- - CALINA - -
They filed into the room Strider had rented, cloaks dripping as they plodded in. The room was modest with six Hobbit sized beds, a table and chairs, and a single window that looked out across the street towards the Prancing Pony. The ranger walked across the room and swiftly removed his cloak, draping it over the back of the nearest chair. He then lit the candle that sat on the table before leaning against the wall beside the window.
His blue eyes were fixed with blatant fierceness. He tugged at one of his wrist guards while openly glaring at Calina, "Explain yourself. Now."
"Give us a minute. We want to get out of our cloaks too." She contested, looking back at him sternly. Her fingers made quick work undoing the clasp of her cloak before hanging it on one of the pegs on the wall. The Half-lings mimicked her movements. With their wet garments discarded, the four Hobbits each claimed one of the beds, throwing their things down at the footboards. Merry and Pippin flopped onto their mattresses while Sam pressed his hands against his lower back, stretching as best he could.
Calina walked towards Strider and Frodo followed close behind. She came up to the table and pulled out another chair and sat down, hands folded in her lap. Her eyes locked with the ranger's. The rain knocked loudly against the window. Strider's hand moved to the hilt of his longsword.
"Remove your sword." Frodo commanded, his eyes fierce as he stared unflinchingly at Strider.
His hand remained fixed, "No. She is too dangerous."
"Have you nothing else to say?" Pippin argued from his place on the bed, "She's done nothing but protect us!"
"Others have not been so lucky."
"Those were accidents!" Calina declared, desperation in her voice.
"That only proves my point. You have no control over your powers and because of that, you have injured others. You must face the consequences of your actions."
"Would you still be so bent on revenge if the two people I happened to accidentally hurt weren't so close to you?" She bit back.
He strode around the table and towered above her, "This goes beyond what you did to them! What you did to that vil–"
Calina shot her arm out, daring to prod him in the chest, "We've been over this! You've got the wrong person!"
He snatched her wrist and yanked it away, "I know what it is I saw! You–"
"Enough!" Frodo's outburst immediately silenced their banter. "Strider, at the Inn you said you were under orders. Who sent you?"
It was so quiet for a moment that all anyone could hear was the pitter patter of the rain as it tapped against the roof. Calina took the opportunity to wrench her hand out of Strider's grasp.
"Gandalf. He told me of the Ring and of your companion." His eyes bore into Calina scornfully as she rubbed her wrist, "It is under his orders, and his alone, that keep you safe, Shadow Walker."
"Just what is your problem with her?" Sam demanded brazenly.
"Much."
"Then elaborate." The Hobbit pressed.
Strider's gaze fell on the Shadow Walker, "That is her story to tell, if she'll even tell it."
She glared at him for trying to goad her, "I'll gladly share so long as you promise to listen. No commentary, no opinions. Just listen for once."
Thunder rumbled outside. Strider stepped away and returned to his place against the wall. He folded his arms across his chest, staring at her heatedly in waiting.
"Thank you," Calina said, her voice resuming a normal volume as she began her tale.
Though she had already told much of this story to Frodo and Sam – and she was certain Strider knew much of it as well – Merry and Pippin listened with rapt attention as she explained her arrival in Middle Earth, her upbringing, and various adventures over the years.
"Word my powers spread, and it eventually reached the ears of Kings and Lords. Many of them invited me to their halls. They claimed that they simply wanted to meet me, but that was only a half truth. All they really wanted was to assess whether I was an up and coming threat or not."
"Did you ever go?" Pippin asked, sitting on one of the little beds.
"A handful of times, yes."
"How'd things go?" He continued.
"Good, for the most part." To this comment, Strider snorted. The others looked at him in mute disapproval. "But two instances went horribly wrong." She answered, her words having ended on a deeply remorseful note.
"What happened?" Merry asked gently.
