Romis looked up and down the broad river he and his small ‘army’ faced. The bridge he sought was directly in front of them. According to the map he’d been shown earlier, there were two more bridges, one on each side of this bridge. However, they were out of sight from this location. The territory did not look like it would help them very much in defense of this bridge. Having the water at their backs was a distinct disadvantage; they had no where to go aside from crossing the bridge. Open space surrounded them on three sides. Beckoning to the officers that had been sent with him, he drew them aside. He needed their advice. They knew their land far better than he did.

“All right, this is the main bridge General Fingolfin said he needed defended. We have two other bridges that we are to defend, if it’s possible. I want to send a few scouts out to find the enemy. We know they are coming, but I want to know how long I have before they get here. In the meantime, we need to set up our defense. I don’t want to have to destroy any of these bridges if we don’t have to, but I will. My question for you, gentlemen, is this: is it feasible to split our forces into three and send one group to each of the other two bridges?”

Romis looked from one to another, waiting patiently for their answer. While they pondered, he gave orders for three scouts to head out. He made it clear that they were not to engage the enemy. All he wanted to know was how fast they were moving and how many were coming. The three scouts saluted and almost immediately disappeared. Romis nodded in approval. They were well-trained and knew exactly what they were doing. He had little doubt that they would be successful in their brief mission. The question that plagued his mind was whether or not they would be successful in deterring these Plaguebearers.