Merida stood at the gateway that led away from Rivendell. She looked up at the early morning sky as she waited to say her final farewells.

The sunrise here is even more beautiful than it was back at home.

Home, she repeated in her mind. I don't think I'll be seeing that place for a while.

Suddenly, she could hear footsteps from behind. Startled, she turned around. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found out that it was her father. His face was solemn, and he was carrying a big black fur in his arms.

"Here," he said, his voice quieter than usual. "This is the pelt of Mor'du. It should protect you when times get hard."

Merida promptly wrapped the fur cloak about her shoulders.

"Thank you, da. I promise I'll be safe."

Elrond, Arwen, Galadriel and Celeborn came in behind them, with a few elven escorts to bid Merida farewell. All of them were dressed in the fine silks and robes that Merida had come to associate with their kind - Elrond in grey, blue, and silver, with Galadriel and Celeborn their distinctive white. A single mother of pearl flower edged with rose gold adorned Arwen's dark tresses. The peach and golden shades of her gown were reminiscent of the sunrises and sunsets of the very city they were in.

Elrond stepped forward.

"Merida of Dunland, Daughter of King Fergus," he began. "You are about to embark upon journey that shall change the fate of Middle Earth. Your task is to find the Ringbearer and ensure that he casts the ring back into the fiery chasm from whence it came. This quest is to be kept in secret. Know that should this go ill, no oath or promise should force you to go where you will not."

"And I shall gladly accept this quest," Merida responded. Her tone and manner was as though she were trying to impress her mother with the most queenly decorum she could muster.

"May your heart and the hearts of all involved in this fellowship stay true when darkness falls. You go with the blessing of men, elves, and all free folk. Farewell."

Angus' reins were now in Fergus' hand. Merida walked up to him and stroked his nose.

"Be a good lad for me, Angus."

The horse neighed his own farewell in response. Merida hugged his neck, and then turned to her father.

"You'd better stay safe and alive for me, lass," he said without a hint of sternness in his voice.

Merida looked up at him and gave him a small smile.

"What are you going to tell mum?"

"The truth."

The next thing they new, the two of them were locked in a bear hug. When they finally let go of each other, Merida took a few steps toward the gate and took one last look back.

"Goodbye, da."

The entire farewell party watched in silence as she passed through and slowly vanished into the trees. Arwen quietly reminisced of the moment she had watched Aragorn walk through those very gates as one of nine companions and prayed for the huntress whose journey had just begun.

May Iluvatar and the grace of the Valar guide her swiftly to Frodo, wherever he may be.

...

Over the next few weeks, Merida roamed over the lands of Middle Earth searching for the Ringbearer, climbing mountains, over hills, and crossing rivers and forests. A roil of different emotions boiled inside her. She was at once triumphant and frightened beyond words. If she was successful, she would have surely won her right to be queen of Dunland - and the title of a great war hero.

But success, she knew, was far from certain. This much, however, was clear: the consequences would be dire indeed if either she or the Ringbearer she sought were to fail.

I can't stop now. I can't turn back. I can only go onward.

...

Merida's throat was suddenly parched. She quickly grabbed the water canteen at her hip and pulled out the cork, pressing its mouth to her lips. Yet only a small drop fell onto her tongue, doing nothing to quench her thirst. She quickly withdrew it and, frustrated, shoved the cork back into its opening.

Damn it! I'm out of water already?!

She let out a heavy sigh.

The afternoon sun was high and was ruthlessly beating down on her back and shoulders. This only meant one thing: she needed to make a stop at the nearest river as soon as possible. Fortunately, she was surrounded by trees, which meant that water wasn't far. She also had a habit of wandering the wilderness of Dunland whenever she needed a break from being the lady her mother insisted that she should be.

She stopped walking and listened for even the faintest sound of water. A subtle breeze passed through the surrounding trees, rustling the foliage. For a while, she heard nothing like what she was hoping for. She took a few steps in one direction, then another. Not much time had passed, but it seemed like hours.

Finally, she heard what sounded like a bubbling brook. A quiet but excited gasp escaped from her lips. Grasping her bow and quiver of arrows, she followed the sound.

Maybe there's some fish swimming in there! I might as well find a bit of food while I'm at it.

She was so glad to finally find a food and water source that she was practically running. The sound of flowing water became more prominent with each step she took until she could finally see a glimpse of the river from the branches of the trees. She slowed down to scan her surroundings.

It was then that she noticed something that caught her completely off guard. At first, it was difficult to pick it out from the rest of her surroundings. She thought what she saw was a boulder, and yet there was something off about it. She looked down and figured that it was what looked like the corner of some piece of cloth sticking out from its base. She touched it and suddenly realized that the boulder was in fact, not a boulder at all, but a bundled cloak with an emerald green brooch shaped like a leaf at its closure. She quietly gasped as it fell to the side, revealing a pile of clothes. The brown jacket, vest, and trousers practically blended in with the ground that they were crumpled up on. Letting curiosity get the best of her, she pushed the garments to the side, revealing two shirts. One was a travel stained off-white number, which covered the other. As she picked up the second shirt, she clasped her mouth and muffled another gasp. Its chain mail rings shone a bright silvery hue. Thick golden trim graced the neckline and was adorned with pearls and white gems.

No... This can't be... mithril?

