Summary: Ashley Wilson is a half-hobbit, half-human who was brought up by
her mother, Dawn-Michelle Wilson, and her father, Arador, brother of King
Aragorn Elessar. She refuses to wear a dress, is just south of four feet,
and rides a horse, named Shire after her mother's homeland. She goes on an
emotional journey after she reaches the Shire for the first time, and meets
new friends, and maybe even love with the most unexpected person.
Aftermath
Chapter 1: The Midgewater Marshes
"Daddy, can you believe what Mumma would say if she could see us now?" Ashley Wilson asked her father, Arador. The two of them were tramping through the Midgewater Marshes, Ashley was on her horse, Shire, and Arador was on foot.
"I don't think she'd be too happy, that's for sure." Arador replied.
"Me neither. She seemed like she was always sensitive about those things. I mean.you're knee deep in gross water, my feet are touching the water.MY BOOTS ARE GETTING RUINED! Plus, we're infested with mosquitoes. Can life get much better?" Just then Shire sunk into the mud, and Ashley fell into the water. "I'm so glad I learned how to swim," she started, "but I never thought I'd be in this water."
"Well.we haven't seen your mother for.how long has it been? Five years?"
"Six. I was nineteen when we left."
"Yes, right. My point is, is that it will be good to see her again."
"Yes. I'm glad they called you out to be a ranger. I needed some time out. I wonder how life in this Shire place is going to be?" Ashley wondered to herself.
"Your mother has always wanted to go back to her homeland. Now that she's there.I don't know how we're going to tear her away from it. At this rate we'll never get back to Bree."
"Bree was okay. I mean.well.I don't know. It was nice living there but after a while it gets dull." Ashley said.
"You have a point there." Arador said. "We have to get out of these marshes! We must reach the Old Forest by nightfall. We'll stay on the border until daylight comes. It looks like rain already."
"Daddy.something feels so.strange to me right now. I can't explain it really. I just have a bad feeling." Ashley said in an odd tone. All the sudden she had felt very nervous.like something was watching her, but even after she looked around, no one was there. Eventually, the three of them did come to the end of the marshes, and Ashley and Arador were quite relieved, plus, the mosquitoes chose to stay where they were. Even the horse showed a bit of relief. He was muddy from his hooves to his neck from attempting to swim.
"You know what, Ashley? I've had second thoughts. Let's move on to Bree and stay the night there. We'll make our way to the Old Forest in the morning. It is but fifty miles west of Bree. We'll avoid the Barrow Downs. There's been talk of Barrow-wights lurking around for quite some time now." Arador said.
"Oh.is that bad?" Ashley asked.
"Are you referring to the Barrow-wights?" Arador asked.
"Yes." Ashley answered.
"Well, yes. Barrow-wights will kill you if they get a chance."
"Oh." Ashley looked at Arador for a moment, then turned her head. "Will you help me up?" she asked. Arador helped her mount Shire, and then she turned to face him. "Are you going to run?" she asked.
"For a bit, I suppose. As long as I can muster." Arador said.
"Alright.but it was your decision, not mine." And so the two of them headed Southwest, toward Bree.
It was but nightfall, cold and raining, when they reached the Eastern Gate of Bree. Arador walked up to the gate, and the gatekeeper opened a little peek-door in the towering wooden gate.
"Who goes there?" he asked in a gritty voice.
"It is Arador of the Dùnadan." Arador said.
"Where are you headed for?" the gatekeeper asked.
"The Prancing Pony, if it's not too much trouble." Arador answered.
"Ah." the gatekeeper seemed like he was rejecting Arador, but indeed he was actually groaning from opening the gate. Arador walked through. "Who's she?" the gatekeeper asked.
"She's with me," Arador said as Ashley walked through on Shire. "Come now." He motioned for her to follow him, and they walked toward the inn of the Prancing Pony.
They got to the sign of the Prancing Pony, and Ashley went inside, leaving Arador with Shire. Ashley walked up to the bar, and looked up. She began to jump up and down so that she could see over the top.
"EXCUSE ME!" she screamed. "MR. BUTTERBUR!" A large man looked over the counter.
"Oh hello there, Ms. Ashley!" he said. "How can I help you?"
"Well, me and my father need a room and I need some accommodations for Shire." Ashley said.
"Sure.anything else?" Butterbur asked.
"No thanks I think that'll be good."
"Alright. There's a stable around back and a room upstairs."
"Thank you, we'll be in in a minute."
Ashley began to make for the door when somebody jumped in front of it.
"Where do you think you're going?" they asked.
"Out the door.er.sir."
"Oh, no you're not, Miss Ashley," said the person.
"Uncle Aragorn?!" Ashley screamed.
