All Disclaimers are located on the 1st and 4th chapter of the story.
Please Read, Review and I hope you are enjoying the story so far.
Draco remained silent as she let the boys do all the talking and tuned them out for the most part. Her eyes were scanning the room for all the fastest escape routes if things go bad. The being who she had startled earlier was watching them once more and was really watching her more intently than the others. Maybe because she wasn't a hobbit since she had shoes on compaired to that of her companions.
"Yes, my kind sir, we were hoping for a meal and some ale. Maybe even a room for the night for the five of us." Merry said to the owner.
"And some hot tea as well." Sam added as almost elbowing Merry in the chest for suggesting ale when they obviously had a child with them.
"And the name this party of five will be under?" The owner asked.
"Underhill." Frodo said quickly.
"Very well...Mr. Underhill and guests...go find a table. It will take an hour or so to get your rooms ready." The owner said.
The group of five headed over to a table. Draco hated the fact they chose a bloody table almost in the center of the damn pub, however she had no say in matter. She watched how people were drinking, laughing, talking loudly, some trying to get some of the ladies that were serving drinks to all the men to hang out with them. Some people were even smoking. A lady brought out five hot meals, as well as their drinks. Draco stared at the ale in front of her. One sip wouldn't hurt, right?
She slowly reached out for it only to frown as Sam snatched the ale away from her rather quickly. "You're too young for this." Sam said quietly to her so no one would over hear them talking before he placed the full ale onto another table where someone more than happily drank it.
I am of age, damn it! Draco's mind screamed as she glared at Sam bitterly. He could have at least allowed me to taste it, before giving it away to someone!
"Sure you're old enough to drink, in your world maybe but here...not a chance, kid. Besides human made ale is gross, so you didn't miss much. Ale made by dwarves is slightly better but still gross...wine is so much better. Especially Elven wine. Oh valar...how tha stuff is so good...Damn it, I want some elven wine now!" The voice in her head whined loudly.
Just like how I want to be back to normal...it's not happening any time soon. So do you want some cheese or something with that whine of yours? Draco bitterly thought back.
"Touchy." The voice sneered at her.
"Draco, you should eat..." Frodo said softly as he turned to face the youngest member of the group.
"Not hungry." Draco said under her breath.
"More for us than." Merry and Pippin said as they took her plate to add her food onto their own. Sam than scolded the two but Draco tuned the four hobbits out. Her eyes were scanning the pub for this Strider person that they were suppose to meet. Maybe they should have asked the inn keeper if a mister Strider was here. Her eyes soon landed on the same stranger who she had startled earlier. He was watching them intently again, he must have caught her stare because he did a motion with his hand for her to come closer to him. She only glared at him and turned away once more. There was no way that guy was Strider, right?
Merry soon left the table to get another thing of ale. Draco soon reached out for a cup of tea and carefully took a sip of the hot beverage. Almost insteantly she made a disquested face and nearly gagged on the stuff. That's not tea! What the hell did I just swallow?! Her mind screamed as she gagged softly and pushed the cup of tea away quickly. The voice in her head was laughing uncontrollably at her reaction.
"I should have known the tea, would have been way too strong for you." Sam said sighing.
"That's not tea. Trust me, that's not tea." Draco said under her breath but it went unheard.
Merry soon came back with huge glass of ale. "What is that?" Pippin asked as he stared at the huge mug of ale that Merry came back over with.
"They call it a pint." Merry said grinning.
"I want one." Pippin said as he stood up to go help himself to one of those as well.
Draco could only stare at the mug like it grew eyeballs and fangs or something along those lines. If that thing was a pint as Merry claimed it was, she really hated to see what a gallon was like. Frodo was looking at the ring in his hand even though it hung on a chain, and he seemed troubled by it. "You really shouldn't have that thing out and about like that." Draco said softly to him in warning.
"It'll be fine, Draco. Besides I was looking at it." Frodo said softly as he put it away. Draco looked unconvinced but said nothing more on the subject. At least for now anyways.
"Where the hell is this strider guy? He was suppose to meet us here, right?" Draco questioned bitterly.
"Draco, we will find Strider eventually. Just be paitent." Frodo said softly making her glare at him as her eyes flashed to their reptilian appearance briefly.
"Okay..what about the old man?" Draco growled a bit.
"You mean Gandalf?" Frodo asked her.
"How many other old men do I know let alone call by that name?" Draco questioned him bitterly.
