Page 9 (1/2)

The Last Debate

The ht clouds and the wind turning ard Legolas and Gio up into the City; for they were eager to see Merry and Pippin

&039;It is good to learn that they are still alive,&039; said Gireat pains in our march over Rohan, and I would not have such pains all wasted&039;

Together the Elf and the Dwarf entered Minas Tirith, and folk that saw theolas was fair of face beyond thein a clear voice as he walked in thehis beard and staring about hiood stone-work here,&039; he said as he looked at the walls, &039;but also soood, and the streets could be better contrived When Aragorn cohts of the Mountain, and ill make this a town to be proud of&039;

&039;They need olas &039;The houses are dead, and there is too little here that grows and is glad If Aragorn co hi and trees that do not die&039;

At length they caolas looked at him and bowed low; for he saw that here indeed was one who had elven-blood in his veins &039;Hail, lord!&039; he said &039;It is long since the people of Nimrodel left the woodlands of Lorien, and yet still one may see that not all sailed from Amroth&039;s haven west over water&039;

&039;So it is said in the lore of my land,&039; said the Prince, &039;yet never has one of the fair folk been seen there for years beyond count And I marvel to see one here now in the midst of sorrow and war What do you seek?&039;

&039;I am one of the Nine Companions who set out with Mithrandir froolas, &039;and with this Dwarf, orn But noish to see our friends Meriadoc and Peregrin, who are in your keeping, we are told&039;

&039;You will find the, and I will lead you thither,&039; said Ih if you send one to guide us, lord,&039; said Legolas &039;For Aragorn sends this ain at this time Yet there is need for the captains to hold council at once, and he prays that you and eomer of Rohan will come down to his tents, as soon as may be Mithrandir is already there&039;

&039;We will come,&039; said Imrahil; and they parted with courteous words

&039;That is a fair lord and a great captain of olas &039;If Gondor has such lory in the days of its rising&039;

&039;And doubtless the good stone-work is the older and rought in the first building,&039; said Giin: there is a frost in Spring, or a blight in Summer, and they fail of their promise&039;

&039;Yet seldoolas &039;And that will lie in the dust and rot to spring up again in times and places unlooked-for The deeds of Men will outlast us, Giht in the end but uess,&039; said the Dwarf

&039;To that the Elves know not the answer,&039; said Legolas

With that the servant of the Prince ca; and there they found their friends in the garden, and theirwas afor a brief space in peace and rest under the h up in the windy circles of the City Then when Merry becareensward of the Houses of Healing behind the in the sun, as it floay, out of the sight even of Legolas, into the wide flats and green haze of Lebennin and South Ithilien

And now Legolas fell silent, while the others talked, and he looked out against the sun, and as he gazed he sahite sea-birds beating up the River

&039;Look!&039; he cried &039;Gulls! They are flying far inland A wonder they are to me and a trouble to my heart Never in all ir, and there I heard the in the air as we rode to the battle of the ships Then I stood still, forgetting war in Middle-earth; for their wailing voices spoke to me of the Sea The Sea! Alas! I have not yet beheld it But deep in the hearts of all , which it is perilous to stir Alas! for the gulls No peace shall I have again under beech or under elm&039;

&039;Say not so!&039; said Gis still to see in Middle-earth, and great works to do But if all the fair folk take to the Havens, it will be a duller world for those who are doomed to stay&039;

&039;Dull and dreary indeed!&039; said Merry &039;You olas There will always be so or little, and even a feise dwarves like Gih I feel somehow that the worst of this war is still to come Hoish it was all over, and well over!&039;

&039;Don&039;t be so gloo, and here we are together for a day or two at least I want to hear olas have e journey with Strider about a dozen ti But you haven&039;t toldabout it&039;

&039;The Sun may shine here,&039; said Gimli, &039;but there are memories of that road that I do not wish to recall out of the darkness Had I knoas before me, I think that not for any friendship would I have taken the Paths of the Dead&039;

