The War of the Ring (63 page)

10. This text still has Four nights and days for Five, and Mundberg for Mundburg (see note 9).

11. This was subsequently altered on the manuscript. I presume that my father's thought was that for Eowyn to be disguised as a member of the king's own guard, and distinct among them by slightness of build, would obviously make her presence more readily detected; but see p. 369.

12. Cf. the note at the end of outline A (p. 344): Camp just west of Min Rimmon on night of 12th'. - The phrase 'bivouacked in the pinewoods that clustered about (Minrimmon Beacon)' was first used of the Halifirien (p. 347). In the final form it would be used of Eilenach, when that became again the sixth beacon (RK

p. 104).

13. The name Eothain now appears in a third application (see p. 247

and note 20), for this Eothain, captain of the guard, can hardly be the same Rider as Eomer's squire in 'The Riders of Rohan' (see p. 266 note 20).

14. The appearance and clothing of Ghan-buri-Ghan are not described: 'There sat Theoden and Eomer and before [them] on the ground was a strange squat shape of a man. Merry felt that he had seen him before, and suddenly he remembered: the Pukelmen of Dunharrow. Almost it seemed that here was one come to life.

Looking about he saw that in a ring just outside the light squatted other similar figures, while Riders on guard stood in a circle behind.' Ghan-buri-Ghan 'spoke after a fashion the Common Speech as it was in Gondor.' At the point where this draft ends he replies to the king's offer of reward and friendship thus: 'No need. Ghan-buri-Ghan himself go with you [?lord]. If he leads into trap you will kill him. If he lead well then we say farewell and ask only to be left in the woods.'

15. Whereas on the large map the Anduin bends southward after Cair Andros and is running north-south at Osgiliath, on this map it continues south-east after Cair Andros and then swings back south-west to Osgiliath. No features are shown here other than the course of the River itself.

16. The fair copy was here written over a pencilled text. Most of this Taum Santoski has been able to read, and it is seen that the final text was already closely approached.

17. After 'The first eored drew up behind him [Theoden] and about him on either side (RK p. 111) this text continues: Elfhelm was away on the right ...': thus the words 'Dernhelm kept close to the king, though {Elfhelm's company was away on the right)' are lacking. This implies that the story was still present that Dernhelm rode as a member of the leading eored with the king's household-men (RK p. 110), not as one of Elfhelm's company; see p. 353.

18. Rejected forms in these notes are fornest, Anfornest, together with words nesta, nethra, nest, the last with meanings (apparently: the writing is very obscure) 'heart, core'.

19. The reverse of this slip (which is the lower half of a torn page) carries the following text:

... war would be useless, disastrous ......... .. something much simpler, smaller and more desperate.

'I see you have something in mind,' said Thorin. 'What is it?'

'Well, this first,' I answered: 'you will have to go on your quest secretly, and that means you must go yourself, without messengers or embassies, and go with only a few faithful kinsmen or followers of your house. But you will need something more. There is a piece missing from the plan.

For I needed thought. Thorin's tale had roused memories in my mind. Many years before I had been to Dol Guldur, as you know. You will know what I mean since you know Bilbo's story. I remembered the unhappy dying dwarf in the pits of Dol Guldur and the torn map and old key. Except that he was of Durin's folk of Erebor (as the map showed) I had no idea who he was. Of some importance perhaps since he was bearing a Ring, though he might have come by it in many ways. None but the Dwarves, and only a few of them, know who were the possessors of their great rings. But l had other far more perilous business on hand, and after I escaped from Dol Guldur many urgent cares. I stowed the things away till perhaps time would show their meaning. Now it had done so. I saw that I

[had] heard the last wandering words of Thrain II Thror's son, though he could not speak his own name or his son's. By what toughness of resistance he had kept these small things hidden in his torments, I do not know. But I think that

Comparison with The Quest of Erebor in Unfinished Tales will show that these passages are the forerunners of two in that (see p 332 for the first, p. 324 for the second). My father said (Unfinished Tales p. 11) that this account of Gandalf's 'was to have come in during a looking-back conversation in Minas Tirith'; the present text may perhaps be assigned therefore to a time when The Lord of the Rings was approaching completion, if not actually finished; and this is supported by the reference to Thrain II (see VII.160}. Since the notes on distances are obviously a secondary use of the page, it would follow that the name Forannest was not abandoned, but was merely not used in the published work.

