Before we starts, there were some questions regarding the story.

Cool: Which Nazgul this is? Well, this chapter should answer the question. All we are going to say is that he didn't play a particularly important role in the movies, neither in the books to give us the room for creativity.

Unnamed Guest Review: We decided to not display this because it made no sense. The quote you made was the description of Radagast's rabbit sled, which is featured in the movies and the books. It is not 'the humor that was promised'. Also, please note that this was the first chapter, so do not except a jump in the actions so soon. Patience, patience, our dear Children.

Just to note because of people like the above:

The story is far more complex in genres than what we can display on fanfiction. The true genre of the story:

adventure/humor/suspense/tragedy/family/friendship/romance/action/hurt-comfort/angst

And as such, not all genres will appear in all the chapters. We chose adventure and humor to be displayed because these are the most frequent. This doesn't mean that it will be contained by all chapters. This is not a parody either.

Thank you.

Disclaimer: See Chapter One.

Chapter 2 - Mercy

Their journey was long and difficult. Complications were bound to arise, especially because the girl's company was someone who blatantly ignored her warnings, her words –which he didn't understand-, her requests, and walked like a hundred years old man. However, this didn't stop her from doing as she set it up in her mind. She was just going to keep walking and if she turned and he hadn't followed her, she would just run back to get him. This was much easier though. She continued to walk avoiding directions in which she knew would be too difficult for him to get around. He seemed to keep following her. Whether he actually wanted to or not was another story. As she walked she also took the time to look for the last few things she had been looking for before the storm started. She thought she was walking around the forest anyway, she might as well. When she came to a berry patch she smiled, taking a moment to fill a sack with the berries then keep going. This would make an excellent dinner and considering everything she went through, she assumed she deserved it. Besides, she was sure her guest would like it. Well... she hoped he would like it. She wasn't even sure he COULD eat. She had yet to see a face under that hood of his.

In the meantime the wraith didn't say a word and didn't make noise the whole way, but listened intently for the steps of the people from whom he is trying to hide. In his weakened state, he was more than sure he wouldn't be able to put up much fight. But he wouldn't let himself get taken without a fight either. After a while, he started to be thankful to himself that he did not give her the staff back. His body, despite it being spectral, started to get weaker and weaker, and soon had trouble keeping him up, so used the item in his hands to help him walking. He never felt this way for thousands of years... It was strange and unnerving. It was like his body was refusing his command and fought against him. He didn't pay any heed to the... dwarf in front of him, but tried to concentrate on moving, and still chanted deep in his mind, trying to plead his Lord to give him guidance and speak, give him an order and a purpose. But his thoughts were met with silence. He sighed and shook his head, then stopped abruptly, almost having tripped over the being he is following when she bent down around a bush to pick up something. He watched her, tilting his head to either side, wondering what she was doing, then followed her once more when she started up their journey again. He promised himself he will soon part ways with her, be it by leaving her behind or killing her for her obvious disrespect, after all the footsteps were faint, so they are getting farther away...

-splash!-

The wraith was taken aback by the sudden loss of footing, as his metallic boots slipped on the slippery mud, causing him to land not too gracefully on his behind with a shocked shriek. Despite having the staff, which slipped right with him. He sat there for a few seconds, unsure what just happened, seeing the world from a weird angle, but once he started to get his bearings, he started to sound a string of curses in his tongue, struggling to stand. He slipped a few more times before he was able to accomplish the hard task of at least kneeling, then used the staff to stand. Now his dark cloak was covered in this slippery substance everywhere… Not like he truly cared. He hoped they will either get to their destination soon... He discovered: he hated mud.

The small wizard blinked as he fell, her first thought being worry but he soon proved her worries useless as he pushed himself up. She couldn't help but find him a little amusing and even giggled lightly at his frustration but didn't say anything else. She could tell he was worn out and tired and would need some rest soon so she didn't want to hurt his ego any more than it already was. She looked around before starting again.

