Hidden Secrets

Disclaimer: I only own Aranwen, Beran, Star, and the plot!

Chapter Twenty-two: Fangorn Forest

T.A. 3019

Aranwen froze. The trees. Beran was in the trees. She was not going to be safe if she went in the trees. Aragorn noticed how tense she seemed and then he remembered her earlier comment after a vision. She was badly frightened.

"Avo 'osto, Aranwen," said Aragorn softly.

"Im gosta, ada. Im gosta. Beran…" she replied, her fear showing in her voice and her hand was resting on her stomach.

"Belain na le."

"Ada, if he is in there…"

"We shall be more than a match for him. We will protect you Aranwen," Aragorn insisted.

Aranwen nodded and followed Aragorn inside the forest, despite the dread and fear that she felt. Danger was all around her. Danger was in the forest. She could not escape it. It was hopeless. No matter what, Beran would find her and he would kill her. He would kill everyone with her just to get to her. He would kill her father.

"Hebo estel," Legolas whispered in her ear.

"Hannon le, Legolas," she replied softly with a half smile.

"I wish you all would speak so that we could all understand!" muttered Gimli.

Aranwen smiled. Trust the Dwarf to lighten the mood of even the most depressing place. Even if it was a complaint.

Aragorn was still tracking the Hobbits. He started to run and Aranwen followed on his heels, Legolas and Gimli behind her. Aragorn stopped to examine a rather strange set of tracks. Aranwen had never seen anything like them before.

"Strange, these are," he muttered. "Almost like a tree."

"This forest is old and full of anger," said Legolas, his keen Elven senses picking up on things that others did not.

Aranwen nodded in agreement. She could feel it too, now that she was slightly calmer. But she was still being extra cautious and was listening for the slightest sound. If Beran were here, she was determined to find him before he could find her. She started to step away from the group, while they were distracted.

The trees were making strange sounds that were blocking her senses. Leaving Legolas to explain the trees to Aragorn and Gimli, she slipped deeper into Fangorn Forest, despite her bad feelings. Within a few seconds, she was lost.

"No, this cannot be happening!" she whispered to herself. It was her vision, all over again.

Trees and darkness surrounded her. All the trees looked the same and she could not find her own tracks. They had disappeared in the darkness.

"Wanderer, where are you?" teased Beran's voice the same way it had in her vision.

She unsheathed her dagger with her left hand and gripped it tightly. She kept turning, hoping to keep him from sneaking up behind her. She only managed to make herself dizzy and faint. She leaned against a tree, trying to keep herself from vomiting. She tried to relax and she did. At the same time, she felt breath against the back of her neck and froze in horror.

Beran was behind her.

"Hello, my love. Did you think that you could hide from me?" he said.

"What are you doing here?" she asked coldly.

"Keeping an eye on you and keeping you from harm. I do not trust this group that you are traveling with. I especially do not trust that Ranger. I believe he cares for you."

"He does care for me, but in a different way than you ever did!" she spat.

"Calm down, my love."

"Stop calling me that!" she hissed, spinning around to face him. "You lost that right when you executed the camp."

"I killed them for you. I did it to keep you safe. Walker was going to hand you over to the Gondorians. I heard him planning and plotting. Did you not ever wonder why we were heading south?"

"No," she said. Some of what Beran was saying actually made sense. Could he be telling the truth? Was Beran even capable of telling the truth?

Distantly, she heard Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli calling her name. They had noticed that she was missing. If she could warn them, they could kill Beran. But could she do that?

"Gwanno ereb nin! Daro i! Labo vi Orodruin!" she yelled loudly and struggled to free herself from Beran's grip.

"Le melon, Aranwen," said Beran sweetly and Aranwen paused.

"Heniach nin? Pedich Edhellen?" she questioned.

"Tancave," he replied with a sly smile.

"Nai Valaraukar tye-matar!"

"How harsh, Aranwen. I tell you that I love you and tell me that you want Balrogs to eat me. I'm deeply hurt."

"Tevenyel, Beran," she hissed.

"That hurt even more," he said and he tightened his grip on her arms.

"Ai!" she cried as he twisted her injured arm.

"How's that feel, melon nin?" he growled. "That's what it felt like when you left me."

He twisted her arm again and she cried out once more.

"Only it hurt me much worse."

"Please, Beran!" she begged. "Daro i! Im harnannen!"

"If you had stayed with me, you would not be hurt! If you have stayed with me, you would have been safe!" he yelled and twisted her arm more.

She screamed loudly in pain before yelling, "Estel! Estel! Estel! Estel! Estel!"

She yelled until Beran clamped his hand over her mouth, muffling what she said. If only he had not knocked her dagger from her hand. She wanted terribly to kill him on the spot. Slowly and painfully.

"This is how you repay me, Wanderer? By screaming for someone else? Maybe I should kill this 'Estel'. You aren't crying out 'hope' are you?"

Aranwen struggled and managed to slip her left arm past the Ring of Barahir and to her quiver. Her right arm was still pinned behind her back and Beran still covered her mouth. She took an arrow from her quiver and stabbed Beran in the arm. He cried out in pain and dropped her on the ground, were she retrieved her dagger and kicked Beran in the knee, causing him to fall to the ground as well, where Aranwen lightly dragged her dagger across his throat, leaving a thin red line behind, like the one she bore upon her own throat.

"Come near me again, and I will kill you," she hissed and jabbed her dagger into his stomach and viciously twisted it before pulling it out.

She went to stab him again but a flash of light blinded her and she fell backwards and hit her head.

Author's Notes:

Despite what she said, Aranwen would have killed him. Oh, and Beran did not know Elvish before, which is why when he attacked her in Rivendell, he did not know what she had said to Elladan and Elrohir. Just recently, Saruman taught him Elvish. Aranwen just does not know who taught him yet. Aranwen would have given Beran a chance had he let her go and not harmed her. Now she's determined to kill him. Sorry about all the Elvish, I went a little overboard this chapter! Look for the next chapter tomorrow!

Elvish translations:

Avo 'osto, Aranwen. – Fear not, Aranwen.

Im gosta, ada. Im gosta. – I'm afraid, father. I'm afraid.

Belain na le. – The Valar be with you.

Hebo estel. – Have hope.

Hannon le, Legolas. – Thank you, Legolas.

Gwanno ereb nin! – Leave me alone!

Daro i! – Stop it!

Labo vi Orodruin! – Go jump in Mount Doom!

Le melon, Aranwen. – I love you, Aranwen.

Heniach nin? – Do you understand me?

Pedich Edhellen? – Do you speak Elvish?

Tancave. – Yes.

Nai Valaraukar tye-matar! – May Balrogs eat you!

Tevenyel, Beran. – I hate you, Beran.

Ai! – Ah!

Melon nin. – My love.

Im harnannen! – I'm wounded!

Reviewers!

ArwenFairTinuviel – Thanks! Now that I'm home, I'm going to try and post every day. I hope you like this chapter: )

Fae Black – You are right, it could have been better. Hopefully, this chapter is better. Thanks for pointing that out: )

Jedi Padfoot – Thank you so much! I'm so pleased that you think I'm a great writer! I'm looking forward to Helm's Deep myself and I think it will be interesting to say the least: )

IwishChan – I'm not sure either, but thanks for pointing it out all the same. : )

YoginiGal – I think I did spell it Uruk-hai at some point, but when I changed it in my dictionary, I think I spelled it wrong. Sorry about that! Spying is fun, and I'll try to include some more of it at some point: )