"I'd been summoned to meet Lord Elrond of Rivendell. I told him much of what I'm telling you now, and he came to believe that my magic was part of a curse. So, he offered to remove it. But when he did, my magic attacked him." The ranger shared a look with the Shadow Walker. His eyes were hard. Hers, regretful, "I should have thought it through better. Should have known better. Light and dark magic don't mix. They're repelled by one another. But I was so excited at the prospect of being rid of the magic that I didn't consider the consequences."
She then pulled her shirt down to her collarbone to reveal the disfigured skin that lay beneath. It looked much like the edges of a ragged vermillion star. "This is what happens when you try to force light and dark magic together. And this is the only wound my body hasn't fully healed." She released the cloth and let it settle back into place. "But that's nothing compared to Lord Elrond's injuries. My magic surely must've left scars. I tried to help him. Tried to do something, anything. But he only shouted at me to get out. That there was no helping someone as tainted as me. So I fled. Afterwards, he sent trackers after me to bring me back, so I headed back to Gondor as fast as I could."
"But what good would going to Gondor do?" Sam murmured, now relishing over his fluffy mattress and feather pillow.
She sat a little straighter, "I'm the daughter of Denethor, Steward of Gondor. So long as I am within Gondor's borders, I am safe from Lord Elrond's wrath. He would not risk war between our kingdoms."
The gardener shifted in his bed, "So you just went home?"
"I tried, but a certain ranger and his friend caught up to me before I could get there." All eyes then fell on the man in question, who hadn't moved from his place on the wall.
Her statement clearly implied that whatever remained of the tale was left for the ranger to deliver. So he began, "We were sent to bring her back to Rivendell. But tracking let alone catching the Shadow Walker proved to be difficult." The Hobbits sniggered. Even Calina couldn't cover her grin. "But Elrond told the limits of her power. With this knowledge, we devised a plan. We ran her into a stony field on a cloudless afternoon. There was not a shadow to be found."
"I tried to make a break for the forest, but you were too quick." Calina interjected softly. She shifted her gaze to the floor.
"And then what?" Merry asked, clutching the pillow in his lap.
"We… fought," Strider answered, a new hesitance in his voice.
"During which you ran me through with your sword." Calina filled in despondently.
The Half-lings gaped with slack jaws and wide eyes at the ranger. "You were fighting so fiercely we thought you would've killed us given the chance." Strider tried to defend.
She threw her hands up, words cracking, "I was terrified! The disaster with Lord Elrond happened not even two weeks prior, and then you two show up and corner me where I couldn't escape. As far as I was concerned, he'd sent you to kill me!" Her voice and body crumbled meekly, "I was only defending myself."
There was a rustle of bedsheets as a small voice broke through the air. It was Merry, "What happened after that?"
Strider rubbed the back of his neck, "My friend made a move to heal her, but as it did to Lord Elrond, her magic attacked him."
"I am sorry." Calina exclaimed morosely, eyes threatening to spill anguished tears, "The magic reacted on it's own, I couldn't control–"
"And yet again, that is precisely why you are so feared! You injured two Elves with magic that you have no idea how to properly wield. What would happen should you lose control of it completely? Or worse, what would happen to your foes should you become its master?" Strider took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, "People are afraid of what you could become."
"What about you, Strider? Are you afraid of me like all the others?" Calina looked at the ranger, her eyes requesting nothing more than honesty. The man's eyes shot to one of the dark corners of the room.
He did not reply.
Thunder rumbled again as she let her arms drop onto the table, wrists landing with the sharp 'clack'. "I did not ask to be cursed with this magic." She looked down at her hands, "You know, I didn't know I was immortal until that day either."
To her words, a great deal of eyebrows shot upwards. "What do you mean?" The ranger asked, unable to withhold his curiosity.
"Back then, I didn't know the extent of my healing abilities. I knew my wounds healed rapidly, but I'd never been dealt a lethal blow before. And we both know your aim was true: your sword went straight through my chest. But like all of the other injuries I'd sustained over the years, that wound healed too."
"We thought you'd gone into the forest to succumb to your injury." Strider commented, "You can imagine our surprise when we learned you were alive and well."
