(A/N: I do not own Maleficent or Lord of the Rings. I have actual quotes from the books and movies because they were written so well, but all of that credit goes to the writers of these brilliant works.)
Chapter 1
Maleficent and Diaval flew through the evening clouds. She enjoyed the feel of the wind in her wings after so many years of missing them. It had been a year and a half since Aurora became queen of the combined kingdoms. Although, she visited whenever she could, Aurora was busy with her kingdom, and Maleficent found other ways to occupy herself in the child's absence. Often, she and Diaval would soar in the sky or sit on tall cliffs, either in silence or Diaval would attempt to strike up a conversation.
Although his debt to Maleficent was paid when he saved her life in the castle, he stuck around anyway. She did not know the reason, but he said it was because she needed looking after. She'd scoffed at that, but accepted his decision to stay. She didn't mind. After sixteen years she had started to consider him more than just a servant. They had become friends.
Soaring in a thermal, Maleficent suddenly shouted and grabbed her head from sudden pain in her head. Diaval flew over and gave a concerned squawk.
"I don't know. It's like," she stopped and looked down and to the east. "There's something down there, Diaval." Without waiting for this reaction, she dove in the direction she was looking and he had no choice but to follow. When Maleficent got to the area above the disturbance she found a clearing in the forest and landed. Once there, and after changing Diaval into a human, they walked to a place that seemed to be pulling Maleficent toward it.
"What is it, Mistress?"
"There is a magic here that is not my own or of the Moors." He didn't see anything, but she seemed to be staring at something. A snap of a twig and both of their heads whipped to the left. Diaval figured it was nothing and stepped up to where Maleficent had been looking a second ago.
"Well I don't see anythi- AHHH!" Maleficent jumped at his scream and turned to see Diaval being sucked into a disturbance in the air. She could see through it, but the objects on the other side were distorted.
"Diaval!" She rushed forward, grabbed his whole upper body, and tried to pull him out of it. She wasn't strong enough and felt herself being pulled too. Quickly spreading her wings, Maleficent tried to use their strength to pull them out, but that too was impossible. With a final tug, the two of them were forced through the portal.
The next thing Diaval knew, Maleficent was on top of him and the portal disappeared behind them. Neither of them seemed to be hurt, but he really couldn't bring himself to move off the ground yet. He was holding her upper arms which had been an attempt to catch her as they fell, and was quite content to stare at Maleficent's yellow-green eyes. For Maleficent's part, she laid on top of him and caught her breath. She was actually frightened that he was hurt, and was having trouble thinking about what could have happened if she hadn't held onto him. He would have been gone. Forever… The thought scared her.
"Are you okay?" He just nodded and continued to stare. Becoming uncomfortable under his scrutiny, she broke eye contact and moved to get up. Diaval quickly came to his senses and scrambled up next to her. He looked around. It was dark now.
"Wow, the sun went down fast didn't it?"
"No," he looked at her questioningly and saw her concerned face, "we still had an hour before the sun set." She looked around like something was going to jump out of the forest and Diaval started to get scared. Maleficent was never this concerned for anything other than Aurora.
"What are you saying? We were knocked out for an hour? We just fell through that portal is all."
"Diaval, no." She looked straight at him. "We are not in the Moors."
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
The heart-stopping, high-pitched screech had Diaval jumping out of his skin, and they unconsciously got closer. Diaval wished he had his wings so he could fly, while Maleficent brought her staff up and lifted her wings. After a few seconds they heard rustling. Maleficent quickly turned Diaval into a raven and they both flew into a nearby tree. Watching the ground, they saw four children sneaking through the trees.
These children couldn't be what made that noise. Maleficent didn't think they looked dangerous enough to have made it. She used a bit of magic so she and Diaval could hear them.
"See anything?" The question came from one in the back, and his voice sounded too deep to be a child. The young man leading answered him.
"Nothing." A third walked up and collapsed in exhaustion.
"What is going on?" He had an accent similar to King Stephen. Maleficent hoped that was the only similarity. The first speaker spoke up.
