A turning point on the Golden Iris River

A month was almost over, and Allen began preparing for his adventure.

Since he had no idea how long he would be away, he stocked the warehouse with two years' worth of goods.

These included the wine traded with the Woodland Realm. He instructed Ymira to keep a close eye on it so that no problems arose to damage the friendship between their peoples.

This immediately halved Allen's Denars again, making things even worse for the already cash-strapped lord.

During this time, Allen also discussed the town's arrangements with each of the subordinates responsible for its various affairs.

He knew that if he really was going to Bag End in the Shire this time, it might take more than half a year before he returned.

Allen never considered the possibility of not coming back. With his skills, nothing could go wrong as long as he stayed close to Gandalf.

Besides, he had a ridiculously powerful set of equipment. Allen even found time to redeem an Elves Horse, adding several more days to the simulator's cooldown.

So when Gandalf arrived in the prosperous town, he immediately spotted Allen clad in Silver Plate Armor, with a Composite Bow on his back and a Bright Silver Shield and Longsword in his hands.

Surrounded by his people, Allen led a magnificent horse that rivaled the Mearas up to Gandalf, making quite a show of himself.

Gandalf leaned on his staff, feeling utterly helpless.

"Lord Allen, we aren't going to war," he said. "You can't wander the wilderness wearing armor bright enough to blind Half-orcs. You need to dress like me-simply and inconspicuously."

He shook his dusty gray cloak and pointed his staff at Allen's equipment.

"You can keep the bow and arrows. This sword was made by Elves, wasn't it? I don't know its history, but you can bring it too. Leave the shield, horse, and armor behind. Once we leave this safe area, traveling on horseback through the Wilderland will be difficult. Now, Lord Allen, hurry and change your equipment."

Allen was rather disappointed. It felt like dressing in finery with no one around to appreciate it, though he understood Gandalf's reasoning.

Allen had originally hoped Gandalf could solve the problem with magic.

But Gandalf clearly could not, so Allen resigned himself to introducing his subordinates to the wizard.

Then he invited Gandalf to his hall, giving himself time to change his equipment.

As Gandalf followed the others toward the hall, he took a closer look at Wilderness Village.

Until now, his information had come from Radagast, and those reports could not compare with seeing the place himself.

The prosperity before him astonished Gandalf.

In surroundings like these, the town's security and the villagers' spirits and physical health were remarkably good.

Allen and his subordinates clearly possessed considerable administrative and fighting abilities.

The town's finances must have been healthy as well, for Gandalf happened to see Firentis training part of the army on the drill ground.

By then, Gandalf realized that Allen's village had an excellent chance of one day becoming a human power capable of resisting the darkness.

Allen soon changed into Leather Armor and a gray-green cloak in his bedroom.

When he entered the banquet hall, he found Gandalf chatting happily with everyone.

The wizard certainly lived up to his reputation as "Middle-earth's social butterfly." In that brief time, Allen could already see that his subordinates had taken a strong liking to the old man. They were all chatting with Gandalf, their faces wreathed in smiles.

Gandalf noticed Allen while talking with the others.

He stood up. "Lord Allen, that outfit is much more suitable for an adventure. I think we can set off now."

"Gandalf, before we leave, there's something I must insist on. I think we're friends now, so just call me Allen. There's no need for 'my lord' or any other titles."

"Very well, Lord Allen. Can we leave now?"

"All right."

Seeing Gandalf wink at him, Allen shook his head helplessly.

Afterward, Firentis led the Swadia Knights in escorting Allen and Gandalf to the vicinity of the Old Ford, then took the horses back.

This was the limit of Beorn's patrols. Beyond it, signs of Warg Riders began to appear, and too many people would alert the forces of darkness.

From here on, only Gandalf and Allen remained, both traveling on foot.

Gandalf knew this wilderness well and suggested that they avoid the open plains.

Instead, he took Allen straight across the Old Ford and began traveling through the dense woods along the edge of the Misty Mountains.

The terrain was difficult, but it posed little challenge to Allen and Gandalf.

Carrying large quantities of supplies on their backs, they made their way through the wooded mountains.

At night, however, bands of Half-orcs often roamed the forest.

To avoid provoking larger battles, the pair had to take detours around them.

Even so, a small band of Warg Riders picked up their scent that day.

