As King Arvedui and his advisors expected the Witch-king to strike at Minas Vrûn rather than attempt the well-guarded pass through Annúndir, many of Arthedain’s remaining soldiers had mustered in the southern city, leaving the capital of Fornost Erain undermanned. Now that Ost Nuaran was in the hands of the enemy, they could proceed directly to Fornost, which was not prepared for an attack.
Thorneth and Faolan could have rode to the capital to warn the King, but there was little point to that now as the army of Angmar was right on their backs. They would not bring word to Fornost quickly enough to make a difference. Instead, the Ranger-Captain chose the longer ride to Minas Vrûn to inform the garrison there of the situation so they could return to the capital to aid the King.
Her prediction was correct, as watchmen atop the towers of Fornost quickly spotted the enemy issuing forth from Ost Nuaran. King Arvedui was informed, not any later than he would have been had Thorneth rode to the capital to deliver the ill news. He immediately rallied what warriors remained in the city, though it was to little avail.
The Witch-king knew that he could not afford a prolonged siege, which risked his forces being caught between Fornost and reinforcements from Minas Vrûn. He brought forth a mighty battering ram forged in the depths of Carn Dûm. It was encased inside a great siege engine, shielding it from any arrows or stones that threatened it from above. Trolls pulled and wielded the ram, and the Witch-king himself rode within the siege engine, uttering dark words of power which strengthened its blows.
The defenders of Fornost were unable to prevent the siege engine from reaching the gate. They slew one of the siege trolls, though it was already too late then. The Gates of Fornost were brought down and Arvedui knew that the city was lost.
The King retreated into Minas Erain, the greatest tower of Fornost, where he had left his family and the heirlooms of his house to wait out the siege. He was preparing to make his final stand, but by sheer fortune, one of the guards posted outside the tower that day was Dínendír.
Dínendír was just a regular guardsman of the city. He was not one of the King’s Guard, nor anyone of particular import at the time. Long ago, his family had been nobility in the kingdom of Cardolan. When that kingdom fell to Angmar, they fled north to Arthedain and settled in Fornost as commoners.
Dínendír’s father joined Arthedain’s armies as a foot soldier upon Angmar’s renewed assaults during Araphant’s reign, seeking to prevent the same fate his ancestors had suffered in Cardolan. He was slain by orcs in a skirmish, after which Dínendír’s mother turned to drink. She neglected her son greatly, until one day she did not return home at all. Only eight years of age at the time, Dínendír was forced to make a living for himself by begging on the streets, eventually turning to theft and other petty crimes.
For nine years he lived this way, until Dínendír was finally caught by the city guards. However, the Guard-Captain took pity on him and pardoned him, for his crimes were committed only for his own survival and never caused any great hurt or death. He was taken in and trained as a guard and a fine protector of the city he became. Dínendír knew all the alleys and secret paths which lawbreakers preferred, as he had been one himself.
Approaching the King’s Guard, Dínendír proposed that this knowledge could be used to guide Arvedui and his family out of the city while the fighting raged in the streets. The King was initially hesitant to flee and leave his people to suffer under the iron hand of Angmar. His wife, Queen Fíriel, counselled him wisely and said, “Fornost has fallen, and throwing away your life along with the city will not change that. But there are more of our people out there, and they need you still.”
Arvedui heeded her words and together with his guards, gathered the many valuables he had left within the tower. Among them were the palantíri of Annúminas and Amon Sûl, the latter of which was too large for a single man to lift, as well as the Sceptre of Annúminas. With his family and the greatest heirlooms of his house, Arvedui followed the thief-turned-guardsman.
The King’s trust was not misplaced. Dínendír led them down the many side streets of Fornost and often through or even over buildings. They travelled roads that the invaders of Angmar were wholly unfamiliar with and avoided the Witch-king’s forces as they swept through the city. On occasion, they encountered small groups who had broken off to loot and pillage, which were easily dealt with by the King’s Guard.
In this way, Arvedui, his family and his guard reached the stables without drawing attention from the bulk of the army of Angmar. “Stealth will be of no more use to us now,” Dínendír said as they arrived. “There is only one gate in and out of the city. We must rely on the speed of our horses from here.”
“Find us the finest horses in the stable, then,” Arvedui ordered his King’s Guard. “And give one of them to Dínendír. He has earned that much, for without his aid we would never have made it this far.”
