The Ranger And The Prince.

Sparring Matches.

"I will go," Aragorn suggested.

"No," Gandalf protested.

"They must be warned." Aragorn retorted.

"They will be," Gandalf reasurred him as he stepped closer and spoke quieter, "You must come to Minas Tirith by another road. Follow the river. Look to the black ships."

With that, Gandalf turned to address everyone again, "Understand this, Things are now in motion that cannot be undone. I ride for Minas Tirith, and I won't be going alone," he said, turning to Pippin.

***

Both Pippin and Gandalf left on Shadowfax that afternoon, hurrying to warn Gondor of their impending doom.

Merry was not his chipper self anymore, now that his best friend was gone. I planned to rectify that at some point with some friendly competition.

Knowing that in a few short days - if Gandalf was successful - we would be called to war, I decided it couldn't hurt to help train some of the younger soldiers.

Aragorn spent most of his time at the watchtower, waiting for the beacons to be lit.

That left me, Legolas and Gimli to gather and train the newbies.

Most of the men snickered at me when I offered them training because they thought it was hilarious as woman was trying to give them advice. I would then proceed to challenge them to a sparring match. Suffice to say, they all ended up agreeing to let me reach them a few things.

When I offered Merry a few lessons, I saw him lighten up a bit. He was back to his normal bubbly self by the end of the afternoon.

I even managed to convince Éowyn to spar with me. She was reasonably talented, far exceeding my expectations. She had great form and was quick at picking up my little tips and tricks.

I sat down to dinner that night with the rest of the fellowship. Aragorn was telling tales of Minas Tirith to Merry who was listening intently with every word. I kept forgetting that the Hobbits were experiencing all of this for the first time. Just goes to show that it's possible to live a life without a shadow over you.

Gimli was munching down on his food in silence while me and Legolas talked about our training that day. After some of the soldiers got over the fact I was a woman, I think they were quite fascinated by the fact I wan an elf and was teaching them. The Elves were renowned for their prowess in fighting so both me and Legolas weren't surprised at their awe.

When the rest of the fellowship retired for the night, I grabbed Legolas' arm and pulled him into the corridor, away from prying eyes.

"Think you're up to facing me yet?" I smirked, crossing my arms in front of me.

"Just don't want you to be so disappointed when you loose," he smirked back, leaning against the wall casually.

"Is that so?" I said, raising a brow, "Five gold pieces say I beat you in a triple match."

"Well, if I gambled so frequently, it would be an abuse of my privilege as a Prince," He mused.

"Ten gold pieces?"

"You're on."

***

The sun had already gone down when we left the Golden Hall. Most of Edoras was readying to retire for the night but me and Legolas weren't particularly tired. We were Elves and we didn't require as much rest as the others. I tried to make a habit of regular sleep but if need be, I could be awake for a week and a half without too much hassle.