"I still think that you are insane. Tell me how this happens to involve me." I was sitting on the floor of the cracked plant invaded tiling of the old dusty floor. I had been sitting there for nearly an hour now just questioning Amaden to know avail. It was getting absolutely nowhere. The man is a lunatic. Another world inhabited with beings from other.... Ah so confusing.... So irrelevant.....

"I figured that you should know the truth about me since you will be stuck with me for the duration of this war." Amaden said still standing imperiously above me until he sat down next to me with a scowl on his face, "Ready or not... willing or not we are stuck together. I have been assigned as your gaurdian by my lady Galadriel."

Wait, wait, wait, WAIT! Just a moment please, Amaden. I am just a little bit confused about a couple things." I grabbed my forehead. Mordor. I can feel the headache coming in. "First off you said war. War as in fighting." I paused a couple moments to consider things and then shook my head. "Absolutely impossible. The races are all at peace with each other. Pacts of trading have been made, ambassadors, you name it and it has been a step taken tor wards the tranquility of Middle Earth. No one wants to sabotage the peace. No one would benefit. We all prosper under the interracial trading commitments. And it seems to me as if there hasn't been a single quarrel any more serious than the date and location of the Grand Feast since before I was born."

"Silly girl-"

"Let me finish what I was saying you old bloodthirsty fiend. My second issue with your revelations is the whole gaurdian thing. If you have been trying to protecting my skin you haven't been doing a very good job at it. I have more bumps and bruises and scrapes and cut and gashes than I know what to do with either in spite of you or BECAUSE of you." I put extra emphasis on the 'because' to try and see if I could evince some guilt on my companions part. It didn't work.

"Listen here, little naive one. If it wasn't in my best interest I would not even so much as be here. I would rather let you die in the countless deadly predicaments you have already created for yourself than to deal with your tongue. I only deal with you because except of the fact that I know that the fate of all the races depends on your 'bumped and bruised and scraped and cut and gashed' hide! You need my protection to survive what Mordor throws at you before it is time for you to do your part for this world. Galadriel sent me because of the forewarning that she felt. I did not see the vision but I trust that woman with my life. Grima is an agent of the Dark Lord Sauron.-"

I cut him off with a brusque, "Vanquished. The Dark Lord Sauron was vanquished."

Amaden grabbed my face in his callused fingers looking into it with his vindictive murderous looking eyes. "Not vanquished. Do you seriously humble yourself to believing just what is easiest to believe? The world is a lot rougher and more violent and deadly than you could ever imagine. It is not that perfect place that you have seen through shrouded eyes. There is more to things. A darker side. You have never fought in a war have you, child?"

I became indignant, thinking that he was challenging my ability to wield a sword. "No, but I could spit any man who dared cross me and feed him to my dogs." So harsh... what things I have to say to protect my image...

Amaden ignored my defensiveness. I knew that he could beat me in combat without the slightest thought on it and so did he. He didn't even think to call my bluff, it was obvious to us both. "Until you do become part of a war you will never see the vileness that can consume a man's heart. The blood lust and the anger. True hate in its purest form. And fear. Fear beyond your wildest imagining. Every time I battle, I feel panic... fear.... I know that one day the enemy will rip my feet out from under me and end my pitiful life- right then and there! I will lose everything and face the horror that eats me in my darkest sleep. Death. Things are not as perfect as they seem to be. Not by any means. I only need you to trust me on these matters."

I was speechless for once in my life. What could I say? He was so fervent in the telling that I was astonished. Something hurts this dark maddened elf. Amaden fears! I would have never thought. It was scary to think of what he feared. This man is so much more the....... superior in so many ways to me.... battle, experience, trained thought... as much as it hurts me to admit the truth I am in envy of him. Ah I do think that I could get to know him well. I wish he would teach me.

Amaden's eyes softened and he smiled a smile that I could not fully comprehend but appreciated non-the-less. "Here take this. I have a feeling that you may need it sometime when I am not there. It is all I have to offer you..." His smile turned almost impish to my surprise" ... besides a bit more training with your sword." Mordor, will he ever exhaust that mind reading trick.

He handed me a small spherical gem of emerald green that was attached to a length of copper colored chain. It was a beautiful thing if not a bit dirty. Dirtiness was to be expected on the road anyway. On closer inspection I noticed on the gem a miniscule elven inscription in a gold script around the belly of the charm. Knowing that it wasn't likely that I could speak in his dialect he automatically translated it to me in a small mystifyingly sweet voice that contrasted to his usual impatient tone, "'Wings of life to evade defeat of purpose. Life in exchange for a small price to you. May you find this tool useful.' Hand crafted for you. It is not as it seems. Inside what appears to be a solid gem is a liquid. The most powerful healing agent that I have ever concocted. It could bring back even a full grown man from the brink of death no matter what the ailment." His face took itself back to its former dark scowling self. " I am sure that you must realize first that if a arrow were to be stuck in this man's chest you would pull it out before you gave him the potion. If you do not the potion is surely a waste of my time and effort."

I grimaced at his rebuke. It is terrible how much I had warmed up to him so quickly. It isn't natural. Then again he isn't natural. He can't be. Even if half of what he has told me in this room were true he still wouldn't be normal. By any way you were to look at it he would be worse. I shook my head giving up the childish act for a while, "Thank you kindly. I appreciate this a lot. And I would also like to thank you for every thing else. I will have to take you up on your offer about the sword lessons. But I have to ask you now if we can go get something to eat. You can explain everything else.... when you are ready and I am not hungry."

I got up and began walking to the door we had entered from. Amaden grabbed me and yanked me back on the ground crouching above me and grabbing the hilt of his sword. My chest had hit the ground with a large thud and clatter and I let out my breath in pain. Oh no. What does he think he is doing!? Why can't I just hang around more predictable companions? "What the Mordor do you think you are doing.?" I annunciated each word separately.

He shoved me down in the chest as I tried to smack him, "Close your mouth, you-"

"What do you think you are doing?!" The voice of Faramir rang through the room. It couldn't have looked good.

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Please review and tell me if I have fixed things up at all. Thank you -Teq