After a little while longer of walking and picking a few more things they arrived at an area where the trees parted so the sun could easily get through. In the middle of the sunshine was what most would consider a large yet rather broken-down looking shack.

Once they reached the clearing, the wraith stopped dead in his tracks, refusing to go any further. He was a creature of darkness, the sun only weakened him further and blinded him to the extent where he wouldn't see where he was going. He watched the... dwarf move on, and the Nazgul gripped the staff tighter, looking left and right, unsure about this. And he promised himself he will not follow her all the way either. But only until he was safe. And this area seemed safe enough. The darker part that is... Not that... sunny... light... annoying part. He first opted to move back, backing away a little bit, before he felt his boots slip again, which caused him to take a few steps forward onto the sun. There he stopped as the rays suckled some of his energy out, and he hunched forward, trying to shield himself from it, while he looked up to notice his sight was pretty much gone. At least most of it. There was something else he noticed. The mud was gone. There was a sudden feeling of contentment running through his cursed mind as he tried another step forward and couldn't feel the squashing noises that... fluid dirt gave out, and his footing was stable, not as wobbly either.

The istar watched him. Hmm… he didn't like light. Well, that closed out a few spells she could use on him safely. Her best healing spell would probably hurt him in the end rather than help him. The only thing that seemed to push him forward was the fact there was no mud here, judging by the way he seemed to test his footing and the ground. He really hated mud. She would have to remember that for later.

Beside the shack her rabbits were bent down like little balls in a rather feeble attempt to hide from the weak creature of darkness. He tilted his head to the side when he noticed the small... balls of fur before the shack he now neared and stopped, turning towards a pair, staring at it, unsure what it could be. He wanted to lift the staff and poke them but decided it had to wait. Not now on the sun... He needed to get away from it.

Hyano stepped up to the door and walked in, leaving it open to him. The main room of the home was a merge of a kitchen, dining room and living space. There was a rather large cauldron with a stool in the middle of the room, a table to one side covered in various knickknacks, items of magic and in the back of the room was a cot with a pillow, blanket and other basics for rest. She ran up to the cot and patted it, hoping he would get the point that he could finally rest there.

Soon, he found himself stepping into the cottage, his sight coming back more, seeing the sun did not shine in here, but only to shield his hood as the various crawling and flying animals fled the room to hide from his dark aura. He gave a sigh of annoyance and irritation and took the time to look around, then let his gaze travel to the... dwarf... Who was sitting on something. He didn't understand her gesture, so just stood there, tilting his head to the side.

When he finally got into her home he just stood there looking confused as ever, she sighed then walked up to him. All the while he followed her movements with his hooded head, not moving an inch as she walked closer and carefully took his hand. This time it wasn't a rash gesture. Much calmer as not to spook him again. Or at least that's what she thought she did. This time she was slow, so the Nazgul didn't think much of it as she dragged him to that same thing she was sitting on. So... she wanted him to go there? Alright. That is something he can do easily. He still had the staff in his hands and didn't intend to let her have it for a long while. Just as a payback for her laughing at him before. After she tugged him over to the cot and out of nowhere she pushed him making him fall onto it. Despite its simple look it, the bed was actually very strong and rather soft.

The Ringwraith let out a surprised high-pitched shriek as he was pushed forward, landing yet again, not too gracefully on the rather soft surface. He felt anger rise within him as he pushed himself up and turned towards her, only to find her gone. Because before he could say anything she took off grabbing a bowl and running out the door.

He maneuvered around on the cot to finally sit down cross-legged, just like he always does when he prepares for meditation, letting the staff rest across his knees on his lap. However, she soon came back and walked up to him with a bowl of clear water. Again she had no idea if whatever he was had a mouth, let alone had a need for food or water but at this point she was basically just guessing and experimenting.

"Drink." she said, lifting the bowl to her mouth before holding it out to him again, hoping he could understand that much without having to work too hard at it.

