63 The Grey company

Decision was taken to make for Dunarrow where the King would await for as many men as Rohan could muster before riding to Gondor's aid. Edoras, once more, was emptying from most valid men. What was left of the Rohirrim rode on with their King, to their death. For what else awaited them at the gates of the Pelennor's fields than the great host of Mordor?

Théoden had made no secret of it. Neither Aragorn, nor Eomer had dared contradicting him. The world of men was failing. Yet, the King of Rohan would not back down. His courage moved Frances, and she bowed low as Théoden left the hall to gather his forces. For the split of a second, the King paused, recognizing the young woman who had fought with his men. And then he nodded to her before storming off.

Aragorn turned to his company. Of the original fellowship, only Gimli, Legolas, Frances and Merry were left.

"We will ride with the King to Dunarrow" he said, his decision set. "Frances, will you manage ?"

Frances nodded, relief washing through her tensed body. Better to head to a battlefield than to be left behind. As the young lady left to gather her belongings, the elf joined the ranger.

"Will it be safer rather than stay in Edoras?"

Aragorn sighed, turning to meet the elf's gaze.

"I fear that no place will be spared. Should we fail, Edoras will be overthrown. If she accompanies us, we can watch over her until we find a safer place. Unless you think otherwise?"

There was no duplicity in Aragorn's eyes. He had considered this for a while, and came up with the best solution for the integrity of his company. Under the circumstances, it was the best he could do. And truth be told, Frances was not his main concern. Gondor was, and he would stop at nothing to save its people. Still, Aragorn couldn't help but feel guilty under the levelled stare of the elf. For a short moment, he realised how old his elven friend was, for he remembered being scolded as a child by Erestor or Lord Elrond himself. This unnerving and ageless gaze felt very much the same.

But then, Legolas nodded, and rested his hand on his arm.

"I have no other solution to provide. We will keep her safe, or die in the process."

And then, Legolas was gone, leaving a very stunned ranger to gather his thoughts.

Later that day, a full company of horsemen set off from Edoras, Eowyn among them. King Théoden had sent riders to roam his kingdom, and hoped to get a few thousand spears 'ere the end of the week. Merry sat behind Aragorn who rode alongside the King. The rest of the fellowship, namely Legolas and Gimli, shared a mount. Behind them, Frances had been granted her own steed. The young lady kept to herself, trying not to show the strain that the fast pace inflicted upon her body. Aragorn had eventually accepted to remove the stitches, and she had placed a few steri-strips over the wound to prevent it from reopening again. A tight bandage kept it from bouncing too much, keeping the pain to a bearable level.

Dusk came and went without a halt, and the Keeper of Time was at loss. They were marching to war, with Frodo and Sam as their only hope. To this, most of the riders were oblivious. How did they manage to keep their bearing, knowing he hardships to come? Frances, for one, had trouble doing so. Gandalf was gone with Pippin, Boromir plain dead, and she was a burden to her friends. From the last few days, things had been spiralling out of control. What if Aragorn died trying to protect her? This would all have been in vain. Would she ever see her family again? Once more, the idea of dying here appalled her conscience. What would become of her parents if she disappeared? Better to know of her death rather than spend their life waiting.

When, at dusk, a rider came to the king to announce that they were being caught up with another company of riders, blood drained from Frances' face. She was not ready to fight again. Aragorn dismounted, unsheathing Anduril. The moonlight shone upon the company, revealing in its silvery light a great group of riders crossing the fords of Isen a few paces from there. Eomer's voice rang clear:

"Halt, Halt! Who rides in Rohan?"

The sound of hooves stopped altogether as a tall man dismounted. Under his cloaked form, his face was undistinguishable, but he lifted his hand in the air as a universal sign of peace.

"Halbarad, Dunadan. Ranger of the north"

His voice was rich and full of confidence, albeit a pitch higher than what Frances expected given its tall stature. But she didn't care. The young lady exhaled, relief flooding through her system as the man explained the reasons for their presence.

"We seek one Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and we heard that he was in Rohan"

"And you have found him also!"

