Rise (Lord of the Rings)

32 - Edoras

Gandalf had been right when he said that the ride to Edoras would take less than two days. Even with a night to rest—which I was sure we were all thankful for—we made good time.

From a far distance, I could spot something that could resemble a city. It was hard to tell since it was pretty far away to gather any details. The most I could gather at the moment was that Edoras looked to be settled on a high hill.

I was so focused on Edoras that I hadn't realized Aragorn halted our horse when I felt my body lurch quickly forward. Startled, I recovered myself quickly.

"Edoras and the Golden Hall of Meduseld," Gandalf announced. "There dwells Théoden, King of Rohan, whose mind is overthrown. Saruman's hold over King Théoden is now very strong. Be careful what you say. Do not look for welcome here."

As if we were ever searching for it in the first place, I wanted to retort.

The company continued onward to the city in Rohan.

As Edoras became clearer to my eyes, I realized the city was enclosed by a high brick wall, atop it wooden fences, as if to keep out intruders. I wondered what lay inside the protection of the wall. Would we find a city full of wealthy people, cheery folk like those in the Shire, or those who were fighting poverty and war?

I remembered Gandalf's words. Saruman's hold over King Théoden is now very strong. Do not look for welcome here. If Saruman controlled the king, then there was a chance that the Wizard turned the king into a monstrous dictator. Though, hearing no whimpers or shouts of pain from inside the wall gave me a sliver of hope.

The horses walked a trail surrounded by mounds littered with small, white flowers lying across them. I had never seen those flowers before, and now wondered if they were only native to Rohan.

The doors to Edoras were open. The horses slowed to a walk. Gandalf pushed Shadowfax in first, Legolas and Gimli trailed behind him. Just as Aragorn and I were heading for the doors, our attention was directed towards a fluttering object in the breeze. A few feet from us, a flag landed. I noticed the creation on the flag before—it had been the flag the Riders of Rohan held when we had encountered them.

The sight inside the walls reminded me of the Shire, though not as green or beautiful, or large. The ground was mostly dirt; there were barely patches of grass to be found. I tried to not let my gaze linger on the folk that watched us. Some gave us incredulous looks, as if they had never seen a Hobbit, Elf, Dwarf, Wizard, or a Man before.

Gandalf and Shadowfax led our group up the hill. It gave me plenty of time to observe my surroundings. Edoras didn't seem as though it was a poor city, though it did not look as though everyone had money pouring out of their ears either. The way the people ghosted silently made me shudder.

There were many one-story brick houses. There was an occasional cart that was either loaded or not. A few loaded sacks of feed or hay lay against the sides of the brick houses.

Edoras reminded me of the Shire a little too much, my stomach churned uneasily from homesickness.

"You'll find more cheer in a graveyard," I muttered under my breath. "You'd find more cheer in the Shire than here, much more in fact."

"It is hard to be happy when your king is under the control of an evil Wizard," Aragorn reminded me softly. "Would any Hobbits be cheerful under the same circumstance?"

"Definitely not, but then again, we have no ruler in our homeland."

After climbing the long path, we finally reached our true destination: the Golden Hall. We leapt off the horses, making our way up the steps. The exterior of the Hall did not look like anything special.