Aryante woke up later than the others in the morning and got up and went
over to where Merry, Pippin, Frodo, and Sam were sitting.
"Morning," Pippin said as she came over and sat down.
"Sorry I'm up so late," Aryante said as she yawned.
"It's not that late," Frodo said. "Just about ten."
"We let you sleep in," Morion said as he came over, seeing that Aryante had gotten up. "Since I noticed that you didn't sleep much last night." Aryante avoided his eyes and didn't reply. The fact that he had been watching her that night didn't make her feel any better towards him. She had been hoping that she might just have been paranoid, but that remark made her feel less that.
"We'd better get going," Morion said to everyone, though directing his glaze at Aryante. "Servants of Mordor are close behind, you might have felt a darkness behind us last night. That shadow has passed us, but there is surely more to come." They quietly followed Morion, each hobbit being confused as to why Aryante wouldn't trust Morion. After all, it was just a name, wasn't it? They surely had questions for both Morion and Aryante, but if they did they kept their thoughts to their selves.
(A/N: OK, I'm going to skip a few days forward because if I didn't, the next few paragraphs or even chapters would be very boring. Not just for you, but also for me to type. I've figured out that that's why I get writers block so often ^^;)
Four days had past since their encounter with Morion and the hobbits felt as if the danger had past them. Even Aryante was beginning to trust Morion, despite the first night that they had spent with him.
"How much further?" Pippin asked as he started to tire. They had been walking at least five hours without rest.
"We can stop here and make camp," Morion said as he stopped walking. "Mordor is still days away, and a long journey at that." They made camp in a nearby forest, trying their best to hide from any passing Ringwraiths or such that might journey near them.
Aryante sat just barely outside the forest long after the others had fallen asleep, gazing up at the moon above them and thinking to herself. She jumped as a hand touched her shoulder.
"Mind if I join you?" It was Morion, speaking in a friendlier tone than she had heard before. She nodded and he sat down next to her, looking up at the sky as well. They said nothing for a long time and just sat there. Morion turned toward Aryante.
"Why do you fear me, Aryante?" He asked, breaking the silence.
"What?" She broke her gaze from the sky and looked at him, trying to sound confused.
"No need to act, I sense your fear in your eyes and your voice," He said this calmly, being careful not to make her more afraid. "Why do you fear me?"
"I don't know," Aryante looked down at the ground. "I suppose I'm just being paranoid." To her surprise Morion laughed.
"Indeed," He said and looked back up at the sky. "Though it is not a bad thing to be, especially when you are on a quest such as your own." Aryante paused for a moment.
"How is it that you know so much about our quest?" "It's not hard to guess, servants of the dark lord following you and all. It all connects in a way," He looked back at her and smiled warmly, making her feel almost like he was Aragorn. He did look somewhat like Aragorn, though, but he that smile that he put on his face just then gave her the impression of Aragorn when she had grown up around him. "You need not fear me, Aryante. I promise you that." Aryante smiled back at him and nodded. She got up and started walking back to where the others were. She stopped and turned around.
"Thank you," She said.
"For what?"
"For talking to me, it eased me in a way I can't really explain," Morion nodded and smiled at her.
"Get some rest," he said. "We have a long day ahead of us." Aryante went back to the others and lay down. She closed her eyes and fell right asleep, finally feeling a little safer.
********
Hours after she had fallen asleep, though what seemed like minutes to her, she felt a cold hand grab her by the wrist.
"What the--?" The hand pulled her sharply to her feet and grabbed her around the waist. Her first instinct was to kick who ever it was, which she did quickly. There was a yelp from the person, but it did not seem to make it let go of her. She yelled loudly, but not for long before the person took the hand that had been holding her arm and clasped it around her mouth, muffling her cries, but not soon enough. The cry woke the hobbits quickly and they were up and looking around in seconds. The person started running, still holding onto Aryante. She tried to kick herself loose, but to no avail.
