A/N: I had a lot of this chapter written for the last chapter but it found its way into this one instead. I'm beginning to see that characters and stories can take on a life of their own and lead you in places you weren't exactly expecting. But hey...it means I have it ready quicker than usual! I hope you enjoy this one; it was rather fun to write. Thank you to those who have followed, favorited, and left reviews. I am truly humbled that folks like my story. :) I've also added chapter titles hoping it will help help you remember where you left off reading.

Elsa - It won't let me respond to you. I felt sorry for him as I wrote it but they just wouldn't work and her name will be revealed soon!

Dawn - I totally agree...and I'm having fun creating their story. :)

As always, everything you recognize belongs to Tolkien and Peter Jackson; everything else is my creation.

The rain began a few days later and it didn't stop. Stryker didn't mind at first, she'd been out in the wild without shelter many times in the past, but after a day or so even her patience was sorely tested. They hadn't come across anything that could offer substantial shelter from the rain and so at night they grouped around the base of trees, huddled in their cloaks and leaning against the trunks so as not to sleep in the mud and muck on the ground. Being soaked and not having a warm meal for a several days made for a very cranky company. Even the ever cheerful Bofur was silent though the Ranger had to chuckle when, every time he tilted his head, water would pour off his hat. Stryker had long since pushed her hood and scarf off; they weren't going to keep her dry and at this point, soaking wet, they were only a nuisance. She was positive she could feel water sloshing in the bottom of her boots.

"I don't think this rain is ever going to stop," Fíli sighed beside her. She couldn't help but smile at him as he looked like a drowned rat with drenched hair around his face and drooping mustache.

"If you're hoping for some upbeat words of encouragement you've come to the wrong Ranger," she teased. He tried not to stare at her; how was it possible she was just as pretty soaked through? Despite the painful awareness he'd come to the evening of her sparring match with his uncle, he couldn't keep himself from her side.

"My feet are going to shrivel up inside my boots and my stomach is about to turn itself inside out with hunger," Kíli growled on her other side; when aggravated or angry his resemblance to his stern uncle was uncanny.

"I've dealt with rain in the wild countless times over the years but I can't remember a time when it lasted this long," she told them.

"Perhaps we can get uncle to stop today?"

"Are you going to ask him, Kíli?" his older brother inquired and Kíli shook his head.

"If I recall we may reach a spot soon that will offer us some shelter. Its hard to tell if we'll get that far today with this blasted rain and muddy ground, though. I'll ask Thorin about stopping if I think we'll make it there; no sense in bringing it up before then." Stryker's words brought a weak smile to Kíli's face. They slipped back into silence as the ponies and horses trudged along.

"Mr. Gandalf, can't you do something about this deluge?" they heard Dori ask from his spot further up the line of ponies.

"It is raining, Master Dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done. If you wish to change the weather of the world you should find yourself another wizard."

"Are there any?" Bilbo called out.

"What?"

"Other wizards?"

"There are five of us. The greatest of our order is Saruman the White. Then there are the two Blue wizards." Gandalf paused in thought though Stryker suspected it was just for show. "You know I've quite forgotten their names." She rolled her eyes a bit.

"And who is the fifth?" Bilbo prompted.

"Well, that would be Radagast the Brown."

"Is he a great wizard or is he ... more like you?" Stryker couldn't hold back the snigger at Bilbo's words and Gandalf looked back over his shoulder, catching her eye, a look of pretended offense on his face.

"I think he's a very great wizard in his own way. He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forest lands to the East, and a good thing too, for always Evil will look to find a foothold in this world." Gandalf's words made her stiffen. She thought of that faint sense of Evil she'd felt on the breeze several times over the past several months. It was weak, very weak, but it was there and it was only biding its time, waiting to grow stronger. She felt sure Gandalf was aware of this and decided it was past time to talk to the wizard about it.

Not much time had passed when the company did near the small cave Stryker had known about and she moved forward to talk to Thorin as she'd promised his nephews. He rode alone at the front of the company, head bare to the rain realizing as she had that a cloak wasn't going to keep him dry now. Her sudden appearance at his side startled him a little bit having not heard her approach. Rangers were well known for being able to suddenly appear out of nowhere but he hadn't thought it would be even be possible for one of them to be so silent on a horse and in the rain. Since their conversation and sparring session several days before they had settled back into a tense truce but she remained distant from him, still preferring the company of his nephews and Bofur. He wished he knew what it was in her past that had caused the dislike she held for him. If he knew how he had offended her at some point in the past perhaps he could rectify the wrong or at least apologize for it.

