Lord of the Rings: A New Journey.

Chapter Seventeen.

Aaralyn of Imladris's POV.

It had been a few hours of walking and I was riding beside Aragorn, while Gimli, Éowyn and Rimdir rode and walked ahead of us. Gimli was explaining the whole dwarf woman thing, "it true you don't see many dwarf women, and in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, that they're often mistaken for Dwarf men."

He said with a hearty chuckle, Éowyn looked at my son and he made a gesture and mouthed, "it's the beards." She looked like she was having a hard time containing her laughter, "this, in turn, has given rise to the belief that there are no dwarf woman and that Dwarves just spring out of holes in the ground." She burst into laughter.

My son along with her and Gimli, "Which is of course, ridiculous." He had meant to slap his knee but got the horse causing the steed to take off and the dwarf to tumble off the side. she chuckled as she ran to help him, and Rimdir had gone after the horse to stop it from running someone over, the King had ridden over to us,

"It's all right, nobody panic. That was deliberate, it was deliberate." Myself and Aragorn watched as she patted Gimli's hair free of grass and dirt. Rimdir had come back, and stood with the girl and Dwarf as she helped him, his smile different from when he was younger or when he smiled at me or his sister, and it was directed to the Shieldmaiden.

I smiled, "I haven't seen my niece smile for a long time." We looked at him our smiles fading just a bit, and then we turned back, "she was a girl when they brought her father back dead. Cut down by Orcs. She watched her mother succumb to grief," as the king spoke we watched the young girl smile and help the dwarf,

Rimdir, smiling at the both of them, I was happy he was smiling like this, it made my heart a bit lighter, and not worry too much on the things that were happening or going to happen. Or to the fact that my daughter was riding around with 2000 men. "She was left alone, to tend to her king in growing fear,"

We were no longer smiling, as the story of this girl's life, showed hardship and suffering. Slowly the king's voice, laced with guilt and anger, "Doomed to wait upon an old man who should have loved her as a father." The King slowly rode up, and my eyes were drawn back to the trio ahead of us, she was smiling softly when she looked at us,

But when we didn't return the action, her smile faded.

***

Stopping for the night, Legolas and I sat a few feet from Rimdir who was, sharpening his sword; Éowyn was walking around with a pot of something, and an extra bowl and spoon, "Gimli." She asked holding out the pot whatever it was, scared the dwarf into politely refusing, "Oh No, I couldn't." and he continued on his way, I chuckled at the dwarf's response and Legolas returned to braiding my hair for fun. I had asked him not to touch my bead, and he complied, hesitantly she approached the young Dwarf Prince, he looked up from his blade, lowering it to his side, "I made some stew, it isn't much but it's hot." Scooping out some into the bowel, she handed it to him, along with the spoon.

He nodded and thanked her, and she stood there waiting for him to try it, he scooped up a bit and looked at it, it must have been strange because his face looked hilarious. "Laughing at your son is cruel." Legolas whispered behind me, I nodded, "I know but it is just too much, watch." I said pointing at them. The second he put the spoon in his mouth, he stopped, and we bursted into quiet laughter. Calming down a bit, we watched as he ate what was on the spoon, he almost spat it back out, but out of respect and care, he swallowed and said, while nodding, "it's good." With which she replied with a less than confident "Really?" she nodded and turned away about to walk and Rim, was about to turn the bowel out to empty the stew onto the ground.

But she turned back and he had to pull the bowel back and spilled hot mush onto his legs, he winced and looked at her, "My Uncle told me a strange thing." He looked up at her as she spoke to him, "He said that, your mother and Aragorn rode to war with Thangel, my grandfather." She said with confused amazement. "but he must be mistaken." She said still unsure. "King Théoden has a good memory; my mother told me he was only a small boy at the time." Rimdir said, she knelt down next to him, "then they must be at least 60." He shook his head, "I'm 59, and my mother is well over 900 and Aragorn--" she cut him off and started to guess Aragorn's age.

"Seventy?" he chuckled lightly and slightly turned his head away, "But he cannot be 80!" she sounded so surprised by this, and I could see Aragorn standing behind them, silent to them and in full view to us, "87." He said having heard the whole thing; I smiled and leaned into Legolas's chest. still listening I heard her say, "you are one of the Dunedain," he nodded, "A descendent of Numenor, blessed with long life. It was said that your race had passed into legend." Still nodding he said softly, "there are few of us left. The Northern Kingdom was destroyed long ago." She apologized and he thanked her, and left, looking at my son I could see he took the opportunity to try and, rid himself some of the stew before she turned back to him, so without spilling she turned and sat in front of him and smiled, "please, eat." Slowly he ate to make her feel better.

***