The Shape of Shadows [2]

Strider

It had taken Amara much less time than she thought it would to track down Aragorn. In fact, she was only half way to Rivendell when she ran into him on one of the old roads. Even though it had been over two years since she had last seen him, he still looked the same. Clad in all black with his unruly dark hair framing his face and the sword presented to him by her father sheathed by his side.

"You're a long way from where I thought you would be." She said as she approached him.

"It comes with being a ranger." He replied with a smile before embracing her. "I am more surprised to see you out this way, especially alone." He raised an eyebrow at her, knowing her father's request that she did not travel unaccompanied.

"Something of grave importance has come to our attention." She said as she looked around them and listened out to make sure they were alone.

"Something that can motivate you to ignore your father's warning?" Aragorn noticed how she on edge she seemed.

Amara nodded. "The ring of power has been found."

Aragorn's face grew dark. "Where?"

"With a hobbit in the shire." She told him. "They are meeting Gandalf in Bree and from there I believe he means to take them to Rivendell. Well, either way, we all end up in Rivendell."

He knew she was thinking of her vision of the council and still wondered what part he was to play in everything that was about to unfold. "Then we must not waste any more time. If we leave now, we should be in Bree within two days, we may still meet the hobbits and Gandalf there."

She agreed and they set off back the way she had come.