This is my second attempt of this story. (the strength to defend) I like it a lot better! I hope you guys do too.

I do not own anything but Ram. Tolkien does.

I try to update regularly, but life happens. The first chapter probably seems a bit familiar.

Let's take it away.

The Prancing Pony was looking welcome as the rain poured down from the sky. She was soaked to the bone and she knew she had to get warm and be inside somewhere tonight. The warmth came towards her as she opened the door, letting her eyes adjust to the light. "What can I do for ya?" A large, rather chubby looking man looked at her from behind the tap. His eyes stood friendly, but there was a hint of nervousness about him. She did not blame him, for she would look kind of scary right now.

"I am glad to be out of that blasted rain."

She said as she put down her hood and shook the water off her cape. She smiled kindly at the man. "I would like some warm wine if you have it? And maybe a place to stay for the night."

The man nodded. "I think I can arrange that. I have half a room for two coppers. But you do have to share."

He looked at her reaction, but she did not mind. "I did not catch your name."

"I did not give it, but I'm Ram." He looked at her once more. "Your one of them rangers aren't you?" Ram did not answer, she just looked at him. "A warm wine and a room it is."

Ram nodded as she walked further into the inn. She saw him the moment she walked into the common room. He was sitting in a dark corner, smoking his pipe.

Ram breathed in deeply, she had not realized she had been holding it. She walked towards the corner and Strider had put down his long legs from the chair. "I did not expect you here." He said as she sat down. "I never meant to come this way."

They looked at each other, measuring the other, Strider was the first to smile. "You look like a drowned cat." Ram smiled. "So would you if you spend the last days in the rain and having to cross two rivers." She sneezed.

"And I have a cold."

Though Strider's face did not change, the look in his eyes showed a hint of worry, "Do you have a room? You should not stay out like this."

"Yes a double one, Barliman said it was going to be crowded." She leaned back, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. The heat in the room sending small wisps of steam from her clothes, also made her nose start to run.

Strider measured her up. "I will get him to put you in with me. You are in no state to be roomed with some of the men around here." Ram snickered. "We will be the talk of the town, Strider, and his ranger woman."

He smiled, but as she looked up at him, his face turned to worry. "Ram, how are you feeling?" He moved closer and without being too obvious he put his hand on her forehead. Ram breathed in deeply as she felt the cold against her face. "You're burning up! How long have you been feeling sick?" Ram had trouble to think. "I felt sick outside of Bree." She coughed, and it took a while before she was able to stop. He handed her a cup, it was the warm wine she ordered. "Or perhaps a bit sooner."

"Let's get you to bed, I will go and talk to Butterbur." They got up and only now Ram felt how sick she actually was. The room was spinning, and sweat was forming on her forehead. She followed Strider, carefully not to bump into anyone. Near the bar she leaned against the doorpost, listening in on the conversation.

"I know Barliman, I am telling you. You can see for yourself, she is sick." There was a silence. Ram could not make out Butterbur reply but she could guess. "I have never in the long years I come here been any trouble for you. I am asking only this of you. And I will pay you for it." She moved closer. Feeling a sting of guilt, she did not want to be in anyone's debt. "I don't have problems with you being in there with another ranger, even if she is a woman. But Strider they are talking." The Inn-keeper sounded sincere to her. "They have always been talking about me Barliman. Once gossip more or less." "But it will harm her reputation." He tried one more time. Even though she felt sick, Ram had to laugh. So did Strider. "She is a ranger from the North, her reputation was ruined from the beginning. But thank you for your concern." "Can I get you anything?" "Breakfast in the morning would be nice. Thank you."

He supported her slightly as they moved up the stairs, "Strider, there is no need… I" One look from him made her stop talking.

They found their room quickly enough, it was not big, but it had a fireplace and two separate beds. One on each side of the room. Ram made her way to the closest and collapsed. She closed her eyes welcoming into the darkness of sleep.

She only woke up sometime later, as Strider gave her something foul to drink before she slept on.

When she woke again, daylight was slowly creeping in through the shutters. Strider was reading a book. He looked up at her. "Good you are awake." Ram nodded, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "How are you feeling?"
"A bit better." It wasn't a lie, but Strider put his hand on her forehead. It was less cold this time. "Your fever has dropped. It was good you got to me when you did. I am not sure if you would get through the night." He gave her a dark look. "Have you not been taught better than that?"
Ram felt a dull pain inside her, but it did not come from being sick. "When one is in a great hurry, she sometimes forgets her own boundaries."
"What is so important that you would risk becoming sick?" Ram closed her eyes trying to get her mind in order. "News."
He glared at her. "What news?" His voice was harsh, and she could count the times, on one hand, he sounded like that.
"News that should not be uttered here."

