Hello again! Okay I promise to keep my comments down to a minimum...but anyways I apologize in advance, this chapter is shorter then the other one..and I know the other one ended with Aragorn halting the group, but I uploaded the wrong document and ended up with the whole thing I had typed so far, instead of just what I meant to be the first chapter.

Thanks for r/r!!

Arwen

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Aragorn halted the group in front of a large, yet concealed, clearing.

"We shall rest here tonight," his voice was stern, returning back to its old ranger tone.

"I'll get the firewood!" Gimli called, picking up sticks and fallen branches making a pile in the middle of their camp. Boromir lit the fire with ease, giving their camp an eerie glow to it. The fire reflected their movements playfully, almost as if the fire was playing a game with them. It crackled with laughter and licked the untouched wood besides the burnt ones. Rainia set her few belongings near a rock a little distance away from where the group mainly rested. She pulled out her worn green blanket and pushed her small bag forward to use as a pillow. The hobbits resided near the fire, taking out utensils to cook laughing gaily. The fellowship sat around the fire, telling stories, and talking about their ideas for the days to come, what was traditionally done around a fire in these days. Rainia sat off by where she had made her bed for that night, trying to look occupied for the moment. As she turned around to grab some paper and a pen from her bag she heard Gandalf's warm voice creep up behind her,

"Rainia, why don't you join us around the fire?" Rainia rolled her eyes,

"I really don't think I am wanted there,"

"Well I don't see why, I'm sure they would love your company. You just have to let them get to know you a little more, you know not everyone wants to kill you." She nodded, but remembered back to what Lord Elrond had shouted at her, how could they ever understand who she really is after that. You never have a second chance to make a first impression. "I know what your thinking, Rainia, and its not true. Wasn't it Merry and Pippin who offered you protection out of the goodness of their hearts, and Legolas who came to help you, even after he knew your past." He looked kindly on her as she held back her tears, "come now, Rainia, don't be ashamed of your past, no one has ever not done something that they later regretted, don't let it stop you now." Gandalf gave her a hug, letting her feel comfort, another feeling that was long ago forgotten. "Now will you come to your senses and join us around the fire?" She smiled,

"I guess so, Gandalf." The wizard smiled, "thank-you" she finally mustered quietly so the others wouldn't hear. Reluctantly she followed him to the fire, Pippin and Merry popped up as soon as she made her appearance.

"Would you like some soup, Rainia?" Pippin asked enthusiastically, Merry holding up a large pot of soup already pouring her a bowl. She smiled, and shook her head slightly. Apparently she was getting soup weather she liked it or not. Boromir and Aragorn sat together in silence, staring blankly at her. She knew they didn't trust her, not for a second, which is what bothered her. Could she trust them? Gimli sat next to them, slurping his soup happily, he barely noticed that Rainia had finally made an appearance. Legolas sat next to the hobbits, listening to the night's sounds, trying to pick up even the slightest bit of movement. Gandalf took his seat next to Frodo, starting a conversation with the hobbit, but never taking his eyes off of her.

"Here you go!" Merry handed Rainia the steaming soup, both of them beaming. She thanked them and sat down on the ground. With a smile, and a hardy appetite she took a small sip of the soup. It may not have been grommet cooking, but to her starved lips it tasted like a little piece of heaven. Her little piece of heaven. "Do you like it?" Merry popped up in front of her, still smiling.

"Its delicious," she took another larger sip, trying to savor the sweet taste. She was used to only getting a little food here and there, nothing spectacular or anything, but it was food none the less. She was thankful for it, then again she was thankful for a lot of things. Merry and Pippin seemed overjoyed by her answer, running back to Sam smiling and laughing. Rainia shook her head, and took another large sip. She felt wonderful that night, like for once everything in her life was right. She was warm, eating desirable food, and she could hear other voices laughing, and singing merry tunes. For some reason this brought comfort to her, it had been a long time since she had company with her, but as the years pasted she seemed to forget everything else about that night, only remembering the feeling she had.

"Rainia, can I ask you a question?" Legolas's voice was hesitant, his question had been building up inside of him for quite some time, Rainia assumed.

"Depends on the question," she had to be vague, she didn't want to answer questions about her past, or about what it was like being a bounty hunter. For that matter anything that linked to her past was out of the question, because if they really knew, none of them would ever trust her.

"Did you mean what you said, back in the dungeon, when you said 'every head has a price on it, and you were just collecting'?" he looked her in the eyes. If she lied, he would know, and that is what scared him. Rainia looked down, she had meant it, which it what scared her. She didn't know if she could ever change her ways. Legolas sighed, he knew what her answer was without her even speaking. Those words were so cruel and harsh, the words of someone who thought only in their best interests, of someone not to be trusted.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The night was long and cold. Legolas and Aragorn took watch that night, while the others rested uneasily. Raina kept thinking about what Legolas had asked her, she knew that he wouldn't trust her now, people can't change over night. But she found herself wishing that some how it were possible, that people really could change over night, but it was like wishing for the sun to always shine. It was impossible. Especially for someone like her.

