Araiel was glad they met with no trouble on the road from Harad. As they came to the outskirts of Gondor, she became aware of the increasing bitterness of the weather. There was no frost yet upon the ground, but the air was chilled, and she wrapped her cloak around her tighter. On the second day of traveling by the Harad Road, the company stopped to make camp at the Poros River. They were upon the outskirts of Ithilien, and the Princess smiled upon the familiar sight. The gray woods stretched out their weathered branches to meet her, and she longed to see her good friends, descendents of Faramir and Eowyn.

It was here that Hamir's escort parted with Araiel's followers. She bid them a peaceful farewell and watched them ride again toward Elendriel. Now she was left alone with Lendia and two young guards she had become friends with while staying in Elendriel. Lendia was eager to travel once again into Ithilien, but as they camped that night upon the soft running current of the Poros, a feeling of discomfort overwhelmed the Princess. Even as they lit a fire, and the two guards urged Araiel to sleep, she found she could not and wandered to the river's side.

Araiel bent to look at her reflection in the river. How much she had grown since going to Elendriel. She was nearly nineteen for when she left her homeland for Elendriel to marry Hamir she was turning eighteen. What would her family think of her now that she was a wife and her primary duty to her husband? Even more, what would her father think when she had not yet produced an heir? She could not explain why she had not born children yet. For many nights, she and Hamir had lain together, but it was the will of the Valar to keep her from becoming pregnant. She was glad, however. She was not yet ready for children. Someday perhaps, but not yet.

Araiel came back to her tent. Lendia was fast asleep, but Araiel was still restless. As she attempted to make herself comfortable, a gleam in the dark caught her eye. She instantly tensed. Before Araiel could move, a knife was pressed against her neck, and the figure's hand gripped her hair.

"Make one move or sound, and I'll slit your throat, and it would be a pity. Your throat is quite lovely."

Ariael tried to remain calm but her breathing continued to come in gasps. A strong hand was placed upon her shoulder.
"Remain calm. You will be well taken care of."

A strong smelling cloth was placed over Araiel's face, and a feeling of drowsiness enveloped her. Within moments, she fell to the ground lost within a deep dreamless slumber the last thoughts of upon her mind were ridicule for being so dense.

Araiel awoke hours later and found herself laying within a warm bed. The room about her was dark with no windows, but it was lit with sweet smelling candles. As Araiel arose, she discovered she was not alone. She noticed the cloaked figure sitting beside the bed, and though he looked ominous, Araiel felt no fear toward him.
"Princess Araiel of Gondor," he spoke with a deep disguised voice. "I assure you this is indeed an honor. For over a year have I awaited this day."

Araiel peered through the cloak attempting to discover who this man was but failed. "Will you not show yourself?"

"You shall only see my mask for now. It is for both our protection. Soon, when you are well rested, I will tell you what will happen to you."

"Tell me now, sir. I am perfectly well rested and have the strength to listen."

The stranger chuckled as he stood to his feet and began to pace the room. She could see the outline of his sword clicking back and forth against his leg.
"You are changed, Araiel. Stronger, yes more determined. Very well. Your capture was not planned nor instigated by myself. The men I travel with are thieves and slavers. With much persuasion, I have convinced them not to sell you, though they could be settled for years if you were. I am not the captain of this ship merely second in command. You have not been released yet so you are still a prisoner. But it is my duty to see no harm come to you, and it will be my pleasure to teach you certain things that you cannot learn in Gondor nor even in Harad. You must learn to be on guard, Araiel. You may freely move about the ship, but I cannot always protect you. That is one reason why I shall teach you to protect yourself for there are many unscrupulous men aboard."
"You will teach me to…fight?"

"To attack with honor, to move, to think quickly, and to defend yourself."
"Against what?"

"Hamir's brother perhaps or men who care to try and steal a kiss from you?" She noticed his mouth curl into a crooked grin, but his eyes could not be seen. "Get some rest, Araiel. Your lessons begin in the morning. I will give you something to help you sleep. Sometimes the motion of ships causes people a sickness."
The stranger approached and took a small phial placing it upon her lips. "Drink."

The Princess slowly let the warm liquid slide down her throat. It calmed her entire body, warmed her being, and she soon felt drowsy. Araiel slowly closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. As she did the stranger softly brushed his hand across her cheek in a loving manner. Araiel felt the soft gesture and then surrendered to the dreaming world.

