Riana is my OC, dont steal pls. Thanks to Sparkalie for her encouragement, kudos to her!
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85 years passed since that fateful day. Aragorn was brought up in Imladris, and soon over the years he soon forgot that he had a sister. Lord Elrond did not speak of it. He did not think it was important; the girl was probably dead or long recognised in the wilds or Eriador, grown into a wild ranger. Aragorn had known the truth of his heritage when he came of age but did not peruse it. Instead, he became a recluse and wandered the wilds on his own developing the name Strider to the locals.
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Two swords were fighting. Well they weren't fighting they were practising.
"Never hesitate" said Bon swinging his broad blade through the air. The woman he was duelling with dodged his blow and paused, bringing her own sword to the man's neck.
"Nervous?" she grinned.
The man ducked and skilfully brought his own sword behind her back.
"Petrified" he laughed into her ear.
The slashing of swords carried on. "You told me never to change sword hands" she said.
"Yes. When you know how to use it, you won't be taking my orders"
The woman laughed again swinging back her head, which was full of thick auburn hair. "And what orders are they?"
They both laughed into the silence. Finally they finished the duel with a shake of hands. Riana pretended to break the giant fist that was Bon's. The large man sank down beneath a tree in the wood that they were in with his chest panting with lots of breaths. He looked like a burly man gone slightly to seed. Riana stood nearby cleaning her sword.
She had grown so much over the years. Her hair was still its normal reddish-brown and it fell to her waist in wavy, dishevelled strands. Some clumps were braids which were falling out. She had the build of her mother, even though she was not very tall her frame was politely thin. She looked on the world with acute brown eyes which never lost there shrewdness and her lips were small but full. And like all Dunedain Rangers she wore a long darned trench coat, breeches, and thick boots clumpier enough to rival Bon's. She was a Dunedain Ranger.
"You do know we are in dangerous lands, Bon?" she said.
The man nodded. "Scared are you?"
"No" she said. "But even you can't deny that the amount of orcs seen is a bad omen. Something isn't right."
Bon laughed. "Ever the optimist"
Riana smiled grimly.
"Pass me the flask" he said. Riana rolled her eyes and gave him his flask of whiskey.
"What did your last slave die of?" she said. Bon drank deeply ignoring her. When he finished he said: "Come let's move out."
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The duo travelled swiftly over the plains, blessed with the indefatigable energy that the Dunedain rangers had.
Finally, they paused for the night beneath a swamp.
"Great choosing" sighed Riana, flopping onto a rock. After a few minutes she got up and scouted the area, offering to hunt for the night. She brought back a deer and they both ate profusely over the large fire she erected.
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The sound of horse hooves were heard in the far distance. They sounded powerful and purposeful as if they belonged to a great beast. Riana felt cold and opened one brown eye, looking ahead into the pitch darkness.
Something wasn't right.
She sat up.
"Bon" she whispered. The lump that was Bon stirred and he sat up groggily.
"What?" he asked.
"I hear something."
"What? A rabbit?" groaned Bon. Riana silenced him with a look and they both listened hard. Suddenly, the sound of clumping horse hooves sounded again.
Bon shot Riana a quizzical look.
"Someone's nearby" he whispered. "But whom?"
"A traveller maybe" Riana whispered back whilst still listening "but who would in these lands? I have an ill feeling about this."
Suddenly, something definitely moved nearby. And it wasn't a rabbit. Riana dived for her sword and so did Bon. His cobalt eyes stared ahead.
"Wait" he said. Riana nodded her heart panting. It was too late to put out their fire. Whoever was in front of them had most certainly spotted them. Suddenly when Riana turned to look at Bon she uttered a petrified scream.
Bon sat limp with a sword skewered straight through him and it was from a singular rider draped in a black cloak.
Riana scrambled to her feet and began to duel. Not trying to think about Bon the man who she had looked to as a father …. Now dead!
"SCUM!" she roared at the creature which was now piercingly trying to ensnare her. Riana ducked from a blow and picked up a flaming branch from the large fire. She threw it at the thing's face and it got stuck. It let go of her fighting and uttered a scream of pain. Blinded by its pain it struck Riana in the side and she collapsed to the floor. Her face was white and it contrasted greatly to her red hair.
Blood poured from the wound.
It was pain … pain … pain beyond endurance … could she fight it?
As she bled to death she blearily saw the thing melting away into the darkness. With as much energy she could manage she crawled over to the body of Bon and stared into his bloodless face. The mighty man had fallen and Riana wept whilst stroking his face.
"No … no …" she wept "don't go. Please don't go where I can't follow …. Please …."
There was no answer of course and soon, everything went black.