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The Mathom House  by Baggins Babe

Year 7, Fourth Age South Gondor

Wavelets rippled across the sand at his feet, small ribbons of foam bubbling gently round his boots before retreating; salt spray and a warm sea breeze, an invigorating tang in the air. King Elessar breathed deeply and enjoyed a few minutes peace in the sunshine on the coast of South Gondor. To his right he could see the vast expanse of the River Anduin where it spilled into the sea. Lord Ulmo was in playful mood today, the waters calm, sighing softly of the beauty of the West and the hidden lands of Numenor.

       "Thank you for your assistance, my Lord of the Waters," he murmured, crouching to feel the waves run through his fingers.

       The great ships of Harad which had been arrayed against him had been destroyed in a great storm the previous night, without a shot being fired. Driftwood and the detritus of many shattered lives floated in and was deposited on the beach. One or two bodies lay along the the shore, but the storm had abated in time for many of the Haradric sailors to be rescued. They resisted the efforts to pluck them from the sea for some time, believing they would have their throats cut, as their leaders had told them, but finally allowed themselves to be hauled aboard Gondorian vessels. These now rode indolently at anchor on the other side of the Great River and the prisoners found to their astonishment that, far from being murdered, they were given food, dry blankets and medical attention.

       The waves seemed to chuckle in response to the King's thanks. A soft whisper. "Look to the sea, heir of the Ship-Kings," and something bobbed towards him on a raft of kelp and settled gently on the shimmering sand as the sea slthered back. Aragorn had never seen this before but he knew it for what it was, a great black globe, too large to be carried by one Man.

       "Ai! It cannot be.............Ulmo be praised!" He washed it clean before examining it closely.

       "My lord King! Is that.............a palantir?" Prince Imrahil, attending upon his lord, stared at the object on the sand. As the King touched it it seemed that a tiny flame sparked deep inside. It was similar to the Palantir of Orthanc but much larger and very heavy.

       "Yes, my friend, and not just any palantir. This is the Master-stone of Osgiliath - long believed lost in the fall of the Dome of Stars. It was believed to have vanished into the Anduin, never to be seen again. Yet here it is, rolled to my feet by the Lord Ulmo."

       "A miracle!" Imrahil crouched to look closer. "Could it have been on one of the ships?"

       "No, I do not think so. It must have been lodged somewhere near the mouth of Anduin and disturbed by the currents during the night - with Lord Ulmo's help. Otherwise it could have moved at any time. For it to come here now, to me, suggests the intervention of the Valar." Aragorn rolled the orb and suddenly the small flame in the black depths sprang into life as it became properly oriented. "This will need a proper pillar with an indentation, a bed, as were constructed in the old days to hold the Seeing-stones."

       "You will need help to lift it, my Lord King." Imrahil removed his cloak and between them they rolled the palantir on to it and lifted it, gasping a little at the weight. Two guards came forward to help, and between them they carried it carefully back to the King's ship.

                                                                         ************

       The commander of Harad's forces was astonished to be told he could have his sailors back.        "Were they not killed? Did the forces of Gondor not slay them or leave them to the sea?"

       "Certainly not!" replied the King's Herald, shocked by the suggestion. "We do not slaughter men who have surrendered, nor do we leave them to drown."

       "Then you are bigger fools than I thought you, for I would not hesitate to kill all prisoners. Nor do we take back those who have betrayed Harad by surrendering to the enemy. Do what you will with them."

       The King merely ndded when he was told of this exchange. The Haradri commander was a proud, stiff-necked and obstinate member of the largest ruling family and Aragorn knew of the beliefs and customs of Harad. They saw surrender as cowardice and any of the sailors who returned home would be hanged as traitors. He bided his time; his ships were well provisioned and he could afford to wait. However, he could use the great Seeing-stone to observe what was going on in Harad. The wreck of the fleet would not have gone down well and many of the ordinary people were tired of constant war. They had lost enough of their husbands, sons, brothers and fathers to war in the last fifty years particularly, not to mention those who had been given as 'tribute' to the Eater of Souls, as Sauron was known in that land..

       On the seventh day, messengers arrived at the camp of the Haradrim and their words spelled death for the commander and the old regime. The heads of the other powerful families had risen against their leader and taken over the government. They wanted no more slaughter. The King's Herald went once more to the camp of the Haradrim and received a very different reception. He was greeted with courtesy, offered wine, and thanked for the treatment of the sailors.

       Within days the terms had been worked out for a temporary peace while the new governing family attended to the needs of the people. The king himself, trusting in the new regime and the common sense of his bodyguards as well as his own instincts, came to the assigned meeting-place on the shore of South Gondor. The sailors were brought along, to testify to their excellent treatment. They were clothed, well-fed and some even laughed a little and talked with the Gondorians as men to men, not slaves to an enemy power. Azarafti, nephew of the new ruler of Harad, was a practical man who had long loathed the continual senseless slaughter and desired peace and prosperity for his people. His ancestors had been traders and the wealth of Harad depended upon trade. Once they had traded in men, both as soldiers and slaves, but now he felt they should trade in goods. Where better to trade than in the White City of the King?

       The two studied each other, the King and the lord of Harad, and each liked what he saw. There was compassion and wisdom in the eyes of the King, and a light the like of which Azarafti had never seen before. In the dark man of Harad in his white robes, the King saw intelligence and a desire for peace and communication. The treaty was signed and the Haradric prisoners returned with assurances on both sides that they would not be killed but reunited with their families. Aragorn assured Azarafti that he would know if this promise was not kept, and kept it was. Those men were now ambassadors and witnesses to the mercy of Gondor. Their families pondered these things and the evidence of their own eyes and ears balanced against the things they had been encouraged to believe for years led them to realise how often they had been lied to.

       As he waited for the tide to turn, Aragorn poured a libation of wine into the sea and thanked the Lord Ulmo once more, for the gift of the Palantir of Osgiliath and for sparing the lives of so many men, which had led in turn to the overthrow of the fanatics and a return to proper government in Harad. He had seen the sailors' return and the wonder and amazement of their loved ones. Perhaps now there could be peace and the foundations of understanding between the two countries.

       "Thank you for your great gifts, Lord of Waters. Thank you for the lives of so many who have been able to go home to their wives and children. Thank you for helping us to win the sea battle without having to take life or lose it, and thank you for restoring to us the great Palantir of Osgiliath. I shall strive to ever use it wisely."

       A voice on the salt wind, soft but clear: "I would not have brought it to you otherwise, Elessar, heir of Numenor and of Earendil...................."

       Several of the crew started to sing as the prospect of home and family loomed closer. Ropes were stowed, sails flapped and bulged in the wind and the great ship began to move. In his cabin Aragorn saw the excited preparations in Minas Tirith through the great Seeing-stone. It was good to be going home.





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