Thank you Pyro, Halie, and Guest for your most recent reviews! I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

Halie: Thank you! Appreciate it!:)

Pyro: Uh-huh, I totally agree with you. Secrets never stay hidden for long, and when Elanor finds out the truth, its going to hit hard. There's already a lot she's having trouble processing, like a certain elf wraith that looks like a ghostly Freddie Kruger. Elanor definitely has a fire in her that comes from Ioreth that we have yet to see, but she also has her gentle side and Talion's sharpness. I'll be writing flashbacks to demonstrate that, which I look forward to showing. Glad you're liking it!

Guest: Yep, whenever there's the time in life, which is good with college and all, but thanks!

Captain?

I looked back and forth in between the two men, finally settling on the big, red-haired man with an uncertain frown. "Who are you?" I asked, and then glanced back at my father, who was glaring at the newcomer darkly, "How do you know him?"

"He was a Ranger of the Black Gate," said Talion stiffly. My eyes widened, but I somehow wasn't surprised.

"Elanor." I turned back to the red-haired man, who was giving me a small, surprised smile as he studied me from head to toe. "That is you, isn't it?"

Surprised and a bit uncomfortable that he knew my name, I bit my lip and nodded. "Do I know you?" I asked slowly.

The man chuckled and shook his head. "Well, you probably wouldn't remember me that well. You were only a baby when I last saw you. The years have done you good service. You look like your mother. You're even wearing her necklace, I see."

At the mention of my mother, my throat choked up and my finger unconsciously touched the star pendant at my breast. He knew Mother, too?

"You, Elanor, and I are all that remains of that garrison, Hirgon," said Father, quietly.

Hirgon...That name did sound familiar now. Hadn't he been a companion of Father's once?

Hirgon's smirk faded into a scowl. He circled up both, reaching one of the tied slaves. "Then why did you come here?" he gritted as he struggled to untie the slave. The other slaves who had been huddled in the corner seemed more confident in Hirgon's presence and stood up to help untie the other slave. I recognized nearly the same air of leadership in this man as I often saw in Father as a Ranger Captain.

"Looking for a slave that fought the Black Hand of Sauron," said Father, watching him carefully.

Hirgon laughed humorlessly. "More like ran away from him."

Father's eyes flicked with interest. "You know this man?"

"Of course." Hirgon untied a knot. "You're staring at him."

I looked at Father with a mixture of fear and hope. We found the slave, after all...and of course, it happened to be someone my father apparently knew once. Things were working in our favor now.

Father met my glance and then turned back to Hirgon. "Where are the servants of the Dark Lord?" he asked with need and hidden anger in his tone. "Do you even know?"

Hirgon released the slave, who ran off, and then moved to untie the next one. "Perhaps."

Father's jaw clenched and his eyes flashed dangerously with impatience. "This is no time to keep secrets," he snapped, stepping toward the former Ranger, and I instinctively put a hand on his arm nervously. The last thing we needed right now was another fight, especially with this one, although I was feeling a little impatient myself.

"I have been stuck here for weeks!" spat Hirgon, before finally releasing the slave, who slumped heavily against him. "Steady…I barely made it from the last pack, and more will come. We have not the time for this!"

"But you must know something!" I protested, stepping up to him furiously. "Mother and Dirhael are dead because of those monsters, along with everyone else! Please!"

Hirgon looked down at me with pity, seeming to take a moment to think. "Alright, but not here," he finally said. Then he looked toward my father. "Come to the Outcast Camp. We shall ask my scouts. And I would suggest Elanor come for her safety..."

"She stays with me!" said Father sharply, before I would politely refuse the offer. I was taken back by Father's cold distrust. Hirgon may be a stranger to me, but he hasn't given me a reason to dislike him. If anything, I actually found him quite admirable.

"You are bringing your daughter on the hunt, Talion? Are you sure that's wise?"

"You are in no position to judge my decisions regarding my daughter," said Father, "but we'll be there."

Hirgon sighed and shrugged, before setting off with the slave. "Suit yourself, but don't say I didn't warn you." With that, he and the slave limped off.

"Charming," I muttered, before turning to my father, who exhaled heavily. "Should we have gone with them?"

"His business here is not finished just yet," said Father, glaring in Hirgon's direction. "I saw it in his eyes. We best not entangle ourselves with more Uruks and find the hideout ourselves."

"And how will we do that?"

"The code of the Rangers instructs us to set up a certain mark that will allow fellow trackers to recognize their hidden refuge, should there be no other signal. If not, I have other skills that will lead to him."