Allen knew Gandalf possessed magic that ordinary people rarely witnessed, and that day he cast one such spell.

It briefly allowed Allen and Gandalf to escape anyone's notice, even preventing the Wargs from detecting their scent.

Using this ability, they laid an ambush for the Warg Riders tracking them.

Once the Warg Riders entered the ambush, Gandalf leaped from hiding, accompanied by a dazzling burst of White Light that stunned them.

Allen seized the opportunity to shoot every Warg dead, then began picking off the Half-orcs trying to evade Gandalf.

The ambush ended quickly. The two gathered their things and left.

Throughout the journey, all Allen saw were trees by day, trees by night, trees beneath the stars, flourishing trees, and withered trees. It was monotonous and dull.

Allen simply lacked the ability to discover beauty in such scenery.

Fortunately, a few foolish Half-orcs occasionally died at his and Gandalf's hands, breaking up the tedium of the journey.

Sometimes they also rescued forest villagers under attack by Half-orcs.

These days continued for so long that Allen began to miss doing nothing back in his village.

At last, something changed. A great river flowing out of the Misty Mountains barred Allen and Gandalf's way.

Gandalf told Allen that this was the Golden Iris River, which flowed from here into the Anduin River.

Allen knew of this river. While they rested, he enthusiastically discussed some of what he knew with Gandalf.

"Gandalf, I read in the records that Hobbits used to live here. Are there still any around?"

Gandalf happened to have studied Hobbits extensively, so the topic was right up his alley.

He sat on a rock with a pipe between his lips, blowing smoke rings.

"Not anymore," he said slowly. "Threatened by the forces of darkness, they migrated west to the Shire. I must say, Hobbits are a rather inconspicuous people. They love peace and quiet, good food and wine, and would happily eat seven or eight meals a day. I have no idea how those little bodies hold so much food. They like living in holes, though their holes are very clean and tidy-nothing like those of Half-orcs. It's been some time since I last visited."

Allen asked tentatively, "Will we be visiting the Shire on this journey?"

"No, no, no, my dear friend. We won't be going that far. We'll cross the Misty Mountains and head for Rh-"

Gandalf suddenly stopped halfway through his sentence. He quickly extinguished his pipe and quietly led Allen toward the Long Marshes.

Before long, the sounds of battle reached Allen's ears as well.

After climbing a low rise, they saw over a hundred Half-orcs fighting twenty-odd humans.

The Half-orcs' force even included large numbers of Uruks—a new breed of Half-orcs created by Sauron through dark magic late in the Third Age, comparable in size to ordinary humans, disciplined, and stronger in battle. These did not seem to belong to the Half-orc tribes of the Misty Mountains.

Allen was about to charge out, but Gandalf held him back and signaled for him to wait. The timing was not right yet.

The humans were already at a disadvantage. Fighting as they retreated, they gradually approached Gandalf and Allen's hiding place.

Then Gandalf spotted several familiar figures: Saruman's men. The moment to attack had arrived as well.

Gandalf signaled that Allen could act freely, then charged down the slope at the Half-orcs pursuing the humans.

With the help of Allen's expert marksmanship and Gandalf, the "berserker," the battle soon turned.

Leaving dozens of corpses behind, the Half-orcs fled into the forest beside the river. No one pursued them; instead, they began tending their wounded.

Gandalf found their leader and asked why they had come here.

Although Gandalf had saved their lives, their leader continued to hem and haw, unwilling to reveal their true purpose. He merely thanked the two men over and over.

Allen spoke up, telling Gandalf that these Half-orcs had probably come from Dol Guldur. The Misty Mountains did not have so many large, gray-skinned Half-orcs at this time.

After hearing Allen's words, the men became even less willing to speak. They soon gathered their things and left.

In fact, Gandalf had already learned about Dol Guldur from Radagast.

Gandalf had subsequently gone to investigate it himself. But Radagast had alerted Sauron, who was not yet fully prepared. To avoid raising further suspicions, Sauron had actually fled, since he still wanted to occupy the place and continue searching for his precious treasure.

Thus, Gandalf found nothing unusual there. He could only conclude that a Ringwraith had happened to take up residence and been discovered by Radagast, which was hardly a major matter.

Since Gandalf would be visiting Lothlórien on this journey, he could discuss it with the other members of the White Council.

