Chapter 2
New Companions
She could hear only the pounding of horses hooves when she awoke. Her head throbbed, but she could feel a course cloth wrapped around her forehead. Her hands were tied around something and she lifted her head up slowly, blinking as she gathered in her surroundings. She was resting on someone's shoulder...the someone...was a man. Instinct started to kick in, she jerked violently at this new revaluation, pulling at the ropes which bound her to the stranger. She could hear him take in a sharp breath then whisper,
"Do not fear milady."
"Who are you?" She croaked.
"I have the right to ask you the same question." Replied the voice, it was deep, a hint of amusement resonating from it as it replied.
"My name is Elora." She replied meekly, her body tense as the horse ran on over what seemed to be endless plains. She blinked a few more times, staring hard at the man's profile. It was Aragorn.
Oh God, I'm not dreaming. But this can't be real... Yet the pain in her head was real, she could feel Aragorn breathing against her. "I am called Strider." He replied, not taking his eyes off the horse. "Or Aragorn you may call me."
Elora hesitated, pausing to form her next words correctly. "Why did you take me with you?" She asked slowly. Aragorn now glanced back slightly at her, smiling slightly as if it was a joke.
"We couldn't just leave you now could we?"
Elora paused again, thinking on what he had said. "But...how do you know I can be trusted..." She quickly recalled what had happened in the Two Towers...it had been a while since last she read them. "...these are dangerous times."
"It was a risk." He agreed, looking back at her again.
"So why did you take me?"
"Because Gandalf advised us to."
"Gandalf?" This was more of a 'where is he' question then a 'who is he' question. She was still trying to force her nausea and concentrate on what was happening to her right now. Aragorn nodded ahead, Elora could see a streak of white over the dull brown of the plains. Shadowfax. The name came easily and unbidden to her mind. This couldn't be real...she would wake up any moment now to find that it had all been a dream...so far it wasn't. Her wrists were starting to ache and her head was pounding slightly with pain that made her feel light-headed.
"I expect he will talk to you in greater detail when we reach our destination." Aragorn said, the wind lashing at his words as they road on making conversation difficult to pursue. "We had to tie your hands so you would stay on the horse, you passed out."
Elora nodded, blushing slightly at the realization of his words. "Where are we going?" She asked hesitantly, also noticing that the longer she thought about Lord of the Rings, the more she forgot how it ended. It fact, her whole life seemed to fade slightly from memory.
"Edoras, home of the horse lords. We are riding on the plains of Rohan right now."
The wind prevented them from good talk, but Elora didn't mind. Her brain was working frantically to sort through the confusion of her present state and work out what to do next. Well, she was in Middle Earth, that was a fact to be sure of. And now they were going to Edoras. She laid her head on his shoulder once more in weariness, closing her eyes and letting the ringing of horses hooves fill her ears as she thought.
"Gandalf told us that all things will be revealed in time." He said loudly.
Elora did not answer, she huddled closer to him, the wind biting at her thing clothing. After a while, the horses were brought to a halt on the rise of a hill. From their position they could see the Golden Hall, the majesty of it visible even from their distance.
"Edoras, capital of Rohan. There sits Theoden, King of the Golden Hall." Gandalf said, his voice was firm and rumbled deeply when he spoke. "Do now look for welcome here."
"Why are we going to Edoras?" She whispered to Aragorn before he spurred his horse on...for a strange horrifying realization came over her...she didn't remember anything that happened from this point on in the story...in the book. It was strange...like a whole page of her memory had been wiped clean.
"To give aid to Theoden, King of Rohan." Aragorn replied, the horse jolted forward as he nudged it on.
"But why do you trust me with this knowledge?" She asked. "You are at war...I could be a spy."
Aragorn did not reply at once, the city gates were looking up ahead of them. "Gandalf told us you could be trusted. He will reveal this to you soon."
She did not ask him anything more. She couldn't, for they were stopped at the gates and as her breathing became faster in nervousness, she wondered how a wizard...from a book made purely of fantasy...who wasn't even real. She shuddered, the guards at the gate had conversed with Gandalf in a language she did not know and now the gates were opening wide. They were in Edoras.