"Master Oakenshield, there is a small cave just ahead. It is big enough for the entire company to shelter under with a fire. My suggestion would be to stop and rest for a bit, dry out and get a warm meal. I don't think I can stand much more of this cantankerous bunch. Hopefully this cursed rain will cease by tomorrow." Thorin didn't want to stop; the further he went east the stronger he could feel the pull of Erebor in his veins and wanted to keep moving towards it. However he knew how miserable his company was and that it would only get worse as the rain continued. He certainly wasn't enjoying being soaked through. The Ranger, wet braid draped over her shoulder and cloak hanging in wet folds around her body, looked as aggravated as he felt.

"I agree, Ranger. I'm rather tired of Dori's complaining." She smirked at him and then returned to his nephews.

"Well that was easy."

"He agreed?" Kíli was a bit astonished. He'd been expecting some kind of argument, conversations between his uncle and the Ranger usually ended up in one.

"I believe he's tired of all the nonstop complaining," she said with a grin.

Fíli chuckled, "I don't think Dori has drawn a breath all day."

To their relief the cave appeared sooner than they had hoped and they all stumbled in, immensely grateful to be out of the rain. Glóin and Oin didn't even have to be told to start a fire and Stryker watched in amazement as they were able to get one started. As much as she had hoped for one once they found shelter she hadn't really expected them to get one going so quickly with everything so damp.

"They, like their father Gróin, are Firestarters. They can start a fire anywhere, in any conditions," Bofur told her, seeing the look on her face. She nodded in understanding and stood up, heading to the mouth of the cave as everyone crowded around the fire. It was tempting to just sit and attempt to dry off but they needed food.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Seeing as we now have a fire and we haven't had a proper meal in days, I'm going to go find Bombur something to cook." She turned to see Thorin standing behind her, arms crossed across his chest.

"You shouldn't go out alone." She sighed and couldn't help rolling her eyes. "Fíli, Kíli, see if you can find some dry firewood. The Ranger and I are going to find some supper." His nephews looked at him a bit surprised and Stryker frowned slightly before turning and heading out of the cave, forcing him to follow her. Ever since their sparring match and that confusing moment on the ground afterward she had tried quite hard to avoid being alone with the dwarf king. She needed to regain control of her emotions where he was concerned. Thorin didn't speak as they headed into the trees and watched as she moved cautiously, bow in hand with an arrow notched and ready. It really amazed him how quietly she could move, seeming like she didn't even touch the ground, and -

"We'll never see anything with you stomping through the leaves like that." A soft chuckle accompanied her whispered words. He shook his head with a small grin and tried to move more carefully, stealth wasn't exactly a dwarfish trait, and the incessant rain made it that much more difficult. After several more minutes she signaled for him to freeze and they crouched down at the edge of a small rock ledge, staring down into the trees at the bottom of a hill. He looked over her shoulder, trying to see what she had spotted, and as he did so he caught the faint scent of lavender coming from her drenched hair. It was a comforting scent and he had the sudden urge to bury his nose in her braid. Shaking off that inappropriate thought he refocused and stared back down the hill and finally saw a deer moving through the brush.

"How did you manage to see that?" he whispered. She shivered as his breath grazed her ear and she hoped he would think it was from the cold.

"Practice." She was waiting for it to move closer to their location, not wanting to miss and lose their meal. When she felt it was close enough she let loose her arrow. The deer jerked when it hit him and tried to run but only made it a few feet before it crashed to the ground. She stood up with a smile.

"Well, there's dinner. Let's go grab it and get it back to Bombur. I'm starving." She took a step forward but when she looked back over her shoulder to see if Thorin was coming with her, the rocks under her feet suddenly gave way. The ground was saturated and everything began to slide down the hill, taking her with it. She yelped in surprise and flung out her arm to try and catch hold of something to stop her fall but her fingers only grazed what she thought was a tree root, only managing to jerk her shoulder painfully. She tumbled down the hill with the mud and rocks, feeling things cutting and bruising her skin through her clothes, crying out once as her head hit something hard in the ground. Her descent was halted as she slammed into a tree trunk at the bottom of the hill and the last thing she remembered before everything went black was that she tasted dirt and could hear Thorin yell out her name.