For a moment, he thought he will punish her by taking the staff and start beating her with it, but didn't make a move as she talked to him again. He tilted his head to the side as she gestured to the bowl and drank from it, then held it out to him. He was at a loss what to do. Does this petty little mortal think he needed anything like this? Water and food is only for the weak. And he had no need for that. But then another thought came to him. Slowly, he reached out towards the bowl, then when he was just an inch away, let his armored hand dive to the bottom of the item and tipped it back towards her, successfully spilling the water onto her clothes. He let out a series of faint hisses, crossing his arms, then spoke up in his own language, saying she deserved it for the push. But no matter if she didn't understand, he still felt satisfied by what he had done.

She yelped jumping back as he splashed her. She blinked a few times, taken aback as he... laughed? Was that laughing? She wasn't fully sure but despite that she actually smiled. Laughter was a good thing. She giggled and rubbed the back of her head.

Now this was something that he didn't like. Why is she laughing? He is laughing at her and not with her… He stopped the hissing right after, then watched her further, following her with his gaze, before deciding to try and meditate, rest his mind and regenerate, but made sure to keep the staff across his lap safe. She will not take it until he said she could.

"Alright, so maybe I had that one coming." she said even though he couldn't understand her. She proceeded to sit on the floor and pulled off her shoes, then her hat and robe putting them in a nice neat pile. Under that she had on a pair of basic baggy pants that covered her feet and a simple under shirt. This left the symbol on her shoulder visible to him. The symbol of the sun. It was a rather bright shade of orange which seemed to almost pop out with its own light against her tan skin. It obviously had a spell of some kind on it. The flowers in her hair, now free of her hat opened one by one to take in what light they could. She then got up and dusted herself off.

The wraith tilted his head to the side, then leaned slightly back as he noticed the mark on her shoulder. It screamed magic and he felt the invading power of it. Just what kind of dwarf is this one? He tilted his head to the side, watching her a bit before losing interest. He got himself more comfortable, lowering his head slightly once she left, intending to start with his meditation.

"Ah better." she said, then looked at his own clothes. "Um..." Alright, this was going to be a hard one. How exactly does one tell someone they want to clean their clothes? She thought, then got an idea. She ran off again and came back dragging a wash bucket full of water and various herbs she had put in. She then picked up her robe and started to clean it. If he wanted her to do the same for him then maybe he would give her his cloak on his own. Well... what else was she going to do? Besides, if this worked, it would be a perfect chance to get a look at the damage. As of yet she still had no idea just how hurt he was or where for that matter. Just that he was very weak.

He had been attempting to rest, only to be woken up as the big bowl-like item was placed on the ground, and turned his invisible gaze towards the being. He watched with interest as she worked, seemingly attempting to rid her clothes of the dirt and mud that was collected on it, with more or less success. He didn't move or say anything, but watched her, sometimes tilting his head to the one side, then the other, curiously inspecting her movements and what she was doing. Cleaning his own robes didn't even cross his mind. The dirt will fall off with time, and he simply didn't care.

Hyano sighed as he didn't either get the idea or care. She did take the time to finish cleaning her clothes though before hanging them to dry. Oh well. One step at a time. At least it looked like he was getting some rest. She walked to the cauldron, making sure it was clean before taking a deep breath and blew out a large spark starting the fire under it before pouring some water into it. She then put in all the things she had found earlier that day. This would be enough for her to eat for the next couple of days if not more. She stirred it once before putting a wooden lid over it so it could cook slowly.

While she was busy preparing to cook, the Nazgul took his time to finally start his meditation, lowering his head just a bit and relaxing, emptying his mind to rest, feeling his mind and thoughts slip back to the depths of his soul, letting all worries and problems go. Only to be jerked awake when he heard the familiar sound of fire suddenly being lit. This is one thing he hated. Fire. It was too bright for his kind's taste and only one touch and their robes burn to ashes. He hissed at this once before getting comfortable again, resuming his meditation.