Strider looked at her intensely and was about to say something when there was a knock on the door. "Breakfast!" Nob entered the room with a plate filled with food. "Master Barlimen wishes the miss good health and put in some extra fruit." He smiled at her and Strider. "Thank you Nob," Strider answered softly. "Anything else sir?" "Not for now, but I will be gone later, can you keep an eye on the Miss?" Nob looked at her, measuring if she was any danger. But then pity filled his eyes. "Sure sir. Will do. Goodbye Sir, Miss." He walked out, leaving the two behind. "Let's see if you can hold anything." He handed her a biscuit as he took a bite from an apple. "We have to leave tomorrow. So get the rest you can get." "We?" Strider looked at her. "Ram, I can not let you go through the wild alone when you are still not well. I will take you to Rivendell."

As they had eaten, Strider walked to the fire and poured a cup. "Here, you will sleep. It is the best remedy. I will be back later." Ram nodded and drank, already feeling woozy.

Darkness was surrounding her, and in the distance, she heard the sounds of a horse. The man screaming sent her into action, but the darkness was slowing her down, pulling her back with invisible arms. She wasn't sure she was even moving, but the scream became louder before it suddenly died. A white face suddenly was in front of her, his eyes black as the dark, and a crown on top of his head.

Ram pulled herself up straight, panting to catch her breath. It was getting darker and colder in the room as the fire was slowly dying out, and the shutters were still closed. She sheltered her face with her hands as tried to recapture herself. The door went open with a large bang and made Ram jump. On instinct, she had grabbed a knife she hid in her shirt. She lowered it as she saw who was in the doorway.

Strider lowered his sword and relaxed a bit. Ram snickered at the shameful look he gave her. "That is one way to enter a woman's bedroom." She said, making her fellow ranger turn a bit less pale. He put away his sword. "I heard you scream." Now it was Ram's turn to blush. "I had a nightmare." He sat down on the bed with her. "Care to tell me about it?" Ram sighed. "I heard the scream of a man, screaming in torture." She told about the dream. "It was the man that was murdered by one of... them." She sighed "I tried to get to him, but I was too late." Strider grabbed hold of her hand, capturing her gaze with his eyes. "It is not your fault." Ram wanted to look away, but Strider gave a soft pull on her hand, making her look back. "You tried your best, it is not your fault." "But I.." Strider shook his head. "It is not your fault."

She sighed. It never was, but it always felt like it was. She was lacking, failing. She was a disappointment. A soft hand lifted her chin. "Ram." Striders face was close to hers, he locked his eyes with hers, they were a blueish green and held more knowledge and wisdom then she had ever seen in a man his age. "The nine are no easy foes. They can't be killed, nor can they be hurt. They can only be chased away. You did all you could."

Ram sighed. "I know." She whispered as she looked away, no longer able to withstand his stare. But she had a strange feeling, this would not be the end of it.

They left the next day, the rain had not stopped and even though their experience in the wild, both of them were struggling with the thick mud that was in their path. Ram's cold had come back and both of them were tired, soaked and covered in mud before midday. They did press on but stopped early so Ram could get her strength back.

Ram felt like a cloud was shrouding her mind, and she just wanted to lay down and sleep. Strider started a fire as she hid her head between her knees. "Lay down, get some rest." He spoke quietly. Ram started to shiver as she ducked underneath her blanket. She fell asleep right away, only to be woken by Strider what felt like moments later. The fire was now blazing, and the cooked food made her stomach rumble. She noticed she had been asleep for at least an hour, as Strider made camp. "Come, drink this." The fowl drink warmed her up again before he made her eat something. After that, she slipped into a deep sleep again.

The dawn came cold and misty, but Ram did feel a lot better than the day before. To be able to sleep calmly a whole night aided in her healing more then any potion could do. She cooked breakfast as Strider was still lying asleep. He turned as she took the porridge off the fire. He looked tired and rubbed his face. "Good Morning," Ram spoke smiling. "Morning." He sat up, running his hand through his hair. "You look a bit better than yesterday." Ram handed him a bowl of porridge. "I feel better, thank you." They ate the rest of their breakfast in silence and picked up camp quickly, moving into the swamps.

As the days went by without any surprises Ram started to feel better. Her nose stopped running, but she was not out of the woods yet. It was passed midday and the mosquitos were finally leaving them alone. They were on a particularly bad part of the road, and it took energy to get forward. On a firm piece of ground, Ram stopped to catch her breath. A cough came up, but unlike other times it was hard to stop. Ram was holding on to her painful ribs as she fought for air.