He had glanced down at the fallen deer when he heard Stryker's cry and jerking his head up he'd seen the look of surprise on her face as the ground gave way underneath her. He'd reached for her when she'd stretched a hand out to stop her fall but he wasn't fast enough. Watching in horror as she fell down the hill he yelled out her name when he saw her body hit the tree. Carefully he made his way down after her, slipping and sliding until he finally reached where she lay limp and unmoving, her back to him. Panic clutched at him. Falling to his knees next to her he rolled her carefully onto her back, relived to see that she was breathing. He noticed blood on the side of her face, the crimson streaks in start contrast to how pale her face suddenly seemed, and gently brushed her hair aside to find the wound, which was above her left ear and still bleeding. He called her name softly, tapping her cheeks, hoping her eyes would open. When, after a few minutes, she still hadn't moved he lifted her into his arms and began to make his way back to their camp. Not being able to go back up the way they'd come down, he had to walk along the hill until he found a spot that wasn't as steep. She seemed so fragile in his arms and it amazed him that someone so small could be so strong. As he made his way back to the company he felt Stryker stir a bit against his chest and relief shot through him. He thought he heard her mumble his name but he wasn't sure.

There were cries of surprise when he appeared at the mouth of the cave with the Ranger limp in his arms. He laid her carefully by the fire and Oin hurried over, looking up at the king before turning his attention to the pale woman on the ground.

"The ground gave way underneath her," Thorin responded to the unanswered question. "She fell down the hill and into a tree at the bottom."

"Did she wake at all?" the healer asked.

"No but she began to move some right before I brought her in here." Oin only nodded and Thorin forced himself to step back to give the elderly dwarf room. There was nothing he could do for her at the moment and he hated feeling useless. He watched as Oin began checking the visible bruises and gashes, calling out for someone to bring him his bag. He happened to catch Gandalf's eye and the look of concern on the wizard's face made his heart sink to his bollocks.

"Fíli, Kíli, come with me." The brothers looked up from watching Oin with Stryker and reluctantly followed. Fíli did not want to leave with her laying there like that but he knew he had no choice when Thorin spoke in that tone. He had secretly clung to the hope that his uncle wasn't affected by Stryker but the look on his face as he'd brought her in the cave and watched Oin working on her crushed those last unspoken hopes.

"Where are we going, Thorin?" Kíli asked.

"Stryker killed a deer right before she fell. I'll not have it go to waste." He knew it sounded ridiculous but he had to do something, anything, rather than stand there and watch her bleed. As they approached where the deer lay in the trees Fíli looked back up the hill, the spot where Stryker fell obvious by the long marks through the dirt and leaves. While Kíli and Thorin were occupied he walked up the hill a bit, his eyes raking over the ground where she had fallen. About halfway down there was a large rock jutting out of the dirt and he noticed blood streaked along the top. It made his heart clinch to think of the gash it most likely made on her skin. A bit further down, closer to the tree she'd slammed in to, he came across her bow, miraculously still in one piece. He ran his hand over the smooth wood, remembering Stryker telling him that her father had given her the bow not long before he died, thus making it extra precious to her. It gave him a sense of satisfaction knowing he would be able to return it to her. He picked up the few arrows that had scattered across the ground before returning to where his brother and uncle were preparing to head back up to the others.

"Where did you find that?" Thorin asked, his gaze alighting on the bow slung over Fِíli's back.

"Back where she fell," he replied, gesturing behind him. "She'll be glad its not lost or broken."

"Did you find anything else?"

"Just these few arrows - and a rock about halfway down that had quite a bit of blood on it." Thorin flinched at the words recalling the gash above her ear that had still been bleeding when he left her with Oin.

"Come on, let's get back."

Stryker ached all over. She felt like - well, like she'd just tumbled down a rather steep hill and into a tree. When she'd finally pulled her eyes open she was momentarily surprised to see Oin over her.

"Hold still, lass," the dwarf said kindly. "You've got a nasty cut above your ear that I'm trying to close up." She closed her eyes while he working, trying to ignore the stinging she felt as he did so.

"It's good to see you awake, my dear," Gandalf's voice came from somewhere to her right. "From what Thorin said you took quite a tumble."

"Thorin," she mumbled. In the fog of her mind she seemed to recall feeling him carrying her, his worried voice calling her name. "Where is he?"

"He took the lads with him after he brought you back, said something about a deer," Dwalin appeared behind Oin and she was surprised to see him looking at her with concern.

"A deer?" She struggled to remember what had happened before she fell. "Oh! I had shot one for our dinner right before the ground crumbled beneath me."

