Chapter 3: Questioning and Horses

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All right, first off I wrote this late at night so….I'm warning you.

Cassie-bear01-Thank you

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Nightshade-I'm glad you like it.

MaverickGirl-I'm glad you like Annadîn. And ooh sorry but the being stepped I can imagine that hurting. Be thankful it's not your hands though. One of my friends got stepped on with metal cleats and there was practically a whole through the center of it.

Lita The Vampire Slayer-Thank you. And I can't tell you; it would give it all away. *Plus I don't think I've decided what I want to do with her yet.

And special thanks again to Kiki-The-Random-Maiden and Karone.  

Now, on with the show…er…story!

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"Anna?" Aragorn asked as the girl swiftly walked past him down the hallway to her room.

She simply shook her head and stepped into her room.

"What did you two do to her?" Aragorn asked as soon as he saw his friends.

"Nothing, at least I said nothing." Éomer commented.

"Thanks." Legolas grunted.

Éomer only nodded his head.

"I only asked her where she acquired a bruise that we saw."

Aragorn looked at his Elven friend skeptically.

"She has bruise on her right leg just above her foot. It is long, extending almost up to her knee and is purple tinted with a reddish hue. I am not one to bruise easily, but I know that something that turns a shade such as that is not good."

"That you are right my friend." Aragorn said. "What did she say?"

"Nothing like usual. She shrugged, gave one of her looks that is become oh-so-classic. When asked again she left."

"Is she of the race of Men?"

Both Aragorn and Legolas looked down at Éomer with a doubtful glance.

"Did you really ask that?" Legolas asked in disbelief.

"Well yes. I only say because one her height I have never seen a woman so short, two her hair it is very unusual for again a woman, the Rohirrium have blonde and those from Gondor have dark hair not red, hers seems to be a mix of three colors, but prominently auburn. Still the blonde that is contained in it can only be compared to those with Elven blood. She is unconcerned with large wounds that I know I would be. And lastly her silence, no one of the race of Men is ever so soundless."

"He has many points." Legolas confessed.

"True but he has missed a few points. One her ears are rounded so she must have some blood of Men. Second, I do not believe she is from here, not just Rohan but also the whole of Middle-earth, which can make her hair and height irrelevant. Her silence can be seen by the seldom person, and her injury could be common to her. Lastly, only one of the race of Men would pierce their ear." Here Aragorn placed his finger on the back of his ear where Annadîn's ring lay.

"And again he has many points." Legolas murmured.

Both men looked at him. "You're not any help." Éomer huffed.

Legolas chuckled softly. "All I have to say is: have you noticed her light tread and her ability to run with out tiring easily?"

Aragorn shook his head. "I have but both I put an answer to. Any man can learn to become light in the feet if they wish, I have learned and I am not an Elf. Also, she looks a very athletic individual, she is a muscular woman."

Legolas nodded again. "You have a point. You must remind me never to get into an argument with you if I can help it, and if you can use simple logic to break down my points."

Aragorn chuckled for a moment. "I will don't worry." 

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Annadîn sat in her room day dreaming and thinking, a knock brought her from her current state.

"Miss?"

Annadîn stared at the door.

"Lady?" The maid entered and seeing Annadîn in a chair smiled warmly at her. "Your presences is requested in the hall at this time."

Annadîn stared at the maid with her eyes wide. Why did they want her? She was no use to the men in any circumstance. It was a wonder they even brought her here, and were being nice to her. She couldn't do anything to benefit them. I couldn't do anything, she thought.

"Do not be afraid or puzzled child. They wish to talk about arrangements of travel. Or so I believe."

But the young woman did not move from her chair. She shook her head slightly and returned to her dreaming.

"Child you must come." The maid gently pulled Annadîn from the chair by the arm and led her to the hall. "Go on."

Annadîn stood for a moment at the entrance watching the men converse among themselves. The maid gave her a nudge and she was pushed into their sight, and so had to continue in the direction the maid had pushed her. With soft steps, Annadîn walked over to the table that the men were at and sat down diagonal from Aragorn, so that she was a little ways away from Legolas.

"Anna where have you been? I looked for you this afternoon but could not find you." Gimli exclaimed when he saw her.

Annadîn just shrugged.

Gimli shook his head. "We'll never get a word out of you." He muttered.

But she just blinked; she had known they were trying to talk with her. But she had not known that they wanted to get her to talk. No one had ever wanted to make her talk before, people always said she was a lost cause and left it at that.

"Why do you sit so far away?" Legolas asked. He put his hand around her waist and pulled her near him, so she was not far away from the group. And then lifted his hand.