She then sighed and jumped onto the cot next to him not seeming to care or understand the concept of personal space as she sat right next to him.

"You are a lot of trouble big man." she said bluntly, then looked up at him before noticing he still had a grip on her staff. "... You're not going to give that back anytime soon, are you?" she asked pointing to it. The house was starting to fill with the smell of something similar to sweet jam.

He was jerked awake rudely once more when suddenly another weight dropped down next to him. He flinched and raised his head first looking forward, before slowly turning it to where he felt the weight. There she was... He gave a loud and annoyed sigh, dismissing completely what she said, before trying to relax again, lowering his head into the same position it was, only to hiss at her once she spoke up yet again. He wanted her to go quiet now. While in a trance-like state, he could actually smell the scent of food... Cooked food. He groaned. To him, it wasn't a pleasant smell but a stench. It was sweet and natural. He didn't mind the scent of raw or slightly cooked meat, as the orcs did have to eat, but fruits, vegetables and herbs were on the 'irritating' list. He did what he could to get away from it, even going as far as shifting on the cot as best as he could, and after half an hour struggling, he managed to turn towards the wall, where he sighed and relaxed once more, with the staff still clutched in his hands, laid across his lap.

The wizard noticed his discomfort and decided to leave him alone. She was quiet to the point where even her footsteps seemed to lack any noise. Like she was weightless. She had treated many a creature in the past and knew how to keep to herself while one rested. For the whole day this continued. The only real movements that he could notice would be her getting up to check on her food. Even that she did as quietly as she could. Once it was finished she filled two bowls with the meal and capped it again. This time she placed it near him on the floor before taking a seat a distance from him. It was hot. She did not want to get burned so she was not about to pull the same stunt she did with the water. That didn't stop her from technically offering it to him, though. It was an odd shade of pink, likely due to the berries with various chunks of fruits and vegetables in it. She pulled out a pouch and poured some sand on the floor. It was just that. Sand. Nothing special about it. Well, not yet anyway. She put her hand out over the sand, whispering a spell. It started to move, taking shape until it looked like a small dragon. She smiled, then started to eat as the dragon started to fly around and moved in various ways, even shifted into different kinds of dragons ranging from a sea dragon to a gold hoarder. It was just an illusion. Not real life but she had fun with it. Besides, it was the only thing she could do that wouldn't possibly disturb the dark creature in the room. Or at least she hoped so.

-Few hours later-

After a few hours of meditation, the dark creature stirred, slowly lifting his hooded head, slightly disoriented, only to be met with a wooden wall. He stared at it for what seemed like hours, his mind still not as fast to catch up. How did he get here? He looked down at the cot curiously, but eventually started to remember. The sudden silence in his mind, the loss of his master's whispering, his fall... then the dwarf. He moved just a bit to notice he still had her staff in his lap. He grasped it before turning his head, hearing the faint noise of wings flapping, while the magic that surrounded the room was as clear as day, then stopped and didn't utter a sound, only suddenly turning more, following the flying creature with his hooded head. He recognized the species. A dragon. He said this word in his tongue, before a sudden stench caught his attention. He hissed and turned around fully now, struggling just a bit on the cot, before sitting now facing away from the wall, lowering his gaze to the bowl set down before him. He gave it a low hiss, leaning back, before taking the staff and pushed it away, successfully spilling all the content on the floor. Which was a bad idea... After all, now all of its smell engulfed the room, which made him groan, then simply sit motionless, giving up the fight against it.

She didn't notice he had woken until she heard the bowl tip over. She blinked and opened her pouch, letting the dragon fly in before seeing the mess he had made. And as if on instinct, the moment she moved, the Nazgul pulled back the staff, setting it across his lap securing it with a hand, while the other adjusted his clothing after the turn he made.

"You could have just let it alone." she grumbled before getting up and grabbing a wash rag. She wet it down before putting a spell over it and allowing it to clean the mess. That was a perfectly good waste of food which had honestly taken her far too long to get a hold of. Mostly because of him too.

