[Ransom]

Before allowing the Swift Swallow to sail down the river, the Gondorian officials operating on the rock isle of Cair Andros would have to inspect the cargo and charge a certain duty for its movement. While the Gondorian government was known for it’s efficiently in warfare and collecting money, the entire process would still take the better part of a day. In addition to the necessary delay, Captain Sindor wanted to use the brief layover to fix some of the areas of the ship that had been damaged the night before. With luck, the Swift Swallow would sail at dawn the next day. All five of his passengers had been deposited at the base of the gangplank with verbal directions to the closest (and only) inn on the island.

It was still two hours before noon when the group reassembled in the main room of the Cozy Cove. Halasan and Tunar quickly decided to visit the local trader and attempt to secure some supplies. While their gear had been mostly untouched by the fighting the night before, the crew’s zeal in putting out the fire had damaged the group’s stored food. Haleg, for the lack of anything better to do, decided to follow his friends. Azariah, however, had other plans.

“I feel obligated to pay a visit to the captain in charge of this island. His troops, no doubt, are already pondering what in the world a member of the Citadel Guard is doing at this outpost. It shouldn’t take very long, provided that the captain has no unusual requests.”

Elenna, on the other hand, had not decided what to do for the rest of the day. Instead, she was wondering about the fortress and, in particular, the ruins that covered most of the island. Why did Gondor need a fortress here when the nearest threat was a few hundred miles to the northeast? And, furthermore, why was most of the island in ruins? The last major battle had occurred during the War of the Rings. Before everyone else had risen and gone their separate ways, she decided to share her confusion.

“Why is there an outpost here anyways? And why does it look half destroyed?”

Azariah chuckled as he adjusted the straps that held his bastard sword diagonally across his back. “Because it was destroyed, dear lady. After the fall of Sauron, the last of his armies holed up on the island. They were besieged and, for the most part, destroyed. The remnant fled into the caves under the island or escaped into the countryside. Now it’s the best place for the Crown to collect duties on shipping.”

“I see,” responded Elenna, “but why does there still need to be a commander here?”

“The orcs still foray out of the caves every few months. ‘Tis his job to keep them from spreading off the island. With the king off on another campaign, there isn’t enough men free to clean out the caves properly.”

Her question answered, Elenna rose with the rest of the group and made her way to the door, carefully to stay just behind Azariah. She was fairly certain that he intended to leave her with the others when he went off to talk to the commander. While more than one person had described her as quite and unresponsive during conversations, she enjoyed listening to other people’s conversation. “Can I go with you to see the commander?”

The Gondorian abruptly stopped in the doorway, almost causing the small woman behind him to crash into the armor plates on his back. “I suppose you can come, but I assure you that you’ll find most of the conversation quite stale. But perhaps you’ll put some thought into seeing the garrison apothecary before we return, especially since your cough is getting worse.”

***

While he had received ample funding for building a fortress on Cair Andros, Ealos had faced a good number of logistical and engineering problems before he could begin construction. Not many walls or buildings had survived the initial siege, and those that did had been damaged beyond use by the elements. Stone would have to be hauled down the Anduin from the closest quarries, a task requiring several dozen barges and over a hundred men. Furthermore, craftsmen and laborers had to be hired and transport to the island. Wood for temporary huts as well as piers needed to be imported. All the while, the captain needed to keep the occasional party of unruly orcs from burning down the entire operation.

Relying heavily on local contacts and several family members, the hero of the Battle of Harad had managed to gather enough supplies to begin construction in late September. While the cold, damp weather caused by the river had stopped construction for the winter, the outer walls and a small keep had been complete within a year of the onset of construction. Construction of barracks, warehouses, more docks, a small blacksmith, and custom offices were completed by the middle of next summer. For the most part, the old campaigner had found the posting fairly boring. True, the garrison needed to keep a careful watch for orcs attempting to slip of the islands. Every once in a while, the orcs would even launch an ill-fated attempt to siege the fortress. Still, while these attacks were easily repulsed, Ealos’s requests for more men to end the orcish menace were always turned down. Though he resented being ignored, the captain figured that any post was better than living the rest of his days in dotage.

Ealos’s living quarters occupied half of the second floor of the squat stone keep. His wife, a loud and fairly sociable woman, often made trips to visit friends in Minas Anor. He certainly couldn’t blame her—Cair Andros was hardly the most interesting place to spend one’s days. In particular, news was hard to come by. Anybody with (reliable) news from the outside world, particularly about military matters, was often invited to dine with the captain.

Azariah smiled gratefully at Ealos as the captain filled two old goblets with red wine. While soldiers was generally forbidden from consuming alcoholic beverages when on duty, both men had been more than glad to forget the regulation.

Ealos carefully resealed the wineskin before reverently returning it to a low cabinet besides his desk. “The cups are an old family heirloom. One of my grandfathers got the cups as his share of loot when his warship captured a pirate ship. Do you want anything, lady?”

Elenna smiled and shook her head before leaning backwards into her chair. Somewhat wisely, she had declined the captain’s offer of wine. At the worst, this will be a boring conversation she reasoned, but certainly better than spending the morning with Haleg. Perhaps some of Azariah’s wariness was wearing off on her.

Azariah smiled at the old captain across from him. “I see your line of the family’s lost their naval standings, Captain Ealos.”

The man laughed loudly before taking a long drink from his cup. While he obviously had some love for drinking, Ealos was certainly not a physical slob. “Hardly, lieutenant. My son’s an officer on the Queen’s Jewel out of Dol Amroth. But tell me about yourself. ‘Tils rare enough to see a member of the Citadel Guard, never mind in a small outpost.”

“Aye, the King doesn’t dispense of his guard unless he’s in Minas Anor. But I’m a Hand, not a Guard. Delivered a message to the King of the Mark.”

Ealos nodded toward the brooch shaped like a fist that kept the soldier’s cloak tightly around his neck. While he wasn’t wearing any sort of armor or carrying a weapon, the black and silver uniform of the Hosts was hung loosely from the captain’s thin frame. “So I see. And who is this fine lady you have with you?”

“Eomer’s infamous for borrowing the King’s messengers. He sent me on a small errand. Eowyn has asked for Elenna’s presence in Ithilien.”

Elenna shot Azariah an angry glance. She resented having her journey being referred to as an errand. “Lady Eowyn wishes for a nurse for her children. We met last time she traveled back to her homeland.”

“And the rest of your companions?”

Azariah gently set his cup down before looking directly across the table. “That is a completely different matter altogether. A landowner, a blacksmith, and a mercenary. We joined them on the way down from Edoras. From the best of my knowledge, they’re heading down to Minas Anor.”

“I see,” answered the commander thoughtfully. “What in the world is such a strange group of people doing traveling together?”

“’Tis a strange story. The landowner’s chasing a kidnapper, the blacksmith came along as a guide, and only the Valar know what the mercenary wants.”

“And, I take it, you don’t trust one of them.”

Elenna straightened up in her seat. This was certainly turning out to be an interesting conversation.

“Aye. Would you happen to have a messenger sending dispatches Minas Anor sometime soon?”

“He rides every week. I can have him carry something for you, if you’d like.”

Azariah smiled thinly and picked his cup up again. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to send a dispatch out.”

[ May 21, 2003: Message edited by: Ransom ]

[ May 21, 2003: Message edited by: Ransom ]