A/N Yes, 10th walker. No, she's not a Mary-Sue. Anyway, enjoy!
'Nine walkers.' Elrond said. 'No. Someone else will join you.'
As if called, a girl appeared by his side. She wore a simple, black dress, that made it seem like she was floating instead of walking. Long, raven-black hairs with red streaks danced on the slight breeze. Both her eyes had different colors: one was brown, as brown as the ground. The other was greener than the greenest leaf.
And a long cut, from her left eyebrow to the right corner of her mouth, gave her a very creepy look.
Boromir raised an eyebrow. 'A woman? You want to send a woman on such a dangerous quest?'
The girl looked at him, ice-cold.
Frodo interrupted: 'I don't want to force her to come if she doesn't want to.'
Elrond said: "She will go with you. That's how I want it.'
The girl walked toward the other members of the Fellowship and as she passed Frodo, a blood-red card fall on the ground behind her. She stood next to Legolas.
Frodo picked up the little card. On it was written, in black ink: I'm coming with you.
They would stay in Rivendel for the night and leave the next morning. The Fellowship prepared itself for the journey.
'I'm not too sure about that girl, master Frodo.' Sam said. 'She seems so...dark. And she never speaks. She doesn't even give me an answer when I ask for her name.'
'Do you really want to know why she didn't answer you, Sam?' Aragon said. 'Her name is Nikita, but she is also called "She-who-never-speaks" or "The Secret of Sadness".'
Legolas found Nikita, their mysterious companion, sitting on a branch in a tree, staring at the sky. She appearanly hadn't noticed him.
'Hello, Nikita.' he said.
Her head jerked towards him in surprise. Then she gave him one of her cards. Apparently, it was her way of communicating. Legolas couldn't help but wonder whether she just could't speak or that she didn't speak for a reason.
He was intrigued by her.
He read the card.
Call me Nick. Everyone does.
'Alright then, Nick. What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?'
Nick looked at the sky again and pointed at the stars. Then she gave Legolas another card.
And you?
'The same.' Legolas answered.
They both sat there for a while, staring at the stars.
Nick shivered.
'Are you cold?' Legolas asked her.
She nodded.
'We should go back and get some sleep. We need to be ready tomorrow.'
Nick nodded in agreement as she followed Legolas back to Rivendel.
A/N I originally didn't intend for Nikita to be nicknamed "Nick", but this stupid auto-correction always turns it into "Necktie". No, I don't see the connection either. Anyway, because it is too irritating to correct it every time, I will refer to her as "Nick" most of the time.