DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own The Lord of the Rings or Ranger's Apprentice; all rights to J.R.R. Tolkien and John Flanagan! (In respective order)

Will watched in horrified curiosity as the four Nazgul hammered through the street, only to rein in their horses to a skidding stop right in front of the Prancing Pony Inn. They dismounted and shoved open the door, their swords drawn in front of their bodies and their other hand stretched out before them, as if warding off any possible attackers.

After Strider had warned Frodo that he could no longer wait for Gandalf, they had moved across the street to the inn opposite the Prancing Pony, avoiding the path the Nazgul would take to reach them. Will and Halt had learned that they could, indeed, trust this man. They had traded information with the other Ranger, and they had come to the conclusion that they weren't in Araluen anymore. In fact, they had no idea where they were. Will believed they had somehow been transported to another world.

They had learned about the four hobbits' journey and how Gandalf, the Wizard, had not shown up as he was supposed to earlier that night. And they learned about the Ring of Power, the same ring Halt had seen just previously that night.

After several more minutes of silence, a terrible, piercing screech filled the air, and the Nazgul were once again throwing open the front door and mounting their horses. Will winced slightly at the shrill sound and glanced at Strider, who was sitting beside him, staring solemnly out the window. Strider remained impassive, completely ignoring the screams, while Halt seemed to hear them, but looked to the other ranger in a silent question. Though they now knew what the Ring of Power was, they still had not discovered who, or what, these creatures were.

Will turned slightly as he heard a small rustling noise coming from the four hobbits' beds and saw Frodo sit up, his eyes wide. The other three Halflings were already awake, sitting up in their beds and exchanging nervous glances with each other.

"What are they?" Frodo asked anxiously, his gaze locked on the still form of Strider.

The ranger turned his steely gray eyes on the hobbit, setting his jaw unobtrusively and tilting his head up fractionally. "They were once men. Great Kings of Men. Then Sauron the Deceiver gave to them nine rings of power."

Will leaned forward, his brown eyes intent on the mysterious ranger seated across from him.

"Blinded by their greed, they took them without question," He continued. "one by one falling into darkness." He turned his eyes back out the window, watching the Nazgul pounding away into the night with shrieks and cries of anger. A look of sorrow crossed his face. "Now they are slaves to his will." His voice was hushed, as if speaking of the past would somehow make it worse. He looked now at Halt and Will, his voice becoming slightly more powerful. "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." He shifted in his chair, acceptance of the situation in his eyes, as they once again found Frodo. "They will never stop hunting you."

-

Will hurriedly strung his bow before following his mentor out the door. Will glanced ahead and saw Strider hefting his pack over his shoulder, the reins of a small pony in his other hand.

The beast looked more dead than alive, but he didn't complain under the weight of their luggage. Will immediately felt compassion for the animal, and he knew Halt probably did, too. All Rangers loved their horses, and seeing one in such poor condition struck a chord in the young man's heart.

The group had just left the Prancing Pony Inn, with the well wishes of Butterbur, the innkeeper. Will had no idea where Strider was leading them, though he knew his master probably knew where they were going.

As the three Rangers and four hobbits walked along the path that would lead them to the woods surrounding the town of Bree, Will could sense several pairs of eyes watching them intently.

Suddenly, a head poked up from behind a hedge surrounding a rather dilapidated house, and the face sneered. "Well, Longshanks. Finally found some friends, have you?"

Strider said nothing.

"I would watch it with him," he jerked his head towards Strider and directed his gaze towards the hobbits, "He's a sneaky one, he is."

Suddenly, Halt's quick eyes caught a bright red flash, then a sudden yelp of surprise from the figure behind the hedge. The head ducked back behind the bushes, cursing and muttering.

"Waste of a good apple." Sam muttered.

-

"Where are you taking us?" Sam finally asked the question that was on all of their minds.

Strider placed his hand on a tree trunk gingerly, scanning the area. "Into the wild."

"Not much of an answer." Will mumbled to himself, though he already knew where they were headed. Halt just gave him a reproachful look. Will shrugged innocently, having had enough of people dancing around questions when they're asked.

"How do we know this Strider is a friend of Gandalf?" Will heard Merry talking quietly to his fellow hobbits. The four of them had fallen slightly behind, while the three men had stayed several paces ahead. While Merry tried to keep his voice low, Will knew Strider heard every word.

Frodo replied. "I think a servant of the enemy would feel fairer, but look fouler." Will slowed a few paces, trying to catch the hobbits' quiet words. He had a feeling this conversation was about to go somewhere he didn't want to miss.

"He's foul enough." Merry muttered. A grin broke out on Will's face, and he looked up at Strider to catch his reaction. The man raised both eyebrows, sighing a little as a rueful expression decorated his lips. The ghost of a smile just touched Halt's face as he saw his fellow ranger's movement.

"We have no choice but to trust him." Frodo continued. Will stole a glance behind himself, realized the hobbits had had no idea Strider was overhearing this whole conversation, and turned to face forward again. This time, Strider inclined his head, as if he at least had something going for him. Will smiled again.
"But what about those other two men? The rangers?" Pippin asked curiously.

"I don't know about them, either." Frodo answered. "The older one, Halt…he seems rather strange. I think we should keep an eye on him."

Will almost broke into laughter as he saw the expression on his mentor's face. Halt looked over at his apprentice, saw him laughing silently at him, and glared. The younger ranger left the smile on his face, knowing that Halt couldn't do anything to him so long as he kept Strider between him and Halt.

"But what about Will? Do you think we can trust him?" There was Sam's voice.

"I think so. He seems kind enough." Merry said.

Will stuck his tongue out at Halt. His mentor still didn't smile; not that Will had expected him to. Strider also glanced over at Will, as if judging for himself if the young man were trustworthy. When the ranger's eyes narrowed, then looked away, Will guessed it was just his natural charm and youthfulness that led people to trust him.

"But where are they leading us?" Sam asked, exasperation in his voice.

This time, Strider answered, his voice cracking through the silence and taking a few of the hobbits by surprise. "To Rivendell, Master Gamgee. To the House of Elrond."

His reply was met by excited chatter from the halflings, especially Samwise. "D'you hear that? Rivendell! We're going to see the elves!"

Okay, sorry it took so long for me to update. I've been really busy and lately my original story's been sucking me in and I find it incredibly hard to get back out, and I honestly had no idea it's been over two months since I've updated. If this happens again, please just PM me and bug me about it until I update. Thanks and I hope you guys enjoyed the chappie! :D

REVIEW REPLIES

Ranger Turien: I'm glad you like it! And yeah, I've been wondering about that myself. I mean, on a couple occasions I recall Halt wanting to bang Horace's head into a tree, and I'm sure he's wanted to do the same to Will several times. :P Thanks for reading and reviewing! :D

KaribookWorm: Thanks for the encouragement! Yeah, Aragorn's my favorite from LoTR and Halt and Will are my favorite from RA and I've been REALLY into both lately so…why not try a crossover? Thanks for reading and reviewing! :D

Sparky's Girl: Awww! Thanks for the compliment! :D I'm still waiting for the next chappie of Assassins in Araluen and Run Away. HINT HINT. Thanks for reading and reviewing! :D

Arrow :D