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Disclaimer: I do not own the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Only my own character(s) and plot twists.
I hope you enjoy.
I keep myself hidden on the slender branch of a tree that has me resting twenty feet above the odd group of travelers. Crouching down, I slowly but silently creep my way forward to get a better view. An old man, two men, four halflings and an elf are sleeping by the campfire while a dwarf is struggling to stay awake on his night watch. I grin at the sight.
Looking at the layout, I instinctively start to create a plan in my mind of how to collect their supplies and leave unnoticed. The food is scattered equally among all of the members. The weapons are with their respective owners and from my experience, the more valuable the weapon, the more deadly the fighter. Not that that would ever stop me from taking them.
Tonight is different though. I only plan on taking what I need, which is enough food to get me to the next town. Since I'm only stealing food, it doesn't matter who I choose to take from but, I definitely know who I don't want to tangle with. Both of the men as well as the elf seem like the better fighters of the group judging by their weapons. Moving on, only an idiot would choose to steal from someone who sleeps with his eyes open which rules out the old man. The dwarf wouldn't be in a deep enough sleep yet which leaves the halflings.
After only a few minutes, the dwarf's eyes are shut and his breathing is slow, steady and deep. Now's my chance. I climb down the tree and stay crouched as I once again, check for any new signs of movement. Gracefully, I maneuver my way across the campsite and towards the four halflings that lay together. The bags of supplies are either on themselves or next to them.
My hands lightly touch the satchel of the heavier halfling and carefully, I open it to reveal exactly what I was hoping for. Taking a few apples and a loaf of bread out of the halfling's bag, I place them in my own.
Suddenly, a grim feeling washes over me.
In an instant, my dagger is out of it's sheath. Unfortunately, not fast enough as a cold blade is pressed against my neck. I freeze in place, dagger still in hand.
"Stop right there, thief!" A smooth male voice shouts from behind halflings eyes snap open from the new disruption and they scamper back in surprise.
I can feel my heart racing despite my calm exterior. This is the first time I've been caught since I started doing this professionally. How could I have been so careless? I've done this so many times and have definitely dealt with much worse odds that this should be second nature. I should have been more patient. Well, thank the Valar this isn't a contract. Orman would have my head had I been caught with a customer on the line.
Footsteps can be heard moving from behind the elf, and a man comes into view. He looks at me with his smokey gray eyes and the expression of a person who is definitely not pleased. My eyes widen slightly. I recognize this man.
"Who are you?" he asks with a firm voice.
"I am Shadow as you are Strider." I keep my own voice quiet yet confident, lowering my gaze to shield my eyes from his view.
I'm almost certain by now that everyone is up meaning, I have no choice but to confront them. I would have liked to leave without giving them too much information. Not only am I in danger of ruining Shadow's growing reputation as a thief, I generally like to stay unnoticed. More with the sense that they have a name without a face.
"Not the Shadow? It can't be possible! You're far too young, lad, to be causing that much ruckus!" The dwarf lets out a chuckle at his own comment. Did he just call me a man?
I give a cold glare at the dwarf and turn my attention back to Strider and the elf's knife at my throat. An old man in a gray cloak sitting against a rock picks up his staff and walks towards us.
"Legolas, what are you doing holding a knife against this young man? Put it down. We don't want any more problems than we need around here." I can feel his hold on the knife shift as if questioning the request. Reluctantly, he lowers the weapon. The old man gives me a welcoming smile. Something I haven't seen for a long time. My gaze hardens.
"I am Gandalf the Grey. Before I ask what you were doing just now, can you please remove your hood? I would like to know who I am speaking with." The air shifts and I can tell that they are all waiting for me to do as told. I let out a sigh. Fine.
Reaching up, I pull the dark hood off of my head. A short pony tail exposes itself from behind as a small bit of dark hair spills down the right side of my face, drifting lightly across my right eye. I can feel my heart beating faster as I raise my head up, letting my crimson eyes be seen. Paralyzed with fear, I try to stop my hands from trembling as I await their response. There is a moment of silence. Then, the air loses its tension as they lower their weapons.
"It's a woman." The dwarf exclaims, breaking the silence.
"Hardly. More of a girl." Strider speaks with a hint of negativity in his voice.
"My dear girl, how old are you?" Gandalf asks politely.
"Sixteen." I reply. No point in keeping secrets now, they're probably going to kill me. Rid the world of this demonic girl. That's what they all say.
"Well, what are you doing in the middle of the forest? And what are you doing here?"
"I am a traveler and I needed supplies." I answer honestly.
"So, the infamous thief turns out to be nor more than a mere girl. That is, if what you speak is the truth. You've caused enough mayhem in Gondor. I should turn you in myself." Speaks the other man at the other end of the fire.
"Thank you, Boromir." Gandalf says with slight sarcasm. "We can't let you go just yet. The forest is a dangerous place to be travelling alone. I can also tell that you haven't eaten or rested in a while."
"I can take care of myself." I say. From the corner of my eye, I can see the fat halfling emptying the food I stole and placing it back where it came from. I'm about to open my mouth to persuade them when I am interrupted.
