I do not own Lord of the Ring.

Chapter 21: Nobody's Side

Several days passed since Azruphel, Legolas, and Aragorn arrived in Rivendell. Azruphel split her time between watching Aragorn and exploring the complex, beautiful halls and waterfalls in the valley. Shortly after ensuring Aragorn would recover, Azruphel allowed herself to be dragged away by Gandalf and Lord Elrond for a full explanation of who she was. She explained the ring she had, and that she didn't know the extent of her abilities yet. Elrond offered to help her hide the ring from the other Nazgûl.

But as time went on, Azruphel began to feel separated from the others in Rivendell. Aragorn had many friends amongst the elves, and Legolas would soon be returning to his home in Mirkwood. It wasn't long before Azruphel made the decision to slip away from the group, grabbing her things and Nightfall and heading towards the river. As she rode up and out of the valley, her ears picked up the sound of a horse behind her. Instead of crossing the river, she slid off Nightfall's back and sat down on a rock. She wasn't surprised or disappointed when Aragorn joined her a minute later.

"I thought you would at least say goodbye," he said.

"I was planning to, but I just do not belong here," Azruphel said.

"Where will you go?"

"Bree, I suppose. From there, who knows." They sat in silence for a few moments before Azruphel pulled something out of her pocket and held it in an open palm for Aragorn to see. "Here. My last secret."

Aragorn looked at the object in her hand, but didn't reach for it. "You carried one of the rings?" he asked. Azruphel nodded.

"Lord Elrond has been helping me control it, hide it." She paused. "I do not know what to do with it."

"Can you resist its power?" Aragorn asked.

"Knowing what it will try to do may help me avoid that future," Azruphel said. "I can still use it to sense the Nazgûl, even while hiding myself. It has its uses. But…" she trailed off.

"But it is a reminder. Something from them," Aragorn finished.

"They were not all bad memories," Azruphel said, closing her fist around the ring. "But I do not know who I am, or who I should be. Am I Azruphel or Éoryn?"

"I understand," Aragorn said. "I was raised by the elves, and I did not know any name other than Estel. Then Lord Elrond told me my true name. I soon left, went to join the other Rangers."

"And that is how you became Strider," Azruphel finished. She continued to look across the river, seeing the road that would lead to the west. "What should I do?"

"You can do what you want. Decide for yourself. You can be Éoryn, live in Rohan with your brother and sister. You can be Azruphel, the girl who was a Nazgûl. And, if I may add, might still be one." Azruphel laughed at this. "Or, you can be something new. You can choose to be anything."

Azruphel smiled, tossing the ring up in the air and catching it, slipping it back in her pocket. She looked out over the water, considering her options. Suddenly she stood, deciding it was time to head west. Before reaching her horse, however, she turned to look at Aragorn once more.

"You still have one secret left!" she accused, but in a lighthearted tone. "Why were you so close to Mordor in the first place?"

Aragorn quickly grew serious. "This must remain secret. Tell no one," he said, lowering his voice despite the safety of Rivendell. "I was searching for a creature named Gollum. Gandalf believes Gollum was, at one time, in possession of the One Ring."

"No," Azruphel said in disbelief.

"It is true. I was sent to find him, and find out what he knows."

"No. No, they cannot know!"

"Azruphel?" Aragorn said, concerned.

"They captured Gollum!" Azruphel explained. "They tortured him for months, and he would only say two words. 'Shire' and 'Baggins' and then they let him go."

"What else happened?" asked Aragorn.

"Nothing! I did not even know what Gollum meant, and I only know because I had a few orc friends in Mordor. He would only say those two words, then they released him. The orcs did not know why, but they believe Sauron was not ready to strike yet."

"And they just released him?" Aragorn said, pushing Azruphel for every small piece of information he could.

"He would not say anything else," Azruphel said.

"I must tell Gandalf," Aragorn said, heading for his own horse. Azruphel followed, but suddenly stopped.

"Bree," she whispered.

"What?" Aragorn asked.

"After we separated, I kept wanting to go to Bree. Bree is next to the Shire!" She pulled the ring from her pocket again, staring at it. "He is thinking about it. Sauron is thinking about the Shire, and I almost went right to it."

"Azruphel, we must go to Gandalf," Aragorn insisted. Azruphel continued to stare at the ring in her hand. Without warning, she pulled her arm back, and flung it into the river. She continued to stare at the spot where it sunk for a few moments, breathing in air as if she had never done it before, like a weight had been lifted.

"You go," she said. "Warn them, and find Baggins! They will come for him soon, I am sure. You were right before. I have to decide who to be for myself. Who I am, whose side I am on… I have been influenced by others for too long."

Aragorn smiled at her. "No more Azruphel?" he asked, his tone light and teasing.

"Oh, there is still an Azruphel," she said. "But this Azruphel is on nobody's side for now. Just her own."

Azruphel mounted Nightfall, which he would be permanently named. No matter what she ended up doing, she would not be returning to Mordor.

"Where will you go?" Aragorn asked.

"I haven't the faintest idea!" Azruphel said. "And that feels good. Oh, do not worry, Aragorn. I will not forget how to find this place."

"Farewell, Azruphel," Aragorn said as he mounted his own horse, getting ready to deliver the news of Gollum.

"Farewell, Strider," Azruphel said with a smile. She watched as one of the only friends she had left turned his horse away. She felt a little bad about not joining him, but she had literally just thrown one life away. She needed some time before she picked up a new one.

"Well, Nightfall. Which way should we go?" She kicked the horse forward, but then let him pick a path. As they entered the trees on the other side of the river, she gave a quick glance back towards Rivendell. Wherever she ended up, she would have to one day return.

For now, the road was open before her.

A/N: Pretty big Author's Note for this one. This is the last main chapter that I plan to write. What will likely follow, and might take a bit longer to write, is an epilogue that sums up Azruphel's role in the War of the Ring. I do not want to rewrite Lord of the Rings with her in it, so this will not be a tenth walker story. She will, however, encounter all the characters in some way. Mostly, it will center around the times she runs into Aragorn. Sorry! But I hope I write a good enough epilogue that you will at least be satisfied by it.

I don't know what I will do after this in terms of writing, but I could write anything from the multiple fandoms I am in. However, I do not think it will be for Lord of the Rings. I might try for Harry Potter or something.

Thank you everyone who favorited, followed, reviewed, and read! This was the first major story I have written that has been seen by other people, and it has been a very good experience. The epilogue will hopefully be written before I head back to college.