Beregond

Beregond, son of Baranor, is a man of arms of the Third Company of the Citadel Guard in Minas Tirith. He is first encountered by Peregrin Took on the morning after Pippin's arrival in the City, when Beregond is sent to teach the hobbit the pass-words and to answer his questions. He is described as a plain man of arms, without office or rank, yet held worthy of honour in the land. His son Bergil is a boy of ten years who remains in the City during the siege, and Beregond speaks of him with affection.

Role in the Siege of Minas Tirith

During the siege, Beregond serves on the walls and in the lower circles. He is present when Faramir returns wounded from the retreat across the Pelennor, and he witnesses the growing madness of Denethor. When Pippin, now sworn to Denethor's service, comes to him in alarm after the Lord of the City has taken Faramir to the Silent Street and ordered a pyre built, Beregond is torn between his duty to his post and his love for the captain. Pippin urges him to act, saying: "You must choose between orders and the life of Faramir." Beregond chooses to leave his post without leave, a capital offence under the law of Gondor.

The Rescue of Faramir

Beregond reaches the House of the Stewards in Rath Dínen before Gandalf and Pippin. He finds the door guarded by Denethor's servants, who have brought wood and oil for the pyre. When they refuse to let him pass, he draws his sword and slays two of them, staining the hallows with their blood. He holds the door against the rest, crying out that he will not let them burn his captain. When Gandalf arrives, Beregond is still standing alone on the topmost step, his sword red, the door shut behind him. Gandalf commands the servants to stand back, and Denethor himself appears with a drawn sword, but the wizard disarms him and rescues Faramir. Beregond's intervention is decisive: without his defiance, Faramir would have been burned alive.

Judgement and Reward

After the battle, when King Elessar sits in judgement, Beregond is brought before him. The King pronounces that by ancient law the penalty for Beregond's deeds—spilling blood in the Hallows and leaving his post without leave—is death. But he remits all penalty because of Beregond's valour in battle and because all that he did was for the love of Faramir. Nonetheless, he must leave the Guard of the Citadel and go forth from Minas Tirith. Then the King reveals the true sentence: Beregond is appointed to the White Company, the Guard of Faramir, Prince of Ithilien, and shall be its captain, dwelling in Emyn Arnen in honour and peace, in the service of him for whom he risked all. Beregond, perceiving the mercy and justice of the King, is glad, and kneeling kisses his hand, departing in joy and content.

Character and Significance

Beregond is a figure of steadfast loyalty and moral courage. He is not a captain or a lord, but a plain soldier who, when faced with a conflict between orders and the life of a man he loves, chooses rightly. His act of rebellion is not treason but a higher fidelity. He is also a devoted father, and his son Bergil becomes a friend to Pippin. In the end, Beregond's story is one of redemption through service: from a guard of the Citadel to the captain of the White Company, entrusted with the protection of the new Prince of Ithilien. His judgement by King Elessar exemplifies the justice and mercy of the restored monarchy.