Disclaimer: I have kidnapped Aragorn and Legolas for a short while to help me create this story, but be that as it may, these characters do not belong to me, only the awkward, often twisted ones, do.
A/N: This is the end of the first Band of Thieves story, beginning of the second. If you have not read the first one, some things may not make sense, though the first is not necessary to understand the second; you've just missed everyone's introductions.
Prologue
Once she felt the burst of the barrels behind her, the woman in black expertly jumped free of the wagon and disappeared in the thick smoke cloud. She ran through the trees, careful not to make much noise lest the Elves hear her, despite the diversion.
When she was safely out of eye or ear shot, the women slowed her pace and began walking in the direction of two people bound tightly to a couple of trees in the distance. The two captives—one Man, one Elf—were conversing frantically in hushed voices. They abruptly fell silent when the hooded woman materialized out of the trees.
"Back again so soon?" questioned the man.
"I have a proposition for you," the woman said, kneeling to the others' level.
"There is no proposition that can be trusted if made by a kidnapper and a thief," the Elf said bitterly.
"I'm afraid you have no other choice, my dear Princeling," the woman replied.
"What do you want?" the man asked.
The woman returned her attention to the Ranger. "It took me a while," she said, "but I finally came to my senses." She slowly retrieved a thick gold ring from a pocket in her cloak and held it in her outstretched palm.
"I was holding it," she continued, "after I'd made a few fireballs, and I noticed something very strange." The woman began to rotate her hand slightly, at the same time wisps of feathery gray smoke issued from her palm. "The ring began to glow." And so it did then. "Then a peculiar kind of writing appeared along the band." The Elf and the man tied to the tree watched as markings were etched onto the gold with an invisible chisel.
"This is the One Ring," stated the woman, "is it not?"
"I see no use in denying it," admitted the man.
"You knew this," the woman went on, "and yet, you let a small hobbit with big ears and hairy feet take it? What was he planning to do with it, may I ask?"
"You may ask, but I will not answer," the man told her.
"Ah, I understand," the woman nodded. "An errand of secrecy, as is my own." The man bowed his head in agreement. "Then here is my proposition: I return the Ring to you and let you continue with your errand, and you let me and my company go. Thus both errands of secrecy remain just that: a secret. What say you?"
"That's it?" the Elf asked. The man, as well as the cloaked woman, glared at him.
"I will honor your request, if you honor it yourself," the man agreed.
"I shall," the woman promised. She whipped out a short knife and proceeded to cut the two captives' bindings.
"There is one more thing, however, which I must ask of you," the man said as he was freed from his bonds.
The woman paused to ask what that might be.
"I need you to return the Ring to the hobbit from whom you stole it to begin with," he said.
"What?" the woman asked, throwing up her hand in disbelief. The Elf leaned nervously away from the woman's flailing knife hand. "You want me to trudge half-way across Middle-earth just to give some hairy midget man back a piece of gold jewelry? Do it yourself!" she yelled while rising to her feet.
"Please," the man implored, "you must do this."
"What for? I already said I'd give the Ring to you! What? Are you afraid of a little gold ring?" she taunted.
"I cannot take it," the man said.
"Then make the Elf take it," said the woman.
"I don't want it," the Elf quipped from his position on the ground.
"What a bunch of sissies!" the woman said, exasperated.
Suddenly the woman felt her arms wrenched up behind her back and her knife stripped from her hand. The Elf had somehow wriggled free while she wasn't looking.
"You have the choice of aiding us freely, or forcefully. Either way, you're doing it," the man told her as the Elf placed the knife's sharp tip to her back.
"That is a dirty little trick," she breathed. She debated with herself for a minute, and then reluctantly consented. "Fine."
She twisted herself free, rounded on the Elf, and snatched her knife back. "Ruddy Elf," she muttered as she glared.
"How long will this take?" the woman asked the Ranger.
"Less than a fortnight," he responded.
"There is no getting a straight answer around here, oh no," the woman mumbled to herself. "No, they love their ambiguity too much." Then addressing the Ranger once more she said, "Since I will be gone for a while, you must in turn let me alert my company to my brief absence."
