Suilad! After finishing up "An Unexpected Meeting", I'm back and ready to share the next part of Gwin's adventures! If you haven't had a chance to check that story out, give it a read and let me know what you think!

This picks up pretty much right after Book 1 ends in Chapter 85. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

BEGINNING OF BOOK 2 Chapter 86

I looked about me at this strong group of Dunedain. I had gone through so much with them in such a short time. A small part of me regretted my choice to come; there had been pain and injury, and not only physical. I had been at Námo's door more times than I was comfortable with, not including the many brushes with death during my other travels. If not for the generosity of others and a little (or perhaps a lot) of luck, I would be sitting in the Halls. The strange darkness continued to dog my steps, retreating enough that I could almost forget it existed, and then emerging when I least expected it. Was Sauron the culprit? Could a curse be cast in a dream? It was very confusing, and I wished I had someone learned to ask about it, like Mithrandir, or Lady Galadriel, or even Lord Elrond. The twins, while being of the lineage of these two powerful Elves, did not have any more clarity than I. All I could do was try my best to deal with it, and let Elladan and Elrohir help me out if they could. It was yet another burden I had no desire to carry, and it had caused me much grief.

Yet, I had found such happiness! If not for joining this quest, perhaps I would not have realized my feelings for Candaith, nor his for me. Perhaps…he might have died, before we could have gotten the chance to explore things. I would have missed out on the one thing that made my life truly complete, and not know it. Would I have found love in the arms of another? It didn't bear thinking about, so I cast it from my mind. We were married and in love, which was all I could ask for.

Now we were about to embark on the next phase of our journey to meet up with Aragorn. We had failed to get the Oath-breakers of the Forsaken Road on our side, but I knew many more of them dwelt under the Dwimorberg, between Rohan and Gondor. Hopefully it would be enough to provide a large fighting force against the enemy. I was unsure where he would choose to use them; would it be in Minas Tirith? I shuddered at the thought of the armies of Mordor attacking the shining city Boromir had so loved, or the Corsairs of Umbar burning and pillaging up and down the coast. I was sure Aragorn would find the best way to implement them…if he could convince them to follow him. I hoped he, being the true Heir of Isildur, would have better luck than Candaith. I still could not believe Candaith had done something both brave and foolish. Claiming he was the Heir, to try and get the traitors on our side…it almost led to his death, and it was still difficult for me to think on without feeling my heart clench with the memories of my grief and despair.

Where had the Oath-breakers gone after Elladan drove them out of the Forsaken Road? Did they join their compatriots on the Paths of the Dead, or find another dwelling place? Or did they return once we moved on? It was hard to say, but I decided to set my focus on our current objective of moving south into Dunland.

Before we headed out, I had a conversation with Ergothorn about his plans. "Do you wish to join us? I could ask Halbarad to see if he would welcome you to our group." I said, as I finished tying things onto my horse.

He chuckled, "Seeing how he denied Nona a spot, I find it unlikely he will want another straggler coming along. Plus, I am not Dunedain."

I frowned, "Neither am I."

"Are you not?" he replied, with a small smirk. "You married one, and have been welcomed and loved by everyone here. I am sure they consider you one of their own."

I paused in thought. I had never considered such a thing, and yet it made sense. "So I am now an honorary ranger?"

Ergothorn grinned, "If that is what you would like to call yourself, I think it is fitting." His smile became more sincere and he squeezed my shoulder, "However, I still see you as the stubborn Elleth I rescued, demanding to know my name before she would let me help her, even as icicles formed in her hair."

I rolled my eyes, "You could have been some ruffian, who was up to no good."

"Yet even when I told you my name, I knew you did not trust me," Ergothorn said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, you proved me wrong with your actions, and luckily for you, I consider you a friend."

"What an honor you bestow upon me, my lady," he said with an exaggerated tone, putting his hand on his chest and bowing.

I rolled my eyes again, "Oh yes, an honor beyond imagining." He laughed at the heavy sarcasm in my tone, and it made me smile. "Where will you go next?"