"Hey! Let her go!" Frodo yelled, running with the hobbits as quickly as their feet could carry them. The person that had grabbed Aryante was fast, but not fast enough; for hobbits are quick runners in times of danger and were not far behind from them. The person was looking around as they ran and quickly jumped up into a nearby tree. The hobbits ran past them, not being able to see them in the darkness of the woods. The person then jumped out of the tree and ran out of the woods. Aryante took the few seconds of light that shone from the moon to try and see who her attacker was. She could barely see its face, but she could tell that it was a man. The man ran into the forest that was ahead of them and ran as quickly as he could deep into the forest. Unfortunately for him, the light that had shone on him out of the forest gave a good light for the hobbits and as quick as wolves they were out of the forest and chasing after him. The man ran in all directions: left, right, straight, left, left, right, straight. Aryante tried to keep track of the different directions that he turned, but it was folly. He ran for a great amount of time and his hold around Aryante's waist was getting to be quite painful for her. To her relief, or so she thought, they finally came to a stop. Though why they did, she did not know. They had stopped in front of a tall and wide tree that had vines growing all over it. The man started looking around the tree and finally found what he sought. He took the hand that had been covering Aryante's mouth and pressed a knot on the tree. He quickly replaced his hand on her mouth, and just in time. Aryante gasped loudly as a wide hole, just big enough for them to fit in, opened right in the tree. The man walked into the tree and the hole closed up just as the hobbits came to it, almost closing on Pippin. Luckily for Pippin, Frodo grabbed him and pulled him back before it did. The man let his hand loose from Aryante's mouth and threw her to the ground. Her head hit a chair very hard as she fell and she landed on her side painfully as she hit a hard wooden floor. Her head felt very dizzy. She stood up as the man lit a candle in the room and just saw his face before she gave way to the pain in her head and collapsed on the floor.
**
A/N: Can you guess who it is? Huh? Huh? Well, we'll see. It might be who you're thinking it is, and it might not. I haven't made up my mind yet who it is. ^^; If you want to know when the next chapter is out, you should know what to do by now. Next chapter coming A.S.A.P.!
"Morning," Pippin said as she came over and sat down.
"Sorry I'm up so late," Aryante said as she yawned.
"It's not that late," Frodo said. "Just about ten."
"We let you sleep in," Morion said as he came over, seeing that Aryante had gotten up. "Since I noticed that you didn't sleep much last night." Aryante avoided his eyes and didn't reply. The fact that he had been watching her that night didn't make her feel any better towards him. She had been hoping that she might just have been paranoid, but that remark made her feel less that.
"We'd better get going," Morion said to everyone, though directing his glaze at Aryante. "Servants of Mordor are close behind, you might have felt a darkness behind us last night. That shadow has passed us, but there is surely more to come." They quietly followed Morion, each hobbit being confused as to why Aryante wouldn't trust Morion. After all, it was just a name, wasn't it? They surely had questions for both Morion and Aryante, but if they did they kept their thoughts to their selves.
(A/N: OK, I'm going to skip a few days forward because if I didn't, the next few paragraphs or even chapters would be very boring. Not just for you, but also for me to type. I've figured out that that's why I get writers block so often ^^;)
Four days had past since their encounter with Morion and the hobbits felt as if the danger had past them. Even Aryante was beginning to trust Morion, despite the first night that they had spent with him.
"How much further?" Pippin asked as he started to tire. They had been walking at least five hours without rest.
"We can stop here and make camp," Morion said as he stopped walking. "Mordor is still days away, and a long journey at that." They made camp in a nearby forest, trying their best to hide from any passing Ringwraiths or such that might journey near them.
Aryante sat just barely outside the forest long after the others had fallen asleep, gazing up at the moon above them and thinking to herself. She jumped as a hand touched her shoulder.
"Mind if I join you?" It was Morion, speaking in a friendlier tone than she had heard before. She nodded and he sat down next to her, looking up at the sky as well. They said nothing for a long time and just sat there. Morion turned toward Aryante.
