Chapter 8

Dunadain

Author's Note: So, just as a bit of a warning I do get into some vaguely explicit sexual content in this chapter. No it's not between our two protagonists, but it is certainly in there. You'll understand why when you read it. Don't be overly offended. I'm not good at sexual content in general and that scene was really out of my comfortzone for reasons you will discover when you read it.

There are some Briagorn moments in here and are as heavy with romantic insinuation as I've been since penning this Rewrite.

Anyway, without further ado, please enjoy!

She waited with the rest of them. Aragorn has wandered off to take care of something with Glorfindel. Brianna wasn't sure. She'd dozed off with Sam, Merry and Pippin snuggled against her all collectively worried for their friend. Dozing was the best she could do at this moment. If she tried to sleep in earnest dreams of everyone she failed to protect and tried to protect her loomed from the dark recesses of her mind. Now was not the time to remember them covered in deep gashes oozing blood with rattling shallow breaths alerting Thanatos of another souls to prepare for death. Instead she cat napped and stayed awake while the others took turns resting.

Once each of them were allowed into the healing rooms on the second night Lord Elrond made them take shifts so as not to overcrowd him. This was on the second night when he emerged from the room and nodded to them all.

"One at a time, each of you, I recommend retiring to a room while you await shifts. I will send for my daughter to accommodate your needs, Miss Davis," he said and left.

Minutes later, as if the girl had been waiting around the corner, Lord Elrond's daughter, Lady Arwen, made her presence known. Brianna was struck dumb. For many years she'd considered Laurealasse, a long dead ancestor of hers, to be the most beautiful person she'd ever met. Lady Arwen put the queen to shame. She was tall and slim, features delicately fashioned and sparking blue eyes glittering like pale blue stars. Her skin was as pale as moonlight and hair black like glittering obsidian.

The lady curled her red stained lips into a smile and said, "Welcome to my father's house, Miss Brianna Davis. It pleases me to meet a new elven face. Many years have passed since children were born in Imladris and my mother's homeland. I will guide you to your room and meet you on the morrow to take you to the dining hall to break our fast."

Brianna smiled and said, "Lead the way. I'm certainly ready to sleep for a while."

It was true. She needed to place herself into a deep, dreamless sleep for eight hours and likely wouldn't be able to do that easily. Adrenaline was the only thing keeping her standing.

"Of course. Before that, I assume you would like to utilize the bathing chamber. I shall instruct you in its use," Arwen said kindly.

Brianna smiled gratefully. She'd been itching for a nice, long soak in a bubble filled bath, or something as close to it as she could get. Arwen turned and began the relatively short trek to the chambers Lord Elrond had set aside for her. The halls were open to the elements as much as possible. Sometimes the covering above faded into a quaint path through a garden peppered with many different types of flowers. The guest room set aside for her was located near a small pond created by a slim waterfall trickling down from the high hills that surrounded them.

Her room was open to the air and Brianna was excited to see a smaller room through a door on the right that looked like a bathroom. Arwen led her into that room and lit a few candles to better illuminate the enclosed space. Underneath Brianna felt the rushing heat of whatever underground spring nestled in the rocks below. The elf maiden pulled a lever and water pooled at the bottom of the tub.

"I have set wash rags, bottles of scented oil and a chemise in here for you to utilize at your leisure. I've also placed a few dresses for you in the wardrobe for you to wear tomorrow. I suspect they will be a little long for you, but I will be in with a needle and thread to help you modify them in the morning," her hostess said.

Brianna nodded and said, "Thank you, Lady Arwen. I'll be happy to leave the rags I'm wearing behind. They were never meant to be worn on long trips through the wildness."

"I hear from my father that you appeared in the middle of said wilderness," Arwen replied.

"Yes, and squished Mr. Strider in the process."

Arwen laughed, producing a sound kin to small bells twinkling at the gust of a small breeze. Brianna almost wished her laugh could sound like that. This lady was quite beautiful and reminded her very easily how Fae-like Brianna sometimes appeared. Such tended to be the fate of elves who mixed with humans.

