The party discussed the possibility of leaving Minas Brethil. Bors was unhappy with the idea of deserting the Southern Army. Also it would be difficult to leave the fort without getting caught. Winter had really set in by that point. It snowed most days and the build up of snow on the ground would make travelling uncomfortable. The party considered trying to get another scouting mission. Once out of the fort they would be able to head for Rivendel. However they learnt that both sides had begun to kill strangers on the roads. They idea of leaving the fort was abandoned.

The build up of troops in Minas Brethil continued unabated. It became obvious that the Southern Army was going to engage Fardwith in a Winter Offensive. Haltrat was building up a large contingent of men secretly in Minas Brethil. Once there was a sufficient number these men would be sent south to surprise the troops of Lord Fardwith. After three days the men in the fort headed south through the snow. Haltrat and the other captains in the town seemed very confident that this offensive would be enough to crush Fardwith.

The party stayed in Minas Brethil taking guard duty. On realising that Bravd was a trained smith he was assigned to work in the smithy. Thorin requested to join Bravd in the smithy and also start working there. Calorn experimented with his spells. With Bors' help he cast spells to make a weapon vibrate in a fighters hand, thereby causing them to fumble. He also practised a spell which caused him to jump great distances. Elonil and Bors became regular sparring partners. Elonil practised using the sword she had found on Eldarion's corpse. He sword was obviously of a very high quality.

Tidings were brought to Minas Brethil of the fall of Anduran and of the Last Bridge. The fighting had been particularly bloody at the Last Bride. An unexpected number of defenders had been stationed there. A Commander Saftar was said to have fallen at the battle of Anduran, supposedly he was high in the ranks of Fardwith's army. Over the next two weeks reports of battles continued to pour into Minas Brethil. The initial advances of the army had slowed as their numbers were reduced. However they were picking up fresh men in the villages they recaptured. It was also reported that slaves and mercenaries in Lord Fardwith's army were deserting in large numbers. After a few more days news of the fall of Tarfalan reached the fort. This meant the end of the rebellion. Lord Fardwith had escaped with a small company of men. However commanders such as Tafros and Jonus formerly of the Last Bridge had been captured. There was much rejoicing in Minas Brethil.

With the end of the war life in Minas Brethil became very dull. With the heavy Winter snows a large number of people were confined in the small village. Bravd worked on a device to allow Bors to wield a two-handed sword despite the loss of most of his right hand. It consisted of a gauntlet that was attached to a sword. The gauntlet would then be strapped onto Bors' arm allowing him to fight. After it was completed Bors' and Elonil increased the frequency of their sparring matches. This allowed Bors' to get a feel for a new style of fighting. Elonil had to buy a shield to fend off blows from Bors. Calorn approached the herbmaster in the town. In return for helping him in the village hospital the herbmaster taught Calorn the rudiments of herblore. Tireal also worked in the hospital helping with basic first aid.

The Winter months past slowly. Bravd completed two more projects in the smithy. He made a warhammer for himself, it was lighter then his old one. He also made a fake hand for Bors. It served no purpose other then to make it appear that Bors had a complete right hand. When the snows began to melt the party approached Haltrat asking to released from service. He consented, but also managed to persuade the party to help chase down Fardwith. He had gone south after the fall of Tarfalan. It was unlikely that he could have remained in that area Winter. Haltrat also told the party that 6 men had been mysteriously killed while on guard duty near the Last Bridge. The party decided to follow this lead. They reckoned that Fardwith might have headed north and wintered in the castle by the Mitheithel. Haltrat agreed to pay them a month's wages to investigate the Castle. The party bought horses and set out for the Last Bridge.

After two days travelling the party reached the Last Bridge. Questioning the guards stationed there, they were told that when the men were killed no strangers had crossed the Bridge. Also the tracks from the murder seen had headed north. This information lent wieght to the suspitions of the party the Fardwith may be in the Castle. The party camped for the night planning to head north in the morning.