Haldir was horrified. In all his years of service to the Golden Wood, he had never failed in so spectacular a manner in so simple a task.
One young maiden... keep watch over one young maiden... that was all that I was tasked to do...
He had failed.
Utterly and completely failed.
He had gone to collect Cassidy for an evening meal and she was gone. A note was left for him on her desk claiming that she wished to see more of Middle Earth and that she wished to do so alone. He scoured the woods for hours, recruiting as many Galadrihm as he could spare in the search. Yet, it was fruitless. Somehow the young witch managed to evade all their centuries, lookouts, and searchers.
As he approached the doorway to Lady Galadriel's receiving room, he suppressed the urge to quake. He would now have to report to his Lady that he failed in the task assigned to him. He breathed deeply, but as usual, Lady Galadriel bid for him to enter before he had a chance to even knock.
He walked in stiffly, gaze averted before he fell to his knees.
"My Lady Galadriel, Lord Celeborn... I am sorry, but I have failed-"
"At ease, Marchwarden," Lady Galadriel's voice was light in his mind.
"You have not failed up Haldir," Lord Celeborn spoke firmly and Haldir raised his head in shock.
As he stood, he noticed Arwen in the corner and flushed lightly as he remembered how he was once assigned as her bodyguard, only for her to make a habit of ditching him at every turn. However, with Lady Arwen she was never lost for more than an hour. Cassidy Oleander was certainly gone.
"You were assigned to be her guide, Haldir," Lady Galadriel spoke soothingly. "Not her jailor. You could no more hold her hostage than the wind... "
"Nevertheless, I apologize for-"
"You have nothing to apologize for... your task was never meant to keep her here, merely to guide her through her time in our woods."
"I also, did not help in keeping her here," Lady Arwen spoke with a sly grin, so much like her Grandmother's. "I think that Eru however, will guide her back to these woods."
Haldir nodded and upon being dismissed, walked slowly back to his flet. It seemed strangely empty with neither his brothers nor Cassidy chattering through supper. Haldir was then hit by a rather unpleasant realization... he was going to have to tell Rumil that she was gone...
"I could pose the same question about a muggle," Cassidy replied bluntly. "But, I'll admit that I'm more curious as to what those creatures are? Did you wander into their territory?"
"Muggle?"
"A person with no magic," she waved the question away lightly. "What were those creatures?"
"They are orc... spawns of the evil of Mordor and Sauron."
"Sauron... that's the 'dark lord' one that everyone's talking about... I suppose that makes those uglier Death Eaters..." she mumbled the last part to herself. "Oh, wait! Did he create this race? Are they inherently evil or just considered so by the average person?"
"As spawns of darkness, they are, at their core, dark. Now," Strider seemed a bit put off by her enthusiastic questioning. "I have seen a great many tricks in this world, but few poses such powers as yours. Who are you?"
"Perhaps I should ask who you are... you claim to know Gandalf and yet that in itself doesn't make you trustworthy. Especially when I gave you my name and you have yet to give me yours."
"I already-"
"Strider isn't a name. I may be unfamiliar with much in this world, but I know a fake name when I see one."
The expression on the man's face fluttered between a myriad of emotions. Cassidy saw a frown, morph into shock, morph into annoyance, and eventually morph into something she found as lying between amusement and a mildly impressed expression. She smirked in satisfaction. Although the elves of Lothlorien were led partially by Lady Galadriel, she assumed from the vaguely Medieval European-esque vibe of Middle Earth that women were probably not offered incredible freedom among the race of men. Perhaps due to her magic, or perhaps due to luck, this man in particular seemed to not be too put off by her biting words.
"I suppose that you're correct. I am Aragorn," he tilted is head and switched languages. "I am a friend of the elves, and your horse is an elvish steed."
"Am I to assume that they don't share their language often?" she responded in the same language. "What if proof that you are who you claim to be?"
"You speak the Gray Tongue very well," as he spoke, he reached into his bag and pulled forth a leaf wrapped pouch which he unwrapped to show Cassidy. "Lembas... the Eldar do not trade with those who they lack trust in. Have you proof that you are indeed a friend?"
Cassidy reached into her tunic and pulled forth the necklace bearing the pendant given to her. The green of the leaf sparkled in the firelight as the pendant shimmered gracefully in her hand.
"A Leaf of Lothlorien? Who gave you such a thing?"
"The Lady Arwen, she said that all who saw it would know me to be a friend."
The man- Aragorn, broke out into a broad grin.
"Well, any friend of the Lady Arwen is a friend of mine indeed. You must have made quite the impression on her, my Lady Cassidy."
"She's a friend of yours?"
"Yes... very much so."