"I suppose he didn't appreciate it," Arwen replied after her laughter faded from her lips, "if you wish I can show you our gardens on mid morning?"

"That would be delightful, Lady Arwen."

"You may refer to me as Arwen. Titles are unnecessary while you are a guest in my father's house."

Brianna smiled, "Arwen, then."

The lady left and Brianna stopped the flow of water and tore off her disgusting clothes. Naked she walked to where five bottles of scented oil were clustered together on a shelf attached to a porcelain wall and picked one up. Carefully Brianna uncorked the cap and lifted the bottle to her nose. The sweet smell of roses filled her senses as she breathed in. As it was the strongest smell she could think of that would wash away the memory of that swamp they traveled through Brianna walked back over to the bath and began to pour the pinked liquid into it. Once she was satisfied of that Brianna lowered herself into the near scalding water and relaxed.

It was heaven. It also felt like ages since she bathed in earnest and the color of the water changed from translucent pink to grey and brown very quickly. Instead of completely relaxing Brianna had to drain and fill the bathing pool several times before she could completely submerge herself and wash out the grime in her hair.

When she had scrubbed her scalp raw and her skin red Brianna emptied the pool for a final time and dried herself off with a wave of her hand. There was little need to get the towels wet. She slipped the chemise over her head and adjusted it accordingly around her hips. Her hips clung to the silk fabric tightly, though she wasn't entirely uncomfortable.

Carefully she moved into the bedroom and felt the cool night air prick her skin. She crossed her arms and stepped to the open window with the view of the water fall. Human eyes would have a difficult time seeing the gradually cascading waterfall tumbling down the cliff. As an elf Brianna could perfectly see the way it and the moonlight that illuminated it cast an ethereal glow about the landscape.

If I was an was an artist I would paint this place, she thought longingly.

At that Brianna turned away from the scene before her and retired to the comfortable but unfamiliar bed. She didn't dream.

Aragorn paced the halls of his childhood home and considered Frodo's predicament. Lord Elrond had said he was mending, had even gone so far as to shew the audience outside the healing halls away, but the gravity of the would still unnerved him. Every instance of evil had converged upon them and then stormed after Frodo. What made it particularly worse was the knowledge that one of that fell party wasn't just after the ring. The one called Erebus had his eyes on Brianna and in them had been a triumphant hunger which shook him to the core.

How safe were they? Rivendell only offered so much protection and Glorfindel, Elrohir and Elladan already spoke of scouting the outskirts of Elrond's lands in a day or two. Aragorn already promised to go with them.

Light footsteps shook him from his thoughts and he beheld the Lady Arwen as she rounded the bend away from the guest halls. She inclined her head to him and offered a soft, guarded smile.

"Good evening Estel. Do I find you well?" She asked.

"As well as can be expected. I am concerned for Frodo," Aragorn replied after a minute.

He remembered a time when they could speak together in comfort. When she looked on him in unguarded adoration. The day it had changed was the day his heart broke, but who could deny an elf of what they knew for certain? This meeting, he did notice, carried less a sting than the last. He wondered why, but cast the thought aside soon after. It was best not to dwell on such things.

"My father and Mithrandir search for the fragment of the blade the wizard suspects is still there. I heard his explaining such to Miss Brianna Davis in great detail. She certainly asks detailed questions and expects equally detailed answers," Arwen said.

Almost unbidden Aragorn smiled, "Yes, she does that."

Her blue eyes, almost as perceptive as her father's, fixed him with a suspicious squint. Aragorn didn't allow his smile to fall. The sight of Brianna asking Lord Elrond questions was too good a memory to pass up. Upon their first meeting she bordered on impertinent! Gandalf thought her charming while Lord Elrond merely answered them as best he could in a continuous state of bewilderment.

"You seem to be fond of her," Arwen remarked.

Glorfindel made the same observation, Aragorn thought.

"As a traveling companion she is an interesting person to listen to and a very good ally in battle. I've never felt as if Mithrandir were near me so until she came," he said instead.

