Author's note: Thanks for all the reviews! It's good to know a lot of you keep up with my fics. And I promise this one will be better! I think so far this has turned out very well. I must've found my muse in Aragorn or something.
And I have an unexpected review from Kenji who normally reviews my Zoids fics! Talk about a shocker! Anyway, hope you all enjoy this chapter!
Rhovanion's Child by Shelly
CHAPTER TWO
They traveled for about two hours, Aragorn stopping occasionally to check the ground for some sign of tracks that might lead him to whatever it was he was looking for. She had followed him silently the entire time as she knew that any words they shared might be heard, and she didn't wish to make him regret bringing her along.
A light shower had started, making him curse quietly as it would make it harder for him to locate any tracks. Soon her hair was plastered to her head, and the long braid that hung heavily past her shoulders was soaked as well. Aragorn seemed to be in the same situation, and when he wiped at his face in a sign of irritation some of the dirt came off to reveal an oddly handsome face.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," he said with a slight tone of exasperation. "He could be anywhere! It's like trying to find a hobbit in a swarm of men," he said as he sat down on a fallen tree trunk.
"Why don't you tell me who it is you're looking for? I might have seen him," she suggested, not wanting him to give up just yet.
"I doubt that you would have," he said. "Besides, how do I know I can trust you?"
She pinned him with a sharp glare, her emerald eyes flaring. "I know a great deal more than you know, Dunedain," she scoffed. "I have spent my entire life defending this land from the evil that crosses it. How dare you question my loyalties? And how do I know that you're not working for the Dark Lord himself? Perhaps this person you search for, you seek to return him into Mordor from whence he escaped?"
He held a hand up to put a halt to her tirade before it went any further. And instead of being angry like she thought he would be, he was actually smiling a little. "Please, I pray you, go no further. It was wrong of me to assume such things since we are obviously both on the same side here. Please accept my apologies, lady," he said, rising to his feet and bowing to her once more.
She had to fight to hold back her own smile, that and the fact that she was beginning to genuinely like this ranger from the north. "You fight dirty, ranger," she said as her smile shone through.
He pulled wet strands of hair out of his blue eyes as he sat back down. "How so?" he asked.
"By not fighting at all," she replied as she leaned back against a nearby tree.
He raised one dark eyebrow. "Would you rather us fight?"
"No, not at all," she answered, her voice rich with laughter. "I fight those who would seek to do harm to my country or its people." Then her mirth faded to be replaced by complete gravity as she looked directly into his gaze. "This person you seek...does he mean to bring evil here?"
Aragorn sighed heavily as if a great weight had suddenly descended upon his shoulders. She pushed herself away from the tree and stepped over to sit beside him as the rain fell gently around them. "Please, Aragorn, I need to know. And if there's any way that I can help, then you have it," she said softly.
He turned his gaze to hers then looked away, unable to look into their endless depths too long. "There is much that I cannot say here for who knows who may be watching. But I seek this creature in hopes of preventing evil from venturing forth into the world, or at least to delay it."
"Creature?" she asked, her attention captured. Could he be talking about the wretched thing she had encountered earlier that afternoon?
"Yes," he replied. "He's somewhat small, about the size of a hobbit, and calls himself Gollum." His full attention was turned towards her as a flicker of hope stirred within him. Had she actually seen him?
Her eyes widened as she leapt to her feet. "Gollum!" she exclaimed.
Aragorn did as well, taking hold of her shoulders and holding her still as she had begun to pace frantically. "Rhiannon, are you telling me that you have seen him?"
She breathed deeply to try and calm her raging emotions before looking directly into his blue eyes which were focused intently on her. "Yes, I saw him earlier this afternoon."
"Are you sure it was him?" he asked, his voice urgent.
"Yes, I'm sure, Aragorn!" she cried, his fingers digging painfully into her shoulders. "He called himself by that name...Gollum."
He couldn't believe this. Here he had been searching all over and she had seen him barely a few hours ago. He wanted to pound the fear he felt into her he was so frightened. "In what direction was he going?"