"I think I will head south, into the Gravenwood," he answered. "Prince Theodred has a camp there, and perhaps I can be of some use." He sighed. "For the longest time, I have been content with traveling and making maps. Yet now that I have seen what true evil can do, and by barely escaping death…perhaps I survived because there is more important work for me to accomplish."

"Hmm," I mused. "I know little of Theodred, but I would assume him to be an honorable man. He will welcome the help of one with the blood of the Rohirrim flowing through his veins." I paused. "I know you are from Gondor, but I sense a fiery spirit in you, and it is said the Rohirrim have such a fire in their hearts. They would welcome you into the fold, I am sure of it."

Ergothorn shrugged, a smile tugging up the corner of his lips, "I'm not sure where I belong, but I aim to do my best to find a place for myself." He straightened up, and I sensed it was time to say our farewells. "It has been a pleasure to get to know you, and despite how we met, I am glad to consider you a friend." I could see his arms twitch, as if he wanted to pull me into a hug but was unsure if it would be welcome.

I had no such reservations, and briefly embraced him, squeezing him tightly before stepping away and placing a hand on his shoulder. "I will miss you, and I am sure we will meet again. Hopefully it will be in more peaceful times."

Ergothorn nodded, and I saw a flicker of something in his eyes that I couldn't define, but it was gone before I could figure it out. "I hope so too," he said softly, before his characteristic, cheeky grin made its appearance. "You never know where I might pop up!"

I huffed a laugh, "As long as it doesn't involve mysterious, daunting letters!"

He laughed, and winked before inclining his head and turning away, heading towards his tent. I sighed, and mounted up. I froze as I noticed Candaith eyeing Ergothorn speculatively, and felt a flare of jealousy I didn't think he meant for me to notice. I swiveled my gaze back to Ergothorn's retreating figure, and wondered if Candaith's feelings had any merit. I knew the man used to harbor some attraction for me, but got the impression he had moved on from it once he realized I was with Candaith.

Perhaps I was mistaken?

Shaking myself, I realized it didn't matter. I was married and very much in love with Candaith, and even if Ergothorn felt more than friendship for me, he respected me enough to set it aside. Hopefully Candaith would forget about it with time and distance from the man.

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After we said farewell to the others heading toward Trum Dreng, we set off to the south. Nona had taken her own horse and ridden away to the East, and I wondered where she was headed. Could there be a hidden way into Dunland of which we were unaware? Whatever the case may be, she was on her own journey now.

Prestadir, the ranger infamous for going into strange, dark places, was our guide. He had studied the maps almost obsessively, and had done some scouting ahead of us. "I could bring us through the Bonevales with my eyes closed," he said smugly.

I rolled my own eyes, "That will not be necessary, but it is nice to know you have such skills." He pouted a little and I laughed. "I am just teasing, Prestadir. We are glad to have you with us."

We had made our way to the southern gate after sneaking through the Lich Bluffs. It was daytime, so not many skeletons were wandering around those hills, but I found it likely we would not have such luck once we passed into the Bonevales.

"This will likely be similar to the Barrow Downs," Saeradan said quietly, and I raised an eyebrow. "You did not know I had ventured there?" he asked with a tiny smirk.

"Hmm, I suppose I should not be surprised." It was part of Breeland, but not an area many dared to walk. However, Saeradan was brave and skilled. "I am certain you had good reasons for doing so."

"Aye," he replied, looking grim. "I was told a curious but foolish citizen from Hengstacer Farm had bragged about how he planned on finding buried treasure. When he did not return, his sister begged me to find him." By his serious tone, I inferred there was no happy ending. "Unfortunately, there was no body to find; I was only able to identify him by a satchel and hat his sister told me he was wearing."

I furrowed my brow, "How did you know he did not simply leave his belongings there in order to escape?"

"His bones were left behind, and I had to flee on my horse as one of the Barrow-wights approached me and said 'there is no place for the living here, warm-blood; this traveler met a just fate.'" Saeradan shuddered, "His voice grated in my ears, and made a shiver run down my spine."

"Yes, I remember the sound." I murmured, trying to shake off the bad memories. "Searching and running after a foolish child was my introduction to the barrows." Candaith took my hand and squeezed it, and it brought me a measure of comfort.

