The two kingdoms of Rohan and Gondor make up the most fundamental defense against the onslaught of Sauron’s forces. They are at the forefront of Middle Earth, protecting the lands and the people from both Mordor and Isengard, where two corrupted dangers bid for power. But the internal politics of both places have the potential to cause great success and triumph in the War of the Ring, or great ruinous downfall, as is exhibited by both of the leaders of the realms, Denethor the Steward of Gondor and Theoden the King of Rohan.
Luckily, in the most minute and seemingly insignificant moments across the course of the stories, the fate of the fellowship does not come down to these two ‘mighty’ men, but falls instead into the hands of their heirs, and not even their true heirs, their first heirs, but the two that have been essentially cast aside and deemed unworthy. Both Eomer and Faramir are, in one way or another, mistreated or let down by the father figures who are supposed to guide them, and have to prove themselves worthy of the respect and love that should already be theirs.
Perhaps that is what makes them the perfect two characters to have the fate of the world in their hands, and means that they are the best equipped to make the right decision when the time comes. First, within the Two Towers, comes Eomer’s choice, when he runs into Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas pursuing Merry and Pippin across the planes of Rohan, after the two hobbits have been taken by the Uruk-hai.
Eomer is at first suspicious of the three strangers of his lands, fearing them to be spies or servants of the enemy, but he is patient and gives them time to explain themselves. Once they tell him of their troubles and the long journey that they have taken to save their friends, he feels that he can trust them: “I do not doubt you, nor the deed which my heart would do. Yet I am not free to do all as I would. It is against our law to let strangers wander at will in our land, until the king himself shall give them leave.”
This is a pivotal moment for the three members of the fellowship, for they could have been ensnared by this young rider and forced to go to Theoden with him, which would have meant that they may never have known if Merry and Pippin survived, and they may never have been reunited with their friend Gandalf, who has just returned to the world after his fight with the Balrog.
But Eomer is no stranger to suffering himself, and longs for nothing more than to be welcomed back into Theoden’s kingdom, and into the love of his sister and his uncle (who currently isn’t able to tell friend from foe thanks to Wormtongue’s manipulation). He is therefore sympathetic to their cause, and decides to disobey the laws of his land and his king, and let them pass unhindered, even giving them horses to help them on their mission. This one small decision, made by a character who is constantly underestimated and undervalued, has an incredible knock-on effect that changes the outcome of the war.
Similarly, if not even more importantly, is the same decision made by Faramir, to disobey the orders of his father, and to break the rules of his kingdom in honor of his better judgment. When Faramir and his rangers come across Sam and Frodo being led by Gollum in the wilds around Ithilien, they take the two hobbits captive. It doesn’t take long for Faramir to realize that Frodo carries the ring of power, the dark object that his own brother Boromir was sent to Rivendell to collect.
Faramir knows that his duty is to do what his brother could not, and to take the ring to Gondor, for ‘safe keeping’ or to be used as a weapon against the enemy if absolutely necessary. But Faramir, like Eomer, has known much suffering in his time, especially at the hands of his father who takes every opportunity to belittle and disregard him. He is therefore uniquely equipped to listen to his own heart over the demands and the rules of others, and it warns him of the danger ahead in his path.
“I should now take you back to Minas Tirith to answer there to Denethor, and my life will justly be forfeit, if I now choose a course that proves ill for my city.” In letting Frodo and Sam go, Faramir is breaking several rules, abandoning any hope of ever gaining his fathers approval, and putting the lives of his already struggling people at risk. But he knows that taking the ring to Gondor would have terrible consequences, he has seen his father’s increasingly maddening state after looking into the Palantir, and so he goes against everything he has been taught, and sets the ring bearer free.
These two ‘lesser sons’ as they are believed to be by their benefactors, win the war, and save Middle Earth with the choices that they make. They are the unsung heroes of the tale, and they later both go on to make great leaders, living out the rest of their days in the era of peace that they helped to usher in.