"Can you move everything, lass?" Oin asked, helping her to sit up. Stryker shifted her legs and arms and the healer grunted in satisfaction. "Good. Now, if you wouldn't mind, I need to tend to the cuts on your back and check to make sure you don't have any broken ribs." She wasn't sure what he meant until she realized he was gesturing at her tunic and nodded. She paused and stared at the dwarves still sitting in the cave and lifted an eyebrow. It took them a moment but they got the point and all went and sat at the entrance, their backs to her and Oin. She had on a sleeveless undershirt but it really wasn't how she wanted a group of dwarves and a hobbit to see her. As she finally lifted the tunic over her head she felt not only her right shoulder protest but pain somewhere around her right side and winced.

"Is it your shoulder?"

"Yes and my ribs, I think." Oin began putting salve on the scratches that lined mostly her back and arms and she was glad they weren't as deep as the gash above her ear. That one was still stinging.

"I'm going to trying moving your arm around now to make sure its not been pulled out of joint. This is probably going to hurt a bit, lass." Stryker merely nodded, hissing a bit at one point. "It'll be alright. Its just a pulled muscle. You're lucky its not torn. That would take quite a while to heal."

"Yeah, lucky me." He moved to face her and she lifted her undershirt enough so he could check her ribs.

"From the looks of that bruise I'd say you've got some bruised ribs but I don't think any of them are broken."

"Again, lucky me," she replied a tad sarcastically and he smiled knowingly at her.

"You're a tough one, Stryker," he said approvingly. He had her face the fire, staring into her eyes to make sure she hadn't knocked her head too hard, then nodded in satisfaction.

Thorin and his nephews returned to the cave, handing the venison to Bombur. The dwarf king stared at the rest of his company lounging at the entrance, all pointedly facing outward. He looked questioningly at Balin.

"Oin is still working on her but -" Thorin didn't wait to hear what else his old friend had to say. He stepped around Ori and Nori to get into the space beyond but stopped in his tracks as he came to where the healer and ranger sat. Her back was to him and she was clad in nothing but some kind of sleeveless undershirt and her leggings. He felt his mouth go dry at the sight of her bare skin in the glow from the fire. There were numerous cuts and bruises visible from her fall and there was mud splattered everywhere but it couldn't hide her perfect form. Swallowing nervously he was finally able to clear his throat, alerting them to his presence. Oin looked over the Ranger's shoulder at him.

"Is she alright?"

"Aye, she'll survive."

Stryker tried to peer over her shoulder at him and he saw the grimace cross her features as she moved. His face deepened into a frown.

"She doesn't look alright."

"Just a pulled muscle in her shoulder and a couple bruised ribs, nothing that won't heal," Oin told him as he began to put his supplies back in his bag.

"I'm sitting right here. Don't talk about me like I'm not." Thorin couldn't help but smirk; the fall hadn't damaged her tongue. He heard her low hiss of pain as she struggled into her tunic.

"Do you need anything?"

"Not at the moment." She looked at him as he squatted next to her. "But I want to thank you."

"What for?"

"They said you brought me back up here."

"Yes but I don't need your thanks for that. I wasn't going to leave you in a heap at the base of a tree." His face flushed a bit as he recalled how he had liked the feel of her in his arms.

"Well, you have my thanks just the same."

Thorin wasn't able to get near her for the rest of the evening as she was surrounded at dinner by his nephews - of course, he thought a trifle bitterly - and Bofur and Bilbo. Gandalf was keeping a close eye on her as well. He even noticed that Nori and Dori being much more courteous than usual. She acted like her normal self, joking and laughing with his company, but he could see her grit her teeth in pain a few times throughout the meal, wrapping an arm around her middle, and the darkness under her eyes proclaimed her exhaustion. Later, as they sat talking around the fire Gandalf approached her with a cup of tea he'd had Dori make.

"Here, Rhaella, I think this may help you sleep this evening."

"Thank you, Gandalf, but I assure you I'll be fine."

"Once you try to lay down you may think differently." She nodded and accepted the offered drink, which she soon found had more than just tea in it. She could taste herbs and shot the wizard a knowing smirk. Bilbo, sitting next to Gandalf, had picked up on something else in their little exchange.

"Isn't your name Stryker? Why did Gandalf just call you Rhaella?" the Halfling asked. The rest of the company just looked at her a hint of surprise and suspicion in some of their eyes. She was too worn out to worry about it.

"Yes, Bilbo, you heard correctly. Rhaella is my name, Stryker is the name I took when I became a Ranger."

"Why?"

"Protection in the wild."

