"Le ab-dollen." You're late.
Aragorn paused in mid-stride, giving the Elf time do give him a quick once-over.
"You look terrible."
There was a short silence, and the man ended it with a tired but grateful laugh.
There was a quiet tinkle as Legolas handed a small trinket to him.
Aragorn looked upon it appreciatively.
"Hannon le," Thank you, he remarked quietly, and turned to enter the king's hall. Legolas followed swiftly behind.
Rima grinned at the exchange, understanding the depth of the seemingly offhand conversation.
Silly men. Always saying less than they mean.
A loud, painful Cr-eeeeeeak heralded Aragorn and Legolas' entrance, and Rima positioned a hand to shield her ears from the brunt of it.
King Théoden would do well to purchase some oil for those hinges.
She winced again as the doors slammed shut, and repositioned herself for the ensuing report.
At seeing the Ranger's return, Rima had been glad for his apparent good fortune, but she had felt an immediate sense of urgency. Assuming that something was about, she had followed the man halfway through the keep, before predicting the destination he was heading to and slipping past, unnoticed.
She knew very well what a man's basic views of a woman in battle would be, and she had no intention of being left out. That meant taking a practical, albeit somewhat unorthodox, approach to being included.
Nobody in the hall had noticed her presence, of that she was confident. After all, who in a hall of men, let alone the king's keep, would possibly be insane or clever enough to sneak past the king's guard and a squadron of onlookers to eavesdrop on a debate that had not yet taken place?
Now, compacted into a tight fetal position, she wondered whether or not she actually was insane.
I must be to choose such an uncomfortable spot. Oh, one of the spacious areas under a table or behind a suit of armor would have sufficed, but no, I had to cram myself into a rafter.
Down far below, she could hear Théoden marveling at the human's survival.
Rima sighed and shifted in irritation, impatient for some actual information.
A splinter wedged itself into a particularly uncomfortable place, and she bit back a rather colorful outburst.
She shifted back quickly, and almost missed the old king's outburst.
"Ten Thousand!"
Ten thousand URUKS?
Losing her footing in sheer shock, the auburn-haired Avien tipped backwards, just managing to save herself from falling to the solid stone below by wrapping her legs tightly around the (Thankfully) sturdy wooden beam. Nobody noticed, for they all continued to stare openly at Aragorn in slack-jawed disbelief.
Don't let me fall, don't let me fall, she prayed silently. A single bead of sweat trailed down her back as Aragorn responded. His tone was grave, but did not waver.
"They will arrive ere the sun sets."
Théoden looked lost. His pale blue eyes, like the sky over the ocean on a cold morning, grew grey and somber as he pondered this new doom that threatened his people.
In the tense silence, Rima became aware that she was holding her breath, but still she could not force herself to exhale in such an untimely situation.
At last, he mustered the courage to administer his final decision.
"Prepare for battle."
…...
IKNOWIKNOWIKNOW I KNOW it was too short, but I felt it needed to be separate from the other one. Don't worry, I'll get some action again soon. REVIEW! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far! It makes me feel all fuzzy inside. X)
REVIEW!
_( '_') _ (HUGGLEBUNNY WANTS A NEW-YEARS HUG!)