Disaster of Gladden fields

Third age year 2

After the fall of Sauron in the War of the Last Alliance, Isildur and his sons returned to Gondor, where Isildur received the Elendilmir ( Star of the North ) and proclaimed the Kingship over all the Dunedain in north and south. After a year he felt free to return to his own realm in the north, but he wished to go first to Imladris where his wife and youngest son Valandil were. He wanted the counsel of Elrond as well. Isildur had not enough horses for the long journey down the East-West Road towards the road meeting in Arnor, and then traveling north to Imladris. Instead he decided to go north, up through the vales of the river Anduin to Cirith Forn en Andrath; the high pass in the Misty Mountains, that led down to Imladris.

At the East gate of the Great Bridge of Osgiliath on a bright morning, Meneldil, fourth son of Anarion, bade Isildur and his three sons - Elendur, Aratan and Ciryon - farewell. With them came a guard of 200 war-hardened knights and soldiers of Arnor. They crossed Dagorlad and the empty land South of Mirkwood. Because of heavy rain they turned, at the heights of Loth-Lórien on the opposite side of the Anduin, up the steep slopes near the eaves of Mirkwood the Great.

On the thirteenth day of their journey, the fair day was waning, the misty sun was drawing near the distant mountains, grey shadows were already deepening in the valley, and the Dúnedains were singing. The march for the day was near the end and a larger part of the journey was already behind. Suddenly they heard the war cries of the Orcs and saw them coming down the slopes from the forest. The Dúnedains were outnumbered by at least one to ten. Isildur commanded a shield fence to be set up. If the land had been flat or the slopes been in his favor, he would have charged the Orcs; and with the great strength of his men and their weapons he would have cloven a way through them and scattered them. But that could not be done, and a shadow of foreboding fell upon his heart.

Isildur saw that no help would be coming from Loth-Lórien, for it was days behind; and neither would any help be coming from the Elves in Mirkwood, who were four days ahead. He then turned to his squire, Othar, and gave him the shards and sheath of Narsil and commanded him to save it at all costs, even if he were to be called a coward who had deserted him. Othar then fled into the valley with his companion.

The Orcs attacked. First they let fly a hail of arrows, and then they hurled a great mass of warriors against the shield fence. The fence, however, stood firm and the arrows rarely did any harm to the Númenorian armor. The great men towered above the tallest Orcs, and their spears and swords outreached the weapons of the Orcs. Soon the enemy retreated behind piles of fallen Orcs. Isildur gave orders to resume the march at once. They bend their course down to lower and flatter ground, where the Orcs would have a lesser advantage, for night would soon be falling.

Isildur and his men had only gone about a mile before the Orcs moved again, but this time they did not charge. Instead the Orcs used all their forces and came down in a wide front, which bent into a crescent and soon closed into an unbroken ring about the Dúnedains. They also kept out of distance of the few but strong steel bows of Númenor. When the light from the sinking sun faded and dark came over the land, the Dúnedains saw the Orcs silently and stealthily moving inwards, hidden in the shadows. Elendur spoke to his father asking him to leave with his burden. Isildur agreed, knowing now that the One Ring should be kept with the keepers of the Three, but he was yet unwilling to leave his men. At the same time horns were blown and the second attack began. The Orcs flinged themselves against the swords and spears and hope for the Dúnedains faded, for every one of the Dúnedains fell five Orcs, but even that was not enough. Ciryon was slain, and in an attempt to rescue him Aratan was mortally wounded. Elendur yet unharmed sought his father on the eastside, where the Elendilmir shone bright on his brow. Elendur commanded his father to go before it was to late and Isildur answered him: " King`s son. I know that I must do so, but I could not go without your leave. Forgive me, and my pride that have brought you to this doom ".

Isildur drew up the ring and sat it upon his finger, and he was never again seen by any eye looking upon Middle-Earth. The power of the Elendilmir, however, could not be quenched and the jewel blazed red and wrathful as a burning star. Isildur had to draw a hood over his head before he vanished into the dark. He ran towards the bottom of the valley, and at last he came to the banks of the Anduin, where the river was swirling dark and fast before him. For a while he stood there in despair, not seen by any. But then he threw all of his armor and weapons save a short sword and plunged into the river. He was swept towards the tangles of the Gladden Fields and was struggling among great rushes and floating greens and weeds. With the struggle he felt his strength drawn from him. Suddenly he realized the Ring was gone. It had somehow left his hand and there was no hope for him to find it again. At first he was overwhelmed by his loss, but as swift as it came, the mood passed and he felt a great burden had been taken away. His feet then found the river bed and he came out of the water at the western shore of the Anduin. But there, at the western side, a small host of Orcs lurked on the look out for refugees. As they waited, they saw a great shadow of fear with a piercing eye like a shining star, and they loosed their poisoned arrows at it. They fled without reason, for Isildur, unarmed and without armor, was pierced through heart and throat and without a cry he fell back into the water. No trace of his body was ever found by Men or Elves, and so passed the second King of the Dunedain, Lord of Arnor and Gondor.

Back at the battle the Dúnedains were all slain, save Estelmo. He was the squire of Elendur and had heard the words of Elendur and Isildur at their parting. He was also one of the last to fall stunned by a club and was found alive under Elendur`s body. He was found by rescuers who had come too late to aid in the battle, but in time to disturb the Orcs in their mutilation of the dead. Those rescuers were woodmen, whose runners brought the news to Thranduil and the woodmen themselves gathered a force to ambush the Orcs and succeeded in scattering them; for even the Orcs had been victorious, they had also suffered great loss.

Related Links.: Battles : War of the Last Alliance.