And so Dínendír was mounted atop one of the best mares in all of Fornost, both in beauty and in speed. Caranhelf she was named, for her bloodbay coat which was redder than most, and she had been raised and trained by Lady Helediril with the secret ways of the House of Rochanar. Those of the King’s Guard that accompanied Arvedui chose similar steeds and they rode out from the stables. Abandoning all secrecy for haste, they cut a path with blade and spear as they charged out the shattered gate.
About a third of the King’s Guard remained behind to delay pursuers for as long as they could. This bought Arvedui some time to make it further through the Fields of Fornost, though it was not long until the Witch-king realised that the ruler of Arthedain had fled. He quickly rallied his wargs and mounted his own black horse. With the Lord of Angmar himself at their head, they rode down the guards and raced after Arvedui.
With the time that the guards’ sacrifice had bought them, the swift steeds selected for the flight kept ahead of the warg packs, yet the Witch-king persisted, intent on ending the line of kings in the north. Many of his wargs had goblin riders atop them, ready to unleash their arrows as soon as they closed the distance.
They never had the chance, for it was then that Thorneth arrived with the relief force out of Minas Vrûn. Knowing that his small band of wargs could not overcome this army, the Witch-king abandoned his pursuit and fled into the city. The Ranger-Captain followed him on her horse and the cavalry of Minas Vrûn was at her back, though they halted when the enemy disappeared behind the walls of Fornost. Even with the gate gone, the soldiers they had from Minas Vrûn would not be enough to retake the city.
However, Thorneth did not retreat, for she could not bear the shame of informing King Arvedui of her brother’s betrayal. She shouted challenges to the Lord of Carn Dûm, seeking instead to fall in battle against the enemy and in so doing, redeem her family’s name. In the end, it was not the Witch-king who issued forth from the gate to answer her challenge, but his lieutenant, Amarthiel.
“You are not worth my master’s time, wretch!” the Champion of Angmar cried. “So I shall bring your head to him instead!”
Amarthiel was not mounted, yet she did not need to be. With sorcerous powers she dominated the mind of Thorneth’s steed and the horse threw her off his back. Laughing, the Champion of Angmar approached the Ranger-Captain, “Where is your famed command over beasts now?”
“I do not dominate the creatures of this world,” answered Thorneth. “I only ask of them what they are willing to give.”
“And that is why you fail!”
The two fought before the Gates of Fornost. Amarthiel was clearly the more powerful, yet she was not trying to strike down the Ranger-Captain. The Champion of Angmar assailed her with words as well as blades, telling her all the Witch-king had learned of Bregur’s misdeeds. She told Thorneth of how Bregur had caused their mother’s death and how he bargained with the evil spirit, seeking to erode the Ranger’s will.
Her words had the opposite effect, as they only greatened Thorneth’s shame and in turn, strengthened her resolve. Thorneth held her ground, and when Amarthiel saw that her opponent could not be dominated, she swung for the Ranger’s head. Had Thorneth moved slower, the blow would have ended her life, but as it was, the Champion’s blade only left a mark upon her brow.
The blood from the wound obscured the Ranger-Captain’s sight though, and she was forced to swing blindly. Amarthiel cut her on the arm and Thorneth dropped her sword. Stubborn to the last, she drew a knife with her other hand and stood her ground.
At this moment, the red mare Caranhelf charged through the cavalry of Minas Vrûn with Dínendír upon her back. Having passed by Thorneth when the Ranger was chasing down the Witch-king and his wargs, the horse recognised the daughter of Helediril and became set on aiding her. Caranhelf refused to continue fleeing then despite the insistence of her rider, and the thief-turned-guard had no skills of Beast-speech to persuade her. Left alone in the midst of the Fields of Fornost with neither the cavalry nor the King’s Guard at his side (the latter having continued on with the King towards Minas Vrûn while the former followed the Ranger-Captain to the walls of Fornost), Dínendír finally relented and let his steed have its way.
Amarthiel ceased advancing for the kill and attempted to dominate Caranhelf’s mind. However, the mare’s loyalty allowed her to resist long enough to reach the Champion of Angmar. Dínendír batted her sword aside and the horse kicked Amarthiel in the chest. She fell to the ground, losing her concentration and her blade.
Dínendír seized the opportunity to hoist the wounded Thorneth up, and with the daughter of Helediril safe on her back, Caranhelf was finally willing to retreat again. The cavalry of Minas Vrûn went with them, leaving the capital of Arthedain to the enemy. Fornost Erain had fallen to darkness, but with the lives of the King and his heirs secured, all hope was not yet lost.
