Chapter 189: Banquet and Meeting

Of these three, the one on the far left was the Steward of Gondor, Turgon; his frame was tall but currently somewhat hunched, his left hand gripping a silver-white staff, which he struck heavily against the marble-paved ground.

This elderly man, plagued by illness, was struggling to support his own body, performing gestures that were both befitting his status and filled with sincerity.

At this moment, Turgon looked at his approaching allies, a heartfelt smile appearing on his pale face.

The crisis of Gondor's destruction could be considered averted.

To the old man's right stood a tall and sturdy young man; this was the sixteen-year-old Denethor, the youngest male of the House of Hurin.

Although he was bent over to support his grandfather, his handsome face remained held high, and his grey-blue eyes scanned the arriving crowd, his expression neither sad nor happy, as if everything before him could not affect his thoughts in the slightest.

Standing on the far right was Gandalf, who had departed without saying goodbye again after arriving at Edoras.

Upon arriving at the White City, the Grey Wizard had immediately blended in with the residents, observing the development of the situation and doing everything in his power to encourage the people of Gondor, calling back their self-confidence to resist evil.

Judging by the performance of the people of Gondor, Gandalf had successfully evoked hope in their hearts with the help of the arrival of reinforcements.

And when the group arrived at the entrance of the Feast Hall.

The "Key-bearer" Galdor was the first to reach Turgon's side to introduce the guests one by one to his Lord Steward.

"This is Lord Cirdan, the ruler from Lindon; it was he who received your letter."

Following Galdor's introduction, Turgon bowed slightly and shakily toward Cirdan, saying in a low, hoarse voice: "At such a critical moment, I represent the people of Gondor in thanking you for your kindness, and for the aid the Elves have provided us."

Cirdan nodded gently and responded with a calm expression: "The light of friendship has always shone between Humans and Elves; we have fought against darkness together, and today is a continuation of the friendship of the past, a new beginning."

Lindir, standing to the side, also spoke up: "Lord Elrond of Rivendell instructed me to bring a message: there is an ancient alliance between Humans and Elves; in the past, we lived and died together on the battlefield, and today, I am also glad to fight side by side with you once again."

Galdor continued his introductions from the side: "This is Lord Lindir, an Elf from Rivendell."

"We thank Rivendell for its help to Gondor; we shall surely keep it in our hearts."

Facing Turgon's thanks, Lindir nodded and said nothing more.

To the Elves, the lifespan of Humans is simply too short; perhaps in the blink of an eye, the old man before them would have already departed from Arda.

As long as he had a choice, Lindir did not really want to remember these things.

To him, if a friendship with Humans reached a certain level, it was actually a form of pain.

At this time, Gandalf, who had been standing quietly to the side, came to Allen's side.

With a smile on his face, he introduced him to Turgon: "Next, please allow me to make the introductions. This is the young man I once mentioned to you, Allen from Rhovanion. Hearing that Gondor was in trouble, he traveled thousands of miles to bring troops to support us. And this Dwarf beside him is Fili, heir to the King of the Lonely Mountain, and this young Elf is Legolas, son of the Elvenking Thranduil."

Previously, Turgon had known that there were Northern Men and Dwarves among the reinforcements, and he had also learned who the leaders bringing the troops were.

Now that Gandalf had said this, Turgon recalled even more.

Not long ago, he seemed to have written a letter to the young man before him, promising to help him deal with the Easterlings harassing his borders.

And now, this young man had brought elite troops to support Gondor.

As the current Steward of Gondor, Turgon had received quite detailed information from his subordinates early on.

The troops this young man brought were all elite; in addition to over three hundred heavy cavalry in full plate armor, there were nearly five hundred horse archers—this was already a force not to be underestimated.

Moreover, Turgon, with his sharp eye, could tell from the start that the three people Gandalf introduced were one force.

Whether it was the heir to the King of the Lonely Mountain or the son of the Elvenking, both were led by the Human before him.

Such a phenomenon had never even appeared in the ancient poems.