She watched him a moment longer before merely inclining her head. Aragorn didn't know what to make of it. There was a curiousness about Arwen this night that seemed almost defensive. He couldn't understand it.

"I will bid you good night, Estel, and pray that you sleep well. Do not allow your heart to be troubled by the events of the past nor by the fear for those to come," she said and walked away.

Aragorn didn't stare after her. He simply continued his journey, but took a detour back to his sleeping quarters to finally fall into a peaceful slumber. It had been a few years since his last and much welcome when it came.

Daenith watched Lord Hades with a detached interest that wasn't shared by her coven sisters. Hades and Hecate were currently partaking in ritualistic sexual intercourse to plant his seed within her belly. It was something Hecate was known for among many in their circle. She would take the seed of a male, quicken it within, and chant and form the fleshly body into whatever she wanted it to become and then make alterations at the moment of birth. Sometimes such pregnancies lasted months and sometimes only a few measly hours. Daenith had no taste for the practice in any case. She was an elven siren and her voice could cast the darkest of curses.

Prince Aries stood by Nyx whispering into her ear while the necromancer wove a particularly nasty curse from the ever growing locks of her hair. Daenith was by far more intrigued by the magic of weaving than by the fertility sex Hecate always participated in. She watched as the prince reached his hand to Nyx's breasts to casually play with them as he continued to mutter.

It was quite disgusting to watch the two of them debase themselves in such a manner. Beside her the same discomfort was shown by Princess Persephone the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, niece of Hades and his consort. Daenith changed a glance at the death goddess. Once she had been beautiful, but her time in hell had caused her to wither away into an old women. Hades and Aries experienced much kinder fates, but according to Mab the males had allowed themselves to gain masterful knowledge from the beings who lived there. Persephone had chosen to wallow in her misery and become an old crone.

Queen Mab's disappointment in the Princess was clear and Daenith knew, from a look the queen had given her before departing for Isengard, permission had been granted to dispose of her. She caught a smirk in their direction from Aries and knew who it was Mab had truly backed. A son of one marked for Kingship made a better claim to the throne than one who's father and mother were never so lucky.

Hades and Persephone, yet I suspect Hades gave the order for Persephone's downfall. My queen plays an interesting game of thrones, she thought.

"What does this do to give me a new body, siren?" A hiss from behind.

Daenith turned to the shadow that was the Dark Lord Sauron and inclined her head, "Hecate will quicken the seed of Hades and enchant the body so no soul but yours may enter once the time comes. It will take seven months for the body to mature and cultivate within. Hades whispers spells to form the body fit for a king such as yourself and Hecate with utilize the ancient powers to mold anything you desire into it."

"Months!" Sauron hissed, "I have great armies to lead. I cannot wait months!"

Daenith approached him and pressed her hand against his misted form. She met solid leathered skin. It was difficult to grasp at first, but she managed to seep her feminine whiles through to him despite the lack of flesh and desire.

"You will wait and become the king you were meant to be," she purred.

The Dark Lord came to them in part in a mist, yet she could still feel his physical presence in their world. It brought a certain headiness to Daenith's physical need that hadn't been there for many years. To be in the presence of such a one who could manifest in one place yet still e the being wreathed in an eye shaped flame was more than impressive. It spoke of a power beyond the lot of Hades and Aries and Mab. The Morrighan had this power as did Cerunnos the Horned God wherever he was.

She smiled and stepped toward him, "These people are weak. These elves are weak. You will rule them all with an iron fist and the snide aristocrats on the other side of the ocean will be forced to concede your might."

This seemed to placate Sauron, but only a little bit. He still had his never ending questions and the way he always seemed to understand the intent of Aries and Hades unnerved her. What did he see in her?

Aries and Nyx approached her. The necromancer's weaving was finished and hung loosely in her hands. Aries was much like Zeus in that he was tall and blond, though his eyes were yellow denoting his dabbling in sorcery.

Not dabbling, she thought, The Fallen in Hell taught him to conceal his change.

The prince smirked at Daenith. She steeled herself and stepped away from Sauron. Another aspect of their plan needed to come to fruition. She was particularly vital in executing it.

