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“If that is all my lord, the Rohirrim will depart,” said Fastred to the steward.
“Yes that is all. Adhrail, command your men. Take them to Ithilien. They are under your command. But the supreme command of the entire host will lie with Fastred and Folcred. May Mandos, Manwe and Varda keep you safe under the One.
‘Thank you my lord” said Folcred. They all bowed to the lord and turned and left. Never again did any one of them see those halls for they were unaware of the disaster that would fall on them.
They mounted their horses and set forth back to the main gate. Near the great gate, Hallas could see a great host of horsemen prepared for them. The steward had gathered a great host after the spies informed him of the uprising, though it was very slow because his men were already fighting the Corsairs and almost all were infantry. Therefore he sent quick word to muster all that remained. He prepared an army of four-thousand infantry and sent it to Ithilien as Gundor reached Edoras. They were being led by Hador the Fearless of Lamedon, among the most famed generals of Gondor.
Meanwhile he sent word to the prince of Dol Amroth, the farthest fief of Gondor from Minas Tirith. Adrahil gathered what cavalry he could. He gathered one-thousand five-hundred of his riders and left for Minas Tirith. The lord purposed for them to join the Rohirrim and to be guided by Adrahil, though led by Folcred and Fastred. Now they had counseled to let the one-thousand spear and sword riders of Amroth join Hallas’s eored and another five-hundred of mounted archers join Coerl’s Eored. Meanwhile the lord proposed a better way to speed the Rohirrim: send the supplies to Osgiliath to Thurinlond, the secret haven near another secret fortress of Gondor in Ithilien, the Endost, during which the host would ride to Endost with greater speed. The men of Gondor on the Poros had not sighted Haradrim till five days ago. With them he sent Gundor, the messenger of Gondor, to guide them to Endost and help identify them there. Now they had seven-thousand five-hundred in their host and a further six-thousand at Endost, not counting the four-thousand guarding the crossing of Poros or the army that the steward was sending from Lebinnin and Lamedon. Things were looking up. They had no idea or were prepared for the surprise that was waiting for them at the crossings of the Poros. You heard me. AT the crossings of the Poros.
Meanwhile, they had passed through the Sixth Gate of Minas Tirith. And saw the host hat was gathered there at the first level of the city. More than a thousand riders fully clad were arranged there waiting for the command of their lord. The steward was riding with them to escort them till the gate. They passed the soldiers who were watching them with great respect. They reached the great gate. The steward went a little way from it but the others remained there. He reared up and shouted, “Hear the words of the Lord of Gondor, riders of Gondor. You shall go to Ithilien to aid our forces in Ithilien. You shall be guided by Adrahil, the Prince of Dol Amroth, but all of you including him will be under the supreme command of the sons of Folcwine and their marshal. You shall follow them no matter what. You shall go where they bid you. Your mission is to rout the Haradrim from our fair land and that thou shalt do. For though ye fight under an alien lord, the glory you reap shall be yours alone. Forth to Ithilien for lord, land, light and league of friendship!”
“Forth Riders of the Rohirrim!” yelled Folcred.
“Forth Riders of Dol Amroth!” yelled Fastred
“Forth and follow me, Riders of Gondor to Ithilien. To rout the Haradrim,” yelled Hallas as he joined the rider of Dol Amroth.
“Forth and fear no darkness” yelled the sons of Folcwine as they passed the great Gate which no enemy could pass leaving the steward on his still horse behind them.
Then Hallas blew a horn at which it burst asunder and the entire host shouted as it burst into flame and shouts. Their shouts were carried all down the vale of Anduin and into the great Sea and South Gondor by the grace of Manwe to the dismay of their enemies, as the whole host passed the great gate yelling and running to the causeway forts to join with the rest of the Rohirrim.
They still shouted and rode and in the foremost ever were the sons of Folcwine with Hallas and Adrahil. It seemed to Hallas within no time they reached the causeway forts.
The entire army was rearranged and extra forces were added to Hallas' and Ceorl’s eored. Folcred and Fastred sounded their great horn and the entire host burst into song and thundered on to the River.
They soon crossed the mighty river and passed over the greatest bridge in the world, the bridge of Osgiliath. They passed the ruins of Osgiliath. They thundered on to the west knowing that the supplies for them were coming separately from boats to Endost. They thundered on the rest of the day. At night they reached the crossroads. There the entire host fell silent and none shouted. They camped there under the threat of the Morgul. The night went by uneventfully.
At dawn they were riding south at the base of the Emyn Arnen. There was no trouble with the coordination between the riders of Gondor and that of Rohan. They were both riding with the confidence of their host.
Thus the riders of Edoras, Folde, Durnharrow, Dol Amroth and West Mark passed into a far land far away from their homes of which many met disaster on the battlefield. They rode on through the day and, at around mid-afternoon or 4 o’ clock or 5 o’ clock in the Shire Reckoning, Gundor bade them to leave the road for they had to go though the woods of Ithilien to go to Endost. So the whole host turned and went into the forest of Ithilien, the fairest land in Gondor, for now. They caught the first sight of the Endost, the Middle fortress.