"That Black Rider was looking for something… or someone." He stood next to the leader and looked at him. "Frodo?"
"Get down!" The fourth all but shouted and they all dropped to the ground, staring ahead.
Then, she saw it. On the ridge ahead of the little men was a cloaked rider on a black horse. Maleficent could feel the dark magic radiating off him from where she perched in the tree. That must be the Black Rider. Is it after these young men? Another ear-splitting screech, and the rider turned in the opposite direction. The faerie and raven's attention turned back to the four as the leader spoke up.
"I have to get out of the Shire." He looked at the man next to him. "Sam and I must get to Bree." The first nodded.
"Right, Bucklebury Ferry! Follow me." He started running and the others followed. They got about fifteen feet when the black rider came out of nowhere. Diaval squawked next to her, obviously wanting to help.
"Wait!" She watched as they all managed to get past the rider. The leader was the last to make it and he almost fell over his own feet in haste. Maleficent and Diaval took off above the trees and watched from above as the four ran from the rider. But then the leader tripped, and with the rider bearing down on him Maleficent did not wait to think about what she was doing.
She dove and scooped the young man up before the rider reached him and flew after the others. They had not seen her yet and were waiting to push off until they saw their friend. Surprisingly, Frodo was simply staring around while flying rather than screaming like a normal person. The rider screeched and followed her. She pushed herself faster through the air and landed heavily on the dock, much to the surprise of the three little men. One even fell backwards.
She put Frodo down and he turned to look at her. He opened his mouth to say something, but she beat him to it.
"Get on." He did so, and she took flight and hovered next to them as the riders slid to a halt, screeched angrily, and turned his horse around. Only then did Maleficent see the other riders following him. Not knowing their weaknesses, she felt loath to fight them.
"How far to the nearest crossing?" The one who suggested the ferry answered the leader.
"The Brandywine Bridge. Twenty miles." She glanced at the four again and turned to fly away, but her dress was caught. Turning, she saw the leader gripping the edge of it.
"Please, who are you?" Maleficent noticed that the wind caused by her wings was making the ferry ride treacherous, and looked to the other side of the river.
"I will wait over there." She pointed to the river bank and Frodo let go. When she was away, Frodo turned to the others.
"Do any of you know her?" They all shook their heads, and Sam spoke up.
"What is she supposed to be? I've never heard of human women with wings. I couldn't tell if her ears were pointed because it is too dark, but I've never heard of elves with wings either."
"Well, she helped us, so maybe she is a friend of Gandalf's." Pippin's voice was chipper as if they didn't just get chased by terrifying cloaked men. Frodo shook his head.
"Gandalf would have told me…" He didn't want to think she was on Sauron's side, but he couldn't help but wonder. "Let's just try to find out when we get over there."
"Mr. Frodo, if she is evil, how are we supposed to defend ourselves? Any creature with wings has to be somewhat dangerous." Frodo didn't answer Sam. He didn't have an answer for him.
"So, no one got a good look at her?" Merry was busy steering the ferry, but felt he needed to ask. "Not even you, Frodo? You were flying with her! Surely you looked up at the thing carrying you?" Frodo smiled sheepishly.
"Honestly, I was more concerned about the Black Rider." Merry rolled his eyes and they were silent through the rest of the ride, all thinking about the winged woman on the other side.
When they arrived they saw no one there. Either the woman was hiding or had flown away which made Frodo's heart sink. If she was friendly she could help them. Gathering his courage and pushing the hopelessness down, he called out to the darkness.
"Miss?" Unbeknownst to them, Maleficent was close by in the shadows. A raven flew right up to the little men and landed in front of them. They looked at the bird questioningly; not really knowing what to do.
"Well, here goes nothing." She muttered to herself, lifted her head, and stepped out.