"He will arrive soon...I'm sure of it. Besides he has other things that demand his attention as well as Draco. He might be a wizard...but no one can be in two places at once, even with magic." Frodo said.
"I call bullshit on that...just try exsplaining that to the characters in the anime series Naruto or try exsplaining the use of a time turner in Harry Potter than." Draco grumbled bitterly under her breath which went unheard due to the fact some drunk busted out laughing extremely loudly near them at that very moment. Frodo shook his head, he knew Draco had said something to him but judging from her bitter exspression, he believed he was better off not knowing what she had just said.
"By the way, where is Pippin?"Frodo asked.
"Uh Frodo...I think we got a problem." Draco said softly as she pointed near the bar making Frodo turn to looked over at Pippin, who was bit tipsy at this point. He stood at the bar happily talking to everyone around him. He also had a big mouth on him, because they could hear exactly what he was saying as well as half the entire pub.
"That's my friend Frodo Baggi-" Pippin started as Frodo's eyes widen in horror as he shot up from his seat as he ran towards Pippin to get him to shut up. Draco turned swiftly to see one of the serving ladies walking by her. Her dress was longer than it should have been. Without warning, hesitation and without really thinking her plan through. She quickly slammed her foot down onto the hem of the woman's dress while she was walking. A silent apology was somewhere in the very far back of Draco's panic mind, while she was hoping to cause one hell of a disturbance or a distraction so no one would over hear the loud mouth hobbit.
A loud ripping sound was heard as the woman's dress fell open, exsposing her bare upper body and undergarments. This insteantly caused the woman to scream loudly as she tried to cover her bare chest. The loud wolf whstles and some very lewed remarks were heard loudly and almost insteantly everything went to hell. This event had seemed to drown out what Pippin was saying but the damage had already been done to some degree. For you see Pippin had already revealed Frodo's name.
Frodo than suddenly fell backwards when one of the drunks went to go see the half naked woman a bit closer and had suddenly bumped into him without caring to see of the hobbit was okay or not. The woman was already fleeing the pub in sheer embarrassment. Draco would most likely feel guilty and even bad about what she had done later. Right now however all she could do was stare in complete horror as Frodo hit the floor as the one ring flew up into the air. The ring had caught the attention of a few people as they stared at it.
Her face paled dramatically at the thought Frodo could loose the ring because of her. "Not the smartest idea in the world, kid! Now don't stand there, go after that bloody gold ring! Also we are so killing the loud mouth hobbit, if we survive this mess! Now go after it, before some drunk catches it and takes off with it." The voice screamed at her in pure annoyance. Frodo reached out for the ring insteantly, only for the ring to land on his finger making him vanish into thin air infront of the entire pub. The man who been watching the group intently seemed to almost spring up from his seat in alarm. Draco moved swiftly foreward as she eased herself in and out of the crowd as she followed the sensation that was most likely Frodo in invisibility again as he moved.
Why the hell did I make the wish to be here of all places? I think I would have had more fun in the wizarding world or something at this rate. Least I could have borrowed Harry's invisibility cloak or something. Draco thought bittery as she went after Frodo. Some people at the pub had seen Frodo vanished and began yelling that the hobbits might be carrying magically items on them. This caused everyone in the place to make a mad dash for the hobbits.
A huge bar fight broke out after that. How that started might have been because one of the drunks sort grabbed Draco, as he yanked her off the ground. With a loud snarl she twisted in his grasp as she deck the person in the face with enough force were he dropped her as he began to fall back wards. The man than grabbed some lady's dress in an attempt to keep himself from hitting the floor backwards and had ripped the front of the lady's dress which exsploded her breasts making her yell in horror and anger. While causing the woman's husband to go a tiny bit homicidal as he proceded in beating the crap out of the poor guy. Draco ignored the situation as she somehow landed on her feet as she continued following Frodo without really loosing sight of him. Which things just sort of spiraled out of control after that point in time. Draco was fast on her feet as she weaved in and out of the crowd of people and away from anymore grabbing hands that tried to catch her.
Draco's eyes narrowed as she saw the hooded figure grab Frodo, when Frodo had made himself visable once more. On the other side of the room the stranger pulled him up the stairs. Pushing her body to move faster, she dashed up the stairs and somehow managed to slide into the room without being noticed by the stranger or even by Frodo. She hid in the shadows waiting to strike like snake if needed. She pulled out her knife as the being spoke to Frodo. She felt her a burning ache in her jaws but ignored it besides feeling like something was shifting a bit under her skin slightly. They were strange sensations that she never really felt before and they were a bit painful to say the least.