"We travel through Middle Earth but we don't hide behind a false name," Glóin spoke up, suspicion clear in his voice. Thorin was looking at her with a frown, wondering why she would hide her true name.

"What do you know about the history of my people, Master Glóin?" The red haired dwarf merely shrugged. "The Dunedain are descendants of Isildur who, at the end of the Battle of Dagorlad, managed to defeat Sauron and cut the One Ring from his hand. Since that moment, those with the blood of Isildur in their veins have been hunted. While I am not a direct heir the blood runs in my veins."

"Hunted? By who?" The question came from Nori who was seated next to his brother as Ori wrote frantically in his journal, not wanting to miss a detail of her story.

"By the agents of Sauron - the orcs and goblins."

"But Isildur defeated Sauron, isn't that what you just told us?" Bofur asked.

"Yes, Sauron was defeated but only his physical body. His spirit, however, was not vanquished, and fled. His minions do his bidding and search for those descended from Isildur, determined to destroy the bloodline. That is why we do not use our true names in the wild; they are only used among those we trust. It is to protect our families, to protect the line of Isildur." They were quiet for a moment as each took in this information. She thought on something for a bit longer and then continued, "I consider you my friends, my family, and I trust you." She noticed the surprised expressions on the faces of Dwalin, Glóin, and Dori; they hadn't been expecting such an admission from her.

"If Sauron is not truly dead then where is he and what is he doing?" Bilbo's voice was just above a whisper.

"Waiting, Mister Baggins. Waiting and biding his time." She would say no more. An uncomfortable silence fell over them at her words. Thorin caught the glance Stryker - Rhaella - gave Gandalf and it filled him with trepidation; he knew there was more to it than just what she was telling them.

"Now if you will forgive me, I think it's time for me to try and sleep." When she laid down she realized that some of the company had added their extra blankets to her bedroll thus giving her a more cushioned place to rest. As the medicine worked in her veins and pushed her to sleep she smiled at the thoughtfulness of dwarves.

Thorin remained seated by the mouth of the cave unable to sleep. When he closed his eyes he saw that momentary look of fear flash across her face before she fell out of his reach. The sound of her body slamming into that tree still sounded in his head as well. She shouldn't have come on this quest; he'd known she'd get hurt. Females didn't belong in the wild. No, that wasn't quite fair. It could have happened to any of the company if they'd been standing there where the ground gave way. She wasn't laying there hurt because of her gender but because of bad luck. But by Mahal the sight of blood running down her face had scared him. So he sat watching the Ranger while she slept. Whatever Gandalf had given her hadn't completely worked as every time she moved a little he could hear her groan in pain.

"Your feelings are clear as day on your face," Dwalin commented. He'd sat and observed his friend watching the Ranger, various emotions playing across his face. Having never seen Thorin show more than just a slight passing interest in any female, Dwalin was intrigued at who had finally caught his attention. True, the burly dwarf had not thought the Ranger should continue with them once they discovered she was a she but he hadn't had anything to complain about where she was concerned since. The lass found them fresh meat, did whatever tasks Thorin gave her, frequently took watch and had to be forced to let someone relieve her, and she was actually quite good with her sword. She also had a quick, fiery temper and was not lacking in sass and sarcasm. After thinking it all over he had been surprised to find that he liked the lass and he was now immensely enjoying watching his friend's struggle.

"I am worried about her. She fell quite a ways and hit the tree pretty hard."

"You can say that if you like."

"It is the truth. She is a member of my company and under my protection."

"I saw your face as you carried her in here. Your reaction wouldn't be quite the same if it was Ori laying there injured."

"Females have no place out here and I don't want the rest of the company thinking they need to be at her beck and call now that she's been injured."

"You can deny it all you want, Thorin. Just remember, no one may be courting her now but don't think that there isn't someone out there that will be all too happy to snatch up such a female. She's rather comely and has fire in her." Thorin's head snapped around and his eyes narrowed slightly at his friend.

"Do you like the Ranger?"

"Aye, I like her just fine, but not in the way you imply. She's pretty enough but I prefer my females with a bit more heft to them and a beard. However that doesn't mean that there aren't others in this company that wouldn't be eager to claim her." Dwalin rose then and found his bedroll, leaving Thorin to brood over his words. The king knew exactly who his friend was talking about and decided he'd put off talking with his nephew for too long. He could not lose control of this situation. They had a quest to complete, a destiny to fulfill, and he was not going to let anything distract them.

Revised/Updated January 2016