Hello everyone! Hope your all enjoying the story so far. There is much much more of this story to come so I'm hoping you won't get bored and give up!
Disclaimer: Don't own nothing…. Sob…
Elanor was once more in her small tent. She sat on her makeshift bed, her head in her hands. Her head was swimming with the new information she had just heard and the realisation of what happened hit her. She had lost her family and home in one terrible night and now she was living with complete strangers. Giving in to grief, the tears began flowing freely down her face. Talin stood silently in the corner, shifting from foot to foot, unsure of what to say to comfort her. With a ruffle of noise, the material door of the tent was pulled back and Edain entered the tent carrying a bowl of what looked like stew. When he saw Elanors distress he handed the bowl to Talin and went to kneel at Elanors side. Elanor raised her head and looked at the man. He smiled warmly at her and handed her a piece of cloth from his pocket. Elanor took it; it felt soft and warm in her hand. Gently she wiped at her face, washing away the tears and grime. She smiled thankfully at him as Edain turned and took the bowl from Talin and handed it to Elanor. She took the food gratefully, not having eaten since the night before. Elanor dipped the spoon into the frothy stew and sipped at it. She couldn't help but make a face at the bitter taste it left in her mouth. Edain laughed at her expression,
"Aye," he laugh, "'Fraid I can't cook all that well. It's been awhile since we've had a woman about the place. It'll be nice to have a decent meal for a change." Elanor smiled at him briefly before her features fell into a frown,
"Edain, did any others from my village survive?" Edain shook his head slowly,
"Not that we found, although it is likely that some fled to the Ettenmoores."
"What happened to the slain?" Elanor let her eyes drop as she asked this.
"There bodies have been found and given decent burial"
"And my mother?"
Edain looked at Elanor with sympathy, "The captain went back to find her himself, but the house hand been burnt to the ground. I'm sorry Elanor."
Elanor stared blankly before her. Her mother was truly gone, there would be no burial, no grave, no chance to say goodbye. Edain regarded her and silently stood up. He lightly placed a hand on her shoulder before leaving the tent, Talin close behind. Elanor sat there long after the two men had left, thinking about all that had happened until the blissful world of sleep took her.
Elanor awoke to rays of light shining through the sides of the tent. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, pushing away the blanket of furs. She slid of the bed, still in the clothes she had worn the day before. Elanor put in the now familiar cloak that lay on the floor beside her bed and walked over to the door, pulling back the material. It was a little after dawn. Many of the men were already up and were walking around. Some waved and smiled at her, others ignored her completely. Elanor walked over to a low trough full of clear water and plunged her hands into it, cupping them and bringing handfuls of water to her face. The cool, refreshing liquid flowed over her face, washing away her weariness. She slowly lifted her head and saw Edain walking towards her,
"Good morning" he smiled at her. Elanor smiled back at him as he handed her something resembling porridge and a small piece of bread. Elanor looked at him suspiciously,
"Don't worry," he laughed, "I didn't make it this time, Talin did. He's a better cook than his father."
"He's your son?"
"Aye, he's coming up to his nineteenth summer. Same age as you I gather."
Elanor nodded, "Where is his mother?" Edain shook his head sadly, "She died two winters past"
"Oh, Edain. I'm sorry."
Edain gave a sad smile, "Bear it no mind lass. The lad doesn't talk much, but I reckon, if you wanted to, Talin wouldn't mind some company his own age."
Elanor smiled warmly and nodded. Edain returned her smile in thanks and left her to her food. Elanor looked down at the bowl in her hand and dipped the carved spoon into the oats before letting the contents fall back into the bowl. Sighing heavily she sat down on an up turned log, placed the bowl on the ground and began to pick at the bread in her hand. Her thoughts turned once again to her mother. Her heart ached as she saw her mothers' body lying before her once more in her mind. Elanor closed her eyes tightly, blocking out the memories. She took a couple of deep, calming breaths and stood up, brushing the crumbs from her clothes. Elanor walked through the encampment until she was clear of the tents and before her was an open space of soft green grass, lined by tall leafy trees. Way off in the distance she could see the grey shadowed peaks of weather hills and beyond that she could almost see the white tip of Amon sul. Elanor made her way over to the small coppice of trees and stepped between them. She followed the well worn path made by the frequent travel of the rangers. As Elanor stepped forward her foot hit something hard. Looking down she saw a small grey stone. She leaned down and picked it up, it was cool and smooth to the touch. Around her, she noticed lay several other stones of different sizes, hidden among the undergrowth. Moving around she collected the stones, pulling up the hem of her cloak to form a basket when her hands became full. When she had gathered a number of stones, Elanor made her way over to a small clearing, shaded by trees. Carefully she emptied the stones from her cloak and began to pile them on top of each other. When she was done, Elanor sat back on her heels and regarded her creation, not noticing the soft sound of footsteps approaching from behind,
"Elanor?" a voice asked, "What are you doing?"
Elanor turned in surprise at the voice to find Aragorn standing behind her,
"It is for my mother. Not as grand as the mausoleum of Gondor, but it will suffice all the same."
Elanor stood and dusted the dirt from her hands. She looked to Aragorn and saw he carried something. His eyes followed her gaze and he lifted his hands,
"I have come to return this to you"
Elanor watched as he handed her a scabbard holding a thin, long sword with green stones set in a silver handle. Elanor stared up at him in disbelief,
"Where did you find this?"
"It was amongst the debris of your village. It is a beautiful weapon. Where did you find such a thing?"
Elanor paused and pulled the weapon from its sheath, allowing Aragorn to see its full length. Along the width of the blade, elvish scriptures were carved. The white blade glittered in the sun, reflecting light on to Elanors face,
"It was my fathers. My mother once told me he forged it himself. It was the only thing he left us and her most prized possession. And now I shall return it to her,"
With her final word, Elanor turned and plunged the sword into the soft ground behind the small pile of stones. It was here Elanor said her goodbyes and walked silently back to the camp, Aragorn at her side. Elanor looked up at the man who would become her leader. Now that they walked in the light Elanor saw his face in full, and she saw that he was quite handsome. His dark hair was slightly damp and clung to his brow, dark eyes focused on the road ahead. They walked silently for a few moments before Elanor turned to face the man beside her,
"You say I am one of your company now. Does that mean you will teach me as you do them?" she asked. Aragorn looked at her, his face discerned,
"What would you have me teach you?"
"To fight."
Aragorn looked at the young woman in front of him; he shook his head and began to walk away, "Tis not right for a woman to bare arms."
Elanor stared after him angrily. She followed him swiftly, standing herself in his way,
"You would deny me the right to defend myself? I have lost my family, my home, everything I knew. I ask only that you teach me so that it may never happen again"
Aragorn looked down at her face. Her dark eyes stared back at him, shining defiantly. Elanors likeness to her was unnatural. Something pulled inside Aragorn's chest, he sighed in defeat and giving a smile, he nodded,
"Very well, my lady" he said, with a mock bow, "We'll begin tomorrow"
Elanor laughed and beamed up at him as they continued their way back to the others.
A/N: Woohoo! Another chapter up! The next chapter will skip to the LOTR timeline and start getting into the good stuff! Hehehe hope to see you then!
p.s Being English I'm not totally sure what a lot of American terms are and I've seen loads of fanfics described as 'Mary-sues.' Can someone please explain what it means?? Thanks!