Chapter 6

Annelise continued walking with Aragorn as the Hobbits followed behind the two rangers. She would check over her shoulder every few minutes to make sure the four were keeping up easily while Aragorn kept his gaze before them, his eyes continually scanning their surroundings for any sign of danger. She couldn't help but feel bad for the four small creatures, knowing that they were not used to having to travel so swiftly.

"Have you heard from your friends in Erebor recently?," Aragorn asked suddenly, startling Annelise from her own quiet thoughts.

"It has been a few months, but they were doing well when last I heard from them," she answered quietly. "I'm more worried about the others that went to Moria so long ago. It has been many years since anyone has received word from them. And you know the tales of those halls."

"I do," he stated sadly, reaching over to grasp her hand and squeeze it in comfort.

"I'm worried something has happened to them," she breathed sadly, tightening her grip on his hand. "The darkness is growing."

"And light is rising to meet it," he urged her emphatically. "Do not despair, there is always hope."

"Thank you, Estel," she responded, smiling up at him gently. His eyes softened and his lips twitched up to mirror hers as he squeezed her hand once more before releasing it.

The pair walked in companionable silence for a few more minutes, before they turned back together at the sound of the Hobbits behind them. The four had put down their packs and started pulling out pots, and Annelise could only shake her head when she realized what they were doing.

"Gentlemen," Aragorn spoke sternly, "we do not stop until nightfall."

"What about breakfast?," Pippin answered back in concern.

"You've already had it."

"We've had one, yes. What about second breakfast?," Pippin asked, with a self-satisfied grin on his face and Annelise couldn't hold back her soft chuckle. Aragorn turned his eyes to her quickly in confusion, before shaking his head and moving on without answering the Hobbit's question.

"Don't think he knows about second breakfast, Pip," she heard Merry say to his companion while the others began backing their things up once more and she moved to follow her friend who was rummaging through his bag as he walked, pulling out a few apples.

"Hobbits," he muttered under his breath while shaking his head and Annelise giggled at his exasperated expression. He rolled his eyes good-naturedly at her and chuckled quietly with her.

"What did you expect?," she chuckled. "You remember how Bilbo was when you visited."

The smile grew on his face as he recalled those few days so many years ago that he spent with the old Hobbit and Annelise. The Hobbit had been greatly concerned by how little his two human companions ate (at least in the eyes of a Hobbit).

"I'd never eaten so many meals in my life," he smirked, before turning and tossing two apples behind him. Annelise snorted, trying to hold in a laugh when she heard a thud and Merry yell "Pippin!" as the Hobbits followed behind them.

Aragorn let out a soft chuckle as well, before offering his last apple to her. "Thank you," she said softly, reaching for the fruit and taking a small bite out of it.

"You're most welcome."

Annelise felt his gaze on her and looked up, noticing a gentle gleam in his eyes that she had never seen before. She averted her eyes quickly and was surprised when she felt her cheeks warm a bit, as a small shiver went down her spine.

'I must just be cold,' she thought dismissively, pulling her cloak around herself a little tighter.

Annelise couldn't help the groan of disgust that escaped her lips as she followed behind the Hobbits as Aragorn led the group through the Midgewater Marshes. In her own travels, she always avoided the area like the plague.

She could see that the Hobbits were just as miserable as she, as she watched them continually waving their arms around or smacking their skin to try in vain to keep the bugs away from their skin. She pulled her cloak and hood tighter around her body and head, fanning her hand in front of her face to keep the disgusting creatures away from her face.

"What do they eat when they can't get Hobbit?," she heard Merry complain as he smacked at his face.

She trudged along, moving up to Sam's side and the two turned their attention to encouraging Bill to continue on through the bog. It was slow going and Annelise was relieved when Aragorn motioned for them to stop later that evening on a large patch of ground that was mercifully dry enough for them to pass the night in relative comfort.