This could not help but fill the old man's heart with curiosity.

Could it be that this young kinsman of his had already established a prosperous Human kingdom in the North?

No matter how surprised he was in his heart, Turgon did not show the slightest hint of it on his face, but instead forced himself to maintain his spirit and said with a smile: "Young friend, my blood kinsman, I never thought I would be able to meet you at such a time. Regardless, I am very grateful for your help. But, have your troubles been resolved?"

Allen replied solemnly: "Thank you for your concern; my troubles have already retreated to the East. Now, it is time to resolve Gondor's troubles. In these years when darkness is rising and the situation is turbulent, I hope our two nations can always watch over and assist each other."

"Certainly, certainly."

As he spoke, Turgon looked at Aragorn beside Allen with some confusion and asked: "Who is this?"

Allen pulled Aragorn to his side and smiled as he introduced him to Turgon: "This is my kinsman, and also my student; his name is Estel."

Young Aragorn did not show any unease, but bowed to the old man before him with great grace; Turgon nodded with a look of relief.

For a moment, he seemed to see a glimmer of light on the young boy's forehead, but it vanished in a flash.

For a moment, Turgon felt that his old eyes might be failing him.

Turgon knew that the Numenorean blood of the House of Hurin had already thinned, and most people did not live past one hundred years.

He was old, truly old.

However, this was not a good time for reflection; after a brief conversation, the stars had already slowly appeared in the firmament, and the banquet began at this moment.

Although this banquet was prepared in great haste, the fine wine and dishes were by no means meager; Lord Turgon had done his utmost to entertain his allies.

Amidst the music, Allen was whispering to Gandalf beside him.

"Gandalf, my friend, I hear the master of Orthanc is also here. If I run into him, would you mind if I sought retribution for the humiliation I suffered in Lothlorien?"

Gandalf was startled upon hearing this, then revealed a smile and said:

"Allen, I never thought the resentment between you had reached such a point. In fact, I don't particularly want to stop you, but please, for the sake of being on the same front, do not make things difficult for him for now. After this war is over, there will be plenty of opportunities."

Allen smiled slyly: "After the war is over, this fellow will probably run back to Orthanc, close the gates, and go back to making his Rings. Am I supposed to storm his gates to demand an explanation? By the way, where is he now?"

Gandalf nodded in understanding; he also knew that if it weren't for Turgon's request, Saruman would never have stepped out of that high tower.

"He should be in Osgiliath now, beside Turgon's son Ecthelion. There is a rumor in the city recently that more evil forces have arrived there, requiring the assistance of a Wizard; Saruman left quite early."

Allen nodded; regardless of anything else, Saruman had made no small contribution in this war that had lasted for several years, though it was unknown whether his inflated desire for power would change.

At this moment, the one presiding over the entire banquet and entertaining the guests was the "Key-bearer" Galdor, and assisting him on the side was the young Denethor.

Given Turgon's physical condition, it was already quite good that he could come out to meet everyone.

Just as Allen and Gandalf were talking, James walked over from the side; he was there at Allen's suggestion to help check on the physical condition of the Steward, Turgon.

And Turgon had also heard of James's great name from Sengel, knowing that this was a doctor with superb medical skills, capable of saving even the bedridden Fengel.

Therefore, he did not mind letting James diagnose him.

And James, having just sat down, saw the two of them staring at him; he shook his head and said: "It is no use; the Steward of Gondor no longer has enough life force to complete a treatment. If I were to force a cure, he would likely die at my hands. He is not just suffering from illness; in order to cope with this war, this old man has already burned away his life."

After hearing this, Allen silently dismissed the idea of using his ability to help heal him.

His ability could indeed restore injuries and illnesses, but it also required the life force of the patient or the wounded to sustain it.

If he were careless and the current Steward of Gondor died at his hands, the matter would be impossible to explain.

It was possible that before he even began to fight against Mordor, he would have to fight a battle with Gondor first.

Such a mistake must never be made.

Just as Allen shook his head in regret, young Denethor stood in the corner of the banquet hall, watching the two people conversing.

