Chapter 8

*Elvish*

For hours, the trio flew through the forest, seeing no sign of the Black Riders or their quarry. Annelise had high hopes that they would stumble upon Aragorn and the others before night fell. It had been four days since she had left them so she knew they would be nearing Rivendell, spurred on by worry for their wounded companion.

She let out a sigh of relief when Elladan and Elrohir pushed their horses on faster with large smiles on their faces, knowing they must have heard something indicating that they had found the travelers. Annelise was quick to urge her horse after them and her smile grew when she caught sight of Aragorn's surprised face and the awed faces of the three exhausted Hobbits behind him.

"Hello, my friends," Annelise greeted, dismounting and drawing the Hobbits attention from the twin elves that had been their focus.

"Why, Ms. Annelise! It's you!," Sam shouted happily and she was surprised when the three Hobbits surrounded her quickly, hugging her around her waist before a flood of questions erupted from them.

"We got him there in time," Annelise spoke, interrupting the questions. "Lord Elrond had just finished treating him when I left, but said it was likely our friend would not wake for many days yet."

The three Hobbits' faces fell at her news but Aragorn came up and placed a hand on Sam and Pippin's shoulders, Annelise doing the same to Merry.

"Do not despair, my friends," he spoke reassuringly. "Frodo is strong and Lord Elrond will ensure his recovery now that he is out of danger."

Their spirits lightened a bit at the man's comforting words and Merry and Pippin quickly moved over to introduce themselves to Elladan and Elrohir, Sam following behind them timidly. Once they were alone, Aragorn pulled Annelise tightly into his chest and rested his head against hers.

"I was so worried," he whispered into her hair and she clutched the back of his cloak firmly.

"It was close. Too close. All Nine came upon us just before the river. I've never been more terrified," she confessed and he pulled her even closer. "But I knew if they were following us, you and the others were safe from them."

Aragorn simply pressed a kiss into her hair before releasing her reluctantly and guiding her over to the others. Merry and Pippin had quickly claimed a spot in front of Elladan and Elrohir, and Sam was in the process of tying Bill's lead to Annelise's saddle. Aragorn lifted Sam into the saddle of his horse before mounting up behind the Hobbit and turning his mount east.

And with that, the group set out for Rivendell.

They reached the Elven city by late afternoon the next day and Annelise quickly led her friends to the room Frodo was resting in. Aragorn left them soon after to report to Lord Elrond, pressing a kiss to Annelise's temple as he departed. She blushed a bit when she noticed Pippin elbow Merry in excitement after seeing the affection between the two Rangers.

Annelise decided to leave the Hobbits with their friend, mentioning going to find something for them to eat. Merry and Pippin quickly volunteered to join her, promising to bring food to Sam who didn't want to leave his friend's side. With that Annelise cast one more look at the sleeping Hobbit, glad to see some color returning to his face, before turning and herding her two companions out into the hall. They quickly fell into step on either side of her, their eyes darting around the hallways as they tried to take in everything they passed in the beautiful home.

"So," Pippin started after a few minutes of silence, dragging out the word and raising his eyebrows teasingly and Annelise got the feeling she wasn't going to like the next words that came out of the Hobbit's mouth. But it was Merry, instead, who finished his friend's thought.

"What's up with you and Strider?," the curly-haired Hobbit asked, a teasing twinkle in his eye.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Annelise answered, keeping her eyes stubbornly focused on the hall before them.

"Oh don't give us that," Merry laughed.

"You'd have to be blind not to see it," Pippin put in, agreeing with his friend.

"There's nothing going on," Annelise insisted, her eyes darting between the two before turning resolutely forward again. "I've known him my entire life, so we're just close."

"Ah, close," Pippin grinned, looking across Annelise to Merry.

"Very close," Merry teased and Annelise just shook her head at the two Hobbits as she felt her cheeks start to burn.

She was mercifully spared from any more of their teasing as they reached the kitchen and the Hobbits' attention was focused on food. She stayed long enough to grab a little something for herself and once she saw the two were happily occupied, she bid them farewell and went in search of her Uncle.

She had not had opportunity to speak with him when she first arrived with Frodo days ago and now that they were safe in Rivendell, she allowed herself to acknowledge the worry that had been growing in her with Gandalf's continued absence. She reached her Uncle's study and knocked on the closed door, waiting for a few seconds before she heard him bid her to enter.

"Ah, Annelise. Welcome back," her Uncle greeted, standing from the chair behind his desk and she saw that Aragorn was still in the study with him.

"Hello Uncle," she responded, placing a kiss on his cheek in greeting. "I'm not interrupting, am I? I can come back later, if you're not finished."

