In the fields outside Minas Tirith Port, a magnificent carriage approached on the road from the Newly Cultivated Land.
Unlike the deathly stillness in other parts of the Duchy, the spring planting here had not been halted by the plague.
Between neatly planned rows of fields, farmers toiled with their heads down, burying sprouted sea-salt potatoes in the soil.
On the main road, cavalry patrols passed by from time to time, strictly inspecting the citizens' identification papers of all who came and went. These scenes combined to form a picture that, while different from the springs of years past, was no less full of life.
The carriage drove past the farmland. The Golden Sail Commerce Association's emblem on its side was striking and conspicuous, a stark contrast to the plainly dressed, laboring folk around. As it neared the checkpoint at the gates of Minas Tirith, it gradually slowed.
