Disclaimer: See first chapter.
A/N: Hey! I'm really sorry this took so long. Hope that there are still people out there reading. I assure you that while my updates are not frequent, I will (eventually) finish this story.
So, thanks to all my reviewers! You have no idea how happy your reviews make me :). A special thanks to Meriagrin Baggwise for her prodding to finish this story. I hope you enjoy.
Chapter 2:
By the time the other two rangers reached the cave, Aragorn had already lit the fire and was making preparations for dinner. Silently, Dagoin and Trestan went about their own preparations. Dinner was prepared and eaten without a word being spoken, each lost in his own thoughts.
Trestan was feeling downright miserable. He pushed his food around aimlessly, his mind too worked-up to think about eating. He didn't understand what was going on at all. Why were they not in the village enjoying a hot cup of tea next to a blazing fire rather than eating cold rations next to a meager flame? What had the guard meant with all that nonsense about rangers? He wanted to know but with the mood as it was he didn't quite dare to ask his companions or break the tense silence that had settled down on them. Fidgeting nervously, he glanced up at the other two rangers, hoping they at least would say something, anything, to break this awful silence. He didn't like it at all. Aragorn was usually always so lively and cheerful, not angry and quiet as he seemed to be now. They had always passed their nights laughing and talking lightly but today no conversation was forthcoming, and it worried him even further. Aragorn finished his small portion of food quickly then strode outside, muttering something about standing guard. Trestan glanced anxiously at Dagoin, who seemed calmest of the three, still sitting and slowly eating his food. After a while, he could no longer stand the silence.
"Dagoin? What…why…I mean…is…is Aragorn all right?" he burst out. Well, that wasn't the question he wanted to ask, but he couldn't quite bring himself to ask anything more directly. Luckily, for him Dagoin seemed to understand his confusion.
"He will be fine, lad" he answered softly, his eyes still on his plate. "He has been through much worse than this. I am more concerned about you."
Trestan lowered his eyes too. He hadn't realized that his worry had been that transparent. But now that it was out in the open, he might as well spill it all out.
"I just don't understand! Why won't the guard let us in? Why…Why did he seem to think we would harm him?"
Dagoin put away his plate and moved to sit next to Trestan. "Look lad," he said. "I know this is hard for you to accept, because you have never had any experience dealing with anyone beyond your ranger village. But this is a reality that you, as a ranger, are going to have to face everyday from now on. The simple truth is this – we are neither well-liked nor well-reputed in these lands. The common folk despise us; they think we are nothing better than thieves and scoundrels. The response you got from the guard is one you are going to get from almost everyone you meet. Rangers are treated at best with faint suspicion, at worst with open hostility. Bartenders and shopkeepers and farmers and anyone else we talk to speak to us roughly or not at all. Patrons at inns we stay in give us distrustful looks. Other travelers on the road give us a wide berth; mothers hold their children tighter as we pass. There are many villages like this, Trestan, where rangers are not admitted, no matter how dire their need."
Trestan's shock was visible on his face. "I had always thought that rangers were well-liked, even respected by everyone else," he said. He had indeed imagined that rangers were like heroes to the common folk, thinking that they would be honored and respected. It seemed logical after all, considering how much the rangers did for them.
"You have been sheltered in your village since young and it is no wonder this seems new to you. Do not worry about it now. You will get used to it with time. We have a long hard day tomorrow. Try and get some sleep." Dagoin replied.
Trestan moved to his bedroll, still in a state of puzzlement. His first trip as a ranger was turning out to be completely different from what he had imagined. He still had a hard time accepting that the common folk could have such a view of rangers. How could one get used to this sort of hatred and discrimination from everyone?
Confused but too tired to puzzle over it any longer, Trestan spread out his bedroll as close to the fire as he safely could, and was soon asleep.
Dagoin remained sitting in the cave for a little while, watching Trestan sleep. Standing up, he took off his own cloak and wrapped it gently around him, before walking quietly out of the cave.
Aragorn, sitting a short distance away from the mouth of the cave, was watching the entire proceedings. He could not hear what was being said between Dagoin and Trestan but could guess the topic of the conversation. He really supposed he should have talked to Trestan himself but he had been too upset himself to sense the other's confusion.
He knew he should not have been this affected. He had seen the reactions of other men to the rangers many times over and knew their status in their eyes. And what was one more night out in the cold anyway? He had been in many situations where the hatred towards the rangers had led to things far worse than a few frozen fingers.
But he knew it was not about the one night in the cold. He had tried hard to get used to it, but it still stung that the rangers were thought of as nothing better than common criminals. These were his men. His people. His responsibility. And as their leader, he could not even provide them the minimal comfort of a warm inn. He could watch them suffer and die in battle after battle, but could not provide for them a single kind word from the ones they were protecting. He could honour the dead at their burials, but in place of a hero's recognition could provide them only the label of thieves and scoundrels. The rangers never complained, of course, they knew the truth of their existence and were willing to do what they did despite it. But Aragorn could never stop hoping that perhaps one day they would actually get what they deserve.
His dark musings continued as he saw Trestan going to sleep. He smiled slightly at Dagoin as he came out. Dagoin was impassive and gruff and quite intimidating at times, but Aragorn knew him to be one of the most kind-hearted person he had ever met. It might not seem like it, but he truly cared about those around him and seemed to be especially fond of Trestan. He had sacrificed his cloak every night to give Trestan that little extra warmth.
"So, the stern, hardened old warrior really does have a soft spot, eh? You have already given him your blanket to add on to his, and now your cloak too?" he asked, as Dagoin approached him.
Dagoin shrugged almost sheepishly as he sat down next to Aragorn. "He seemed so miserable in the cold. He's young he needs it a lot more than I do. This trip in this winter is hard on him"
Aragorn's face darkened again. "I know how much he wanted to have a proper shelter for this night. He was so excited at the very thought of it. But I could not give it to him."
"Do not be so harsh on yourself, Aragorn. It is not your fault and you know it. We all wish it did not have to be this way but it is. He will get through this Aragorn, he will learn to get used to it, as we all did. But it is not him I am worried about." Dagoin trailed off meaningfully.
Aragorn smiled again. He had known Dagoin was coming out of the cave for this very purpose and was glad for it. Dagoin had become his self-appointed guardian on their travels together and would always come to talk to him if he sensed something was bothering him. Aragorn had always been glad for his wise words.
"I am alright Dagoin, truly. I admit I got a bit upset and angry but I am fine now."
Dagoin scrutinized him intensely for a while than grunted in agreement, seeming to accept his words as truth.
They sat in companiable silence for a while till a sudden shriek coming from the village rent the air. They were immediately on their feet, hands automatically reaching for their weapons, as they spun to look in the direction of the village. What they saw froze them to the spot.
The village was on fire.
A/N: Hope you liked that! Please review, and thank you once again.
