Night had fallen.
Within the tents of the encampment five figures bent over a great map: Kaen Eowenríel, Wudred, Denethor, Aragorn, and Caden. The map was Denethor's gift, an old chart of the East, for in Gondor's high days its influence reached even to the seas of Rhûn, and with that heritage came knowledge of distant lands.
...
Denethor's finger rested upon the parchment. "The lands of Rhûn are mostly uninhabited," he said. "Only about the inner sea of Rhûn and the dried beds of the ancient Helcar are fit for settlement. The Helcar lies beyond the far edge of the world; our lore tells that men and elves first awoke east of the sea of Helcar, with elves awakening at Cuiviénen,t he eastern shore of Helcar whilst men awoke at Hildorien, and that the earliest Orcs and other fell breeds were spawned in that region… Yet it is too distant for our purpose. What concerns us lies nearer — the lands around the inner sea of Rhûn."
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He tapped another point. "Where rivers and resources converge about the inner sea will be where most of the eastern peoples dwell. If the enemy is to gather in force, the most likely place is the foothills to the southwest of that sea. There they may be resupplied from Mordor's rear and armed for their march."
They listened in silence.
Aragorn asked, "If we ride hard, how long will it take us to reach that place?"
Denethor considered. "The distance is thousands of leagues. We are the heavy cavalry; we cannot move as swiftly as light horse."
"If we push our beasts' strength, it will take two months. With frequent remounting, each rider carries five horses, we might shorten it to a month and a half."
Wudred's voice cut in. "They will be ready by mid-summer at the latest. There are fewer than two months until then. We have no excess of time."
...
After a short conference their eyes turned to Kaen. He was quiet a while, measuring the map as if it were the face of a sleeping foe. At last he spoke: "If this is to be a lightning strike, it must be swifter than anything the enemy imagines. We must make the journey within a month."
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Wudred's brow knotted. "Your Majesty, that is near-impossible. A warhorse cannot endure sustained long-range gallop…. the beasts' lungs will break."
Kaen smiled with the calm of one who has long foreseen troubles and kept remedies. He took from his pouch a small flask and placed upon the table a triangular loaf. The others peered, puzzled.
"This," he said, "is water drawn and charged with the power of the Blue Tree. A single drop will sustain a man's spirit for three days and three nights, and it helps preserve the horses' bodies. And this is lembas, the Elven waybread. One small morsel will sustain a grown man for a day. I have arranged with the Elves of Taurëmírë to prepare enough to feed an army of a hundred thousand for a month."
At that, incredulity passed among them, then delight. If such things would do as Kaen said, speed was theirs; they needed only to ride.
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Five days were then spent in drill and accord, that the soldiers of three realms might learn each other's ways. When the work was ready the host assembled. On the brown, blasted plain Kaen and his captains stood upon a ridge and looked upon an endless sea of horses and riders.
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Kaen lifted his voice, clear and ringing. "Sons of Rohan! Stalwarts of Gondor! Warriors of Eowenría! You know why we gather here. We do not gather for feasting or for courtly honor."
"We gather for vengeance! For whom shall we make vengeance? For all the free peoples, who have been scourged by the darkness!"
"Look to the east where the sun rises: there our kindred once first stood. That land was holy once, yet now it is defiled by the servants of shadow. Those barbarians, the men of the East, the chariot folk, they have betrayed us; they have defiled the faith and justice of men."
"Oft they ride westward to plunder, to slaughter our kin, to raze our towns. Now they gather once more under the guidance of a dark lord, and they would come upon our homes."
"Some say we should raise walls and wait. Some say we should flee. But not today."
"Today I lead you to do a deed which will show those dark men that if they may come and take, so may we take up spear and shield and go to them. We shall teach the world that where light shines, darkness will flee. East to Rhûn! For once we must sweep the shadow from its lairs!"
A cry rose from tens of thousands: banners and iron made sudden music. Kaen drew the sword of Courage and Glory and pointed east. "Ride!" he commanded.
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Thirty thousand heavy horse, and an ocean of steeds streamed eastward like a flood of tempered steel. Each heart beat like a smith's hammer, waiting for the moment of strike.
They left the Brown Lands and entered the plains of Dagorlad, a field that had once known Elves and Men standing shoulder to shoulder. Relics of old wars still scarred that ground,the land itself had borne witness to the fall of many a king and the steadfastness of those who stood before doom. It was a soil of memory and of oath.
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Gondor, Rohan, and Eowenría, the warriors of three realms, rode with one mind and a hot courage. Kaen rode his mearh and over the host he wove a cloak of mist with his craft, that the great army might move unseen. They did not rest save for the briefest hours to feed the beasts. Many rode through the night and fed lembas to the mounts in hopes to hasten their recovery.
They hungered for deeds; they longed to reach the place where the enemy lay and hurl themselves upon it.
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A month passed. Against all that men had thought possible, they reached the lands of Rhûn, a feat unmatched in the annals of Middle-earth. Scouts, sent far ahead, now returned with word of the hosts marshaled by the enemy.
Kaen gave his orders: "Let men and horses rest this night. Consume the Blue Tree water until none remain; tomorrow, when the sun rises, we strike."