Conveniently, I had an idea about this king, E�rnur, lost unto evil so many years before the War of the Ring. It was brief, but as I recall, Faramir made mention of it to Frodo at one point during their time together. That would explain the shrieking I had heard, as well as that dreadful voice from inside my head. At least I was familiar, however vaguely, with the situation, but I still needed more information if I was to survive like this.
�How was your king lost?� I asked. The man stared at the ground silently for a moment. I figured he was gathering his wits about him before attempting to elucidate anything, let alone his lord�s death. Finally he spoke, softly, with his face still down.
�He accepted a challenge from the Witch King, the greatest of the Nine who lurks within Minas Morgul. He was betrayed by them and carried off,� he paused, �or so we are led to believe. None of our company bore witness to this duel�we are left solely with our assumptions. Our hopes were that you would have some knowledge, whether it is to confirm or ease these fears,� he said, finally looking me in the eye.
I was forced to look away from the man and close my eyes tightly; the memory of that dreadful cold terror spreading throughout my very being returning. I now knew who was behind the voice I had heard in my head. It had been the Witch King of Angmar, and the �he� whom that foul voice had mentioned was their king. I understood it now, but to tell these men? I was frightened for myself now, for my life, that some harm might befall me at their hands. Yet, as recalled this mans voice when he told me his king was lost, I knew I had to tell them, regardless of the consequences.
�When I was back there,� I pointed in the direction I thought we had come from, �I heard an evil voice inside my mind.� I paused for a moment, recalling the exact words. �It said �He is ours now, to meet his doom in this city of torment, never to be seen by your kind again�. I knew not whom it was speaking of, but now I think it must have been your king.�
There was no response to my words, not a single sound. It seemed that even the wind had ceased its blowing at this dour revelation, for the grass no longer rustled with the breeze. The man stared into my eyes, looking for a sign that I spoke the truth. He found it, I could tell by his frown, but he nodded all the same. He rose from his kneeling position and addressed the men.
�There is no untruth in her eyes. Our king has been stolen from us by the Lord of the Nazg�l; he has satisfied his need for retribution,� he declared, suddenly mounting his horse again. �Let us ride on to the White City. Mayhap the whole of this mystery can be pieced together by men of intellect, not men of swords such as us,� he said with a lightly sardonic tone.
Well, he believed me, which was definitely a plus, seeing as I wasn�t lying. They still weren�t giving the appearance of a group of men who would try and burn me at the stake as some kind of witch, which was also a plus. Aside from stating that my appearance near Minas Morgul was a mystery, which it was, in fact, for all of us, the matter of my presence was not questioned. That relieved me greatly because the last thing I needed was for them to think I was some servant of the enemy.
The other four men mounted their horses quickly and I was left on the grass. Not wanting to be left behind in the middle of nowhere, I struggled to my feet. The big man grabbed my arm and pulled my up on his horse behind him.
�Hold on to me, lass, or you might fall off,� he said, and I obeyed. The horses started moving at a decent pace and he spoke again, �Lass, have you a name?�
�Amanda,� I answered, not even thinking about how odd a name that had to be in a place like this. I cursed myself silently, but then I realized that I didn�t really have that much to lose anyway. I was probably just going end up dead some time in the near future, so I pushed my worries into the back of my mind.
�An odd name, but I believe it suits you; an odd name for an odd lass. It�s pretty, in a foreign way, I suppose,� he rambled. I could tell he wasn�t good at making small talk, which was just grand, because I wasn�t entirely sure if I really cared for it.
�Might I learn your names?� I asked. I really didn�t like thinking of these men as �these men� all the time.
�I am Aratan, son of Thalion,� he said. I noticed that he held his head up high and I could hear the pride in his voice. I guess Thalion must be a pretty cool guy. �Behind you is Riordann,� he said, and I turned around to look at the faces of these men as he introduced them. �Next to him is Hador, and behind Hador is Mallor. Lastly we have Beledron on the end, there. We were the king�s guard; bound to protect His Majesty from any peril. You can see with your own eyes how well we performed our duty,� he said bitterly.
�You said it was a duel. You could not help him then. Even so, if the Witch King had his mind set on vengeance, I honestly do not think you would have been able to stop him. Do not blame yourselves for things beyond your control,� I said, trying to give him some hope and encouragement. I was aware of the effect this loss would have on Gondor, but they would not be leaderless; they had the Steward. He nodded silently and we just rode on. I knew it would all end well, eventually. So long as I did not about messing it up, that is.
It was then that I saw the outline of a great city in the mountains ahead.
