A/N:   I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to update!!  Sometimes life throws you stuff that you just have to deal with immediately.  But without (much) further delay, here's the part that all you pathetic fangirls (sorry Ser) have been waiting for.  Our adorable Hobbits reach Bree and meet up with Strider, who, get this, has a horse too!  Wow, I'm so predictable, it's almost scary.  Before I start, thanks to tenshiamanda, Alynna Lis Eachann, and Black-as-Knight14 for reviewing.  Gee, we sure see those names a lot...

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Disclaimer: Do you really want to see this again?  The only new thing I have to say is that I don't own Bill the pony, but I do own Strider's mount, whatever his name ends up being.

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This is once again dedicated to Kristy, with a side note to Ser.  You can stop asking me to hurry up with Aragorn because here he is!

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            The dreary grey sky that had loomed over the traveling friends all day disappeared into the night.  As if desperate to be remembered, it opened up and let out its rain.  The heavy drops poured down, flooding the streets and soaking the Hobbits and their mounts to the bone. 

            Eager to reach Bree before dawn, Frodo had set a quick pace and was only spurred on by the evening rain.  The Hobbits' journey to the town was uneventful.  The mysterious black horse and rider didn't return, but its shrieks could be heard echoing throughout the surrounding woods.

            "Merry?" Pippin whispered to the Hobbit beside him.

            "Hmm?" Merry responded, not really paying attention.

            "I'm hungry," the young halfling complained.  "And wet.  When are we going to get there?"

            "Soon, Pip." his friend comforted.  "We'll be there soon enough."

            The four traveled through the woods for a few moments longer, making their way toward a small light that shone through the thick trees.  When they crossed the tree line and reached the side of the cobblestone road, Sam exclaimed, "We're here!"

            "Finally," Pippin muttered.

            Frodo led the Hobbits across the road and to the door of the West Gate.  He motioned for the others to dismount, and then turned and knocked on the tall wooden wall.  He gave Sam an uncertain look before he heard the gatekeeper moving behind the wall.  "What do you want?" he called out nastily.

            "We're heading for the Prancing Pony," Frodo answered.

            The gatekeeper opened the small viewing slot in the door and looked upon his callers.  "Hobbits!  Four Hobbits on horses!" he exclaimed.  "What business brings you to Bree?"

            "We wish to stay at the inn," the dark-haired Hobbit answered vaguely.  "Our ponies require lodging as well.  Our business is our own."

            "Alright young, sir, I meant no offense." the lanky man defended himself as he opened the gate to let the Hobbits and their ponies through.  "'Tis my job to ask questions after nightfall.  There's talk of strange folk abroad.  Can't be too careful."

            The halflings led their ponies down the crowded street, following the flow of the people, hoping it would lead them to their destination.  The Men looked upon the travelers and their horses with disapproval. 

            "I don't like how they're lookin' at us, Mr. Frodo," Sam whispered to his friend as they passed through the crowd.  

            "Don't worry, Sam," he whispered back.  "Once we meet with Gandalf, he'll take the Ring and we can leave this place."

            "Look!" Pippin exclaimed softly.  The other three Hobbits' gazes went to the object that their young friend was pointing at.  The Prancing Pony was spelled out in a gently curving script on the small wooden sign above the door.  Glad that their quest was almost over, the four friends hurried to the rear of the large inn.

            When they reached the stable area behind the inn, the four halflings approached the stable keeper.  A tall, burly Man, the stable master towered above them, his dark, unwashed beard almost touching their heads. 

            Timidly, Frodo spoke up.  "Excuse me, sir."

            The stable keeper turned from the bridle he was oiling and faced his callers.  Shock, then amusement flashed across his face when he saw the Hobbits and their tiny ponies.  "Good evening little masters!  I had thought that I'd seen it all, but then you and your mounts came along.  What may I do for you?"
            "We are staying at the Prancing Pony, and our horses require lodging." Frodo explained.  "Perhaps you can help us?"

            The stable keeper chuckled.  "Of course I can!  Just follow me."  Glad to be accepted, the four Hobbits followed the large Man back outside and into a large, run-down barn.

            The Man walked down the aisle and stopped in front of four smaller stalls.  "Here they are: four small stalls for four small ponies.  You can untack them inside."

            Grateful, the four Hobbits each led their horse into a stall.  They each took off their pony's saddle and bridle, and then gave them a quick brush-down.  Merry finished first and brought his tack out of the stall.  He was startled to see the stable keeper still standing in the aisle.  The Man was lingering by Nrimalar's stall, gazing intently at the golden mare.

            The Hobbit set the saddle down and went up to the Man's side.  "Can I help you?"