Annadîn stiffened slightly at his touch. She remembered the last person to do such and shuddered inwardly. He had ended up telling her she was a useless wench who would die of her own accord. Quickly, she blocked the memory from her head by listening to Aragorn's comment.

"Do not worry Annadîn Legolas does not bite the Ladies hard."

It was hard for her to suppress the smile that graced her lips when Annadîn saw the nasty look the Elf gave Aragorn. It was at that moment that the group had food placed before them and all ate in silence. 

A burp escaped the lips of the Dwarf next to Aragorn and all turned to stare at him. His bowl had not been pushed away for but a second when the sound resounded in the hall.

"Gimli." Aragorn said sternly.

"It's a compliment."

The look that Aragorn gave Gimli made the whole table erupt in laughter. Annadîn smiled and shook her head. She looked at Éomer who had been watching for her reaction. He calmed his laughter enough to answer the question in her eyes. "Aye. They do that all the time."

Silence then fell about the hall. Annadîn played with her earring nervously, waiting for someone to talk.

***********

"Mom and Dad are going to be angry if you do that." A boy said at a girl's arm.

'What do you think about this one Max?'

"I like it, but Mom and Dad?"

'You're a dummy Max, I got permission.'

"You can't call me a dummy?"

'And why not?' The girl asked the 10-year-old boy.

"Because ya love me too much!"

The girl put the young boy in a light headlock. She pulled away long enough for her fingers to fly through the air. 'You're right I do.'  She then kissed the boy on the top of the head.

"Why do you…. wait! How do you have permission?"

'Look over there.' After finishing her sentence with her hands, the fourteen-year-old pointed to a man standing at the corner of the store.

"Daddy!" The boy ran off and jumped into the man's arms.

"Are you ready?" A woman asked standing before her with the piercing gun.

The girl nodded her head.

*******

"Annadîn? Wake up…Come on you're not even in a bed."

Annadîn looked up sleepily at Aragorn and quickly rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Don't even try, I know you were asleep."

She looked up at the man sheepishly.

"It's all right, don't worry. But I need to tell you this before sleep claims you again. We leave tomorrow in early light. Be ready."

Annadîn smiled and nodded. She did not even realize that Aragorn had been carrying her until he set her on the ground. He disappeared through his door with the words of good night floating back at her.

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Shaking her head, Annadîn backed up. She was standing outside of the Medusled in a shirt and pants the maid had given her. The older woman had claimed it belonged to a son that had out grown them, but Annadîn was still nervous in taking them. On her back was a pack that carried the clothes she had been found in; along with the outfits she had worn in the last two days. Again, the woman had given them to Annadîn, saying they fit her much better than they had fit her when she had worn them.

Quickly looking around her, she was grateful to see Gimli doing the same thing. He was standing back away from the horse looking at it with a small glint of fear in his eyes.  But her eyes were soon torn from Gimli when Aragorn took her pack from her and set it on the horse. That was when he noticed the look on her face.

"Do you know how to ride?"

The young woman gave him a cold stare and it pronounced 'Does it look like I know how to ride?'

"Sorry had to ask you. Well, since you do not know how to ride you will inevitably be on this horse with me." He nodded his head in Gimli's direction. "He doesn't trust the things. Personally I believe that he's scared of them."

"Don't think I did not hear that!" Gimli growled from where he stood. "I will get you Aragorn as soon as I conquer this horse."

Time passed longer and the two still would not go near the horses. Aragorn and Legolas exchanged a look from on top of their steeds. Then, Aragorn turned to look at the two on the ground. "If you do not wish to ride then you two can always run to Minas Tirith. I have spent too much time away already and must be returning."

Gimli and Annadîn looked at each other contemplating the idea Aragorn imposed. Then looking back at Aragorn Annadîn nodded her head.

"I'm sorry Annadîn but I cannot allow you to do such a thing."

Annadîn looked defiantly back at him. It said one thing, why not?

"Because you don't even know where you are!" Aragorn cried exasperated with the young woman.

Annadîn hung her head and stared at the tip of her cleats. Vaguely she thought that she really should patch up that hole in the right toe of the shoe.

"I am sorry Annadîn, come we must be going." Aragorn held his hand out to the young woman. She took it and together they placed her on the horse behind Aragorn. "Gimli come we must be off."

Gimli and Legolas struggled for a short amount of time. Then, all four were safely on the two horses. Turning back to the hall they saw Éomer standing before it. He raised his hand once in goodbye and then they turned from the Golden Hall and rode through the city. Their direction, Minas Tirith.

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