At this moment, dawn finally arrived, neither hurried nor slow.
Inside and outside the walls of Helm's Deep, the corpses of enemies were piled up like mountains, making them extremely difficult to deal with.
Fortunately, the Ents who had just finished off the remaining enemy troops arrived. They helped bury the Uruk-hai corpses across the deep and wide valleys, piling them up until a small mound was formed. Only then was the battlefield finally cleared.
Later, that mound came to be called "Death Hill," and it was said that over ten thousand corpses lay beneath it.
Once the matter of the Uruk-hai was settled, attention turned to the Dunlendings. Seeing that the tide had turned against them, they all chose to surrender.
The Rohirrim did not slaughter these surrendering foes, but instead granted them mercy, though this mercy was conditional upon their acts of repentance and sworn oaths.
First, they were required to bury the dead and repair the damaged defenses of Helm's Deep. Then they had to swear that from that day forward they would never again cross Rohan's borders or invade even an inch of its land, nor ever ally themselves with the enemies of Men.
Those Dunlendings who swore and upheld these oaths were allowed to return home and continue their lives.
It was already a very lenient punishment, one that showed great mercy.
While Rohan was still tending to its affairs, a visitor came to see Garrett.
"So you're the northern human leader those two Hobbits spoke of?"
Treebeard bent down, his huge face looming close to Garrett, examining him with curiosity.
Garrett replied, "If the man they mentioned is named Garrett, then yes, that's me."
Treebeard blinked and gazed at him for a while before saying, "I have lived deep in the mountains for so long that I know little of the outside world. What I know of you is only what those two little Hobbits told me. Forgive me. Time passes differently for us. To us, a few thousand years is but the span of a nap. In that time, heroes rise and fall like shooting stars, bright for a moment and then gone."
Garrett smiled and said, "That's true. I know something of your kind's habits. Being unaware of worldly affairs is quite natural."
"There's a great heat about you," Treebeard said. "It makes even my bark feel dry. Though the sensation isn't exactly pleasant, I don't dislike you. I can feel it through the earth itself. The brown lands have sprouted new trees and plants, and all of that has come from you. Welcome, friend. You are welcome to visit my home at the foot of Fangorn whenever you wish. I'll give you a proper welcome, if I happen to be awake then."
"And you, too, are welcome to visit any part of the Free Cities. If you're ever willing to venture out."
As he spoke, Garrett looked at Treebeard's wooden head and thought that the old Ent probably had no idea what the Free Cities were, nor when they had even come to exist.
Haha.
Treebeard laughed softly, straightened up, and said no more. He simply returned to his duties as "Shepherd of the Trees," guiding the awakened trees back into the forest so they wouldn't wander off.
After he left, Merry and Pippin came running over.
"Hey, Garrett," Merry said, "you know what? When we were attacking Isengard, Treebeard kept talking about Balrogs and fire-breathing dragons. He said they were part of the Dark Lord's army. But in the end, all we found were some orcs, not even any trolls!"
"How did he even think of such things?"
Both of them looked puzzled.
Garrett chuckled, ruffled their hair, and said, "That was Morgoth's army, not Sauron's."
"Long ago, the title 'Dark Lord' belonged to Morgoth. Only later was it passed down to Sauron."
"Morgoth sounds really powerful. Wouldn't he mind someone else taking his title?"
"He doesn't mind," Garrett said with certainty.
"But his army did truly exist."
"What?! For real?"
The two Hobbits were shocked. If even the Ents couldn't defeat such an army, it must have been one capable of destroying the world.
"Yes, it really did exist," Garrett said, smiling mysteriously. "Before I came back, it certainly did."
The two clever Hobbits immediately caught on to the implication in his words.
"Wait... you mean, during that time you disappeared in the Northern Waste..."
"Yes."
"I destroyed that entire army. They will never again appear in this world."
"Wow..."
At that moment, the two little fellows were completely, utterly stunned.
