The Black Knight

Chapter 19:

Faylen doesn't say a word to me, just forces herself to give me small smiles as I watch her in concern. Her eyes are no longer red and puffy and she doesn't cry anymore but she just looks so numb. That's how I feel myself, missing my mellon dearly. I force myself to stay strong though for Faylen's sake. She sits against a wall surrounding the main hall where the king is, sharpening her sword. I sigh and step down from my perch above her to survey the lands outside the Hornburg, having a full view of the plains, as I wonder how much longer until the Uruk-Hai come.

"He's alive!" someone shouts from the maze of walls and corridors below.

I turn to Faylen who is still attending to her sword, forgetting that my hearing is better than hers. By some miracle an exhausted and worn looking Aragorn walks up the steps leading to the main hall.

"Where is he? Get out of the way!" I hear the familiar voice of Gimli shouting nearby.

I stand in disbelief at seeing Aragorn. I hear a clatter of steel behind me, knowing Faylen has now noticed him. Gimli rushes forward and hugs Aragorn who pats him on the back.

"Bless you laddie!" Gimli cries from below.

"Gimli, where is the king?" Aragorn asks.

Gimli nods up the stairs and Aragorn continues his walk up. I go to meet him as he reaches the end. I fold my arms and just shake my head as he meets me, his face lighting up.

"Le abdollen," I tease, Aragorn putting a hand on my shoulder. "You look terrible."

Aragorn laughs and I place Arwen's Evenstar into his hand. He looks from it to me in surprise.

"Hannon le," he says and moves in for a hug.

He pulls away only to be enveloped in another from a sprinting figure. Faylen holds onto him for dear life, Aragorn smiling gratefully as he holds her close.

"Thank goodness you are okay," she says before pulling away and looking at him dead on.

Her expression changes from gratitude to anger and she punches Aragorn in the arm.

"Ow!" he shouts out, knowing Faylen put all her strength into the punch.

"Screw you," she says. "Don't you ever scare me like that again brother! Do you understand?!"

Aragorn lets out a laugh and reaches out his arm to place a hand on her shoulder.

"I guess we are even now," he says with a laugh.

Faylen can't help but smile and extends her arm to put a hand his shoulder as well, a gesture between them that shows just how close they are.

"I must see the king," Aragorn says.

I nod and Faylen and I move with him, her not taking her hand out of his. Gimli and I walk behind the pair as Aragorn pushes the Keep's gate open, making quite the entrance, and he storms in. Théoden stops speaking to his men and looks shocked at seeing Aragorn.

"The Uruk-Hai are coming," Aragorn says. "I saw their host as a black smudge going on for miles."

"A great host, you say?" Théoden says.

"All Isengard is emptied."

"How many?"

"Ten thousand strong at least," Aragorn says.

Gimli and I share a look and I feel as my love tenses, moving her arm to wrap around her brother's.

"Ten thousand?" the king asks in astonishment.