[Schmendrick]

The Prince had recognized Durmán and had let him enter. They did not change many words, for the guard had an important message to tell. For his surprise, Durmán recognized the wounded man; he was Bebberyn, one of the few guards who had treated him kindly, back in Dol Amroth. Durmán took a seat and listened to his story.


When Bebberyn finished, nobody said a word for a while. The Corsairs! Durmán thought. So he had been right – something was wrong. Why had he left Dol Amroth? Was everything all right with his mother? Durmán felt a sting of regret in his heart, when he remembered his mother bading him not to leave; the tears in her eyes, the nightmares she had told about.


Finally the Prince spoke. His face had grown dark. “ I can hardly believe this. The long years of peace had made us all sleepy, the memory of wars and danger had faded from our minds, though one would think such things could never be forgotten.
I sensed the danger – indeed, for days I felt like a dark shadow had been growing on the sea – but I did not take it seriously. And now I’ll have to pay for it.” He fell silent again. “ And here, Aragorn is missing. What is this; a conspiracy? And who is behind it? I find it difficult to believe indeed that the Corsairs would have reached Minas Anor, too…” He seemed to talk more to himself than to the others in the room. Durmán and Bebberyn remained silent, waiting for him to continue.


“This is a difficult decision for me to make”, the Prince said finally, “ for I am a Prince and my city is in danger. But I believe we must find Aragorn first. We cannot risk losing both cities to the enemies. We must find Aragorn.” The Prince turned to the guard. “Go find lady Arwen, she is the only one, who might be able to help us.”