Here's chapter 3!

This chapter is solely dedicated to Kayden and her encounter with Aragorn, since last chapter was mainly about Peyton and Robin and their meeting with Frodo and Sam.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything other than my OC's, though I wish I did.

Chapter 3: Inquiries

Aragorn glanced at the young elleth sleeping peacefully under the tree as he built a fire. Though it was still midday, the shadow of the forest made it quite cold. Carefully, he examined her wound again. To his relief, it was not poisoned, but it was quite deep and bled profusely. He then took some select healing herbs from his pack, including some athelas, and gingerly placed them inside and around the injury. As Aragron wrapped the elleth's thigh, he pondered on what had just happened.

Flashback

Aragorn was swiftly walking through the forest on his way to Bree. Suddenly, an orc horn sounded. He quickly ran to where he had heard it and followed the sound of heavy footsteps and the odor only belonging to one of those foul creatures. The sounds of a battle began, and they steadily grew louder as he neared a clearing. There, a young woman – no, an elleth – stood alone, fighting with all of her might. Aragorn watched as countless orcs were slain, but then one swung at the elleth's leg, and she fell. This prompted the Ranger to rush in, stopping the blow that would have taken her life. With ease he killed the last orcs remaining and then rushed to the lady's side. Her left thigh was deeply cut. "Your wound is deep, I'm afraid," he said. "Come with me."

"W-who are you?" the elleth asked, her voice wavering from the pain.

Aragorn felt in his heart that he could trust her with his real name, partly because she was an elf. "I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn, but people around here know me as Strider."

Then, in a voice so quiet he could barely hear it, the elleth mumbled, "I'm Kayden. Thank you for saving me."

Back to Present

Kayden…yes, that was her name. Quite strange for an elf, Aragorn thought. But her name wasn't the only strange quality to her. She was dressed in male Ranger attire, not elven clothes, and fought with a short sword instead of the usual elven bow and dual blades. That sword now lay next to her sleeping form. With a sigh, Aragorn settled himself near the fire and waited for the elleth to awake.

~o*o*o*o~

Kayden's eyes gently fluttered open, adjusting to the dim orange light filtering through the trees. Her left thigh throbbed dully and her muscles ached slightly as she gently pushed herself into a sitting position. Glancing down, she saw that her thigh had been bandaged.

"I am glad to see you awake, milady," Kayden turned to see Aragorn, the man who had rescued her, leaning against a nearby tree.

"Thank you, again, for saving me," she said weakly. "Please, just call me Kayden." Kayden examined her injured thigh and winced as she gingerly touched it.

"You are quite fortunate," Aragorn said, coming over next to Kayden. "The blade was not poisoned, so your wound should heal relatively quickly." He then noticed her blade still lying on the ground and gently handed it to her. "Here," he said, adding, "You are quite the skilled fighter, though for an elf, you fight rather strangely." Kayden looked at him in confusion. "Most elves fight with bows and arrows or dual knives," he explained.

"I never really liked archery," Kayden stated simply. Aragorn nodded his head in understanding; he himself preferred swords to arrows.

"I rarely ever see an elf so close to the Shire before. What brings you here?" Aragorn asked, hoping that Kayden was strong enough and willing enough to give him some answers.

Kayden took a deep breath. She knew she couldn't tell Aragorn she was from a different world; he probably wouldn't believe her. "Well," she said, thinking slowly, "my friends and I were traveling together. One's a hobbit and the other is a human. We were separated when the orcs attacked." At the last sentence, Kayden jumped. Her friends! Where were they now? Were they okay?

Aragorn noticed this and was filled with concern. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm worried about my friends. I hope they're alright," Kayden sighed.

"May the Valar protect them," Aragorn said. This lifted Kayden's spirits, seeing that her new companion cared at least a little for her friends.

"May I ask you why you're here?" Kayden inquired, just out of curiosity.

Aragorn gave her a scrutinizing look, as if contemplating if she was trustworthy enough. Then he took a deep breath, much like Kayden did, and began. "I am heading towards Bree, a small town not far from here. There I am to meet a certain hobbit and lead him to Rivendell. This hobbit carries a trinket of great importance."

"What does he carry?" asked Kayden, unable to control herself.

"He carries the One Ring. Surely you have heard of it." Strangely enough, Kayden had. She vaguely remembered it from her brief read of The Fellowship of the Ring.

Aragorn gave her another contemplating look, then added, "You are quite the skilled fighter, as I mentioned before. You may be of assistance to this quest."

Kayden really wanted to search for her friends, but she didn't know her way very well and would probably get lost. "Very well," she said. "I will accompany you and, when we meet him, the hobbit, on this quest." Perhaps I will find Peyton and Robin along the way, she thought.

Aragorn smiled. "Good. We depart in the morning. Get some rest now. That wound won't heal on its own." Kayden cracked a small smile, and then closed her eyes, drifting off into sleep.

Yeah, I know, short chapter.

I think the next chapter, however, will be much more interesting, with some Peyton and Robin action.

See you then!