A Joke That Was a Little Cold (Bonus Chapter for Alliance Leader 'Combat Specialist Doctor')

The group traveled through the night and arrived in Edoras before dawn. Edoras was a capital city built on a hillside, not far from Helm's Deep.

"We've arrived. That city is the royal capital, Edoras!"

Unlike its wealthy neighbor Gondor, Rohan's capital was not grand; in fact, it could be described as shabby. The city walls were low, and the buildings inside were mostly thatched huts, even the royal palace was a wooden structure.

Russell had looked at the map and knew that Rohan and Gondor were separated by the White Mountains, and that the common enemy, Mordor, was what allowed them to coexist peacefully until now.

Gandalf, seeing Russell's nonchalant expression, knew what he was thinking and said, "Don't underestimate Rohan. They have the most powerful cavalry on the plains. Saruman fears their power, so he sends Uruk-hai to burn, kill, and plunder everywhere, preventing them from concentrating their forces."

"I'm not underestimating Rohan. I'm just wondering, with such a huge gap between the rich and the poor, if Sauron were to die one day, would Rohan and Gondor fight each other to the death? Russell thought to himself, but didn't say it aloud for fear of making a shocking remark," Russell said.

Gandalf: "..."

Aragorn: "..."

Eomer: "..."

Boromir: "..."

"Wait, did I just say what was on my mind?"

"..."

The dwarf warrior and the Elf Prince, expressionless, silently led Frodo and the others away, leaving the group room to unleash their skills. To be honest, even these outsiders couldn't bear to watch any longer.

"Hahaha, Russell's ability to tell jokes is getting better and better. He even thought about it in his heart without saying it out loud..." Seeing that Eomer's face had turned as black as the bottom of a pot, Gandalf hurriedly laughed and tried to smooth things over.

"Yes, yes, that's a good joke, but it's a bit lame and a bit fake!" Boromir wiped away his cold sweat and forced a smile.

"Eomer, don't overthink it. Russell didn't mean anything by it. He just doesn't speak very well. Actually, he has Orcs blood and his mouth is always foul." Aragorn patted Eomer on the shoulder and swore an oath as the heir to Gondor. The Oath of Eorl shone as brightly as the stars, witnessing the enduring friendship between the two nations.

"I didn't think much of it, but the joke was a bit lame..." Eomer an awkward laugh.

"Ha ha ha ha----"

The group exchanged glances, their eyes wide with awkward laughter. Just as the laughter was about to die down and an awkward silence was about to fall, Gandalf strode up the palace steps and changed the subject, saying, "Speaking of which, it's been a while since I've seen Théoden. I've started to miss him. He must miss me too."

Clang!

Two longswords crossed in front of Gandalf, freezing his smile on his face. The slap in the face came too quickly and felt unreal.

"What are you doing? He is Gandalf the Grey Robe! Put your swords away immediately!" Eomer was furious and berated the two guards at the gate. "Gandalf saved the prince's life! How dare you treat Rohan's most honored guest like this?"

The guards recognized Gandalf, but things were different now. They said aggrievedly, "General Eomer, they cannot bring weapons to see King Théoden. This is Grima's order."

Eomer's face turned ashen upon hearing this, but he was helpless. He could only look apologetically at Gandalf and whisper, "That scoundrel by the king's side, he must have spoken ill of you to His Majesty."

Gandalf smiled calmly, indicating that he wasn't angry, and nodded to Aragorn and the others. Everyone began to hand over their weapons. Russell, however, was empty-handed and had no weapons, so he couldn't hand them over even if he wanted to.

Gandalf, your staff...

Seeing everyone else disarming themselves while Gandalf remained unaffected, the guard couldn't help but offer a reminder. "Russell is unarmed, everyone can see that clearly, but your gleaming staff is a bit much."

"Oh, this isn't a staff, it's just an old man's walking stick," Gandalf coughed weakly.

"Oh well!"

The guards did not insist, firstly because Lady Gandalf was well-liked and willing to give him face; secondly, the guards disliked Grima and always outwardly obeyed but inwardly disobeyed his orders.

Russell shook his head repeatedly as he watched. The guards were too naive. Gandalf was a man who could fight Balrog hand-to-hand; not having a staff wouldn't affect his melee combat output. For example, in the Great Hall, there was a pillar with a diameter of two meters and a height of ten meters. Gandalf could pull it up and use it as a javelin, although it was a bit light and he didn't feel comfortable using it.

The group entered the palace and met the dying Théoden of Rohan, as well as the little man Eomer had mentioned, the Rohan advisor Grima.

Théoden is cursed by Saruman's aura of intellectual impairment, and is currently suffering from dementia, plus a half-dead, zombie-like face.

As for Grima, he was once a general of the Rohan, who made immortal contributions to the Rohan. However, due to his lack of education, he was easily tempted by power and abandoned the honor on horseback, willingly degenerating into Saruman's lackey.

Saruman promised him that Uruk-hai army conquered Rohan, he would be the next king.

Therefore, Grima spared no effort to weaken Rohan's power. Since Rohan was a monarchical state with absolute power, he, as an advisor, repeatedly succeeded in issuing orders in the king's name.

"King Théoden, I've kept you waiting!" Gandalf greeted him.

The old man on the throne had a deathly pale face and dim, yellowish eyes. If it weren't for the crown he was wearing, it would be hard to associate him with the fierce King of Rohan.