"Well, who did you think I was?" Aragorn the Ranger asked. He was Arador's brother, of course. He was the King of Gondor, and people there knew him as Elessar. Here in Bree, though, he was called "Strider". He had many names, indeed, but to get into the story of King Elessar would take a good long while, so let's not go there.
"I didn't know you'd be in Bree!" Ashley cried.
"To tell you the truth, I didn't either." He told her.
"Right.well I'll be right back with Daddy, alright?" Ashley asked.
"Okay, I'll go find a table." And so he did, and Ashley went outside to put Shire away, and to round up her father.
"Hello, Aragorn!" Arador cried when they got back inside.
"Arador!" Aragorn greeted his brother. "What are you doing in Bree?" he asked.
"We are on our way to the Shire," Arador answered.
"How is Dawn-Michele?"
"Actually.I don't really know."
"Nice way to look after your wife, Arador."
"How's Arwen? I see you're not with her, either."
"She is fine. She's in Rivendell waiting for me. I have to leave in the morning."
"Hey! Can we sit down, please?!" Ashley yelled, tired of being completely ignored.
So the three of them got a table. Ashley sat down at the huge table in a chair that was quite too big for her; her feet hung above the ground. This made her quite mad.of course, Ashley was half- hobbit. She was only three foot seven, after all. Her father and her uncle, being the men that they were, had no trouble at all sitting at the table. Aragorn seemed to have noticed the belt Ashley was wearing. It was quite the normal belt, with a sheath on the left side. In the sheath rested Ashley's Elven sword, which she had gotten on her first trip to Rivendell, six years ago.
"Ashley," Aragorn started, "where did you get that sword? It looks of Elven make." He said.
"That's because it is. Pure silver.the handle is red oak, and is wrapped in leather." Ashley said. She fancied her sword very much, in fact. It had killed many an orc and goblin in the last six years.
"Can I see it, please?" Aragorn asked. Ashley drew her sword from its sheath, and handed it to Aragorn. "Was this made some time recently? It seems like it was made during the time of the quest to destroy the ring of power. When the time of the elves was ending. The Elvish on this sword reads 'mornie alantië' which means 'darkness has fallen.' " Aragorn said, handing the sword back.
"Yes, Uncle Aragorn. That's when it was made." Ashley answered. She and her father were quite relieved, though, because the ring of power had just recently been destroyed.
"This could be priceless someday," Aragorn said.
"I'll never sell it, Uncle Aragorn. This is the only thing standing in between my life or death. And even if it weren't, I'd never sell it."
"It's the same with my sword and myself."
"So you understand my meaning?"
"Of course."
"So, Aragorn how was the quest?" Arador asked.
"I'd just like to say that the ring was destroyed quick.and almost clean."
"What do you mean 'almost' clean?" Ashley asked. "Did something go wrong?"
"Well," Aragorn started, "I wasn't there, but I was notified when it was destroyed. Frodo, apparently, got a bit corrupted by the Ring. Poor lad.I just wish I could have been there. I mean I swore to protect him and everything. When he got in Mount Doom he refused to destroy it. Gollum, who was unfortunately with him, bit poor Frodo's finger off when he tried to escape with the Ring on. Then the creature fell in the fire by accident. I hoped to see Frodo again, but he's on his way across the sea, so I've heard. The ship departs tomorrow. I just wish I could have said good-bye."
"Do you have any stories from the quest, Uncle Aragorn?" Ashley asked.
"No story is as good as when I left Frodo Baggins at Amon Hen. I still regret it, even though he insisted on leaving himself."
"Is that a ' no,' Uncle Aragorn?"
"Not exactly, Ashley. First of all.I have some news."
"And what is this news about, Aragorn?" Arador asked.
"The Old Forest," Aragorn started. "You two will be passing through it, won't you?"
"It is the quickest way to Buckland.right, Daddy?" Ashley asked.
"Ye--," Arador started, but was interrupted by his brother.
"AND the more dangerous route, might I add, Ashley."
"Dangerous?" Ashley said in surprise. Every thing she had heard of the Shire was peaceful. How could a forest that was a part of it be dangerous?
"Yes, Ashley, dan--," Aragorn started.
"If we do get into trouble, Tom Bombadil will protect us, Ashley." Arador interrupted him.
"You don't know that, little brother," Aragorn said. Arador looked at him in disgust.
"Stop being so negative, Aragorn!"
"Arador, be serious! Something could happen out there!"
"Why do you do that? You do that every time!"
"STOP IT!" Ashley screamed. "You're being obnoxious! Two grown men fighting over something so stupid! Grow up! Uncle Aragorn, we'll be careful in the forest; Daddy, he just wants us to be safe, okay? Are we clear?"
"Yes," Aragorn and Arador answered in unison.
"Good."
