The queen of the forgotten kingdom

Chapter 18

"Guys!", Faya yelled. "We lost the dwarf again."
Legolas and Aragorn stopped and looked back. Gimli had fallen quite a bit behind them. Faya dropped into the grass while she waited and listed to Aragorn who scrolled her for referring to Gimli as "the dwarf".
"Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry."
"You should rather apologise to him.", he answered.
"Ok, ok. Sorry Gimli!", she yelled. The dwarf, who was only now close enough to hear it was very confused by this, but no one explained for they were focused on continuing their way. They had to find Pippin and Merry. It's been almost two days since they had been surprised by orcs and had lost the Hobbits and... Boromir.
He had sacrificed himself for them and they lost the Hobbits. Aragorn was still mad because of this. And he blamed himself, as always, as Faya thought. She rolled her eyes.
She had tried to explain him that it wasn't his fault. That they all had been uncareful. That she should have smelled them. That Boromir wasn't mad on him... and so on.
Without any success if she might mention.
So, now Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and she were running through Rohan, tying to find the orcs that took Pippin and Merry.
"Fay, can you smell them?"
She smelled the air, then drew her fingers through the grass she was sitting on. She paused, repeated both actions and then pointed in the general direction of the horizon before them.
"They went down there. Towards Isengard."
"Isengard?", Legolas asked.
"Yep. Look for yourself."
The elf hopped onto the rock next to her and let his glance wander over the land.
"So, Legolas.", Aragorn asked. "What do your elf eyes see?"
The blonde nodded. "Lady Faya's right. They're taking the Hobbits to Isengard."
"See.", Fay smiled satisfied. Then she listened up. "I think we'll get visitors."
"Visitors?" Aragorn turned. She was right, they were quite far away, just a cloud of dust, but unmistakably riders.
Legolas again confirmed. And, to show off his elf eyes again, described them as the riders of Rohan. When Aragorn then complemented the elf's eyes, Legolas blushed and wove it aside, as it was nothing, for they were "only" five miles away.
Faya was always very impressed by the great eyesight the elves had, for she as a half wolf had a terrible eyesight. But she could smell better than all of the three men together. What wasn't impressive but Fay still was proud to be better than the men in at least one thing.
Gimli just grumbled that they would get them anyway, if they were five or one miles away.
But Aragorn decided to wait. "I'm tired.", he said. "Maybe they can give us information."
"Yeah, or a blow with a spear.", the dwarf said. He was still in a bad mood for his legs hurt.
Legolas, who was still watching the horse men turned to his friends and told them that he couldn't see any Hobbits but three empty saddles.
Aragorn, who was now looked at by everyone to say what that could mean, made the diplomatic move of saying nothing through many words and told them to wait.
And so, they did.
But they came down of the hill, they had been standing on, for they weren't fools and they would have been spotted too easily up there.
Down there it was cold. The wind cut through their cloaks making them shiver.
Especially Gimli wasn't feeling well about all this. "What do you even know about these riders?", he asked. "Will we just sit here and await our death?"
"I was with them. And so was Fay. They were friendly and calm. But I don't know how they are now."
"I won't say they changed much.", Faya said. "I visited them not too long ago."
"Gandalf said they might work for Sauron."
"I don't think so.", answered Aragorn and Faya in unison.
"We'll know soon.", Legolas ended their guessing game. "They're already close."
"Quick! Behind that rock!"
They all obeyed and cowered behind the rock.
The horses came and passed. And as they had just been by Aragorn stood up and called: "Riders of Rohan, what's new in the mark?"
The horsemen stopped and came back in a quite impressing tempo, circling them in no time and pointing their weapons at them.
Faya sighed. "Great.", she mumbled under her breath but loud enough for Aragorn to hear it.
Sadly, as she thought, he decided to ignore her.
The rider's leader spoke first. "Who are you and what are you doing in this land?"
"They call me Strider."; Aragorn answered calmly although the had a spear at his chest, pointing at his heart. "I am from the north and search for orcs."
