"This is Thengel."
After the meeting officially ended, Turgon asked Garrett to meet privately again, and took the opportunity to reintroduce one of the commanders from the council.
Thengel...
The name sounded familiar.
"He is not a Gondorian, yet he is respected by all the people of Gondor."
"Oh?"
Garrett looked at the commander before him with interest.
He remembered now, that name.
Thengel... wasn't he the only son of Fengel, the current King of Rohan?
Which meant this man standing before him was Théoden's father, though, calculating the time, Théoden hadn't been born yet.
"I've heard of you. You and your father seem to have many disagreements?"
Garrett took the initiative to bring this up.
Instantly, the smile on Thengel's face stiffened. Behind him, Turgon and Ecthelion both froze as well, uncertain why he had suddenly mentioned such a matter.
This was hardly a pleasant topic.
"Yes."
Thengel didn't evade the question, admitting straightforwardly: "No matter who asks me, I'll say the same, I have not the slightest goodwill toward him."
To others, this kind of family shame might be something he was reluctant to discuss, but before this legend... it no longer mattered.
No one could put on airs before him, and speaking of such matters didn't feel humiliating.
"That man, the one I must call 'father' by blood, has brought Rohan to ruin. He cares only for himself, feasting and drinking all day, never attending to affairs of state or family. The few times he does speak up, it's only to order his subordinates to plunder the people's property to satisfy his endless greed."
Though Garrett had brought it up first, Thengel couldn't hide his frustration once the topic arose. Perhaps he had been keeping it bottled up for too long with no one to confide in, and he unconsciously spoke at greater length.
"Around him are only flatterers endlessly feeding his desires and corruption. Not a single true marshal of Rohan or anyone who actually cares for the realm has any friendship with him. Even my two sisters despise him."
"I cannot bear to watch him destroy Rohan, yet I have no authority to interfere."
Just thinking of the situation in Rohan's royal house made Thengel frown deeply.
"Even if I wanted to do something to remedy Rohan's losses, he would only stop me and then have me imprisoned."
"So I thought, rather than remaining there wasting my life and enduring all that, I might as well go elsewhere and do something meaningful for the people of this world."
"So this is why the heir to the throne of Rohan commands soldiers in Gondor?"
Garrett looked at Thengel with great interest.
"Exactly so," Thengel said. "As long as he remains in Rohan, I will never return there, in fact, I have little desire to return at all. Gondor treats me well."
Bound by law, custom, and blood oath, he could not directly overthrow his father. Such action would easily lead to disastrous consequences.
But though he could not rebel, he could choose to leave.
"All of this will come to an end eventually."
"I believe that both Rohan and Gondor will become ever more prosperous in the days to come."
They shook hands. At that moment, the two could be considered officially acquainted.
"Is that to be considered a 'wizard's prophecy'?"
Ecthelion said with good humor, and Turgon and Thengel both shared knowing smiles.
Everyone knew that one of Garrett's titles was the "Block Wizard."
That was the first title to spread about him in the wilderness.
"Let's call it that."
Garrett shrugged.
He looked at the two men in their prime standing before him:
Ecthelion and Thengel.
One was the future Steward of Gondor, and the other the future King of Rohan.
According to later accounts, the former was recognized as a wise steward, skilled in governance.
The latter was praised as a virtuous king. As soon as his father died, the people of Rohan immediately petitioned him to return and inherit the throne. Even though he was reluctant, he still went back to Rohan, and during his decades of rule, the realm gradually flourished under his reign.
A few years from now, both Gondor and Rohan would welcome their own wise rulers.
The two strongest human kingdoms of the Free Peoples would, over these decades, continue to build up strength and stand firm against Mordor. And when these two men finished their reigns, that would be when the War of the Ring began.
That would also be the final chapter of the Third Age, and perhaps the end of this age of adventure as well.
Decades... merely a few decades.
Standing in that great hall with only four people present, Garrett felt momentarily disoriented.
In the blink of an eye, seven or eight years had already passed since the quest to Erebor.
Truly, just a blink, it had gone by so quickly.
Perhaps because the time span was still relatively short and hadn't shown its effects yet, the years so far had not left any visible mark on him. He was still the same as at the beginning, even his mindset, still thinking mostly about adventure and construction projects all day long.
But unlike the vigor of his thoughts, his sense of time was becoming dulled, almost like an elf's.
Without even noticing it, so much time had passed just like that.
"I'll leave the remaining time to you young people, then. I'll take my leave."
After introducing Thengel to Garrett, Turgon walked off on his own, leaving the three of them looking at each other.
"Young people..."
Garrett mulled over that phrase.
Although Ecthelion was already over sixty, and Thengel was approaching forty, in the eyes of Turgon, who was over ninety years old, they were indeed still young, at the prime age to accomplish great deeds.
As for Garrett, he was even younger, though no one would believe it if he said so.
If age had to be counted strictly from the moment he arrived in this world, then he was actually only eight years old now.
"Well then, what should we three do? Get a meal?" Garrett called to the two of them.
"I agree, it's about time for the midday meal."
"I think so as well."
"In that case, let me cook this meal."
With a grand gesture, Garrett took on the role of chef.
A certain memory crossed his mind, and he suddenly smiled.
How amusing... back when he first met Bilbo, the hobbit had asked him if he was some royal chef of a kingdom.
And now, he truly was about to cook in the royal palace of Gondor.
"You're going to cook personally?"
Ecthelion's eyes widened, clearly very interested in Garrett's recipes and culinary skills.
Thengel also said, "A legendary recipe, that's quite something to look forward to. But please excuse me for a moment, I need to go inform my family that I won't be coming home for lunch today."
"Wouldn't it be better to just bring them all here? I don't mind preparing more food," Garrett replied casually.
"If that's the case, then I'll have to bring out my collection of fine wine."
Ecthelion said, "Wine from Dorwinion and from Wayfort, those are truly rare vintages."
"Wait, wine from Wayfort?"
Garrett suddenly turned his head.
"Yes, wine from your territory. I thought it would give you a feeling of home."
Wait.
Seeing Garrett's confused expression, Ecthelion also froze for a moment.
"You didn't know? The caravan from Wayfort only arrived here yesterday."
"What?" Garrett's expression turned slightly blank.
"How did they get here?"