Frodo hadn't realized just how different this creature was from the stories Gandalf had told him. She was the height of a human and did have wings, but the moon that had finally come out from behind the clouds exposed more variances. Her wings were so large that they dragged on the ground like a cloak, and they had sharp bones in the place where the thumb would be. Her cheek bones were very high and pronounced, and her eyes were such a light green that they seemed yellow. A dark staff was gripped in long fingers with sharp looking nails. The most striking feature were her horns. If Frodo hadn't been saved by her a few minutes ago, he'd have taken her for an evil being. The horns curled in a way that made her whole person seem dangerous and cruel. All in all, he'd describe her as severe, but she had a grace to her that Gandalf told him only elves possessed. He believed she was beautiful in an "other-worldly" way, especially once he got past her malicious looks. He did notice the slightest bit of apprehension in her eyes, and stepped forward to introduce himself.
"I'm Frodo Baggins. Thank you for saving me." He had the pleasure to see surprise flit across her face before the neutral mask returned. "These are my friends Samwise Gamgee, Peregrin Took, and Meriadoc Brandybuck." He gestured to each one of them and they all gave a slight bow, while she nodded at them. "What's your name? And if you don't mind, what are you? We've never heard of your kind before." With a small smile, which in Frodo's opinion transformed her from imposing to kind, she stepped closer and the raven landed on her staff.
"I am Maleficent and this is Diaval." She flicked her fingers slightly from which yellow flames flowed and the bird changed into a man. The hobbits realized then that she was not only a creature that could fly, but was also magical. Sam stared at her warily. If she turns out to be with the enemy we are dead. The raven turned man gave Maleficent an annoyed look as he straightened his clothes.
"You could have warned me." She barely glanced at him and he turned to the Hobbits with a sigh. "Yes, I am Diaval. No I am not actually a human, but a raven. She turned me into a human to save me a while back." He laughed awkwardly as the Hobbits nodded in shock. Merry turned his attention back to Maleficent.
"So you can fly and do magic. No offense, but what are you?"
"I'm a Faerie." The young men just stared blankly like they didn't know what that was, and she quickly moved on. "What are you? You are not creatures of the Moors, nor are you human." The hobbits gazed at her in confusion.
"We're Hobbits." At the blank looks of the two newcomers, they listed their other names. "Shirefolk? Halflings?" When Maleficent and Diaval shook their heads Merry brought something else up.
"Okay, what are the Moors? Where is that?" Diaval spoke up when Maleficent did not.
"Well, it is where we are from, but we don't know where we are right now. Can you tell us?"
"You're on the edge of the Shire, near the human town of Bree." Frodo got out a map and showed it to them. Maleficent conjured some flame so they could see it.
"I don't recognize these names. Diaval?" He shook his head hopelessly, and she straightened up and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Pippin spoke up quickly.
"Well, we are going to see Gandalf in Bree. Right, Frodo?" Frodo gave him a curious look, and Pippin looked back to Maleficent. "Gandalf is a Wizard and he might be able to help you. All you need to do is come with us to Bree!"
"Wow, Pippin. That was actually a good idea." Merry joked and Pippin look offended and crossed his arms. Diaval decided to be the voice of reason.
"How will the humans react to Maleficent? If you're shocked gawking were anything to go by, it may not go well." Pippin looked down.
"I hadn't thought of that…" Maleficent did not want to give up the chance to talk to this wizard.
"They will not be able to harm me anyway. I could walk into the place we are to meet Gandalf separately from you four. That way you do not have to be associated with me. As long as I give the bartender money, will he have the other customers leave me alone?" Frodo shrugged.
"Maybe, we will just have to find out. Do you have money?" Maleficent's eyes widened. She didn't. Frodo grinned and dug in his pocket. "Here, this should cover both of you. Diaval, do you plan on being a human or a raven?" He shrugged.
"It's up to her. She's the one that changes my form." Diaval shrugged giving the small man a questioning look. "Why do you ask?"
"The bartender may not want an actual bird in his tavern." Frodo suggested.
