Looks Can Be Deceiving
Adriana slogged through the muddy streets and finally made it to the stables. Pulling open the doors she was greeted with the hay and horse smell that so often calmed her nerves. She took a deep breath; her nerves needed a lot of calming. A low whinnying brought her attention to her horse. Walking over she whispered a greeting while opening the door and running a hand over Lirimaer, "Lovely one, I'll need to ask you to run hard tonight. You can't stay here." The horse met her eyes with stark intelligence. Adriana continued to caress her friend and then began to saddle her with quick efficient movements, "The wraiths will be here and they can't know I was here. They will recognize your scent. I do not want you harmed. Find me when you can."
She walked to the open doors now and then caressed Lirimaer once more while resting her forehead against her friend's, "Now go! Be quick, Lirimaer." The horse turned to nuzzle her mistress once before disappearing into the night. Adriana could hear the steady movement of her horse turn into the louder gallop and then the sound faded, being replaced with the drizzle of rain.
With a sigh Adriana moved back across the town and then made her way back to where Strider, and the hobbits, waited. Entering the inn Adriana drew the innkeeper away from the hustle and bustle. "Excuse me, this will only take a moment…" and so she told him what to expect that night. The wraiths would not murder countless people if she could help it.
Adriana walked into the room and closed the door and leaned back against it, eyes closed, and sighed. "There. Lirimaer is gone, the innkeeper is warned." Aragorn nodded quietly and returned to looking out the window carefully she moved towards a chair and flopped down unceremoniously. Sam, she had learned all their names earlier that evening, walked up to her and carefully took charge of her dripping cloak, "Thank-you Sam." The small hobbit blushed, stuttered something intelligible, and then slipped away to the fire with Merry and Pippin helping to hang it up to dry. Frodo walked to her and then sat beside her, "What do we do now?" He asked quietly.
Strider answered for her, "We wait."
Adriana carefully blew out the last of the candles and glanced back once at the sleeping hobbits; Merry, Pippin, and Sam all had managed to somehow fall asleep even under the circumstances. Adriana silently envied the stoutness of hobbits. She padded across the floor soundlessly.
Then she moved over to the window and consequently towards Strider and the mute Frodo seated at the edge of the bed. Adriana nodded once in Frodo's direction before turning back towards the window and sitting on a chair there, Strider leaning against the wall. She carefully watched the Ringwraiths creep into the room their swords glittering dangerously. "Four of them." She murmured quietly though she didn't have to say anything. The horses were picketed outside after all. "They are not going to be pleased." An understatement.
Adriana watched as the swords were brought up, and she couldn't help think about what would have happened if it had been the hobbits sleeping there, and then stabbed down with shocking force, each bed being stabbed again and again.
Their angry cries rang out through the town and Adria closed her eyes, imagining the ruined pillows, stabbed blankets, and feathers floating through the air. A crash sounded and Strider looked towards her a question in his eyes. "They threw a bed." Again the crazed cries echoed across the town. This time Merry, Pippin, and Sam awoke all sitting up against the head board of the bed, panting hard, their eyes widened in fear. Frodo sitting at the foot of the bed looked towards the window, "What are they?" he questioned quietly. The hobbits stilled and waited with bated breath for the answer. Adria flicked her black hair behind her ears and glanced at the hobbits before turning towards the window again. Black shapes in the room across the way and flashing silver met her gaze and her blue gray eyes grew dark with anger.
Strider looked up from where he was leaning and Adria turned towards the hobbits as the blood-freezing cry echoed again her eyes growing softer and more reassuring. "They were once Men." He spoke quietly and then continued, "Great Kings of men. Then Sauron the Deceiver gave to them nine rings of power. Blinded by their greed they took them without question. One by one falling into darkness. Now they are slaves to his will."
Adriana looked out of the window at the black riders, shivering slightly as she remembered being chased by such a being. She spoke with Aragorn at his next statement. She knew him well enough to guess what he would say, "They are the Nazgul."
He looked at her once before returning his gaze to the hobbits, "Ringwraiths, neither living nor dead." Another look at the departing riders cloaked in black before his gaze was rested on the hobbits again, "At all times they feel the presence of the Ring…drawn to the power of the One. They will never stop hunting you."
