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The ride past the Halifrien was swift. Folcred dispatched a scout to the beacon-wardens to send the reply fire. That would say to the steward that the Rohirrim had set out. Fastred dispatched scouts in all directions to find a location in the land. They rode and kept on riding through the day and sometime into the night. To Hallas it seemed that they were going to Gondor as quickly as they could. But in fact this was the slowest riding of the Mark to the aid of Gondor. The first ride ran at a astounding speed of almost 70 miles a day. They rode for 630 miles in just nine days from the formation of the Anduin to the undeeps with the help of Queen Galadriel. That was almost the same distance that they were going to travel. But all thought that they were going to Emyn Arnen. Little did they know that they would go much farther than that. They passed Aldurg, where they gathered more supplies and a few soldiers, which were added to Hallas' eored. They camped 10 or 20 miles away from Aldburg. Hallas slept that night wearily….
The Hooded figure in black showed in his dream. This time it was more menacing, but Hallas knew that it was neither evil nor his friend. It was surrounded by pitch blackness. It stiffened and announced:
Neither demon nor Vala nor man nor elf nor monster nor legion of Morgoth will save he who leads a host of the Rohirrim to fight for Gondor and fights not north of the White Mountains. This doom shall work till the Age wears away and this doom shall be true for demon or elf or dwarf or ent or man who leads the Rohirrim to Gondor, for war unaided will never result in victory. The Powers have spoken”
Hallas woke up to see nothing but blackness about him. He thought that the everlasting darkness had swallowed them at last. But lo! Two stars from the east and west shone suddenly. They were bright but small. Then a great west wind with a sea tang in it blew across the world at which he trembled and he closed his eyes.
Then all grew quiet. He opened his eyes at last. But lo! The darkness was lifted and he saw all the innumerable stars in the glow of his campfire. He saw all his comrades sleeping unaware of what had happened. Maybe…it never happened, it was just a dream. He went back to a dreamless sleep….
“Hallas, Ceorl get your eored to move” It had been two days and a night since the dream. They were leaving their camp under Min-rimmon, the towering people’s hill. They rode at great speed through the plains and left the fens but they were now approaching the woods in a few days. They rode at great speed through the plains and they camped at the edge of the Druadan forest by night. That night they heard odd scraping and sighing noises near their camp. They were unable to find the source. Hallas felt that the sounds said something like “Congo” or something like that.
They rode out the following morning with slow speed through the forest that they feared. They camped near the place where the road went southwards. The scouts came within sight of Mundburg or Mount Mindolluin. Then they rode till they reached the outer walls of the great Rammas Echor. This was almost 14 leagues long. It was one of the seven structural wonders of Middle-earth (including the ones which were made by the Valar directly). In the orders of their greatness they are: Khazad-dum the greatest mansion of the dwarves; Menegroth the thousand caves which was the fairest dwelling of any king on Middle-earth, Gondolin the seven named which was the strongest dwelling of elves built by Fingolfin’s son; Barad-dur the second tallest tower in the world and the second greatest work of Sauron, servant of Morgoth; Minas Tirith, the third tallest tower in the world and among the greatest work of the Dunedain whose walls are invulnerable; Nargothrond with its hill of spies and its halls which were were literally hewed from rocks by Finarfin’s son; and last but not least the great Rammmas Echor. Many scholars feel that Angrenost (Isengard) should come instead of Rammas Echor, or the mighty statues of Argonath which guard the entrance to the Emyn Muil should be one of them, but only the wise or Mandos with the help of the Valar can decide.
They camped near the Rammas Echor at night.
“Ride now Rohirrim. Ride Ceorl. Ride to the causeway forts. Forth Eorlingas!” shouted the sons of Folcwine.
It was mid-morning of March 9. They finally reached Minas Tirith, at the place where the road from the north met the road from Osgiliath. Fastred, Folcred and Hallas with their guards were going to join a council with lord Turin during which supplies loaded and the host would move to the Causeway forts with Ceorl and their Marshals leading them there. The others would join them later.
The Host began to move and meanwhile Fastred, Folcred and Hallas with their guards were heading towards the gate of Gondor. When they reached it, Hallas shouted, “Open! Open the gates, doorwardens of Gondor, for the sons of Folcwine bring their host as promised. Open for they wish to counsel with Lord Turin, Lord and Steward of Gondor.” And the door through which no enemy had passed nor will opened to them.
The door wardens cheered. A horn rang within in the city. Many cried, “Rohan has come! The Rohirrim have arrived to rout the Haradrim.”
The princes of the Rohirrim went up to the citadel proudly. The city was fashioned on an arm of the Mindolluin. It had seven gates on seven different levels. There are various wonders of the City, which is told only in The Seven Different Wonders of Middle-earth. But that is lost and only Barahir and Mandos know what was in it. They went up the citadel of many songs. They passed through the seventh but last gate. There they saw the courtyard, a court that was only little fairer than Edoras. There stood the white tree. Hallas thus became the only ordinary Marshall of the Mark to see the white tree while it was still alive as long as the Third Age lasted.
Then the guards of the Tower opened the doors of the Niminas or the White tower of Gondor which stood almost a thousand foot above the Pelennor. They went in and saw statues carved in the likeness of the Argonath, but none of the Rohirrim knew that. They saw a great hall with a kingly throne in it. But it was empty. Beside it there was a smaller throne where sat the steward of Gondor.
Then they shouted and saluted him saying, “Hail, Turin, Lord and Steward of Gondor. We come with a host to lighten the pressure of the Haradrim in the south. King Folcwine sends you his greetings.”
The steward smiled and said, “Well met indeed and hello to you too, Lords of the Rohirrim.”
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