"North," she answered. "Maybe a little west of it."
His eyes widened and he cursed in elven, which she could understand perfectly but didn't let on like she did. "If he's heading north, then that means there's a chance he's already been into Mordor and back out already. And that means that they know..."
Turning, he started running off in the opposite direction they had been traveling. She mounted her horse and took off after him, slowing down once she reached him. "It will be faster on horseback, Aragorn," she pointed out, offering him her hand.
Grasping it, he pulled himself up behind her, amazed at the amount of strength she possessed for someone her size. Then he braced himself as she urged her horse into action, the stinging rain pelting them as they rode, but in their urgency they paid no mind to it. She led him to the place where Gollum had attacked her, and he slid to the ground to examine the ground for any traces of tracks.
It was strange to see that it had not rained here. Indeed the sun was out again, shining brightly upon them and drying their clothes and hair. "He attacked me here then fled in that direction," she said, pointing in the direction Gollum had gone. Aragorn followed where she had pointed and finally found a trace of his tracks, and she dismounted to take a look for herself.
"It is as you said," he mused. "He is going north away from Mordor."
"Did you have cause to doubt my word?" she asked.
He looked to her with words on his lips, but they faded into a smile when he saw she was teasing him. "This is ill news indeed," he said as they both rose to their feet. "We will continue north and look for his tracks along the way." When she turned away, he reached out and gently took hold of her arm, causing her to look back at him with surprise and questioning in her eyes. "I wanted to say thank you, Rhiannon," he said softly. "For helping me. I never would've gotten this far without it."
She swallowed deeply, unsure of how to act when presented with such praise. "I only happened to be at the right place at the right time," she replied. "Perhaps it was fortunate for both of us that I was."
A ghost of a smile appeared. "Perhaps. Now we best continue on before he gets any further away from us." He walked over to mount her horse, holding his hand out to help her swing up behind him before heading out in their search for the creature called Gollum.
********************
I'll bet he wished that he'd asked her earlier. It would've saved them some time.
Thanks for reading! C-ya!
And I have an unexpected review from Kenji who normally reviews my Zoids fics! Talk about a shocker! Anyway, hope you all enjoy this chapter!
Rhovanion's Child by Shelly
CHAPTER TWO
They traveled for about two hours, Aragorn stopping occasionally to check the ground for some sign of tracks that might lead him to whatever it was he was looking for. She had followed him silently the entire time as she knew that any words they shared might be heard, and she didn't wish to make him regret bringing her along.
A light shower had started, making him curse quietly as it would make it harder for him to locate any tracks. Soon her hair was plastered to her head, and the long braid that hung heavily past her shoulders was soaked as well. Aragorn seemed to be in the same situation, and when he wiped at his face in a sign of irritation some of the dirt came off to reveal an oddly handsome face.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," he said with a slight tone of exasperation. "He could be anywhere! It's like trying to find a hobbit in a swarm of men," he said as he sat down on a fallen tree trunk.
"Why don't you tell me who it is you're looking for? I might have seen him," she suggested, not wanting him to give up just yet.
"I doubt that you would have," he said. "Besides, how do I know I can trust you?"
She pinned him with a sharp glare, her emerald eyes flaring. "I know a great deal more than you know, Dunedain," she scoffed. "I have spent my entire life defending this land from the evil that crosses it. How dare you question my loyalties? And how do I know that you're not working for the Dark Lord himself? Perhaps this person you search for, you seek to return him into Mordor from whence he escaped?"
He held a hand up to put a halt to her tirade before it went any further. And instead of being angry like she thought he would be, he was actually smiling a little. "Please, I pray you, go no further. It was wrong of me to assume such things since we are obviously both on the same side here. Please accept my apologies, lady," he said, rising to his feet and bowing to her once more.
She had to fight to hold back her own smile, that and the fact that she was beginning to genuinely like this ranger from the north. "You fight dirty, ranger," she said as her smile shone through.
