towers

the king of the golden hall 673
hidden hills. But the wind had shifted to the north, and
already the storm that had come out of the East was receding,
rolling away southward to the sea. Suddenly through a rent
in the clouds behind them a shaft of sun stabbed down. The
falling showers gleamed like silver, and far away the river
glittered like a shimmering glass.
‘It is not so dark here,’ said Théoden.
‘No,’ said Gandalf. ‘Nor does age lie so heavily on your
shoulders as some would have you think. Cast aside your
prop!’
From the king’s hand the black staff fell clattering on the
stones. He drew himself up, slowly, as a man that is stiff from
long bending over some dull toil. Now tall and straight he
stood, and his eyes were blue as he looked into the opening
sky.
‘Dark have been my dreams of late,’ he said, ‘but I feel as
one new-awakened. I would now that you had come before,
Gandalf. For I fear that already you have come too late, only
to see the last days of my house. Not long now shall stand
the high hall which Brego son of Eorl built. Fire shall devour
the high seat. What is to be done?’
‘Much,’ said Gandalf. ‘But first send for Éomer. Do I not
guess rightly that you hold him prisoner, by the counsel of
Gríma, of him that all save you name the Wormtongue?’
‘It is true,’ said Théoden. ‘He had rebelled against my
commands, and threatened death to Gríma in my hall.’
‘A man may love you and yet not love Wormtongue or his
counsels,’ said Gandalf.
‘That may be. I will do as you ask. Call Háma to me.
Since he proved untrusty as a doorward, let him become an
errand-runner. The guilty shall bring the guilty to judgement,’
said Théoden, and his voice was grim, yet he looked
at Gandalf and smiled and as he did so many lines of care
were smoothed away and did not return.
When Háma had been summoned and had gone, Gandalf
led Théoden to a stone seat, and then sat himself before the