XXXI OF THE BATTLE OF THE CROSSING OF CELDUIN AND THE DEATH OF IRMINSUL

Irminsul found himself in the camp of Lotharn the Red, his kinsman, betwixt the River Running and the Redwater. Lotharn was preparing to march his army of Easterlings, through the Crossing of Celduin, and from there to march northwards to the very gates of Dale. He hoped that there the men he had left in Dale in Una’s guard would open the gates for him when he arrived.

Yet there was still the matter of Erebor. For not lightly would the Dwarves stand by while the city of their friends was conquered before their very eyes. When Niping’s miners had excavated tunnels into Erebor, they had not only stolen weapons from inside the mountain, but they had also let into Erebor four of the Nazgul. And those Nazgul walked the Lonely Mountain unclad and invisible, whispering quietly of Moria and its reclamation. For they hoped to place the thought into the minds of as many Dwarves as could be done and see them dig greedily and dig deep once more, that they might rouse Durin’s Bane once more.

Once the Dwarves of Erebor were weakened and distracted by doubt, then the Nazgul would steal the Arkenstone, and with it in hand, they would bargain with Dain to leave Erebor to its fate. For Sauron thought that by bargaining with such treasures could the Dwarves be persuaded to aid him.

Ubar heard these whispers, and the thought came to him that the voices came from places where no Dwarf stood, though in this he was little believed for voices often echoed and carried in the tunnels beneath the mountain. Balin yet wished to know more of the conspiracy in Dale and thought too that they needed a Wizard’s aid in uncovering the truth of these voices. Though he had decreed that Erebor was to be shut, and none were to be allowed in or out, Dain saw the wisdom in this, and laid down the key to the secret door of Erebor before Balin and Ubar and walked away.

Ubar took the key readily and Balin led him to the secret door, and from there to a hideout in Dale which he had procured for situations when secrecy was of the utmost essence. With his raven, he summoned Eberwulf and Ithilonnen. Through his spies Balin learned that a host of Easterlings, too small to besiege Dale without help yet large enough to burn and plunder all other settlements along the way, was to be seen to the south on the far side of the River Running, and he summoned those of the Fellowship that could still defend the Free Peoples that they might be told of these grim tidings.

Ubar, Ithilonnen and Eberwulf heard this with concern, and marched at once for the Crossing of Celduin, for if Lotharn would not ford the river there, then he must needs march to Dale ere he could cross, and not lightly would he cross a river within bow shot of an armed city. There was a town at the Crossing, yet that town was small, and it would have seemed to Lotharn that it would be easily taken, and perhaps he thought too to plunder Sunstead or even Esgaroth as his army travelled north.

What remained of the Fellowship arrived at the Crossing of Celduin with but a few days to spare. They met there with the Master of the Crossing of Celduin, yet he was an avaricious man, and thought more of gold and his own power than aught else. He was surprised to learn that an army was marching for his settlement, yet he cared little, for he thought to charge them his tolls and let them pass.

Ubar and Eberwulf acted most rudely towards the Master then, for they had little patience. Ubar insulted the condition of the town’s gate, which in truth had long been long rusted open and could not be closed, and Eberwulf, thinking little of niceties, spoke with exceeding grimness and told the Master that all his people would die. The Master was a man of commerce who demanded respect, and was greatly offended that such men who come unbidden into his hall with such words. He would have demanded that they leave his city then, had it not been for Ubar’s offer to repair his gate for free. Ithilonnen spoke with words of apology for the bluntness of his comrades, and also with words of valour of how the enemy could be held back. The Master had little patience for idle warrior’s boasting, but he saw Ithilonnen to be a man of action and was also assured by Ithilonnen’s words that if the Master aided them, he would be aiding Dale also, and that Bard would surely show great gratitude. The Master was happy to swear fealty to Dale, if Bard would support his town, and as long as he could style himself as Lord.

Eberwulf began to work on making spears and barricades, while Ithilonnen helped those who lived on the far side of the bridge to move behind the gatehouse, which Ubar repaired with his great skill in metalwork.