"I understand." Maleficent made her decision. "Diaval you are staying human for the time being. Maybe if they see another human walking around with me they will not try to kill me." Everyone nodded and they started walking. They told Maleficent more about their world on the way, and they told her to call them by their nicknames of Sam, Pippin, and Merry. She grinned secretly, thinking about the similarity to her childhood. When she could make friends more easily. After an hour it started pouring and everyone was soaked in minutes. About half an hour later, they arrived outside the gates of Bree.
"Diaval and I will fly over the gates and follow you four. Then, we will find a hidden place to land and follow you into the tavern. Hopefully the wizard will not be long." They all nodded and separated. Once the hobbits were let inside Maleficent and Diaval took to the sky, making sure to keep out of sight of the tower guards. They watched as the hobbits dodged men and carts and finally found the tavern. Maleficent saw Frodo glance skyward and went inside. She and Diaval landed in an alley close to the tavern and she transformed Diaval. Realizing there was no way to hide her horns and wings they decided to let Diaval go first and to go quickly. Before they started he glanced back at her, and she gave a curious look. Why is he so anxious?
"You're not nervous are you?" She narrowed her eyes in annoyance. We are standing here getting soaked to the bone and he is asking me if I am worried.
"Why would I be nervous?" Realizing he'd overstepped a boundary, he looked at the ground and shifted from foot to foot.
"Well… I just thought you might be…" She saw that he was just trying to be supportive and smiled slightly at him, while also wondering about her quickened heartbeat.
She lifted her head high, straightened her back, and smirked at him. "It's simple. I will just do what I normally do." He stared blankly at her, and she rolled her eyes. "Act like I own the place. No one will bother me." He grinned and they shared a laugh as he turned to where they were going.
Moving quickly they got to the door in under a minute. If anyone noticed the winged woman walking next to the tavern's wall they did not say or do anything.
Diaval had entered first, and out of curiosity, some clients had glanced in the door's direction. They had been looking to see if the newcomer was a friend or someone new to town. What they didn't expect was the new man's acquaintance. Maleficent had to stoop to get her horns and wings through the door, and when she stood back to her full height she found every eye in the room on her. Burying the rising dread, she lifted her chin and shut the door behind her. Diaval stepped to the bar and handed over the coins Frodo had given them.
"We are only requesting shelter from the rain." He looked imploringly at the bartender who did not seem to be an unkind gentleman. He was, however, studying Maleficent's features warily, before turning back to Diaval.
"No trouble." Diaval nodded affirmative.
"No trouble as long as the other clients stay away." He raised his eyebrows meaningfully at the man. Although Diaval knew he did not look dangerous in the least, he knew Maleficent did to an alarming degree. The bartender looked at Maleficent watching the crowd carefully.
"Of course. I have a table for the two of you. Will you need lodging?" He started toward a table in the corner. A place where they wouldn't have to worry about watching their backs.
"Only if the rain does not stop. Would that be possible?"
"Yes." He indicated that they sit, but before they did someone in the crowd shouted.
"What do you mean, 'yes'? Don't let that abomination stay here! Get out!"
"Gofuur! Stop harassing my customers! This is my tavern and I welcome all manner of people here. If you don't like it, get out! And that goes for all of you!" The drunkard sat back down grudgingly, but a large man closer to their table stood.
"I will not stand for this! Get out monster, or I will make you!" He pulled out a large knife and waited for her answer. The hobbits in the middle of the room watched nervously. They knew that she probably could defend herself, but did not know what to expect. What they certainly did not expect was for her to turn around slowly and stare arrogantly at him. The whole room, however, gasped and the man stepped back at her glowing yellow eyes. Shaking his head the man charged with a shout.
Maleficent shot her hand out at him and green flame burst from her hand. The man flew all the way to the opposite wall. Frodo whipped his head back to see Maleficent's hand surrounded by the green flame and her eyes glowing yellow dangerously. Gone was the arrogant look. It was replaced by a vicious glare. He wasn't surprised that she could defend herself or that she looked so forbidding right now, but he hadn't expected her to act so ferociously. A quick glance at the others confirmed they were thinking the same thing. Unconsciously, they agreed not to cross her.
