"The Road goes ever on and on,
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone~"
Clatter... clatter...
The wagon swayed slightly, and the people inside shifted with its rhythm from time to time.
From within came a voice humming a tune, not beautiful, rather plain even, yet it caught the attention of many in the caravan.
"The lord is singing."
Two Rangers, whose ears were the sharpest, quickly identified the source.
As the wagons rolled onward, the party finally left behind that bleak and unsettling land.
Vast, barren, no trees, no grass, not even broken stumps or scattered stones. A land utterly devoid of life.
That was the impression it left on all.
Of course, it had not always been this way.
It was the result of Sauron's scorched earth policy. He had sent forth his armies to burn and raze everything upon this land. Even after more than three thousand years, it had never recovered.
Later, people would call this land the Brown Lands.
When the caravan reached the ancient crossroads south of Mirkwood, at the eastern gate of Rhovanion, the humming ceased.
Two roads lay ahead.
Continuing along the Anduin Road would lead to the Vales of Anduin, the realm of the Beornings.
Taking the Rhovanion Road would lead to the Free Cities of Dale's domain.
"Take the Rhovanion Road," Garrett ordered.
The caravan set out once again.
On the way, two Rangers crept up quietly, though Garrett noticed their little maneuver at once.
"Something on your minds?"
"No, my lord!"
"It's just... we were curious about the song you were singing earlier."
"Oh, that."
Garrett shifted into a more comfortable position and replied, "I learned it from Gandalf, the Grey Wizard, also my friend."
The Grey Wizard...
"There are other wizards?" the younger Ranger asked curiously.
"Yes. But I've only met four of them. One of them I never got the chance to meet, another wizard... took him away before I could."
"Took him away?"
At that word, the two Rangers leaned in, even more curious.
So Garrett began recounting his experiences.
As he spoke, not only the two Rangers, but others in the caravan who could hear listened intently. Those who could not hear drew closer out of curiosity.
The journey was uneventful.
After several more slow days of travel, the caravan finally crossed the bridge at the Carrock and officially entered the territory of Dale.
Along the great road, a new settlement appeared before them.
Crossroads Town.
This was a new settlement established in Dale's territory in recent years. It stood at the junction of the Great Road, the Anduin Road, and the Old Forest Road, hence its practical name.
A year earlier, when Garrett agreed to bring the area into his domain, Bard immediately gathered people to build a town at the crossroads. Once Crossroads Town sprang up with remarkable speed, many guilds and trading posts soon followed.
From Gondor, Rohan, Dale, the Woodland Realm, the Iron Hills, Dorwinion, even from the distant East in Rhûn and the far Red Mountains, whether safe routes or not, all roads could be said to lead to Crossroads Town.
Because of its location and the security guaranteed by Garrett's protection, countless traveling merchants stored their goods here. It was fast becoming the logistics hub of the North.
Now it was more prosperous than ever.
The wagons rolled slowly into the bustling marketplace.
At first, when Garrett and his caravan entered Crossroads Town, few paid much attention. Since the town's founding, they had seen plenty of such caravans, even ones much larger.
But when the banner unfurled in the wind, bearing a single name, people suddenly realized where this caravan had come from.
Wayfort, the first city of the Free Cities west of the Misty Mountains, and the place where Garrett resided.
It was said that the people there lived in greater wealth and peace than even in Dale.
When they heard such tales, many could hardly imagine what kind of life that must be, for to them Dale was already prosperous enough: everyone had a home, no one lacked clothing or food, and all could enjoy the best education before working in a trade of their own choosing.
As Dale flourished, hunger and vagrancy vanished not only within its borders but also throughout the surrounding regions. Bandits and brigands grew fewer. That alone was extraordinary.
To think there was a place even better than this—what could it be like?
Was everyone there a wealthy merchant?
They could imagine no more.
Still, their eyes brimmed with curiosity.
"Ho there! Are you from Wayfort?" someone called out boldly.
"Indeed we are!" replied Charlie, who sat at the very front, with cheerful enthusiasm.
The folk of Crossroads Town were curious about Wayfort, just as the folk of Wayfort were filled with curiosity about the outside world.
"How did you get here? I heard that road isn't even open for use yet."
"Of course, we walked," Charlie said. "From Wayfort we went south, crossed the Lone-lands, over the Isen, passed through Rohan and Gondor, then north again, and came through the Black Gate."
"The Black Gate?!"
At this, everyone within earshot gasped in shock.
"Bless me, weren't you stopped by Mordor's orcs? I heard tell of a caravan bold enough to set foot upon those grey plains, never to be heard from again!"
"Could it be that the region is safe now?"
"No, no, no, don't think that for a moment," Charlie said seriously. "The only reason we ventured to go that way is because—"
As he spoke, his gaze drifted backward.
"Because what?"
The questioner followed his eyes.
Then they saw a man sitting upright on the wagon.
And in that instant, they understood.
"Unless you've got several thousand well-armed elite guards, you'd best stay far away from there."
"Even a thousand might not be enough to stop just one of their advance parties," Garrett said evenly.
"It's Lord Garrett!"
Someone shouted, and at once heads popped out along the roadside. People outside turned to look; those indoors threw open their windows, craning their necks to see.
"Well then."
The questioner stood frozen, still trying to take it all in.
"Aye, aye, indeed. If that's the case, it should be the orcs who need to hide themselves away."
"Wait, does that mean these goods are personally escorted by the lord?"
He suddenly realized, and hurried with the crowd toward where Wayfort's caravan had halted.
"Let's see what they've brought!"
The goods and specialties of Wayfort weren't so different from those of Dale or Esgaroth, though in fact Wayfort's variety was even greater.
As for prices, the two places were about the same; in quality, likewise, consistent and reliable.
But what made this caravan special was its makeup.
"Stop buying, stop buying! Those are the specialties I promised to bring back for the folks of Wayfort!" Charlie shouted, flustered, as he hastily packed up, guarding the exotic goods entrusted to him by townsfolk before departure.
Garrett slapped his knee and laughed heartily.
"Come on, come on! Let's be off!"
Quickly tidying their wares, the caravan sped out of Crossroads Town and pressed north along the Dale Road toward Esgaroth.