resisting, and Edoras and Helm's Deep are still the fortresses of the free people, just as That’s what the descendants of Eor have done for hundreds of years.”
At that time, Boromir was completely impressed by the bravery and courage of Isildur's descendants. He no longer argued, but said: "Then, I hope he will not disappoint you, my lord."
"Please do not call me Lord." Aragorn said: "We are brothers. The people of Gondor need unity in this era, and this battle proves this."
Boromir looked at him and smiled.
Then, they met Éomer and his party in the battlefield where the battle had just ended.
At this time, the sky was bright enough for the wanderers' arrows to avoid mistaking this group of armored knights who seemed to have been riding horses for several days as the enemy's minions.
Éomer watched in amazement as warriors wearing silver and gray-green armor walked around the camp littered with corpses, looking for and rescuing injured teammates, and killing the remaining enemies. Éomer was silent.
They passed through most of the camp, and then met the Aragonese people at the head.
"Mahar, what did I see?" Éomer was shocked by the majestic figure of the descendant of Isildur, who was like an ancient holy king. He couldn't help lowering his head and caressing his chest: "I salute you. Star of Elendil.”
Aragorn's sharp eyes kept staring at him. Boromir and Faramir stood behind Aragorn without saying a word. But Éomer straightened up and said, "So, has the White City welcomed its true master?"
"Not yet, but soon." said Aragorn: "O descendants of Eorl, you are in a hurry, but you hold your ax tightly. Why are you here? You also see that we are at war. , the conspiracy of the white-robed wizard has been exposed, and the vagabonds and the Northern Kingdom are attacking him. Are you friends or enemies when you come here?"
It is said that at that time, as Aragorn shouted, Boromir and Faramir showed their swords and sharp arrows at the same time. It seemed that if his answer was not correct, cold arrows and sharp blades would fall on him.
But Éomer behaved very calmly. He said: "The Rohirrim and the white-robed wizard are also enemies. If we want anything, we are here just to see his end with our own eyes."
"I can hear you hiding something," Aragorn said.
"That's because there are too many cunning people in this world, and sometimes inconsistent words are not malicious." Éomer said, "Furthermore, you can't ask a person who is being questioned with arrows and swords to reveal the bottom of his heart." Say all the words, that’s stupid.”
"It is indeed stupid." Aragorn said, the chill and power in his body weakened a lot. He looked at Éomer for a while, and then motioned for others to put away their weapons, "I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. These two are Boromir and Faramir, sons of Denethor.”
Éomer immediately bent down and saluted the descendants of Isildur and Hurin: "Sure enough, she is the queen of the royal family of Gondor. Her majesty and fortitude are extraordinary. I am Éomer, the son of Éomund."
Turka met Éomer around ten o'clock in the morning. At that time, he and his men had been unarmed and brought to him with their bare hands. Although Éomer was not very happy about this, the guards in front of the camp would not tolerate him.
"Aragorn said that you are here to help in the battle." The silver-white king sat on a gorgeous chair and looked at him with curiosity, as if he was reminiscing and considering. There was a huge table in front of him, filled with various letters, maps and other trinkets. "But I remember that Rohan has broken off its alliance with the north for decades, and this is not from the north." Wrong." Turka said: "So tell me, sons of Éomund, grandsons of Éomgar, what is your real purpose. What do you want?"
Éomer could not lie to the Silver King, no one could. He lowered his head anxiously and replied: "All we ask is that when your army sweeps away the evil in the world, the descendants of Eorl can return to the land where their ancestors have grazed for generations. For this reason, all the Rohirrim are willing to fight for you!" His Majesty."
Mormo was also in the king's camp at that time. He said: "The people of the south are cunning. Your Majesty, you do not have to accept their false loyalty."
"The descendants of Eorl will not allow such an insult!" Éomer immediately glared at the leader of the Ellinvorn people: "I hope your neck is harder than your lips and tongue! In the name of Eorl, I"
"Shut up."
Turka shouted loudly, his majesty like a mountain pressing down on these aggressive guys. Not only did it frighten their faces, but it also prevented Éomer from saying irreparable words.