The man groaned and did not get up. Any of the courage the clients had withered and they went back to their drinks. With a final glare around the room, Maleficent extinguished the flames and sat down slowly, her back to the wall. Conversation started up around the room again, although quite a bit more subdued than before.
The hobbits went back to what they were doing before. Merry came back to the table with a larger cup of alcohol. Pippin stared at it jealously.
"What's that?"
"This my friend, is a pint." Merry exclaimed happily and took a sip.
"It comes in pints?" Pippin asked excitedly and Merry made an affirmative noise. He looked at Frodo determinedly. "I'm getting one!" He got up quickly and moved to the bar to which Sam protested.
"You've had a whole half already!" Pippin ignored him and he made a disgusted noise and looked around the room again. He then pointed out a suspicious man to Frodo.
"That man's been nothing but staring the whole time." Frodo cast a cautious glance at him and pulled at the passing bartender's sleeve.
"Excuse me. That man in the corner. Who is he?" The bartender looked, but quickly averted his eyes. Maleficent saw this and watched closely to see who they were talking about.
"He's one of them Rangers. Dangerous folk they are, wanderin' around in the wild, but around here, he's known as Strider."
"Strider."
On the other side of the room Diaval and Maleficent watched the hobbits and the rest of the room. Diaval saw Maleficent smirk a little at Merry and Pippin's exchange, but it quickly disappeared when she saw more clients staring at her. She glared at them, and they turned away. Diaval leaned closer.
"Obviously the wizard is not here. Do you think something happened to him?" Maleficent did not answer him right away and he was about to give up on conversation when she startled him by speaking softly.
"These hobbits are stuck in something much more dangerous than they realize. Those riders radiated evil, more so than myself, and if they are not the leaders of the enemy then how dangerous are their leaders? The wizard could certainly have run into trouble, and the hobbits may not even know it." She peered closely at Frodo and Sam. "Although, that is exactly what Frodo and Sam are thinking. Also…" Diaval glanced at her again. "Frodo is not telling the whole truth. Yes, he and Sam are to meet this Gandalf, but he never said why. If those riders are after him, then he is part of something bigger than he is telling." She did not like that Frodo would not tell her the truth. Keeping secrets was never a good thing.
As she was thinking about everything she didn't like about their situation, a waitress had found the courage to approach their table. Maleficent turned her yellow-green eyes on the young woman and the poor girl visibly gulped. Her voice shook as she spoke.
"Can I get the two of you anything?" She was gripping the empty serving plate in front of her chest so tightly her knuckles turned white. Diaval glanced sideways to see Maleficent's reaction. He expected her to glare and tell the girl to go away, but she surprised him. Again.
"Water, please." She smiled at the girl, who seemed as surprised as Diaval. Although the smile did not turn her into a lovable mother, it did make her less intimidating. The girl smiled hesitantly and turned her attention to Diaval. He cleared his throat.
"The same." He glanced quickly at Maleficent and jumped when he found her glaring at him. He made a 'what?' gesture and then he remembered something they'd discussed a while back. The magic word to make people like you. He sighed and looked at the waitress again who looked on in confusion.
"Please." The girl's eyes widened at the surprisingly normal exchange, but nodded and rushed off. He leaned to Maleficent again. "You are seriously going to lecture me on manners when you shot a man into a wall earlier, and keep glaring at other customers?" She smirked and glanced at him sideways in a way he was finding increasingly annoying and endearing.
"I am not the human here, remember?" He rolled his eyes and paid the waitress after she put down the drinks with the change from the bartender.
"Oh right, because I'm not a bird or anything."
"Quiet." He looked at her, offended, but saw her staring intently at Frodo. He looked at Frodo and saw what she did. The hobbit seemed to be going into a trance or falling asleep sitting up. "Something's wrong."
