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the lord of the rings - Why didn't the king of Gondor return earlier?


Something in the accepted answer of Who knew of Aragorn's true lineage prior to his revealing? which I asked struck me as odd.


According to the accepted answer, Elrond in the books introduced Aragorn to Boromir as such:



'And who are you, and what have you to do with Minas Tirith?' asked Boromir, looking in wonder at the lean face of the Ranger and his weather-stained cloak.

'He is Aragorn son of Arathorn,' said Elrond; 'and he is descended through many fathers from Isildur Elendil's son of Minas Ithil.



And so the lost line of kings is probably revealed officially to one who is groomed to be the future Steward of Gondor (ignoring the likelihood that Denethor already figured it out but kept it to himself). The movies, however, phrased it differently:




Legolas: This is no mere ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance.

Boromir: Aragorn? This is Isildur's heir?



There appears to be an important difference here. Boromir, who is being groomed for Stewardship, apparently recognises the line of kings by name without even hearing the name Elendil. He didn't even need to question Legolas on why he owes Aragorn his allegiance - he just knew he does indeed owe it to whoever bears the name "Aragorn son of Arathorn". Does this imply that the Ruling Stewards knew where the legitimate heir to the kingship of Gondor is all this time?


That's my first question, which is more relevant to the cinematic version. Continuing with questions about the books, since it's unlikely to be covered in the movies:



  • Why didn't the surviving heirs of Elendil return to Gondor earlier?

  • Regardless of when the Ruling Stewards identified a true heir, why didn't they move forth to bring him back?




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