The man was about to reply when the woman spoke again. "On second thought," she mused, "perhaps not. No, I do not think that is absolutely necessary." She smiled. "What are we waiting for? Let us proceed!" And the woman shrouded in her black cloak marched off into the forest, with the man and the Elf close behind
A/N: This is the end of the first Band of Thieves story, beginning of the second. If you have not read the first one, some things may not make sense, though the first is not necessary to understand the second; you've just missed everyone's introductions.
Prologue
Once she felt the burst of the barrels behind her, the woman in black expertly jumped free of the wagon and disappeared in the thick smoke cloud. She ran through the trees, careful not to make much noise lest the Elves hear her, despite the diversion.
When she was safely out of eye or ear shot, the women slowed her pace and began walking in the direction of two people bound tightly to a couple of trees in the distance. The two captives—one Man, one Elf—were conversing frantically in hushed voices. They abruptly fell silent when the hooded woman materialized out of the trees.
"Back again so soon?" questioned the man.
"I have a proposition for you," the woman said, kneeling to the others' level.
"There is no proposition that can be trusted if made by a kidnapper and a thief," the Elf said bitterly.
"I'm afraid you have no other choice, my dear Princeling," the woman replied.
"What do you want?" the man asked.
The woman returned her attention to the Ranger. "It took me a while," she said, "but I finally came to my senses." She slowly retrieved a thick gold ring from a pocket in her cloak and held it in her outstretched palm.
"I was holding it," she continued, "after I'd made a few fireballs, and I noticed something very strange." The woman began to rotate her hand slightly, at the same time wisps of feathery gray smoke issued from her palm. "The ring began to glow." And so it did then. "Then a peculiar kind of writing appeared along the band." The Elf and the man tied to the tree watched as markings were etched onto the gold with an invisible chisel.
"This is the One Ring," stated the woman, "is it not?"
"I see no use in denying it," admitted the man.
"You knew this," the woman went on, "and yet, you let a small hobbit with big ears and hairy feet take it? What was he planning to do with it, may I ask?"
"You may ask, but I will not answer," the man told her.
"Ah, I understand," the woman nodded. "An errand of secrecy, as is my own." The man bowed his head in agreement. "Then here is my proposition: I return the Ring to you and let you continue with your errand, and you let me and my company go. Thus both errands of secrecy remain just that: a secret. What say you?"
"That's it?" the Elf asked. The man, as well as the cloaked woman, glared at him.
"I will honor your request, if you honor it yourself," the man agreed.
"I shall," the woman promised. She whipped out a short knife and proceeded to cut the two captives' bindings.
"There is one more thing, however, which I must ask of you," the man said as he was freed from his bonds.
The woman paused to ask what that might be.
"I need you to return the Ring to the hobbit from whom you stole it to begin with," he said.
"What?" the woman asked, throwing up her hand in disbelief. The Elf leaned nervously away from the woman's flailing knife hand. "You want me to trudge half-way across Middle-earth just to give some hairy midget man back a piece of gold jewelry? Do it yourself!" she yelled while rising to her feet.
"Please," the man implored, "you must do this."
"What for? I already said I'd give the Ring to you! What? Are you afraid of a little gold ring?" she taunted.
"I cannot take it," the man said.
"Then make the Elf take it," said the woman.
"I don't want it," the Elf quipped from his position on the ground.
"What a bunch of sissies!" the woman said, exasperated.
Suddenly the woman felt her arms wrenched up behind her back and her knife stripped from her hand. The Elf had somehow wriggled free while she wasn't looking.
"You have the choice of aiding us freely, or forcefully. Either way, you're doing it," the man told her as the Elf placed the knife's sharp tip to her back.
"That is a dirty little trick," she breathed. She debated with herself for a minute, and then reluctantly consented. "Fine."
She twisted herself free, rounded on the Elf, and snatched her knife back. "Ruddy Elf," she muttered as she glared.
"How long will this take?" the woman asked the Ranger.
"Less than a fortnight," he responded.
"There is no getting a straight answer around here, oh no," the woman mumbled to herself. "No, they love their ambiguity too much." Then addressing the Ranger once more she said, "Since I will be gone for a while, you must in turn let me alert my company to my brief absence."
The man was about to reply when the woman spoke again. "On second thought," she mused, "perhaps not. No, I do not think that is absolutely necessary." She smiled. "What are we waiting for? Let us proceed!" And the woman shrouded in her black cloak marched off into the forest, with the man and the Elf close behind