DISCLAIMER: You know the drill...
NOTE: Sorry it has taken me so long to update. I had a few kinks to work out of this chapter (with the help of Rambling Thestral). I hope you enjoy. Please review!
Morning had not dawned over the town when the door Gamine had been leaning on suddenly opened. She fell backwards into the doorway. Looking up, she saw the cloaked figure that had led the hobbits to safety the night before.
"Who are you?" the figure asked.
"I am a friend," she replied.
"We shall see. Reveal yourself so I may know your face."
"I shall not. You are as masked as I am, and I shall not be known without knowing."
The man said nothing but only let her in to the room. There were the four hobbits, only a short distance behind him.
"Strider?" asked one of them. "Who is this?"
"We are about to discover the answer to your question. He was sitting right outside of this door throughout the night. I saw him as I kept watch." To Gamine he said, "What is your name, if you will not show us your face, and what was your business at our door in the night?"
"Sir, my name is—" Gamine paused, in order to think of a name.
"Yes?"
"Thomas, sir. I was at the door last night in order to keep watch over the hobbits."
"And why is that?"
"I was afraid you had wicked intentions when you followed the hobbits out of the tavern last night. I know now that you were only helping them, and I wish to do so as well." She looked at the man and then at the hobbits. "I know nothing of their troubles, yet I feel I must protect them— especially, this one..." she pointed to a hobbit with dark hair and a determined expression on his face.
"How did you know that Mr. Frodo is the reason for our troubles?" asked another of the hobbits.
"I did not, know that— Frodo, did you call him?— was the reason for your troubles, I just felt compelled to follow him and protect him.
The man called Strider looked at her, or so she thought, for she could not see his eyes. "Are you a Ranger? You must be, for only Rangers and elves can feel things like that... You aren't an elf are you?"
"I am neither elf nor Ranger, I am afraid. I am just a humble Man who wishes to help. Please, why is it that these halflings are running, and what is your interest in all of it?"
"They are running because the black riders want something they have... Something Frodo has. As to my interest, I wish to see that Thing safely destroyed. We are to get to the place that a decision about It is going to be made."
"I desire to come."
"Fine, then. We have little time. We must leave before the sun is up, and there will be much traveling and little rest."
"I am ready. I have already endured much, and I am prepared for more."
Without another word, Strider opened the door and led the small troupe of beings out of the town and into the woods where they traveled for many days.
*^*^*^*^*^*^**^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* ^*^*
Gamine struggled to carry Frodo. Much had happened since they had left the town. The black riders had followed them and attacked them. Merry and Pippin, two of the hobbits, had tried to help keep Frodo safe, but they were too small, and they had no training.
Gamine had stepped in just as Frodo was stabbed by one of the Nazgûl. His screams wrenched her heart, something that rarely happened. She pulled her sword out of her sheath and fought off what would have been Frodo's killing blow. Strider had jumped in to help, yelling at her to get Frodo to safety.
She had not been able to even try at first, for the Nazgûl blocked her way. She swung her sword as forcefully as she could at the nearest one, but to little effect. Before she knew it, she had been slashed across the face with one of their swords.
Her face still felt as if it were on fire. She had no idea how she had escaped the ring of black riders, nonetheless while pulling Frodo, but she had. She was now trying to drag him away from the battle, but she was not very strong. When all hope left her, she stumbled and fell. That was when she saw her— the beautiful lady on a white horse.
Gamine closed her eyes and slipped into unconsciousness.
*^*^*^*^*^*^**^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* ^*^*
She woke up in a strange bed in a strange place. She no longer wore the clothes she had bought in Bree, but a clean white shirt and pants. She panicked for a moment, not knowing where she was or if the hobbits were safe.
"You are awake, I see," the lady said. "My name is Arwen."
"I remember you!" Gamine said. "You were riding on a white horse... I don't remember coming here, though."
"By the time I reached you, you had already collapsed. I brought you and the hobbit here, to Rivendell, so that you may be safe from the shadows that were chasing you and so that your wounds could be treated."
"Is Frodo alright?"
"He is fine, Lady, though he shall always feel a pain where he was stabbed— a wound like that never fully heals. Neither will yours, I am afraid."
Gamine reached up to feel her face. There was a long slash across it, and it burned when she touched it. She pulled her hand away quickly, as she cringed in pain. She cringed again when she realized what Arwen had called her.
"Arwen, you know who I really am?"
"I know that you are not who you claim to be. To who you are, you are the only one that can reveal that secret, and you can only reveal your true self if you know who that person is. Do you?"
"I am still learning— but Arwen, do the others know? Have you told them?"
Arwen smiled. "Of course I haven't, dear one. I would not tell them something you took such care to hide."
Gamin looked at the lady elf sitting on her bed, and she felt she had found a comrade. "My name is Gamine, but I am going by Thomas..." She looked into the deep dark eyes of her new friend and conveyed her thanks that way, since her words did not come to her.
Arwen nodded and said, "You traveling companions are worried about you. Shall I let them in?"
She went to the door and admitted Merry, Pippin, and Strider. Gamine sat up as they came and sat by her bed. Arwen smiled at her behind their backs and left the room quietly.
"I hope you are feeling better, little friend."
Gamine looked up to truly see Strider's face for the first time. "I am, Sir. Thank you."
Strider looked at the deep cut that spanned the boy's face, but more so at the person beneath it. He liked what he saw. "Call me Aragorn."
"Aragorn, then." The word sounded good to her— it sounded like a friend.