All this being done, the army of Lotharn arrived, and it demanded to be allowed passage. Ithilonnen answered that they could not cross here, and so the emissary of Lotharn threatened the Crossing with ruin.

Yet when battle was joined, the forces of Lotharn could make no progress, for Ithilonnen guided the archers atop the gate and he fired his bow many a time and with great sureness when they tried to cross the bridge, and when they ceased attempts to cross, Ithilonnen instead shot at and slew many of the officers of the army who were overseeing their troops. Behind the gate Ubar saw to the construction of mangonels with great skill, and soon these were firing into Lotharn’s camp. In all this time, Eberwulf forded the river and there remained by the pillars of the bridge, Wolf-Biter in hand, ready to fell the bridge at a moment’s notice.

In desperation, Lotharn had his men pull back to a more defensible position, and construct siege equipment of his own. Thus did the mangonels of Ubar and of Lotharn fire at each other, and cause much destruction, in Lotharn’s camp and in the Crossing both.

One night Ithilonnen snuck out under cover of darkness, for he wished to survey Lotharn’s camp. It was at that time that a great pack of wargs descended upon Lotharn’s camp from the Netherwood, and began to tear the men of Lotharn asunder, for the wargs came swiftly and they came from the rear, where Lotharn had not thought to see an enemy.

It is not known now why these two armies, both servants of the Enemy, fell upon each other, though some say it was the work of Irminsul, who was then in Lotharn’s camp and had become a master of deception, such as had not been seen since the days of Annatar.

Yet if this was Irminsul’s ploy, it was to prove his undoing. For Ithilonnen saw Irminsul locked in deadly combat with the Devourer, a great white wolf whose hunger knew no bounds. Irminsul and the Devourer fought near to the cages, and in one of those cages was Ingvar son of Ingiful. Ithilonnen shot at the Devourer, yet it paid little heed to his arrows, and it struck Irminsul to the ground again and again. Irminsul tried many times to rise, his valiant spirit urging him onwards, yet he was felled every time he stood, till Irminsul’s strength failed, and he could rise no longer, and the Devourer began to feast on his flesh.

Ithilonnen was yet far away, and there was little he could do, save to loose two more arrows. Elrond in his wisdom had asked Ithilonnen to ensure that should Irminsul die, he not do so with the ring that he bore upon his finger. The first of these arrows was aimed for that finger, and it severed it ere Irminsul breathed his last. The fëa of Irminsul was freed at last from the ring and could go in peace. And with his last arrow, Ithilonnen shot at the lock upon the door to Ingvar’s cage. Thus freed, Ingvar crept away in darkness, as the Devourer was distracted by its feast.

Ithilonnen left the camp with great haste then and met Ingvar upon the shores of the river, where he escorted him back to safety behind the gatehouse.

The next day, the Fellowship returned to Lotharn’s camp and found it abandoned and desolated. It had become a field of mud and gore, a sight of great horrors. Ubar gathered up the weapons and shield of Irminsul, and what little there was of his remains, which he placed in a box. These he gave to the captain of Irminsul’s ship, who was Gerrick, son of Gersul, and kinsman to Irminsul. Yet the accursed ring which Irminsul had worn could not be found, for it had been returned to the Enemy’s grasp. It is said that it was after this that Sauron took all those rings which the Nine possessed from them, for he would accept not any further such risks to a ring of power.

The Fellowship mourned with great sadness, yet it was then, when they thought the worst was behind him, that they heard yet more fell news. For Gandalf and Balin arrived, with much sorrow that they had not come a day earlier, and they told the Fellowship that they suspected that Nazgul had entered Erebor through the tunnel which Niping’s miners had dug, and that those Nazgul meant to steal the Arkenstone, and that the Fellowship must travel to Erebor with all haste to prevent such a scheme.

It is thought that the forces of Lotharn and the Nazgul had conspired such that the Nazgul would take the Arkenstone ere Lotharn marched on Dale, and that they would use the Arkenstone to compel the Dwarves into inaction as Lotharn took Dale. For it could not be seen how else Lotharn would have managed his task, with an army of Dwarves at his back.

The Fellowship would travel to Erebor, yet not before they had seen the remains of Irminsul returned to his closest kin.