They lapsed into silence after that. Although Cassidy dearly wished to ask more questions, she got the sense that this was a man who was more comfortable in silence. She allowed the sounds of the night to fill the air, watching as the fire's flames climbed higher and higher. There was an unspoken tension in the air abruptly broken when the sack that Aragorn had placed down earlier gave a rather undignified shout.
In an instant Cassidy had her wand drawn, alarm bells ringing in her mind.
"What is that?!" her wand hovered precisely between Aragorn and the sack. Years of training, of caution, kicked into high gear as this man... with only vague proof to friendliness now appeared to have someone- or something kicking about and shouting some rather undignified comments.
"It is nothing you need to concern yourself with," Aragorn attempted to act casual, but Cassidy did not miss his hand straying closer to his sword.
Cassidy was painfully torn. On one hand, she knew absolutely nothing about the being in the sack and for all she knew, it could be some vicious creature that this man was kindly containing. On the other, it could be that this man was but a wolf in sheep's clothes and he had deceived her the entire night. She did not know enough about either party... about the world that she stood in to pass judgment. So... what was she to do?
"I think that it is my concern," she hissed. "Who- what do you have in there?"
"An errand that I am running for Gandalf. That is all you need to know."
"And so I am supposed to trust you on that alone?"
"You claim to know him."
"I've met him... that certainly doesn't mean that I trust him."
Aragorn frowned. He tilted his head in curiosity and seemed to be appraising Cassidy. His eyes roamed up and down her form, watching her with care.
"You are... an agent of the Valar though?"
"A what?"
"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. I was raised in the house of Lord Elrond... I know of the Valar."
"Ya... that doesn't help."
Somehow, it seemed that the further they conversed, the less they understood each other. It became quite clear to Cassidy that they were having two entirely different conversations... and that he severely overestimated her knowledge and involvement in Middle Earth. Part of her was loath to admit such a thing as it would clearly be a strategical disadvantage... but something in her wanted to trust this man. She wasn't sure what compelled her to honesty, but there was something about that look of honor and integrity in his eyes. He carried himself like a man who held respect that was well earned and not granted lightly. Plus, he was a friend of Lady Arwen who was Lady Galadriel's granddaughter... that meant that he would likely find out eventually. She took a deep breath and launched into an explanation.
"My name is Cassidy Oleander... yes I am a witch... but I'm not the type you might know," she hesitated a moment, wondering if she was doing right by explaining this mess to the man. In the end however, she figured that she could always obliviate him if things went really wrong. "I'm not from... well I'm not from this world. I don't know quite how I got here... but I'm from an entirely different world far into the future where there are many witches and wizards."
"So you aren't Valar sent?"
"I don't know what Valar are."
"Ah," he responded before pulling a pipe out of his traveling pouch, lighting it, and smoking several long drags. Cassidy watched this with some level of amusement as she realized that some things about different worlds never changed. She still did watch him with a certain measure of care however, for she had not forgotten about the rather angry sack. "I think," he spoke with a tone more grave and serious than before, "that in such a case as this, I must ask you; what master do you serve?"
"Master? What- you're asking... master?" A realization suddenly hit and Cassidy resisted the urge to slap her forehead. "You're wondering if I'm a servant of this 'Sauron' fella huh?"
"Creatures of magic are Valar sent. Some follow the light of Eru, others fall to Morgoth. Which do you serve?"
"Buddy... I don't serve anyone. Like I said... I've been in this world for a few weeks. Where I'm from there are plenty of other witches and wizards and yes... we've got a 'Dark Lord' problem as well... but that guy is an overpowered wizard, not a... god? I think as you imply."
"I you hold no allegiances and you've met Gandalf, then I'd assume..."
"Ya. He tried to recruit me."
"And?"
"I declined. I've fought enough, I've had enough of wars and dark lords and prophesies. I just want to be left alone."
"I see," Aragorn's hand lowered from his sword, but Cassidy kept her wand aloft.
"Now... why don't you tell me what you've got in that bag."
Aragorn eyes her suspiciously, but relented and untied the sack, reaching in and pulling out a creature bound with silvery rope. The pitiful looking thing was stranded and gaunt. It was thinner than a thestral and had bones so prominent that they appeared sharp. At the same time, the state of his skin and massively sunken eyes indicated that he had been in such a state for a rather long time. And, despite the nasty expression on its face, it looked positively pitiful. In fact, if it weren't for the lack of ears, she would've easily mistaken the creature for one of the less cared for house elves of certain "Noble" wizarding families.
"Well, hello there," she spoke gently to the creature. "Who are you?"
"We are Gollum... we wants out of nasty ropes!"
"This is your errand?!" she glared at Aragorn with anger in her eyes.