There was quiet in the room, and the fire nearby crackled quietly. Adriana was abruptly reminded at how she had left another room not so long ago, that also had a story whispered, that also required deep thinking on the parts of all who heard it. She glanced towards the hobbits and forced a smile as Sam opened his mouth to ask another question.
She cut him off, "We can do nothing more tonight. Sleep now, tonight Strider and I will keep watch, tomorrow we will travel with you. We leave at dawn."
Adriana quickly brought up the rear of her little column of travelers and crested the hill. Turning she looked back to see what ground they had covered. Not nearly enough, though Adria had not slept last night, her thoughts were all centered on black riders stalking their trail relentlessly. She was glad to be on the move.
Crossing an open field Adriana sighed with relief as they began to walk beneath the trees again. Being out in the open was beginning to make her feel hunted—a feeling she did not like.
Walking noiselessly behind the hobbits she was startled when Frodo spoke, "Where are you taking us?" Strider looked back towards Frodo and then met Adria's eyes.
"Into the Wild." He said shortly before he turned and began to walk again.
Adriana decided to add more, "The wraiths will be hunting you now, we go into the Wild because of two reasons…" she trailed off.
Pippin looked back at her, "What reasons?" He asked semi-suspiciously.
Adriana leapt over a fallen log and then loped up to the small group and looked each in the eyes, "One, Strider knows the Wild nearly as well as the elves and two, there are no roads here…it will be harder for the wraiths to pursue us." She ruffled each of their heads fondly before dropping back again. Listening to the disgruntled mutterings of the hobbits as they patted their hair down she grinned.
"How do we know this Strider is a friend of Gandalf?" Sam Gamgee asked Frodo quietly. Hearing the mutinous conversation begin she dropped back even further giving off the semblance of utter ignorance. A few moments later four pairs of eyes glanced back at her to see her watching the clouds and humming a small tune apparently lost in deep thought.
"We have no choice but to trust him. Adriana is helping us too, why don't you doubt her?"
Sam blushed slightly and Adria forced back a grin, keeping her face straight, "I don't trust her, I don't trust him. I'm worried. But where is he leading us?" Sam said getting back to the main drift of the conversation towards the end.
"To Rivendell, Master Gamgee." She stifled a laugh at the hobbits' startled appearance. She knew Aragorn could hear their conversation just as well as she, "To the house of Elrond." Adriana's heart couldn't help but soar as she heard his words though she knew also that they were heading to Rivendell. She was excited to see Arwen, though not, she conceded in her mind, as excited as Aragorn would be.
"Did you hear that?" Sam suddenly spoke again his muted tone sounding excited despite his trying to be quiet, "Rivendell…We are going to see the elves."
Adriana moved up to them and smiled while speaking quietly, "And just what am I, Mr. Gamgee?" He stared after her as she laughed and caught up to Strider while pulling her cloak tighter against her, mirroring her companion as they crossed open ground. Sam glanced at Frodo who appeared just as confused as himself.
Pippin finally threw in the question that the hobbits were thinking, "Did she hear the whole thing?" Another laugh echoed back to them. They blinked at each other.
Adriana smiled at Strider as they picked their way through the forest occasionally glancing back to see whether their charges were keeping up. They stopped at a hill and looked over the landscape. Then Adriana happened to look back at their company, "Aragorn, I believe you need to see this."
"What is it?" He glanced back at the hobbits to see them stopping and setting up a camp. Adriana watched Aragorn's face as it took on an exasperated look. She strangled another laugh and then disappeared into the trees leaving Strider to deal with the hobbits. He looked after her. 'She would leave this to me.' He thought good-naturedly, his smile taking on an exasperated curve as he turned back to the hobbits. Just what were they doing?
"Gentlemen, we do not stop till night fall." Adriana leaned against a tree and listened to the conversation with a smile on her face. Her stories from Gandalf had certainly helped, he had told her often of the hobbits' great love of food, women, and tobacco. She couldn't resist letting Aragorn find out about hobbits and their stomachs, it was just too funny, and she had a feeling that funny would be hard to come by in the coming months. She choked back more laughter and then leaned back and looked into the trees. Something red caught her attention even as she continued to listen to the hobbits and Strider.