Grima coldly stared at Gandalf, then whispered a few words to Théoden, who slowly spoke up, "Gandalf, what are you doing here? I did not invite you."

"I have good news for you. Someone tried to overthrow your country and even murder the crown prince, but unfortunately, I thwarted their plan."

"Yes, Your Majesty, Gandalf saved Theodred's life." Eomer immediately knelt down and recounted what had happened.

Unfortunately, Théoden was completely under his control and remained unmoved even when he heard that his son had narrowly escaped death.

"Gandalf, did you deliberately murder the prince?" Grima stood up with a cold face, full of hatred, and said, "You murdered the prince first, and then pretended to revive him, trying to deceive King Théoden."

"And you, Eomer! You schemed for the throne and saw the prince as a thorn in your side, how could you possibly be kind enough to save him? You must be Gandalf's accomplice!"

Russell nodded to himself. Grima, as a court jester, was indeed quite skilled at framing others, though he was rather unattractive.

"Shut up, don't spread rumors in front of me. I have been tested by fire and death, not to argue with fools." Gandalf glanced at Grima with disdain. His status was different now. He was the white-robed man appointed by the supreme leader. A lackey was not worthy to speak to him. It would be more appropriate if it were his master, Saruman.

Gandalf's words were agreed upon by the entire Fellowship of the Ring, who all nodded in agreement.

The hardships of this journey were indescribable. They nearly died several times by the cauldron, and they would not have survived if they hadn't relied on their strong will.

At this moment, Grima noticed the staff in Gandalf's hand and, alarmed, ordered his guards to seize the Fellowship of the Ring. In the hall, only his dogs made a move; the other Rohan generals remained oblivious, sitting upright and counting ants on the ground.

There are ants in the royal palace?

Foolish! Without ants, can't you imagine there are ants?

"Théoden, you have lived in the shadows for too long. I will free you from the curse..."

Gandalf was radiating intense Magic Power, his staff glowing white, and the entire palace was enveloped in white light.

"Hmph, Gandalf the Grey Robe? Gandalf the White?"

Théoden slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with hatred, and said in a hoarse, low voice, "You're the idiot Gandalf. Did you think that just because you changed into white, you were really wearing a white robe?"

"Saruman!"

Gandalf frowned, thinking to himself that this was indeed the man he had chosen. He had been worried about how to point out Saruman's evil deeds, and now he had given himself away. But he was a mature Maiar, and even though he was overjoyed, he did not show it. With a righteous expression, he increased the Illumination Spell to dispel Saruman's magic.

"It is Saruman the White. Remember this prefix. Only I am the White." Théoden sat firmly on his throne and sneered, "It's no use, Gandalf. If I leave, Théoden will die immediately."

"No, fate is no longer in your hands..." Gandalf replied meaningfully, his body radiating light as he gradually forced Saruman's will out of Théoden's body.

This was Gandalf's first encounter with Saruman after becoming a White Coat. Gandalf was afraid of using too much force and killing Théoden, while Saruman was unable to unleash his full power due to remote control. The two were evenly matched, and in the end, Gandalf won by a narrow margin.

Having lost the favor of his superiors, Saruman's defeat was inevitable. Enraged, he used his last bit of strength to utter a harsh threat. "Gandalf, Kingdom of Rohan is mine! We'll see!"

Knowing he couldn't defeat Gandalf, Saruman deliberately dispelled the spell. However, in the last second before the spell was cast, Gandalf's staff slammed down on Théoden's head. The Magic Power erupted, shattering the weakened spell and sending Saruman flying, his head bleeding profusely.

This scene looks a lot like Gandalf deliberately retaliating against Saruman, but he is a mature Maiar and would not be so unwise. This blow was ordered by his superiors and was by no means a personal vendetta.

"Gandalf, is that you?"

Saruman's will was driven away, Théoden slowly woke up. His complexion was much better, and although he was still weak, his strength was slowly recovering.

Nearby, with his master driven away by Gandalf, Grimar Grima, knelt on the ground, trembling, begging Théoden to spare his life.

No one in the hall pleaded for him except Aragorn, who said that Rohan too much blood and it was time to end the tyranny.

Gandalf watched Grima leave silently. Reason told him that Grima's return to Saruman would reveal a lot of information. But he was a mature Maiar, Théoden chose to let Grima go; he couldn't interfere in Rohan's internal affairs.

Gandalf then gave Russell a look, and the latter immediately understood, using the excuse of needing to pee to disappear from the kingdom's main hall.

"I hope Russell doesn't misunderstand. I don't intend to kill Grima; I only want to imprison him and release him after this battle." Gandalf sighed. If Grima died, it would definitely be Russell's fault.

After a while, Russell returned to the Great Hall humming a little tune and said to Gandalf, "Don't worry, I understand what you mean. We didn't kill Grima, we just imprisoned him."

Gandalf: "..."

"What's wrong?"

"Imprisonment...imprisonment is good! That's exactly what I meant!" Gandalf coughed lightly. "Russell, where have you imprisoned him?"

"On the grasslands, I imprisoned his head and let his body leave with his warhorse!"

Gandalf: "..."

Aragorn is right, you must have Orcs blood, otherwise I wouldn't want to beat you up so much!

This is an extra 3000 words for the alliance leader 'Fighting Specialist Doctor'. It's a bit late, so please give me your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Regular updates will be coming up later...