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Author's Notes:

There is rather graphic violence in this and there will be in a lot of the later chapters, this is just a warning to those who don't like any graphic stuff.
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Chapter 3

Naru sat bolt upright, her sword yanked out of its sheath in the process. Sweat poured over her body and a feeling of unbearable disgust washed through her. Dropping her weapon, Naru werstled with her bed clothes and stumbled away. Hitting her knees after tripping over her extinct fire naru emtied her belly of what seemed like every meal she had ever eaten. As she retched she could feel Hitherd's hands on her and she shivered.

Panting, Naru looked up at the horizen. stained orange and red, with what seemd like the blood that owuld be spilt this day.

The sooner Branyon died the sooner Naru mgiht get used to her new life as a King's bandit cather and not the indulged daughter of one.

The new day dawned on Gondor with a light breeze and the sound of small birds twirping merily in the teilight air of that time just after dawn, but before the day actualy begins. Naru hid the remains of her night camping and whistled to the air. Her loud clear note rang for a moment before Grem, Naru's horse whose name ment blue, came over the rise at a lazy canter.

He nickered slightly as Naru held out a hand and waited for Grem to come forward. He burried his soft nose in her palm and stood placidly as she saddled him up. "Tav'du namdu, mao." Naru spoke to him in the tongue of her ancestors. Hold it still, boy.

Naru secured the girth in her high backed saddle and watched as he sucked in air, making his belly bigger.

"Ah, te mogha, mao." She told him. You naughty boy. Naru hit with the side of her fist in Grem's belly and he snuffed about it but let the air out. Slipping on the bridle over his head, Naru buckled it on and went to get her bags.

She picked up the two sets od saddle bags but stopped when she heard a rustle of cloth and watched a bag fall. It was the bag the king had given her yesterday, the one where she'd put his pendant, with the ring and the cloth with the white tree of Gondor in it. Naru thought, I wonder...

Letting the saddle bags drop to the ground Naru crouched down and picked up the bag. Sitting back on her heals, Naru slowly drew it open. She reached in her hand and drew it out when her hand encountered cold metal. Watchiong her hand, Naru watched a silver chain slither out of the bag like liquid silver, the pendant falling out to spin gently. Slowly so as not to hurt the jewel, Naru lifted it so that she held up to leval with her eyes. it caught the week light and sent it back out ten fold so that it seemed to glow. It semed to be spun out of opaque glass, in a form that one might expect to find on an elven maiden, though blurry and unclear. It was slightly warm against the cold silver chain, but seemed to exude hope for that fact. That hit something in Naru and she slowly reverently drew it over her head in one move she had it against the brest, stading out vividly against her dark clothing.

Reaching back down, Naru left the cloth with the white tree in the bag and drew out the ring. It was plain, wraped in a sheer hand kerchief. It was a dill tarnished silver the band a few sizes too big for Naru's own finger. The stone set in it was only semi-precious at best, looking black until it caught a bit of light, giving it a deep green-ish sheen. It was a plain, but pretty ring, well forged, made to last long, not for fashion.

Setting that back in it's wrappings, Naru took out the cloth and unfolded it. it was cream with a stunning white tree embroidered on it. it seemed to shine in the morning klight and there appeared to be glittering white rocks in the branches. it was the symbol of Gondor. Looking closer, Naru noticed that it was very well made, the stitches barely visible to the naked eye. Sighing. Naru replaced the two articles. She doubted she would need them, but she had them if she did.

Picking the bag up, anru tucke dit firmly into the saddle bag that layed closest to her hand on Grem's back.

She walked over and setlerd them on her horeded back and mounted up to go do her dirty duty.

With a muttered oath, Naru shifted int he brush where she was hiding and watched the three men dismount and unload their horses. Branyon was easy to spot, with his pronounced limp and his patched eye. But he was constantly in the company of two dim looking men, that looked to have more muscle than was possible for their brains to rule. they would be easy to take down with a bow. But you had to be in the possession of a bow to use one. Naru didn't have a bow but she had knives. Twealve of them to be exact. She could take the one posted in gaurd, but it wouldn't be long before the other bag of muscle and hair discovered the body of his comrade. But nither could Naru just walk up to Branyon and inform him that she was going to kill him, and ask him if he would mind holding still.

This was wghat was going to get in this new job of hers. Situations like these.

