[The Silmarillion] Romimus

The moon finally showed its tip in the night, and before it could fully illuminate the room, it was covered by thicker clouds, and the room was once again plunged into darkness.

"I hope you are not really hungry, because—you must have guessed—the bread and porridge are just illusions. It's a pity, if His Royal Highness Isildur had been more careful, he might have noticed that the so-called food was useless. temperature." Romimos hissed regretfully, "so in order to save energy, my lord prince, you'd better not be so nervous."

The candle made a slight crackle, and a few sparks burst out, and Amendil realized that his whole body was frozen, and waves of chill continued to climb from his back to the back of his head.

But what's so weird about that?Anyone who saw such an uninvited guest suddenly appearing in the room in the middle of the night would not think that this is a trivial matter that can be relaxed and smiled.

This is Romimos, and he is also the number one dangerous person who can be ranked in the whole Middle-earth, and even the whole of Arda.

Amendil glanced at the long sword stuck on the shelf from the corner of his eye, no, it's too far away; and the idea of ​​calling for help is even more stupid, the son who has the guards coming, Romemus is enough Kill him three times and walk away.

"Why? Standing in front of His Excellency the Prince, can't I still attract all your attention?" Romimos apparently easily saw through the thoughts in Amendil's mind, "Isn't this a little rude?"

"Excuse me?" Amendil finally said the first sentence. Although his current situation does not seem to be optimistic, he still looked at Romimos with undisguised disdain and contempt, "Oh, what do you say? Come out, don't you blush when you hear it? Who is the one who is really rude when you break into someone's house without permission? But it's no wonder, you people have never had the word shame in your eyes. Now you are hypocritical It's absurd to pretend to be human, turn your face and start to lecture others."

"Huh, so that's the case?" Romimos pretended to be surprised, "I really didn't know that it was a violation of etiquette in Numenor to step into someone's house without permission. If this is the case, then I may Let me first apologize to the prince."

Romemos bent down pretendingly, Amendil's face was livid, and he didn't even look at her, and she was not annoyed, and continued talking on his own.

"There is one more thing that I don't quite understand. I hope His Majesty the Prince can explain it to me. If it is not etiquette to break into someone's home without the owner's permission, then not only will you break in, but you will also kill the owner and leave the owner's house. It should be a great joy, and it is worth setting the table to celebrate and pass on the praises to each other, right?"

Amendil opened his mouth, and then closed it tightly. He couldn't tell that Romimos was pointing fingers and scolding Huai Huai. No matter what he said at this time, he would jump into the hole dug by the other party.

"I know what your lord prince is thinking. Originally, it was not my turn to say this. Vera was so merciful and generous to give the Númenoreans this rich island, but he was so stingy that he never thought of being the leader here. After every inch of land has been reclaimed and utilized, where should the later people go? Is it true that the great Númenoreans are only fit to hide here, and let more and more people carve up this only small piece of land? If You don’t have any skills, but the country is rich, the soldiers are strong, the technology is advanced, and you can sail long distances and fight well. Isn’t it unreasonable to desire to have a place in Middle-earth? Although that land also has its own aborigines , but they are neither as intelligent nor as strong as you, and they are even less likely to defeat you in a war, so why should they compete with you for the right to rule there?" Romimos sighed softly, "Of course I understand you My lord prince. Or do you not see what I did to Gondolin as the Númenoreans did to the Evening Land?"

"Ah, no, I am indeed a little different from you." Romemus said slowly, "No matter how shameless I am, I know that even if I can find a thousand reasonable explanations, what I do will not It cannot be called an honorable act, and you will never talk about it as an honor every day like you Númenoreans!"

"You—no, not so much 'you' the Númenoreans, but Mordor and Angband, whom the elves hate so much, may indeed respect strength, and the victor is king. The strong should have more, And the weak either become the resources of the strong, or are regarded as those who compete with the strong for resources and are defeated, surrendered, or even killed by the strong. It sounds a bit cruel, but this is the reality, not just in Mordor and Angband, among men, among elves, even in Valinor, such things happen every day, Angband is just too lazy to cover up and deceive himself." Romimos' eyes were in the darkness With a pale golden light, he stared at Amendil like a dangerous beast, "Now you answer me, you are doing nothing less than burning, killing and slaughtering, but claiming that you are doing justice, Who is more shameless?"

From the beginning to the end, Amendil remained silent, not because he didn't want to, or didn't bother to refute Romemus. If it was a year ago, he could of course have immediately and loudly reprimanded Romemus for being a nonsense, talking nonsense, but still It is shameless and presumptuous to compare Angband with Valinor.

