Aragorn wished glumly that it had been anyone else who was with Théoden when the news was broached to him. The Lord of the Mark had not been happy to hear that yet another wizard was meddling in his affairs, even if all that this unknown had done was to send two children to spy on him. So now they were delaying their ride to Isengard yet further so that these children could be questioned.
One hand went to his sword, fingering the hilt lovingly. It had not been so long, as he reckoned time that the sword which had served him so well in this battle had been merely shards. Now that it had been repaired, it seemed that everything had changed. The hobbits had begun taking interest in the affairs of war, an elf and a dwarf had become firm friends, Gandalf had died and been sent back to them, and now children had been dragged into battle.
He did not agree with Théoden that these children – whoever they were – had been sent by the enemy. Children had no place in a battlefield, and if one of their enemies, whether it be Saruman or Sauron himself, had placed them there, then it could only have been to demoralize the men who might have killed them, thinking them to be orcs, and only later finding that they were merely children.
Sighing, he strode up to the men who had brought the two children in. He asked his questions quickly, and received concise, simple answers. The two seemed to be about fifteen years of age. One of these was certainly human, the other's race was uncertain. No, they had not made any effort to instigate violence. In fact, they had been hiding from the orcs when the party found them. Yes, their garb was strange. The colors alone made their garments worth a king's ransom. Yes, he could speak to them if he wished. The guards on their door were there to keep them in, not to keep others out.
He nodded, satisfied, and headed off in the direction of the strangers Gimli had found. After all this fuss about them, he had become curious. Nodding pleasantly to the guards, he waited for them to unlock the door and stepped inside. He was greeted by the sight of two heads, one brown and one white, bent together over something that had been placed on the center of the bed.
"Pardon the intrusion," he said softly, knowing that they couldn't understand him, but observing the rituals out of courtesy nonetheless. He stepped inside and closed the door gently behind him, hearing the latch click. It seemed overmuch trouble for two such young ones, especially as he looked into the sweet, open faces turned toward him. Evidently he had startled them.
The two looked at each other for a moment, and then calmly began picking up the small sheets of parchment that they had been playing with, slipping them into pockets in their clothing. The girl said something softly, in a language that he did not know, but it sounded like a greeting. The boy's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Aragorn, but he repeated the greeting easily enough, giving Aragorn a short bow of respect.
The ranger blinked. Did they know who he was, or was this just a courtesy among their folk. After a moment, he decided that it must be an ordinary greeting, so he tentatively repeated what they had said, and offered a little bow of his own. Both children giggled softly, but smiled in such a way that it didn't feel uncomfortable. It was as if they were laughing at their inability to communicate, and inviting him to share in the joke.
Aragorn looked around their room, taking in the sparse furniture and the remains of a coarse meal in a glance. At least, if they could not make these children welcome, they were not harming them or stinting in giving them that which they had. Well, he thought resignedly, the children looked well enough, and he had things to attend to if they were to leave in the morning. With another small bow and a smile, he turned and called to the guards. The children were being looked after. Now he must turn his attention to Isengard.