"Why do you fear me, Aryante?" He asked, breaking the silence.
"What?" She broke her gaze from the sky and looked at him, trying to sound confused.
"No need to act, I sense your fear in your eyes and your voice," He said this calmly, being careful not to make her more afraid. "Why do you fear me?"
"I don't know," Aryante looked down at the ground. "I suppose I'm just being paranoid." To her surprise Morion laughed.
"Indeed," He said and looked back up at the sky. "Though it is not a bad thing to be, especially when you are on a quest such as your own." Aryante paused for a moment.
"How is it that you know so much about our quest?" "It's not hard to guess, servants of the dark lord following you and all. It all connects in a way," He looked back at her and smiled warmly, making her feel almost like he was Aragorn. He did look somewhat like Aragorn, though, but he that smile that he put on his face just then gave her the impression of Aragorn when she had grown up around him. "You need not fear me, Aryante. I promise you that." Aryante smiled back at him and nodded. She got up and started walking back to where the others were. She stopped and turned around.
"Thank you," She said.
"For what?"
"For talking to me, it eased me in a way I can't really explain," Morion nodded and smiled at her.
"Get some rest," he said. "We have a long day ahead of us." Aryante went back to the others and lay down. She closed her eyes and fell right asleep, finally feeling a little safer.
********
Hours after she had fallen asleep, though what seemed like minutes to her, she felt a cold hand grab her by the wrist.
"What the--?" The hand pulled her sharply to her feet and grabbed her around the waist. Her first instinct was to kick who ever it was, which she did quickly. There was a yelp from the person, but it did not seem to make it let go of her. She yelled loudly, but not for long before the person took the hand that had been holding her arm and clasped it around her mouth, muffling her cries, but not soon enough. The cry woke the hobbits quickly and they were up and looking around in seconds. The person started running, still holding onto Aryante. She tried to kick herself loose, but to no avail.
"Hey! Let her go!" Frodo yelled, running with the hobbits as quickly as their feet could carry them. The person that had grabbed Aryante was fast, but not fast enough; for hobbits are quick runners in times of danger and were not far behind from them. The person was looking around as they ran and quickly jumped up into a nearby tree. The hobbits ran past them, not being able to see them in the darkness of the woods. The person then jumped out of the tree and ran out of the woods. Aryante took the few seconds of light that shone from the moon to try and see who her attacker was. She could barely see its face, but she could tell that it was a man. The man ran into the forest that was ahead of them and ran as quickly as he could deep into the forest. Unfortunately for him, the light that had shone on him out of the forest gave a good light for the hobbits and as quick as wolves they were out of the forest and chasing after him. The man ran in all directions: left, right, straight, left, left, right, straight. Aryante tried to keep track of the different directions that he turned, but it was folly. He ran for a great amount of time and his hold around Aryante's waist was getting to be quite painful for her. To her relief, or so she thought, they finally came to a stop. Though why they did, she did not know. They had stopped in front of a tall and wide tree that had vines growing all over it. The man started looking around the tree and finally found what he sought. He took the hand that had been covering Aryante's mouth and pressed a knot on the tree. He quickly replaced his hand on her mouth, and just in time. Aryante gasped loudly as a wide hole, just big enough for them to fit in, opened right in the tree. The man walked into the tree and the hole closed up just as the hobbits came to it, almost closing on Pippin. Luckily for Pippin, Frodo grabbed him and pulled him back before it did. The man let his hand loose from Aryante's mouth and threw her to the ground. Her head hit a chair very hard as she fell and she landed on her side painfully as she hit a hard wooden floor. Her head felt very dizzy. She stood up as the man lit a candle in the room and just saw his face before she gave way to the pain in her head and collapsed on the floor.
**
A/N: Can you guess who it is? Huh? Huh? Well, we'll see. It might be who you're thinking it is, and it might not. I haven't made up my mind yet who it is. ^^; If you want to know when the next chapter is out, you should know what to do by now. Next chapter coming A.S.A.P.!