            The barn keeper looked over at him.  "Oh no, I'm just admirin' your pony.  How did you come to possess such interesting horses?  I certainly haven't seen this breed before"

            Merry froze, remembering what Frodo had said about keeping the origin of the ponies secret.  Fumbling for words, the Hobbit stammered, "Eh, er..."

            "They were given to us," Frodo suddenly appeared behind his friend, speaking slowly, his tone deliberate and forceful.  "By a friend.  Where they originated and their breed are of no concern of yours, or anyone's."  The dark-haired Hobbit turned to face Sam and Pippin, who had come into the aisle as well.  "Come on, the ponies will be safe here tonight.  Good evening, stable master."

            Frodo turned and walked down the aisle into the pouring rain outside.  His friends followed closely, leaving the stable master standing alone and bewildered beside the Tibboh Seinops' stalls.

                                                                                    *~*~*~*

            "Sam, he'll be here," Frodo whispered to his friend.  "He'll come."  After learning that Gandalf wasn't at the inn as he had promised, the four Hobbits found refuge in the bar area of the establishment.  Already put off by the stable keeper's extreme interest in the ponies, Frodo's mood was only worsened by Merry and Pippin's lack of concern about the wizard's absence.

            Rolling his eyes as Pippin rushed to the tap once more, Sam glanced behind him and turned to his friend.  "That fellow's done nuthin' but starin' at us since we arrived."

            Turning as well, Frodo set eyes upon the filthy Man in the corner.  His sunken face and stringy hair were illuminated periodically by the glow of his pipe-weed, making him appear even more threatening and malicious.  The Hobbit shuddered slightly and quickly turned away.

                                                                                    *~*~*~*

            "You draw far too much attention to yourself, Mr. 'Underhill'!" the Man loudly whispered as he grabbed Frodo roughly by the cloak and tossed him up the stairs behind his table.  Caught off guard, Frodo tried to remember what had happened moments before, but it was all a blur in his mind.  All that he could see in his mind was a giant Eye, wreathed in flame and staring right at him.

            Coming out of his confusion, the Hobbit observed his surroundings.  The Man had brought him into an ill kempt room, obviously his own.  The bed sheets were rumpled, and the thick torrents of rain outside couldn't be seen through the filth on the windowpanes.  Standing up cautiously, Frodo asked the Man, "What do you want?"

            "A little more caution from you," he replied, gazing curiously at the halfling.  "That is no trinket you carry, and no mere horse you ride."

            "I carry nothing," Frodo tried vainly to hide the presence of the Ring. "And my horse is my own.  He is none of your concern."

            "Indeed," the filthy Man scoffed, not believing the Hobbit's story.  He then turned his back to Frodo and pinched out the candles that burned in the window.  "I can avoid being seen if I wish.  But to disappear entirely, that is a rare gift."

            Hearing this brought back memories of what had happened earlier in the tavern.  Quickly pushing those thoughts out of his mind, Frodo tried to find out more about the Man.  "Who are you?"

            Changing the topic quickly, he shot back, "Are you frightened?"

            "Yes," the Hobbit answered uneasily.

            "Not nearly frightened enough," the Man pressed.  "I know what hunts you."

            About to answer, Frodo was cut short by a sudden disturbance at the door.  His three friends burst through, each wielding a simple and pathetic weapon.  Pippin waved his chair menacingly as Sam roared, "Let him go!  Or I'll have you Longshanks!"

            Amused, the Man grinned and sheathed his sword.  "You have a stout heart for a Hobbit, but that will not save you."  He turned to the dark-haired Hobbit.  "You can no longer wait for the wizard, Frodo.  They are coming."

                                                                                    *~*~*~*

            Frodo sat up in the bed, startled by the shrill shrieks that were coming from somewhere in the Inn.  The screams subsided, and the deathly silence that filled the town of Bree was louder than any verbal exclamation.  The Hobbit shuddered as he thought of what the Riders had done to their beds and what would have happened to them if Strider hadn't helped them.

            The other three Hobbits woke up as well, and all four friends faced the Man in the corner.  "What are they?" Frodo asked.

            Strider sighed and looked out into the rain.  "They were once Men, great kings of Men.  Then Sauron the Deceiver gave to them nine rings of power.  Blinded by their greed, they took them without question, one by one falling into darkness.  Now they are slaves to his will.  They are the Nazgûl, Ringwraiths, neither living nor dead.  At all times they feel the presence of the Ring, drawn to the power of the One."  The Man paused and turned toward Frodo.  "They will never stop hunting you."

            The Hobbit's eyes widened as realization sunk in.  Turning toward his friends, then Strider, then gazing outside, he made his decision.  "We cannot stay."

