Mistress of the Fellowship (LOTR)

* 17 * Golden Eyes

Aragorn had a restless night as Ryker's words echoed in his head until finally he allowed his mind to go back to that awful time.

He was so young back then and so innocent and naïve to the world around him. That night he was pondering the point of life when suddenly he came upon the small cloaked figure. She made eye contact with him and her gold eyes seemed to pierce his soul and fill him with euphoria.

The look she gave him was one of pure innocence and seemed to be a bit fearful like a wild animal that had just been caught. She looked so beautiful in a mysterious way and seemed to have put a spell on him.

Her pouty lips almost quivered making him want to dip down and place a kiss on them as a gesture that she was safe. They appeared so soft but there was no denying she had faced harsh weather.

Kissing her was not all he had wished to do, he wished he could simply touch her rosy cheeks or hold her hands which she kept hidden in her cloak.

He finally summoned the courage to speak and the words just seemed to slip off his tongue. "Hello there, don't recall ever seeing you around here before. What is your business here?"

After he had spoken he had second thoughts about asking her what her business was for it was not his business but he wished to know. He wished to know anything and everything about her for she stirred something inside and seemed to ignite his soul with joy.

She coyly smirked at him like a fox that jolted his insides and made him smile like a fool and then she spoke, "Settling a debt with the king. My family shall sleep well tonight because of the King's sacrifice."

Oh her voice was so low, so calm, so intoxicating, that he found himself smiling even more as impossible as it seemed. With her beauty it was no surprise that the king had done something for someone else and seeing as she had left the castle this early he knew the king had not tainted her innocence.

Those gold eyes would make any many trade all his treasure for in her eyes was more gold than in all the dwarf hoards. Stunning! There was surely no greater treasure in the world than that in her eyes.

Her eyes darted away from his and he knew she was thinking of leaving his presence and so he stated, "You must have really charmed him because he usually does not forgive debts or give out loans. You must be a special girl to have melted his heart."

Special did not begin to describe her. In simple moments she had stolen his heart completely and had blinded him to everything else in the world. All he saw was her gold eyes, soft red lips, and dark auburn hair that seemed to be the color of...blood?

Her smile was now arrogant as if she knew she had him under a spell and her words came out in a manner so seductive Aragorn thought he might lose all control. "You could say I'm the last of my kind." Her eyes looked back at the castle and a flicker of what he could only describe as triumph filled them before she said. "Please excuse me I must leave." And she looked up him and he knew he must ask her more before she fled! He had to know her name! He had to find her! She had to be his wife! He did not care about his oath to marry the mythical warrior woman for all he could see, all he could imagine feeling was this girl that stood proudly in front of him.

"Before you leave milady might I ask for the privilege of knowing your name. I may like to come and see if there is perhaps something I could do for your family to help in any way."

She scanned over him without saying a word before she tried to walk past him but out of instinct and desperation Aragorn took a step sideways, blocking her path and continuing, "So you don't think of me as a stranger, my name is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. Now what is your name?"