That evening after supper Aragorn seized the opportunity to gain some answers to the pressuring questions that had galled at his mind since that morning. Looking around the lesser crowded hall in search for his cousin, he spotted her by the barrels of wine chatting merrily with Éowyn whilst filling up her goblet. He started towards her approaching from behind so she would not notice him, just in case she would try to dodge him and his demand for answers yet again. Númi however saw him approaching in the corner of her eye, smiling at his obvious attempt at sneaking up on her unnoticed. She waited till he was right behind her with his hand lifted and on its way to grasp her shoulder, before saying "Aragorn! Your ranger skills are getting rusty… I spotted your sneaking before you were half way". His hand froze in its movement and he was completely thunderstruck. She turned around facing him with sparkling eyes and a sly smile on her lips. "Come now cousin, did you truly believe that I have not had my eyes on you all evening knowing you want answers? Come, sit with me outside where there is more privacy and ye shall have them. For my past and the knowledge I possess is not something I wish to share with others… not even your closest friends", she finished with a quick glance at Legolas and Gimli.

For a split of a second her glance met that of the Elf's, and he understood the underlying message of privacy in them. So when Gimli rose in an attempt to follow them Legolas hindered him with a hand on the dwarfs shoulder; still with his eyes fixed on Númi although she had already turned her attention to Aragorn.

"Nay my friend… I do not believe the words that will be spoken are meant for our ears".

The look in the Dwarfs eyes were a mixture of disappointment and annoyance, for he was miserably curious as to where this beautiful cousin of Aragorn's had secured her skills.

"Blasted Elf! Must ya always be so rigorous? Do not even try to lure me into believing that ye yourself are not just as curious as I!"

Once Númi was out of sight from his longing eyes, Legolas turned his attention toward his friend again and smiled at the sight of the grumpy face that met his gaze. "As usual you are right mellon nîn, for I am indeed very much so. However if Númi had intended for us to participate, she would not have excluded us… no?" Had it been physically possible, smoke would have risen from Gimli´s ears, so angered he became from that even more rigorous answer… knowing fully well that the "blasted Elf" was right. He should not strive to stick his nose in matters that did not concern him. Instead of exploding he rose from his seat and went to fill up his mug with foaming beer, all the while muttering about flea infested, know-it-all, blasted, tree hugging Elves. Legolas could only smile at him as his eyes slowly wandered back to the gates where Númi had stepped outside merely a minute ago. He did not know why really, but he felt a tiny bit hurt that Númi so obviously had shown that she did not wish for him to join the conversation and learn about her past. Almost as if she did not want him to get to know her any closer, and he felt a sting of pain in his chest at that notion.

At the same time he knew he was being ridiculous, given the fact that they had known one another little less then twenty-four hours. Why would she share that kind of personal information with a stranger? He would not have done so, so he could not expect her to either. Legolas knew this from a logical point of view, but in his heart he truly desired to find out all there was to know about this amazing woman. The woman to whom he did not wish to shame himself… he still had a hard time accepting that notion, knowing fully well that no matter how frightening and unexpected it might be, it was still very much the truth.

Outside Númi sat down on the stone terrace which was still lukewarm after a whole day of intense sunshine. She clapped on the space next to her in an invite for Aragorn to sit beside her. As he sat down facing her, she felt the tense energy surrounding him and based on his body language and eye movements she knew he was feeling uneasy in her presence. This did not really surprise her as she had disarmed him as easily as taking candy from a small child. Yet feeling her own kin uneasy in her company hurt…

"Alright Aragorn, you have my undivided attention for as long as you wish. Ask me anything you will, I might not answer all you desire to know, but I will try my best to ease your discomfort"

Silently Aragorn wondered if mindreading was also one of Númi's skills, for she had pinpointed his state of mind exactly. While she patiently awaited his first question, Aragorn realised he did not know where to begin. He was so taken back by the events that morning and by the demonstration from earlier that day that Legolas had told him about, he simply did not know in which end to begin laying the puzzle.

"Aragorn?" Her voice brought him back to the present.

"I… what you did this morning I have never witnessed in my life. Where did you learn this? And why? For the life of me I do not understand! One minute you are this breathtaking lady wearing a dress, and the next you fight with skills I have never encountered before? What has happened to you Númi?"

The anger in his voice did not pass her by unnoticed and she tilted her head slightly to the right, her eyes burning with cold fire "Tell me, am I to interpret your anger as fear of me or simply jealousy due to the fact that I took your sword like a toothpick from a drunk?"

As shocked and utterly angered as Aragorn became from that hurtful remark he could not stare her down no matter how hard he tried. So he lowered his gaze knowing he had been unfair. She was right of course, he was angered and judgemental… but mainly because in his eyes she was still his baby cousin, and should not need to know these skills. And yes, he was both jealous and quite uncomfortable around her. "Forgive me, I have no right to be angered with you", he said, once again meeting her steel gaze. The fire in her eyes softened a bit when seeing the sincere apology in his "Nor do you have the right to judge me! If you wish to learn of my past then keep your mind open and your feelings at bay!"

Realizing this was an order and not a request he calmed himself down, and then with a sigh simply asked "Who taught you to fight like this?"

"I can not reveal their names, for that is bound to secrecy. But I can tell you that I have learned from many masters of different styles, mostly overseas. My personal style is blended, I use what technique is most efficient for the particular situation I find myself in. This is why it is so difficult to interpret my next move, I was taught to blend to stay alive…" her voice faded away and Aragorn noticed a glimmer of something close to lament in her eyes. He layed a hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture "Whom or what are you defending yourself against? How did it come to this Númi?" his voice now laden with a mixture of concern and guilt for leaving her to go to war so many years ago.

