-->

Well, this is my first LOTR fanfic. And my first post on Fanfic.net, though I write fics elsewhere. So, please read and review. This will have slashy undertones in later chapters, though it won't be the main focus. Summary is there's a tenth member of the fellowship, a woman. I have seen the movie and am in the middle of reading the books, so inconsistencies can be expected. Let's just call this an AU and be happy. There is lot's of OOC goodness in the first chapter. If you haven't been around someone who's drunk, try it sometime. It's usually a real laugh. So, without further ado here's the fic...

The Tenth

"A beautiful woman such as yourself shouldn't be alone in a place like this. I would be honored to accompany you to a more... secure place." The strong scent of ale floated along the air past the delicately sculpted nose of said beautiful woman. Her nose wrinkled, causing rifts of her pale skin to rise between eyes the color of opals. She pushed a lock of hair the color of spilt blood behind a subtly pointed ear. The woman smiled and gestured to the other chair at her table, which slid away from the table.

"Perhaps you can do that later. For the moment, would you join me for a drink?" The man smiled brilliantly and eagerly took the seat. The woman slid him a glass of ale and continued puffing her weed pipe.

"Does the beautiful lady have a name?"

"Yes. Does the bold Ranger have one?" The blinked and took a long drink.

"I asked you first."

"True. But as you said, this is no place for a lady like me to be." A sly grin graced her fair face and the man found himself mesmerized.

"You win, beautiful. I am Strider."

"Very nice, Strider. Do you frequent this establishment?" The woman smiled again and offered him her pipe. He accepted and took a long drag before handing it back to her.

"This is where I stay when I'm in town. Do you come here often?" The woman only shrugged, the action shuffling her hair.

"Yes and no. What brings you to the Prancing Pony this evening?" Her voice was pleasant, neither too hard nor too soft as she refilled both their mugs.

"I am waiting for someone." Silence captured them as they drank. A pitcher later, the woman finally spoke.

"What kind of someone? A brother? A friend? A... wife?" Strider smiled, pulling out his own pipe and lighting it.

"A business meeting." The woman didn't press that particular statement any further.

"Ah. I see. Do you have a wife?" Strider smiled again, his eyes taking on a far away, dreamy look as he thought of Arwen.

"No." The woman smiled knowingly.

"From the look on your face, I'd say something different."

"I am not married."

"But you have someone in mind?" Strider's smile became almost lecherous. He took another long drink and moved his chair closer to the woman. His hand settled on her knee and slowly slid up to the top of her thigh.

"Let's not talk of such things right now. Where are you from?" The woman raised an eyebrow and took a puff from her pipe. Her hand dropped under the table to rest on top of Strider's.

"Most people loose a limb for such actions, Mister Strider." Strider gave her that lecherous grin again.

"You seem very apt at dodging questions. I have a room upstairs. Perhaps you would like to see it." The woman nodded and leaned across the space between them to kiss Strider, none too gently. The hand on her thigh went limp, then roughly squeezed the flesh underneath it. He broke the kiss and stood.

"Come." The woman stood and gathered her belongings: a dark cloak, tattered bag and a role of black cloth almost as tall as she was. Strider surveyed her clothing. It was all dark colored, mostly black. Her boots showed signs of long travel as did the long green jacket she wore over her shirt and pants. He noted that her hair was partially pulled back and rested a hand's width below her bust-line. She was of average height, being a scant hand shorter than himself. She seemed to have a lithe build, though it was difficult to determine underneath the bulk of her clothes. The woman reached for her coin pouch. This action pushed aside her jacket, revealing the metallic glitter of a mail-shirt surrounded by the shredded sleeve edges of missing sleeves. Strider grabbed her hand, stopping her rummaging.

"I'll pay your bill. Let's go." He brushed a loose lock of hair behind her ear and let his fingers trail down her jaw to finger the edge of her jacket. The woman nodded slowly, eyeing the fingers. Strider took the bag from her hands and led her to his room. He was fumbling with the lock when several people passed by, causing the woman to press against him. In turn, he dropped the key which brought soft laughter from her.

"And you're a Ranger? Do you have such problems with your sword?" Strider turned, leaving not even a millimeter of space between them.

"I do not have such distractions when I am fighting." The woman pulled his mouth down to meet hers in a lusty kiss. As they dueled with their tongues, Strider's hands found purchase on her slim hips and forced their bodies together. The woman stroked her fingers through his beard, slowly pushing him back against the door. The force of impact broke the kiss and the woman trailed kisses down his jaw and neck as her hands worked the top of his shirt open. She moved south again to gently suck on his exposed collarbone. She pulled back far enough to blow on the wet mark forming, sending chills down Strider's spine. The woman smiled and bit down on the reddening spot. He gasped and let his head fall back against the door. His eyes rolled back in his head and his mouth hung open while she continued her bruising work as her hands busied themselves with the fastenings on his pants. She dropped down to her knees, hands still on his waistband. Strider looked down at the woman who was smiling devilishly.

"I don't think this is the best place for that..." His voice was low and husky as he tried to control himself. The woman quirked an eyebrow and gracefully picked up the dropped key. She stood and opened the door. Strider blinked, then smiled as he whisked the woman into the dark room. Her belongings were quickly set aside as the duo embraced, almost frantically joining. Their mouths met again, the duel for dominance furious. Strider pushed her jacket off her shoulders, his hands following down her arms to remove the jacket. The cuffs snagged on the silver bracelets encircling her wrists. Both stopped and looked down at the bunched fabric. Laughed swept over them as the woman undid the bindings of her jacket and Strider stood in the dark, undoing the fastenings of his cloak. The each discarded their respective clothing items and fell into each other's arms. They kissed again, this time the woman letting Strider take control. He guided her through the black room, never breaking their contact until the woman tripped and fell back onto the bed. She let out a small 'ouf' as she landed with Strider on top of her. He smiled down at her while stroking the side of her face.

"Perhaps I should light a candle?"

"Allow me. Where is one?" Strider pointed and started to rise, but was detained by a hand tangled in his shirt. The woman held up her other hand toward the candle and gently blew. The wick sparked and a flame grew. Strider's eyes grew large as he blinked several times.

"How... Are you...." The woman smiled and drew him down to kiss her again. All questions were soon forgotten as cloths were tossed away. A large 'thud' sounded through the room as four boots hit the floor, leaving the two lovers bare. Strider raised himself up on an elbow and took in the beauty before him. He gently ran a hand down her side.

"You are heavenly." He whispered softly. The woman smiled, blushing slightly at the comment. They stared at each other, almost lovingly, for several minutes before returning to the task at hand. The joining seemed brief to both participants, though the world saw an hour or so pass. They quickly fell into a steady beat of long, deep strokes. Soft moans escaped from both people, their act reaching a blissful crescendo which left both of them tired, but happy. The woman fell into quiet sleep as Strider rose to snuff the candle. He turned and studied the sight in his bed. The moon had reappeared from wherever it had been hiding, casting gentle light over the woman's glowing alabaster skin. Her red hair was loose and curled around her, making her look like a succubus or some equally beautiful creature. Strider took a deep breath, realizing he still had no clue what her name was. He crawled into bed, enveloping the woman into his arms and fell prey to sleep.

~~~

The next morning sunlight caressed Strider's face, causing him to groan and rub his temples. The pounding in his head was horrible and he felt a bad day coming on. The warm spot next to him shifted and he looked over to see the woman still happily sleeping. Strider jumped out of the bed and quickly dressed, trying desperately to escape what he did. As he was exiting the room, a quiet voice followed him.



"My name is Addrhian."



Continued in Chapter 2