Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me. Also, most if not all the places mentioned in this story are not mine. They belong to the brilliant J.R.R. Tolkien.

Rated PG-13 for later violence.

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The soft sound of crying could be heard in the meadows of Rohan. It was Eowyn, daughter of Eomund, and sister of Eomer. She was clearly upset, her hands shielding her face, trying to hide her tears.

Her brother had been banished from the kingdom of Rohan. Though she had pleaded with Theoden, he made no answer, for his mind was overcome by Saruman. Full of grief and sadness, she had rushed here to try to calm her feelings.

"This is foolish," Eowyn thought to herself. "A shieldmaiden of Rohan sheds no tears. I must be strong." With those words in mind, she walked on, trying to stop crying.

Ahead she saw a flock of eagles perched on what looked to be a green moss colored log. The eagles pecked at the log as if to try to peck a hole in it.

Eowyn was about to turn and leave when she thought she saw the log move slightly.

Eowyn shook her head slightly. "You're losing your common sense Eowyn. How can a log move?" With those words to herself, she turned to leave.

Eowyn froze, and slowly turned around again. The log was getting up. This time she was sure that she wasn't imagining it. That was no log, but a man. He was covered with sticks and grass.

The man slowly got up groaning. He didn't seem to notice her yet, but turned his attention to the eagles that had been sitting on him. This gave Eowyn a chance to study him.

The man was old, with white hair. He was dressed in robes of white, with a tall staff by his side. She thought that he looked familiar, but couldn't place where she had seen him before. She Knew one thing though. This was no ordinary man. He was a wizard.

When Eowyn looked up at the wizard's face again, she found that he was staring at her as intently as she was staring at him.

"Well," the man said in an inquiring tone. "Are you going to tell me who you are and what you are doing here?"

"That should be my question to you, for you are the one who has no business. As for me, I'm Eowyn, daughter of Eomund, shieldmaiden of Rohan. I was merely taking a walk in the meadow. Who might you be?"

The man gazed at her again, his eyes filled with realization. Finally, he spoke. "Though I do not remember my own name, I know my mission. I am trying to find a man named Aragorn, and his companions. I have something very important to tell them. They might also need my aid on their journey."

Eowyn was astonished. How could someone not know their own name! It sounded awfully suspicious to her. Maybe this man was trying to hide something. Maybe he was going to try to kidnap her. The ideas ran through her mind.

"Why should I trust you?" She asked the wizard finally.

"Because I can help you. Though I know that many think I'm an enemy, I am actually a friend of Rohan and of its people. I have no intension of harming you. All that I want to know is if Aragorn has passed this way yet."

"No, he has not." She replied. She believed in her heart that this man was a friend. She decided that though she did not completely trust him yet, she trusted him enough to answer his questions. "Who is this Aragorn?" she asked.

The wizard smiled, as if he knew her feelings. "Aragorn is a king of the race of men. Though it is not widely known, he is the heir of Isildur, and the rightful king of Gondor. He has not yet claimed the throne, but may one day do so to bring together that race of men."

Eowyn was astonished yet again. She hoped to meet Aragorn someday. If this man knew him, then he must be a friend of the race of men. For the first time, she trusted him fully. She smiled and replied to him. "If I see him, I will send a message to you, wherever you might be. I know that you must soon leave, but will you first accept some food in the halls of Rohan?"

The man smiled sadly. "I would love to, but I am not a welcome guest in Rohan. If I set foot there, all I bring is ill-looks and dis-ease. I will not trouble you my lady. I must be going."

With that, they exchanged good-byes and he turned to face the west. He raised two fingers to his mouth and whistled. It was a piercing sound that carried for many miles. All of the sudden, the sound of hooves could be heard, accompanied by the sound of joyful neighing.

Looking into the distance, Eowyn thought that she saw that it was Shadowfax, one of their prized horses. The man turned back and saw her inquiring look. "He was a gift to me from Theoden." With those words, he leapt onto Shadowfax's back, and set off at a fast gallop.

Things with Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas were not going so well. Ever since the breaking of the fellowship, they had been trying to find their hobbit friends, Merry and Pippin. They were running out of food, and there was still no sign of either Merry or Pippin. Boromir had told them before he died, that the hobbits had been captured by an army of Uruk-Hai. Now, they were following the Uruk-Hais' trail.

It had been days of tracking, and they still hadn't caught up with them. Their spirits were getting low now, and their hope was running out.

"How did this happen?" Aragorn asked himself quietly. "How did we let this happen? Merry and Pippin captured. A war starting in middle earth. How did the world come to this horrible fate?"

Legolas heard Aragorn's sorrowful words, and came to sit by his friend. "Don't blame yourself for what has happened. It is not your fault. It is the fault of Saruman and Sauron. They were the ones who started this madness, not you.

Aragorn looked up and smiled a weak smile. "Thanks Legolas." He said to his friend. "You comfort me. Gimli!" He called the Dwarf' name, and soon saw his head appear from behind a cliff.

"We must rest for the night. We can go no farther." Aragorn told Gimli. "Let's pitch a fire, and see what food we have left."

While his friends rushed to start the fire, Aragorn sat down on the ground. Though his friends tried to act cheerful for his sake, he knew that they too were in despair. "I wish Gandalf was here." He said, facing the nighttime sky.

If you didn't figure out already, the wizard that Eowyn met was Gandalf. Someone told me that Gandalf couldn't remember his own name when he returned, so I added that in there. I updated this chapter a little bit, because people were telling me that this story was not totally based on the book, and that I got my facts wrong. I hope that this makes it a bit better. To anyone who's reading this right now, I want to tell you that this story is not totally canon. Some of it is from my own imagination. Please R/R!