Roped Into Helping

Lady Countryrose

Ch. 9

They had traveled through the land for many days. Only to be stopped by armed people on horseback. Surrounded, as they tried to not get stomped.

Rohan was the name that Hermione had heard Aragon called them.

A man glared at the group. "What business does an Elf, a man, a woman and a Dwarf have in the Riddermark?"

When no one had said anything. He barked, "Speak quickly!"

Gimli growled, "Give me your name, horsemaster, and I shall give you mine."

The man gets off his horse. Aragorn puts a hand on Gimli's shoulder.

"I would cut off your head, Dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground."

Legolas quickly aims an arrow at the man. Legolas glared, "You would die before your stroke fell!"

'It seems this journey has gotten Legolas to be protective of Gimli. In the beginning, they were at each other's throats. Granted, the journey has been a long and grueling experience.'

Aragorn pushes down Legolas' arm. "I'm Aragorn, son of Arathorn."

He then waved to the others. "This is Gimli, son of Glóin, and Legolas, from the Woodland realm. And Hermione Granger, Gandalf's apprentice."

"Long away from your Wizard master?"

Hermione sighed, "I am simply ending a prior engagement of jobs." She hated to say it, but something told her he was a noble. So she had to act that way. Only to feel ash in her mouth.

Aragorn then turned back to the man. "We are friends of Rohan and of Théoden, your king."

"Théoden no longer recognizes friend from foe." The man removes his helmet. "Not even his own kin."

The spears are withdrawn. Making the remainder of the fellowship to become easy.

"Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king and claimed lordship over this land. My company are those loyal to Rohan. And for that, we are banished."

The man glared at them. "The White Wizard is cunning. He walks here and there, they say, as an old man, hooded and cloaked."

He gives Legolas a meaningful look. "And everywhere his spies slip past our nets."

Hermione had a good sense not to talk to the angered man. He seemed calm enough to talk to Aragorn.

Aragorn reasoned, "We are no spies. We track a band of Uruk-hai westward across the plains. They have taken two of our friends captive."

"The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night."

Gimli urged forward. "But there were two hobbits, did you see two hobbits with them?"

Aragorn added, "They would be small, only children to your eyes."

"We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them." He pointed to smoke in the distance.

"No, please," gasped Hermione in fear.

Gimli gulped, "Dead?"

The man nodded his head. "I am sorry."

Legolas rested a hand on Gimli. Hugged Hermione with the other.

The man whistles. "Hasufel! Arod!"

Two horses appear.

"May these horses bear you to better fortune than the former masters." He nods to them. "Farewell."

The man mounts his horse. "Look for your friends, but do not trust the hope. It has forsaken these lands. We ride north!"

Aragorn, Hermione, Legolas and Gimli look on as the Riders depart. Before climbing onto the horses. Gimli rode with Legolas, while Hermione rode with Aragon. Together, they rode off towards the smoke.

They had reached the smoke area. Where Aragorn picked up a trail of their two hobbits, leading them into the forest. The story, that he had picked up on, was enough to make Hermione shiver.

Once in the woods, the guys were uneasy. Picking up whispers of the trees. About a white Wizard in the woods. But she had picked up on something else. It was something that didn't make her pickup her weapons.

'At this moment, I really hate to hope right now.'

When the men heard a nose. They threw their weapons. Only to have them be dismissed by a figure in white light. Before he walked into their sight.

"Gandalf," whispered Hermione. "But how?"

He smiled at her. "The Balrog had dragged me through the mountain. Only to fight it, out in the snow. I died, but before I had killed it. I was sent back, only to finish what I have started."

Tears leaked out of Hermione's eyes. Gandalf came and gave her a hug. "Life is fleeting, but we have work to do."

The group of five walked out of the forest. Aragon explained what they learned with Rohan.

Hermione asked, "What is Rohan?"

Gandalf smiled, "The land of Horse-lords. A place where anyone could get a really good horse. Either for war or peace. The horse is trained to be your travel companion."

Hermione understood what he was saying. Back home, she heard about a Scottish clan that were known as horse-lords, Clan MacEacharn. On the way to Rohan, Gandalf had requested that she hide her face. If he had a feeling of what was causing the king to be like he was. Then they don't want Hermione to be known yet, otherwise she would be targeted before the battle had begun.

So with a heavy heart. Hermione did what she was told. Only to tell him how displeased she was about the whole thing. "You are to teach me," she glared at him. Showing him, her new staff.

Gandalf smirked at her. "Have you tried using it?"

"No," she had admitted.

He just nodded, before leading them out of the woods. "It is no different from you using your wand. But, must confess, everything I have done is an illusion of sorts. It is all about the will of what you want done. Not the words."

Hermione gaped at him. "What about you blowing onto your crystal to light it?"

"Illusion, people fear power, when you are subtle about it. So, I make grandeur with the motion of it." He smiled at her. "Try willing that log over to set fire."

Hermione looked at him in disbelief. But she took a deep breath and focused on what she wanted to be done. With a good picture in her head. She waved the staff towards it. Only to see it blast into a flame. Causing Gimli to fall over backwards from the blast.

Gandalf chuckled, "I think you consecrated too hard, my dear. That was an explosion."

Hermione knew for age to work on her focus. Not because she lacked it. No, it was imaging it to do what was needed. Either it was too much, because that is all she could about. Or too little, because of all the thoughts running through her head.

'I hope Harry, Frodo and Sam are doing alright.'

Hermione did not learn from Hogwarts that magic was a living force. No, she was learning from the books she had found. Along with Gandalf's limited guidance. The quest has limited him from teaching her. Due to his early death and all.

Legolas handed Hermione a cloak. Hiding herself and staff under it. Before she was on horse with Aragon again. After Gandalf had called on Sadowfax, the group was riding again. Towards Rohan.