"Not at all. Please sit, I was just about to send for you," Lord Elrond spoke, gesturing to the seat next to Aragorn who had stood upon her entrance. He smiled down at her as she moved past him and took his seat again once she was situated.

"Estel was just telling me of your meeting and journey since leaving Bree. I was hoping you could enlighten me on the events that took place before you arrived there."

"Of course," Annelise said and she launched into the story of what had taken place since she had left the Shire. Elrond listened intently, asking her few questions until she was finished.

"You have had a trying few weeks," Elrond sighed finally once her story was told. "I hope you may find rest while you are here. I took the liberty of having your room prepared after you left yesterday."

"Thank you, Uncle," Annelise responded, smiling up at the elf for a moment before a look of worry came across her face once more. "No news of Gandalf?"

"None," he responded, worry coating his own voice. "You said that Gandalf told you he was traveling to Isengard. We can only hope that no evil has befallen him in that place."

But Annelise could detect the false hope in his words. Annelise knew that in recent years her Uncle had begun to mistrust the White Wizard. She could only pray that her old friend would make it safely to them soon.

After a few more minutes of conversation, Annelise and Aragorn were dismissed until dinner. Lord Elrond had requested that the two join his family for a small dinner that evening and affectionately ordered the two to their rooms for rest until then. They walked silently towards their rooms together, which were directly across the hall from each other in the family wing of the house.

Once they reached their doors, Aragorn pulled Annelise into a light hug before kissing her forehead and bidding her to rest well before he disappeared into his own room. Annelise knew at some point they were going to have to address the shifting nature of their relationship but right now, she just wanted a bath and a nap. Her longings were answered when she entered her room and saw Arwen moving around, in the middle of pulling the covers down on her bed so she could easily slide in later.

"The bath is already waiting," Arwen spoke in greeting, giving Annelise a gentle smile. Over the years, the she-elf had essentially adopted Annelise, caring and fretting over her as she did with Aragorn.

"You read my mind," Annelise told her, hugging Arwen before moving into the bathing chamber to clean up before resting. Arwen moved into the room once Annelise was in the tub and grabbed her dirty clothes before wishing her a good rest and disappearing.

When Annelise finally emerged from the bath, she found that Arwen had laid a simple tunic and leggings on top of one of the chairs. The woman quickly dressed and combed through her hair, braiding it behind her back so it would dry with waves for dinner that evening. She sighed with contentment as she laid down in the soft bed, pulling the sheets over herself and falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

She was woken hours later by someone knocking on her door. She called for the person to enter as she rose from the bed, straightening the covers. She looked up and saw that it was Aragorn standing at the door and he gave her a soft smile when she met his gaze. The man had obviously followed Lord Elrond's instructions to rest, as he looked much more alert and clean than when she had seen a few hours before.

"I was afraid you would still be asleep and forget about dinner. It looks like I was right," he said with a light chuckle.

"Dinner!," Annelise exclaimed, having indeed forgotten about Lord Elrond's request for them to join his family. "Give me two minutes," she said, pushing him out of the room and shutting the door in his laughing face.

Annelise rushed around the room, trading her tunic and leggings for a sage green dress and pulling her hair from its braid and running her fingers through the waves. She tied a few pieces back, before sliding her feet into slippers and moving to the door. Aragorn's eyes slid over her form quickly as she stepped from the room, and smiled as he held out his arm to her. She took it gratefully and the two moved down the hall together.

"You look lovely," Aragorn complimented her as they walked.

"Yes, bathing certainly does wonders for a person's appearance," Annelise teased, brushing off the compliment and turning her head to hide her blush.

"Don't do that. You know that's not what I meant," Aragorn scolded her lightly, placing his hand firmly on the one she had resting on his arm. "You're always beautiful - bathed or not."

"Thank you," Annelise said humbly and was saved from having to make more of a reply as they had reached the door to Lord Elrond's informal dining room. Aragorn reached forward and pulled the door open, gesturing for her to proceed him into the room.

"My lady," he spoke softly and Annelise sent him a shy smile before walking into the room and greeting the four elves seated at the table.

Dinner that evening was a light affair, filled with happy stories and much laughter. Aragorn parted from Annelise at her door again that night with a lingering kiss on her cheek. She spent much of the night tossing and turning, her thoughts spinning as she contemplated her relationship with Aragorn. The growing affection between them was becoming too obvious for her to continue brushing it off as her own feelings clouding her judgment. She knew they would need to acknowledge the elephant in the room soon, especially with the implications of the Ring being discovered.

She finally fell asleep hours later, no closer to figuring out what needed to be done about the tenderness growing in her heart towards her oldest friend.