Aragorn pulled out his bow, signaling to her to stay with the Hobbits and she knew he was going to see if he could find an animal for them to cook that evening. She smiled in greeting an hour later when he returned with a small doe slung over his shoulder. She and Sam quickly went about making dinner for the group, before the Hobbits went to sleep.

Annelise and Aragorn sat next to each other close to the fire in silence for a few minutes before Annelise turned to her companion.

"You should sleep, I'll take the first watch."

"Are you sure?," he whispered, not wanting to disturb their sleeping companions.

"Yes, someone," she spoke, looking at him pointedly, "made sure I got plenty of sleep last night."

"Very well," he answered, smiling down at her unashamedly at her joking words. "Wake me in a few hours."

Annelise nodded in agreement and Aragorn stretched out on the ground beside her, since room was limited in their little camp. She was glad that she had told him to sleep, when his breath evened out within minutes of closing his eyes.

'He pushes himself so hard,' she thought sadly, reaching out to gently move some hair that had fallen in his face. She froze when his head turned to follow her hand as she drew it away, but soon relaxed when she was sure he was still asleep.

As she turned to look back around their camp, she failed to notice the soft look he gave her before shutting his eyes once more.

A few hours later, Annelise looked down to see him still deeply in sleep and decided not to wake him for his watch, knowing she would be fine to stay up the entire night. But just a few minutes later, she heard him shift and he laid a hand on her forearm as he sat up.

"Why didn't you wake me?," he whispered reproachfully.

"I just figured you could use the extra sleep," she answered, shrugging sheepishly.

"Never at your expense," he stated with soft conviction and Annelise dropped her gaze down to her hands that had started fidgeting in her lap at the piercing look in his eyes. He reached over and stilled her hands with his own before gesturing for her to lay down.

She did so and shifted around a bit to try and get comfortable on the marshy earth. Once she settled, she looked around again and saw that he had pulled out his pipe and was sitting in quiet contemplation. She turned her head when she heard rustling and saw Frodo shifting in his sleep restlessly as he had been doing for most of her watch.

"Sleep," Aragorn whispered to her, laying a hand gently on her head and running his fingers through her hair. She turned her head into the motion and her eyes closed without her permission. Then he started humming quietly and Annelise was pulled under completely.

Aragorn sat there for a long while, humming softly and running his fingers gently through his companion's hair. He had missed her in the last few years and the loneliness her absence left had grown more acute with every thought or mention of her. He knew what those feelings meant and could sometimes see in her eyes that maybe she shared them.

He was still lost in thought when Frodo awoke and heard the soft humming drifting through the camp. He turned and noticed Strider gazing softly down at their female companion as she slept, the Ranger's hand brushing through her hair with a gentleness the Hobbit wouldn't have thought possible from his impressions of the hardened man. He listened as the man's humming turned into words and listened entranced for a few minutes, translating the foreign words that he was able to.

"Who is she?," he asked suddenly and the Ranger turned his head quickly in his direction. "This woman you sing of."

"'Tis the lady of Luthien," he answered quietly, looking down at his hand that was still tangled in the soft hair of the woman lying next to him. "The Elf-maiden who gave her love to Beren, a mortal."

"What happened to her?"

"She died," he breathed and let out a small sigh, before turning back to the Hobbit. "Get some sleep, Frodo."

The dark haired Hobbit laid down as the man instructed, but his eyes remained on the pair before him. Frodo watched as Strider removed his cloak and placed it gently over his companion, before returning his hand to its place resting atop her head. He was surprised by the man before him, someone he had known his entire life from the stories of the woman lying beside the ranger. He thought back over the interactions he had seen between the two since their reunion and smiled softly to himself.

Strider may have been singing of an elfmaid, but his thoughts were clearly on the woman lying not half a foot away from him.

Annelise could feel the relief that went through the Hobbits once the group finally made their way out of the marshes. She knew that they would be reaching the watchtower of Amon Sûl that evening and let out her own sigh of relief. She caught her first glimpse of the old ruin as the sun started its descent and knew they would reach it before night fell.

