Ok but the subplot where Aragorn becomes the protagonist of a Horse Girl Movie™ is one of my FAVORITE things to come out of the Two Towers.
In the stables of Rohan, there is an unruly horse named Brego. This horse is so wild that even the horse-masters of Rohan can’t tame him. He’s just a lost cause, they say. “There’s nothing you can do– leave him,” they say.
BUT THEN ARAGORN COMES IN. And like the heroine of a Horse Movie™ he’s all: “You just don’t UNDERSTAND the horse! The horse is wild and rebellious and free– like me!”
Aragorn begins gently talking to the horse, first in Rohirric, then in Elvish. He calms him down and asks him what’s wrong.
You could easily draw a parallel between Aragorn and Brego’s “rebelliousness.” To Theoden, Aragorn was acting overly unruly and difficult. “When last I looked, Theoden, not Aragorn, was King of Rohan.” Then Brego acts unruly and difficult – and Aragorn’s like “the people of Rohan just don’t understand you!!!!!!”
And then Eowyn explains that Brego used to belong to Theodred.
Suddenly Brego’s unruliness IS completely understandable— his master was killed in battle. He’s a horse with a Tragic Backstory.
“Your name is kingly,” Aragorn tells the horse. Aragorn is also a king. Aragorn is projecting.
Now that she’s explained the horse’s tragic backstory, Eowyn tries to get Aragorn to open up about his own Tragic Backstory™. (”I have heard of the magic of elves, but I did not look for it in a Ranger from the north….?”) She fails. Aragorn is briefly like “yup I was raised by elves,” does not elaborate, and then peaces out.
But as he leaves Aragorn dramatically says: “turn this fellow free; he has seen enough of war.”
And Eowyn is forced to wonder whether Aragorn is talking about the horse….or about himself….
Then Aragorn has a Near-Death-Experience, but Arwen’s elven-magic (just roll with it) saves him. And the horse who comes to carry him to safety is none other than Brego.
It’s Brego, repaying the kindness and understanding Aragorn showed him earlier in the film!
Aragorn set Brego free, and in return Brego saves Aragorn’s life!
Because they UNDERSTAND each other, as fellow free spirits who “have seen too much of war.” Both of them are KINGLY but also WILD, they’ve lived through too much and lost people they cared about, and their strong wills cannot be tamed by anyone in Rohan!
It’s beautiful. Aragorn canonically has Disney-Princess-level animal friendship powers.
When they arrive at Helm’s Deep, Aragorn smiles and earnestly says in Elvish: “thank you Brego, my friend.” And we know that Brego understands….
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