"What about breakfast?" Pippin asked. The clanking of pans and Sam's horse's gentle whinnying painted a clear picture in Adria's head, no doubt they were all bending over to get some food started over a fire, even the threat of the wraiths did nothing to whet their appetite. She began to climb the tree reaching for that intriguing bit of red.
"You've already had it." A confused Aragorn stated. She finally reached the red, it was an apple. She smiled and then plucked it from the tree while reaching for five more. One each for her companions, she couldn't leave Aragorn to face the mob of hungry hobbits alone after all. What friend would do that?
"We've had one, yes, what about second breakfast?" Pippin again spoke, as Adriana gently cradled the apples to her chest and then slipped, with cat-like grace, down the tree. Reaching the group again Adriana had enough time to hear another exasperated sigh slip out of Strider's mouth before he turned and nearly ran into her.
She ran up to him, slightly breathless while handing him some apples. He lifted one eyebrow at her; she nodded in the direction of an apple tree. "Figured you'd need some help, second breakfast and all that,"
Aragorn took one look at her suspicious smile and then swiped at her half-heartedly. "You knew about that, didn't you?"
She ducked with inhuman speed, "I may have heard about it from Gandalf…once upon a time." He shook his head slightly.
"I'll not forgive you for this Adriana."
"You don't need to; I'm letting you go to Rivendell where a certain someone is waiting for you. You still owe me. I rest my case, and yes I am the best." They walked began to walk back to the rest of their company. "Of course I realize that you would never admit to me being the greatest."
"That is correct." At his reply Adria gasped theatrically and then pushed him from the path.
"You are cruel, very cruel, Aragorn. You actually deep down sort of kind of like me and you know it." Strider glanced at her and then pushed her back.
"You are the sister I've never had, Adriana. You know that." Adriana smiled and then they continued along the path occasionally pushing one another but continuing towards the hobbits 'break spot' just in time to hear the end of a conversation between the two cousins.
"Don't think he knows about second breakfast, Pip."
"What about elevenses? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? He knows about them doesn't he?" Pippin spoke out with a tad bit of hysteria. Adriana raised an eyebrow in surprise at the long list…she had heard the hobbits had liked to eat sure. Just how much could they eat though?
"I wouldn't count on it." Merry spoke. Adriana offered the apples to Aragorn one at a time with another smile crossing her features. He smiled as well and then grabbed the apples and launched them over the hill towards the hobbits. Adria tilted her head to the side, the soft thump of one apple meeting a palm of a hand met her ears followed by the rather harder thunk as another bounced of a head, Pippin's if she had to bet. She smiled and then mimed the action to Strider. He laughed lightly. She handed him one apple and then mockingly waved while turning to go back towards the others.
"Pippin!" Merry called out while Adria once again relinquished the leading to Strider and dropped back towards the end of the line, stopping only to hand apples to Sam, Frodo, and then the horse. They nodded their thanks and Adria again ruffled their hair affectionately...to receive more muted grumblings. With a small smile of encouragement to the hobbits, they once again followed dutifully behind Aragorn while Adriana brought up the rear.
Hours later they walked up another hill to see the remains of a building. Aragorn getting used to the hobbits many questions answered before they could ask, "This was the great watchtower of Amon Sul," and then he continued answering their next unspoken question, "We shall rest here tonight."
Finishing the climb into the abandoned watch tower Adria watched as the hobbits all fell down with little moans and groans of exhaustion. She sighed quietly while another affectionate smile crossed her features. Then she joined Strider. They stood looking out at the landscape for a time before he turned back to the hobbits and opened up a bag revealing small swords, "These are for you. Keep them close." The hobbits catch their weapons readily enough but Adriana sighs slightly. She could tell well enough that they've never held a sword with any great skill. "I'm—"
"We are going to have a look around." Adriana broke in and he looked and nodded at her in understanding.
"Stay here." Then they were gone.