I really would like to write larger chapters, more full of content. But I really find it hard to put effort into something that not many people with read. So here the deal the more reviews the faster and longer the next chapter. this isn't blackmail, and I hope no one perceives it to be so.

Chapter 10 – Confrontation.

"What's he doing?" Merry objected. "Who is he?"

Halei merely looked up at the pained Hobbit who's face was contorted with fear, she had understood what he had said. She would have liked to have responded to calm the wits of this distraught friend of Pippins, alas her forked tongue couldn't find the sounds. She looked imploringly at Pippin to answer for her.

"She's helping... She's a friend" Pippin stuttered, he too was scared for Frodo, Sam and Strider had yet to return from the thick forest that surrounded them. Pippin was also scared for Halei's sake, he knew that she was taking an awful risk exposing herself to another on the whims of himself, he knew that Halei had no intention to interact with others jest yet. He was glad that she was wearing the cloak that she had infiltrated Bree in.

"She!?" Merry looked between his friend and the ominous stranger that stood over Frodo tending to his wounds with, apparently 'her', hands. Merry risked a peep at Frodo face and was filled with a spark of joy as he saw that he already was looking better than before. His fear for the mysterious hooded woman was replaced by an eternal thanks as he saw Frodo's squirming calm down.

Halei looked at the other hobbit, he was smiling beaming even. He looked at her the smile of relief still on his face. Halei felt for the briefest of moments the same feeling that she had felt after saving pippin... an immense sense of that she knew she was doing something right. In the caves where her people dwelt she never felt so unnatural, but out here in the open helping people from her cold reptilian heart gave her a sense of joy, of purpose. But this feeling was quickly snuffed away as her highly sensitive ears picked up the sound of something running through the forest. Pippin and the other Hobbit must have had heard it as well for they turned in fear to the direction of the growing sound. Without thinking Halei naturally took up a defensive stance in front of the Hobbits. It was only when what could have only been an elf riding upon a shimmering silver steed being followed by the cloaked man and the red headed hobbit did Halei realize her stupidity.

The elf took one look at the scene before her, surprise evident on her flawless face. "Aragon?" she said in a hushed questioning voice. Aragon who had now caught up with Awens horse grabbed his bow of his back. "Who are you?" He commanded in a regal tone aiming his freshly drawn arrow at the newcomers heart.

Halei stood motionless but her mind was anything but. Calculating every possible way to escape this situation flashed before her, her chances were not looking on the bright side of things.

"I asked you... Name your self are you friend or foe." Aragon ordered. The elf Arwen had by now dismounted her horse and taken position beside the ranger, she too brandished a curved sword that glimmered in the moon light. "Answer him." Her voice laced with distrust.

Halei was about to try to make a run for the deep undergrowth where the two guardians would have difficulty in tracking her, but at that moment Sam pipped up in horror. "Mr. Frodo? Strider Frodo... his. His not moving." Halei had struggled to understand what the hobbit had cried out, but of what she understood she knew the two armed beings in front of her were not going to take it very well.

Aragon released his arrow. Halei moved with lightning speed somersaulting over the incoming projectile. Landing on her feet she had no time to recover as she was assaulted with the deadly, calculated swings of a silver sword.

Arwen let fall a flurry of attacks swinging her blade back and forth trying to get at the unknown enemy, but the enemy was fast, not a single one of her blows landed.

The elf was trying Halei's patience, she was doing her best to stay out of harms way while not attacking. She ducked in a reflex action as another arrow flew towards her. The moment of lack of concentration cost her for no sooner as the arrow had passed over her she felt the cold metal get passed her defence and borrow its self into her calf. Pain. Anger. They dare touch her sacred body, they dare assault her. Halei didn't like to lose... she didn't like to run... she didn't like to give the enemy a reason to think she was weak. She collapsed as her leg gave way.

Aragon saw the stranger fall as his Arwen brought her mithril sword down on the stranger right leg, crippling it.

"No!" Pippin cried out to the surprise of Aragon and Sam, who was at Frodo's side trying to see what the cloaked stranger had done. "She didn't hurt Frodo... she-"

Halei got to her feet, blood roaring in her ears. She had let them harm her. They had bested her. Anger rose to the forefront of her emotions. Arwen watch a mix of horror and wonder as the cloaked person in front of her got to its feet with her sword still inside its leg, this was no run of the mill enemy.

"Arwen move!" shouted Aragon as he sprang to her side.

An animalistic hiss left Halei's mouth causing the elf in front of her to fall back in shock and fear.

"Arwen!" Aragon howled as he saw her fall to the floor. He jumped towards his enemy. Unsethed his dagger. Readied to plunge the tip into enemy.

