Enemy Of My Enemy {LOTR}

7

Senžanya sat lazily in the rafters of the hall, her legs swinging too and fro as she munched on an apple. She was bored out of her mind. Gandalf was off God knows where while the fellowship were busy preparing for war of some kind with the soldiers. The soldiers wouldn't let her help because she was a girl and Cassius become quite fond of Freda and her brother whose name Senžanya couldn't quite recall.

That was when a cirtain princess caught her eye.

Èowyn wasn't as much of a stereotypical damsel as she looked on the outside. For a start, she wasn't keen on her Uncles decision to abandon Rohan and seek refuge in Helm's Deep. She wanted to help fight, and by fight it wasn't meant that she intended to sit on the side lines cheering for her King and country.

Èowyn intended to fight whether the men of the kingdom approved or not and for that she needed practice. There weren't many in the hall at the time, so she pulled forward a dusty chest and removed a long steel blade from the case.

As soon as her hand touched the hilt, Èowyn became a new person. Her stance improved to one of strength and sturdiness as opposed to her usual elegant and sophisticated self. This Èowyn was the real one where she thought no one could see her. Where she could stop being the damsel and instead be the warrior.

Èowyn lifted the blade high up in the air and began her solitary practice. The blade did exactly as she comanded it, lunging or  parrying, blocking or attacking, the blade followed her every command. Seeming to sense Aragorn's approach, Èowyn swung the blade around to meet him half way. Raising his own blade, he blocks and trap Èowyn's sword. It was at that moment Senžanya noticed what was nagging at the back of her mind, what was off about Èowyn's swordsmanship.

She fought like a man.

"You have some skill with a blade." Aragorn complemented. He saw no fault in Èowyn's fighting style of course because A. He was the opponent and B. He himself was a man.

It was at that moment Èowyn made the power move and freed her blade from his grasp. Senžanya smirked as Aragorn lowered his blade in respect. She hadn't expected Èowyn to be so bold as to down right force Aragorn to let her go.

"Women of this country learned long ago that those without swords may still die upon them." Èowyn glanced down solomly at the blade as she resheated it. "I fear neither death nor pain."

"What do you fear my lady?"Aragorn's question had caught both women off guard whether he knew it or not.

"A cage." Èowyn didn't even bother hesitating before answering. " To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them. And all chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire." To Èowyn it was closer to reality than she wished to admit, but for some reason she had admitted it to the handsome stranger.

"You are a daughter of kings. A shieldmaiden of Rohan. I do not think that will be your fate." Senžanya almost laughed at Aragorn's naivety on the subject matter and she only wished she could see Èowyn's reaction. For such a smart man he was so incredibly... dense at times.

Aragorn left seconds later leaving Èowyn to her own devises. Checking the ranger was completely gone Èowyn took out her blade and continued her practice. Senžanya couldn't stand it anymore. Èowyn had made the same error three times and no one would correct her if she continued to practice alone.

"Your footing is off on the left." Senžanya said hopping down from the wooden rafters.

"E-excuse me?" Èowyn obviously hadn't been expecting to be caught again. Or correct.

"Your footing." Senžanya smiled eating the apple core. She watched as Èowyn pulled a face at her strange habbit. "You're out of ballence and it's showing."