&039;The Paths of the Dead?&039; said Pippin &039;I heard Aragorn say that and I wondered what he could mean Won&039;t you tell us soly,&039; said Gimli &039;For upon that road I was put to shah than Men, and hardier under earth than any Elf But neither did I prove; and I was held to the road only by the will of Aragorn&039;

&039;And by the love of hiolas &039;For all those who come to know him come to love him after his own fashion, even the cold maiden of the Rohirrim It was at early morn of the day ere you came there, Merry, that we left Dunharrow, and such a fear was on all the folk that none would look on our going, save the Lady eoho lies now hurt in the House below There was grief at that parting, and I was grieved to behold it&039;

&039;Alas! I had heart only for myself,&039; said Gimli &039;Nay! I will not speak of that journey&039;

He fell silent; but Pippin and Merry were so eager for news that at last Legolas said: &039;I will tell you enough for your peace; for I felt not the horror, and I feared not the shadows of Men, powerless and frail as I deemed them&039;

Swiftly then he told of the haunted road under the reat ride thence, ninety leagues and three, to Pelargir on Anduin &039;Four days and nights, and on into a fifth, we rode from the Black Stone,&039; he said &039;And lo! in the darkness of Mordor row stronger and , yet all reat speed Silent they were, but there was a gleam in their eyes In the uplands of Lamedon they overtook our horses, and swept round us, and would have passed us by, if Aragorn had not forbidden them

&039;At his command they fell back "Even the shades of Men are obedient to his will," I thought "They ht we rode, and then came the day without dawn, and still we rode on, and Ciril and Ringlo we crossed; and on the third day we came to Linhir above the mouth of Gilrain And there men of Lamedon contested the fords with fell folk of Umbar and Harad who had sailed up the river But defenders and foes alike gave up the battle and fled e ca of the Dead was upon thebor, Lord of Laather his folk and come behind, if they dared, when the Grey Host had passed

&039;"At Pelargir the Heir of Isildur will have need of you," he said

&039;Thus we crossed over Gilrain, driving the allies of Mordor in rout before us; and then we rested a while But soon Aragorn arose, saying: "Lo! already Minas Tirith is assailed I fear that it will fall ere we coht had passed and went on with all the speed that our horses could endure over the plains of Lebennin&039;

Legolas paused and sighed, and turning his eyes southward softly he sang:

Silver flow the streareen fields of Lebennin!

Tall grows the grass there In the wind from the Sea

The white lilies sway,

And the golden bells are shaken of reen fields of Lebennin,

In the wind from the Sea!

&039;Green are those fields in the songs of rey wastes in the blackness before us And over the wide land, trarass and the flowers, we hunted our foes through a day and a night, until we came at the bitter end to the Great River at last

&039;Then I thought in my heart that we drew near to the Sea; for as the water in the darkness, and sea-birds innuulls! Did not the Lady tell et them&039;

&039;For my part I heeded them not,&039; said Gimli, &039;for we cair lay the reat ships and smaller vessels beyond count Many of those that we pursued had reached the havens before us, and brought their fear with the to escape down the River or to reach the far shore; andnow driven to the brink, turned at bay, and they were fierce in despair; and they laughed when they looked on us, for they were a great arorn halted and cried with a great voice: "Now come! By the Black Stone I call you!" And suddenly the Shadow Host that had hung back at the last ca all away before it Faint cries I heard, and di, and a murmur as of countless far voices: it was like the echo of soo Pale swords were drawn; but I know not whether their blades would still bite, for the Dead needed no longer any weapon but fear None would withstand them

&039;To every ship they came that was drawn up, and then they passed over the water to those that were anchored; and all the mariners were filled with a madness of terror and leaped overboard, save the slaves chained to the oars Reckless we rode a them like leaves, until we careat ships that reorn sent one of the Dunedain, and they comforted the captives that were aboard, and bade them put aside fear and be free

&039;Ere that dark day ended none of the ene south in the hope to find their own lands upon foot Strange and wonderful I thought it that the designs of Mordor should be overthrown by such wraiths of fear and darkness With its oeapons was it worsted!&039;