Halei turned and caught the ranger as he was still in the air with her strong hand around the throat. Lifting him further off the ground to his horror. Anger pulsed with in her skull. Logic was pushed aside for her nature. Her lust to kill.

She brought the shaking man closer to her face, still hidden in darkness by the hood. "Now... die..." she hissed.

Everything stoped for pippin, Halei had just spoken in the common tongue, but this didn't seem to register with his... a few hours ago he would have called her a friend, however he wasn't so sure now, she was more animal, more aggressive. This wasn't the Halei pippin knew, but pippin didn't know Halei all that well. He watched as she brought striders face closer and closer to her own. Pippin had an inkling of a clue of what she planed to do but hoped the Valar that he was wrong. He wasn't. He saw her position her mouth over Aragon's neck.

"NO! Halei don't!" Pippin screeched.

Halei snapped from her blood haze when she heard the strangled cry of pippin she looked around for who was attacking him but as her eye's fell on him, she knew why he had called out in the pained way he had. He looked at her with an obvious fear in his eye, a fear that for an unexplained reason contorted her primeval rage. Looking back at the man in front of her, whom just moments ago was going to die by her jaws. She then eyed the elf on the floor who had the look of absolute fear and terror carved into her face, a tear tracing the groves of her pain. Halei could tell these emotions were not for herself. She looked back to the man who was looking at the elf with sad eyes, almost as if imploring her to look away. Halei let her head bow. All her want to kill had evaporated into the cold damp night. Slowly she put the man down.

Aragon felt himself being lowered to the floor. The hard ground made contact with his worn muddied boots. The strong hand unwrapped its grip from around his neck. He looked to the... thing to find it had already disappeared into the night. Arwen was at his side immediately. Her hand stroked his coarse cheek as she buried her teary face into his shoulder. "I thought I had lost you."

The moment was so surreal for the hobbits, none more so than Pippin.

Halei pushed past the thick leaves of the forest floor plants that blackened the ground. Every step she made was made with a sharp stab of pain. The elven sword was still lodged in her calf muscle. Her leg burned in protest of its continual use but Halei pressed on further and further away from Pippin. The look that he had given her pushed her on. She knew what she was doing back there in the clearing, she was aware what she was about to do, she would have thought that pippin would have understood her actions. She was after all a killer, that is what she had trained for her entire life, to take the life of her enemies, much to the protest of her father.

Anger again flashed across her vision, she didn't give a damn what people thought of her in the caves, she couldn't had cared less, she was of the high caste Arquin and she performed a lowerclass job. This in it's self was reason enough for the majority of her kind, even the lowerclass, to think that she was different. Which she was, she wouldn't deny it. Her father had always expressed a hidden concern for to joy she seemingly got out of combat, what her father failed to understand was that combat didn't bring her joy, if it did she would have been ecstatic now. No winning brought her joy. Or so she found, but as of late she had also found another action that brought her joy. Helping, the felling she had felt after catching pippin and looking into the thankful face of that other hobbit had brought her joy. She laughed. What would Rikor say now. She laughed to herself. The sudden thought of Rikor distracted her from her pain. He had always said that she would go soft eventfully. She puffed out her cheeks, she would prove him wrong. She laughed. Oh how she missed Rikor. With the happy thought firmly in place she continued her laborious limp.

Arwen was crouched over Frodo, still shaken up by the events that occurred merely minutes before. She had almost lost him. Aragon had told her to put aside her feelings for now for they were still in danger, she wanted to argue but knew he was right, She may have been centuries older than him but he always seemed to be the mature one. She carefully inspected Frodo's wound. "What did you say he was stabbed with?" she asked.

The note of her voice instantly told Aragon something was wrong. "A morgul blade. Can you heal him? I know it is a lot to ask of you."

"Heal him... Morgul blade? Aragon are you sure?" she whispered faintly.

A look of fear crept over his face along with the three hobbits that crowded around. "Why? What's wrong?"

Arwen merely moved slightly out of the way to let Aragon see for himself. Aragon had to stare and digest what he was seeing. It was impossible. The wound was healed... fully. "Impossible." Aragon breathed in a deathly quite voice. But it was far from impossible, for the proof was there in front of them to for all to see. The wound that had been as dark as an eclipsed sun was no longer. No medicine on middle earth had the ability to fully heal the wound of a morgul blade.

Arwen stared in deep contemplation. "We must get him to my father. Put him on my horse. I will walk."

Aragon was still in shock as Arwen and himself led the three hobbits away along with Frodo on the horse.

One more thing I want to focus on aragons and arwen relationship more, I found the books or film didn't really didn't give it justice. + if you want a say in any pairings just review or PM me... if you dont. well if you read carefully I am setting up a fail safe. all the best thanks for reading.