"…For this queen you think you own
Wants to be a hunter again,
Wants to see the world alone again
To take a chance on life again, so let me go…"

Dido Hunter

Chapter Three: Hunter

'Not a word, not a breath. Or I know he'll find me.'

A lone figure moved between the small patch of forest that stood out like a sore thumb on the rolling green planes. The person in question was slightly dishevelled, and possessed the airs of someone worn with travel, yet still ready for an impending fight. This was not the first time Aragorn had briefly left the group to retrace their steps. The notion that someone was following the fellowship kept knawing at his conscience, only ever giving him a moment's peace when he'd searched the surrounding area for any signs of an unseen enemy. He studied the impressible earth in front of him, tracks that could only be made by creatures with tiny feet criss-crossed the ground. Apart from this it was altogether dull and commonplace, almost too normal for it to be real.

He sighed, not with relief but with frustration. In the back of his mind he was desperate to find something, it didn't have to be much, just enough to prove his theory. Then, when he was about to give up all hope of finding anything in the god-forsaken patch of trees, he heard a small noise that sounded almost like the croak of a frog. Quick as lightning, his hand was upon the hilt of his sword. He scanned the foliage around making out the rough shape of a black object. It turned to face him with a caw, hopping a few inches from its original perch. He nearly kicked himself, it was a mere raven. It's eyes swivelled to look at him for a moment before it ambled to an adjacent branch and finally took off, flying until it was only a grey speck on the horizon. That was it, he'd had enough.

Unbeknownst to the ranger, Yuna clung to the branch of an ancient oak. It swayed gently as the breeze tickled its leaves into life, making it all the more difficult for her to remain motionless. She tightened her grip around the crumbling bark as another gust of wind shook the tree once again. Something she knew to the core however was not to move a muscle. A mere slip of her hand and she would be caught out. All Yuna could do was wait, fortunately that was something she was good at.

Two weeks beforehand

Elrond felt a slim hand being placed upon his shoulder. He remained in the courtyard, unmoving.

"They will be fine." Said Arwen, her own voice somewhat shaky. Bringing his own hand up to rest on hers he simply nodded agreement. "We must put our trust in them or else the Quest will have already failed." They stood there silently for sometime, in their minds retracing the path the Fellowship had already taken, also, the journey still to come. After some time, Arwen made her way to her quarters, feeling she could hold the tears back no longer. Soon Elrond also made his way back to his study. On the way, he noted that the candles that normally illuminated the vast amount of rooms and corridors still remained unlit. He knew they would stay this way for the remainder of the night, leaving all covered in darkness. Already he could feel the sorrow and despair growing over the hearts of the inhabitants of the city, It was hard enough that the elves would soon leave this land and journey to the grey havens. The fact that they might be leaving their home for it to be taken over by the hand of Sauron only made the situation grimmer. He finally reached the elm door, pushing it open and stepping through. A faint glow emanated from the stubby tallow candle that was placed on the end of his desk. In front of him the pale moon shone through the large open window, shining over the tops of trees and the multitude of cliffs outside before it became obstructed by the host of clouds once more.

"Tell me one thing." He said after a while, to what seemed to be nothing but the air. "Just one reason why you did not go." There was silence, until the large chair behind Elrond's desk seemed to sigh. It was covered completely in shadow, which was lifted for a brief moment as the clouds parted to reveal the moon's milky glow. Hidden in the depths of the surprisingly comfortable chair, sat Yunalesca, arms folded in a loose fashion across her abdomen. Sensing that she would need time to contemplate her answer, Elrond in turn went to sit on the chair usually reserved for guests.

"They never would have accepted me." She answered, after what seemed like a millennia. "If something were to happen to Gandalf, who would they turn to for leadership? Aragorn is obviously the leader of the group, the hobbits trust him and his opinions, as do the majority of the fellowship. You know that him and I aren't exactly…close, and because of this, I believe the others would be inclined to reject me as well." She paused. "Besides, everyone else seems to think they can do it alone, so who knows? Maybe they'll succeed after all."

"You don't mean that." He stated.

"You're right," Yuna replied, all too cheerfully. "I don't. I've seen nothing so far that would make me think otherwise. You've just sent nine of the council to their deaths. Do you really think this will work? Do you seriously trust in the strength of these nine so much?" It took him a while to answer.

"I wouldn't have sent them if I didn't think they could accomplish this task."

"This task? The fate of every living creature rests in the hands of the fellowship. You were there, Elrond, you were there when the armies of Middle-Earth battled against the forces of Mordor. You saw what it was like. The Dark Lord has an almost bottomless supply of creatures to hurl at anything that dares to enter Mordor. If it took the armies of Middle-Earth to gain the upper hand, what chance do you suppose a few hobbits, a dwarf, an elf, a wizard and two men have?"

"A small group can make up in stealth what is lacked in strength."

"That's assuming they will not disperse at the first sight of trouble."

"None of them can go farther than they will. If it is their choice to back away from the quest, we cannot interfere."

"If at least five of the company make it past the Andúin, they will have earned my respect."

"Why do you have such little faith in them?" He was almost scolding her.

"You of all people should know." She replied instantly, her voice a little louder than she'd intended. "Isildur had the chance to destroy the ring's evil forever. And it is because of the greed of men that we must pay the price three thousand years later. Men are weak. You said so yourself. We cannot base this quest on the hope that the same thing will not happen again."