Now the rider dismounted his horse, gave his spear to another horseman and stepped up to Aragorn, looking him up and down. His face stayed unmoved. "for a while I thought you'd be an orc yourself; but now I see I was wrong. You must know very little about them if you want to catch them this way."
He said many more things but Faya stopped paying attention at that point.
Aragorn had the situation under control. Since the riders hadn't noticed her yet, she hoped she'd have some time to think.
Ever since they had left Loth Lórien the words Lady Galadriel had spoke to her were flying through her thoughts and dreams. She couldn't understand what the lady had said but it still haunted her.
"The journey you will end with them but they without you.", Galadriel had said.
What could the elf woman have meant?
"Why don't you three say anything? Are you mute?", she was brought back to reality.
Gimli, still in a bad mood, as he had been the entire time, crossed his arms and said: "Tell me your name horse lord and I'll tell you mine."
"Fine.", the rider answered. "I am Éomer, Éomund's son, they call me the third marshal of the mark."
"Well then, Éomer, Éomund's son, third marshal of the mark, let me, Gimli, Glóin's son, the dwarf, warn you of stupid sayings. You're talking bad about a woman more beautiful than any you ever saw, what I can only forgive due to your ignorance."
Gimli's speech angered the riders. They forced their horses closer to the dwarf and brought their spears with them.
"I would behead you, Mister dwarf,", Éomer said, his eyes squinted. "if it would only stand a little higher over the ground."
"He is not alone.", Legolas stepped between them and before anyone could move as much as an eyelash, he had drawn his bow and aimed for the rider. "You'd be dead before you can strike."
Éomer draw his sword and the whole affair would have ended badly if not Faya had stepped in.
"Hey.", she said. "Calm down." Then to Éomer: "Forgive them, Éomer. If you'd only knew a little more of our story, you knew why you angered my companions. We don't plan anything against Rohan and its people, neither man nor horse. Don't you want to talk before we fight?"
Surprised by her sudden appearance, the man lowered his sword. "A woman.", was everything he could say.
"Yes.", Aragorn confirmed. "Can we talk now?"
"Yes.", the Rohirrim answered slowly. "We can talk, but...", and here he seemed to awake from a trace. "... wanderers would be good advised not act like this in times like this. now tell me your real name."
"Tell me who you serve first."
"I serve no one but the King of the Mark, Théoden, Thengel's son.", the horse man answered. "The dark lord I don't serve, but we also don't stand in war with him; if you're fleeing, don't stay here." He also explained why and that they only desire to be free. He seemed to drift off a bit but then he came back. "Now speak yourself. Who are you? Who do you serve? Who told you to hunt orcs here? And why are you having a woman with you?"
"I don't serve anyone.", Aragorn answered as calm as before. "But whoever serves Sauron, I'll hunt, no matter where he goes. There are little mortals that know better about orcs than me; and we're not hunting them this way because of levity. The orcs we're hunting took two of my friends. We didn't have horses so we took our feet. And..." he made a dramatic pause that made Faya mentally face palm for she knew what was going to follow. "I am not unarmed."
With that he threw back his cloak and reviled his sword. The elvish metal glittered as he drew it.
To it he cried: "Elendil! I am Aragorn, Arathorn's son, and they call me Elessar, Elven stone, the Dúnadan, Elendil's and Isidur's heir of Gondor. Here is the sword that was broken and newly forged!"
While Legolas and Gimli were taken aback in awe amazement, Faya had to bite her tongue so she won't laugh.
Seeing others react to Aragorn being dramatic never failed to make her laugh. Sure, it had been very impressive for her the first time too, but Aragorn loved to be dramatic, and as good as he was at it, at always made Faya laugh.
But then Aragorn continued, making her kind of uneasy. No one ever called her with all titles and majesty.
"And the lady that is with me is Faya, queen of the half wolves, daughter of the moon and woods, protector of the Wold and Fangor, Lady of the wind and sister of the stars, mother of the animals of earth and sky, friend of rivers, and nemesis of the elves. Will you help or hinder me? Decide quickly!"