The next morning, Frodo was awakened by the sound of singing. It was the softest and most beautiful voice he had ever heard. It was singing gently in another language, Elvish, Frodo thought. As he went to the window (for thats where it seemed to be coming from) he saw that the rest of the village, too, was waking with the voice. It must have been a normal call. When he reached the window, with the sun just coming up over the horizon, he saw Taryn standing on the nearest hill. At first, Frodo thought she was the one singing, but when he looked closer, he could see that her mouth was not moving at all. She was about one hundred yards away and Frodo was two stories up, but still when he was about to leave, he thought he saw Taryn wink at him.
********
"I just can't do it Sam," Frodo said at breakfast as he watched Taryn give a little girl in rags a brand new doll.
"Can't do what?" Sam asked, paying much more attention to the eggs in front of him than to Frodo.
"Ask her to leave...I mean, she loves it here and she obviously knows what I'm going to ask her anyway."
"Your just afraid 'cuz you fancy her," Sam said through a mouthful of potatoes.
Frodo shook his head and laughed.
********
"Strider knows that I can't come with you," Taryn said, even before Frodo reached her sitting area.
Frodo was silent.
"I mean, I'll help, you know I will, but I can't leave here," she continued.
"But..." Frodo tried to think of something clever to say, "But Strider needs you, and he says you're very adventurous."
Frodo sat down by her, and she looked at him again with those eyes; he didn't flinch but he felt as if he was being analyzed.
Suddenly Taryn laughed, and her long hair touched Frodo's arm.
"I would love a good adventure," she said.
Her face grew grave again as she said, "May I see it?"
"See what?" Frodo asked, taking delight in her openess towards him.
"The ring, you have it with you don't you?"
Even if she was beautiful and wise, Frodo was skeptical about letting her touch the ring.
"I shan't hold it, if that's what your thinking," Taryn said, "I'm too frightened to touch it, I just want to know that it's there."
Frodo took the cord from around his neck and placed the gold band in the palm of his hand.
Taryn shivered.
"I don't like that thing at all," she said and gestured for Frodo to put it away.
There was a long bout of silence when she asked, "Where are you from, Mr. Baggins?"
Frodo was surprised she didn't already know.
"The Shire," he said, doubting she'd know the place.
She was silent for awhile until , "My mother took me there once. It was a lovely place, I would love to go back."
"Yes, I miss it," Frodo said, leaning against a tree.
Taryn suddenly stood up, her mind absent, as if she had just contemplated long and hard.
"All right," she said, "I'll go with you."