When Araiel awoke, she found herself looking out at daylight. She no longer felt the rocking of the ship and knew they were upon land. The stranger who had looked after her before was gone, but she noticed garments set out before her on the bed. She felt strange slipping into the breeches and the waist shirt provided for her since she normally wore long gowns or full length skirts. She washed her face with the basin of water and pulled her hair into a low braid and ventured outside of the room which was actually a tent. She found herself within a large camp. Several guards stood surrounding the camp. Few men were there. She wondered if they were hunting. She looked about her noticing they were in the middle of the woods, but the trees were tall, dark, and thin. She also smelled a faint scent of the sea, and she guessed they were in South Gondor near Belfalas.
As Araiel walked into the midst of the camp, she noticed a young man dressed entirely in black speaking with who looked like the commander of the guards. The man in black also wore a dark mask covering his eyes. Though he was unfamiliar to Araiel, why did she feel as though she knew him? He held in his hand a leather pouch. Upon opening it, the young man let the gold coins drop into the guard's hand. The guard bit the piece and nodded making a small bow. The man dressed entirely in black turned to the Princess, smiled and approached her. He came to her side and took her hand brushing his lips across her knuckles.
"Glad to see you are doing well. Now for the practice ring."
"Wait, what about the king? He believes I am in Gondor visiting my family."
"We sent a message to your father in Minas Tirith. He knows of your whereabouts. Now come, the day is wasting."

She knew she must humor this man for now if only to learn what was to come. Soon she would return to her family.
He motioned to the right of the camp where a certain number of targets were set up, and many different weapons lined the shelves. Araiel nodded and followed him toward it. He also noticed that her gaze continually followed him, and he carried the memory with a smile.
The practice ring was fairly large. Targets had been set up at many different distances, and many of them were far beyond what a human archer could fire at. But Arial was no normal human. The young man handed her a bow, and she took it fixing an arrow within.
"You have been trained in archery before…" he said when she fixed the arrow towards the target.
She nodded. "I have the bloodline of the elves. Yes I have been trained in archery."
"You are holding the bow well, but your eyes are unused to the targets. Concentrate. You have all the time you need."
"They are too far away. I can barely see the bull's eye."
"Take your time. Adjust your eyes. You will see it."
Araiel released a sigh and focused. She breathed in the air around, took in the sights and scents around her. The man seemed so close to her though he stood at least a foot away. Araiel made out the black mark on the target, aligned it with the arrow and released. As it met its mark, the young man grinned crookedly.
"Perfect."
"What do you mean?" she asked with raised eyebrows. "It didn't even land in the middle."
"Do you know how difficult it is to fire at this distance?" he faced her with his hands behind his back. "To even hit that target is a death mark. You quieted your mind your body and that is the first step to archery. You did well."
She pursed her lips together saying nothing. A faint blush appeared in her cheek. The young man gave her another arrow.
"Again."
She placed the bow in her hand once again, and this time he placed a hand upon hers, moved in closer and slipped his other hand to where she held the arrow.
"You are too close."
"Learn to get close. Your enemy at times will be this close to you, but he will not decline when seeing your discomfort."
She sighed. "But I would never let an enemy get that close if I had a bow in my hand."
"Be prepared for the unexpected. Enemies can appear at any time. Now concentrate. Close your eyes."
"How will I see the target then?"
"Don't think and don't watch. Listen and feel."
Araiel softly closed her eyes and then realized something. The touch of his hand was familiar. She felt his breath upon her cheek. She knew that smell. The smell of the fresh wind, the evergreens, and berries. A lock of dark hair fell in front of his brown eyes, and she turned to meet those eyes. He smiled down at her knowing that look in her eyes.
"Aerin?"
A crooked grin slid across his face, "Hullo, angel."
And then he kissed her as he once had. A long, sweet, soft kiss that left shivers upon her spine and a tremble upon her lips. She opened her mouth stunned when he had finished. Her expression turned to happiness when he picked her up and spun her around.
"Finally found ye now," he laughed along with her.
"Aerin! It is so good to see you," she cradled his face within her hands.
"Miss me much, lass?" he grinned when she pushed the lock of hair away from his eyes.
"Of course I missed you. But what is going on? Why are you here, and who are all these people? The guards?"
"Long story, angel. Much happened when ye left me. Care to hear th'story?"
"I wouldn't miss it for the world."
"Yes, but this isn't the proper place for a story. Let's find a better atmosphere shall we?"

Aerin led her away, and she forgot all about visiting her family in Gondor, her husband, and everything else.