I was thinking about it, and the gesture doesn't strike me as foolhardy. Aragorn knows the Rohirrim, he had spent years among them. He knows how to get their attention, and how they are likely to react.axordil wrote:Drawing a sword when in a parley with heavily armed men--on their turf, not yours--is a bit impatient, a bit direct, and more than a bit presumptuous. Rude isn't the right word: arrogant very much is.
Of course, the point of it all is that he can get away with it because of what he is: he has an inborn right to be arrogant. A lesser man, with less presence, would have died there with his comrades.
Besides, what's the alternative? His friends are in danger, as is the rest of the Middle-earth. Éomer is rightly suspicious of this bunch of strangers. Aragorn doesn't carry a government issued ID - except for the sword, the name, and yes, the arrogance. At worst, it's a calculated gamble, and Éomer responds with a predictable, "Awesome, dude!"
Mind, the point is not, "Stand aside because I'll cut your head off if you don't." Aragorn is saying, "Here is a great destiny moving in the world. Think twice before trying to mess with it - not because I'm so bad***, but because it affects the fate of the entire world."