"You will be joining us for the time being. Seeing as that you want to leave so much, staying here will be your punishment for attempting to steal." I see noticed my bag full of food. "In any case, it's good to see another face around here." Gandalf gives me another smile, then turns to the rest of the company.
"Aragorn, you will take the next watch. The rest of you should rest for we have a long journey ahead. You child should get some sleep as well." Everyone then returns to their original spots, except for Boromir who appears to be content with watching my every move.
Aragorn whispers to Gandalf and I watch as the head into a thicket of trees. My guess is that they are about to discuss my future with this group but, I don't like to make assumptions. Pulling my hood over my head, I get up with the intention of following them only to be stopped by a certain someone.
"Where do you think you are going?" Boromir asks. This isn't worth my time. Quickly and quietly, I make my way up a tall pine tree, overlooking the entire fellowship.
Third Person POV
"Who is she and what are we going to do with her?" Aragorn asked the pair was out of hearing distance from the camp.
"I don't know much besides the stories that drift around her reputation as a thief." Gandalf said with a tired expression. "As for what we are going to do with her, I don't know. We're already too far away from Imladris to send her there so our only options is to take her with us."
"She is of no use and would only be a problem. You and I both know that she is capable of surviving on her own. I say we give her some provisions and let her be on her way." More frustration escaped the ranger's voice than what he would have liked. The wizard suddenly grew serious.
"An evil force stirs inside of her. I feel that she needs our help."
"Evil?..." Aragorn whispered with disbelief.
"I cannot see it for certain but, I have feeling that it waits. Whatever it is or will be, we cannot let it unleash itself. I fear it would not only destroy the girl but, great damage would be done to this world."
"How do you know she has this kind of power? Something as powerful as what you say would certainly show itself, especially in a child."
"I don't have anything to show for it but I know it's there. I don't know much more than what I have told you. Had we been closer to Imladris, Lord Elrond could have taken her in. He might have known what this is. For now, I believe our only option is to take her either to the Lady Galadriel or find some place for her to stay until we have time to sort it out."
"Could it have something to do with her eyes? I have not known anyone to have that kind of colour; like drops of blood. I also sensed her fear when she showed them." Aragorn added curiously.
"Doubtful, but it is a possibility." The old wizard acknowledged. "Since we are bringing her with us, you should get to know her more. Find out what we are dealing with." He paused. "As for her fear, I don't see that colour attracting positive attention from most people. Like you said, they are the colour of blood and blood means death or despair."
A moment passed between the duo. Aragorn spoke up."Can she even hold her own in a fight? We have enough inexperienced fighters with us as it is. Shadow is known as a thief, not a fighter."
"Why don't you challenge her sometime? Test her abilities for yourself. Might even be fun." A smile appeared on Gandalf's face. "Besides that, I say we leave it up to her to prove her worth." Giving Aragorn a light pat on the shoulder, the wizard walked back to the group.
There are moments when the ranger truly doesn't understand that wizard. This girl has some sort of unknown curse with a seemingly strong enough force to change the future yet, he talks so lightly about it. Letting out a small sigh, he followed Gandalf's steps back to the group.
Shadow POV
Aragorn and Gandalf return only moments after the incident. Gandalf was soon asleep while Strider sat leaning on a boulder in front of the fire. As soon as Aragorn returned, Boromir closed his eyes.
"Hey, catch." Finding the source of the voice, Aragorn tosses me a piece of bread. I catch it in my gloved hands, eyeing it peculiarly.
"You must be hungry." Staring at it for a few seconds, it doesn't take me long to test a small bite. Normally eating food from a stranger is a downright bad idea but, considering I haven't eaten in around three to four days, I take the chance. Bad food tastes great when eaten with hunger, and this bread was no exception. I finish off the rest of the piece in a matter of seconds.
"Are you from Bree?" He asks. I have a feeling that he's going to be asking more questions. Don't trust anyone but myself. That's what's kept me alive and I intend to follow that rule.
"No." I reply simply.
"Only the people from there call me Strider." He counters. I don't respond. He keeps silent after that and pulls out an oddly shaped pipe. The Ranger smokes and stares blankly at the fire.
Knowing that everyone is now occupied, I gently push up the sleeve of my left arm up to my elbow. There are two rows of black numbers stained on my forearm. They look as if black ink hit a drop of water, causing it to bleed. The numbers read:
04,02,46,12,36,03
I figured out along time ago that the first digit represents years, then days, then hours, minutes and finally, seconds. The seconds always count down. When the clock runs out, I'll be twenty years of age. The number underneath reads "6". This is my kill counter. I assume it only counts substantial life. So far, humans have made the count. Elves, dwarfs, orcs and goblins would probably count as well. If I kill a rabbit or something similar, the number will remain the same.
I rub my wrist and pull the sleeve back down. The numbers are a part of me. They have been and always will be.
Turning my attention away from my wrist, I look through the branches of the trees and up at the round moon. Stars litter the endless ocean above and a cool breeze wraps around slender frame, almost giving me a sense of security. Closing my eyes, I listen to the steady crackling of the fire. Everything is calm and beautiful. For now at least.
Thank you for reading.
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this story. Let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions.
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Again, thank you for reading.
~Nighthief