"Ah, I heard this story make the rounds in Breetown," Saeradan replied, amusement in his eyes. "Little Miss Layla believed her prince in shining armor was waiting for her, and she needed to find him."

"Indeed," I huffed, appreciating the lighter mood. "Which brought a large number of the wights in the area to chase us. Eventually, I threw her onto my horse against her protests and raced away to the western side, where I knew her family was waiting anxiously for her return." I chuckled a little. "Her parents were very grateful, while she was very upset with me."

I heard Candaith's rumbling laugh next to me, and it made my heart a little lighter.

"There is no outpost camp where we can rest tonight, as the nearest one, Echad Naeglanc, is on the southern side of the region. We would not reach it before sunset," Prestadir explained, sounding more business-like.

Halbarad looked calm, but I noted a flicker of worry in his grey eyes, "We will need to be vigilant as we rest in our own small camp. However, let us make a good start. We do not stop until nightfall." Prestadir nodded, and we followed in his wake.

The area just before the Bonevales was more beautiful than I anticipated. The main road was lined with trees, which had lovely red and orange leaves. It was unexpected, as it was no longer fall. I had the urge to ride through them, and to investigate if I could hear their voices, but sadly I needed to follow the path. Perhaps we would come across some after we exited the Bonevales.

Prestadir slowed his horse down to a trot before motioning us to wait. "Let me ride ahead for a time and make sure the road is clear."

"I will come with you," I offered, and I ignored the worried looks of the twins. However, I could not ignore Candaith's wave of concern in my soul, and looked to him a little apologetically.

I was not surprised when he insisted on joining me.

While the others remained behind us, the three of us rode forward and into the rocky, ominous Bonevales.

It reminded me of a combination of the Barrow Downs and an area in the middle of Angmar called Imlad Balchorth, but condensed. Even in the daylight, the sun was muted, and a mist surrounded us. We all dismounted and carefully made our way down the path. "Do not stray from the road, unless at great need," Prestadir said softly. "Even if you think you have seen something interesting; travelers become lost and confused, or so it is said."

"Then we must be vigilant," Candaith replied. "Even more so than usual."

With my Elven eyesight, I was able to pierce through the fog more easily, and had yet to see any enemies. I hoped the creatures here were unaware of us.

I pulled out my bow and turned backwards as I heard movement behind me, but nothing was visible. Uneasy, I moved closer to Candaith, but kept an arrow notched. He was fingering his own bow; he was only a decent shot, but it was better than nothing unless the enemy got close enough for swords. However, I hoped we could avoid that.

Suddenly several barghests slinked slowly onto the path. They are similar to dogs, but were black as night, with eyes which glowed with a sinister red light. I rapidly counted nine, but feared more were hiding in the shadows of the boulders. Quickly firing four perfect shots, they all hit their marks. The other five looked more wary now, but charged us before I could get them all.

Candaith's first arrow went wide, but the second went through the neck of the fifth one. Four remained, and were now too close to shoot. I slit the throat of one which dared snap at the legs of my horse. Prestadir was having trouble; he was cornered between a barghest and a large boulder, and I noticed one of the foul dogs standing on top of it, adding another to the total. I took a dagger and knocked the creature to the ground before finishing it off with my knives. Candaith had distracted the one in front of Prestadir enough for the ranger to kill it.

The remaining two, deciding I was the main threat, both lunged towards me at the same time. I slashed my knives as I quickly turned in a circle, cutting them down as they leapt into the air.

All of us were slightly out of breath as we surveyed the carnage. My eyes widened as all of the bodies turned into smoke and disappeared, as if they had never been there. I had seen it before, but had forgotten how alarming it was.

"Let us return to the others," I said firmly. Scouting had seemed like a good idea, but if more enemies were just out of sight, it would be safer to have a larger force to intimidate them, and hopefully discourage them from an attack. None of us were injured, so we quickly mounted up and made our way north.

Prestadir quickly reported what happened to Halbarad, and the twins came up to me with mirroring concerned expressions. "Are you well?" Elrohir asked, some anxiety in his tone.

I nodded, trying not to be frustrated with their fussing. "We are uninjured."