He watched the cleaning process curiously, following the movement of the cloth with his hooded head, seemingly all his attention was on it, looking like a cat about to pounce on something. But eventually the Ringwraith lost interest, and started picking at the staff, running an armored finger along the wood and some magical writings.

She looked at him, seeing if he felt any better. She couldn't really tell, though, which annoyed her slightly. He was a very hard person to help. She thought for a moment, then decided to do a basic step. She pointed to herself. "Hyano. Hy-a-no." she said the second part slowly to make sure he could understand before pointing towards him and giving him an expectant look.

When she spoke, he looked at her sharply, watching her for a while, not knowing what she meant or what she said. Then she pointed at herself once more and said the same word, he realized she was telling him her name. And judging by the look she gave him, she wanted to know his. First, he mulled over her name. Quite strange for a dwarf, that was sure... but then again, she was a quite strange creature herself. Then he tried saying her name. "Hijano..." No... that wasn't it... Even to his ears it sounded wrong. "Hy...jano..." Close, but not yet... "Hy..ano..." he said slowly, tilting his head to the side, feeling accomplished but still expecting feedback from her.

She was surprised when he tried saying her name a few times before getting a wide grin as he got it. She didn't bother to speak. Instead, she simply clapped to show how happy she was that he got it right. It took a few botched attempts for him to succeed but considering the current language barrier she couldn't expect perfection out of him. She was honestly surprised he cared to even try. So far he seemed to show distaste with anything having to do with her. Well, everything except her staff. From the looks of it he seemed to either really like the thing or just didn't want to give it back to her. She wasn't fully sure which yet. She then held her hands out to him again waiting on him to give her his name as well. If he didn't even have a name she could easily give him a nickname. Whether he would ever reply to it was another story.

The clapping surprised him and he leaned back a bit. He didn't know why she did that, but he assumed it must be as approval. Her body language told him she was rather happy. When her gaze traveled to the staff briefly, he clutched it tighter in both hands, just in case she tried to grab for it. He was still mad at her, no matter what she did. It was amusing to watch her trying to get some kind of communication going. He tilted his head to the side as she gestured towards him, and for a moment wondered if he should even bother telling her his name. She was a mortal no doubt, a petty, little annoyance. A pest. But then again, he had as much honor to reveal his own name, after the dwarf said hers. It was just fair.

"Ren." And that's it. No weird pronunciation, no struggle with his name. A simple three-letter word. The simplest of the Nine.

She blinked at his name.

"Ren? Huh... I kind of expected a little more..." The wizard said to herself, then smiled despite that. She gave a kind bow. "It is nice to meet you, Ren." she said, even though she knew he wouldn't understand a thing past his own name. She noted that he seemed to get protective over the staff every time she looked at it. It was kind of funny really. People had this off-belief that wizards needed their staffs. While almost every wizard had one and most had the same one for as long as they were alive, they could easily make a new one if they had to. She would let him keep the thing if he really wanted it. She noticed the rag was still cleaning and snapped her fingers. It stopped and she picked it up before putting it away. She then jumped up onto the cot next to him. She had no idea how to ask if he felt any better. He had rested for quite some time. The sun would be going down soon and she had yet to really do anything to actually try to heal him. She sighed and leaned back.

"So annoying." she mumbled.

Yet again, she was sitting next to him. He sighed in irritation and simply tried to ignore her, but knowing the little dwarf, it surely will come up with something. He heard her speak again and turned his hooded head towards her, watching her. She seemed to have an unpleasant look on her face, which, if he had a face, he would match. So, in an attempt to make her realize he feels the same, he took the staff and simply poked her side with it. Then slowly and surely started to shove her off of the cot by it. Somehow this worked with everything. Whatever he pushed away somehow always seemed to stay away, and she understands he doesn't like that certain thing.

"Annoyiiiinnng..." he repeated after her, although stretching the word and mixing it with a hiss, meaning that same unpleasant feeling she just felt. It surely has to do something with this expression, if she said it at the same time.

