She alive! Alive I say! I know it's been a while but I finally got inspiration to add another chapter. Still notrying positive on how often they will update, but I have not abandoned this story. Enjoy.

Ch 5 Almost There

She had fallen asleep again and Strider watched the pale head roll onto his arm. Internally he sighed, he had been gone a long time from Rivendell and was anxious to see Arwen again but he couldn't ignore the dwarfling Lord Elrond had obviously sent his way. Guiding his horse through the trees, along the pathway, it was mid-morning and they were crossing the tree line when she woke once again. Strider tightened his arms as she jerked and made to jump away.

"Calm yourself, we are nearing the last bridge to the town of Bree." The name must have been known to the girl. "We will continue until night fall, rest, and I will bring you to the Old Forest where the Brandywine Bridge lays. It is the edge of the Shire and a safe road, all you have to do is continue East on the road through the Shire until you reach Hobbiton."

Maliah nodded, staying silent and not trusting herself to say anything to the man. Not that he was threatening to her, but there was something odd about him. As the cross the bridge, she looked down at the clear river beside them and resisted the urge to jump from the horse and into the water. Part of what stopped her was the growling of her stomach the next moment and the appearance of an apple immediately after in front of her. Blinking at the bright fruit, she looked up at the dark clad man in surprise.

"Thank you."

He nodded and took up the reins again when she took the food from his hand. For most the day, the pair rode in silence, only breaking when Maliah had a question about something around them. When the sun was falling over the horizon and Strider found a spot for them to sleep that night, she was ready to cry in relief as he helped her from his horse. Her legs shook and collapsed beneath her, unused to riding such a large animal or for that long of a time. Missing the bemused looked on her companion face as he led the steed to a nearby tree, Maliah fell onto her back and stretched out her legs as she gazed upon the stars above them. She was near sleep when he returned with the saddle and bags, dropping them near her head, and her eyes opened to see him offering her food once again; this time bread and meat. Maliah flung her arm out and Strider placed the ration in her hand, once again amused as he watched her try and eat laying down.

"Food tends to be better when eaten while sitting."

"Too tired."

He said nothing, merely set a skin of water within reach and sat back against a boulder; joining her in her perusal of the sky. Silence between them wasn't awkward per say, but perhaps a little lonely. She was so used to noise everywhere and all the time that only being with one person, outside in the middle of nowhere, was odd.

"Mama used to tell us that where she came from, all the stars were different and on special nights, other worlds would glow brighter and appear bigger."

Strider looked down at the dwarrow sprawled on the grass. "Sounds like a fantastic story."

"We were never sure if she was telling a story or truth since our Uncle claimed the same, but I like to think maybe it is true."

"Where is your mother from exactly?"

Maliah paused, taking another bite of her bread. "I'm not entirely sure actually. No one ever said what town or region, only that it was very far away from Middle Earth."

"If what she says is true, then her home must be a spectacular place."

With nothing else to say between them, the quiet night air lulled Maliah to sleep after she had eaten and Strider laid the blanket she traveled with over her. He gazed down at her for a few moments longer before returning to his previous spot and allowing himself to fall into a light sleep.

In the morning, the sun fell on Maliah's closed eyes causing her to stir at the bright light trying to break through her eyelids. With a groan, she rolled over and shivered as the morning air crept under her blanket which had fallen partially away. Even without fully awake or standing, she could feel her sore muscles. Maliah barely had time after trying to snuggle deeper into the blanket when light steps stopped at her head. Cracking an eye open, she made out boots passed her blurry vision.

"Time to wake up, eat and then we leave."

Opening her other eye to see some fruit on a handkerchief, the young princess glared at the food in the glow of the morning sun. A few more days and she would be in the Shire with her Uncle Bilbo, warm and clean. Mahal, how much she wished to be there already. With the blanket wrapped around her still, Maliah sat up and ate one of the apples while tucking the other two fruits into her jacket pockets for later. When she was done, the sun had warmed up the air slightly and she rolled up the blanket to be tucked back into the bag and waited for Strider to help her onto his enormous beast.

