Chapter 7: Son of Twilight

Quinn stayed perfectly still, her hand outstretched just above the ground. She watched as the squirrel bounded a little closer, its tiny nose twitching at the smell of the seeds in her palm. It looked up at the sound of footsteps, and scampered away.

She sighed and turned around. "Oh, come on. I was just about to—" She stopped at the expression on Toven's face. "Hey, what's wrong? Did something happen?" She brushed the seeds from her hand and stood up.

"They chose Frodo," he said, his jaw tight. "They chose him to take the Ring to Mordor."

"Wait, what? When? Just now?"

"Yes, just now. There was a council—"

"That was today?" Her words bounced off the open-air hallway, but she didn't bother to lower her voice. "Why the hell did nobody tell me?"

"Lord Elrond didn't want you there, so he didn't invite you." Toven spread his hands as if that was obvious. "But that's not the point. Frodo—"

Her anger about the council evaporated as her brain caught up with the other thing he'd said. "Wait, Frodo's going where?"

"I just told you, but you keep interrupting me!"

They were both shouting at each other by now. Quinn spotted two elves staring at them from a nearby footpath. She clenched both of her fists, then released them.

"Okay," she said with forced calm. "Do you wanna go spar for a few minutes?"

"Fine." Toven started towards the training grounds without another word.

Quinn hurried to catch up with him. "Tell me what happened."

While they walked, he gave her the quick version of what had been discussed during the council. By the time he reached the part about Frodo volunteering himself, they'd reached the courtyard reserved for weapons practice.

"So let me get this straight." Quinn took a training sword from the rack to one side. "Frodo volunteered out loud to take a creepy evil ring into this world's version of hell and drop it into an active volcano, and no one told him it was a bad idea?"

"In so many words." Toven picked up his own sword.

"Who else was at the council?" She readied herself as he came at her.

Toven rattled off a list of names, each punctuated by a strike from his sword. He was clearly angry, and it was making his movements clumsy, but she limited herself to parrying his blows.

Quinn made a face and twisted away from a vertical strike. "That's, like, everyone in Rivendell."

"Not everyone."

"Yeah, well, it still pisses me off." She went on the offensive, pushing her sword against his and slashing at his chest. "Because, you know, when everyone's deciding what to do about the fate of the world and it's kind of my job to see that through, I should probably be there to discuss it. Especially if one of my friends who got stabbed in the shoulder for no reason has to volunteer to deal with it. I thought he said he wanted to go home!"

Something in Toven's expression darkened, and his steps faltered. Quinn pushed her shoulder against his chest, making him stumble back.

She stopped and lowered her sword. "What's got you pissed off?"

He sighed and shoved a lock of hair out of his face. "Well, I'm pissed off that Frodo was chosen to do this. I'm pissed off that he's gotten hurt, and he'll probably get hurt again before this is all over. I'm pissed off that no one besides him was willing to do it." He looked away, his expression crumpling. "That I was too much of a coward to volunteer myself."

Quinn snorted. "Seriously? I wouldn't have let you do that anyway."

He glared at her. "You wouldn't have let me?"

"Hell no." She raised her sword as he moved to attack again. "I'm not letting Frodo take that thing, and there's no way I'm letting you even touch it. You guys are way too…squishy for a place like Mordor. Hell, I'll take the stupid thing if I have to."

Toven ducked under her horizontal swing and rammed the butt of his sword into her ribs, right into the broken ones.

Quinn hissed in pain and clapped a hand over the area. "Ow. Dude, what the hell?"

"You are not invincible," he said. "Don't pretend that you are." His jaw trembled, like he wanted to say something else, but he only let his sword clatter to the ground and walked away.

Well, you blew that one, Quinn. She sat down with a sigh and redid her boot lace, which had come undone. She was back in her normal shirt and pants, but she'd forgone her armor, and now her ribs were paying for it.

"What a fucking cheap shot," she muttered. "I'm getting him back for that. Fucking ridiculous…" She tucked her lace inside her boot so it wouldn't come untied again. "I'll take the Ring and catapult myself into Mordor if I have to."

"I would caution you against that."

She looked up as Aragorn entered the courtyard. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough." He moved closer and clasped his hands in front of him. "You should know it is dangerous to desire the Ring. It takes more strength to refuse it."

Quinn straightened her pant leg and stood up. "That doesn't make any sense. Only one person at the council volunteered to take it. But…I might have my information wrong, since I wasn't invited."

Aragorn ignored the jab. "Most who attended know its power. The Ring seeks to twist the minds of all who come near it, to create discord between brothers and friends. Frodo alone does not seek the power it promises, and would be able to resist its will longer than any of us."

She crossed her arms. "You sure about that? I don't think I'd end up becoming some crazy dictator or anything."

