Eowyn shifted uncomfortably, and she continuously glanced at the man out of the corner of her eye.
Did he recognize her?
Did he know that she was running away?
These thoughts flashed through Eowyn's mind as she sat uneasily, yet she tried not to draw any suspicion to herself.
The dark-haired man got up from where he was sitting and walked right up to her.
Eowyn looked down in an attempt to avoid his gaze.
"Do you mind if I join you my lady?" he asked.
"No; I do not," said Eowyn, briefly looking up at him. It appeared to her that he was some sort of Ranger, for he was surely dressed as one.
"It is an odd thing to see a lady such as you in a place like this," he remarked.
Eowyn had a feeling that he had an idea of who she was, so that made her a little nervous. "I am sure that stranger things have happened," she replied coolly.
"Are you journeying alone my lady?" he asked, leaning forward a little, and talking in a whisper.
"I do not see how that information would profit you in any way," she replied.
"The captain of Gondor'swife should not journey alone, my lady," he said, looking straight into her eyes.
Eowyn swallowed; this man knew who she was, and worst of all she didn't know who he was. He could be a Gondorian soldier in disguise! "Who are you?" she asked finally, she talked rather calmly considering that fact that she was screaming from fear inside.
"I would prefer it if you called me Strider, as most do,"
"Very well; well, it was very nice meeting with you Strider, but I must go now," said Eowyn attempting to stand up and leave. But she stopped dead in her tracks when Strider spoke.
"You are attempting to run away, are you not, my lady?"
Eowyn whirled around to face him; his expression was unreadable, but hers was expressionless and cold as stone. "How do you know me?" she asked.
"Rangers have a way of knowing people, it can be by word of mouth or perhaps a live sighting; but I do know you lady Eowyn. And in truth I do not know where you are running to, but it is unwise to take rest when you are still not very far from Minas Tirith."
Eowyn stared at him coldly, "You do not know that I am running away, and I do not owe you an explanation of any sort. And I would be pleased if you left me alone."
"I would, my lady; but I care for your safety."
This 'Strider' was too mysterious for Eowyn, she did not know him, yet he seemed as though he knew herfrom birth!
"Why do you care for my safety Strider?" Eowyn asked, not sure whether to stay or go.
"That would be a long story my lady, but tell me then, where is your destination?"
Eowyn looked into his eyes steadily. How did she know that he could be trusted? If she told him that she was going to Mirkwood, she would not only be endangering her escape, but Arial's also.
"What is it to you?" she asked.
"As I said before, I care for your safety my lady, but you are not obligated to tell me and you may leave as you intended to-if you wish."
000
Faramir awoke to a terrible pain in his side, not to mention the other countless cuts which he sustained due to his brutal beating; his mind instantly went to his men and of course that unforgettable betrayal by Gelmir.
Faramir hoped that his men were safe-even Gelmir, for he had paid a terrible price for their escape; and it was needless to say that he would do it again if it meant their guaranteed safety.
Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted as he heard the sounds of feet approaching the tent that he was in. He was no longer in Selwyn's tent, for this one was smaller and Faramir guessed that the lower ranked elves slept in tents such as the one he was in.
A red-haired man came in the tent; he looked to be in his mid twenties. Faramir was shocked for he didn't think that there were men amongst the Shadow Elves; his expression was softer than the other elves that Faramir had seen-excluding Morwen.
The young man didn't seem to notice that Faramir was awake; he neatly laid some clothes near to Faramir.
He looked over the supposedly sleeping Ranger, and seemed guilt stricken.
"My lord!" he said. "If only there was some way that I could set you free."
Faramir opened his eyes instantly; causing the young man's heart to jump. Faramir sat up slowly, and looked the young man in the eye. "Who are you?" he asked.
"Galen, my lord," the redhead replied.
"You are of Gondorian descent, are you not?" Faramir asked.
"Yes my lord; my father was of Gondor, my mother was of Mirkwood."
Until now Faramir noticed that he hadn't seen the young man's ears; if hewould have seen them then he would have guessed the he was half-Elven.
"How did you come to be in Selwyn's service?" asked Faramir; for to him Galen did not look like the kind that would serve Sauron-but neither did Morwen.
"By force, my lord; although I was born in Minas Tirith I love Dol Amroth as though I were born there…I know that I shall never live to see that land again…" his voice trailed off for a moment, and then he regained his composure. "The three of us-my father my mother and I, were journeying from Minas Tirith to Mirkwood when we were ambushed near Cair Andros; I was taken captive, but my mother and father were set freeand I was taken away-right before their eyes. Why they let them go without bringing harm tothem, I do not know; I have never seen them since, but even though they have forcibly put me into their service I do not serve Sauron; although I cannot say that they didn't try to make me serve that creature of the abyss."