But now things had changed again. Allen had said that Half-orcs occupied Dol Guldur.

That differed from Gandalf's findings. The place had been perfectly quiet when he visited.

This information plunged the old man, who bore such heavy responsibilities, into thought.

To Allen, the incident was only a minor interlude. He knew why Saruman's men had come here.

He also knew why the Half-orcs had come, but he could not immediately find the right words to give Gandalf a hint.

And so the two crossed the Golden Iris River in silence and once again headed for Lothlórien.

As they traveled, Allen watched Gandalf walking with his head lowered, silent and deep in thought, and felt a little guilty.

He decided to stop worrying so much, collected his thoughts, and spoke.

"Gandalf, my people have another record concerning the Golden Iris River. Have you heard of the disaster of the Golden Iris River?"

Roused from his thoughts, Gandalf replied, "If you mean what happened to Isildur and his three sons, yes. I learned about it from Lord Elrond, the lord of Rivendell. Allen, I'm beginning to wonder just how much is recorded in your people's library. Lord Elrond told me that, with the passage of time, very few people still knew the details."

Over the course of their journey, Gandalf had put aside all his doubts about Allen.

One reason he was still taking Allen along was that he had promised to show him the scenery of Lothlórien.

Another was that Gandalf wanted to ask Lady Galadriel to look after Allen's village.

He did not want the gathering forces of darkness to destroy it while it was still weak.

There was one final reason: Gandalf genuinely enjoyed traveling with Allen, a young man of noble character who respected the old, cared for the young, and possessed considerable knowledge.

But Allen's next words once again changed Gandalf's understanding of him.

"Don't wonder how much I know, Gandalf. The answer would certainly astonish you. There's something else I want to tell you."

Allen paused, then continued, "I don't know whether Lord Elrond told you that Isildur possessed a treasure taken from the Enemy. I don't want to mention the Enemy's name, but I think you know who I mean. Isildur cut that treasure from the Enemy's hand with the Shards of Narsil. It should have been a ring."

Watching Gandalf's expression grow utterly grave, Allen offered his final hint.

"So Isildur died somewhere around here while carrying that treasure, and now Half-orcs from Dol Guldur and Saruman's men have appeared in the same area. Of course, I can't guess how long they've been searching here, but do I really need to spell out what they're looking for?"

At this point, Gandalf knew nothing of such closely guarded secrets. His knowledge of the One Ring was far less extensive than Saruman's, and he had never even heard the story of Isildur and the Rings of Power.

Saruman, however, a fellow member of the White Council, already knew.

The White Wizard was very welcome in Gondor, and among the vast collection of scrolls in Minas Tirith, he had discovered the whereabouts of the One Ring.

In fact, he had coveted the Rings of Power for over a hundred years. By now, he might even have found Isildur's body.

Gandalf's chance encounter with today's events had probably been caused by the ripples of Allen's small influence.

After Allen's hints, Gandalf knew he could no longer make this trip to Rhûn. He now had something more important to do.

He needed to summon the White Council to discuss the whereabouts of the One Ring and an attack on the Enemy in Dol Guldur.

He had originally had plenty of time. He had even arranged an expedition for the Dwarves the following year.

But now time was short. He had a more important task.

Gandalf did not dwell on why Allen's people possessed such detailed records.

There were many kinds of magic in this world capable of such things, such as the Palantír Stones made by Fëanor.

He had no time to consider matters irrelevant to the larger situation. All Gandalf wanted now was to reach Lothlórien quickly.

With an apologetic air, the old man said to Allen, "I'm sorry to tell you that our adventure may have to end early. I now have something more important to attend to, and I cannot take you home. Would you still be willing to accompany me to Lothlórien? We will need to move quickly-very quickly."

"That's all right. Let's go together."

Allen had not changed his mind. He knew what consequences his words would bring.

But he had no regrets. He felt obliged to warn this old man, who might one day be imprisoned by Sauron. If he could prevent that, all the better.

Once Gandalf had confirmed Allen's wishes, he led him toward Lothlórien.

The leisurely pace of their earlier journey vanished. Apart from the bare minimum of rest, they traveled nonstop, even eating on the move.

This greatly increased their pace, and at last, half a month later, they arrived in Lothlórien.