He held her gaze. As far as she knew, they'd lived in Middle-earth for about the same amount of time, but there was something in his eyes that made him seem so much older. "Everyone has weaknesses, desires that can be exploited. You would do anything to protect Toven."

"Of course."

"Even things you told yourself you would never do."

She froze, her fingers mid-tap against her bicep. Her gaze dropped to the floor. "Yeah." Thinking about it still made her a little sick. "I, uh, killed some guys, about twenty years ago," she said softly. "Protecting him. And I would do it again, but…I-I just thought for so long that I would never have to." She lifted her head and put her hands up in surrender. "Alright, point taken. Not even gonna think about that stupid ring."

"You can still do something. Go with Frodo, protect him with your life."

Quinn put her hands on her hips. "Of course I'm going with him. I'll carry him on my back and Naruto run into Mordor if I have to. And I'm guessing you're going too?"

"I am." He paused. "Toven will want to join you. I think you should let him."

"You mean he'll want to join you." A small smile twisted her lips. "He really looks up to you, you know."

Something like doubt flashed over Aragorn's face. "I would not ask him to do this."

"Yeah, well…" She sighed and stepped closer. "Look, I know I can't control him or tell him what to do anymore. But you and me…we gotta look out for him, yeah?"

Aragorn nodded slowly, looking just as uncertain as she felt. Quinn clapped him on the shoulder and left the courtyard.

Quinn was sitting against the window in Rivendell's library, trying to read before the sun set and it got too dark to make out the letters on the page.

"God, this does not give me any useful information." She rubbed her forehead. "And this font is so fucking tiny."

She flipped to the next page and ran her fingers over an illustration of a sharp-featured warrior cutting down a pair of orcs.

"Hmm. That does not look like us at all. They got the nose wrong." She glanced up at Belekur. They were staring out the window, arms crossed. Quinn flipped the book shut. "I don't even know why I'm reading this thing when I could just ask you."

"And what is it you want to ask?" they replied in their usual cold tone.

"What happened, the last time you were here? I mean, once you got sent back to your world. Did you just disappear, did a portal open up, did you jump on a shooting star and fly into the sunset?"

"What does it matter? When my mission is complete, I will leave this world."

"But do you know that for sure?" Quinn set the book aside and rested her forearms on her knees. "Did any ancient warriors ever come back after they…died?"

Belekur turned away and said nothing. Quinn had figured out over the years that silence usually meant they didn't know the answer to something…or they were just annoyed with her and didn't want to respond.

"Come on, you gotta give me something here." She stood up and walked around them so they were facing each other. "Whatever happens at the end of this, we're in it together. And I think you and I both know that when that ring gets destroyed, that's gonna be the end. It has to be."

"I ask again: what does it matter? Our fate is already set, and there is nothing you can do to change it."

"Well, I want to prepare myself." She spread her hands. "Because I actually care what happens to everyone after I leave. I just wanna know whether I'll be able to go get milkshakes with everyone after the baddie gets defeated, or whether I gotta start figuring out whether I'm gonna leave the rest of my weed to Merry or Pippin."

"That is none of my concern," Belekur said. "Our partnership only extends so far as what it will take to vanquish the evil from this land."

"Okay." Quinn crossed her arms. "Here's something that does concern you: let's say we get sent back to your world. What are they gonna do to you? To us?"

"My choice will be the same as it has always been." Belekur's face was unreadable as ever. Quinn sometimes wondered if the anger she saw in their eyes was just something she was making up. "I will die, or I will continue fighting."

"And let me guess: you don't give a shit what happens to me." She turned away without waiting for an answer. "Well, I guess you are right about part of it. Can't really do anything about it now."

She walked out of the library. Maybe she would go see what Merry and Pippin were up to. She needed some real human interaction—or hobbit interaction, technically.

She spotted Aragorn and Toven in the entrance courtyard, saddling up a couple of horses. They were both geared up for travel.

"Hey." She walked down the stairs to meet them. "Where are you two going?"

"South," Aragorn replied, while Toven busied himself with his saddlebag. "Lord Elrond is sending out scouts to look for any danger before the Ring is moved."

"You think the wraiths might still be out there?"

"Perhaps. But Sauron has other agents to do his bidding."

"I'd better come with you, just in case. I'm, uh, kind of a wraith expert around these parts."

Aragorn raised an eyebrow. "If I'm not mistaken, you failed to track down the six wraiths that were washed down the Bruinen."

"That's…correct." Quinn averted her eyes. "But I do have a weapon that insta-kills them." She patted her hip, then realized there was nothing there. "I actually have to go get my sword. Can I meet you guys here in fifteen?"

Aragorn nodded, still looking unimpressed, while Toven continued to not look at her.

Quinn jogged back to her room and donned her armor. She made a brief stop by the stables to grab her own horse, and Daeron, the elf who usually took care of the stables, gave her a warning look.

