‹ Prequel: A Mistake
Sequel: An Acceptance ›
A Burden
It's the Beards!
Anna… Raina thought to herself. That’s my name in the Common Language. She sighed. It all fit. So why did she still feel so confused? She knew who her mother was, and she as pretty sure that with a bit of research, she could find out who her father was too.
But wait… hadn’t she been welcomed to Lorien as the daughter of Deirdra?
She had ridden all the way to the front of the group by then, and slowed her horse. Aragorn rode his own horse nearby, with no one close to him, so Raina rode up to his side.
“Strider,” she said, and waited for him to respond. It seemed as if she had interrupted his thoughts. He turned to look at her from his own horse.
“I was wondering… if you knew anything about Anna Avari?”
He blinked a few times before answering. “As much as anyone else. You might want to wait to ask Legolas, he probably knows…”
“No, I just have a question. Do you know if that was her real name? Anna?”
Aragorn shook his head. “It was just a title that she picked up from somewhere. Its translation is Gift of Understanding. Pretty straightforward.”
Raina nodded.
“Her real name… I knew it once, but it seems to have slipped my mind…”
“Is it Deirdra?” she asked hurriedly.
Aragorn looked over at her, staring into her eyes for a moment before nodding. “Deirdra. That was the name given to her at birth. Wanderer. That also makes sense.”
Raina nodded, thanking him before falling back, trying to think. So now she definitely knew this was her mother. But she decided that she wasn’t going to look into it. She honestly didn’t want to know.
***
The people were nearing the end of their long journey from Edoras to Helm’s Deep, and Raina had forgotten her troubling thoughts and joined her friends once more. Riding behind her was Legolas, who was smart enough to not say anything about their last conversation when the she-elf had reappeared. In front of them was Aragorn, Eowyn, and Gimli, all riding on their own and speaking of things that really had no matter.
“It’s true that you really don’t see many dwarf women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, they are often mistaken for dwarf men!” Gimli was explaining to Eowyn.
The woman turned to look back at us, and we all nodded encouragingly.
“It’s the beards!” Aragorn whispered as Legolas and I leaned around each other and pretended to rub our chest-length beards. She leaned back and laughed as she turned back to Gimli.
“And this in turn has given rise to the belief that there are no dwarf women!” Gimli cried. “And that dwarves just spring out of holes in the ground!”
With this Eowyn laughed out loud, as Gimli continued.
“Which of course is ridiculous. Whoa!”
Gimli’s horse had decided it was tired of lingering around, and sprinted ahead, knocking Gimli to the ground.
Everyone stared wide-eyed before laughing while Èowyn ran to his side.
“It’s alright! It’s alright. No one panic! That was deliberate. It was deliberate!”
From the other side of Aragorn, Théoden spoke. “I have not seen my niece smile in a long time,” he commented sadly as he too watched her and Gimli.
“She was a girl when they brought her father back dead. Cut down by orcs.”
Èowyn turned back and smiled at group. Raina had known this, because it had come up in one of their conversations. But looking at the smiling woman now, you never would have guessed her past.
"She watched her mother succumb to grief. And she was left alone to tend her king in growing fear. Doomed to wait upon an old man who should have loved her as a father."
But wait… hadn’t she been welcomed to Lorien as the daughter of Deirdra?
She had ridden all the way to the front of the group by then, and slowed her horse. Aragorn rode his own horse nearby, with no one close to him, so Raina rode up to his side.
“Strider,” she said, and waited for him to respond. It seemed as if she had interrupted his thoughts. He turned to look at her from his own horse.
“I was wondering… if you knew anything about Anna Avari?”
He blinked a few times before answering. “As much as anyone else. You might want to wait to ask Legolas, he probably knows…”
“No, I just have a question. Do you know if that was her real name? Anna?”
Aragorn shook his head. “It was just a title that she picked up from somewhere. Its translation is Gift of Understanding. Pretty straightforward.”
Raina nodded.
“Her real name… I knew it once, but it seems to have slipped my mind…”
“Is it Deirdra?” she asked hurriedly.
Aragorn looked over at her, staring into her eyes for a moment before nodding. “Deirdra. That was the name given to her at birth. Wanderer. That also makes sense.”
Raina nodded, thanking him before falling back, trying to think. So now she definitely knew this was her mother. But she decided that she wasn’t going to look into it. She honestly didn’t want to know.
***
The people were nearing the end of their long journey from Edoras to Helm’s Deep, and Raina had forgotten her troubling thoughts and joined her friends once more. Riding behind her was Legolas, who was smart enough to not say anything about their last conversation when the she-elf had reappeared. In front of them was Aragorn, Eowyn, and Gimli, all riding on their own and speaking of things that really had no matter.
“It’s true that you really don’t see many dwarf women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, they are often mistaken for dwarf men!” Gimli was explaining to Eowyn.
The woman turned to look back at us, and we all nodded encouragingly.
“It’s the beards!” Aragorn whispered as Legolas and I leaned around each other and pretended to rub our chest-length beards. She leaned back and laughed as she turned back to Gimli.
“And this in turn has given rise to the belief that there are no dwarf women!” Gimli cried. “And that dwarves just spring out of holes in the ground!”
With this Eowyn laughed out loud, as Gimli continued.
“Which of course is ridiculous. Whoa!”
Gimli’s horse had decided it was tired of lingering around, and sprinted ahead, knocking Gimli to the ground.
Everyone stared wide-eyed before laughing while Èowyn ran to his side.
“It’s alright! It’s alright. No one panic! That was deliberate. It was deliberate!”
From the other side of Aragorn, Théoden spoke. “I have not seen my niece smile in a long time,” he commented sadly as he too watched her and Gimli.
“She was a girl when they brought her father back dead. Cut down by orcs.”
Èowyn turned back and smiled at group. Raina had known this, because it had come up in one of their conversations. But looking at the smiling woman now, you never would have guessed her past.
"She watched her mother succumb to grief. And she was left alone to tend her king in growing fear. Doomed to wait upon an old man who should have loved her as a father."