Or, if the person standing in front of him was not Romimos but Sauron, then Amendil would never be in such a dilemma as he is now.

Of course, Amendil does not agree with Romimos's theory that the weak are prey to the strong, but what makes him unreasonable is that he is not representing himself at this time, but responding to Romimos on behalf of the entire Numenoreans. However, a large number of Númenoreans headed by Farathon are practically doing this. How can Amendil admit in front of Romimos that the Númenoreans are all gangs? Asshole?

"Let me ask you," while Amendil was hesitating, Romimos asked again, "Do you think the Numenor Empire's attack on Mordor is a righteous army?"

When Farathon decided to send troops, Amendil actually supported him.He is peaceful in nature, but he is not cowardly and fearful of war, and as a loyal member of the Loyalist, Amendil has naturally held aversion to Sauron and Romimos since he was sensible and regarded them as evil Great enemy, then fighting against evil is naturally an act of justice.

But the subsequent development was a bit unexpected and began to get out of control. Sauron quickly surrendered after a little resistance, but Farathon did not kill the grass as Amendil hoped, but had the intention of bringing him back to the island country In order to thank the king for his kindness and to prove his sincerity, Sauron offered to offer a big gift to Farathon.

That is the Twilight Lands, one of the most fertile regions of Middle-earth, perhaps on a par with Lindon, and the hot potato that troubles the Númenorans the most, and the key to making it so difficult is its lord .

Romimoth, Mistress of the Twilight, has a solid track record by the standards of a villain, but even among so many terrible crimes, what she did to Gondolin was absolutely is the most heinous thing, and Turgon, king of Gondolin, was the ancestor of the emperors of Númenor.

So, here in Amendil, in addition to eradicating evil, this war is also covered with a layer of vengeance. Naturally, an eye for an eye cannot be said to be unjust.

Amendil thought so until the moment Romimos was tricked away, Sauron shattered the illusion that his power was greatly weakened by the absence of the lord, and the army of the Numenorians stepped into the Land of Twilight.

He was ready to see a hell like Mordor, with weedy fields, stinking rivers, yellow-faced and emaciated slaves, and a large number of Orcs who were rude, cruel and bloodthirsty...

However, he saw a world completely opposite to his imagination.

Farathon did not expect to see such a scene, and Amendil could see that he was obviously taken aback for a moment.

But it was Farathon after all, and after just a few seconds, without hesitation, he gave the command to attack.

In contrast, Amendil received a much greater psychological impact. The image of Romimos has long been tied to Sauron and Morgoth, while Mordor and Angband are desolate. There is no need to describe the repressed appearance too much, so Amendil has never thought that Romimos is not a tyrant to the people she governs.

He stood there in a daze for 5 minutes before he finally came back to his senses, his expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly went to warn Farathon, thinking that the common people would be worse than the disaster, and Romimos was certainly hateful, but now the outcome of the two parties is over. Sure, there is really no need to go on a killing spree.

It is not that Farathon did not consider Amendil's words at all. After a little thought, he did indeed issue the order "kill the resisters, and then surrender to avoid death".

However, to Amendil's surprise, once this order was conveyed, there were still very few people in the Twilight who surrendered, although they were far inferior to the mighty Numenor army in terms of combat quality and weapons. , but no matter men, women, young or old, all of them showed a kind of energy to regard death as home.

Until now, Amandil still didn't fully understand why those people were so determined. It would be fine if it was another benevolent monarch. Is it worthwhile to fight to the death for someone like Romimos?

In any case, the answer to this question is meaningless. The stubborn attitude of the Twilight Land finally angered Farathon completely. Those who are killed will be killed without mercy.

When Romimos rushed back with a face full of despair, everything was already over. Except for a few old, young, women and children who escaped from the direction of the army led by Amendil, most of the rest died tragically in the massacre.

So you have to ask if this war is just...

If the rule of Romimos is the same as that of Mordor, Amendil will feel at ease; or if Romimos is open-minded to the virtuous and virtuous at home, but aggressive to the outside world, then there is a reason to go to war. Numenor has fought many wars with the Twilight Land for thousands of years since the founding of the country, but none of them was provoked by Romimus; The vengeance of the people on behalf of the ancestors of Gondolin, and the current attitude of the Numenorians towards the elves and the Valar have made them lose their position to condemn Romimos. Except for a few loyalists, how many Numen The Norr are proud that their ancestors are friends of the elves?There are quite a few people who wish to draw a clear line with the elves.

