It had seemed just as any other day for Aragorn.
They had stopped for the evening in a clearing, and Sam had started dinner while Gimli and Gandalf wandered off, arguing about the wisdom of entering Moria. Aragorn has his doubts—he has heard tales of Durin's Bane, after all, and the Battle of Dimrill Dale was not all that long ago—but if Gimli says his relatives have reclaimed the mines, then he thinks he trusts the dwarf's judgment.
(It's not like they have any other choice, at this point.)
Legolas has gone scouting to make sure they are well and truly alone, and Aragorn thinks nothing of it when he is gone a few minutes longer than usual. It's only when he's been gone nearly half an hour that he starts to grow concerned...and looking up at the other five in the clearing, he knows they feel the same way.
"Should we go looking for him?" Pippin asks nervously, glancing between Aragorn and Boromir. "I mean, could he have gotten into trouble?"
Orcs would not be this quiet, Aragorn decides quickly. If there is any sort of danger, it is more than likely from something else.
In any case, they should investigate.
"Be cautious," he says, rising and listening attentively to try and guess where Legolas is. "Boromir, protect the hobbits when we arrive. Hopefully Legolas and I can take care of whatever this is, but if we cannot..."
Boromir nods sharply, drawing his sword and waiting for Aragorn to choose a direction before all six of them make their way into the trees.
It's not terribly hard to find the elf, once Aragorn's estimation is proven correct. Legolas is speaking with someone—two someones—as Aragorn glances carefully around a tree... But Legolas' bow is drawn, and the strangers are armed; that is all Aragorn needs to decide they should intervene.
Legolas barely twitches when Aragorn arrives at his side, stepping nearly soundlessly and holding his sword defensively in front of him as he sizes up the enemy. He can hear Boromir herding the hobbits against a thick tree behind them, planting his feet and waiting to see how the situation will play out...
The strangers, however, are not so quiet when they arrive. They're dwarves, Aragorn can see now; the blond wields twin swords, and a ferocious snarl is on his face as he takes a step forward, clearly protective of the other. The dark one, curiously, carries a bow, and he seems to waver at the others' arrival for a moment before keeping it trained on Legolas.
Dwarves do not often master archery, Aragorn knows, but this one's form is faultless. Though his arms are starting to shake from the strain, he does not relax his grip, barely even blinks as he watches their group with sharp eyes, waiting for something to happen...
They're young. Aragorn does not often spend time with dwarves, but he can tell that these are barely of the age of majority, if their short beards are anything to estimate by. Their clothing is worn but of high quality, and their weapons are extremely well-made; but above all, Aragorn can see the barely masked fear in their eyes as they watch the larger group. The fair-haired one shifts slightly, adjusting his grip on the swords and only deepening his scowl as he continues to stare at them, almost challenging... They're clearly expecting one of them to strike first.
Aragorn does not know them, but he realizes that they mean no harm...that they are even more confused than the rest of them. He sheathes his sword.
The dwarves' eyes flash in confusion before refocusing on Legolas, clearly not willing to let their guard down while the elf is still a threat. "Lower your bow," Aragorn murmurs to Legolas, who only stares at the dwarves with narrowed eyes before obeying. From behind them, Aragorn can hear Boromir hesitate before sheathing his own blade; however, he does not step forward, surely still standing protectively in front of the hobbits.