Frodo was indeed going into a trance. After Sam had pointed out the cloaked stranger he began fiddling with the ring without really noticing. Suddenly his eyes became heavy and all sound around him faded out. All he did hear was his name being said. Baggins… Baggins… Baggins…. BAGGINS!
"Baggins?" Frodo jerked out of the trance at Pippin's loud voice. "Sure I know a Baggins! He's over there, Frodo Baggins." Remembering Gandalf's warning, Frodo panicked. He raced over to Pippin, pushing through people on the way. Maleficent and Diaval watched worriedly as he grabbed Pippin's shoulder, but tripped and fell backwards. Maleficent watched as a ring flew straight up, and for some reason she felt pulled towards it. Frodo reached to catch it, but it slid onto his finger instead. Then, he disappeared.
Maleficent jerked in her chair at the sudden wave of sheer power and an ominous presence made itself known. You cannot hide, I see you. She knew the voice was not directed at her, but she could feel the power of the talking being. Fear consumed her as she felt surrounded by fire, but she also felt a tug in the direction Frodo had been. It was like she needed to get to something over there. The dark voice spoke again. There is no light in the void, only death! Abruptly, it was gone and Maleficent ducked her head and took deep breaths. Diaval had his hand on her shoulder and was alternating between looking at her concernedly and watching the room. She glanced up to see Frodo leaning against a chair, visible again. He looked just as out of breath as she felt. Could he have experienced the same thing?
Suddenly she gasped as Frodo was grabbed by a cloaked man and dragged up the stairs. Not caring that she'd cause a ruckus, Maleficent rushed across the room to the stairs. She must have had a dangerous look to her because clients scrambled out of her way. These hobbits are my only chance of figuring out how to get back to the Moors, and I'll be damned if I let their leader die! She ran up the steps and saw the other three hobbits bursting into a door. Sam yelled as if it would scare the man.
"Let him go, or I'll have you longshanks!" Maleficent stopped outside the room and listened.
"You have a stout heart little hobbit," she heard the hissing sound of a sword being put away, "but that will not save you." Peeking around the corner she saw a dirty man step in front of Frodo. The same man who'd been staring at Frodo before. "You can no longer wait for the wizard, Frodo. They're coming."
"Who's coming?" The man and the hobbits spun around at Maleficent's voice. Pippin greeted her happily.
"We wondered when you were going to join us. I see you both made it up the stairs okay." She smiled slightly at the young hobbit, but quickly glared at the man again. He was trying to come to terms that the creature in front of him was with the hobbits. Gandalf didn't mention this.
They'd all moved to the inn across the street. The fact that the winged and horned woman was suddenly an acquaintance of the four hobbits and the mysterious Strider did not go unnoticed as whispers circulated as they all passed. Getting into the inn with Maleficent was another test in patience and bribery, but Strider managed it in the end. In the small room everyone took differing positions and waited. Merry, Pippin, and Sam had sat on the bed and quickly fell asleep. Diaval dozed against the wall near the door, Frodo sat in the bed, Maleficent sat still in a chair and stared at the floor in thought, and Strider sat near the window and watched the street. Frodo finally asked what everyone that was awake was thinking.
"How do you know Gandalf?" Strider looked back at him, but returned his attention to the street. Maleficent did not move a muscle, but her eyes flicked to the human.
"Gandalf and I are old friends. He asked that I come here to meet you in case something happened to him." Maleficent realized she was right. There was much more going on here than she had been told.
"Why were you meeting the wizard, Frodo?" Both Frodo and Strider turned at Maleficent's question and Diaval stirred. She slowly lifted her head and stared expressionlessly at Frodo, waiting patiently for an answer. Frodo wet his lips and looked down, wondering if he should tell her.
"Did you see the ring that slid on my finger at the Prancing Pony?" Strider made a noise of disapproval, but Frodo ignored him after seeing Maleficent's eyes glitter dangerously at the human. "Well it was made by a very powerful and evil being named Sauron, and it therefore is also powerful and evil. I was supposed to meet Gandalf at the tavern so he could take it somewhere to be safe. Or, at least hidden. Apparently something stopped him."
