A few days later, in Edoras, Ecthelion spoke solemnly, "The river environment is also part of the survey. Now I'm certain that this river leads straight to Edoras, and its defenses are indeed quite important."
Denethor hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but held back.
At this moment, the three of them were each rowing a rectangular boat, slowly moving along a river near Edoras.
"Is it really wise for us to be doing this?"
Denethor sounded a bit uneasy.
"Put your worries aside, Denethor," Ecthelion called out. "Didn't I leave a message at Cair Andros?"
"You mean that little note saying the three of us went to the 'wilds around the island' to do a survey?"
From behind Garrett, Denethor raised his voice in reply.
"This definition of 'around' is a bit too broad, don't you think?"
Far enough that they were already in Rohan.
"When did you become so cautious?"
"No, Father, I just..."
"All right, all right. Since we're here, you might as well relax."
Garrett ended the father and son's exchange.
"Actually, this is a good chance to visit Thengel. I can tell he misses life in Gondor very much, he even uses Gondorian speech at home."
"...Is that so."
Ecthelion sighed.
It had only been a few years since Thengel left Gondor. Just a few years, not a long time even for Men, so the memories were still fresh.
"Gondor will remember his contributions, and I believe we will always remain friends."
Garrett smiled and said, "I believe that too."
Denethor gazed thoughtfully at the scenery along the riverbanks, nodding unconsciously.
He was barely past twenty, with no idea what the future would bring. All he knew was that this land's scenery was also beautiful. The terrain might be flat and monotonous, but that was part of its character.
It was precisely these vast plains that bred the steeds and cavalry famous across Middle-earth.
The horses of Rohan were said to be spirited and handsome, at least compared to those of other realms.
---
"What?"
Inside the Golden Hall, Thengel looked in astonishment at his visitors.
"My old friend, you look a little worn down," Ecthelion greeted him first.
Out of courtesy, Thengel replied, "Yes, there have been many troubles lately. I can hardly find peace here."
"But never mind that, what brings you here? Has Mordor launched a full attack?"
"No, no, no."
Ecthelion waved his hand and said gravely, "We came here to survey the terrain."
"Survey Rohan's terrain?"
"The wilderness and rivers near Cair Andros."
"But this is Rohan."
"Yet you can't deny that the river flows through here."
"Then I could just as well say it connects to Garrett's lands."
"Excellent idea, we can go take a look together."
Thengel frowned, about to protest.
But suddenly he stopped.
"You're right, that is a good idea."
All of them turned to look at Garrett.
The three exchanged glances.
Left out of the loop, Denethor suddenly felt uneasy.
At this rate, the "survey" wouldn't be finished in less than a month...
Fortunately, it was peacetime, and only in such relatively peaceful days could rulers travel so far without worrying about danger.
And speaking of peace, much of it was thanks to one particular member of their company.
---
Three days later.
"Hey, guess what I found!"
On the wasteland near the northern Wold, Thengel shouted back at the three following him.
Gone was his earlier weariness, now he looked full of life, even the lines on his face seemed fewer.
From atop a high hill, after calling out, Thengel raised a handful of freshly picked mushrooms.
Garrett's expression immediately darkened.
But Ecthelion and Denethor didn't realize the danger, they were still laughing.
Bringing the mushrooms back, Thengel quickly set up a campfire and put water on to boil.
"Let me cook this time. Don't worry, I'm not someone who's never set foot in a kitchen. I even learned this mushroom soup from Garrett."
"Really? Then it looks like we'll soon enjoy a delicious mushroom feast."
Father and son looked happily at the pile of fresh mushrooms.
Garrett opened his mouth, then closed it again. Several times he tried to speak, but in the end said nothing.
The fire crackled.
Gurgle, gurgle...
The water boiled in the pot, with mushrooms and chunks of meat floating on top, surrounded by little rings of oil.
"The soup's ready!" Thengel shouted.
Ecthelion and Denethor rushed over at once, each taking a bowl.
Garrett, meanwhile, had his back to them, fishing by the stream.
No matter how Thengel called, he gave no response, pretending to be hard of hearing.
"Forget about him," Ecthelion suggested. "Let him fish first. I'm starving."
"All right, I'll save him a portion."
Thoughtfully, Thengel ladled out another bowl and set it aside to cool.
The three of them eagerly picked up their soup.
Young and hot-blooded, Denethor was the quickest, he lifted the bowl straight to his lips and gulped.
Pffft!
"Cough, cough..."
"What's wrong?"
Ecthelion, who hadn't yet taken a bite, quickly set down his spoon and went to check.
Taking a deep breath, he looked at his father and said calmly, "The soup is too hot. Please remember to drink slowly, Father."
Ecthelion chuckled, patted his son's shoulder, and said, "Your temper still needs refining. Learn from the others, be steadier. It will serve you well in the future."
"Yes, Father. I'll remember."
Denethor stared intently at Ecthelion, watching his next move.
Sensing his son was trying to learn from him, Ecthelion straightened, suddenly serious.
He blew carefully on the spoon, tested the temperature, and only then put the soup in his mouth.
And there it stayed.
Ecthelion set down the bowl, resting his chin on his hand, looking this way and that as though admiring the scenery.
When he finally turned back to Denethor, there were trails at the corner of his mouth, clearly soup dribbling out.
Denethor couldn't help but laugh.
"Denethor."
Ecthelion suddenly called his name.
"You eat first. I'll take some soup to Garrett."
With that, he carried his own bowl and Garrett's portion toward the stream.
"Father, I can..."
"Delivering soup doesn't require two people. Stay here."
Thengel, watching Ecthelion leave, smiled.
With the care of an elder, he told Denethor: "Your father has always been so considerate. Back when I served under him, it was the same. He never cared about a man's station, if someone was exceptional, he'd make use of him. That's something we should all learn from."
"Yes. Then I should also show some care for..."
"No."
Thengel caught his arm. "A soldier must know how to obey orders. Since your father told you to stay and eat, you should. Besides, can you really bear to let me eat alone? Keep an old man company. Come, I'll ladle you another bowl."
That day, Denethor felt the weighty affection of his elders.
"How does it taste?"
Gulp.
Denethor forced down a spoonful of mushroom soup and nodded slowly.
A while later, Garrett finally finished fishing.
The two men returned carrying empty bowls, and a few freshly caught fish.
Setting the fish by the fire, Garrett began roasting them and said, "Soup alone won't fill four people. How about adding some fish?"
To Denethor's ears, the words sounded like music.
"Let me help."
Thengel reached out, but the next instant a hand stopped him.
"Please allow me," Denethor said. "You already cooked the soup. Leave this to me."
"All right. It seems you've begun to learn how to care for others."
Thengel withdrew his hand, somewhat gratified.
The small interlude soon passed.
---
Three days later, the group rowed across the Anduin, arriving at the northern river basin.
This desolate brown land was where Garrett planned to begin new works.
Ecthelion crouched down, running his hand over the ground scarred by orc fire, and said to Denethor:
"In the last age, our ancestors fought on this very soil."
The same words applied to Thengel as well.
The three reflected in silence, while Garrett, a little apart, took out some blocks and began setting things up.
He lit a campfire, laid down a few pieces of oak wood to the side, then cut a shovel and dug around the firepit, scraping out a simple grass path.
In this way, a small makeshift campsite was built.
It could serve as a marker, when the work crews came later, they could build outward from here.
Many years ago, this place had been a landing point for the armies of Gondor and Rohan.
And now, it would once again serve as a foothold, this time with a broader purpose.
Perhaps, in time, it would grow from a mere camp into a versatile outpost.