"I expect this one to be returned in a timely manner."

"Oh, for sure." She put a hand over her heart. "On my honor. You'll get your horse back."

He frowned at her, but said nothing else.

She took the horse by the reins and began leading it towards the entrance. "You got a name?" The horse snorted. "Well, you're Epona now."

Thankfully, Aragorn and Toven were still waiting when she returned. The former glanced at her saddle. "You have no supplies."

"Don't need 'em," she said. "I'm all ready, so let's get this show on the road."

Aragorn decided not to question her further, and led the way out of the courtyard.

They took the stony path down to the river, where they would cross and then take the road out of the valley. Quinn took up the rear, lost in thought until Toven fell back to walk next to her.

"Are you coming with us so you can keep an eye on me?"

"Yeah, but…" Quinn hissed in mock irritation. "I forgot the kiddie leash so I can yank you out of danger whenever we run into enemies. Should I go back and get it?"

He gave her a dry look, then some of his exasperation faded. "I shouldn't have struck you like that, back there."

"I forgive you." She slung an arm around his shoulders. "But next time, I'm making you put my gnarly rib pieces back into place."

He grimaced. "All right, you've deterred me."

"Good." She squeezed his shoulders, then released him. "Let's not worry about the Ring stuff for now, okay? We can talk when we get back."

Toven hummed in agreement. "It should be at least a couple of months before we will have to make a move. Lord Elrond plans to be quite thorough with this."

"Then it's a good thing the three of us are on the job. Should we make a name out of our initials, or something?"

"Perhaps Aragorn can recruit you as an honorary ranger."

Aragorn, who had been pretending not to hear them up until this point, glanced back at them. "I'm not sure you would meet the requirements."

Quinn flipped him off. "All right. We can just call this a family camping trip, then."

Toven sighed. "Then again, if you were to get lost in the woods and we weren't able to find you…"

"If I end up dying for real somehow, you have to cremate my body and put the ashes in one of Gandalf's fireworks."

Toven snorted. "So you would die as you lived."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Being a minor inconvenience to a wizard."

"That's not fair. I've been way more than a minor inconvenience to Gandalf. That's gotta be why he hates me so much. It can't be my personality."

"No." Toven smiled. "Of course not."

He patted her on the back, and the two of them went to catch up with Aragorn.

They found no sign of the wraiths, save for a tattered black cloak caught on a river rock. At the confluence of the Mitheithel and the Bruinen, Aragorn found evidence of wild wolves gathering, and the three of them set to following their trail. It took them three weeks from there to reach the ruined city of Tharbad.

Toven gazed at the low shapes on either side of the river. Night was falling, and already a low, eerie fog had settled over the water.

"We'll search the north side of the city, then the south," Aragorn said. "Someone may have used this crossing recently."

"Roger that," Quinn said. She was taking up the rear again, as she had a tendency to disrupt trails before either of them could find it. She'd fallen back without complaint once Aragorn had pointed it out to her. She was always at ease with her own shortcomings, and Toven wasn't sure whether to envy that or not.

They left their horses at the edge of the city, with enough room to graze while they were gone. The outer wall was crumbling and worn down, and it was easy enough to pass through a gap in the stone.

The interior smelled damp. Most of the buildings had crumbled, taken over by age or creeping vines. Small, stagnant pools of water were scattered about the street.

Quinn whistled lowly. "Looks like the apocalypse came early here. What happened?"

"The city was destroyed by a flood, nearly one hundred years ago," Aragorn said. He scanned the street for a moment, then started off down the center. "But it was in decline long before then."

"And who ruled this city?" Toven asked. "I doubt the Dunlendings built it, and we're far from any realm of elves or men."

"It was originally a Númenorean settlement," he replied, "but they have long since abandoned this place."

Toven frowned slightly. He hadn't had a chance yet to ask Aragorn about his lineage, but the thought had stayed with him since the council.

"You think someone might've made camp here?" Quinn asked, peering into an empty doorway. "Seems like a good place to hide."

Aragorn turned to look back at her and nodded. "It's possible." He glanced at Toven. "We'll take a look around."

Quinn flapped her arms at her sides. "I guess I'll just stand here and…not make any noise."

Toven smiled slightly. "We'll give a shout if we need that magic sword of yours."

She crossed her arms. "Everyone likes me for my sword…"

Shaking his head, Toven took the western half of the north bank, while Aragorn took the east. The city appeared silent, and he doubted he would find any enemies within, but he kept one hand close to his sword as he walked.

Nature seemed to have reclaimed this place once more. A cluster of trees had grown around what had once been the town square, and grass had grown in large patches through the cobblestone. He watched a small bird swoop down into an abandoned house.

As he was turning back to rejoin the others, a strange, low growl reached his ears. Toven stiffened and placed one hand on his sword. The noise was coming from one of the buildings near the river. Stepping carefully, he made his way towards the sound.

