Harry Potter: The Bard of Hogwarts

The modest room fell silent.

Ino gazed through the open door, watching the bustling street outside.

On the street, countless Rohirrim were busy with their tasks.

Strong young men carried distributed grain, young women carried baskets of vegetables, and even the elderly and young children were engaged in whatever work they could manage.

Outside the door lay Edoras, the capital of Rohan, a vivid scene of daily life.

Inside, Gandalf's pristine white robes glowed so brightly that they were almost blinding.

"I'm planning to set up my stall. Would you like to join me? If not, you can stay here and enjoy breakfast. Don't worry, I haven't touched any of it."

Ino picked up his suitcase and walked straight out the door.

...

The royal city of Edoras.

Though it too was built on a hillside, compared to the White City, it lacked some of the grandeur and order, instead offering a sense of freedom and tranquility.

In the entire city, apart from the central hall, there were no restrictions on movement.

This meant that people living here could wander freely through Edoras, without the strict division between inner and outer city like in Minas Tirith.

Ino walked slowly along the cobblestone path, receiving countless respectful glances along the way.

This was how the people of Rohan expressed their emotions. They didn't engage in conversation or cause disturbances; they silently conveyed their gratitude through their eyes.

The cobblestone path beneath his feet seemed to still hold the dew from the previous night, reflecting the morning light like a silver ribbon winding forward.

Choosing a relatively open corner, Ino opened his suitcase and spread a thick linen cloth on the ground, placing various novel items on it.

Beautiful Christmas hats, socks and scarves made of pure wool, and even a pair of second-hand dragon skin gloves.

Of course, there were also intricately woven straw rings and unused potion glass bottles.

As all these miscellaneous items were laid out, the small stall no longer seemed shabby, given the variety of goods for sale.

Having done all this, Ino naturally sat down on the ground, unlike before when he used transfiguration to create a small stool.

...

Edoras, the great hall.

As Gandalf continued to elaborate on the stakes, Théoden found himself in a dilemma.

Théoden had feelings for Gondor.

He was born in the White City and spent a happy childhood there until he returned to Rohan to inherit the throne as an adult.

From a personal standpoint, he didn't want to see Minas Tirith fall, but the current strength of Rohan was insufficient to support another expedition.

As Théoden remained silent, the atmosphere in the hall grew tense.

Gandalf recognized the king's hesitation and reiterated the gravity of the situation:

"My friend, Sauron will show no mercy! He will not stop after conquering Gondor. Our only option is to resist and have everyone take up arms!"

"Reinforce Gondor? Ha!" Unlike Théoden's hesitation, his son, Théodred, retorted bluntly:

"When Rohan was under attack, where was Gondor? Where were their reinforcements? All I saw at Helm's Deep were the two hundred Elves from Lothlórien."

Gandalf ignored Théodred's retort and turned back to Théoden.

"Long ago, the kings of Rohan swore loyalty to Isildur at the Stone of Erech, promising to aid Gondor in times of need."

At this, Théoden's face grew colder.

He was no longer alone and had to consider his son's future. But Gandalf had unexpectedly invoked a three-thousand-year-old oath, catching him off guard.

The ancient oath was once again brought to light.

Though it was long ago, an oath was still an oath, and Rohan could not afford the consequences of breaking it openly.

"Then let the Steward of Gondor light the beacons!" Théoden said stiffly.

"Only when I see the beacons calling for aid will Rohan muster its forces. I will personally lead the Riders of Rohan to honor the ancient oath."

...

Gandalf left.

Riding the king of horses, Shadowfax, he departed Edoras before dusk.

As dusk fell, Ino began to pack up his stall.

A whole day of running the stall had brought him a sense of joy he had long missed.

In truth, setting up a stall was more like temporarily operating a trading post. After the war, as various trades began to recover, many people were without money.

In the absence of money, bartering naturally emerged.

But this often resulted in someone trading a wooden bowl for a pair of socks, only for someone else to take an interest in the bowl immediately afterward.

Ultimately, people started exchanging items amongst themselves, leaving his stall largely unattended.

Yet, not everything was absolute. While adults no longer visited, children were drawn to the pretty glass bottles and fancy Christmas hats.

Seeing their eager eyes, Ino waved them over, letting them trade pebbles. Three pretty pebbles for a glass bottle, fifteen for a Christmas hat, and if there weren't enough hats, he used transfiguration to make more.

He took inspiration from the practice at the England orphanage.

"Nothing is free. If you want something, you must earn it with your own hands."

This was a phrase often repeated by the old matron at the orphanage.

Ino strongly agreed with this sentiment.

For children from normal families, receiving gifts was a joyous event. But for orphans with no family, getting used to receiving gifts could become dangerous.

As they grew older and left the orphanage, there would be no one to give them gifts anymore.

Learning to earn through their own efforts in advance would undoubtedly help them grow.

Many of these children in Rohan were orphans he had helped along the way.

...

Dusk was falling.

Ino returned to his small morning room.

Unlike when he left, he now carried his suitcase in his left hand and a large bag of pebbles wrapped in linen in his right.

He had no intention of discarding these pebbles. Everyone's efforts deserved respect, even if they were just children.

He gently pushed open the door.

To his surprise, there were still guests in the room, three young people of similar age.

Théodred looked frustrated, while opposite him sat Éowyn and Éomer, the siblings.

"Ha! My little room is almost like the great hall," Ino joked.

Though he was joking, it wasn't much of an exaggeration.

The heir to the throne, the Second Marshal of the Riddermark, Théodred, the Third Marshal and captain of the Royal Guard, Éomer, and the highly esteemed Princess Éowyn.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that these three individuals together could shape the future of Middle-earth to a certain extent in the next twenty years.