The King’s words still lingered in Cole’s mind, so much that he barely noticed the happenings surrounding the other prisoner. [i]I know who you are…[/i] only a few words and yet they spoke so much. First of all, that meant that his deception, if it could even be called such, was at an end. It did not come as much of a surprise to Cole, as he had failed in deceiving the guards at the gate – what chance did he have of fooling the King himself? Secondly, his head was still very much attached to his shoulders, which meant that Eorl was either very forgiving or had further plans for him. 

These musings brought him to the third point, the most important one. [i]How[/i] exactly did Eorl know? For man who’d never seen Eriador he knew a surprising deal – of the Rangers, or Dúnedain as they called themselves in the old tongue, and he no doubt knew of Bree as well. It was downright shocking! Bree-landers spent their entire lives there and scarcely knew anything of the Watchers and here stood a man, half a world away, who knew more than Cole himself probably!  

Once more that feeling of vastness overwhelmed him. He’d always believed that the rest of the world shared the ignorance of his own people. Bree-folk knew little of the outside world and it was logical to assume that the outside world would know nothing of Bree as well. Certainly, the guards he’d met at Aldburg’s gates weren’t familiar, but they were simple men like him. Leofric and Eorl, however, knew a great deal more. Cole glanced sideways – and what of this knight from Gondor? He could only guess at the wealth of knowledge the man must possess, most of the writings Cole had seen came from that very same place.   

A strange voice drew his attention to the shadows surrounding Eorl’s throne. At this point Cole found himself beyond shock - he’d seen so much in such a short span that the foreign tongue it spoke barely registered. Perhaps this was just the way things were outside of Bree-land, he thought, kings and knights, sorcerous voices and mysterious quests. [i]Come on, Cole, you got used to Bree and you can get used to this…somehow.[/i]

Still, there was something disturbing about the unseen speaker. Cole tried to peer into the shadows but could see nothing. Was there really someone there or was it a mere trick of the light? It now occurred to him that Eorl might owe parts of his insight to this voice, whatever or whoever it was. A chill crept up his spine despite his best efforts to control himself, he tried to act as if all of this was normal, but his mind was most certainly against that idea. 

Meanwhile Eorl turned his eyes back towards the dark-skinned man after the bodiless voice finished speaking, offering his blade hilt-first. The King appeared to be absolutely calm, in fact he seemed to be [i]enjoying[/i] the entire thing. Cole could only envy his steadfastness, here he was almost trembling from some shadows and a queer voice, while the man offered his prisoner the means to kill him. Strange land this was and the people were even stranger! 

And yet, he was here. The King had accepted him and there was a place for him in this quest, it seemed. That had to count for something, right? 

Taking a deep breath, Cole drew himself up. Considering his modest height, it probably did not make much of a difference, but it somehow made him feel better. The tension eased from his muscles and for the first time since he arrived in Aldburg he felt at ease. Chest out, shoulders straight, hands clasped behind his back – he assumed the pose his instructors from Bree’s Watch had drilled into him. This drew a strange look from Leofric, though he quickly turned back towards his King as Eorl’s sword clattered to the ground. 

The prisoner said something about bravery, stupidity and honour which, ironically, reminded Cole of the words Eorl had uttered to him just moments before. He didn’t know what to make of it – were this man’s kin enemies to Eorl and his folk? On his way here he had heard talk of a war with a great enemy, which led to the birth of Rohan itself. Was this man one such enemy and if so, why was he not dead? Eorl was indeed merciful…

There was no way to know for certain, so Cole did what a guardsman does best – he stared straight ahead and began examining a random spot on the wall, much like the two men at his sides. [i]Well, my friends, two can play this game…[/i]