Rohirrim meets Elf

The Rohirrim Rider stopped in front of the forest, to her it was huge. Her pony, which she called Little Bart, pointed his ears to the huge, and old trees.

"What do you think Bart? Should we pass, or shall we wait for eternity for Tree beard?"

The pony shook his head and began walking.

"Wait, you fool!!!" A voice shouted.

"Which fool is calling me a fool?" The Rohirrim Rider asked and turned around. An Elf ran to her and stopped. "Don't enter Fangorn, it is dangerous!" She warned.

"Dangerous? Why would I be afraid for a couple of trees? This is the fastest way home!" The Elf shook her head, he hair that looked like silk moved along with the wind.

"Because you don't know what king of threat awaits you!"

"Yes, I know… trees." She said and wanted to turn her pony towards the forest.

"Wait Rider of Rohan, where do you live?" The Elf asked, holding on to the reigns. "Just on the other side of Fangorn, my dear Elf."

"Let me go with you, you are saver with me…" She smiled. "And I must go to Rohan as well."

The Rohirrim Rider smiled. "Fine, come along. Three souls are better then two." She looked over the head of the Elf. "Where is your horse?"

"Uhm… I don't have one…"

The Rohirrim looked shocked. "You are an Elf, and you don't have a horse…?"

"Hehe, long story…"

The Rohirrim waved her hand. "Never mind, knowing Elfs a little it could take an eternity to tell that story…"

"You are insulting me!"

"I am not, I'm just joking…" She said defensively. The Rohirrim jumped of her horse. "I am Kakaro Dunami, Horse trainer of Rohan, this is my pony Bart, or Bardock as well."

The Elf made an elegant bow. "I am Ryoko Ellyll, I am an Elf from Rivendell."

Kakaro whistled through her teeth. "All the way from Rivendell, and you come here to deliver a message to King Eomer? Why else would you travel such a way?"

"Long story…"

"Never mind."

They spend the night in the cold and creepy forest of Fangorn, not much to the delight of Kakaro, much of joy for Ryoko Ellyll, who loved the trees after she changed her opinion about the forest.

"Brrr I really don't get it why you like this forest…"

"Hear them whisper, these trees are so old, I feel young again!"

Kakaro looked up. "How old are you then?"

"About…3000 year or such, after a while you forget your age you know…"

She grinned and pulled her blanket closer around her. "I believe you on an instant." She sighed. "I just hope we'll get out of this forest soon."

It happened like Kakaro had hoped. Ryoko found the way out of the forest quick, to Kakaro's surprise.

"You know the way in this forest?"

"I'd been in Rohan before, only not through Fangorn."

"Lucky you…" A dreamy glance fell over the eyes of Kakaro. "Then you must have seen the herds of the horses of the Rohirrim, riding over the green lands of Rohan…"

Ryoko shook at the saddle to wake her up.

"No, I haven't seen those herds, and if you want to know. I tried to avoid them."

Kakaro looked startled at her Elf companion.

She sighed heavily. "I don't like horses at all, but I need one… I'm damn slow you know, without a horse…"

Kakaro grinned. "You are lucky, my companion, because you have met one of the finest horse trainer in Rohan with one of the finest Herds!"

Ryoko started to blush. "Can I buy one of your horses then?"

"Buying!? You wish!" Ryoko didn't understood. Kakaro sighed and explained.

"We don't sell our horses. The new rider must earn them. A horse will pick his rider, not clockwise."

Ryoko scratched her head.

"So, a horse must approach me? I can't choose a horse?"

Kakaro nodded. "Yupz, don't worry. The horse that fits you well will approach you. Come on, my home isn't far from here…"

And so it began, the ceremony, although Ryoko didn't understood completely: Kakaro pushed her in to the corral in which she the horses collected for the winter. "Good luck!" She said.

The herd was looking at Ryoko, Ryoko was looking at the herd, the herd began grazing again.

"When does one approach me?"

"When it is time."

"When is the time?"

"I don't know, could take days. If you will excuse me, I'm going to make a supper for us both…"

"Hey!! Hey!! Don't leave me with those… those… animals!!!"

"If you think about them in such a way then you can wait a very, very long time.."

Kakaro entered a small, wooden house. Ryoko mumbled something to herself and sat down.

Even after an hour no horse came near Ryoko, she was Elf; she was supposed to show patience. But se was no horsewoman, and certainly not a Rider of Rohan.

She wondered what she had to do to make the horses believe that she was good enough.

She pulled some grass out of the ground and reached towards the herd, and now she looked at it, it was a huge herd. So one of those horses was going to be hers?

One horse looked at her, hopefully Ryoko looked back.

It lost his interest and went back to grazing. Disappointed Ryoko searched for an other horse, she didn't have time for this. A bunch of feasts were about to begin in Rivendell and she didn't want to miss anything.

She was so concentrated for signs of the horses in front of her that she didn't notice the herd that approached her in her back.

A young mare nuzzled in her hair, sending Ryoko almost in the air of surprise. When she landed back on Middle-Earth the young mare was still there.

"Wauw, that's quick. She must really like you…" Kakaro said, she sat on the fence of the corral. "How many herds do you have?"

She raised three fingers. "One big one and two smaller who exist out of young stallions and young mares."  She jumped of the fence and walked towards the mare and Ryoko. "You have a fine horse there, her name is Ismind. And she is one of the fastest two year old I have ever seen…. But why would an Elf from Rivendell choose a horse from Rohan as his horse?"

Ryoko started to blush again; Kakaro thought it was strange for an Elf to blush.

"Because I thought they were to high…"

"To high?! Geez! Those are one of the finest horses in Middle-Earth accept from the Mearas and mine! Well, if that is how you feel… Be happy with Ismind, she isn't high…" She grinned. " …And she is pretty."

Ryoko looked back at her horse. Ismind wasn't old, she could tell right away. And she wasn't white; most of the horses were white in Rivendell. So this one could be unique. Ismind was gold haired, and what made her so special was that she had manes as black as the night. Ryoko, in all her years, hadn't ever seen such a horse in her live.

"What's the name of such a color?"

"I don't have a clue, that's why she is unique. I wanted her as one of my main mares for my herd. But a role of Elf carrier is fine too for her. Much more exciting. And I already trained her, you can just fly off if you like.."

"Uhm, I want to ask a favor of you…"

"And that is?"

"Can I stay here for a while, I want to see Rohan, Edoras, the Golden Hall and Helmsdeep…":

"Fine with me, be welcome. But I have to be in Edoras in a week."

"And what about the horses?" Ryoko asked.

"I have a few Stable Hands, they take care of my horses. Go get some sleep, we will leave tomorrow morning early, there is an extra bed in the house if it pleases you."

Ryoko nodded and wanted to walk over to the house. Ismind grabbed her sleeve and pulled her back.

"Oops, Ismind wants that you sleep outside..." Said Kakaro grinningly. She walked away.

-Something about that Rider is very annoying…- Ryoko thought, Ismind followed her all the way to the fence and neighed when Ryoko climbed over the fence. –And something is telling me too that the horse will get his way…-

That night, a candle burned inside the house where the Rider of Rohan slept alone. Outside, the Elf of Rivendell slept beside her newfound horse, under the starry night…