"You will cast the curse on the elven Queen," he said.

"So I've been told," Daenith said.

Why has Mab cast her lot with this disgusting princeling? She wondered.

He stepped forward and grabbed her arm. She glared at him for a moment before shuddering and unlacing her dress. It was part of the ritual. If Aries wanted the queen then his seed needed to be inside her while Nyx spelled the woven curse into Daenith's vocal chords. Aries followed suite and then pressed a long kiss against Daenith's startled mouth. She gasped and struggled but to no avail. The spell had worked at the touch of skin upon skin. He pulled away and purred into her ear.

"I needed to know how well this will work for the day I use it on the Queen."

Daenith felt her senses turn in favor to him. Her mind focused on him and wanted him to help her reach the zenith of pleasure. The prince unclothed himself and pointed to the ground.

"On your knees, Siren," he growled.

Daenith's body moved without her consent and she was on the ground ready for him to take her from behind. Nyx knelt in front of her with the weave ready to spell it into her throat at the appropriate moment. For Daenith she cried out in pleasure at the sheathing of Aries's rather large member into her. When Aries grunted as he came Nyx began to whisper the words that caused the weave to thin and enter Daenith's open mouth only to settle around and below her vocal chords. There would be no spell casting for her until the curse was complete. No sound will be able to escape her lips until then. She was to be a slave to the curse and to the needs to Aries until that curse was complete.

"No room for error," Aries said, "I must be sure the queen will be ready for me the moment that curse begins to take effect."

The prince was already donning his pants, shirt and battle gear once more. On the bed beyond Hades removes himself from Hecate's body and approached them. He had long since given himself to necromancy. His body was as white as curdled milk and hair as black as shadow. His eyes; however, spoke of the change the most as they glared at them all from blood red irises.

"The siren has the curse?" He asked.

Aries inclined his head, "Yes Uncle. We are ready. If my great niece is anything like Athena then she will be unattached to any man and completely against forming one."

"And if she proves to be, then what?" Hades asked in a tone that suggested he was rather bored with the idea.

"My seed will work on her, grow in her mind, and make her irresistible to me. Should she fight it the curse will place her into a dark sleep that only I can wake her from," Aries explained.

"Unless she finds her mate, my lord," Nyx said softly, "only the power of a mate may break such a curse."

Daenith crossed her arms and frowned. It wouldn't have been apparent that she was contemplating the situation laid before her to them as she couldn't make any noise. Elves hadn't searched for their mates in a long time. Most didn't have a particular one and the ones that did, i.e. the royal family, never truly found their mate before they died. It was highly unlikely that the elven queen would find hers.

Aries, clearly of the same opinion, snorted and said, "The elves have not discovered mating for a long time. They have lost sight of that "gift" from their god a long time ago."

"Be that as it may," Sauron hissed, "You should not be overconfident in that eventuality. I will instruct my agent, Saruman, to inform Erebus finding the mate of the elven queen is essential. For all we know that male could be in Arda."

Daenith raised a brow, but couldn't voice any of her concerns. After the handling she faced under Aries hand she wasn't particularly inclined to support anything the prince said. The underlying insinuation was there. What did Sauron know that they didn't. Hades seemed to be of the same mind because he cast Sauron a suspicious look, but seemed to refrain from pursuing the thought any further. Daenith felt that to be wise. If they began worrying about that technicality now then they would never complete the task before them. The elven queen would never be theirs and Hecate's magic would falter. They needed the queen to complete the ritual or Sauron's new body would quickly decay.

Hecate stirred on her bed of furs. Daenith hadn't realized the Sorceress fell asleep during their discussion. Slowly she rose to a sitting position and placed a hand on her enlarged belly. She began to whisper more spells and writhe on her bedding. Hades nodded to Nyx.

"I'll leave you to the maintenance. Make hands will only sour the deed and we must have the Dark Lord involved soon," he said.

Nyx inclined her head and moved to help Hecate by sticking two fingers into her womanhood. She spoke a spell of her own when Hecate writhed.