"That was rather foolish...of your friend to speak out your name. You carry a dangerous trinket with you my friend...and I know what is hunting you." The being said in a low hiss.
"I do not know what your talking about." Frodo said taking a step back from the stranger. Draco move at the same time as the stranger did as well as Frodo as to not alert anyone of her presence in the room. How the hell she was not noticed when she slipped into the room she didn't know and wasn't really going to
"The one ring. Gandalf informed me about you." The stranger said calmly. The door than swung opened as the other three hobbits ran into the room. Their clothes were a bit torn and they had kitchen items in their hands to use as weapons. The stranger than revealed his sword on his hip, making the hobbits pale since this person who was obviously a warrior of some kind. Draco stayed deadly still and deadly silent as she watched as well as listened to the person who introduced himself as Strider to the hobbits and even revealed his appearance to them. However she silently picked up a chair as she moved at the same time as the hobits would fidget a bit or would move at the same time strider did as she placed the chair down silently behind him so she could stand on it. However due to how tall this stranger was she wouldn't reach her true target area. With silent swear in the back of her mind. She had to quickly rethink her plan.
Thankfully The hobbits were currently questioning the stranger allowing her time to rethink her battle plan. The only plan she could think of was to somehow knock the stranger off his feet and than hold the knife to his throat since standing on the back of the chair was not fully going to work. Why the hell was she deaged to a five year old again? She would have been able to be more threatening if she kept her true age and body height. However it was clear this was not going to work. There was no way she could stand on the very back of the chair and keep herself balance since the chair would easily topple over.
Plan B was going to have do. Go straight for the kidney with the knife or aim for a lung. "I was told there was five of you...where is the fifth one?" Strider asked only to stiffen as he felt a razor sharp knife blade suddenly poke near his kidney. He glanced over his shoulder and downwards at Draco who was standing on the back of chair holding her knife dangerously close to the location. Her eyes were narrowed as they revealed their glowing reptilian like appearance as she gave a loud sounding hiss at him in warning. The loud hiss almost sounded like one of the velociraptior's hiss of death at it's prey before attacking.
"Give me, one very good reason why I shouldn't stab you in the kidney where you stand." She snarled at him in a deadly tone as her eyes glowed inhumanly from the shadows. Her hoods remain up to conceal her face but Aragorn caught a quick flash of something not remotely human starring back at him. I hate being this god damn short! Draco's mind hissed in rage,
"I'm not an enemy." He said firmly as he tried to figure out what he just seen or thought he saw. Let how she managed to get behind him like she did. She was not an elf but she obviously could move just as silently as one. She also seemed well aware of the human body since she knew the exact location of where the kidney would be located.
"How do we know you're the real Strider and not some imposter in hopes of luring us in some kind of trap? So you can take the one ring back to it's dark master? Hmm?" She questioned him in a deadly tone.
"Draco, put that knife away." Frodo said making her snarl at him.
"Not a chance in hell. Where is the proff he is who he claims to be!? You might be able to believe him but I for one do not trust him. Besides...one quick stab to the kidney would most likely kill him, since the kidney is an important organ of the body." She spat in a deadly tone.
"Trust must be earned...to prove who I am...there is letter in my pocket from Gandalf. I'm really not your enemy child." Strider said as Frodo approached to take out the letter. So he could see for himself. He silently read the letter and relaxed since he knew Gandalf's writing better than anyone.
"You could have killed the real Strider and just taken the letter from him." Draco pointed out coldly.
"You really do not trust anyone do you, child?" Strider asked her softly.
"Trust is a two way street which can easily be betrayed on both ends...sorry but i'm not taking chanceses especially when danger is so close close by." She hissed at him.
"Draco...I-I believe him. Now please put away your knife, enough violence has happened for one day." Frodo said hesitantly. Draco only snarled in bitterness as she moved the knife away reluctantly as she jumped down from the chair and moved away from Strider. When Strider went to touch her shoulder she quickly pulled away and snarled deeply as she raised the knife in warning for him not to come any closer to her or she really would make him regret it. Strider lowered his hand and took a step back from her as he stared into the glowing yellow reptilian like eyes that narrowed at him.
"You'll have to forgive her...she does not like or trust others all that much. Let alone us at times. She also does not like being touched." Sam said softly.
"If you ask me, she's just a spoiled brat." Pippin said.