He pulled wet strands of hair out of his blue eyes as he sat back down. "How so?" he asked.
"By not fighting at all," she replied as she leaned back against a nearby tree.
He raised one dark eyebrow. "Would you rather us fight?"
"No, not at all," she answered, her voice rich with laughter. "I fight those who would seek to do harm to my country or its people." Then her mirth faded to be replaced by complete gravity as she looked directly into his gaze. "This person you seek...does he mean to bring evil here?"
Aragorn sighed heavily as if a great weight had suddenly descended upon his shoulders. She pushed herself away from the tree and stepped over to sit beside him as the rain fell gently around them. "Please, Aragorn, I need to know. And if there's any way that I can help, then you have it," she said softly.
He turned his gaze to hers then looked away, unable to look into their endless depths too long. "There is much that I cannot say here for who knows who may be watching. But I seek this creature in hopes of preventing evil from venturing forth into the world, or at least to delay it."
"Creature?" she asked, her attention captured. Could he be talking about the wretched thing she had encountered earlier that afternoon?
"Yes," he replied. "He's somewhat small, about the size of a hobbit, and calls himself Gollum." His full attention was turned towards her as a flicker of hope stirred within him. Had she actually seen him?
Her eyes widened as she leapt to her feet. "Gollum!" she exclaimed.
Aragorn did as well, taking hold of her shoulders and holding her still as she had begun to pace frantically. "Rhiannon, are you telling me that you have seen him?"
She breathed deeply to try and calm her raging emotions before looking directly into his blue eyes which were focused intently on her. "Yes, I saw him earlier this afternoon."
"Are you sure it was him?" he asked, his voice urgent.
"Yes, I'm sure, Aragorn!" she cried, his fingers digging painfully into her shoulders. "He called himself by that name...Gollum."
He couldn't believe this. Here he had been searching all over and she had seen him barely a few hours ago. He wanted to pound the fear he felt into her he was so frightened. "In what direction was he going?"
"North," she answered. "Maybe a little west of it."
His eyes widened and he cursed in elven, which she could understand perfectly but didn't let on like she did. "If he's heading north, then that means there's a chance he's already been into Mordor and back out already. And that means that they know..."
Turning, he started running off in the opposite direction they had been traveling. She mounted her horse and took off after him, slowing down once she reached him. "It will be faster on horseback, Aragorn," she pointed out, offering him her hand.
Grasping it, he pulled himself up behind her, amazed at the amount of strength she possessed for someone her size. Then he braced himself as she urged her horse into action, the stinging rain pelting them as they rode, but in their urgency they paid no mind to it. She led him to the place where Gollum had attacked her, and he slid to the ground to examine the ground for any traces of tracks.
It was strange to see that it had not rained here. Indeed the sun was out again, shining brightly upon them and drying their clothes and hair. "He attacked me here then fled in that direction," she said, pointing in the direction Gollum had gone. Aragorn followed where she had pointed and finally found a trace of his tracks, and she dismounted to take a look for herself.
"It is as you said," he mused. "He is going north away from Mordor."
"Did you have cause to doubt my word?" she asked.
He looked to her with words on his lips, but they faded into a smile when he saw she was teasing him. "This is ill news indeed," he said as they both rose to their feet. "We will continue north and look for his tracks along the way." When she turned away, he reached out and gently took hold of her arm, causing her to look back at him with surprise and questioning in her eyes. "I wanted to say thank you, Rhiannon," he said softly. "For helping me. I never would've gotten this far without it."
She swallowed deeply, unsure of how to act when presented with such praise. "I only happened to be at the right place at the right time," she replied. "Perhaps it was fortunate for both of us that I was."
A ghost of a smile appeared. "Perhaps. Now we best continue on before he gets any further away from us." He walked over to mount her horse, holding his hand out to help her swing up behind him before heading out in their search for the creature called Gollum.
********************
I'll bet he wished that he'd asked her earlier. It would've saved them some time.
Thanks for reading! C-ya!