Disclaimer: I do not own anything.
While they were riding East they stopped at an inn every night before continuing their journey. Amie didn't feel the cold because of the warm clothing she wore. As they rode further East the snows were deeper and the cold wind was a constant with no let-up and the ice was thicker, which slowed them down somewhat. Adair told her many things while traveling East and she began to learn and understand his people's customs and ways.
"How's Lady holding up?" Adair asked her while they were having a quiet dinner at an inn one evening.
"Fine," she answered smiling at him. "She took to me right away and I was surprised."
Adair returned the smile. "Once we leave here in the morning the inns will be further apart and we'll have to ride longer and our stays will be shorter," he told her.
Amie nodded her head.
"I love you Amie and I want to marry you. I don't have anything to give you now, but I will in the future," he told her and reached out and took her hands which were on the table.
Amie felt the hard calluses on his hands, but they were also soft and warm and a shiver went through her and her soul burned which reached her heart and something warm and wonderful came alive inside her. When her eyes met Adair's she knew they both felt the same thing by the look in his eyes. She nodded her head and realized she and Adair read each other very well.
With a simple touch of the their hands Adair's and Amie's souls merged and they became one forever.
xxx
The next morning they rode further East which is much colder in this part of the East; and Amie realized Adair was right when he told her the inns will be infrequent. When they arrived they ate, were given a bath, if they had one, and then went to bed – and rode out again before the sun rose the next morning. Amie looked around while they were riding East and saw the lands were vast and also very beautiful, even in winter. They continued their journey through the ice and snow before they arrived at their destination.
"This is where I grew up Amie and these are my Lord's lands," Adair said when they arrived.
Amie looked around the large estate and thought it was beautiful. She saw the tall trees, a large stable in the distance, many small cottages on the estate and a large grand estate made of wood.
"There's an inn not to far from here and the others will stay there until my mother is ready to leave," Adair told her.
"Welcome to our home Amie," Ivan said when he rode up to her.
Amie turned and smiled at him.
"Boris show the others to the inn and the rest of you can go home," Adair said.
Amie noticed they did Adair's bidding and rode away.
"It's time for you to meet my mother Amie," Adair said to her.
xxx
"Hello mother," Adair said when he walked into the kitchen of the estate.
"You've returned," Katrina said and ran to her son and gave him a hug and a kiss. "What did you find in the South?"
"Her," Adair answered and Amie walked into view.
Katrina studied the lovely young woman with beautiful long black hair and soft brown eyes. "What is your name child?" she asked.
"Amie," she answered. Amie now knew where Adair got his looks, hair color, and eyes from, but Adair's color was lighter than his mother's – and she thought Katrina is very beautiful.
"Welcome Amie," Katrina said with a smile and told Amie her name. "Take off your cloaks and I'll get the two of you something to eat."
While Katrina was preparing their meal Adair told his mother about his trip South and how he met Amie
"The sea sounds beautiful," Katrina said.
"I wish you could see it mother," her son replied.
"Maybe one day I will," she told him.
While they we having dinner Adair told his mother about Elan.
"When does she want me to leave?" she asked.
"Soon mother," he answered.
xxx
After dinner Katrina showed Amie to her room and made sure she had hot water so she could wash before she went to bed. Katrina also took all Amie's soiled clothes to be washed.
"When are you going to marry Amie?" his mother asked him when she returned to the kitchen.
"Mother?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I saw the way you looked at her," she said.
"We've only known each other a few months," he replied.
"She followed you Adair," she said. "What does that tell you?"
"I told Amie she's the reason you sent me South," he answered.
"I didn't know what you would find in the South and I can tell she's high born," she said.
Adair told his mother Amie's background.
xxx
The next morning Amie was surprised to see Adair in the kitchen helping his mother and the other kitchen staff when she walked in.
"I didn't know you can cook Adair," she said surprised.
"I learned from my mother," he replied. "You slept late."
"I was very sore and tired," she said with a half smile.
"You're not use to riding like that," he replied. "I'll make you something to eat."
Adair poured her a cup of tea when she sat at the long wooden table and Amie watched as he prepared her breakfast. Amie looked around and saw three hearths and two stoves, and noticed the long benches on both sides of the table were also made of wood.
