Chapter 7 Some Answers, More Questions

It was six days to Rivendell but his charges made the journey without complaint. Aragorn knew that they worried about Frodo. He did

too. Arwen was a good rider and a good fighter but she was no match for nine Nazgul. He could only pray that she got to Imladris safely.

If they got a hold of Frodo they would not hesitate to kill him and take the ring to Sauron. If that happened all was lost. They traveled for

almost two days without stopping. Finally, Aragorn decided they needed to stop for the night. The hobbits went to sleep almost

immediately. Mariell sat staring at the sky. He knew she worried about Frodo more than any of them. She was rubbing her shoulder

absently. He had noticed that she seemed to have injured it.

"Your shoulder bothering you?" he asked coming up behind her. She looked up at him and shrugged.

"I jammed it when the Nazgul knocked me down. It's not that bad." Aragorn shook his head. "Can you wiggle your fingers?" "Of course
I can," she said but he could see that it was difficult for her.

"Can you touch your shoulder with that hand"

"No," she said without even trying. Aragorn nodded.

"You've dislocated it. We need to pop it back in place." He stood up and took her hand.

"What are you going to do?" she asked suspiciously.

"You're going to have to trust me." She looked uncertain but nodded. The lass's opinion of him had definitely improved. "All right, now I

need you to take a deep breath and try to relax. This will probably hurt." In one swift move he yanked on her arm and was relieved when
he felt the bone pop back into place. Mariell gritted her teeth but did not yell. "There," he said, "it will probably be sore for awhile but

you'll be able to move it"

"Thank you," she said. He nodded and as he was pulling her sleeve back down he noticed a strange looking scar on her forearm.

"How did this happen?" he asked her. She shrugged.

"A wraith attacked us when we were trying to get out of the Shire. I managed to fight it off long enough for the others to get to the ferry."

He was stunned. He had not realized that they had encountered the Nazgul before they came to Bree. "You were wounded by a Morgul

blade?" "Not like Frodo was, it only sliced me"

"But the wound has already healed. I've never known a wound from the Nazgul to heal so quickly"

"I've always been a fast healer," she said.

"Indeed," he said in awe. There was definitely more to this lass than met the eye. He had been astonished at Weathertop when he had

returned to find her holding her own against three Nazgul. Her skill with the blade was astounding. He was deeply curious about this lass.

He had not had a chance to talk to her before but here was his chance.

"Where did you learn to fight with a sword?" he asked her.

"Gandalf taught me a little whenever he came to the shire. When he wasn't there Bilbo taught me. We'd go out into the garden, he'd have
Sting, and he would show me everything he knew"

"I've never heard of a hobbit knowing how to use a sword"

"Well, Bilbo was no ordinary hobbit," she said a hint of pride in her voice.

"How did you come to live with Bilbo and Frodo?" Mariell seemed a little surprised by the question.

"I don't know really. I've lived there for as long as I can remember"

"You don't know who your birth parents are, or where you were born"

"No," she said. "I've asked Gandalf so many times to tell me but he always put me off by telling me I'm too curious"

"So you have no idea where you came from before Gandalf brought you to the shire?" She shook her head.

"I have only this." She pulled a silver pendant encrusted with green and gold stones from beneath her tunic. "It was around my neck the

day Gandalf brought me to the shire. All he would tell me about it was that it belonged to my mother"

"May I?" he asked. She nodded moving close so that he could examine the pendant. He didn't know why but he found her nearness

unnerving. He caught of whiff of her hair and it made his spine tingle. He shook it off and took the pendant in his hand.

"Tis elven craft for certain," he said.

"Yes," Mariell said, "I figured that much." He turned the pendant over and saw that there was an inscription.

"I know those words are some form of elvish," Mariell said. "But not one that I've ever seen"

"It's a very ancient form. It's hardly spoken anymore. I was raised by elves and I can't quite read what it says. Well this word "Lineth"

means protect. I can't make out the rest"

"Well, you've told me more than anyone else ever has," she said with a smile. He had never seen her smile before and he had to admit it

made her look quite pretty. He wished he could tell her more about her pendant but the language was too ancient. He remembered how

he had been spellbound by the sound of her singing. Her voice had reminded him of his mother's.

"Perhaps your mother was an elf," he said. Mariell cocked her head at him.

"I hardly look like an elf do I?" she asked skeptically.

"You have elvish qualities. All elves are skilled warriors, even if they have very little training. They are not quick to trust men. And they

have beautiful voices." Her face turned red at the last word.

"But elves are immortal. I'm not immortal as far as I know"

"How old are you?" he asked her. He'd wondered about this for a while. "Two and Twenty years," she said. "Very young by hobbit

standards"

"By elven standards you'd be a child. But by the standards of men you are definitely a woman." She bristled at that and pulled away a

bit.

"So how could my mother be an elf"

"If she married a mortal she would become mortal. Then any children born of that union would be mortal though their lifespan would be

considerably longer than average"

"Is this common among elves? To marry mortals and give up immortality"

"No, not recently. Mistrust has divided the race of man and elves. But long ago it was as though they were one race"

"I wish it were still so. Then perhaps I could find an elf to tell me about my pendant"

"Perhaps when we get to Imladris you should show Lord Elrond. He's over five centuries old, he may be able to translate it for you"

"Really?" Mariell said her entire face lighting up. "Do you really think he could help me?

"If anyone can. He is one of the wisest elves I've ever known and I've known many elves in my time"

"That would be so wonderful. You don't know how long I've wanted to learn the truth about who I am and where I come from." He

tried not to chuckle. Mariell's eyes had grown so wide and her grin was so large, she seemed like a child who was just told they were

going to have cake for dinner.

"Well," Aragorn said. "You'd best get some sleep. We still have a long journey to Rivendell tomorrow." Mariell nodded and slid into her

bedroll. Aragorn leaned back against a tree keeping watch for any sign of danger.

"Strider?" he heard Mariell's sleepy voice in the dark.

"Yes"

"Arwen, is she, well is she someone special for you"

"Her father adopted me after my mother's death. Arwen is like my sister. Why"

"No reason, I was just curious. Good night, Strider." Aragorn felt his heart jump. Mariell sounded so sweet and innocent. Truly, this was

the lass Gandalf had asked him to protect. And he would protect her, to the death.

"Good night, Mariell."