Snow, sleet and all other matter of cold precipitation rained down on the already drenched brunette. Her soft brown locks were now speckled with white and her unique blue eyes searched for some sign of life or safety beyond the winter storm. Wind blew her hair in her face, and she reached her one free hand up to wipe it aside. The other hand was tightly holding on to the leather reins of her pure white stallion, which was also soaking and cold.
The two slipped and stumbled over hidden tree roots and fallen branches from the large forest they were wandering through. Something finally caught the woman's eye: a small flicker of light through the bucket-loads of snow being forced to the ground. She squinted and pulled her horse closer so she could move closer herself. The lady could just barely make out a dark mass, big enough to house people but small enough to keep in warmth. She saw several more lights appear from behind trees, and a sudden strength rose within her. She tugged on the reins of her tired steed and he loped along behind her, faithful as always.
As they neared the inn, the strength left her body, abandoning her to the forces of nature. She collapsed, her loyal horse nosing her lifeless body in the snow. Luckily for the both of them, they were close enough to the dark mass, which happened to be the Hunter's Forest Inn, to be noticed one of its inhabitants. The dark rescuer stepped out of the inn to lift the beautiful young woman and carry her like a child into it. After setting her in front of the fire, he led the stallion to the nearby stables, covering him with a makeshift blanket and making sure he had lots of food.
Upon returning to the inn, he saw the young lady sitting upright in one of the large chairs by the fire, sipping a steaming mug of liquid. She shivered and pulled her cloak around her tighter, looking around at the simple design of the building. When her rescuer approached and touched her shoulder, she jumped, her drink flying in the air and her hand tightly gripping his arm, ready to snap him in half like a twig.
"Easy, there, tiger," he said, and the young woman relaxed, but kept her tight hold. With her other free hand, she caught her drink, which had not a drop spilled out of it. Setting that on the table, she said, "Who are you?" The man smiled wryly, saying, "Let go of my arm and I will tell you. This isn't how you should treat people who rescue you, you know." The woman, after several tense moments of eyeing him warily, released his arm and sat again, keeping one hawk-eye on him at all time.
The man who rescued her sat down easily, sighing as he did so. "That's much better," he said, after ordering another round of drinks. "Now, introductions: I am Aurion Durmaethor, son of… my father. And you are…?" "How do I know I can trust you, Aurion Durmaethor, son of your father?" the woman said, staring into the fire. The man looked at her his brow furrowing. "Why can't you?" he said, "I did rescue you from hypothermia. You owe me, by the way, and you won't have to if you tell me your name."
Silence took over for what seemed like several minutes before the woman said, "I am Aeris Rochendilwen, Daughter of the Unknown and Lady Ranger of the North," she paused here, sighing. "I fear that I am the last of the Rangers of the North. Since the death of Elessar, I have not seen or heard of any others. Of Ithilien, I do not know, but it is a pleasure to meet you, despite the bad news." But from Aurion, she got no response. He sat, his mouth hanging wide open, in a position of shock. "Y-y-you," he stuttered after several minutes of silence, "are th-the… the last Ranger? Doesn't that mean that your father would be…"
Aeris looked at him darkly. "My father would be who?" she said menacingly. Aurion's mouth opened and closed several times before he said, "Uh, Aeris, do you have any siblings?" Aeris eyed him closely. "I have one sister that I know of, why do you ask?" Aurion's eyes opened even wider than was thought possible. "Okay… you have no idea where you're from? Do you know of your race?" he said hesitantly, not wanting to anger the potentially powerful ranger. "No, I don't. I know that I am at least half elf, but I'm not sure. Again, why?" she responded.
Aurion, glancing around at the few people of the inn, leaned in closer to the beautiful young brunette, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Aeris Rochendilwen," he said, "I think that you are the heiress of the Throne of Gondor!" There was a long pause after this, where his brown eyes met her blue ones. Her mouth dropped open, and she stared at him in disbelief. She shook her head, looking at the fire. "But…" she said, thinking deeply, "…how do you know this? How are you sure that I am the heir? Besides, there's already a king, Eldarion, son of Aragorn Elessar. Unless he perishes, he is the rightful king."
The young man narrowed his eyes at Aeris, surveying her deeply. "Yes," he said after a moment, "you are right, but have you never heard the tales? As they go, King Elessar had two unnamed daughters, and for some reason, he tried to keep them a secret. You, and your sister, are the two female heirs of Gondor. Which is older, you or her?" Aeris looked back at Aurion, wondering now if he was right about her parents. "Naowyn is the younger," she said, speaking of her younger sister, "and she is living happily as a housewife in Rohan. I do not want to burden her with such matters, she lives a simple and peaceful life." Aeris rose, stretching, and said, "I think I am going to rest, now, Aurion Durmaethor. I have had a long and tiring journey, and I must continue in the morning." She bowed, and he nodded his head. "Sleep peacefully, m'lady," Aurion said as she walked away.
Author's Note: I'm not a Tolkien, so I don't own Lord of the Rings. Aeris and Aurion are mine, however. Review! I want feedback!