He reached a small building by the river. Miraculously, the rotting door was still half-attached to the frame. He sidled towards it and nudged it open with the back of one hand.

"Brrrrr." The beady eyes of a frog peered back at him.

Toven's shoulders lowered, and he took his hand off his sword. "As you were." He let the door swing closed.

Quinn and Aragorn were waiting for him in the main road, speaking in low tones.

"Hey," Quinn said when she caught sight of him. "I thought you fell in a pothole or something."

Toven spread his arms. "As you can see, I didn't." He turned to Aragorn. "The western side is clear."

"All right. Let's move on, then." Aragorn led the way towards the bridge that connected the two halves of the city.

It rose a good fifteen feet above the water's surface, pausing briefly at the thin island in the center of the river where a small collection of buildings stood, then continued on to the opposite bank.

It was also falling apart. Several chunks of stone had crumbled into the churning current, and there were a couple gaps that spanned the width of the bridge.

"Are you sure this thing is safe?" Quinn asked.

"Some travelers still take this bridge to reach the Greenway," Aragorn said, stepping onto the bridge.

"Not what I asked," Quinn muttered.

"Boromir must have come this way, if he was traveling from Gondor," Toven said. He turned back to Quinn. "Have you never been here before?"

She shrugged. "I guess not. I don't normally look for bridges. I just swim across whenever I reach a river." She followed him onto the bridge. "If I had a paraglider so many things would be different…"

Toven followed Aragorn's steps ahead of him. It was simple enough to avoid the cracked sections of the bridge. The first gap was only a foot wide, and easily traversed. They reached the midway point, and continued across the second part of the bridge.

He was beginning to think their luck would hold when the sound of grating stone reached his ears.

"Oh, shit," Quinn said from behind him.

He turned to see her flailing her arms as a large section of the bridge crumbled away and began sliding over the side, taking her with it.

"Quinn!" He lunged for her, but Aragorn took hold of the back of his coat, forcing him to a halt.

She and the chunk of the stone landed in the water with a loud splash. He inched towards the edge, breathing hard.

After a moment, she surfaced and waved at him. "I'm okay!"

"Can you climb back up?" Aragorn called to her.

"Yeah, I… Oh, looks like the river is carrying me away. I'll meet you guys on the other side, just go on without me."

Toven watched her start to swim for the bank, then leaned back with a sigh.

"Are you all right?" Aragorn asked.

"Yeah." He nodded. "If it weren't for you, I'd probably be in the river as well."

Aragorn clapped him on the shoulder. "Then let's get off this bridge before it starts falling apart again."

They made it to the other side without incident, and at the end of the street found a patch of mud marked with hoof prints, pointed north.

"These are weeks old," Aragorn said, kneeling down to inspect them in the fading light. "Several riders passed through here."

"Must have been the wraiths when they first rode north," Toven said. He glanced back at the river. "Their mounts must have been washed away, so where would they go afterwards?"

"I would guess they have returned to their master," Aragorn said, standing up. "For now, at least."

He could still recall the bone-chilling shriek of the wraiths, and his thoughts strayed to the blade stashed in his room. This was more than just hunting orcs or warding off bandits. As they came closer to the center of it all, Toven could no longer deny that everything was going to change once it was over.

"Why did you never tell me?" he asked. "About your…lineage?"

"It's been many years since any of my line could be called a king," Aragorn said. "I did not think it was relevant."

He scoffed lightly. "Everyone in that council seemed to think otherwise." He lifted his gaze to the ruined buildings around them. "I heard the way Boromir spoke about his kingdom, and it seems to me they need something to rally around. Preferably something that isn't imbued with evil."

Aragorn raised an eyebrow. "Boromir also said that Gondor does not need a king. They have endured for centuries without one, despite their trials. For now, we must focus on dealing with the Ring."

"Then I will follow your lead." Toven straightened, resting one hand on his sword. "I want to go to Mordor and see this finished."

"I know." Something softened in his gaze. "I've persuaded Quinn against stopping you."

"Not sure how you managed that," Toven said with a smile, even as a warmth appeared in his chest. "Speaking of…" He glanced back at the river. "We should probably go and see if she got stuck."

"Let's go." Aragorn set off towards the bridge, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder as he passed.

Toven lifted his gaze to the waning moon, as they walked. Everything was about to change, but some things would remain the same. And he knew, with or without a crown, he would follow Aragorn to the very end.

I didn't anticipate this at all when I outlined this story, but I really love Aragorn and Quinn as this kind of awkward co-parenting duo, and I'm really excited to explore that further (and maybe I'm just a slut for found family stuff). But at the same time I was having a little trouble characterizing Aragorn, since in the movies he's so dramatic but at the same time so…goddamn inaccessible. Let me know if you all have any thoughts on that.