Strider looked over his shoulder, walking back with worry written all over his face. Ram raised her hand, trying to tell him she was fine, but she kept on coughing. As she calmed down, he pushed a flask in her hand.
"Two sips, no more." She took two sips, immediately feeling the pain and tension pass away from her lungs, making it easier to breathe. She felt a bit embarrassed for being so much trouble, but all she could see was kindness and worry on her fellow rangers face. She gave the flask back to Strider
" sorry."
"No need." He spoke quietly and he put it back into his pack. He pointed in the distance. Weathertop was appearing in the fog, making it clear where their path would lead. "Is that Weathertop?" Ram asked curiously.
Strider nodded. "We rest there tonight, and then we press forward to Rivendell. It will take about a week if we press on. The terrain is easier to travel there."
Ram bit her lower lip. "I have never been this far East." She looked over her shoulder.

Strider put his hand on her shoulder, pinching it softly. There had not been a lot of physical interaction between the two, but Ram felt herself relax underneath his friendly gesture.
"It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." He spoke with a smile, before turning, making their way to Weathertop. Ram pulled her faithful pack securely onto her back, like an old friend giving her a pat on the back. She looked at Weathertop once more and remembered her words from when she first became a ranger.

I am going to see the world. All of it.

With a smile, she followed her captain towards the hill.

After about a week the rain had finally stopped and a soft warm wind had blown the clouds away. They had not spoken that day as they usually traveled without much talk, but as they sat near the fire, Ram knew she was getting back to health again. Today she hardly coughed and she didn't feel as out of breath as usual, and she had not used Strider's potion in two days. "The stars are trying their best tonight." She said. She always loved the stars, she knew all their names and where they were at what time in the night. Strider looked up. "We are closing into the realm of Lord Elrond. His magic reaches far." "What is he like?" She had spoken it before she could stop herself.
"Lord Elrond?"
She nodded.
"He is wise as he is good." Strider looked at her. "Have you not met him?" Ram shook her head as she chewed on a piece of dry meat from her stew. "Nor have I been to Rivendell." Her fellow ranger smiled. "Then after you delivered your message it would be my honor to show you around." He gave her a soft look, something was in his eyes, but Ram could not read what it was. "How about you get some sleep, and I will take watch." She suggested, seeing his yawns he was trying to hide. He rubbed his face. "Thank you." He spoke as he lay down on the ground.

Ram softly started to sing. She was not singing a specific song, just adding a few words to a melody she got stuck in her head. Strider was laying next to her. His cloak wrapped around him and his arm popped underneath his head. The fire gave his face an orange glow.

Ram looked down at her travel companion. He was fast asleep, somehow he looked younger, with a weight lifted off of his shoulders. Ram smiled softly at him. He was a kind man, even though traveling made him look rough. For some reason, she wanted to stroke the hair from his face, and pull his cloak further up. But she knew it would only wake him.

Ram looked at her own hands, tucked away in part of a glove. They were dirty and calloused by holding a sword. She wondered what she looked like. She had not seen herself in a mirror since she left camp. She could feel with her hand that the state of her hair was dreadful.

Her eyes moved back to her fellow ranger. He too looked dirty and disheveled, making them look like two wildlings. She made a note in her mind they needed to wash up before they got to Rivendell. It was calm outside the camp and Ram took up her song once more.

As the first beams of sunlight came peeking over the mountains in the distance, Ram was tying down the final things to her pack. Strider was putting out the fire, Ram's hands moved on instinct, as her eyes drifted to her traveling companion. His skilled hands were putting the tinder under the wood to keep it dry for any traveler that needed to make a had developed an unspoken routine of tasks, and after two weeks being on the road together, they got used to each other and their rhythms. Ram felt strangely comfortable with the way he went about in the morning and the fixed steppes he took when they made camp. It matched most of hers, making traveling together as pleasant as possible in the wild. Ram's hands lingered as she was observing her fellow ranger, a smile creeping onto her lips as she saw him place down the wood gently on the tinder.

He turned his head and looked her straight into her eyes. Ram was unable to move as his dark eyes kept her locked in her place. For a moment, time seemed to freeze, but then he gave her a smile. Ram almost fell over as she suddenly was able to move again and if it was not for her training she would end up with her face into the wet green grass. "Let's go." He spoke softly as he pulled his pack on his back. His hand softly on her shoulder. Ram calmed down, her heart was racing from the power struggle but there was so much kindness in the touch she let it slip. Ram nodded and followed him into the forest that lay ahead of them. She followed him as she wondered what had just happened.

Get a grip

Her mind told her, and she focused on the landscape around them. They were closing in on Rivendell, and it was in every plant and rock around them. No longer were their surroundings filled with thick trees, but there was more space, more air to breath in the forest around them. Ram felt excited as they continued to move towards the elven realm.

