Letters From the West: Back Home Again in Gondor

Dearest Bria –

Today my quill finds itself filled with Gondorian ink as my adventures have brought me closer to you than the days before my banishment at the hands of the mad steward. In the end, it was our brother Borowolf’s sense of duty that convinced me to risk death at the hands of my own kinsmen in order to lend our services against the growing evil in the east.

Much time has passed since our last discourse. I have seen things that will be one day be immortalized in song and scroll. Fields of Rohan burned beyond recognition. Battles and sieges of epic proportion. Armies of orcs as far as elvish eyes can see. Cities filled with the dead, their ghostly appearances being the least dangerous of their cursed characteristics. And finally, the soil of my homeland. I had no idea when I left to battle evil in the west that my return would find Gondor in an even more dire state. I only hope that your distance from the white city has provided some refuge from the ongoing attacks. When I left Osgiliath, I felt that my absence would be a boon to the troops. Captain Boromir seemed on the verge of victory prior to my forced departure. Alas, Boromir was also pulled away on an even more desperate quest, and that quest would prove to be his end, and so ended much of the hope for the defense of Gondor.

But I write to you, dear Bria, not to spread the gloom that seems to have overtaken this land. Instead, I bring a message of hope! For I have stood on the wall with Théoden King of Rohan. I have seen the strength of men! And that strength also gives me the courage to venture back into Gondor at my own peril. I can see now that the ancient beacons have been lit. Trust me when I say that the call for aid will not go unheeded! I have seen the wizard’s staff broken, his lies silenced. I have seen the proud and strong horselords face an overpowered foe, and with nothing to lose, emerge victorious. These allies are not mere ruffians and tribesmen, Bria. These are the men of history. Our people must respond in-kind. We must remember our Númenórean heritage. For one does now move towards Minis Tirith who shall reclaim the throne, and we must fight for him. He is worthy, he is strong, and he is ready to lead us. His name is Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and he is our king. He will unite the armies of men under the banner of the white tree and vanquish the evil from our lands.

We are in the midst of our story, dear Bria. It is a story with an ending that is not yet revealed, but one that we should be confident of. Surely the evil that lies ahead cannot be as savage and vicious as the abominations from Saruman. However, one thing vexes me. There have been many whispers among my companions about the hobbits who carried a trinket into the woods near the Great River. The wizard seems especially concerned. I know not why their absense from this battle would raise such alarm. Surely two soft hobbits could not turn the tide of such a large battle! We need now place our faith in the men of Gondor, and of Rohan, as it is clear that the other races of Middle-Earth remain scattered and uninterested.

Every story deserves to have an ending. I feel that my arrival in Gondor signals the beginning of a glorious ending.

Sincerely,

Braxwolf

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