"Aries will renew his seed into the spell you carry in a few hours. I suggest you rest. We must not let a soul touch you until the deed is done and the queen is under our control," Hades said.

Daenith inclined her head before turning and leaving the room. She truly missed the days when she was the one dominating the minds of males and bearing fruit by them. Once she held kingdoms in her power. Now she was demoted into serving this bastard.

On Aries in particular, she decided, there would be revenge.

Brianna woke to a soft knock at her door. She sat up and blearily stared around the room she had been given. For a brief moment she imagined herself at OLYMPUS. To wake and discover it to not be the case left a dull pang in her heart that she struggled to ignore. Brooding about being whisked away from home was not going to help her return. She needed a clear head and a cool mind. She needed to steel herself for the unpleasant eventuality of hunting down Erebus and whoever else followed him.

With a deep breath she slid out from under the covers and padded across the frosted marble floor and opened the door. As promised the night before Arwen stood before her with a basket loaded with sewing supplies. Brianna smiled though it was a little forced. She hated sewing and was never particularly good at it.

"Good morning, Arwen," she said.

The lady smiled, "Good morning Brianna. Have I wakened you?"

"A bit," Brianna admitted.

Arwen released a light laugh and Brianna let her in. The lady gracefully walked into the room and pulled a chair from what Brianna noticed to be a desk on the other side of the room.

I must have been incredibly single minded last night not to notice that, she thought.

"Which dresses would you like to take in? I can obtain your measurements and order a few items of clothing for you while we do this," Arwen offered.

Brianna approached the finely carved mahogany armoire and opened the delicate doors. The dresses were of the same quality of silk and velvet, but less shear and gathered two layers at the skirt and bust. She noticed they didn't have lacings up the back but were situated on the sides. With a firmness of someone who hated wearing dresses in general Brianna laced the sides as quickly as she could.

Being the small person that she was the dress sagged in all the wrong places and revealed too much of her breasts to be socially acceptable. Arwen frowned and messed around with the fabric at key portions of Brianna's shoulders, bust and waist. Her lips pressed together in concentration and her brows furrowed.

"I misjudged how small you are," she muttered and moved to the armoire again.

After a minute or two while Brianna struggled out of the dress Arwen removed a pale green dress. The waist was slim, but the hips and buttox had more of a flare. Neither were sure about the bust area. Brianna had full breasts but a slim rib cage.

"It might be easier to take in the bust if the rest of the dress fits you relatively well," Arwen said.

Brianna wordlessly pulled the dress over her head. It fit her shoulders and was only a little loose around her bust and chest. The hem of the dress pooled a little bit at the floor. Arwen studied the dress for a second and then pulled at the fabric to better judge where to take in the dress.

After that she had Brianna take off the dress and sit half naked on the bed while Arwen took a needle, thread and scissors to the dress and carefully worked at the hem and edging. Several time she had Brianna put the dress back on to study her work and make appropriate adjustments.

It was mid morning when the dress was finished and Brianna stood in front of a full body mirror in awe at Arwen's handiwork. Despite disliking dresses Brianna actually felt beautiful. The pale green helped along with the silver patterns along the lining of the chest, shoulders.

Tentatively Brianna reached up and began to braid the side strands of her hair into a crown around her head. Arwen handed her a chord to tie the strands together. The taller elf smiled.

"You look like a princess," Arwen remarked.

She did at that. The green of the dress flowed down and about her like water. It billowed at the correct place past the tops of her hips and fell in a small flare to the floor. Her feet were unadorned, but that was due to there being no shoes in Imladris that would fit her. The sleeves were wide and long and trailed to the dress' hem like green and silver vines. The neckline scooped from the top of one shoulder to the next and fell deliberately along the beginnings of her rising bosom.

I know, but I'm not a princess, Brianna thought morosely as she gazed at herself in the mirror, I'm a queen.