"That's it! I'm killing the loud mouth hobbit who nearly got us all killed a few minutes ago down stairs and I do not care if he's drunk or not!" Draco spat in rage as a dark voice echoed behind her own that was clearly not her own as it snarled in pure rage. Pippin screamed as Draco lundged at him only to suddenly flinch as strong arms snatched her around her middle pinning her arms to her sides as she was pulled against someone's chest. This had also caused her to drop her knife which Frodo quickly took away. Strider had felt her flinch violently upon contact as she stiffen and became very still in his arms. She hung their in his arms not daring to move a muscle. However she was growling under her breath and trembling in rage.
"Calm yourself...young one." Strider said. "Now the matter of your safety falls upon me. None of you will be safe this night in the room the inn keeper has given you five...so you will have to room with me."
"I'll take my chances with death, thank you very much." Draco snarled in a deadly tone. Strider sighed as he released her who only for her to snarled at him before taking her place in far back of the room as she sat on the floor with dark heated glare aimed at him and at the hobbits.
"She has anger problems...Don't take it personally." Frodo told Strider softly so Draco would not over hear.
"I've seen many things in my time, Frodo. But I have never encountered a child so distrustful of others and fallen so far into darkness like this before." Strider said with a frown as he glanced at Draco who harden her glare at him. "Earning her trust will be difficult. I believe Lord Elron of Rivendale would be able to help her much better than any of us."
"That's what Gandalf believed as well. I think he said an elf might be the only being who might be able to help her." Frodo said quietly.
"Frodo...the knife...I would like it back, please." Draco suddenly growled at him.
"Don't give it to her...she'll kill us all in our sleep!" Pippin cried out in alarm.
"Pippin, don't give her any ideas!" Sam and Merry scolded him loudly.
"Tch...she doesn't need you hobbits giving her ideas...she has her own ideas as it is. Plus my own ideas combined with her own wicked thoughts." The voice chuckled deeply in evil amusement in Draco's head.
"I'll give the knife back, only on the condition that you swear not to harm any of us in this room." Frodo said.
"Fine, but if I think for a second Strider will betray us...all deals are off." Draco said as Frodo reluctantly gave her back the knife.
"If I wanted you five dead, I would have done so by now." Strider said coldly besides feeling a bit hurt by her words.
"And, I hope you also know that I could have stabbed you in the kidney from behind when I had the chance since you were were so easily distracted by four hobbits. Which i'm starting to regreat not doing. Life's a bitch, isn't it?" She said in a false sense of sweetness at him.
"Draco...Be have yourself and watch the language." Frodo said as he glanced at her.
"Tch...just don't blame me or coming crying to me when I prove I was right about this guy." Draco hissed at him.
"You five should get some rest...while I keep watch." Strider said as he moved towards the window to look out of it. He eventually sat down in a chair. The four hobbits took the bed and each used the rest room to change out of their damp clothes to put dry clothes on. Draco however did not move an inch from her position on the floor and just watched strider with a cold unforgiven glare. She kept her eyes locked on Strider who sat there looking out the window as the four hobbits got comfortable as they laid down.
"Draco, are you sure you don't to sleep on the bed with-"
"I'm fine, right where I am." Draco said firmly cutting Frodo off. Frodo sighed at that and said nothing more. Eventually the four hobbits dozed off into a light sleep a few hours latter. Strider turned his head only to see Draco was still wide awake and was glaring at him intently. Her eyes reluctantly shifted back to normal.
"How do you make your eyes do that?" Strider asked her.
"Do what?" She spat bitterly at him.
"Change their appearance let alone glow like they do." Strider said softly.
"I do not know what you are talking about. My eyes cant' change their appearance or glow." She stated coldly. Strider only frowned at her words, but he could tell she was being truthfull with him but something about her did not set well with him for some reason. There was just something about her that was unnerving and unsettling about her. Strider sighed as he looked away to look out the window once more. Draco sat on the hard wooden floor wrapped in her damp cloak and damp clothes. She did not care if she was cold or not. However she eventually became lost in thought, her mind was trying to understand this entire mess she ended up in. However she eventually drifted iff into a uneasy sleep as well as unwilling one.
Strider turned his head to see her sound asleep as she shivered a bit. "Foolish girl, is going to end up sick like that." He mumbled under his breath as he stood up to get something.