"You disappeared when you put it on, is that the power?"
"No, it gives the wearer unfathomable power, but it also turns that being evil. It also calls to evil spirits which is why we had to move across the street. The Black Riders chasing us work for Sauron and are looking for the ring. When I put it on it was like a beacon to all evil, and so we moved." She moved her yellow eyes to Strider.
"And you're here to lead the hobbits and the ring somewhere safe in case Gandalf did not show." Strider nodded and looked out the window. "When the riders come, won't they find us here?" Strider shook his head.
"They will go to the Prancing Pony, not find Frodo, get angry, and leave." They are not particularly smart. His tone suggested he wanted silence and everyone was content to be in their own thoughts. Maleficent and Diaval glanced at each other before looking away. Both were thinking of Maleficent's reaction to Frodo putting on the ring earlier.
She was in pain and frightened. What happened? Did she see or hear something? Technically, many humans near the Moors would describe her as evil. Was she pulled toward the ring like the riders? I hope not. Diaval had no idea that his thoughts were very similar to Maleficent's.
The voice must have been Sauron then. He must have been very powerful, maybe as powerful as I. What concerned her though, was the fact that she'd been drawn to the ring like Frodo said evil creatures would. She smirked inwardly. Well, it is no secret that I am very capable of being evil. She just hoped that she could overcome the pull and resist taking the ring. It was going to be tough. I will get Diaval to watch me carefully.
After an hour of sitting in silence Strider shifted and nodded at Frodo and Maleficent. Since the window was too small to gather around they stayed where they were. After two minutes, SCCCRREEEEEEEEE! They'd found the decoy. All the other occupants jerked out of their sleep and listened to the angered shrieks.
"What are they?" Frodo sounded both terrified and curious. Frankly, Maleficent wanted to know too. Strider looked at him.
"They were once men. Great kings of men. Then Sauron the deceiver gave to them nine rings of power. Blinded by their greed, they took them without question, one by one falling into darkness. Now they are slaves to his will." He watched as the creatures jumped on their horses and rode out of town, and then turned back to Frodo. "They are the Nazgul, Ringwraiths, neither living nor dead. At all times they feel the presence of the Ring, drawn to the power of the One. They will never stop hunting you." They'd all been entranced by his words, but came out of it after he stopped.
"What do we do?" Sam, ever the rational one, asked.
"You must get somewhere safe, and I am going to take you there." He turned his dark gaze on Maleficent. "You may accompany us as long as you do not prove yourself dangerous to the hobbits." She lifted her chin arrogantly at his threat.
"Even if I were," she narrowed her eyes at him, "you would be unable to stop me." At Strider's glare and slight twitch of fingers toward his sword, she continued. "But, you have nothing to fear from me as long as you do not try to harm Diaval or myself." The smile that might have meant to be comforting turned out to be more disconcerting than anything, and Strider made a sound that sounded almost impressed.
"We will leave at first light." Little sleep was gotten the rest of the night. The hobbits were too afraid of the Ringwraiths to sleep, so simply dozed fitfully, and Maleficent and Strider were too busy being suspicious of each other. Maleficent managed three hours of sleep after Diaval promised to stay awake, and Strider did not sleep at all. While she was asleep he and Diaval actually spoke some.
"She is not actually all that bad, you know. She just doesn't trust easily and tends to be overprotective." Strider grinned at the friendly man and looked at the sleeping faerie.
"A smart woman. I am guessing she has a reason to be that way?" Diaval nodded cautiously. He did not want to reveal anything she wouldn't want him to.
"She was betrayed by a human quite a while ago. She never fully recovered." Strider saw the sorrow in the man's face as he looked longingly at the sleeping woman and understood instantly just how much he cared. Then he studied the faerie. Amazing. She could be an elf if it weren't for the wings and horns. She seems much more innocent while sleeping, and is just as beautiful as any elf. Not very hard to blame Diaval. There are no creatures such as her in this world.