She had never worn beautiful light dresses and danced about in the gardens and glades. She never sang for the joy of it and danced with the elements she would one day use for battle and peace. She fought every second of her life and killed as swiftly as an arrow. She studied books of poetry and lore and excavated sites of ages gone by with the special knowledge of history that only elves could have. She watched when people sacrificed herself for her. She raged and grieved and burned and drowned and killed and executed people for treason. Always she was the warrior queen who purged the darkness and was never allowed to enjoy the light.

Not once in one hundred and sixty-nine years of living, had Brianna the chance to even look like a princess.

"Well," she said through a break in her voice, "there's a first time for everything."

Arm in arm she allowed Arwen to lead her to the dining hall. She was lost in the effort to focus on the here and now, do Brianna didn't see the calculating look the elf lady sent her.

Aragorn sat with Glorfindel, Elrohir and Elladan eating a late breakfast and discussing where in Lord Elrond's lands they planned to scout. They were like minded in the opinion that the enemy wasn't going to invade the lands directly. Elrohir ventured the suggestion that they ask Miss Davis what manner of creatures likely followed Erebus from her world into theirs. For a reason Aragorn wasn't sure he wanted to dissect as of yet he grudgingly agreed to the idea. Involving her felt wrong and every once of his being wished for her to remain in Imladris to recover, rest and mourn her departure from her home.

Glorfindel stood suddenly and cheerfully said, "Lady Arwen and Miss Brianna! It's a pleasure to be graced with your company once again!"

Aragorn turned and stared. Not at Arwen who looked as graceful and beautiful as she always did, but at Brianna. She looked small, thin, and delicate – a vision which was quite deceptive after watching her darkly clad person inflict bodily harm on that Knight Elf, Erebus – with her hair wrapped around her head like the crown of a princess. He wasn't certain as to where the dress came from, but he noticed the tell-tale signs of them needing to take it in.

By the way her brows rose high and her eyes dart about his person from head to toe he realized something about him evoked the same stunned gape from her. Then he remembered when he saw her narrow her eyes and lean forward a bit. Her nostrils flared and he swallowed a laugh. It was the first time she'd seen him with his beard trimmed and body bathed and wearing clean, crisp, clothes.

"You… bathed," she said quite inappropriately.

Elrohir, typically grim, barked a laugh. Arwen looked a bit scandalized. Elladan raised a dark brow. Glorfindel coughed.

"One tends to do that when in safety and not in creeks open to all manner of evils that could ambush them," he replied dryly.

She sniffed, "I am used to a certain high level of hygiene, Sir Ranger, that you clearly aren't."

She looks and sounds like a princess, he observed, its quite endearing.

He smiled, "So you say, Brianna."

"Miss Davis," Glorfindel interjected, "I wonder if we may utilize your knowledge of dark creatures from your world? We are about to scout the area and would like to know what to look for."

Brianna looked away from Aragorn to reply, "Of course."

She took her seat next to Aragorn. Arwen inclined her head.

"I will take my leave then. We shall meet this afternoon in the gardens, Brianna?" She asked.

Brianna smiled, "Of course!"

Arwen left for her father's table and Brianna turned her attention on them. Aragorn took in the way her hair fell past her shoulders in long waves full and flowing after receiving a good cleansing treatment. The urge to reach out and touch it overwhelmed him and he moved his right hand under the table to help resist such a temptation.

"Erebus tends to use a few lesser sorcerers and necromancers, but the primary evil you will have to worry about from him are hellhounds. They're typically large black shapes that howl like wolves and rip any living flesh to pieces," she explained in a bored tone.

Elladan leaned forward interest written clearly on his face, "How do you kill them?"

Brianna smiled and reached for some eggs and bacon. Aragorn raised a brow. He didn't know elves from earth ate meat that wasn't chicken and fish.

"Fire works, but barring that certain tunes will help. He might use them for scouting, but I suspect the ones closest to the border between the wilds and Lord Elrond's lands will be sorcerers trying to figure out how to break past his defenses," she explained, "Try not to get hit with anything they throw at you. I'm not good at breaking curses."