"Arador! Arador, sir! Your room is ready!" Butterbur yelled across the room. "Bob will show you to your room." When Barliman saw that Arador was not answering, he called out again. "Arador!"
"Alright, alright already! We're coming!" Arador yelled.
Aftermath
Chapter 1: The Midgewater Marshes
"Daddy, can you believe what Mumma would say if she could see us now?" Ashley Wilson asked her father, Arador. The two of them were tramping through the Midgewater Marshes, Ashley was on her horse, Shire, and Arador was on foot.
"I don't think she'd be too happy, that's for sure." Arador replied.
"Me neither. She seemed like she was always sensitive about those things. I mean.you're knee deep in gross water, my feet are touching the water.MY BOOTS ARE GETTING RUINED! Plus, we're infested with mosquitoes. Can life get much better?" Just then Shire sunk into the mud, and Ashley fell into the water. "I'm so glad I learned how to swim," she started, "but I never thought I'd be in this water."
"Well.we haven't seen your mother for.how long has it been? Five years?"
"Six. I was nineteen when we left."
"Yes, right. My point is, is that it will be good to see her again."
"Yes. I'm glad they called you out to be a ranger. I needed some time out. I wonder how life in this Shire place is going to be?" Ashley wondered to herself.
"Your mother has always wanted to go back to her homeland. Now that she's there.I don't know how we're going to tear her away from it. At this rate we'll never get back to Bree."
"Bree was okay. I mean.well.I don't know. It was nice living there but after a while it gets dull." Ashley said.
"You have a point there." Arador said. "We have to get out of these marshes! We must reach the Old Forest by nightfall. We'll stay on the border until daylight comes. It looks like rain already."
"Daddy.something feels so.strange to me right now. I can't explain it really. I just have a bad feeling." Ashley said in an odd tone. All the sudden she had felt very nervous.like something was watching her, but even after she looked around, no one was there. Eventually, the three of them did come to the end of the marshes, and Ashley and Arador were quite relieved, plus, the mosquitoes chose to stay where they were. Even the horse showed a bit of relief. He was muddy from his hooves to his neck from attempting to swim.
"You know what, Ashley? I've had second thoughts. Let's move on to Bree and stay the night there. We'll make our way to the Old Forest in the morning. It is but fifty miles west of Bree. We'll avoid the Barrow Downs. There's been talk of Barrow-wights lurking around for quite some time now." Arador said.
"Oh.is that bad?" Ashley asked.
"Are you referring to the Barrow-wights?" Arador asked.
"Yes." Ashley answered.
"Well, yes. Barrow-wights will kill you if they get a chance."
"Oh." Ashley looked at Arador for a moment, then turned her head. "Will you help me up?" she asked. Arador helped her mount Shire, and then she turned to face him. "Are you going to run?" she asked.
"For a bit, I suppose. As long as I can muster." Arador said.
"Alright.but it was your decision, not mine." And so the two of them headed Southwest, toward Bree.
It was but nightfall, cold and raining, when they reached the Eastern Gate of Bree. Arador walked up to the gate, and the gatekeeper opened a little peek-door in the towering wooden gate.
"Who goes there?" he asked in a gritty voice.
"It is Arador of the Dùnadan." Arador said.
"Where are you headed for?" the gatekeeper asked.
"The Prancing Pony, if it's not too much trouble." Arador answered.
"Ah." the gatekeeper seemed like he was rejecting Arador, but indeed he was actually groaning from opening the gate. Arador walked through. "Who's she?" the gatekeeper asked.
"She's with me," Arador said as Ashley walked through on Shire. "Come now." He motioned for her to follow him, and they walked toward the inn of the Prancing Pony.
They got to the sign of the Prancing Pony, and Ashley went inside, leaving Arador with Shire. Ashley walked up to the bar, and looked up. She began to jump up and down so that she could see over the top.
"EXCUSE ME!" she screamed. "MR. BUTTERBUR!" A large man looked over the counter.
"Oh hello there, Ms. Ashley!" he said. "How can I help you?"
"Well, me and my father need a room and I need some accommodations for Shire." Ashley said.
"Sure.anything else?" Butterbur asked.
"No thanks I think that'll be good."
"Alright. There's a stable around back and a room upstairs."
"Thank you, we'll be in in a minute."
Ashley began to make for the door when somebody jumped in front of it.
"Where do you think you're going?" they asked.
"Out the door.er.sir."
"Oh, no you're not, Miss Ashley," said the person.
"Uncle Aragorn?!" Ashley screamed.
"Well, who did you think I was?" Aragorn the Ranger asked. He was Arador's brother, of course. He was the King of Gondor, and people there knew him as Elessar. Here in Bree, though, he was called "Strider". He had many names, indeed, but to get into the story of King Elessar would take a good long while, so let's not go there.