Cassidy had always been fond of magical creatures, she found them so much more enjoyable company than wizards half the time. Seeing this creature, trussed up in such a way and in such a pitiful state broke her heart. The man however, seemed unaffected by the creature's pleas. He merely rolled his eyes and stuffed it back in the sack as it spout out a round of phrases that Cassidy could only assume to be curses of some sort.
"He is no innocent creature," Aragorn spoke firmly. "He is a murderer and likely sent doom upon some of the most peaceful creatures to ever live. He has been corrupted by an evil unlike any other and I am taking him to Mirkwood where the wood elves will do what they can to heal him."
"Interesting way to transport a patient."
"Do you know of a better one? I am traveling alone and I would prefer that he is not noticed."
Cassidy pondered on his words for a while before slowly lowering her wand. The man still seemed truthful and honest. Plus, she could sense something off about the creature, there was an essence around it. The feeling reminded Cassidy of the way she felt whenever she was around a Death Eater, she swore that she could feel their Dark Mark... that the evil magic used to create it left a permanent stain upon their magic. She could feel something similar in this Gollum.
She sat and Aragorn seemed to take such as an indication that their disagreement was over. He took another long drag of his pipe and eased back against the tree stump that he was sitting against. For a while he sat there, almost completely still as he gazed upwards towards the stars. Cassidy could see the way his lips moved slightly as they traced across the sky... the way that she would sometimes sit in the astronomy tower to count the stars and name the constellations. He seemed so at ease out there by the fire, so peaceful.
Eventually, the rabbit finished cooking and they split it, Cassidy taking the smaller part despite Aragorn's attempts to protest. He did relent when Cassidy made the point that he was twice her size and thus needed far more food than she. Plus, she still had a few loaves of Lembas from Lothlorien. As they shared their meal they fell into conversation once more. This time though, it was far easier as words flowed more freely from their lips. Cassidy had deemed Aragorn as at least mildly trustworthy whilst Aragorn seemed to hold about the same amount of trust for Cassidy.
Aragorn was however filled with stories. There was very little that Cassidy loved more than a good story. He spoke at great length, telling stories of elves and the Valar who he assumed her to be from. He then explained the Maiar and she admitted that no, she was not of their race either. The knowledge that she was gaining from Aragorn however fascinated her. In turn, she told him stories of her world- of a world within a world, filled with magic and wonder. Apparently, magic was known in Middle Earth, but very seldomly practiced. Very few were gifted with such and the wizards of the Maiar were the most common... even then they were very very few. He also told her more tales of the elves, of Gandalf, and explained the important parts of the war.
Cassidy wasn't entirely convinced, but the evidence of the earlier "orc" attack seemed to corroborate his stories. In a way, she found it amusing that the dark lord of this world chose to create servants in such a manner. She supposed that it made sense and was more efficient in a less advanced world than her own. Voldemort did recruit creatures, but more so he relied on evil witches and wizards... something that Cassidy still somehow found more appalling than the orcs. Perhaps it was because one couldn't quite blame an orc for being evil if it was created only for such purpose. But... a witch or wizard who chooses to serve a dark lord walked willingly into the veil of evil. There were no excuses.
"Do you travel alone?" Aragorn asked, suddenly interrupting her pondering on orcs and Death Eaters.
"Just me and Gwedal," she replied.
"Would you care to join me until we reach Mirkwood? You can resupply there and get a chance to see the Woodland Realm. Very few outsiders are allowed in during these dark times."
Cassidy hesitated- she had intended to travel Middle Earth alone and stay uninvolved. From the way that Aragorn described the wood elves however, despite being isolationists they seemed smack in the middle of the war. She heavily suspected that his invitation was part of a ploy to recruit her... but at the same time she was running a bit low on lembas and wasn't really comfortable enough with the local customs to venture into a village in an attempt to purchase more food. Plus... he did say that Mirkwood rarely allowed visitors... this could be a once in a lifetime chance to see a hidden kingdom.
What harm can it do?
"I think that I'll take you up on that," she smiled lightly.
"Good!" his lips too curled to a smile as he sat back on his stool, one hand half rested on his blade. "I'll take first watch then."
Cassidy chuckled a bit, setting up her bedroll close to the fire. She though about letting him stay up half the night, but then decided that it would save both of them a lot of time if she just explained her magic to him early. Thus, she informed him that it wouldn't be necessary before casting a protego charm around the camp site. She had to allow him out of the bubble, re-cast the charm, and watch him strike at the shield before he deemed it acceptable and relented to both of them sleeping. The horses they brought within the bounds of the charm as well before curling up in their bedrolls to sleep.
They had a long few days of traveling ahead.