The wizard blinked as he pushed her off the cot. She jumped off and tilted her head curiously, then raised a brow as he repeated the word she had just said. She giggled lightly.

"You're probably annoyed at everything." she said but got the point. He was annoyed with her. That she already knew but she guessed this was a good start to him learning how to speak so they could understand each other.

By the look of it, she understood what he meant, but didn't seem to give it too much thought, as she still smiled at him the same way as before. He sighed and shook his head, then averted his invisible gaze from her, lowering it to the staff he still had in his grasp.

It was late and she was starting to feel that the sun was going down. This had an instant effect on her. She seemed to get sleepy rather quickly and rubbed her eyes. "Alright... I will let you alone for now, then." she mumbled, then pulled out two blankets and a pillow, putting them on the floor next to the cot. Before she could even lay down, though, she remembered something and groaned. She walked over to the cauldron and looked at the fire. There wasn't much left. She clapped her hands and the fire went out like a light before she walked back.

The Nazgul was surprised to see her... suddenly tired. Very tired at that. Her expressions changed, just like her energy went down. He didn't know what was causing it. She seemed to be so energetic just a few minutes ago. He watched as she put some... fabric or clothing on the ground, then laid down. He tilted his head to the side. Do mortals really need to sleep? Be completely unaware of this world? Do they really need to fall unconscious to restore their energy? Mortals are really amusing and weak. While she seemed to lose her power, the Nazgul's was just beginning to get stronger. Night is falling... the time when his kind rules... When they go out to feed on the fear of mortals. But not this time. He knew he still needed more meditation until he was able to move about. And he had to save his energy if he wanted to survive more days with her. Or... he can just... take care of her while she slept... His hooded head slowly turned to her, watching her. While darkness fell, his stare went from curious to a stare which a predator would give a prey, hunting... stalking. Maybe... he could make his stay more pleasant...

She didn't notice.

Not like there was any way she could tell considering he had no face to look at but she looked far too tired to care. The flowers in her hair started to close as she made her way back to the makeshift bed. As each one closed she grew more and more pale and more and more tired. She swayed a little as the last flower closed. Before she could reach the bed she fell to the floor, limp.

He might not have to kill her.

Oh wait, her chest was still moving. It was very hard to see but it was moving slightly. She also had a heartbeat. Again, it was hard to tell but it was there. The tattoo on her shoulder glowed whatever magic it used in effect to keep her alive at the moment.

The Nazgul followed her sudden fall with his hooded head, slightly flinching at the loud thud she sounded. She didn't move. His gaze remained on her for a good while, kind of waiting for her to wake. Or... was this how mortals fell asleep? Kind of amusing to say the least. After five minutes, he tapped the staff with an armored finger, then let his invisible gaze wander around the room before looking back at the dwarf.

She did not wake. This meant the coast was clear.

Slowly, using the staff, he stood from the cot and shuffled up to her as silently as one could with metallic boots on their feet, and stopped in front of her. There, he contemplated what to do. He could easily just raise the staff and bring it down on her neck, breaking it. Or use his own weapons which were hidden in his robes to cut her open. Raise a foot and squash her skull... Or break her spine... So many possibilities. He raised the staff slowly and touched her neck with it briefly, as if making sure the arch was right, then raised the staff a little bit. But he didn't bring it down with force, but with the same slow speed, touching her neck again.

She seemed amusing. Very much so. He could maybe give her a bit more time to be alive while he recovered. She could prove to be a good enough servant while moving out was out of question. His curious gaze soon swept the room, trying to find something to do while she was out, but the sudden fatigue caught him without warning. He swayed slightly on his feet, before deciding to return on the cot and rest for now. Hopefully, by tomorrow he can walk around more and inspect the room much closer. He sat back down cross-legged, laying the staff across his lap and started meditating for the rest of the night, and hoped he can continue in the morning and afternoon as well.

Thank you for reading.

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