She sat and ate for a bit while the elves and Aragorn digested that bit of information. Sorcerers who could use black magic to cast any number of fell curse upon any who come upon them. How did one fight that without magic readily available to them. He glanced at Glorfindel the only one of their group who likely had enough power to overwhelm such odds. Briefly he reconsidered the idea of inviting her to come with them, but thought better of it when she closed her eyes at a single bite of bacon.

Glorfindel stood, "I must make my report to Lord Elrond in regards to this news. We may need to take extra precautions."

He left and Elrohir and Elladan departed soon after leaving Aragorn with Brianna who looked at him for a moment with her teal eyes sparkling with a light he hadn't seen before. A tender smile graced her lips and he felt completely out of his depth. In the wild Brianna had been a force of nature. In a house of peace like Imladris she was serene, calm and unguarded.

"Have you rested well?" He asked.

"Yes, you?"

"This is my home. I always find peace and rest here," he replied.

She cocked her head to the left all the while peering at him from underneath long eyelashes. Aragorn swallowed. Was she purposely flirting with him or did she always act so endearing in everything she did? He would have noticed if she had. At the time Aragorn had been concerned with keeping them alive. Here in his own home all fears and inhibitions were lifted and he was free to notice things he otherwise wouldn't have.

"You live here when you're not traversing the wild looking for trouble?" She asked.

There was playfulness to her tone and expression. Aragorn knew she hadn't done that on the road. She also seemed genuinely curious and, after a moment of consideration decided to oblige in answering her question.

"My mother took me to live here after my father died as was the tradition of my family. My father was the Ranger Chieftain of the Dunedain and frequently left on dangerous expeditions. I was taken here to be hidden from the agents of Sauron," she looked alarmed at this and he added, "my family has a long history of hostility with the Dark Lord. It is why my father was killed. My mother lived out her days in Imladris and I left after I reached manhood to follow in my father's footsteps."

"I'm sorry," she said earnestly, "for the loss of your father."

"I was young when he died and it was customary for members of my family to be fostered in Imladris. Only she came where I went as well," he said.

There was a certain, wistful look in her eyes that told Aragorn they wandered into a subject that brought her pain. She looked away from him and down to her mostly empty plate and clasped her hands demurely on the table. He watched her both admiring her profile and resisting the urge to gather her into his arms. She wouldn't appreciate the gesture if he had, but the desire remained.

"You are lucky than most. So many people don't remember the parents who died and you had the blessing of knowing your mother. And Lord Elrond doesn't strike me as a terrible father figure," she said and smiled still not looking at him.

Aragorn reached out, making a decision, and rested his hand on hers. His hand was much larger and dwarfed both folded hand on the table. She looked at him, startled, and for a moment he thought he'd forgotten what he was going to say.

"I was instructed in survival, arts, music and history. Lord Elrond was a blessing indeed. I may miss the father I barely knew, but I gained much despite his loss. Do not worry for me. I have made peace," he whispered softly.

Her gaze softened and Aragorn truly was lost. How had he missed this on their journey? He observed she was beautiful, but this was another matter entirely. He swallowed and pulled away aware of her effect on him and unable to bring himself to think of what it might mean.

"I… I do not remember them well and I know I should," she said and Aragorn did not need to ask who she referred to, "in an effort to protect me those memories were fragmented and locked away. I have yet to fully gather them back, but I have made peace with that fate."

She stood then and gathered her skirts away from the floor as she moved to step around the chair. A befuddled expression painted across her face and he watched her silently fully aware of the line he nearly crossed. She clearly was as well.

"I must go to the hobbits. They would like some company before I meet with Arwen," she explained.

"I fear I must depart as well. If evil has tried to invade it is best discouraged as much as possible," he said gravelly.

Brianna nodded and he stood with her. She looked agitated, as if she was considering something to say but didn't quite know how to say it or whether she wanted to.

Best to place this conversation on hold until I can divine exactly what has happened, he thought.

"Good day, Brianna. I pray for Frodo's recovery," he said.

"As do I, along with your safe return," she said and smiled.

He turned to go and was nearly out of the dining hall when he heard the faint mutter of her voice say, "please don't die." Aragorn didn't know what to make of it and kept walking, but filed that plea away for further consideration on a later date.