Frances turned around on her steed, surprised by the outburst of the ever-serene ranger But Aragorn was already running to his kin, his eyes shining in the moonlight as if the Virgin Mary had dropped in front of him. Hugs and manly slaps were exchanged, the leader of the company announcing that they were thirty in numbers. The rest, Frances did not hear, for Halbarad had mentioned the presence of the twins or Elrond. An exclamation left her lips, gaining the attention of many. She did not have time to blush, for less than a minute later, two dark-haired elves sprang forth in her direction.

The King's guard's hands flew to their weapons such was the swiftness of their invasion into their ranks. Fortunately, Aragorn turned to Théoden and declaimed in a strong voice.

"All is well. Here are some of my own kin."

As the King engaged Aragorn into a short discussion, Frances was lifted up her horse by Elrohir's hands, and hugged fiercely.

"Elrohir, what a joy to find you safe and sound!", came her strangled voice.

A few tears escaped her. Some from the emotion to see the twins well, and some from the pain.

"And that goes for you too, Elladan. Even if your enthusiasm can keep within the boundaries of propriety."

"As if propriety mattered to you", quipped his twin brother.

"Who knows? I might have turned into a very proper lady during your absence?"

Behind the trio, a wary elf was watching the exchange. Legolas had witnessed the close bond between Elrond's siblings and Frances in Rivendell. He knew they had lived their own adventures before his coming to Imladris. Yet today, it left him with a very strange feeling of exclusion.

Had he not, over the last months, become a close friend to her? This easy banter between them plunged him into abysses of reflections. It reminded him that, before the fellowship, Frances had had a life. A very short one, compared to him, but a life nonetheless with friends, and a betrothed, and most of it in another world as well. And of that, he knew nothing at all. His blue eyes still couldn't tear away from the lady. Until a tingle went off his spine. Someone else was watching her.

A few paces from there, the tall man, Halbarad, was eyeing Frances suspiciously.

"Who are you, a lesser human that calls the mighty son of Elrond by their names. And tell them apart without fault? How is it that you are unknown to us, Dunedain?"

His stern voice was unnerving, but no more than his arrogance. Elrohir frowned by Frances' side, but his twin's hand stopped him before a retort left his lips. The young lady, raising to full height, turned to the chieftain, and somehow Legolas was quite ready to be entertained.

"I am Frances. And if you didn't study your elvish history well enough, you'd have no way of knowing who I am. This being said, there is no reason to be discourteous to a woman, especially by calling her a lesser."

A snort echoed beside him; Gimli was scoffing openly at Halbarad. Legolas himself struggled to keep a straight face, and he could have sworn he saw Elladan's lips twitch upwards. The tall man grunted, his temper apparently growing short.

"My apologies."

And then, Halbarad turned back to his men while the twins rained questions over Frances.

"Don't pay attention to him, sweet lady. We rode hard for many days, and humans do not have the same stamina as we elves."

The insult was hardly veiled and it didn't go amiss. Apparently, all was not well in ranger land. Frances turned around to stare at the tall man as he mounted his steed. Shoulders slumped in fatigue, posture tense. Now she regretted her harsh greeting, but she was as tired as he was. Suddenly, Elrohir's body moved away, and the young lady lost her support. Stumbling, she had to seize her saddle before falling to the ground. In the blink of an eye, Elladan was by her side.

"Frances" he cried, "are you hurt?"

The other twin spun on his heels.

"Merely recovering. Do not fret, Aragorn had worked his healer magic on the wound."

"Estel ! You were supposed to care for her, what have you done?"

The ranger cringed at the sound of Elrohir's voice, approaching with a defeated expression. Frances's heart broke for him. She knew he blamed himself for this injury, there was no need to add more salt to the wound.

"To his defence, he was in the middle of a cavalry charge when this happened. It is hardly his fault if I didn't pay attention to my surroundings."

"I know I should have taken better care of her, brothers. I simply failed to."

A few eyebrows rose at this appellation, but the Rohirrim nonetheless kept silent. No one wanted to risk the wrath of the elven kind; legends akin to ghosts…

Frances, though, poked her finger against Elladan's chest. With her diminutive size, it was a sight to behold.

"Damn it, you two! He can't go around babysitting me. I chose to fight, I paid for it. Period. And please, Aragorn, don't listen to them, a meteorite could fall upon me that it would still be your fault."

"A meteorite, my lady?"

King Thédoen's surprised voice broke the tension. Frances turned to him, a look of confusion on her face.

