the Burnt Ranger

Chapter II:the Midgewater Marshes

True to their word, the two rangers woke the hobbits up early in the morning. While Aragorn went to prepare a pony and some supplies for their journey, Vaelia took the hobbits below to the tavern for breakfast. As they ate, she finally got to know the names of the hobbits.

There was Frodo Baggins, the one who carried the Ring. The slightly pudgier one was called Samwise Gamgee, though he told her most called him Sam. The other two were Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took, or Merry and Pippin for short.

After they had made sure the hobbits were properly fed, they set out on the road.

"Where are you taking us?" Frodo asked.

"Into the wild." Aragorn answered.

Out of the corner of her eye, Vaelia noticed Merry walking up to Frodo.

"How can we know these two are friends of Gandalf?" he asked.

"I think servants of the enemy would look fairer. And feel fowler." Frodo replied.

Vaelia imagined part of the hobbit's assumption regarding fair looks was directed at her.

"They feel fowl enough." Merry grumbled.

"We have no choice  but to trust them." Frodo insisted.

"But where are they leading us?" Sam countered.

"Rivendell, master Gamgee." Vaelia revealed.
"The Last Homely House East of the Sea. The home of Lord Elrond."

She couldn't help but smile as she heard the hushed whispers of excitement that followed.

*

They had been walking for quite a while. Vaelia imagined it would be nearing midday soon. Suddenly, she heard rustling from the hobbits' packs. She turned around to see them taking out pots, pans and other cooking utensils.

"Gentlemen! We do not stop until nightfall." she told them.

The hobbits looked up at her in confusion.

"What about breakfast?" Pippin asked.

"You've already had it." Aragorn said, not understanding what the hobbit meant.

"We've had one, yes. What about second breakfast?"

Now it was the rangers' turn to be confused. They frowned and glanced at each other to make sure they were on the same page. In all the years of their lives, they could say with certainty that they had never heard of such a thing as second breakfast.

They decided to ignore it and keep walking. They still had a long way to go to Rivendell. And with the Nazgûl on their tail, they couldn't afford to waste any time.

"I hope these are enough for them." Vaelia muttered, pulling a few apples out of her bag and tossing them over her shoulder towards the hobbits.

*

In honesty, Vaelia hated traveling through the Midgewater Marshes. The marshlands were always filled with mud and swarms of mosquitoes preyed on anything unlucky enough to go there. But she also knew that it was the fastest way to Rivendell, especially if one was trying to avoid the roads. So she stamped down her feelings of disgust and kept walking forward, something all rangers were taught to do very early in their lives. You couldn't afford to be squeamish in the wild.

However, she was starting to wonder if they truly had picked the best path. The flooded and muddy marshlands were only a small obstacle and easy enough to cross with little effort for her and Aragorn. But the same could not be said for the hobbits. The water they had to trudge through reached their knees, sometimes even their waist, and they were constantly slapping away at the insects that practically attacked them. At one point Pippin fell face first into the mud, prompting Vaelia to help him back onto his feet.

She considered the option of turning back and going through a more solid route, but that would have been a death sentence. Their only choice was to keep moving through the marshlands and hope they were fast enough to avoid the ringwraiths.

At nightfall, they eventually managed to find a dry spot of grass to make their camp. Vaelia stayed with the hobbits and prepared a fire while Aragorn left to hunt.

"That scar... how did you get it?" Merry asked nervously.
"If you don't mind me asking."

Vaelia gave him a smile.

"Not at all." she assured him before beginning her story.
"I got it a long time ago. I was in a town in the north named Esgaroth, or Lake-Town, when a dragon attacked. The beast's wrath ended up destroying a house with a little girl inside. I was young and foolish, and I rushed in to try and save her. I managed to get the girl to safety, but in return the dragon's fire scorched my face."

"I know that story. My uncle Bilbo told it to me." Frodo said, his eyes widening in realization.
"You're the Burnt Ranger, who helped save the people of Lake-Town."

Vaelia nodded in acknowledgment.

"I'm surprised your uncle remembered me. We never actually talked, and I was far from the only hero in that story." she replied.
"Often I believe the only thing I received that day was simply another reason to avoid any ceremonial affairs."

"Well, I think you still look quite beautiful. Even with the scar." Pippin said.

Vaelia chuckled, unable to help the feeling of amusement that came with the young hobbit's words.

"Thank you, Pippin."

Aragorn returned soon after with a dead stag slung over his shoulder. They ate quickly and Aragorn convinced Vaelia to let him take the first watch.

She was awoken by the sound of him singing quietly. He was singing in Elvish, but had heard him sing that song before and knew enough of the language to understand it. It was the story of Beren and Lúthien, a mortal man and an elven woman.

She knew perfectly well why he sang that song so often. Part of her wanted to get up and reason with him, to try to make him understand that the mistakes of his ancestors were not what defined him. But she knew her words wouldn't be enough to convince him of that. They both had to battle their own fears, and no one could do it for them.

So she got up quietly and, without saying a word, tapped him on the shoulder to let him know that his watch was over. Aragorn nodded quietly and went to get some sleep.

Meanwhile, Vaelia sat where he had been previously, staring into the darkness.

She thought about the conversation she had had with the hobbits earlier. Truth be told, she had simplified a lot of the story. She had told them of what she had done, but said nothing of the pure terror she had felt, if the pain as the flames burned away her flesh. It was a distant memory now, but she knew she would never forget it. The memory was imprinted on her face.

In an effort to calm herself down, she pulled out a necklace that had been hidden beneath her clothes. It was of elven make, a simple yet intricate design displaying an eagle. It had been a gift from someone very dear to her. He had helped her and stayed by her side when she received the scar. Now, whenever she felt troubled and he wasn't there to comfort her, she held the pendant of the necklace in her hand and thought of him.

As she sat in the dark, her mind wandered to a song she had heard once when she had returned to Lake-Town years after the dragon's attack. She began singing it quietly, hoping it would help her fight off her worries.

"And I see fire..."