She was surprised at the feeling of dread that came over her upon seeing the ruin and quickly moved ahead to Aragorn's side. He looked at her with concern when she joined him but she just shook her head, not wanting to cause him unnecessary worry over something that might be nothing. Still, she could see him grow a bit tense and his eyes were even more alert while scanning the land around them.

"This was once the great watchtower of Amon Sûl," he spoke to the Hobbits once they were closer to the hill. "We shall rest here tonight."

The four Hobbits let out identical sounds of relief, and she knew they were tiring of the pace that Aragorn had been leading them at. She had noticed over the days of traveling that their conversations had grown few and far between with each passing day, and could only hope their spirits would revive once they reached their destination.

They were quick to set up camp once they reached an overhang of the tower that would provide some cover. Annelise went over and helped the Hobbits situate themselves and Bill, while Aragorn moved to the edge of outcropping and slid his gaze over the lands before them. They had seen no sign of the Black Riders since leaving Bree and Annelise couldn't help but fear that their luck would not last much longer, remembering the dread she had felt earlier in the day.

Aragorn seemed to have the same feeling as he moved to grab one of the bundles tied to Bill and set it before the Hobbits. He unrolled it and revealed four small blades that he passed to each of them.

"These are for you. Keep them close. I'm going to have a look around."

"I'll go with you," Annelise said, standing and casting a warning look at the Hobbits to stay out of trouble. Aragorn simply nodded his head in acceptance and the two rangers were quick to descend the tower. The pair continued east for a few minutes in silence, looking for any sign of travelers through the land before Annelise turned to her companion.

"Should we split up?"

"No," Aragorn answered, shaking his head. "If the enemy is near, I want you close."

"You know I can handle myself," she retorted ruefully but her breath caught when his eyes softened and he stepped closer to her, placing a hand gently on her cheek.

"I know you can, but the enemy we are facing…I don't want you far from me."

She met his earnest gaze for a few seconds before reaching up and grasping the hand still on her face. "As you wish," she whispered and he stroked his thumb gently across her cheek before removing his hand and stepping away. Annelise stood there frozen for a moment longer, before shaking her head quickly and moving to follow him.

They continued walking in silence until the sun had fully set, but they found no sign of the enemy. They decided to return to the watchtower and were walking quietly through the plains, not knowing that both of their thoughts were centered on the other. It was the first time they had been truly alone since reuniting and Annelise couldn't help but think of all the things that had happened in the years they had been apart.

"I've missed you," she whispered softly after a few minutes, drawing his gaze to her.

"And I have missed you," he responded, taking her hand tightly in his own. "I thought of writing to you so many times," he sighed, "but I didn't want to pull you from anything important just because I wanted you with me."

"I wanted to be with you, too," she confessed in a whisper and he pulled them to a stop, leaning his face down to meet her eyes.

"Truly?," he asked in a whisper, reaching up to cup her cheeks with both of his hands. Annelise released a shaky breath and slid her hands up his forearms to grab hold of his wrists, leaning into his touch.

"You make me feel safe," she answered simply, her eyes closing as he laid his forehead gently on hers. "You've always felt like home."

"Annelise…," he breathed roughly and her eyes flew open to meet his.

Her breath caught at his intense gaze and she subconsciously bit her lip, drawing his attention to the movement before his eyes shifted back to meet hers. Annelise's heart began beating wildly in her chest as she noticed him moving closer to her. And as she felt his breath ghost over her lips, her eyes fluttered shut.

Then a shrill cry pierced through the night air.

A/N: Bit of a cliffy...don't hate me haha. I'm not quite satisfied with this chapter. I've got everything else mapped out really well starting in Rivendell, but this bit in between has had me stumped.

And we're getting a bit of romance (yay!), just hoping it doesn't seem too sudden or forced. Let me know what you guys think. Your feedback really helps me!