"Aragorn is Isildur's heir, not Isildur himself. The mistakes that have been made cannot be undone, but Aragorn is strong enough not to make them again." There was a silence that hung uneasily in the air.

The sentence may have sounded innocent enough to unaware individual, but to her it held a deeper meening that she was certain he knew of. "Don't bring this up now." She said icily, casting her eyes away from his harsh stare.

"This is pointless, Yunalesca. He was just a child. He could not have known what he was doing."

"It's more complicated than that…I don't want to bring this up now. The simple fact is that I don't think this will work, and even if I were to go with them, the outcome would be the same."

"I can see that you are set in your ways." He said as if to end the conversation, but then reconsidered, "What will you do now?" She sighed, having preferred not to branch into that subject.

"Return to Fangorn, I suppose." She answered lazily, knowing that any battle raged would end in her defeat. "I have a feeling the ensuing months won't exactly be …pleasant."

"Then you will be leaving soon?" He phrased it as a question, but knew it was a fact. Raising a slim eyebrow, she responded.

"Yes…I plan to leave in the morning."

"And you will be taking the usual route? Through the mountains and just past Lorien?"

"Yes…Lord Elrond, I mean this in all due respect, but please do not patronise me. If you have something to say, just say it."

"I did not intend to disrespect, and hope I did not offend you by inquiring, but if that is the case, I implore your forgiveness." He said the words, but yet again, they did not sound as they were meant to.

"There is nothing to forgive," She replied rather dully. "And now if you'll excuse me, I have some things I must attend to before my departure. I must thank you for your hospitality and bid you farewell. Though I pray that we will meet again some day." On that note of finality, she made her way to the door in an attempt to leave without anything further being said.

"One last thing," There it was, with one little sentence, any hope of getting out of the situation unscathed was dashed. "I will not ask much, just that you take a thought into consideration."

"Under the circumstances, I suppose it is the least I can do." She practically whispered

"The fellowship are to be travelling the same road as you, perhaps you could…." He heard a soft chuckle from the direction of the door.

"I understand." She turned back round to face him "You want me to tag along with this fellowship of yours. Don't you think that would be a little hypocritical of me? Besides, I was the one who against this in the first place."

"I said nothing of the sort. I didn't ask you to join them on the quest to mount Doom, but if you were to merely…"

"I understand perfectly." She repeated.

"I would consider it a personal favour to me that I would do my best to repay."

"It seems the only way you can get me to agree to things these days is by making them little favours of yours."

"It would only be until your paths divert, of course."

"If I do indeed decide to do this favour of yours, you must bear in mind it will be one of my last in this land." After a long and unmistakably deliberate pause, Elrond spoke in a slow, deep voice.

"You will be sailing to the Grey Havens with us, then?"

"There is nothing for me here. As much as it sickens me to think I would be leaving the world at its darkest hour, I would much less be around for its destruction. It's not as if anyone would miss me."

"And the forest?"

"If the situation was serious enough for the Ents were to go to war, I would not make much of a difference. To tell the truth, as selfish as it may seem, I would rather not be there to see it."

"I see. You are more than welcome to come with us in any case."

"Diola lle. I will think about your proposal. But for now, I bid you farewell."

"Goodbye, Yunalesca. I hope we will meet again before long."

The memories of the long conversation clouded her mind as she dropped to the ground shortly after Aragorn had left. She had meant every word she said, and had no intention of staying in Middle-Earth to see it torn apart. As soon as their paths separated, she would return to her home. Or, at least, she supposed it was her home. She'd lived there most of her ample lifetime, but had never really felt comfortable living among the great creatures. It was time to go, she decided. She'd stay for another few months to see how things turned out, and that would be it. She'd sail to the west, to the Grey Havens, away from the wars and suffering that had engulfed the lands. She tucked a silvery lock of hair behind a delicate ear and began to trace the Ranger's steps.

'Good thing Túlka knows the way home, I doubt I'd have made it this far unnoticed with a great mare beside me.'

She reached the edge of the small wood within a matter of minutes and quickly saw the fellowship less than half an hour away. Scouting out the best and least obvious route with her mind's eye, she began the tedious process of following them once more. Yuna was starting to wish she had just gone home instead of wasting her time on one of Lord Elrond's favours. To tell the truth, she was starting to wish she had never even gone to the council. 'The Ents aren't much concerned with the troubles of Men and the free races, If they don't see the point in going to war, then why should I even care about the outcome?'

'Because'.Her subconscious replied. 'You don't want to see innocent people suffer because of a mistake made thousands of years ago.'

'It's not like I'll make a difference anyway.'

'Anyone can make a difference if they try hard enough.'

'But…'

Fantastic, she thought. I've become a schizophrenic.

It was late afternoon when the Fellowship finally set up camp on a rocky outcrop overlooked by the daunting Misty Mountains. Yunalesca decided it would be a good time to catch up with them enough to hear their plans for the ensuing journey, she knew they were planning to go south past Isengard, but she suspected all would not go to plan. This was confirmed as the Fellowship narrowly avoided discovery by the Crebain that flocked overhead. Much to her dismay, they decided that their route must now go over the Misty Mountains, through the pass of Caradhras.

A.N. Merry Christmas '02!