"We all were surprised. You thought I was dead. I should have been dead. But I wasn't. I was an immortal who possessed dark and dangerous magic that I couldn't control. In the eyes of most folk, I had officially become something worth being afraid of."
"You are more than just the magic, Calina." Frodo said, still holding her hand. "Don't forget, Gandalf will help you learn to control it next time we see him."
"I'm afraid next time may not be soon enough." The ranger added suddenly.
"What do you mean?" Pippin asked.
"If Gandalf is not already here, he will not be coming. The Wraiths are still out there. We must–" Strider was cut off by the sound of a piercing scream as it cut through the night. Their hair all stood on end. Strider snapped around to look out the window, and Calina rushed beside him to do the same, their discussion suddenly a far less pressing issue. As they gazed outward, they saw five dark riders flooding out from the front door of the Prancing Pony.
Frodo kept a hand on the back of the chair as he spoke, "What are they?"
Strider glanced down at the top of Calina's head before his eyes finally landed on Frodo, "They were once great kings of Men. But Sauron the Deceiver used this to his advantage and gave them nine Rings of Power. But because the will of Man is often easily tempted, one by one, they gave into their greed and fell into darkness. They stand forever between life and death, and are known as Ringwraiths, or Nazgûl. And they are condemned to forever obey Sauron's will. They can forever sense the presence of the Ring, for they are drawn to its power. They will never stop hunting you, Frodo."
"Then we must take it somewhere safe."
"That is why Gandalf sent me to find you." Strider drew away and looked at Calina, "We are to take the Ring to Rivendell."
An outburst of opposition rang from the Half-lings. "We can't go to Rivendell! They'll just lock up Calina!" Pippin cried out.
"Gandalf's reach is long. He told Elrond of her role as your protector. And the safekeeping of the Ring takes precedence over our personal grievances. So consider yourself lucky, Shadow Walker. Your punishment has been put on hold."
"But what happens once we get to Rivendell? Once the Ring's there, what'll stop him from locking her up then?" Sam asked, not at all sold on the idea.
"Lord Elrond is honorable. He will keep to his word." Strider tried to assure them.
Merry snorted, "I find that hard to believe."
The ranger looked legitimately offended, "While our distaste for her runs deep, I am no liar. We will not go back on our word."
"And how do we know that?" Sam added.
"We don't. We'll just have to trust them." Calina's statement caught them all by surprise. She carried on, "Strider, if you're willing to take us to Rivendell, I will follow your lead. I only ask that during our journey you at least look at me with something other than pure loathing."
"I will… try." The man complied begrudgingly.
"It's a start, then." Frodo said before climbing into one of the remaining beds. Merry and Pippin grumbled a bit, but with Calina and Strider having reached an agreement there was nothing left to be said. As the room quieted, the rain could still be heard persistently marching against the roof. It did not take long before the Hobbits were all sound asleep, exhaustion having run them ragged.
"So that's it, then?"
Strider's question earned a curious look from Calina, "What do you mean?" She inquired.
"You're willing to go back to Rivendell. Just like that?"
She shrugged, eyes looking over the Half-lings, "I promised Gandalf that I would keep them safe. And I, like you, have promises that I intend to keep." To this, the ranger said nothing. Instead, he turned his gaze out the window. "You'll take the first watch?" She asked. The side eye and nod he gave were her answer.
"Alright." She rose from the table and over to one of the remaining beds. Though it was fit for a Hobbit, she was small enough to curl up comfortably on the mattress. She removed her sword from her hip and laid it on the floor beside the bed. She settled down and pulled the blanket up to her chin, "I suppose this will be our first trust exercise: I'll sleep and hope you won't try to kill me."
"A lot of good that would do." He muttered.
She laughed good naturedly, "I didn't think you were one to joke, Strider."
"I will wake you in a couple of hours." He said, never breaking from his stare out the window. From outside the rain had begun to lessen and the moon appeared, lighting the room with a soft glow. Calina pulled the blanket up to her chin, and let her eyes fall closed. At last, all was still.