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the steward and the king 1267
leave to surrender his office.’ And he held out a white rod;
but Aragorn took the rod and gave it back, saying: ‘That
office is not ended, and it shall be thine and thy heirs’ as long
as my line shall last. Do now thy office!’
Then Faramir stood up and spoke in a clear voice: ‘Men
of Gondor, hear now the Steward of this Realm! Behold! one
has come to claim the kingship again at last. Here is Aragorn
son of Arathorn, chieftain of the Dúnedain of Arnor, Captain
of the Host of the West, bearer of the Star of the North,
wielder of the Sword Reforged, victorious in battle, whose
hands bring healing, the Elfstone, Elessar of the line of
Valandil, Isildur’s son, Elendil’s son of Númenor. Shall he be
king and enter into the City and dwell there?’
And all the host and all the people cried yea with one voice.
And Ioreth said to her kinswoman: ‘This is just a ceremony
such as we have in the City, cousin; for he has already
entered, as I was telling you; and he said to me——’ And
then again she was obliged to silence, for Faramir spoke
again.
‘Men of Gondor, the loremasters tell that it was the custom
of old that the king should receive the crown from his father
ere he died; or if that might not be, that he should go alone
and take it from the hands of his father in the tomb where he
was laid. But since things must now be done otherwise, using
the authority of the Steward, I have today brought hither
from Rath Dínen the crown of Eärnur the last king, whose
days passed in the time of our longfathers of old.’
Then the guards stepped forward, and Faramir opened the
casket, and he held up an ancient crown. It was shaped like
the helms of the Guards of the Citadel, save that it was loftier,
and it was all white, and the wings at either side were wrought
of pearl and silver in the likeness of the wings of a sea-bird,
for it was the emblem of kings who came over the Sea; and
seven gems of adamant were set in the circlet, and upon its
summit was set a single jewel the light of which went up like
a flame.
Then Aragorn took the crown and held it up and said: