~~* Sadly. I am not the great Tolkien. * tear * I do own Eámanë though, and this gorgeous stranger. Yes indeed.. he is mine! * grabs him and hold on tight. *

The only source of light was a dingy window filmed in dirt, and the
light filtering through it barely allowed Eámanë to see the end of her
nose, let alone the black mass in front of her.

"Women traveling alone should be wary of catching a stranger's eye,"
whispered a gravelly, yet musical, voice in her ear. "The only one
she can trust is herself."

The black mass had her pinned to the wall, and as she struggled vainly
against him, the full moon broke through the clouds just long enough
for her to see those emerald green orbs piercing her soul. She
swallowed a gasp and stopped her struggle before staring at him
defiantly.

"Thanks so much for your advice, but I've been taking care of myself
since I was 700 years old. I think I can handle some perverted
stranger's advances!" She growled pushing him off of her and walking
calmly into her room.

The nerve of him! How dare he give her that warning? Who did he think
he was? She paced up and down the dusty hardwood floor, her traveling
boots thumping with each stride. She stormed out into the ink of the
night to vent, or scream, or something. She had to let this anger out
before she broke every bone in the stranger's body.

Half an hour later she was still furious, but had worked herself into
a state of exhaustion, so she couldn't do anything about it even if
she wanted to. After climbing between the clean sheets, she pulled a
chain from around her neck. On it hung a simple band of silver, with
a teal jewel on it that winked at her in the candlelight.

"Daddy," she sighed softly. "I wish you were here to hold me and tell
me what to do next." She kissed the ring softly, then tucked it back
under her tattered shirt, and drifted off to sleep.

Her mind's eye beheld an all too familiar scene: the last time she
ever saw her father. He came into their tiny shack smiling as always.
He grabbed her and swung her high above his head before kissing her
cheek and setting her down again. Then he would kiss her mom, and sit
down at the table.

Promptly, Eámanë would climb into his lap and start searching his
pockets for a present, which he always seemed to have when he came
home. He laughed as she searched vainly, and then pointed to his
breast pocket, the one above his heart.

"Try this one angel, maybe a sprite left something there for you."
His eyes would crinkle with amusement at the look on her face when she
pulled out the ring. It was a man's ring, with intricate carvings on
the outside, and something written in Elvin inside the band.

"Oh Daddy! It's so pretty!" She squealed with youthful glee. He
pulled a chain from the same pocket, and strung the ring onto it.

"I want you to take care of this for me angel." He put the chain
around her neck. "Don't you take it off ever, okay?"

"I won't Daddy," she gasped "but. why not?" his face grew serious for
a moment, then went back to it's normal happiness.

"It's my little secret," he grinned. "When I get back in a week or
so, I'll take you and your mother on a picnic and tell you the whole
story. How about that?"

"Can we have lembas? Please!" She begged.

"Anything you want angel. Anything you want." Then he grabbed her
tightly, smothering her in a hug before setting her on the floor and
hugging her mom again.

"I'll be home soon my beautiful ladies." He promised. He whispered
in her mother's ear for a moment, and then was gone. She never saw
him again.

The dream was the same each time, and each time she awoke in tears.
It only happened once a year, on the anniversary of that ill-fated day
long ago.

Morning broke bright and sunny. The previous night's storm was but a
memory. She lifted her head wearily, and rubbed the tears from her
eyes. Going to the small mirror that the room provided, she looked
into the eyes she shared with her father. Somehow it always eased her
grief. Her red hair looked ablaze in the sunlight, and she smiled
thinking of her mother. They had been so happy together, but that was
to never be again.

Just before she exited her room, she saw the stranger reflected in her
mirror.

BA BA BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! What will happen? Who is that masked man?
Oh wait.. Wrong story. Beg Pardon, he is not masked. At least not
yet..