Katrina introduced Amie to the other kitchen staff.
After breakfast Adair and Amie rode across the vast estate and he showed her the rest of his Lord's estate. Later that evening after everyone went to bed after dinner Katrina and Adair had a talk with Amie
"Lord Delmar's oldest daughter is married and he left a day before you arrived to negotiate with another Lord for his youngest daughter's hand in marriage with his son, and he'll be gone awhile," Katrina told Amie.
"Elan wants my mother to come and stay with her and she's agreed and she'll be leaving in a few weeks. Lord Delmar is the Lord of these lands and he can take what he wants Amie and I will not have you here when he returns. I'm going on patrol in few months and I'm taking you with me and our lives are going to be hard. In a few days mother and few other women in the village will be throwing a feast for all the married couples and I'm asking you again to marry me," Adair said to her.
"Time is of the essence Amie, war is coming to these lands and Adair has a lot of work to do and he wants you by his side," Katrina told her.
"Everything has happened so fast," she said.
"Why did you come with Adair?" Katrina asked.
"It was my destiny," she answered looking Adair in the eyes. "I will marry you Adair."
Adair reached out and took Amie's hands and their souls burned.
xxx
A few days later Adair and Amie stood in line with other couples waiting to get married in the near-by village. Adair told Amie that they'll only need one witness to their marriage. After they said their vows and were told they were husband and wife, they signed a ledger and a male witness signed his name below their names attesting to the fact that they're officially married.
Amie looked around the large cabin when she entered with Adair and saw the other married couples celebrating. She smelt the food, which Katrina helped prepare, and there were many barrels of ale and some wine. They took off their cloaks and Amie sat on the bench at one of the long wooden tables.
"Welcome to the family Amie," Katrina said when she walked over to her and gave her a hug and kiss.
"Thank you," she replied beaming.
Katrina also gave her son a hug and kiss when he returned to the table with his ale and Amie's wine. "Enjoy the feast," she told them and walked away.
During the feast the women of the village served the married couples and kept their glasses full. The menu consisted of bread, roasted potatoes, a vegetable and a meat Amie never tasted before, which she thought was delicious. Dessert was a deep fried pastry sprinkled with sugar. After the meal the men got up and sang and danced with their arms around each other shoulders while their wives clapped, including Amie. The women did the same after the men finished while their husbands clapped.
When Amie walked into Adair's cabin later that evening she was surprised it was only one room. The room had a bed covered with furs, a few chairs, a chest where he kept his clothes and a very small stove. There was a fire in the fireplace and the room was warm.
Adair took her cloak and hung it up next to his and showed her the washroom. "I love you Amie and I have since the day I met you," he said when he walked up to her and kissed his wife.
xxx
"Where's Amie?" Katrina asked her son when he walked into the kitchen the next morning.
"She's still asleep and I'm going to make our breakfast and take it to our cabin," he answered.
"Will the two of you have dinner here tonight?" she asked.
"Maybe tomorrow night mother," he answered with a wink.
A few nights later Adair and Amie walked into the kitchen and had dinner with the household staff who congratulated the couple. Katrina prepared their meals for the next few days which Adair took back to their cabin.
xxx
Amie helped Katrina pack for her journey and a week later the riders sent by Elan arrived at the estate and their Captain handed Adair an empty chest. Adair and his mother put half the gems in the empty chest and covered the gems with her remaining clothes. After the chests were locked, Adair and the Captain carried both chests out and put them in the wagon and made sure they were secure.
"Good-bye mother. I'll see you again, but I don't know when," Adair said and hugged his mother tightly.
"I know you will," she replied smiling up at her son and then turned to Amie and they said their good-byes and embraced and kissed.
Adair helped his mother on her horse and then walked over to the Captain. "Keep my mother safe and make sure she gets to Elan's along with her things," he told him.
"I will," the Captain said.
Adair and Aimee watched as the party rode away.
"When do we leave?" Amie asked when she turned and looked at Adair.
