Tales of a Forgotten War part one: Letters from Gil-galad

Disclaimer: This story is based on Unfinished Tales and the Silmarillion, both by JRR Tolkien. I am making no money from writing this, but am writing for the enjoyment of myself and others.

Letter One SA 1603

Ereinion Gilgalad son of Orodreth to Tar Minastir of the line of Earendil, greeting: the Valar keep you and may no shadow fall upon the Isle of Kings.

There is much to tell you of events these past thirty years, and I regret to say that little of it is good. The mysterious shadow in the east has reappeared. We have discovered that this shadow is none other than Sauron, Morgoth's former lieutenant. We have reason to believe he may soon attack Eregion. He spent some years without our knowledge under the fair-guise of Annatar. The people of Ost-in-Edhil knew nothing of his true identity and the lord of that realm, Celebrimbor, informed me as soon as he discovered who Annatar truly was. By that time, Sauron was long gone from Ost-in-Edhil and could not be apprehended.

I always mistrusted Annatar. I never allowed him into my realm of Lindon, for which I am now deeply grateful, but neither I nor anyone else had dreamed that he was Sauron. We are currently attempting to discover more of his doings and whereabouts, but it seems he is the shadow that has been corrupting the men of the east and south for these past several hundred years. Be wary when your mariners come to Middle-earth; he is sly indeed and he may well seek to suborn them to his own service. He is capable of assuming a fair form and can seem both wise and charming when he wishes. While among us he took a form similar to that of a Noldo elf, but the shadow of the east typically appeared closer to a mortal man and he has also been known to take the form of a large owl. He appears to shift his form at will.

While we and the men dwelling in Middle-earth are the people most immediately endangered by Sauron's reappearance, I doubt not that he will come looking for you once he finishes with us. He has a great deal of support among the men of the east who have turned to evil. Therefore, I suggest that this might be a good time for some of your folk to come east to help us root out this menace before it gets any more firmly established. The situation is already bad but Cirdan, Elrond, and I all fear that it may be about to get much worse.

Apart from Sauron's reappearance, everything is well with us. I hope that all is well with you, and with your people.

Manwe keep you under the One, and send fair wind to your sails.

Letter Two SA 1695

Ereinion Gilgalad son of Orodreth to Tar Minastir of the line of Earendil, greeting: the Valar keep you and may no shadow fall on the Isle of Kings.

Sauron has acted. He has passed the Hithaeglir through the gap of Calenardhon with an army reckoned to be between 150,000 and 200,000 men and orcs. It is headed directly for Eregion. I have sent Elrond Peredhel to their aid but the forces he and I have available are utterly inadequate to face a force this size. We also fear he may have more troops who have not arrived yet. There is movement in Mordor's vicinity that is very suspicious.

While your help with weapons stockpiles and the garrison at Lond Daer is very much appreciated, we are going to need very much more than that if we are to survive. Do not let the ancient friendship between our peoples falter!

Manwe keep you under the One, and send fair wind to your sails.

Letter Three SA 1697

Ereinion Gilgalad son of Orodreth to Tar Minastir of the line of Earendil, greeting: the Valar keep you and may no shadow fall on the Isle of Kings.

Eregion has fallen. Elrond's force could not reach the city in time and would in any case have been inadequate to fight it off. Ost-in-Edhil is destroyed, and most of its citizens are dead or in lucky unlucky cases taken. One of those taken or dead is Celebrimbor, the lord of the city. We have only intermittent contact with Elrond. He has been forced into a position where we cannot easily update him, nor he us. Khazad-dum has closed its doors, and Lorinand and Greenwood are completely out of contact.

In this situation, your supplies have been invaluable, as have the mariners patrolling the shores. There have been two attempted attacks from the south, both of which were stopped by ships out of Lond Daer. For that, I and my people are in your debt. However, when Sauron finishes with Eregion and turns west towards Lindon we are not going to be able to stand without more help. There are simply not enough of us to withstand an army as large as his. The armada that you have promised us is essential to our survival, and the sooner it arrives the fewer of my people will die.

I am willing to make whatever trade arrangements you desire so long as your armada shows up in time. If it does not show up in time you will have no trade arrangements at all because we will all be dead.

I am sorry to state things in such blunt terms, but I must impress upon you the gravity of the situation here. We cannot hold out here by ourselves, and those elves of other realms will not even be able to escape to the west as Sauron holds the main roads. As for those men who do not have the good fortune to live in Numenor, they will be killed or enslaved by Sauron, as too many of them already have been. Numenor is the only hope all of us have left.

Manwe keep you under the One, and send fair wind to your sails.

Letter Four SA 1699

Ereinion Gilgalad son of Orodreth to Tar Minastir of the line of Earendil, greeting: the Valar keep you and may no shadow fall on the Isle of Kings.

Lindon is besieged from all directions except the sea, and our troops are spread horribly thin. Although Sauron has not yet managed to pass the Llhun, it is only a matter of time. Meanwhile, his siege engines are some of them so powerful that they can reach across the river to bombard our defenses with heavy rocks and balls of metal. We do not have the equipment to do likewise, nor the knowledge of how to make such machines.

I have just received word that a second army of great size has passed through Calenardhon. When it arrives at Lindon, our defenses are going to break. We are all of us exhausted, and there are far too many injured who have gone back out to fight before they are fully healed because we are in such great need. You may have noticed that my handwriting has suffered greatly in this letter. I am writing it with my left hand because my right arm is in a sling.

If your armada does not arrive within the next five months, Lindon will fall. I will put every person I can on a ship and evacuate. Expect a stream of refugees coming to Numenor in anything seaworthy and many things that are not. They will need refuge and help until they are able to continue west to Avallone. Please send your armada now.

Manwe keep you under the One, and send fair wind to your sails.

Letter five

Ereinion Gilgalad son of Orodreth to Tar I Minastir of the line of Earendil, greeting: the Valar keep you and may no shadow fall on the Isle of Kings.

Your armada has arrived and we are all greatly relieved. I'm sure your son will be giving you regular reports, or as regular as possible. We will soon be heading inland to destroy Sauron's army and to kill him if we can. I have met your son and I am certain that he will protect your interests well as he aids us.

I cannot repeat enough how relieved I am that your people have arrived to help us. We owe you a great debt, and it will not be forgotten.

Manwe keep you under the One, and send fair wind to your sails.

Author's notes: The War of the Elves vs. Sauron is frequently overlooked, yet Middle-earth came closer to being lost then than during the War of the Ring. I therefore challenge anyone reading this to write something about the War of the Elves vs. Sauron. It's a really interesting era!