She'd heard of the legendary metal before. She'd heard of many a king who would kill for the smallest scrap of the dwarvish treasure - let alone a shirt made from mithril rings! She could even picture her own father vying intensely for such a treasure. She grasped it in her hands for a while longer, debating on what she should do before she shook her head and dropped it.

Snap out of it and stop staring at that thing! You're a princess for Eru's sake - not a street rat! Get back to finding some water before you shrivel up!

Immediately, she buried the mithril shirt with the other garments and wrapped the cloak around it. She smiled briefly in admiration of her work before heading off to the river.

There. No one will even notice that I was here.

The sound of water was quite prominent now. Merida quietly took a step closer to the foliage before her and pushed back the branches as carefully as she could. Her jaw dropped at what she saw next. The river was there as clearly as daylight - with a bather in it. Fortunately, his back was turned to her. Unfortunately, however, she now had to think about how she could slip past him unnoticed while simultaneously fighting the urge to look a little longer than anyone should at a complete stranger. The back that was turned to her was marble white, with subtle muscles that were as gently formed as stones shaped by eons of watery currents. A head full of dark brown hair that hung in thick, damp ringlets sat upon a set of shapely bare shoulders.

Flustered, she released the branches and hid behind the thickest tree trunk she could find. She looked through a gap in the foliage to see if he had noticed the sound of the resulting rustle of leaves. She could see that it had obviously startled him. He immediately looked over his shoulder and scanned his surroundings. Even from the distance that she stood at, she could see that those eyes were blue like her own, yet were even more so than either hers or the pristine water he waded in. She could now see how his curls fell about his chiseled face, as well as a glimpse of long dark lashes and full, elegant lips. His neck, though gracefully proportioned, seemed to be as thick and sturdy as a tree trunk. The front of his torso was much like the alluring back she'd taken a glimpse of a few minutes ago.

She could see his chest rise and fall as they both took a deep breath in unison. She finally mustered the strength to look away, shifting her gaze upwards as a noticeable flush came to her cheeks. An idea popped into her head as she viewed the branches above her. She quickly glimpsed through the gap in the foliage to see if the bather was still on guard. Fortunately, he seemed to have resumed going about his business. She turned to the tree behind her, placed her foot on one of the knobs in the trunk, and grabbed the lowest branch she could find. She climbed the tree with relative ease, and soon she was at the very top.

Good. Now I just need to stay hidden until he's done. Then I can slip quietly past him, get my water, and get out of here!

She tried to position herself so that she would be comfortably out of his sight, and managed to do so - at least for a few moments. Suddenly, she heard a branch crack under her weight. She gasped and turned around. The branch cracked even more. It was too late. Seconds later, the branch snapped off completely and sent her tumbling into the waters below.

...

Frodo knew there was something watching him. He could feel its eyes on his naked back as he silently cursed himself for leaving Sting with his clothes. The rustle of leaves behind him only heightened his senses as he turned around and scanned his surroundings, only to find... nothing. He took a deep breath. He knew he had been completely alone when he decided to bathe here. He figured it would be one of the very few times on his journey to Mordor that he would be able to enjoy such a privilege. He took a bit of water from the running currents at his waist and splashed it on his face. The only thing he was wearing at this moment was the ring around his neck. At least he could slip it on his finger and turn invisible if an enemy or a predator decided to invade his privacy.

Frodo suddenly heard the loud snap of a branch and a shriek behind him. He whirled around as the droplets from the resulting splash landed on his bare and already wet skin. One of the branches from a nearby tree had fallen into the river. A moment later, he realized that someone had apparently climbed that tree and had tumbled into the waters below. He immediately went on his guard as he came closer to investigate.

His eyes widened in surprise. The potential pair of prying eyes did not belong to the gangly creature Gollum who lusted for what hung around his neck, as he had suspected. Nor did they belong to any orc or goblin - but a girl. Even as it hung miserably like seaweed from her head in its soaking wet condition, her hair was the most brilliant shade of red he'd ever seen. He noticed her struggling with the currents and tugging on her skirts. In the blink of an eye, he completely disregarded the circumstances and came to lift her out of the water. As he came closer, he noticed that the hem of her skirt had snagged on to one of the smaller branches. He stepped even closer and reached for the source of the snag. Frodo suddenly saw her backing away with a frightened look on her face.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you."

He paused, watching her reaction.

"I just want to get you out of those branches, all right?"

She nodded. Her face was now as red as her hair. Frodo finally came forth and began to undo the tangle of fabric and branches. Merida looked on as he worked and knitted his shapely brows in concentration, his bright blue eyes fixed on the problem that he was trying to solve. For a few moments, despite the humiliation she was feeling, she completely forgot about his nudity. Before she knew it, she was able to tug her skirt out of the branches, rendering her free to move once more. Unfortunately, the force of her pull sent her falling backwards into the man who had just set her free. Frodo caught her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Whoa - careful! You never know what's out here."

She bit her lower lip as her face turned even redder (if that was even possible).

This can't get any worse, can it?

She immediately turned her gaze upward to spare herself from further embarrassment. It was at that moment that she noticed the ring around his neck. It was a small and simple golden band that hung on a gleaming silver chain. She found herself strangely fascinated by it. After a few seconds, she realized that it was almost unhealthy. She looked up again at his face to pull herself away from its draw. She immediately saw the relief in his azure eyes and suddenly began to put the pieces together.

Albeit in one of the most humiliating ways possible, she had finally found the Ringbearer.