She made a light frustrated sound as in the next few minutes either ine of the two lugs left Branyon's sight. But then Branyon yelled to one of them andd he slowly trudged into the woods to fetch some water. Now was oppertune for Naru to strike. Setting her feet, she rose until she was in a very crouched, uncomfertable crouch and removed one if the trowing knives in her boot. and loosened her sword in its sheath so that it would be easy to draw once she threw the kinfe. Care fully she extended her right leg anf arced her arm back. She waited for what seemed like hours as The Oaf moved in and out of her aim. Slowly he came back into her range and Naru tensed up.This was only the second time in her eighteen years that she had wealded a weapon with the intent to harm. The first had been when her life had ben threatened by Hitherd, as she had watched those around her die; her loved ones. With every muscle in her arm taught Naru watched as she stretched her

arm back and took careful aim, she moved her arm forward with impressive speed and released the knife. A sound like of a dying animal sounded and Naru quickly drew out her other kinfe in her right boot and took aim again. She threw it when The Oaf turned around and he met the knife again. This one burried in his throat, the first one in his back.

Seeing what had happened, Branyon screamed and hobled to his feet as Naru sprang fro her hiding place, drawing her swarod as she went. She faught down disgust over her killing The Oaf, and charged the fumbling man. He was a pitiful wreck, his clothes filthy his hair greesy nad repulsive. Their was a faint oder about him and you could tell that he had been skipping a few meals lately. There was also an sir about him like that of a cornerd animal, a panic in his eyes that of a man in his last days and aware if that fact. For a moment, Naru felt a stir of pity for this pathetic creature and Branyon sensed that. He sprung up and nearly skewered her on his blade. But she hardened and thought of those four women left alive to tell of his crmes. Beaten and raped with nothing left to live for.

She braught her sword up and he countered it barely and Naru acted on her instincts and took her advantage.

She neatly severed the muscles in the back of his knee and has he fell to the ground she ripped her sword across his jugular. Blood sprayed up anf soaked her chest and face and hair. Blood squirted fot a moment more before Branyon was dead.

She heard a noise behind her and the second oaf came thundering through the woods and into the clearing. He carried a half-full bucket and stared wildly at his dead twin like man and at Branyon and At the savage, blood covered girl and his eyes widened. Naru turned to face him and she stared at him an he stared at her blinking at her dully.

"If you leave you will leave with your life." Her chest was heaving and she would rather not have any witnesses to what she was about to do. Steam rose from the body of Branyon anf Her blade in the brisk air and after a moment the second oaf fled into the woods.

Maoning, Naru dropped to her knees as violent spasms racked her body shaking her from top to toe. She had eaten nothing, so nothing came of her heaves but she felt as if this wouldn't be the last time she suffered from when she killed. She was not a natureally merduring person. as she was on the ground tender scars stretched and Naru was reminded of Hitherd. That glint that came into his eye whenever he killed someone.

No, she told herself firmly. You are not like him. Never like him.

Getting up slowly Naru looked at the dead man beofre her and drew out a third knife. She bent down and finish cutting the man's head from his shoulders. she then burried the Oaf, having trouble moving the man's body and went to her tethered horse to get the supplies she needed. taking out some hide and hardy ink, she wrote onto a pice of paper: Here is Branyon, Bain's son, Traitor to Elessar, King of Gondor. She went to the bottom of the page and scrawled: Naru Hunter, and scratched a triangle that resembled a fang of perhaps a wolf or a large dog.

She tacked this to a tree and impersonally rolled Brayons body under it. She then went to look for a long pointed stick to set Branyons head on. Finding one she went and fixed it in the ground and set Branyons severed head upon it. She kept herself almost in a little room in her mind, not actually acknowledgeing what she was doing. That kept her sfae from any guilt over what she had to do.

Finished she stepped back and looked att he display. The notice on the tree was signed with her name, giving way to the fact that she was the maker of this savage display of royal supremecy. This would serve as an example to all who saw as to how the crown of Gondor now delt with traitors. A warning to those that had thought of balking at Aragorns rule not to. Naru hoped with all she was that it worked and that balking at Aragorns right to rule would soon stop, saving her from more of these disgusting actions.

As Naru watched the first Flies arrive she turned on her heal and left the scene to find somewhere to wash off the blood, now dried, that caked her clothes and face. I imagine I'd frighten small children, she thought as she left.