Adrianne of the Dunedain
The guards of the gate at Minas Tirith had been watching this figure hobble along the plains towards the city for several minutes. The guards weren't exactly sure what the figure was—at times it looked human—appearing to stand on two legs and walk. But then it would stumble and lay still for a while. As the minutes passed and the figure got closer the guards concluded that it was a human dressed in a dark cloak, hiding the face.
The figure stopped near the gate, straightened up and leaned its head up to look at the guards.
"Tell me, kind guards of Minas Tirith, who is ruler of Gondor?" asked a female's voice.
Her clothes were raggedy and extremely dirty. Everything she wore was either black or brown.
One of the guards looked down at her and said, "The King Ellesar."
Her mouth—the only part of her face that could be seen—curled up into a grand smile.
"Then tell your King that Adrianne is here and wishes to see him."
One of the guards nodded his head and left.
She immediately fell from her proper posture and slumped forward a bit as if it was difficult to stand up straight. She put her hand out and leaned against the rock wall that was warming in the sun. She sighed heavily.
Within minutes the other guard leaned over and said, "You must be important. The King is coming to the gate to you!" He looked at her oddly, trying to figure out who this stranger was.
She carefully pushed herself back into her proper posture as she said, "I am."
The large gate slowly began to open. Aragorn, King of Gondor, ran out to greet the young girl. He smiled. She smiled. He ran up to her and they collided into an embrace. He picked her up off the ground and twirled around in ecstasy.
Her hood flew off, revealing a young girl's face, but no longer was smiling, but grimacing.
"Ow, my back!" she managed to say.
He let go of her and she dropped to her feet. Her left foot gave out and she collapsed down to the ground. Aragorn quickly fell down beside her.
"What's wrong, Adrianne?" he asked in a loving, caring voice.
She stared at the ground not speaking.
He ran his hand through her brown, greasy, dirty hair. She looked up at him.
"I'm fine," she said as she pushed on Aragorn's shoulder and stood back up.
Aragorn looked at her left leg and then stood up. "Let me see your back," he said suspiciously. He knew something was wrong and her left leg proved it. It had an enormous gash through it that was swollen, red, and scabbed over.
"Aragorn, I'm fine," she said as she pulled her cloak up tight around her.
"Did you fight?" he asked.
She didn't speak—she simply began to walk inside the gate. Aragorn followed her. Her left foot gave out again. The King grabbed her by the arms to prevent her from falling to the ground.
"You did fight, didn't you?" he asked while holding her.
She sighed. "Yes, I fought."
"When did you come?" he asked as he helped her walk.
"I went and got the Dunedain—our kinsman. We stopped and Elrond came with us—with Narsil. He told me all about how he wanted you to go to the Paths of the Dead. I was going to let my presence be known to you before you left, but you left while I was sleeping."
Aragorn was now beginning to understand. "So you came over with Rohan," he said while they continued walking.
She nodded her head.
"So why didn't you come to me before the battle at the front of the gate?"
Adrianne stumbled again. He helped her as they turned to go up through the gate to level three.
"I was afraid you'd make me stay," she said after a minute or so.
He laughed a little to himself. "You and Eowyn," he said as they rounded the corner towards level four.
Adrianne looked at Aragorn. "Eowyn? Did she want to fight?"
Adrianne and Eowyn hand known each other for a few years.
"Yes. She wanted to fight and so she fought."
"Really, well good for her." Adrianne smiled.
"And that's not all. She killed the Witcheking."
Adrianne stopped and stared with wide eyes at Aragorn. "What?" she asked.
Aragorn smiled. "She killed the Witchking of Minas Morgal."
"I knew he had been killed but I assumed Gandalf had killed him. I mean, I thought no mortal man could kill him."
"Well, Eowyn is no man."
Adrianne smiled and shook her head in disbelief as they began walking again. Her foot gave out again; she grabbed a hold of the King tightly. He put his arm around her.
"What's wrong with your foot?" he asked.
Adrianne hesitated. "I tripped and fell on top of a sword."
"It's not like you to trip," said Aragorn.
"Well, I was hit in the back, stumbled, and tripped," said Adrianne casually.
"You're in more pain than you show." He looked at her with a concerned expression.
She hesitated before saying, "I'll be alright. You don't need to worry."
"Adrianne, you're my little sister. I worry because I care for you."
Adrianne sighed as they made their way up towards level six.
They walked in silence until they reached the Houses of Healing on level seven—the highest level. Aragorn carefully helped his sister to a bed.
"Take your left boot and cloak off," he said.
Adrianne undid the knot on her cloak and let it fall on the bed revealing her battle beaten back. Aragorn looked at it in horror as she untied her giant, heavy, black, leather boot. Her back had a deep cut in it from shoulder to shoulder. It was red and brown and scabbed over with bruises all around it. She winced as she carefully pulled her boot off and dropped it the floor where it landed with a thud.
"You did a good job at getting yourself hurt," he said with a smile.
Adrianne smiled. "You know I always try my hardest at everything."
Aragorn sat down in a chair and pulled it up close to the edge of the bed near her foot.
"No wonder you had trouble walking," he said while carefully pulling the fabric of her pants off her skin that had stuck because of the dried blood.
While he cleaned her cuts they talked about various things that had happened. Within an hour Adrianne's foot was tenderly wrapped and her back was clean and bandaged as well as it could be.
"Do you feel better?" he asked while she put her cloak back on.
"Yes," she said sincerely.
Her stomach suddenly growled loudly.
"How long has it been since you've eaten?"
"Days."
"Here, I'll give you a ride on my back to my throne room."
She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"So Rivendell was boring," asked Aragorn while walking out of the Houses of Healing.
"It was when I knew I could be doing something other than sitting around."
"Are you still mad that you couldn't come?"
"Somewhat. But it did give me a chance to talk to Arwen. Our favorite topic was you."
"Oh really," said Aragorn more to himself.
"Yes. And she talked about an Aragorn that I never knew. She said that you were kind, and caring, and really sweet. Definitely not the same Aragorn that would put frogs in his sister's bed or make her eat mud."
They both laughed as they thought about their childhood.
Aragorn entered his throne room with Adrianne still on his back. As soon as they entered her smiled was erased. She got off his back and looked around at the cold, stone, grey hall.
"So this is where you spend your time now?" she asked as she gazed around.
"Yes," he said with a small smile.
"So, no more adventures," she said out loud and to herself, "No more fun." She sighed and smiled at her brother as he said, "Oh, Kings can still have adventures!"