The Dark Within (Book One)

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I sit in the noisy bar, with my hood up in the corner. Nobody notices my presence as I scan the busy bar. I've been here for a couple hours, when the rain started. I thought I could push through until I got farther but it started pouring harder and harder and I finally decided to get a room here at the prancing pony and wait til morning. I had been to this bar a few times before, in passing. It had cheap ale and the rooms were nice enough. I take another sip of my ale, scanning, remembering, watching. The bartender looks over to me and smiles. He's a kind fellow, Barliman. I raise my drink and smile. It's hardly visible but I do it anyways. I've had my eyes on one man since I walked in. He sits in the opposite corner to me. His hood is pulled up and he smokes from a long pipe. He has been keeping an eye on me. I found out that he's known as strider. He's a ranger. He's from the North and I'm from the west.

The door to the bar opens and my eyes shoot that way. I lower my eye level to see four hobbits. I raise an eyebrow. They're far from home. I think to myself. Barliman talks to them, offering them a hobbit-sized room. The black haired one introduces himself as Underhill, strange name. They ask about Gandalf. Why are these hobbits looking for the wizard? I haven't seen him here. Neither has Barliman. The hobbits look scared, they were supposed to meet him here. Barliman leads them to a table. I see the ranger staring at them. I don't know why but I feel protective of the little ones. I pick up my drink and walk over to the man, smoothly brushing past the drunk men around. I set down my drink at his table and he looks up at me. I sit down next to him, still able to scan across the bar. Still able to keep an eye on the hobbits.

"What brings a ranger all the way to Bree?" I ask him, pushing my hood up slightly.

"I could ask you the same thing." He says. "Raven." I smile at the name, fiddling with the raven pendant around my neck.

"Ah so you've heard of me." I say.

"Most rangers know the Raven from the west." He says.

"And what about you strider? What have you heard about me?" I ask him, flirting a bit. He's about to answer when I see the hobbit with the black hair quickly jump up and run. Both Strider and I's attention are pulled to what is happening near us. The black haired hobbit grabs the red headed hobbit who speaks loudly with the men beside him. Frodo Baggins, that must be Underhill's real name. The red headed one jumps and and spins quickly, sending the black haired one stumbling back. He slips and falls backwards. Something flies up as he falls to the ground. It's a golden ring. He reaches his hand up to catch it and it slips onto his finger. He disappears into thin air. My eyebrows furrow. I only know one thing that gives you the power to disappear. I look towards Strider and can tell he knows what it is too, even if I can hardly see his face in the light of the fire next to us. He nods at me and we both get up. As soon as the hobbit appears once more Strider grabs him and pulls him to the side.

"You draw far too much attention to yourself, mr. Underhill." Strider says. He pulls him up the stairs and into a room. I'm guessing is his room.

"What do you want?" Frodo asks, fearful.

"A little more caution from you." Strider says "that is no trinket you carry."

"I carry nothing." Frodo says. I smirk.

"Indeed." Strider says sarcastically. We both start extinguishing the candles that are lit around the room. "I can avoid being seen if I wish but to disappear entirely that is a rare gift." Strider turns around and pulls off his hood. Wavy, brown hair falls around his face. I push my hood back a little so more light touches my face. Frodo stares at me, no doubt noticing the scar that goes from above my eyebrow, down to the middle of my cheek, just barely missing my eye, and connected in a moon-like shape around my eye.

"Who are you?" Frodo asks both of us.

"Are you frightened?" I ask him. Frodo pauses for a moment.

"Yes." He answers honestly.

"Not nearly frightened enough." Strider says. "I know what hunts you." Strider walks towards him. We hear noise outside the door and it bursts open we both draw our swords. The three other hobbits burst in the door. The blond one has his fists raised, one red headed one has a stool, and the other has a candelabra, ready to fight us.

"Let him go!" The blond haired one yells. "Or I'll have you on shanks." I chuckle a bit to myself and put my sword down.

"You have a stout heart, little hobbit." Strider says to the hobbit as he puts his sword away. "But that will not save you. You can no longer wait for the wizard Frodo. They're coming." A shiver runs down my spine, I know what Strider is talking about.