THIRD BOOK IN THE RANGER OF THE SOUTH TRILOGY
Keira gets a message from Gandalf that the One Ring is found, she immediately leaves to try and protect Frodo from the Nazgûl, leaving Erebor in the safe hands of her son, Thrain.
When she arrives in Ri...
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It was rather late when I decided to head back to my chambers. I undid myself of the dress and let it fall on the ground. I picked it up, threw it over a chair and put on a simple tunic and pants to sleep with. With a sigh, I let myself slid under the covers. It had been a long day.
And then you have that thing with Aragorn, a voice in my head said.
I rolled onto my side and stared at the wall. Yes, there was that thing. I loved him and he loved me, but it just wasn't that easy.
"Get a hold of yourself, Keira," I muttered under my breath. "Your kingdom is more important than your feelings. Thorin trusted you'd look after it."
I rolled on my back. "And so I will."
I urged myself so sleep, something that wasn't easy. I think I'd slept an hour or two before Carden's voice sounded in my head, loud and clear.
"Keira!"
I jumped up and unsheathed my fathers dagger. I looked around in the dark room, expecting to see someone but I didn't.
"What's the fuss, Carden?"
"Can't you feel it?"
And then I felt it. The darkness. It crept closer and closer until I was certain that Sauron was here. I jumped out of bed, didn't bother to slid into my boots as I slammed the door open and raced through the halls towards where I could feel was the source. I burst through the doors towards the main hall and gasped upon seeing Pippin laying on the floor, the Palantir stuck in his hands. His mouth was open in a soundless scream.
"Pippin!" Merry exclaimed. "Help! Gandalf help!"
I leaped towards him and pulled the Palantir out of his hands. I struggled with it, before I managed to drop it on to the floor. It rolled away and Merry dodged it as it rolled still further.
"Pippin!" The blond haired hobbit exclaimed, as Gandalf ran after the Palantir and threw a blanket over it. Both Legolas and Aragorn ran in, looking around in bewilderment.
"Fool of a Took!" Gandalf cursed, turning to Pippin, who was lying still with his eyes open.
"What happened?" Aragorn asked me, as he and Legolas stood next to me.
"Pippin took the Palantir," I breathed, not averting my eyes from Pippin. Gandalf ran to the blond haired hobbit's side, shoving Merry out of the way. He held Pippin's hand, put his other hand on his forehead and closed his eyes. He muttered something I couldn't hear and moved his hand to Pippin's cheek. Pippin jumped, gasped and woke up.
"Look at me," Gandalf ordered him.
"Gandalf, forgive me!" Pippin exclaimed, closing his eyes again.
"Look at me! What did you see?"
"A tree," Pippin breathed, "there was a white tree in a courtyard of stone. It was dead. The city was burning."