That day passed almost the same as the one before. She found Strider wasn't much for words unless drawn into speaking, even then he didn't talk much of himself. However, at the end of the second day, Maliah asked him how he knew Lord Elrond. From that question came lessons on elves without Strider telling how he know about them or how long. But she was too enthralled in his stories to take note of the fact as the quiet man wove the tale of how elves came to be and begged him to continue the day after when they once more started on the East road. With a smile, he indulged her and began to speak of how Rivendell came to be; only stopping when he needed to eat or rest from talking.

The difference that day was when the sun began to set, Strider didn't look for a spot to sleep that night. Instead he looked around them, ahead, and then towards the rising moon in contemplation. Maliah waited for him to finish thinking before speaking.

"Aren't we going to stop for the night?"

A minute of silence as he didn't answer he immediately. "We are close to Bree, perhaps a few hours at a hard ride. If you would prefer, we can get to the town tonight and start again in the morning."

She bit her lip. Bree was a town of Man from what she understood, and not far from the shire from what she understood; maybe two days. "What do you think is best?"

"If we go to Bree tonight, we will reach the bridge I spoke to you of before the next night. I would stay with you and in the morning, direct you down the path you will need to take." He watched her thoughtful face without expression as she took in his words.

"Then I will hold on tight while we ride to Bree."

Patting the dark neck of the horse they were on, strider took a firmer grasp of the reins and then wrapped an arm around her waist. Before she could say anything, Strider kicked the horse into a run and Maliah grabbed onto his arm as she knew exactly then why he took hold of her.

True to his word, a few hours later they arrived at the edge of the town and Maliah was regretting her decision to make haste to her destination. She was nauseous and her body felt like she had shaken the entire ride, as she was not used to such riding. When Strider jumped from the saddle, Maliah stayed seated, barely, weaving back and forth while he spoke to the stable boy next to the Inn. Through narrow eyes, she saw a sign moving as she was and saw a painting of a horse below the words 'Prancing Pony'. When hands picked her from the horse, Maliah barely made a protest as she was carried like a child inside the Inn. Voices rang all around her and she could make out an exchange of words between Strider and the Innkeeper for a room.

The scenery changed as he walked with her up some stairs and into a room where he placed her on a small bed, removing her boots before tucking the blanket in around her. She was asleep within a minute and didn't know her companion sat on the edge of the other bed, smoking his pipe and keeping an eye on her until he too went to sleep after their belongings were brought up by the stableboy.

The smell of porridge was what woke Maliah up that morning, the steam rolling over her face with the smell of honey. Through narrowed eyes, she saw Strider holding a tray of food for them both and the morning sun just filling the room. Opening her eyes further, she saw the room they were in and was just slightly confused at her surroundings. She remembered nothing about going into an Inn last night. A picture of a white painted horse on wood flashed through her mind and Maliah sat up.

"Are we in Bree?"

Amusement flittered across the ranger's face as he set down the tray nest to the bed and picked up a bowl for himself. "Yes, we arrived here not long before the middle of the night. You were exhausted and I carried you to the room. Now eat and drink, one more long day and we will be at your destination."

Scooting up the bed closer to the small table next to it, she picked up her own bowl and devoured the food quickly. The hot food woke her up a little more and filled her dwarf stomach more than the fruit and bread had done in the past week. Downing the ale sitting on the tray also, she jumped up and stomped her feet into her boots; hopping around when one wouldn't fit on easily. Standing by the door, she looked at Strider in expectation as he finished his food and walked over to grab the tray with the other dishes and handed over to Maliah. She waited with the tray in her hands while he gathered up the bags. When he motioned the door, she exited first and walked down the hallway, down the stairs, and stopped after two steps into the barroom of the Inn.

It wasn't because there were a lot of people in the room, but simply the fact she had never been to an Inn, or another town for that matter, in her life. Yes, Dale had an a few Inns but that her second home. It was dark, dirty, and well, made of wood and not of stone she was accustomed. A nudge on her shoulder made Maliah walk again with Strider guiding her to the door eyes kept catching on little details, like a rat running along the bar or the old man watching her from a table nearby.

Once outside, Maliah took a deep breath of...not so fresh air. Wrinkling her nose and she turned on her heel to follow Strider into the stable attached to the Inn. There they found his horse already saddled and therefore Maliah stood by once again and watched Strider work, knowing a little that it was better this way. Before long, all the bags were tied to the saddle and she found herself up high again with Strider behind her. Without a word and only a nod, the two rode out of the stable, through the city and out the gate; back into the wilderness.

More soon to come, I promise