The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 258 The Cursed Ghost in Mount Ereh

The border between Rohan and Gondor.

On the towering western spur of the White Mountains.

The last of Gondor's seven beacon towers, Haliforn, was ablaze.

……

"Clang, clang, clang..."

Edoras, the capital of Rohan.

The assembly bell rang in the council chamber at the highest point, and Theodore, dressed in military uniform, had been waiting in the hall for some time.

"Since they have lit the beacon of aid, I will keep the ancient oath and lead five thousand Rohan cavalry to aid Gondor."

Once everyone had arrived at the council chamber, Theodon stated his decision without hesitation.

"Iomer accompanied me on the campaign as my second-in-command, and when I die in battle, he will become the supreme commander of the cavalry."

Theodore looked around; all of Rohan's top executives were gathered here. His gaze slowly swept over these familiar faces, and finally...

"Theojed, lead a thousand men to remain in Edoras to guard against a counterattack from the western Denlanders. This is the order of the King of Rohan!"

Unlike the original story, this one depicts a state of utter despair and endless hatred towards the forces of darkness.

Now, Theodon must find a reasonable reason to leave enough power to sustain Rohan.

……

Rohan came to the aid of Gondor.

The order to set out was quickly relayed through the ranks.

Once again, the loyal Rohan people silently packed their bags and bid a final farewell to their families.

At the gate of Edoras, a table more than three meters wide stands in the middle.

On the table were various refined weapons and armor: sharp spears, barrels of arrows, interlocking chainmail, convenient round shields, and lightweight helmets.

Ino stood by the table, flanked by countless Rohan residents who had come to bid farewell to their loved ones.

This is a tradition of Rohan, a final farewell before a campaign.

As the first soldier passed through the gate, at Ino's signal, he picked up the fine equipment. The rest, needless to say, each chose weapons and armor suitable for themselves.

The miraculous scene repeated itself, just like the distribution of food six months earlier.

In the presence of all the Rohan people, there were only a few weapons and armor pieces on the long table, but no matter how many people reached out, it seemed as if the items would never run out.

……

On the plains of Rohan.

Five thousand well-equipped cavalrymen were galloping along. Although their numbers were not large, they still shook the earth, giving the feeling of ten thousand horses galloping.

In fact, this is not an exaggeration.

To aid Gondor, Théoden opted for a strategy of riding two horses alone. He planned to gallop south, rest briefly at Morinbrook at the border, and then make a final push to Minastillis.

In the sky, Ino rode a flying broom.

Unlike the Battle of Helm's Deep, this time he intended to go all out, but theoretically it was only "as much as possible," not "reckless."

Unlike Bilbo's story, which was simply an adventure, it wouldn't attract much attention either.

The story of Frodo always unfolds along two parallel lines, one explicit and one implicit.

As a secondary plot point, Frodo's arrival at Mount Doom and his primary objective in destroying the One Ring are paramount.

Everyone understands this, which is why, after the Battle of White City, humanity once again gathered its remaining strength and rashly launched another attack on Modo.

Aragorn wasn't stupid; he knew there was no way back, but he still went without hesitation.

To put it bluntly, it was to attract Sauron's attention.

This is also why Ino might take a gamble; under the grand symphony, humanity is destined to rise.

Unlike Maya, who was restricted, his identity as a human wizard granted him the greatest freedom.

……

Two days and nights of arduous travel.

evening.

Five thousand Rohan cavalrymen finally arrived at the southern end of the White Mountains—Morin Creek.

After the sentries confirmed that the area was safe, Theodon gave the order to set up camp and rest.

From Morin Creek, a border town, it only takes half a day to reach Minas Tirith by horseback.

In the sky, Ino slowly lowered the broom.

He didn't go looking for Theodore, nor did he intend to look for Aragorn; he simply sat quietly on a rock.

As dusk fell, the sight of over five thousand men and their warhorses made the somewhat open camp noisy, even chaotic.

But in any case, tomorrow's battle will likely be the last for many Rohan people.

……

Sitting on the rock.

Ino opened the suitcase and took out his long-lost Scottish accordion.

His first musical instrument in the magical world.

Years have passed, yet the memories remain vivid: the scene of buying the accordion, the gold coin given by Old John, the Gringotts goblins' deceptive exchange, the stationery store owner's astonishment at mixing inks...

As dusk fell, Ino played the accordion again, without using magic or making it sing automatically.

A person sat quietly on a rock, and the mournful, melodious sound of bagpipes slowly rose.

The sound was carried far away by the breeze.

Suddenly, the entire camp became much quieter, and even the restless warhorses stopped pawing at each other.

Listening to the music, many people seemed to see another scene: rolling mountains, distinctive tartan skirts, tiny but unyielding moss flowers... and Scottish people falling one by one in pools of blood.

The mournful melody contains a majestic grandeur; it is humanity's yearning for freedom, an epic symphony written in blood and tears.

The song ended.

Does it have a name?

Théoden had arrived at the rock at some unknown time. Accompanying him were Éomer, Aragorn, and the Elven prince Legolas.

"Braveheart!" Ino slowly put down her accordion.

Looking around the Morin Creek camp, he now understood the story of Middle-earth to some extent, even vaguely...

As time flows like a song, and as generations of people in the land grow old, only the stories of heroes are always sung, and their legendary deeds will live on forever.

Everyone dies! But not everyone truly lives!

……

under night.

Unlike the bustling atmosphere at dusk, the Rohan camp was unusually quiet at this moment.

Ino was aware of the change, but not of the reason for it.

Perhaps the knights of Rohan regained their courage and faith. But he didn't believe that he could cause such a large-scale change with just one of his tunes.

In this tranquil atmosphere.

Suddenly, Ino felt Fide's joy in his mind.

Looking back suddenly, that's the south side of the white mountains.

"The cursed undead of Mount Ereh..."

He thought of the army of the dead that appeared briefly in the story and then vanished without a trace.

As the native inhabitants of the mountains and distant relatives of the Black Barbarians, these Edenians in the valleys had suffered greatly from the oppression of the forces of darkness.

It wasn't until 1700 in the Second Age, when Sauron was driven back to Mordor by a combined force of Elves and Númenor, that these native inhabitants were able to escape the shadow of darkness.

Since the end of the Second Age and the founding of Gondor, these Edenites swore an oath to the Black Stone erected by Isildur, pledging allegiance to Gondor.

As seen in the original story, the Edenites, out of cowardice, chose to refuse the summons, and Isildur uttered a curse at the Black Rock:

"You will become the last king... This war will be long and drawn out, and you will surely be summoned again before the dust settles."

Honestly, this is a secret hidden for three thousand years, which may be part of the reason why Théoden chose to answer the call to aid Gondor.

Although Gondor currently has no king, the beacon fire of Amun-din has been lit.

Faced with this ancient and orthodox beacon of aid standing tall in the white mountains.

As the King of Rohan, Théoden dared not gamble, nor could he afford to.

(End of this chapter)