"Oh thank God!" said Faramir accidentally speaking that thought out loud.
"There are a few others here who were forcibly taken from their lands and forced to wander with Selwyn," said the half-Elven Galen.
"What of Morwen? Does she worship Sauron?" Faramir asked; he believed she did, but now when he really thought on her kindness and all that she had done for him he wasn't so sure.
"No; she does not. She is different from Selwyn in many ways."
Faramir noticed the clothes that were lying next to him; they were almost identical to Galen's and the other elves of the camp. "Why do I have to dress in the attire of Selwyn's followers?"
Galen looked down for a second. "We are going to the dark land."
000
Eowyn did not go.
Instead she reluctantly sat backdown and tried to figure out how 'Strider' knew who she was and that she was running away.
As it turned out, Strider almost seemed as though he wanted to help her, but he kept many things about himself hidden from her, he was indeed a very mysterious man, for he also knew a great deal about Rohan. But all in all, Eowyn was certain that he could be trusted, and she didn't want him to think otherwise for if he reported that he knew who she was and where she was headed, then she and Arial would most certainly be caught.
"Where is your destination, Strider?" Eowyn asked, interrupting a brief silence between them.
"I am going to Imladris," as he said 'Imladris' his eyes seemed to light up; "but first I am going to pass through the Woodland realm, for there is someone there that I need to see; if you are uncertain of your original route you may join me. Mirkwood is a very safe place for someone who wishes to hide."
"It is not just me," said Eowyn, not at this moment realizing how much she was opening up to Strider. "There is also an Elven-man with me; we are journeying to Mirkwood together."
"An elf in Gondor-that is not at all common, but I suppose that I could help you both."
"That's just it; why do you wish to help me although you do not know me—personally?"
For the first time in the conversation, Strider shifted his gaze, some could almost say uncomfortably; but once again he met Eowyn's gaze with a soft one. "That would take a long time to explain my lady, and I would have to tell you some things that you need not hear about right now."
"Then how do I know that I can trust you? You could be a vagabond who would tell the soldiers of my whereabouts if they offered you a mug of ale!"
"You, my lady, decided that I could be trusted when you confirmed to me thatyou was running away; but I am not one to betray, my lady, you have my word on that."
To Eowyn, Strider was simply too mysterious, but yet she didn't exactly wish that she hadn't met him; there was something about the Ranger, but she just could not pin it, and his being cloudy about certain things did not help her to pinpoint it either.
000
The Rangers rode through the night; they had been able to free themselves from the rope just a few hours earlier, but the flesh at their wrists was raw from the tightness of the rope, and, unfortunately for some of the Rangers, they would often bleed.
Gelmir, however, had been unusually quiet throughout their riding, for he spoke not a word to them but kept to himself.
The Rangers were pleased with this arrangement for it made it easier to control their raging tempers-it was easier but still, not very easy.
000
Gelidir was, by nature, a soldier of Gondor, and so he was to the present day. But his friendship with the steward had started when he had taken not one, but two arrows for Boromir at Osgiliath; it was a nothing short of a miracle that he had survived, and before he was released from the houses of healing, Denethor had eagerly requested to meet the 'Man who the two arrows for my beloved son.' And so his wish had been granted and they were able to meet.
Denethor took such a liking to Gelidir, in fact, that he had been permitted to come and see him whenever he had wished. It so turned out that Gelidir was also a very wise man and this pleased Denethor immensely. And so that is how he came to appoint Gelidir as his advisor.
Gelidir still bore the scars of his selfless deed; for he had, in fact, pushed Boromir out of the way just in the knick of time and that left no time for him to dodge the arrows, and he had felt that he had done nothing special-just his sworn duty, and would, without question do it again in a heartbeat.
He bore a mark of one of the arrow wounds on his shoulder, and the other hadbarely missed his ribs.
As he lay in his bed that night, he thought about the moment when he had saved his Captain's life; he had, of course also gained favor of the stewards youngest and eldest sons.
Even though he had been honored to have been chosen as the stewards advisor, he had felt out of place, for his rightful place was out on the battlefield, side by side with his Captain.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews! not one review goes unappreciated; well, I hope that you guys enjoyed chappy fourteen. Feel free to R&R to tell me what you thought about it:)