"Hey, Treebeard! We've got some huge news!"
After recovering from their shock, they couldn't wait to run over to Treebeard and share this fresh bit of first-hand information.
Garrett watched the two lively little ones scamper off and couldn't help but laugh again.
But that laughter quickly faded.
A Ranger squad from the fortress city at the South Undeep came to report the latest developments.
At that very moment, forty thousand soldiers were gathered there, facing off against Mordor's main host.
Although the two armies were holding their lines without yet engaging, intelligence from the Free Cities was flowing in steadily. Some Rangers had even infiltrated the area near the Black Gate, watching its movements day by day.
"The number of troops at the Black Gate has decreased. A significant portion of them have marched south."
"According to a secret informant at the Crossroads, those forces were sent to Osgiliath. The battle there is said to be brutal. The Witch-king himself led his army across the bridge, and the Gondorian defenders have all been forced to retreat."
"Also, there's news from the south. A messenger claiming to serve one of the Blue Wizards says that a massive Umbar fleet is sailing toward Pelargir. The ships are packed with Umbar's ruthless pirates and the elite warriors of Harad. The current garrison at Pelargir will be hard-pressed to hold them off. The enemy numbers in the tens of thousands, while Gondor's defenders number only a few thousand, and they are completely isolated."
"Isolated?"
Garrett smiled faintly.
"No... not really. Send back a message. Prepare to attack the Black Gate. The time will be set for when I arrive. Also, keep watch on the North, especially Dale and Lake-town. The Men of the Dark Lands may strike there next."
"I still have some matters to take care of here. Once I'm done, I'll return. Let's give our great enemy a little pressure."
"If he attempts to attack Gondor's capital, then I'll strike straight into his own stronghold, and we'll see who panics first."
Whether Sauron would panic or not remained to be seen.
But at that moment, someone else did panic first.
---
Elsewhere, Pippin and Merry were riding on Treebeard's shoulders, chatting merrily all the way back to Isengard and savoring the sweet fruits of victory.
"Saruman sure knew how to live it up! Who'd have thought that the supposedly calm and wise wizard would be addicted to pipe-weed?"
"And not just any weed. It's Longbottom Leaf, the finest! Oh, look over there. Isn't that the famous roast from Helm's Deep? And that mild, mellow leaf, ah, I love it!"
The two Hobbits ate and drank to their hearts' content, puffing happily on pipes and each pouring themselves a mug of ale. What a delightful time they had!
But word of Isengard's recapture spread quickly, and they weren't the only ones who showed up.
"You foolish Hobbits! Keep your hands off my things!"
A white, well, no, rather grayish and multicolored old man stormed in upon hearing the commotion. When he saw the food in his storeroom being devoured, he completely lost his temper.
The two Hobbits froze.
"Gandalf? No... wait, no. His robes aren't that ugly, and his face isn't that sour. Well, not usually."
They muttered to each other.
"Saruman."
It was Treebeard who spoke the name upon hearing the commotion.
Saruman, who had been about to scold the Hobbits further, immediately fell silent.
Treebeard fixed him with a stare. His huge eyes vividly expressed anger.
"You owe me an explanation," Treebeard rumbled.
That took the wind right out of the flustered Saruman.
"Please, hear me out! It was never my intention, my friend. You know I've always cared for the great trees of the forest. I never meant any harm! It was all because of our enemy. You have no idea how much I've suffered! It was hell itself! They wouldn't kill me and let my spirit return, yet they wouldn't free me either. They tormented me endlessly..."
"That does sound like quite the torment," Merry whispered.
Sitting among the ruins, the two Hobbits continued smoking Saruman's precious leaf while watching the scene unfold. His misfortunes made the smoke taste all the sweeter.
As Saruman stammered through his excuses, more people arrived soon after.
Théoden, Éomer, the members of the Fellowship, and Garrett.
They had all come to inspect the situation at Isengard.