The Bard at Hogwarts

The border between Rohan and Gondor.

On the towering western spur of the White Mountains.

The last of Gondor's seven beacons, Haliferion, was ablaze.

…

"Dang, Dang, Dang..."

The royal capital of Rohan, Edoras.

The gathering bell rang in the highest meeting hall. Théoden, dressed in military uniform, had been waiting in the hall for a long time.

"Now that they have lit the beacon for help, I will abide by the ancient oath and lead five thousand Rohan hussars to the aid of Gondor."

After everyone came to the meeting hall, Théoden expressed his decision without hesitation.

"Eomer will go with me as my second-in-command, and when I die in battle, he will become the supreme commander of the cavalry."

Théoden looked around, where all the senior officials of Rohan were gathered. His eyes slowly passed over these familiar faces, and finally...

"Theojed, lead a thousand men to stay in Edoras to guard against the counterattack of the Dunlanders in the west. This is the order of the King of Rohan!"

It is different from the original story of despair and endless hatred for the dark forces.

Now, Théoden must find a reasonable reason to leave enough power to continue Rohan.

…

Rohan rushes to the aid of Gondor.

The order to go out was quickly conveyed from level to level.

Once again, the loyal Rohan people silently packed their bags and said their final goodbyes to their families.

At the gate of Edolas City, a table more than three meters wide stands in between.

On the table, there are various refined weapons and armors, sharp spears, barrels of arrows, interlocking chainmails, convenient round shields and lightweight helmets.

Ino stood at the table, flanked by countless residents of Rohan who were bidding farewell to their loved ones. They also came to say farewell to their family and friends.

This is the tradition of Rohan, the final farewell before going to war.

As the first soldier passed the door, at Ino's signal, he picked up the fine equipment. Needless to say, everyone who passed by chose weapons and armor that suited them.

The magical scene happened again, just like the food distribution six months ago.

Witnessed by all the Rohan people, it was clear that there were only a few weapons and armor on the long table. No matter how many people stretched out their hands, there seemed to be endless things to take away.

…

On the plains of Rohan.

Five thousand well-equipped cavalry were galloping forward. Although the number was not too many, it still shook the earth, giving the feeling of thousands of horses galloping.

In fact, this is no exaggeration.

In order to rush to the aid of Gondor, Théoden chose the strategy of one man and two horses. I plan to gallop all the way south, rest briefly at the junction of Morin Creek, and then rush to Minas Tirith in one go.

In the sky, Ino is riding a broomstick.

Different from the Battle of Helm's Deep, this time he planned to give it a try as much as possible, but in theory it was only as much as possible, not without any scruples.

Unlike Bilbo's story, it's just a simple adventure, and it won't attract too many people's attention.

The story belonging to Frodo has always been divided into two lines: light and dark.

As a hidden line, Frodo arrives at the Doomsday Mountains, and destroying the One Ring is the top priority.

And everyone understands this, which is why after the Battle of Holy White City, humans once again gathered their remaining strength and rashly besieged Modo again.

Aragorn is not stupid either. He knows that there is no return, but he still has no hesitation.

To put it bluntly, it was to attract Sauron's attention.

And this is also the reason why Ino tried his best to give it a try. Under the great music, human beings are destined to rise.

Unlike Maiya who was restricted, his identity as a human wizard gave him the greatest freedom.

…

Two days of running day and night.

evening.

Five thousand Rohan cavalry finally arrived at the southern end of the White Mountains - Morin Creek.

After the sentries confirmed that the area was safe, Théoden gave the order to set up camp and rest.

With Morin Creek as the junction, it only takes half a day to reach Minas Tirith on horseback.

In the sky, Ino slowly lowered his broom.

He didn't go looking for Théoden, let alone Aragorn. He just sat quietly on a rock alone.

Under the dusk, there were more than five thousand people and war horses, making this slightly open camp noisy and even a little messy.

But no matter what, tomorrow's battle should be the last battle for many Rohan people.

…

Sitting on a rock.

Ino opened the suitcase and took out the long-lost Scottish accordion.

His first musical instrument in the wizarding world.

Years have passed since the past, but looking back now, I can still remember the scene of buying the accordion, the gold coins presented by Old John, the Gringotts goblin's deception and exchange, the stationery store owner's surprise when he blended the ink...

At dusk, Ino played the accordion again, without using magic or letting it sing automatically.

A man sat quietly on the rock, and the sad and melodious sound of bagpipes slowly sounded.

The sound was carried far away by the breeze.

Suddenly, the entire camp became much quieter, and even the restless horses stopped scratching their hooves.

Listening to the music, many people seem to see another picture, with rolling mountains, unique plaid skirts, tiny and unyielding moss flowers... and the Scottish people falling in a pool of blood one by one.

The sad melody contains majesty. This is an epic movement written with blood and tears by mankind's desire for freedom.

Finished with one song.

"Does it have a name?"

Theoden had come to the rock without knowing when. Eomer, Aragorn, and the elven prince Legolas also came with him.

"Brave heart!" Ino slowly put down the accordion.

Looking around the Morin Creek camp, he now understood the story of Middle-earth, and even had a vague understanding...

Time is like a song. When the people of Middle-earth grow old generation after generation, only the stories of heroes are always sung by people, and the legendary deeds will be immortal.

"Everyone will die! But not everyone really lives!"

...

Under the night.

Under the impetuousness at dusk, the Rohan camp at this moment seems particularly quiet.

Ino knows this change, but he doesn't know the reason for the change.

Perhaps, the knights of Rohan have regained their courage and faith. But for the reason, he doesn't think that just one tune of his can cause such a large-scale change.

In this quiet atmosphere.

Suddenly, Ino felt the joy of Fide in his mind.

Looking back suddenly, it was the south of the White Mountains.

"The cursed dead in Erech..."

He thought of the army of dead that appeared in the story and then disappeared.

As the natives of the mountains and distant relatives of the Dunlendings, these Edain in the valley had suffered from the oppression of the dark forces.

It was not until 1700 of the Second Age that Sauron was driven back to Mordor by the coalition of the elves and the Numenoreans, and these natives were able to get rid of the shadow of darkness.

Since the establishment of Gondor at the end of the Second Age, these Edain swore to the Black Stone set by Isildur that they would be loyal to Gondor.

As seen in the original story, the Edain cowardly chose to refuse the summons, and Isildur also cursed beside the Black Stone:

"You will be the last king... This war will last for a long time, and you will be summoned again before the dust settles."

To be honest, this is a secret that has been hidden for three thousand years. Perhaps this is also part of the reason why Theoden chose to respond to the call to help Gondor.

Although Gondor currently has no king, the beacon of Amondin has been lit.

Facing this ancient and orthodox beacon of help standing in the White Mountains.

As the King of Rohan, Théoden dared not gamble, nor could he afford it.