"I didn't know you'd be in Bree!" Ashley cried.
"To tell you the truth, I didn't either." He told her.
"Right.well I'll be right back with Daddy, alright?" Ashley asked.
"Okay, I'll go find a table." And so he did, and Ashley went outside to put Shire away, and to round up her father.
"Hello, Aragorn!" Arador cried when they got back inside.
"Arador!" Aragorn greeted his brother. "What are you doing in Bree?" he asked.
"We are on our way to the Shire," Arador answered.
"How is Dawn-Michele?"
"Actually.I don't really know."
"Nice way to look after your wife, Arador."
"How's Arwen? I see you're not with her, either."
"She is fine. She's in Rivendell waiting for me. I have to leave in the morning."
"Hey! Can we sit down, please?!" Ashley yelled, tired of being completely ignored.
So the three of them got a table. Ashley sat down at the huge table in a chair that was quite too big for her; her feet hung above the ground. This made her quite mad.of course, Ashley was half- hobbit. She was only three foot seven, after all. Her father and her uncle, being the men that they were, had no trouble at all sitting at the table. Aragorn seemed to have noticed the belt Ashley was wearing. It was quite the normal belt, with a sheath on the left side. In the sheath rested Ashley's Elven sword, which she had gotten on her first trip to Rivendell, six years ago.
"Ashley," Aragorn started, "where did you get that sword? It looks of Elven make." He said.
"That's because it is. Pure silver.the handle is red oak, and is wrapped in leather." Ashley said. She fancied her sword very much, in fact. It had killed many an orc and goblin in the last six years.
"Can I see it, please?" Aragorn asked. Ashley drew her sword from its sheath, and handed it to Aragorn. "Was this made some time recently? It seems like it was made during the time of the quest to destroy the ring of power. When the time of the elves was ending. The Elvish on this sword reads 'mornie alantië' which means 'darkness has fallen.' " Aragorn said, handing the sword back.
"Yes, Uncle Aragorn. That's when it was made." Ashley answered. She and her father were quite relieved, though, because the ring of power had just recently been destroyed.
"This could be priceless someday," Aragorn said.
"I'll never sell it, Uncle Aragorn. This is the only thing standing in between my life or death. And even if it weren't, I'd never sell it."
"It's the same with my sword and myself."
"So you understand my meaning?"
"Of course."
"So, Aragorn how was the quest?" Arador asked.
"I'd just like to say that the ring was destroyed quick.and almost clean."
"What do you mean 'almost' clean?" Ashley asked. "Did something go wrong?"
"Well," Aragorn started, "I wasn't there, but I was notified when it was destroyed. Frodo, apparently, got a bit corrupted by the Ring. Poor lad.I just wish I could have been there. I mean I swore to protect him and everything. When he got in Mount Doom he refused to destroy it. Gollum, who was unfortunately with him, bit poor Frodo's finger off when he tried to escape with the Ring on. Then the creature fell in the fire by accident. I hoped to see Frodo again, but he's on his way across the sea, so I've heard. The ship departs tomorrow. I just wish I could have said good-bye."
"Do you have any stories from the quest, Uncle Aragorn?" Ashley asked.
"No story is as good as when I left Frodo Baggins at Amon Hen. I still regret it, even though he insisted on leaving himself."
"Is that a ' no,' Uncle Aragorn?"
"Not exactly, Ashley. First of all.I have some news."
"And what is this news about, Aragorn?" Arador asked.
"The Old Forest," Aragorn started. "You two will be passing through it, won't you?"
"It is the quickest way to Buckland.right, Daddy?" Ashley asked.
"Ye--," Arador started, but was interrupted by his brother.
"AND the more dangerous route, might I add, Ashley."
"Dangerous?" Ashley said in surprise. Every thing she had heard of the Shire was peaceful. How could a forest that was a part of it be dangerous?
"Yes, Ashley, dan--," Aragorn started.
"If we do get into trouble, Tom Bombadil will protect us, Ashley." Arador interrupted him.
"You don't know that, little brother," Aragorn said. Arador looked at him in disgust.
"Stop being so negative, Aragorn!"
"Arador, be serious! Something could happen out there!"
"Why do you do that? You do that every time!"
"STOP IT!" Ashley screamed. "You're being obnoxious! Two grown men fighting over something so stupid! Grow up! Uncle Aragorn, we'll be careful in the forest; Daddy, he just wants us to be safe, okay? Are we clear?"
"Yes," Aragorn and Arador answered in unison.
"Good."
"Arador! Arador, sir! Your room is ready!" Butterbur yelled across the room. "Bob will show you to your room." When Barliman saw that Arador was not answering, he called out again. "Arador!"
"Alright, alright already! We're coming!" Arador yelled.