The elite troops led by Allen and Círdan were more than worthy of the rumors.
And they had indeed routed tens of thousands of Mordor's soldiers on an open plain-it simply had not been the Pelennor Fields.
So amid the cheers of Gondor's people, Allen felt no embarrassment whatsoever.
This was the honor he had earned by fighting the darkness and helping Gondor.
Thanks to Lord Turgon's publicity, most residents also knew that these reinforcements included Men and Elves, and even Dwarves.
Amid cheers of "Our ancient friendship endures," "A helping hand from our brothers, with hearts of gold," and "Those sturdy bodies hold noble hearts," the residents scattered great showers of petals to welcome the reinforcements who had come to help their country.
As the several thousand fully armed, powerfully built cavalrymen drew closer, the excitement rose to new heights.
Even the women and children who knew nothing of military affairs could tell that these soldiers were elite enough to rival the Imperial Guard protecting Gondor's Royal City, yet outnumbered them several times over.
Those with a little more knowledge were sharp-eyed enough to notice that two-thirds of the reinforcements were Elves, which filled them with even greater confidence in victory.
In the stories passed down among Gondor's people, Elves were always mysterious and powerful.
Surely, with these mighty figures from legend helping Gondor, the crisis facing Minas Tirith would soon be resolved, and they could return to their former peaceful lives.
Waiting at the city gates to welcome them was Turgon's Keeper of the Keys, Galdor, who was also a member of the Gondor Council.
Given Turgon's current health, there was no possibility of him leaving the Tower of Ecthelion to greet his allies.
His only son, Ecthelion, heir to the Stewardship of Gondor, was in Osgiliath, resisting