It is strange that Gandalf says here of the unknown Dwarf in Dol Guldur that he was 'of some importance perhaps since he was bearing a Ring, though he might have come by it in many ways' -

and the following sentence 'None but the Dwarves, and only a few of them, know who were the possessors of their great rings'

must imply that it was one of the Seven Rings of the Dwarves. But the story that Thrain's ring was taken from him in the dungeons of Sauron goes back to the earliest sketch for 'The Council of Elrond': 'But Thrain of old had one that descended from his sires.

We do not now know where it is. We think it was taken from him, ere you found him in the dungeons long ago' (VI.398). It is surely incredible that at this stage my father should have entertained the idea that Thrain had managed to retain his ring in Dol Guldur. I can only suppose therefore, though it is not a natural interpretation of the words 'he was bearing a Ring', that he meant that Thrain told Gandalf that he bad been the bearer of one of the Seven Rings of the Dwarves - even though he was so far gone that

'he could not speak his own name or his son's.' In the later form of this passage in The Quest of Erebor Gandalf did not discover in Dol Guldur who the Dwarf was, yet he did learn that he had been the possessor of a great Ring: 'Nearly all his ravings were of that. The last of the Seven he said over and over again.'

VIII.

THE STORY FORESEEN FROM.

FORANNEST.

I have called this outline 'The Story Foreseen from Forannest' (the north gate of the Pelennor Wall) because it takes up at the point in the narrative where the Rohirrim poured through the outwalls of Minas Tirith in that place. But it will be seen that a part was foreseen for Denethor in no way consonant with the story of his madness and suicide, and this outline must come therefore from before the writing of at any rate the latter part of 'The Siege of Gondor', in which that gory entered as the original draft was in progress (pp. 335 - 6).

A briefer, rougher form of this outline is found, extending only as far as the coming of the Host of the West before the Morannon. This my father rejected immediately and began on the fuller outline given here. A few differences in the first form are given in the notes.

The second form of the outline was given a heading 'Gandalf, Rohan, and Aragorn'; this was added to the text subsequently.

15 [March]. Horns of Rohan heard in the morning. Great charge of the Rohirrim through breach in north of Ramas-Coren. Rohirrim reach field before Great Gate, and men of Minas Tirith throw out enemy. But Wizard King takes to air and becomes Nazgul,(1) rallies host of Morghul, and assails king.

Theoden falls from horse sorely wounded; he is saved by Merry and Eowyn, but sortie from Gate does not reach them in time, before Eowyn is slain.(2) Grief and wrath of Eomer.

Eomer leads Rohirrim in a second reckless charge; but at that moment there is a cry from the city. A black fleet is seen coming to Haramon.(3) Men are landing. Then as final despair comes on, and Rohirrim give back, [west o] south wind rolls back cloud, and noon-sun gleams through. Aragorn unfurls his great standard from ship-top. The crown and stars of Sun and Moon shine out.(4) Men cry that Elendil has come back to life or Nume,...(5)

Eomer charges again and the enemy is routed and so Eomer and Aragorn meet again on the field 'though all the hosts of Mordor lay between'.(6)

By evening of 15th [in pencil > 14] in a bloodred sun victory is complete. All enemy is driven into or back over Anduin.

Aragorn sets up his pavilion and standard outside gate, but will not enter city, yet. Denethor comes down to greet the victors.

Theoden dies. He bids farewell to Gandalf, Aragorn, Eomer and Merry. Theoden and Eowyn laid for a time in the royal tombs.

Words of Aragorn and Denethor. Denethor will not yield Stewardship, yet: not until war is won or lost and all is made clear. He is cold and suspicious and? mock-courteous. Aragorn grave and silent. But Denethor says that belike the Stewardship will run out anyway, since he seems like to lose both his sons.