She wasn't the only one who found sleep near impossible. Frodo rested uneasily in and out of sleep. His thoughts focused on what has become of him. He knew what he must do when the Fellowship reached Mount Doom, he knew he was going to die. He was leading all of them to their deaths, he couldn't let it continue on. Poor Merry and Pippin who rushed into this, barely knowing anything about the outside world. Sam, his faithful friend, who would go to the ends of the earth if Frodo had asked him too. He had a life back home, one that Frodo wasn't as lucky to have. Aragorn, the heir to the throne of Gondor, protecting him. He still had a hard time grasping that. He could have been a thousand other places, and yet he came to help a hobbit, without even knowing his name. How Legolas, Gimli, and Boromir vowed to protect him at all costs, these were people he hadn't even met, and yet they were willing to sacrifice their lives for him. And of course there was Gandalf, the keen old wizard who seemed to know everyone in Middle Earth. Even a bounty hunter.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Legolas and Aragorn circled the camp endlessly, keeping their senses locked on what was happening around them, their weapons stretched out in front of them. Their breathing was tense and heavy, but still silent. Their footsteps made no echo in the ground below, it was as if they were walking on air. The leaves were nonexistent, and the countless twigs and branches were like rubber. Aragorn beckoned Legolas over to him with his hand.

"Do you trust her?" He pointed at what he thought was the sleeping Rainia, who in reality could hear every word whispered about her. Her senses were also keen that night, and her weapons lay within reach.

"People change, Aragorn, she is one of them."

"You didn't answer my question," Aragorn looked back down at her, "do you trust her?"

"She hasn't tried to hurt any of us yet, has she?"

"Not yet," Aragorn said confidently, awaiting an attack from her any day now.

"Then we have no choice but to trust her." Aragorn looked down at Rainia again, she could feel his eyes drilling into the back of her head, pushing for answers to his many questions. "I mean, Gandalf looks like he would trust her with his life, and Lord Elrond must have had a good reason to put her in the Fellowship, I don't see why we shouldn't trust her." Aragorn looked down at Rainia again,

"Its just something about her, I don't know, its just something." His voice trailed off, as if he wasn't talking to Legolas anymore, as if he was talking to someone of a higher power. Someone they couldn't' see.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The Fellowship started out early the next morning, just as Aragorn had warned them they would. They left no sign of camp, they didn't need unwanted followers. Aragorn took the lead, but this time Gandalf and Frodo came behind him. Today they did not speak, for rumored ears of the enemy were coming close. Boromir and the other three hobbits soon followed, all of their senses lifted up to their fullest. Gimli, Legolas, and Rainia made up the end, each looking around suspiciously at their surroundings. Around midday they stopped to rest, in the middle of the Misty Mountains. Boromir had engaged Merry and Pippin in a little training session, they needed to at least know the basics of how to defend themselves in battle, if the time were to ever come. Frodo, Sam, and Legolas sat laughing and encouraging the hobbits, Rainia a little ways away from them. Gandalf and Aragorn took watches, sitting in total serenity on top of a rock. Rainia looked over at the two of them, she envied how at peace they could be, now of all times. She always feared of something, but she didn't know what. If was as if she feared the future.

"Are you feeling alright, Rainia?" He questioned, as Rainia seemed to be staring into nothingness, with a confused look on her face.

"I'm fine, its just," she stopped herself mid-sentence, the Prince of Mirkwood did not what to hear of her worries. He looked into her eyes,

"Just what?" She looked away, for a moment, trying to decide if to tell him or not. Then she looked back into his piercing blue eyes.

"It's hard to explain, but I will try my best." She paused and breathed in, "it's as if I fear something that hasn't even happened, as if I fear the future. I don't understand the feeling in the least bit, but somehow it scares me." Legolas nodded,

"But why fear the future? It can bring many good things to you, it should be something that is looked forward to."

"My future has never brought good things to me."

"It brought you here, didn't it?"

"To a place were I am not trusted by even my own companions." Legolas looked down, and remembered what Aragorn had said the night before,

"You were awake weren't you?" She nodded,

"It isn't anything I haven't heard before." Legolas opened his mouth as to say something, but then closed it. He thought for what seemed like a long time as to what to say, but no words came to him. "I just want you to know this, Legolas," she paused and brought his face back up to face hers, "I am here because I want to be here, thought I may feel unwanted, I believe enough in the cause to want to help. I know that in time they will all learn that people are not what they seem, and I am not here to kill anyone of you." He smiled,

"Rainia, I know you want to be here, or you wouldn't have come. And I want you to know that I trust you, and Gandalf trusts you. Give the others a chance, let them in your life a little. Then they will too learn to trust you." His words came to him so easily, but sounded as if he had planed to say them all along. She smiled, within her entire life no one had ever said such kind words to her. He had told her that he trusted her, which was yet another rare thing in times such as these. She didn't understand why he trusted her though, she had barely told him anything about her, at least voluntarily. How could he trust a girl such as her?

How could he trust an Angel of Death?

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Yes, yes I know much shorter then the last chapter.it was ten pages and this was only four..sorry about that!!!! I promise I'll get the new one up as soon as possible, its just this seemed like the right place to stop the chapter..

Thanks again for reading!

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Love ya!

Arwen