"Do not put blame upon yourself for my fate Aragorn; you could not have hindered the corse of my life even if you would have stayed by my side in Imladris. The reason for my training lays further back in time, the time my parents were murdered yet I was spared on the account of my fathers blood on a piece of parchment!" again her voice faded and the look in Aragorn's eyes shifted into that of shock and confusion.

"I see you know naught of this… which is as it should be, for I knew not myself until I came of age years ago. Only then did ada Elrond and Gandalf tell me the reason why I was deprived of my childhood and the right to live my life in freedom, instead of forced slavery for the rest of my days. For as free as I may seem Aragorn, my fathers act to spare my life bound me to serve the man whom murdered him…"

"I knew your parents were killed… but not by whom or why…"

"Why… I have asked myself that question countless times. As to who did it, his name is Drago and he is King in the Far East overseas."

The confusion in Aragorn's eyes shone like the stars that would soon be visible on the darkening skies. "Forgive me, for I do not follow… why were you spared? Slaves are common merchandise in the Far East, no?"

"Ai… beautiful, red haired Peredhells however are not. Drago wanted an unusually bewitching wife to raise his standing, hence he grasped the opportunity when seeing I would grow up to become such!" The poisonous touch to her voice and the hate displayed in her eyes were of a kind Aragorn had not believed Númi to posses. And it worried him deeply…

"Then why make you a warrior, it does not make sense?"

"Oh but Drago is not responsible for my training. In fact he knew nothing of it, until I was presented before him on the day of my coming of age, as was agreed. No, Gandalf is the one that made sure that I would be of no use as a wife, and by that spared me an even crueller fate then the one I am living… "

She thought of the day that she had first met Drago, the man she was supposed to marry. The sight of him had made her sick, and had she not had the training and therefore the strong psyche she was equipped with, she would have trembled with fear. The man was tall yet made of muscles, he had pitch black, long hair braided into one plait, and the features of his face were as sharp as had they been cut out of stone. His jaws had been clamped tightly together giving his already frightening appearance an even more unyielding countenance.

He had been the most handsome man she had ever seen, but the look in his black eyes had been the cruellest and most merciless she had ever come across. There was nothing but ice cold steel in his gaze as he stared at her from the throne he was positioned on. His main goal had been to stare her down, make her bend before him and subject herself to his mercy. Well this had not been the case… at all. She had stood tall before him staring back into those cruel eyes of his without as much as a tremble to her appearance, burning with a fire of hatred inside her heart. This had not passed by unnoticed as he had risen from his seat and walked straight up to her commanding her to bow in front of him. When she had not done so he had slapped her so hard her ears had rang, her face had jerked hard to her right side and the ring on his finger had torn up a nasty wound on her cheek. Yet she had not fallen to the floor, nor had she given a sound of the pain pounding in her face. She had merely straightened herself again, and continued staring into the cruelty of his gaze. He had stared in utter disbelief at her; this was not what he had expected from a mere woman her size. He spun on his heel and once back, sitting on his throne, he had ordered her to strip so he could take a better look at her. She had done so without any hesitation, and when seeing her strong, muscular body he had exploded in a horrifying outbreak. He had looked upon Gandalf with poison in his eyes letting everyone present know that this was not what they had agreed upon. Had it not been for the fact that Gandalf was a well know wizard, and that all his kind were feared by the people in the East, she would most likely been killed by Drago's bare hands a moment later. Disgusted with the sight of her, but not daring to kill her with the wizard present, he had let them both know that she was no good for marriage, yet he still owned her and would continue to do so. So in order for him to have any use what so ever of her, she would from that day forward be at his service as a warrior, killing at his will.

Once again looking into Aragorn's concerned eyes she continued "However, had Gandalf not been present when Drago's plans on my behalf failed, I would most likely been either killed on the spot or locked up to rot in the dungeons beneath the palace. Instead I am his assassin bound to kill whom ever he pleases, and fight any war he chooses to participate in. In between I am free to do as I wish as long as I follow the rules he has set for me. He owns me Aragorn, and the one way I can be rid of his tyranny is by death… and that is not a satisfaction I am willing to grant him!"

"I would hope not..." Aragorn thought to himself, deeply troubled by what he had learned so far, and not to sure if he wished to learn the rest. Yet he felt obligated, and knowing his own

curiosity would not grant him any rest if he left the matter unfinished.

"You spoke of rules... may I ask what they are?"

"You may, however this is a question to which the answers are known only to me. I chose to make it so from the moment they were ordered upon me... and I intend to keep it that way" Baffled by the sudden sting of pain in her voice, Aragorn gently grasped her chin making her turn her head and look into his eyes. Not quite willing to let the matter rest he tried again "Númi... I am not just anyone. You can tell me anything you/"
She frees herself from his loving grasp and the pain in her voice mixes with that of a plead and an order "Let it be Aragorn! It is of no ones business but mine..."

The sight of her obvious struggle to keep her upset feelings from overpowering her, makes Aragorn realise that this is the first time in days that he has seen anything other then strict, emotionless self-control in his cousin. What ever the rules are, they must cause her great pain... "Forgive me, I did not mean to upset you..."

"Ú-moe edhored Aragorn... dan avo pedinc i ad!

He nods once in agreement, understanding that the conversation will be over if he crosses the line once more.