"You don't have them there, I guess?"

Aragorn's head went from right to left, mouthing a "certainly not" with amusement.

"I have never heard of such a thing. Are those things another threat ?"

Her eyes wide open in though, Frances bowed slightly to the King.

"Probably not. It seems to be a treat saved for my country only. In a land far, far away…"

Then she added, more to herself that for the sake of others.

"Curious. Your system must be exempt from the asteroid belt"

"And what would that be?"

Frances' eyes rose to meet steel ones. Unbeknownst to her, Halbarad had wandered closer during the commotion. Needless to say that he was less than pleased to see his chieftain, Aragorn, being told down because a mere girl had been hurt in battle. Furthermore, her speech made no sense at all. Could she not be a spy from the enemy, to ensnare men and elves alike so easily? The twins, Aragorn, and even the elf prince seemed to be watching her like hawks.

How could a mortal be so important to all of them if not by some magic tricks? He made no secret of his hostility, well aware than the young lady had to lift her head high up to meet his eyes. Frances didn't care; each time she looked at Legolas she nearly broke her neck. She would not back down from a such a blatant attempt at intimidation.

Frances swallowed the lump in her throat before turning away from the Dunadan's chief. Well, temporary chief, since Aragorn was in all but title the head of this company.

"Nothing to worry about. Now Elrohir, if you can help me get back on the saddle, we might as well continue our journey lest the sun finds us still rooted on the spot tomorrow morning"

Aragorn nodded, and placed Merry on the horse. By his side, Elrohir had carefully lifted Frances on the saddle before joining his own steed.

"My lady Frances is right," he stated with a harsh look to Halbarad. "Let us depart and make haste."

Frances allowed her thoughts to wander to her family as they rode. Her family, her world, her languages. Her heart felt like singing something from home. The sky was getting clearer, and she was exhausted. So, Frances started humming a Spanish song that her grandfather used to play with the guitar to keep from falling asleep. It was a fast-paced tune, with lyrics that she could not forget. How could she, when she had heard him sing them countless times? And so, Frances sang, her voice low, but the words flowing from her mouth as fast as she could muster. "Amor de mi amores, reina mia, que me hiciste"

Very soon, a familiar set of faces came to flank her on both sides. Elrohir on her left, Elladan on her right, both listening intently until the song died on her lips.

"We gave Father a proper dressing down for letting you join the fellowship."

At this, Frances snickered. She could very well imagine both twins facing their mighty father in hope of making him feel guilty. Like that could end well.

"And how did that go?"

"Not as expected."

Elrohir's expression had turned sour, and Frances couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"And pray tell, what did you expect?"

"He might as well have taken into consideration that you are untrained."

"As were the hobbits", she countered.

Elladan was undeterred.

"And not a seasoned warrior"

"Like the hobbits?"

"And…"

The last argument died in Elrohir's throat. He knew not how to say such a thing without angering the young lady. Elladan, on the other side, gave him a warning look. As usual, they had been completing each other's sentences. But this one, none of them felt like being the one do so.

"… A woman?"

"Well, that as well"

Both twins cringed at her silence. Soon enough, she would be yelling at them for being sexist bastards. Her words, though, caught them off guard.

"What? You thought I had been summoned to plant daisies? Or teach you about chocolate?"

"Could you?"

Merry's hopeful face drained the anger from Frances' voice. The twins cared for her, that was all. Still, the hobbit's interest in food reminded her so much of Pippin that she couldn't refrain her joy at his interruption.

"No Merry. I am sorry I cannot. And before you ask, there is none left. As for you two, would you like to sneak into my saddlebags for the remainder of this trip? Maybe one of you will suffice to keep me safe?"

Both twins scowled. Playing competition between them was so unfair, and yet efficient. A quick look into each other's eyes taught them that it was time to drop the subject.

Elladan was more responsible than his younger brother; he would stop at nothing to protect Frances from harm. He was just less demonstrative about it. Truth be told, both still felt guilty for nearly getting her raped and killed last November. They had sworn, to Estel and to their father, that they would not let anger blind them again. So far, this close call, the fact to nearly having killed a young lady to quench their thirst of revenge, had triggered a realisation. The realisation that somehow, their grief had taken over their life for too long. Maybe it was time to step back into the light.