"...No." After a long silence, Amendil finally spoke.

"Ok?"

"As the prince of the Númenor Empire, I certainly hope that I can say that the war we waged was completely just. In fact, until now, I have no regrets about declaring war on Mordor." Rather, this is Mr. Amendil Some agreed with Farathon's decision. At the beginning, Amandil even thought about taking advantage of this war to form an alliance with Linton and restore the friendly relationship with the elves. Fortunately, it turned out that he didn't have much hope, "as Sauron's allies, even if they don't fight directly in the Twilight Land, they still provide logistical assistance, so it's hard to say that they are innocent."

Romemus narrowed his eyes.

"However, I have also heard more or less about the things my people did in Central Continent. Some of them are indeed deviated from their original wishes, and it is hard to say, which makes people ashamed to be with them. In this regard, we are indeed at a moral disadvantage, and the humans in Central Earth have resisted. It’s not incomprehensible either. As for the final demise of the Twilight Land,” Amendil’s shoulders lowered along with his voice, and it became very difficult for him to admit his mistakes in the face of the former contemptuous enemy, but with After a long sigh, the corners of Prince Anduini's eyes still showed remorse and indignation, "Inhumanity, really inhumanity! Massacring civilians, how is this different from what Morgoth did..."

Romemos quietly looked at the old man in front of her, the golden light that was about to burn slowly faded from her eyes, and her eyes became as dim and bleak as the moon tonight.

"My lord prince." After a while, she said, "You don't have to, and I don't expect any Númenorites to apologize or even repent to the Twilight Land. Your own will, even if you condemn the injustice out of pity, can only stay in words in the end. Can you really kill your relatives and stand up to overthrow Farathon?"

Amendil was taken aback for a moment, and then his face turned pale.

"What do you want?" he whispered.

"What does your lord prince think I'm thinking?" Romimos asked back, "If I say that I have no complaints against the Numenoreans, and that I am willing to stay here just to serve Emperor Pharazon, would you believe me?"

"Don't try to get any ideas from me." Amendil said vigilantly, "If I find out that you have done anything that is not conducive to the Kingdom of Númenor, I will immediately report to His Majesty."

"You go." Romimos shrugged. "Anyway, you never said good things about me. If Farathon believed you, you should have believed it."

"I just haven't got the conclusive evidence yet, but the fox's tail can't be hidden." Amandil said, "Your Majesty...he was just temporarily deceived by your rhetoric. Once he sees your true colors, he will never be like you. Now let the villain succeed in this way!"

"It turns out that the prince is still so concerned about the country and the people." Romimos nodded lazily, "If you didn't say that yourself, I would have thought that you would stop meddling in the country's political affairs from now on, out of sight and out of mind. But maybe this is the wisest decision?"

"As long as I'm on the throne of Prince Anduini for a day, I won't stand by and watch villains do evil!" Amendil said righteously.

"Then can I ask, what exactly does Your Majesty Prince plan to do?" Romemos pretended to be curious, "Of course, Your Majesty has been persuading His Majesty not to trust me and Sauron, but His Majesty does not seem to listen to your advice." It looks like a good advice; you said just now that you wanted to grab us both by the tail of the fox, but in my opinion, you just talked about it, but in fact, it is best if you want to be alone."

"Stop talking nonsense!" Amendil blushed with anger.

"Even our meeting this time was the result of my thick-skinned and repeated begging. If it wasn't for this, wouldn't the Prince avoid me when he sees me?" Romimos rolled his eyes, "Since Is it too idealistic to want to catch a fox by its tail, but is so lofty that I don’t want to smell a bit of a fox? Even if a person who stays in the palace every day, how many people can catch Sauron? My lord, really! Do you think you can know everything that happened in the palace well in Anduenil?"

Two or three days later—

"The list for the tour to Anduini this time has been confirmed, and I'm on it too." Romimos said to Sauron, "Things are still going well."

"Hmm..." Sauron was contemplating something, paused, and then raised his head, "Yes. Amendil's protest this time was unexpectedly not as firm as expected."

"Oh? Let's hear it."

"There's nothing to say. It's still the same old thing. You and I will have endless troubles after staying in the Númenor Empire. Farathon's ears are almost callused, so he interrupted him before he finished speaking. Say no more."

"Haha, he finally recognized the reality?"

"It would be fine if it was true." Sauron's attitude was ambiguous, "In short, this time you just play by ear."

"Of course." Romimos replied with a drawn-out voice with a carefree smile on his face, "When will I make you worry about my work?"