"A wise man should know who his enemy is! Who his friend is!" Turka stood up, his majestic body even casting a shadow over Éomer's head. At the same time he found that the wisdom of the elves had not been immersed in the people of Ellinvorn enough or long enough, so that they were more aggressive than the humans of Gondor.
"In addition, in my camp, no one can speak rudely! And no one can draw a sword against me without my permission!"
Aragorn, Boromir, Mormo, and Éomer all bowed their heads and remained silent. Mormo was even more frightened.
And it wasn't until the Silver King sat back in his seat that Éomer dared to say, "But I don't have a sword."
"Because you don't need it." Turka was surprised, and he liked this son of Eomund, whose courage and appearance were both chosen for the moment. He said: "In my palace and tent, who can Will it hurt you? Unless you have evil intentions, but I doubt you have the courage."
"I have no shortage of courage, Your Majesty. But I will not be unfaithful to you, I can guarantee that," said Éomer.
Turka stared at him for a while, "The son of Fengel said the same thing back then." He sighed, remembering the scenes many years ago, "Human beings' oaths are not unbreakable, and the same is true for their friendship."
"But I don't blame him," Turka said, "Because what happened to him was partly due to me? But now, everything is lost, and recalling the past only causes pain to the living."
At that time, neither Éomer nor Mormo knew the deep meaning in the king's words. Éomgar's death was too sudden, and he did not tell his son Éomund the secret of the Nine Rings of Mankind.
Aragorn and Boromir knew, but they didn't tell. Simply because the less people know about it, the better.
However, while Turka successfully mediated the relationship between Mormo and Éomer, it was also at that time that Aelin Warne's feud with Rohan began. And this involved many things in the future.
But by then, it had nothing to do with Turka. At the moment, they have more important things.
May 15, 3019 of the Third Era.
Turka Aracano led a large army to surround the South Kuruni Valley. The war between the white-robed wizard and the silver-white king is about to break out.
But here's the surprise. Originally disappearing, many people thought that the white-robed wizard would escape, and no one thought that Saruman could win the war with the Northern Kingdom. After the battle of the Eshin River Crossing, Saruman, whose thoughts reached a peak, actually appeared.
"You greedy, despicable wild dogs, a bunch of villains! You came all the way to my house, used violent means to bully a poor old man, and tried to rob the old man of his little property. Don’t you feel guilty?”
At that time, the beautiful plain that was once lush, lined with tree-lined avenues and groves of fruit trees, irrigated by many streams flowing down from the surrounding mountains and finally flowing into a lake, had long since changed.
It seems that he used this as his evil lair. The old fruit trees and grasslands have completely disappeared, and countless stone chambers, halls and passages have been dug out from the inside of the circular stone wall. Many pits were also dug on the plains to house the wolves. Many deep passages were dug from the ground. The tops of the passages were covered with low mounds or stone domes. The ground shook constantly. These passages led down to the depths of the ground through multiple slopes and spiral staircases. In the cave.
There are Saruman's treasury, warehouses, armory, blacksmith's shop, and huge furnace. There are iron wheels that rotate day and night, and hammers that jingle.
Every night, wisps of steam are emitted from the vents. The steam is reflected in red, blue, and poison-like green by the flames below.
All these chain-blocked roads lead to the center of the plain, where a tower of unusual shape stands. The tower was built by the builders who smoothed the Isengard Ring in ancient times. However, it did not look like it was created by human craftsmanship. Instead, it looked like it was torn from the skeleton of the earth during ancient earthquakes. from.
It is an island and mountain made of rock, dark, shiny, and hard: four huge polygonal stone pillars united into one body, but opening out into four sharp angles near the top, each with a tip as sharp as a spear. , the edge is as sharp as a knife. There is a narrow space between the four sharp corners, and strange symbols are carved on the polished stone ground. If a person stands on it, he will be five hundred feet high from the plain below.
The white-robed wizard stood on this high tower, wielding a black cane, as if shouting to the human coalition in the clouds.
"Turka Aracano is a liar and a war criminal. He takes advantage of your ignorance and kindness to let you start unprovoked wars for his own selfish interests, and let you go to death without knowing it!"