Inside Draco's head she saw faces of beings who she had no clue who they were. One of those beings she saw had a name echoing inside her head when she saw the being's face. Thorin Oakenshield. Before a firey scene played out showing an archer using his son as a bow to fire a black arrow towards her, a burning city, cold dark merky waters. Before she saw a pair of glowing yellow reptilian like eyes starring at her with in the darkness, a flash of glowing white nightmarish fangs before a stream of fire flew right at her.
Her eyes snapped opened in alarm, but she made no sound. She than soon saw Strider walking away from her as he headed back to his chair. A warm dry blanket was wrapped around her. She tried to ignore the guilt and remorse that bubbled up inside her. She reluctantly snuggled down in the cuccoon of a blanket that had been wrapped around her to provide warmth. "Maybe I was wrong about you, Strider...Just maybe your not as mistrusting as I first thought you were." She said softly startling Strider who turned to look at her jusr as she turned away from him and went back to a uneasy sleep once more.
Strider than revealed a small smile on his face. "There might still be hope for you yet, Young one. I hope we can pull you fully from the darkness." He said under his breath as he went back to keep watch.
However Draco's mind drifted through darkness. She saw the hooded figures on the black horses as they rushed towards Bree. "Danger is here...they have come for the ring...they will kill the one with the ring and those that try to stop them from taking the ring. They will kill you all." The voice hissed at her. She kept looking around in the darkness only to see flames as a very large dragon stared right at her. The dragon looked at her for a moment before she felt like she was falling before her body fell into cold merky water as she pulled towards the bottom of what appeared to be a lake. The image of a black arrow flashed across her eyes once more.
Draco woke with a start just seconds before a loud hellish scream like sound was heard from outside making the hobbits all wake up in alarm. Strider was looking out the window with a serious exspression on his face. Draco got to her feet as she approached to look out the window. "Just fan-fucken-tastic...the dementors from earlier are here. One...two...three...shit, there are nine of these creppy bastards!" Draco spat bitterly.
"Dementors?" Strider asked her in confusion.
"Creatures of pure darkness that can steal people's souls through their mouths. Long story. One I do not wish to talk about." Draco said coldly as she stared after the beings.
"No...These creatures are not dementors." Strider said softly.
"Than what are they?" Frodo asked softly in a nervous tone.
"They are Nazguls, Ringwraiths...slaves to Sauron and they were once great kings of men." Strider said slowly looking distant.
"Nine rings were given to men, who were doomed to die." The voice said softly in Draco's mind.
"We will have to leave first thing in the morning..." Strider said firmly. "Get some sleep." The hobbits tried to go back to sleep. Draco sighed as she walked back to spot on the floor as she wrapped herself in the blanket before forcing herself to sleep. They had a long hard road ahead of them in the morning. Her mind continued to show images of a town on the lake engulfed in flames, a mountain filled with treasure, cold merky water and the image of a dragon starring right at her with a black arrow in it's chest that glowed a soft orange. She woke with a start and had bolted up right to hold her chest in pain. She hissed loudly in pain.
"Are you alright?" Strider asked in concern as he stood up to approach her. He had seen how she had bolted upright, clutching the area of her heart and heard the loud hiss of pain. His eyes widen when he saw strange orange glow coming from under her clothes right over the location of her heart that she cletching. The glow than faded away. Strider wanted to question her on what he just witnessed but decided to let it go for now.
"I'm fine...It's nothing." She said as she moved her hand away from her chest once the pain had faded away. Strider frowned at her response but was not going to push the issue, at least not yet.
"You should go back to sleep...it will be dawn soon and we have a long journey ahead of us." Strider said slowly.
"I'll be fine...besides I don't think I'll be able to go back to sleep any time soon." Draco said softly.
"You're very pale...if you are not well, you need to tell us." Strider said calmly as he approached her and crouched down to her level to looked at her. She flinched when his hand brushed against her forehead as he tried to see if she had a fever or not. He had felt her flinch upon contact but ignored it. "You don't have a fever yet...but you are rather warm to the touch." He said with a frown as pulled his hand away from her forehead.
"I'm fine." She repeated as she stared into his eyes.
"For now you might be...but I know your hiding something from us. Something yourself might not even be fully aware of. " Strider said softly as he stood up. "When we get to Rivendale...I want a healer to look you over." He added as he walked away from her. Draco frowned at his words but she did not protest against it. The weird pains and aches she was getting lately were making her concerned.
"Strider is not your real name is it?" Draco asked softly. Strider turned to face her with a small smile.
"No it's not...you'll learn my real name in time." Strider said softly.
To Be continued...