This young heir to the Stewardship also knew that his grandfather's time had come; many of Gondor's Physicians had already tried, and the results were all the same.

Even Turgon himself had discussed this matter with Denethor; the old man truly saw through death clearly.

But Denethor could not let go of this family affection; he was a sensitive person, and although he felt reluctant in his heart, he would never take the initiative to express it.

James's arrival gave this young man a glimmer of hope, yet in the end, he still faced only disappointment.

However, Denethor would not vent his anger on Allen and James because of this matter; after all, the other party had good intentions.

It was just that one more person had told him that his grandfather did not have much time left, and companionship was the only thing that could be done for now.

This feeling was not easy to bear; Denethor simply noted this matter down, and he likely would not forget it for a long time.

Perhaps due to the fatigue of the journey, this banquet ended quickly after everyone had eaten and drunk their fill.

Most people, accompanied by the Royal Guard, left the seventh level of the White City and headed to the camp on the first level to rest.

But there were also some who did not leave; for example, Gandalf, Allen and his companions, Cirdan, and Dirnil of Rivendell—none of them left.

They had not attended the banquet solely for a meal.

In the Steward's conference room, Turgon, along with Denethor and the "Key-bearer" Galdor, discussed the current situation of Gondor with the group that had come from the south.

The position of "Key-bearer" was very important here in Minas Tirith; from a certain perspective, it belonged to the deputy of the Steward.

If any accident happened to the Steward, the "Key-bearer" would temporarily take over the responsibility of managing the White City before the new Steward inherited the power.

During this period, the power held by the "Key-bearer" in the White City was no different from that of the Steward, unless someone of higher status appeared.

For example, the current twentieth Prince of Dol Amroth, Angalimir.

As the most prominent noble in Gondor, the Prince of Dol Amroth could also wield considerable power in times of crisis, with the "Key-bearer" mainly playing a supporting role.

And in this meeting, most of the time was spent with Galdor speaking, while Turgon only provided affirmation on the side and made a few small additions.

Allen and Cirdan also learned of Gondor's current predicament through the sharing of intelligence.

Although Gondor was already in a chaotic mess with Mordor at this time, the situation was actually relatively clear.

Most of Gondor's southern territories, such as the furthest Pinath Gelin and Anfalas.

Their strength was not strong to begin with, and now, under the harassment of the Umbar Pirates, their forces were intercepted at Belfalas and could not reach the White City at all.

As for the closer Lamedon, because it was a fiefdom located inland, it did not have the worry of being harassed by pirates.

The brave and warlike inhabitants there had already joined the battlefield early under the leadership of their lord.

This unit was currently defending the coastline of Lebennin together with the local lord, resisting the pirates who frequently raided there; although the intensity of the conflict between the two sides was small, it was very frequent.

After all, most of the pirates were gathered in the area of Pelargir at the moment, except for some Ships that were entangled with the remaining Gondor navy in the narrow river channels.

The rest of them would not stay idle in place obediently.

And the current defense of Pelargir, the main city of Lebennin, was very worrying; if it were not for the elite troops of the Prince of Dol Amroth camping and defending near the town.

Such a harbor city might have long been breached by the pirates advancing from several directions.

And the troops of Minas Tirith and Arnach were guarding the western district of Osgiliath.

They were confronting the Haradrim who had repaired the bridge across the river, and cruel street fighting would break out between the two sides from time to time.

As for the reinforcements from Rohan and the troops of Anorien itself, they were held back by the enemy forces at Cair Andros.

In fact, the number of Rohan Cavalry led by Sengel at this time was no less than four thousand, but Turgon still had no intention of letting this Cavalry unit leave that place.

Because he could not afford the cost of the Pelennor Fields being damaged; the enemy must not be allowed to cross there.

After a period of thinking and debate, Cirdan and Allen agreed that committing troops to the defense line of the Anduin River would not work.

They must turn from passive to active.

Although the force they brought to support was powerful, it was ultimately limited.

They must change the existing situation.