            Strider nodded.  "Gather your things.  We leave now."  He rose from his chair and began putting together small packs of his belongings.  The Hobbits' things had never been unpacked, so they remained on the bed and watched the Ranger, each lost in his own thoughts.

                                                                                    *~*~*~*

            The Man finally finished packing, and the five crept out of the room and down the hall.  Strider led the party and was making his way to a seldom-used back exit.  The four Hobbits followed quietly, jumping at every noise. 

            They wound through countless hallways and corridors, some well-used and some used hardly at all.  Each passage was dark and menacing, for Strider carried no light.  No movement could be heard from inside the many rooms that lined the halls because no one was quite sure if the Riders had left.  Rumors of the Nazgûl had spread quickly and no one was particularly eager to cross paths with them.

            After long minutes of running from shadow to dark shadow, the five reached the back door.  Slipping outside, they dashed from the Inn toward the run-down barn.  A flickering light shone through the windows of the barn keeper's apartment; Strider saw this and let out an inward sigh of relief.  There would be no questions asked that night.

            Glad to be out of the rain, Pippin dropped his pack in the aisle and seated himself on it.  The other Hobbits let it go, but Strider would have none of it.  "Come on," he ordered.  "Get up."

            "But," the young Hobbit began.

            "We must be as far away from Bree as possible by dawn," the Man cut in stiffly.  "Those Wraiths will do anything to catch up with us, the one thing we can not allow them to do.  And I will not be caught because of one Hobbit's laziness!"

            Shocked and a little ashamed, Pippin stood up, gathered his pack, and made his way to Kelandri's stall.  The smoky grey pony whinnied softly, as if he understood what had just happened.

            Sam was the first to get his pony tacked.  As he lead Rovirdil out of her stall, he noticed another pony in the aisle.  Its back was laden with packs, as if it was journeying with them as well.  Sam walked over to the pony and greeted him, stroking his nose and rubbing his neck.

            "That's Bill," Strider commented from a stall somewhere down the aisle.  "He's my pack horse, one of the best anywhere."

            "Oh yes," Sam replied nervously, quickly putting his hand by his side.  The Man still made him nervous, and the Hobbit wasn't sure if his comment had been a mere observation or if it had a deeper, more malicious purpose.

            The other three Hobbits finished with their horses and brought them into the aisle, which was beginning to become somewhat crowded.  After a few moments of hushed conversation, the four friends heard a stall door creak open from farther down the barn.  "Finally," Merry muttered.  The others nodded in agreement.

            The Hobbits watched as Strider emerged from the shadows leading his horse.  None were prepared for how gorgeous it was.  In the hands of the filthy Man were the reins of a flawless stallion.  His immense muscles rippled underneath his coat as he pranced in anticipation of the journey to come.  His coat was beautiful in itself; it was a deep blood-red that shone like rubies in the dim light of the barn.  He had a perfectly shaped head and his liquid eyes showed fire and determination.

            Seeing the halflings' reactions, Strider reached up and stroked his stallion's neck.  "This is Imiriepio. (A/N: That's Elvish for jeweled cherry.  Corny name, I know.  Just deal with it) He was a gift to me from the Elven lords, long ago when Sauron and the Ring still slept.  Now it seems that he will see the lands of his Fathers once more."

            "What do you mean by that?" Frodo asked as the group did a final hurried check to tighten girths and secure packs.

            "That's where we are headed," Strider said simply.  "Rivendell, and the House of Elrond."

            "Did you hear that?" Sam whispered excitedly to Merry.  "Rivendell!  We're goin' to see the Elves!"

                                                                                    *~*~*~*

            The five travellers led their horses out of the barn and into the pouring rain outside.  They mounted and turned down the cobblestone road, Strider in front, followed by Bill and then the Hobbits.  The light was no longer in the stable keeper's apartment, but they passed by unnoticed. 

            When they reached the tall wooden gates of Bree, Strider paused.  A Nazgûl cry pierced the air around them and was answered by another cry coming from farther away.  "It is as I feared," the Man said.  "The Wraiths are close.  Come, we can not afford to stay here any longer."

            Strider turned his crimson stallion to the East and urged him forward.  Bill followed suit with surprising speed, followed by the Hobbits and the Tibboh Seinop.  Somewhere in the woods behind them, five Nazgûl gather.  Sniffing the wind, they too turn to the East and plunge into the dark twilight/

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Wow, okay, that was long.  But I guess it's been a while since you've had anything new to read, so it all evens out in the end.  So, I hope you guys liked it, what with the arrival of Aragorn and all.  Please take the time to let me know what you all think about it, and I'll try to have the next chapter up soon!  As always, review review review!