NOTE: Sorry it has taken me so long to update. I had a few kinks to work out of this chapter (with the help of Rambling Thestral). I hope you enjoy. Please review!
Morning had not dawned over the town when the door Gamine had been leaning on suddenly opened. She fell backwards into the doorway. Looking up, she saw the cloaked figure that had led the hobbits to safety the night before.
"Who are you?" the figure asked.
"I am a friend," she replied.
"We shall see. Reveal yourself so I may know your face."
"I shall not. You are as masked as I am, and I shall not be known without knowing."
The man said nothing but only let her in to the room. There were the four hobbits, only a short distance behind him.
"Strider?" asked one of them. "Who is this?"
"We are about to discover the answer to your question. He was sitting right outside of this door throughout the night. I saw him as I kept watch." To Gamine he said, "What is your name, if you will not show us your face, and what was your business at our door in the night?"
"Sir, my name is—" Gamine paused, in order to think of a name.
"Yes?"
"Thomas, sir. I was at the door last night in order to keep watch over the hobbits."
"And why is that?"
"I was afraid you had wicked intentions when you followed the hobbits out of the tavern last night. I know now that you were only helping them, and I wish to do so as well." She looked at the man and then at the hobbits. "I know nothing of their troubles, yet I feel I must protect them— especially, this one..." she pointed to a hobbit with dark hair and a determined expression on his face.
"How did you know that Mr. Frodo is the reason for our troubles?" asked another of the hobbits.
"I did not, know that— Frodo, did you call him?— was the reason for your troubles, I just felt compelled to follow him and protect him.
The man called Strider looked at her, or so she thought, for she could not see his eyes. "Are you a Ranger? You must be, for only Rangers and elves can feel things like that... You aren't an elf are you?"
"I am neither elf nor Ranger, I am afraid. I am just a humble Man who wishes to help. Please, why is it that these halflings are running, and what is your interest in all of it?"
"They are running because the black riders want something they have... Something Frodo has. As to my interest, I wish to see that Thing safely destroyed. We are to get to the place that a decision about It is going to be made."
"I desire to come."
"Fine, then. We have little time. We must leave before the sun is up, and there will be much traveling and little rest."
"I am ready. I have already endured much, and I am prepared for more."
Without another word, Strider opened the door and led the small troupe of beings out of the town and into the woods where they traveled for many days.
*^*^*^*^*^*^**^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* ^*^*
Gamine struggled to carry Frodo. Much had happened since they had left the town. The black riders had followed them and attacked them. Merry and Pippin, two of the hobbits, had tried to help keep Frodo safe, but they were too small, and they had no training.
Gamine had stepped in just as Frodo was stabbed by one of the Nazgûl. His screams wrenched her heart, something that rarely happened. She pulled her sword out of her sheath and fought off what would have been Frodo's killing blow. Strider had jumped in to help, yelling at her to get Frodo to safety.
She had not been able to even try at first, for the Nazgûl blocked her way. She swung her sword as forcefully as she could at the nearest one, but to little effect. Before she knew it, she had been slashed across the face with one of their swords.
Her face still felt as if it were on fire. She had no idea how she had escaped the ring of black riders, nonetheless while pulling Frodo, but she had. She was now trying to drag him away from the battle, but she was not very strong. When all hope left her, she stumbled and fell. That was when she saw her— the beautiful lady on a white horse.
Gamine closed her eyes and slipped into unconsciousness.
*^*^*^*^*^*^**^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* ^*^*
She woke up in a strange bed in a strange place. She no longer wore the clothes she had bought in Bree, but a clean white shirt and pants. She panicked for a moment, not knowing where she was or if the hobbits were safe.
"You are awake, I see," the lady said. "My name is Arwen."
"I remember you!" Gamine said. "You were riding on a white horse... I don't remember coming here, though."
"By the time I reached you, you had already collapsed. I brought you and the hobbit here, to Rivendell, so that you may be safe from the shadows that were chasing you and so that your wounds could be treated."
"Is Frodo alright?"
"He is fine, Lady, though he shall always feel a pain where he was stabbed— a wound like that never fully heals. Neither will yours, I am afraid."
Gamine reached up to feel her face. There was a long slash across it, and it burned when she touched it. She pulled her hand away quickly, as she cringed in pain. She cringed again when she realized what Arwen had called her.
"Arwen, you know who I really am?"
"I know that you are not who you claim to be. To who you are, you are the only one that can reveal that secret, and you can only reveal your true self if you know who that person is. Do you?"
"I am still learning— but Arwen, do the others know? Have you told them?"
Arwen smiled. "Of course I haven't, dear one. I would not tell them something you took such care to hide."
Gamin looked at the lady elf sitting on her bed, and she felt she had found a comrade. "My name is Gamine, but I am going by Thomas..." She looked into the deep dark eyes of her new friend and conveyed her thanks that way, since her words did not come to her.
Arwen nodded and said, "You traveling companions are worried about you. Shall I let them in?"
She went to the door and admitted Merry, Pippin, and Strider. Gamine sat up as they came and sat by her bed. Arwen smiled at her behind their backs and left the room quietly.
"I hope you are feeling better, little friend."
Gamine looked up to truly see Strider's face for the first time. "I am, Sir. Thank you."
Strider looked at the deep cut that spanned the boy's face, but more so at the person beneath it. He liked what he saw. "Call me Aragorn."
"Aragorn, then." The word sounded good to her— it sounded like a friend.