By the end of the morning, they could hear the water and it did not take long before they saw it. The river before them made Ram stop and gaze. White foam was forming as it stormed through its path. The water was clear which showed it was icy cold, coming from the mountains. The splash left drops of cold water on her coat.
"Is this it?"
"This is the Bruin, the river that points out the realm of Lord Elrond," Strider responded. He looked at the river. "We need to travel a bit further before we can cross it." Ram looked around after she followed him. The forest was thick on their side, but across the river, the trees were further apart, leaving space to look deep into the forest. Remembering the coat of dirt on her hair and face, the river had given her a possibility of a wash. "Perhaps we can wash up as we cross it." Strider shook his head. "The water brings ice from the mountains. It is too cold to take a bath this time of year." He looked at her and smiled. " But perhaps we can wash our faces. I guess we do look dirty." they moved to the water's edge and Ram got down on her knees. As she put her hands in the water the icy-cold stung her hands. As best as she could she scrubbed the dirt off her face. She knew there was no way her hair was going to get any better so she left that.

It felt good to get the dirt and grime off, and she was smiling as she looked to her side. Strider looked back at her and laughed. A genuine loud laugh, sending her heart into a race. "What?" She asked as she started to blush. " You forgot a spot." He snickered and softly flicked her nose. Ram tried to get a look at the water and saw her nose was a different color than the rest of her face. She quickly cleaned her nose. Strider was still laughing and taking that as a challenge she splashed a bit of water his way. He looked surprised making her laugh. It felt a bit strange to laugh out loud but so good. Strider flicked a bit of water back before he got up. He stuck out his hand to her. "Let's go" he smiled.

After they washed they continued. It was a nice walk but movement kept pulling her eyes towards the distant shore when she finally saw it was a rider. Not sure if Strider saw it too she spoke to him. "He has been there ever since we made it to the river, don't be alarmed, he is a friend." Strider stopped. "We cross here."

The rivered had fanned out at a clearing, the water looked calm. Ram looked around, remembering how the place looked like. It was easy to cross, and only her shoes got wet, for the river was very shallow. To her surprise, the sun started to shine brighter and the colors turned sharper once she crossed. Strider lifted his hand as the rider they had seen appeared from the woods. "My friend! We did not expect you already. Is everything well?" Strider looked up at the elf, dressed in the finest armor Ram had ever seen. "Yes we are well, but we need to get to Lord Elrond. We bring grave news." The rider nodded. "I will warn Lord Elrond."

As they reached the gate, a guard came to them. "Go with him, Ram," Strider spoke. "I have other busyness to attend to first." Ram nodded and followed the elf. Before she could wonder herself to the magic of Rivendell, Ram was guided fast into the house by a guard. She was lead into a study, and the guard introduced her. "Lord Elrond, this is Ram from the North, she brings grave news." "Welcome Ram," Lord Elrond look both handsome and wise, his dark hair flowed past his shoulders, but his brow was knit as he saw her. Her muddy boots were making puddles on his floor and Ram felt very uncomfortable underneath his stare. She wished she had the time to wash up before she met him. But there was nothing to do about it now.

"My Lord." She sat down as he pointed out the chair at his desk. He looked at her, his penetrating eyes looking deep inside her. For a moment she was back home with her father, looking pale on his sickbed. Ram blocked the memory, and instead her time training with the Rangers, and fighting with Mace came to her mind. "Tell me," he asked quietly. "I was send by my captain to bring news, we missed the men to come here faster, and he had to stay to keep the village safe." Lord Elrond nodded, not an emotion spotted on his face. "We have seen a dark rider, Captain said it..." Ram swallowed. "It was one of the nine. A few days later we saw another one. We were not sure it was the same one." Lord Elrond moved toward her, looking at her like her father could look at her when she had done something bad. "When and where was this?" "Two moon cycles ago, near Lake Evendim." Lord Elrond shifted in his chair and his hand supported his head. He sighed as he sat up straight again. "So far three of them have been spotted. In three different places. Something is happening, and we still don't know what." He looked up at her. "Thank you for your information, I heard your trip has not been an easy one." Ram could not help but smile, as she thought about her trip. "I have met some obstacles yes." His eyes pierced into hers. "Tell me." Ram kept his gaze and did not look away. " Nothing any other would encounter when dealing with the nine or traveling through Bree with the autumn storms of the last few weeks. I am glad Strider came with me and guided me to Rivendell." Lord Elrond raised his eyebrow before a tiny curl came on his lips. "We are glad you two arrived safe, now rest, and be merry. I will have someone to get you to your room."