"It is not what I asked," Elrohir replied quietly.

Holding in an exasperated sigh, I calmy said, "Truly, I am fine. Do not worry so much."

He gave me a small smile and squeezed my hand. "I am glad." Elladan did not speak, but I knew he felt the same worries as his brother…that I would not be able to handle things.

I needed to find a way to prove I was capable and strong, but how? They needed to see the confident Elleth I had tried to be over the many months I had traveled and adventured alone. It was not until recently that I had found myself falling apart and getting injured so often. They did not see who I felt I truly was.

Perhaps my struggles were finally catching up with me.

Pushing this realization aside, I joined the others. We decided to stay close together in our group, with the Elves and Prestadir in the front. The twins and I would be able to see better than the Dunedain, and Prestadir knew where we were going.

As we rode, I continued to try and ignore the memories which threatened to overtake me. I had seen so many undead, both as spirits or as skeletons. My weapons were able to defeat them, as the forger in Imladris had imbued them with a hidden power to vanquish such foes. It was beyond my understanding, but I trusted her word, as I had seen the results for myself.

Things were going relatively well since joining up with the main group. We were all quiet, as we attempted to sneak through the area undetected. I amused myself by having inward conversations with Candaith through our bond. It was something we were still practicing, and it was a good opportunity to learn more about each other.

"What is your favorite food?" Candaith asked.

I raised an eyebrow at his simple question, and he grinned. "If you must know, it is the fish Lothrandir makes in Forochel. No one else has been able to replicate it, even the master chefs in the Elvish realms. Now my turn…hmm…what is your favorite season?"

He pondered this for a moment. "I would say fall. I enjoy how the leaves on the trees change colors, and although the sun sets earlier, it reflects beautifully on the sandy landscape of the Lone Lands." He looked at me guardedly. I knew he wondered how I felt about the region after my struggles, but I gave him an encouraging smile. "If you could spend the rest of your days somewhere in Middle Earth, where would it be?"

I wondered at the question. Did he ask because he wanted to know where we should live after all of this was over? Or was he simply curious? Keeping this in mind, I answered carefully. "The places I have found I was the happiest, besides when my homeland was more at peace, were Imladris and Celondim. However, Evendim has its own beauty, and I found peace in its waters. If Annuminas became safe and beautiful again, I would not mind spending my days there."

He seemed surprised yet pleased at my answer, but did not comment. We continued in this vein as we went, and I found the distraction to be pleasant. We had much to learn about one another. Certainly we were in love, and married, but I felt we had not had the chance to truly get to know who the other was in great detail.

Things were going well until we were almost to the area Halbarad decided to make camp. The sun had set, and we were in the beginnings of twilight when it happened.

I felt a sudden dread in my soul, and Candaith looked at me with some alarm. He had clearly felt it too. Out of the shadows, a spirit appeared. It was wreathed in red flame, and focused its attention solely on me.

You may not enter here, Elichthi. You are not welcome in our lands.

I glanced at the twins, but they did not seem to notice, and neither did the rest of our party. The others could not see this spirit; Candaith could feel my dread, but could not see the source of it.

We mean to simply pass through, and do not wish to trouble you. I tried to sound confident, but something was stirring in my spirit.

You may not pass. Turn around and return from whence you came. The voice echoed ominously, and its words felt like ice. Candaith moved closer, but he could not see what threatened me.

We cannot do so. We must travel to Galtrev, and this is the route we have chosen. Let us pass. I eyed the spirit with caution, which was nearly shaking with rage. I did not know what would happen next, but put my hands up in a gesture of peace. We do not wish to threaten or harm you or your people.

"Gwin?" Elrohir asked, sounding puzzled. "Why do you raise your hands?" He moved his horse a little closer, Elladan in his wake.

However, I had no time to answer, for the spirit was speaking once more.

Then you shall suffer the entrapment of your memories. You will feel torment until you leave our lands.

Before I could reflect on this, my eyes locked with those of the spirit, and I froze as my vision was filled with an encounter from my past.

Uh oh, that doesn't sound good. Sorry for the cliff hanger! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, and leave a review if you have a moment! I've missed hearing from you all!