Well here is the fith chapter :) Thanks to Glenstorm63 for all the corrections ! I hope you will like it ^^

PS : I think it is important to precise that this story is not a Aragorn/OC ! It will only be friendship ;)


It had been two months since the day Estel, now named Strider, and Dollaew had met for the second time of their life. Now they were both drinking a beer in The Prancing Pony in Bree, isolated in a back corner. They were talking lightly, finding pleasure in each other company. Maybe it was because they were equals. Strider was the chieftain of the Rangers of the North, and Laew was one of the four Captains of the Mercenaries.

Anyway, they had talked for a while now, and the man had shared with her how he had found himself in the care of Elrond Peredhel all those years ago. She could tell there was more here than the deaths of his parents and the rescue by twin raven-haired elves. But she decided not to pry. It would be hypocritical and graceless at this stage, as it was she who had agreed to answer his questions about how she had found refuge in the Guild.

"I guess you know what happened to my people all those years ago?"

After a brief nod from the ranger she continued "Well, I lost my parents and a lot of persons I loved back then. In a way I think I just lost too much. I knew I just could not follow the others. I cannot tell you all the reasons but I was convinced that if I was to go with the rest of the Isils I would have responsibilities thrown at me, most certainly taking my parents' place in the court, for they were important counselors".

"But I could not. It may seem selfish, but I knew I could not do it. I was too broken, too angry. In a sense too wild to do it. I was not ready, and I know I am still not ready. So I took something that I knew everybody would recognize as being mine and put it on a burnt corpse. That is how the one I used to be died."

"Then I hid myself, took a new name, and went into the wild. I learned how to survive alone. I was good at it. So I managed to stay on my own for almost twenty years. And then one day I underestimated the intelligence of a pack of orcs. I found myself encircled, alone against forty foul beasts, some of them with wargs."

"I thought I was about to die, so I fought like never before. I wanted to at least to take as many as possible down with me. I killed fifteen of them before a warg pushed me hard enough to dislocate my left shoulder. Then with only one arm I managed to kill maybe ten more orcs before one of them passed through my defenses."

"He was about to plunge his sword in my heart when an arrow flew right between his eyes. And the next thing I know all the orcs crumpled, dead. I could not recognize the arrows. I thought I would run, but I did not have the chance to take a step. I was once again encircled, this time by mercenaries."

"To be honest I had not eaten a good meal in weeks, and with my left shoulder incapacitated I was not in a favorable position. But then one of them walked toward me and spoke."

Flashback

"My name is Darius, I am the chief of the Guild of the Mercenaries. What is your name young one ?"

Dollaew had heard rumors about the Guild; good as well as bad. While she was not prejudiced, she had long learned to be careful, especially around dangerous persons. And with their skills, the mercenaries were definitely in the 'dangerous' category. But despite this she could not help but grit her teeth at 'young one'.

"Why would my name interest you?" she asked in turn. She had been calm in appearance; in control.

"Well, if I am to welcome you into the Guild I must have a name for you, no?" he replied, almost like she was an idiot for asking.

Right. At this moment all logical thoughts flew from her mind. Who did he think he was to decide she would just join this Guild with a snap of his fingers? Her parents and entire family could not decide her future, it was not for a low-life renegade, an arrogant mortal, a ...

"And why do you think I would wish to join you?" Dollaew had found she was very proud of herself for this still very controlled response.

"Because we can give something you may look for." Right now, his expression was definitely condescending.

"And what would that be?" she asked, her tone beginning to be dry and frustrated.

"A family." was the simple answer.

The young elleth was now very tense and more importantly, furious. How could a man who did not know her dare to judge her like this? How could he think that this group of miscreants could be something akin to a 'family' for her?

"And what, pray tell me, makes you think I don't already have a family?" her voice was now cold and cutting.

"If you did you would probably be with them right now. And I did not see anyone ready to help you only a few moments ago." Again he used a tone that made her feel like an idiot.

"And you did not think for a moment that maybe, just maybe, I don't want to be with them!? I don't need to be with them!?" She was now shouting, in frustration, grief or in anger, she did not know.

"Oh, then that's the worst kind. You still have family but they just don't want you."

At this the Isil elf let out a savage cry! She charged at the man in front of her. Later when she would think about it she would always blush, shamed to fall for a such an obvious provocation and embarrassed at the way she fought, reckless and angry.

End Flashback

"And so you know how I met ..." but she could not go farther.

"Wait a moment! You cannot mean to skip the fight!" protested the mortal human in front of her.

"It's really not that interesting …" she tried to evade the conversation.

"He kicked your arse, did he?" he asked knowingly.

"… Yes" was the reluctant admission.

"So I definitely want to hear it!"

"Well …" the mercenary sighed and continued her tale.

Flashback

Had she been a little more calm Dolleaw would have seen that her adversary was not really fighting her. The man was only sparring, letting her get all her anger out… on him. And that is what she did, fighting with savage ardor and blinded by fury, letting her emotions run free for the first time since that fateful day when she lost everything.

Somehow with a few well placed, words this mercenary had managed to break the tight reign she formerly had have over her emotions. So she fought. Her right arm attacked again and again, trying to pierce the man's defenses, never once thinking about protecting herself. The pain in her left shoulder and her hunger added to the mix of emotions swirling in her mind, just like alcohol being threw into a fire.

Only when she began to show signs of fatigue did Darius actually counter-attack. With moves she had never seen before, the elleth found herself pinned on the dirt, her right arm blocked in her back while her left was lying uselessly next to her. She tried to throw off the weight holding her down, to no avail. So she struggled. Again and again, even knowing that there was no way for her to free herself.

When all fight finally left her, she stopped, panting, her heart beating wildly in her chest. All she could think of was how she was helpless, helpless like this day, alone against a far stronger adversary. When she completely stilled, her captor slowly released her, but Dollaew did not have any strength left to run.

"Methos, come and take her with you."

A thin but muscular man with dark hair approached her and lifted her in his arms. At this point she was far too exhausted to protest.

"How did you know ?" Methos asked, glancing at the elleth.

"I knew because once I fought like she just did. When you have suffered a great pain, the only solution sometimes seems to just stop all feeling. The problem is, you can hide your emotions, keep them locked in, but it will always eat you away from the inside, in time. All I did was force her to accept her emotions. And the easiest emotion to force out is often the anger. Now she will be able to start anew, and we will help her."

"So we take her home?" asked Methos, smiling knowingly at his leader.

"Yes, we take her home." whispered the man who later would be like a father for her.

End Flashback

"So now you know everything." the mercenary finished her tale.

"Well I warrant it is not everything. But I will be content with that." The ranger tone's was slightly mocking but his eyes were understanding and showed that he knew some of her sorrow.

Yes. Laew now knew that this man could understand her. And she also had the feeling that they would see each other regularly in the future.

Little did they know that their fates were already tangled together and made to dance around each other for the rest of their lives.


I hope you liked it ! Please r&r and give me your opinion :)