Faramir is sick of his wounds. If he dies then Gondor can take what new lord it likes. Aragorn says he will not be 'taken', he will take, but asks to see Faramir. Faramir is brought out and Aragorn tends him all that night, and love springs between them.(7)

Aragorn and Gandalf counsel immediate action. Gandalf does not hope to conquer Mordor or overthrow Sauron and his tower. 'Not in these latter days, nor ever again by force of arms.' Yet arms have their place; and sloth now might be ruinous. Gandalf advises at least the taking and destruction of Minas Morghul.(8)

[N.B. Sauron already troubled by news of the victory of the Ents on March 11th - Ents another detail left out of his plans -

first hears of Frodo on 15 of March, and at the same time, by Nazgul, of the defeat in Pelennor and the coming of Aragorn.

He is wrathful and afraid, but puzzled, especially by news of Frodo. He sends the Nazgul to Kirith Ungol to get Frodo, but thinks chiefly of his war, and suspecting that Gondor will follow up victory he plans a counter-attack and withdraws all his forces to Morannon and Kirith Gorgor.]

The hosts, as many as are unhurt, of Rohan and Gondor, with Rangers, set out on 16th [in pencil > 17] and cross Anduin, and find Osgiliath empty. On 17th they march on Minas Morghul and the van (Riders of Rohan and Rangers and Gandalf) reach it on 18th [in pencil > 19] noon and find it dark and deserted. They burn the fields and Gandalf destroys its magic.(9) They now plan to march on the Morannon. A guard is set on Road, lest an army come up from South, or Sauron lets any sortie out through Kirith Ungol (no very great force could come that way in a hurry). They have now, however, to go more slow, and keep all their host together, moving only at the speed of infantry. The footmen come up on 19th. On 20th they set out for Morannon (120 [in pencil ) 100] miles by road). They march through empty lands unassailed 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 and reach Morannon - just as Frodo [is beginning the ascent of Orodruin > is crossing Kirith Gorgor >] draws near Orodruin.

There they to joy and surprise are joined by Ents, with new forces (out of North, including Elves of Lorien).

[Ents had victory on 11 March. It appears that Treebeard was told by Eagles sent by Galadriel of the assault on Lorien and the crossing of host to the Wold of Rohan on 7th. Treebeard and many Ents set out at once at great speed and cover over 200

miles, coming down on the enemy camp at south end of Downs in Eastemnet on 11 March; they destroyed many and drove rest in rout back over Anduin, where they had made bridges of boats above Sarn Gebir (about where Legolas shot down Nazgul) -

but in too great disarray to destroy the pontoons. So Ents cross.

Treebeard is here joined by Elves of Lorien. They pursue the enemy round north and east of Emyn Muil and come down on the Hard of Dagor-lad (300 miles and more from Down-end to Morannon by this route): they move swiftly but mostly at night, for away here the Darkness is not over sky, only a great blackness is seen in the South, exrending in breadth from Rauros to Linhir.(10) They arrive at same time as Gandalf.]

Now follows the Parley [added: on 25th]. Aragorn and Eomer wind horns before the Morannon, and summon Sauron to come forth. There is no answer at first, but Sauron had already laid his plans and an embassy was already coming to the

-Slack Gare. The Wizard King? He bears the Mithril coat and says that Sauron has already captured the messenger (11) - a hobbit. How does Sauron know? He would of course guess from Gollum's previous visits that a small messenger might be a hobbit. But it is probable that either Frodo talked in his drugged sleep - not of the Ring, but of his name and country; and that Gorbag had sent tidings. The messenger jeers at Gandalf for sending a weak spy into the land where he dare not go himself, since his wizardry is no match for the Master. Now Sauron has the messenger, and what happens to him depends on Gandalf and Aragorn. He sees their faces blench. And jeers again. So!

he says - he was dear to you, or his errand was vital? So much the worse for you. For he shall endure slow torment of years, and then be released when broken, unless you accept Sauron*s terms.'