"In a few days," he answered looking up at the sky.
xxx
Middle-Earth
Gandalf thought about his encounter with Adair and his friends and found it ironic that Adair and Aragon share the same fate. The Line of Kings has been broken for both their people; but it was the Númenóreans who broke the Line of Kings for Adair's people in a devastating war. Aragon's sword is Anduril, Flame of the West, which was reforged by the elves. Adair's sword has no name and was forged by the dwarves before the Númenóreans came and was given to Adair, the first of his name, and then was passed to Adair years later. Adair's horse is a Mearas which he Gandalf found very interesting, and thought about the gems Adair also inherited. He realized that Adair, like Aragon, will have to prove himself in the war that is to come, and from what Adair told him, they only have Lords who can never agree who'll there next King should be. But none them will expect it'll be one of their bastard sons who'll become their next King. "Ironic indeed," Gandalf said aloud laughing.
Gandalf arrived in the Shire a month later and the War of the Ring had begun.
xxx
The North
Amie knew what hardship is while patrolling their borders alongside her husband, his friends and many others. During the Spring the foul things attempted to cross their borders many times along with strange men, but to no avail. At the beginning of Summer Adair was told to take a few men with him and travel West to warn their people about the incursions all along their borders, and he took Amie, Khan, Vlad, Boris, Anton and Ivan with him. Amie watched as her husband rallied their people to war from East to West and many men followed him. By the time they returned home men were posted all along their borders – and when winter arrived the incursions stopped.
xxx
The North – The End of February 3019
"Are your men ready Lord Balar?" Elan asked.
"Yes madam," he answered.
"You're to station your men and both sides of the mountains (Misty Mountains) along our borders," she told him.
Lord Balar nodded his head.
xxx
The War of the Ring March 3019
When Adair received word that many men and foul things were marching towards their borders he rode to war with his army.
xxx
"The enemy has been destroyed," Lord Balar said to Elan. "We've heard the stories about Adair."
"I've heard the same," she replied after taking a sip of her tea.
"What about the Lords?" he asked.
"I'll handle the Lords, my Lord," she answered.
xxx
Minas Tirith
There was a celebration in the city after Aragon was crowned King.
"Captain," Gandalf said when he walked up to the Captain of the forces from Dale.
"Hello Gandalf," he replied.
"Congratulations on your victory at the Lonely Mountain," Gandalf told him.
"Thank you," he replied. "While we were chasing the remnant of Sauron's forces East we were surprised to see other men doing the same, but we've never seen them before and their clothing was different. They were ahead of us and we stopped and watched as they finished off the remaining orcs and Easterlings, then they turned and rode North. They were lead by a young man who had a long sword strapped across his back and he wielded his sword with a grace and style I've never seen before – and the four Easterlings he fought fell under his sword quickly. What surprised us was his army had many female soldiers and the female who rode by his side is an excellent archer, along with the other females. One female got off her horse and fought an Easterling and defeated him easily. She was quick and light on her feet and had great anticipation. When the Easterling went for her legs,she jumped up out of the way of his sword and then cut his throat with her sword – all in one continuous motion. We've never seen anything like it before and those female solders can fight as well or better than many men."
"What did you think of them?" Gandalf asked.
"They've very formidable and many of them looked different than we do," he answered.
"How so?" Gandalf asked with a straight face.
"Some of them have dark skin, but their hair and features are like ours. Others had lighter skin and their hair is like ours, but their eyes are different," he answered.
"Interesting," Gandalf said.
They continued talking a while longer.
xxx
The North – Six Months Later
"It seems the people have decided who shall be their new King. We've all heard the stories about Adair," Elan said to the Lords of the North after hosting a grand feast for them that evening.
"He's not of the Nobility," Lord Talin said.
"His father is a Nobleman in the East," she replied and saw many surprised faces.
"We never thought our new King would come from the East," another Lord said putting his glass of wine on the table.
"None of us did," she replied. "But the peoples will, will not be denied in this matter. They're already calling him King Adair, as all of you well know."
"What do you want us to do Elan?" Lord Talin asked, coming straight to the point.
"You all know what you have to do my Lords," she answered.
"What about the Lords in the East?" a third Lord asked.
"You're the majority," she answered.
xxx
Two Months Later
"We finally have a King, Lord Balar," Elan said. "This is what I want you to do..."