IMAGINE: Alfrid's life before the Hobbit takes place

Part 1

Your horse darts forward as you kick him in the flanks. The cries of Orcs fill the air as they chase you on their Wargs. Your long hair whips behind you as you lower yourself closer to your horse's neck, trying to keep panic at bay. "Run! Hurry!" You whisper harshly to your animal as the Orcs near. The horse maneuvers around boulders and trees as arrows fly past your head. You gasp, squeezing your eyes shut. You're prepared to meet an ultimate demise. "Hyah! Hyah!" You suddenly hear someone screaming. You lift your head off the horse and look at the man racing towards you on his horse, his sword out of his scabbard. You watch in fascination as this young man starts cutting down the Orcs that are attacking you. You slow your horse to a stop on a hill and he dances anxiously underneath you. The man kills every Orc and Warg in sight, and then trots his horse over to you. "Are you all right, miss?" He asks, stopping in front of you, his short hair tousled. "Yes. Yes, I am. Because of you. Thank you." You say. He smiles and shakes his head. "It was nothing." He murmurs, waving his hand in the air. "It wasn't nothing. You saved my life." You state. He shrugs, pink tinting his cheeks. "It is what any noble man should've done. I heard your cries and knew something was wrong. How did this even come about?" The man asks. "I accidentally ran into their camp." You grimace. The man frowns. "Bad luck." He says. You laugh softly and nod. "I know." You agree. "My name is Alfrid." He says, holding out his hand, his grin revealing beautiful, straight pearly whites. You smile. "Y/N." You return, holding out your hand. "Ah!" You gasp, immediately pulling it back, pain radiating throughout your arm. "What's wrong?" Alfrid asks, his eyebrows knitting above beautiful hazel eyes. You look to your shoulder and see a thin, yet deep cut, blood slowly oozing out of the wound. You frown and grip your shoulder to staunch the bleeding. "It's nothing." You mutter, shaking your head. "Y/N, let me see." He says softly, pulling his horse closer to yours. You slowly remove your hand from your shoulder, your fingers sticky with blood. "Oh dear." Alfrid breathes, taking your arm in his hands. He looks up at you. "Does it hurt?" He asks. "A little bit." You answer quietly. "Here, there's a river nearby. We can go there and clean it up." Alfrid suggests. You nod as he takes the reins of your horse. He clicks his tongue to get both of your horses moving towards the stream.
Alfrid jumps off his horse and then walks around to you. He puts his hands on your waist and gently helps you to the ground. "Thank you." You say. He smiles and nods. He grabs a knapsack off his horse and then walks with you to the river. You both sit down. Peeling the sleeve of your shirt up, you bite your lip. "Mm, doesn't look too bad. You won't need sutures or anything." He explains. "Thank goodness for that because I have no idea how to do that." He adds, grinning. You laugh. "You and me both. Though I can't imagine it'd be that different than sewing. Except instead of fabric it's flesh and it's quite messy." You comment, grimacing as Alfrid starts to wash your wound. His lips turn down into a frown, despite his chuckling. "I don't want to picture that." He says. Watching him, you smile, suddenly curious. "So, Alfrid, what're you doing this far south?" You ask. "Clean slate. You see, I'm an orphan. My parents died when I was very young and I was living with a foster family for most of my life. At a family picnic, they drowned when their boat tipped over." He answers quietly. "I'm so sorry." You whisper. Alfrid looks up at you. "Thank you." He whispers. "So where are you headed now?" You ask. "Ithilien. I heard that they have many jobs there and that's exactly what I'm looking for." He replies. You smile in amazement. "I'm headed to Ithilien as well!" You exclaim. "You are?" Alfrid asks incredulously. "Yes." You answer, sighing with relief. "I-I was so scared going there. I know no one. But now-now that you're going there..." You trail off and sigh again, feeling grateful. Alfrid smiles at you, a glow in his eyes. "I'm so happy, Y/N. I have a feeling we'll be close friends." He says. You return the smile. "I think so too." You reply, unable to hide your deep flush.

A month later, Alfrid was absolutely right. You're best friends with each other and you even happen to find yourself falling for him fast. That night you're sitting against a fallen tree as Alfrid gets a fire going. You watch him as he works, your heart pounding within your chest. Winter wind chills you to the bone and you wrap your coat around yourself tightly and bring your knees to your chest. Alfrid sits down next to you as the fire burns. You both hold out your hands to feel the warmth. You visibly shudder, partially from being cold and partially because Alfrid is sitting so close to you. "Oh, Y/N, I'm so sorry." Alfrid apologizes before stripping himself of his jacket and putting it around your shoulders. "No, no, Alfrid, that's unnecessary." You protest, starting to take it off your shoulders. "Y/N." Alfrid says, grabbing your hands. You both stare at each other. "You're freezing. Take my jacket." He commands gently. "But you'll freeze." You reply. Alfrid shakes his head and looks to the fire. "No, I won't. I'm plenty warm." He lies. "I may have only known you for a month, but I know when you're lying, Alfrid Lickspittle." You laugh softly. Alfrid smirks into the fire handsomely and doesn't say anything. You shake your head and scoot closer to him. He doesn't protest and you take that as a good sign. A few minutes later, you fall asleep and your head gently lands on Alfrid's shoulder. He smiles and wraps his arms around you. He kisses your head before laying his head against yours.
The next morning you wake up in Alfrid's arms, your head against his chest. Your arms are around him tightly and his head is resting against yours. Alfrid breathes deeply indicating that he's still sleeping. You smile and snuggle closer to him, wanting to enjoy this for as long as you can. "Oh, Alfrid." You breathe, barely audible. "You have no idea how much I admire you and adore you. The day I met you was the best day of my entire life. I hope one day you'll be able to feel the same way about me as I feel about you." You whisper. You let out a shaky breath. "I-I love you." You choke out, tears in yours eyes. "Y/N, that was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard." Alfrid says suddenly, looking down at you. You gasp, blushing with embarrassment, and jump away from him. You immediately feel the effect of not being in his arms, and shiver. Alfrid sits up, tears in his eyes. You turn away from him, wanting to bury yourself into the ground. "Y/N, no, no." Alfrid whispers, crawling over to you. You quickly brush away your tears and Alfrid grabs your hands. "I love you too, Y/N. I-I love you so much that I can't even begin to explain to you how much I love you." He says, smiling, his eyes shining with tears. You look up at him. "You do?" You whisper. He nods and cups your face. "I do. So much." He breathes. "Oh, Alfrid." You cry, throwing your arms around him tightly. Sniffling, he holds you against him. A long while later he pulls his head back, leans close to you and kisses you until you're left breathless. "You know what the first I'm going to do when I get to Ithilien is going to be?" He asks. You shake your head, breathing heavily, while smiling. "I'm going to marry you, Y/N L/N." He says, grinning. "How's that going to work if you haven't even asked me yet?" You ask. Alfrid laughs and grabs your hands. He moves on to his knees. "Y/N, my sweet, beautiful Y/N, will you please bless me by being my wife?" He asks. "Oh, Alfrid, you already know the answer to that." You say, before pulling him closer to kiss you.