I certainly hoped so. And then there was the elf wraith. As one of Elven race, he seemed to have more visual perception than any mortal eye, especially when he was dead. I had some tracking skills myself, learned throughout my childhood by Dirhael, but I hoped that Father would find spare time to strengthen those skills and teach me new tricks.

"Was he a friend of yours?" I asked about Hirgon.

"A long time ago," said Father, turning away. "He is-or was-your godfather."

"What?!" I circled around to face him in shock. "I have a godfather? Why have you never mentioned him before? What happened?"

"Your mother and I thought it best that you need not know of him, and we told Dirhael to never mention his name to you again."

I was suddenly angered by this, and confused. They had no right to do that! "But why?" I exclaimed. "How can you do that?! If he was my godfather-"

"He became a deserter of the Black Gate. We were ordered to hunt him down for treason, but he was never found. Only a strap of his clothing was found, stained with blood. We assumed he was dead until proven otherwise." Father sounded sad with the memory. "We didn't want to tell you because there was no need to. It would have made it easier for you to forget and move on."

I shook my head, fuming, still hurt by this new discovery.

Then I asked out of curiosity, "Why did he desert?"

Father's mouth twitched slightly and raised an eyebrow at me. "As much as I loathe to admit it, Hirgon and I shared a few things in common, one of them being the desire to leave the Morannon. He had even planned it, came to me once and laid out the offer, but...at the time, your grandfather had offered me the position of second-in-command. An offer I couldn't refuse, not when I was finally earning some trust, some respect." He shook his head, frowning. "He just acted first, and is now suffering the consequences, if he suffers at all. I really hope it was worth it for him. Since he is alive, his betrayal has saved his life."

"But why didn't you desert?" I asked softly. "We could have left sooner. All four of us!" I wouldn't have been raised in the Black Gate all my life, spending years wondering what was beyond Dagorlad, beyond the Dead Marshes, beyond the mountains of Mordor. I would have grown up knowing my godfather. I would have possibly found other children my age...girls...whom I would have made real friends. I would know what a forest, a grassland, a clear lake, or a field of spring flowers look like.

It was selfish thinking this way, but it had been my life's dream. Just to see the world beyond the Black Gate.

Father's gaze softened. "Because I was frightened of the consequences," he admitted. "It would mean committing a second major crime of Gondor while I was still serving time. The Rangers would have tracked us, hunted us down, and if we were caught, my fate would be sealed and I lose my family forever. Lose you and Dirhael. Your mother...Hallas spared me once for the sake of your mother, but he wouldn't do it again." He clenched his jaw and tightened his fist. "I could not afford to risk losing what little trust he had in me, especially when Ioreth and I had you and your brother to take care of." He looked off to the side and sighed heavily. "But now...I wonder if I should have taken Hirgon's offer, all those years ago. If we had left sooner...maybe then..."

Mother and Dirhael would have lived. I hugged myself, shivering. My hand automatically clutched the star pendant dangling around my neck, its maternal familiarity comforting me slightly.

Suddenly, Father's attention seemed to be taken away by something else as he whipped around sharply. Alarmed, I went closer to his side, trying to find what he was looking at. "Father?" I said. "What is it?"

As he pulled me close with hushed breath, I squinted toward the mountain cliffs and found a small shape crawling down along the rocky slopes, pausing to peer at us. My skin crawled, feeling its eyes toward us. What was that thing?

"It's just another orc," said Father quietly.

"No." I jumped with a gasp at the sudden appearance of the elf wraith, who answered grimly, "Someone who wants to be seen. We should tread with caution."

Gulping, feeling my stomach churn nervously, I started to follow as my father started leading the way. The mountain were heading to looked like a dark, looming titan. I fingered the knife at my belt, and looked ahead, but only to find the small creatures scramble down the slopes, making a high-pitched noise.

Wherever we were going, whatever the creature was, I felt my nerves stir the deepest core of my stomach...but I also felt that this cannot be ignored. I stayed by Father's side the whole time and was thankful that he did not nag me once. He must be starting to trust that I will obey and stay close by, not try anything risky.

For now, anyway.

"What sort of rodent hides in the shadows, I wonder?" said my father Talion, as we entered the cliffside of the rock slopes after struggling over a path of overturned boulders.

The elf wraith was walking beside us. Him on one side of Father and me on the other, keeping my distance. "Something of great power had left its mark on him. I sense it."

"But what has he to do with the Black Hand?" I asked, frowning. "Why is this...creature important?" I looked in between my father and the elf wraith. They were keeping something from me, and I felt it unfair that I should be left in the dark.

Father also looked at the elf wraith, guessing. "You feel that it might have answers."

The wraith nodded. "For both of us."

*Gollum! Gollum!* Heh, couldn't resist! Please review what you think, and I'll get back to you with a smile! Thanks!