Ranger's Luck.

The morning in Rivendell was pleasant and Lord Elrond peacefully strolled through his house out towards the courtyard where he'd visit the new guest that had travelled many miles. He decided to make his way slowly for, if truth must be told, he was weary about the coming of the guest. His footfalls were silent as his long raven hair flew out behind him in his graceful strides. Calmly he stepped out of his large house and into the open, his iron grey eyes looking, searching but he did not see the visitor until the last second.

There the guest stood with slump shoulders with an unknown power that made Elrond's eyes water surrounded the small five foot body. Long curly raven hair that reminded him of Arwen's pooled over her shoulders and down her back out of sight while pale skin clashed with the colour of her hair. The most striking feature from the 20 year old looking woman that was tightly clad in black was her emotionless dead onyx eyes.

"It is good to see you again my friend" Elrond slowly said to the woman as she stepped closer to him with a slight limp that made him crunch his eyebrows together in concern.

"Worry not Lord Elrond, I was merely attacked by a group of orcs, nothing to fret about" the woman said in a tone that suggested that it happened to her all the time. Both the woman and Elrond were silent for several seconds, analysing one another until the woman spoke again.

"I have seen what approaches and the number is large, do you have enough to defend Rivendell?" the woman asked but Elrond sourly shook his head, his iron eyes falling to the ground.

"Nay, we are only 200 strong, all the others have left across the sea" he softly spoke before raising his eyes to the woman who stiffly stood in place.

"The number of orcs that approach are roughly 300, they are dressed for battle and can endure sunlight, if they continue their pace they shall reach here in a matter of three weeks" the woman strictly told Elrond making his heart skip several beats in fear.

"There is no time to ask for help" the woman noted making Elrond nod his head in agreement before glancing at the right.

"Come, let us hold a meeting with the army" he invited before turning. The woman, still in a sour mood, followed Elrond, her boots squelching releasing drops of water.

They both reached the great hall and Elrond forcefully opened the doors before striding in, the Captain and his army that proudly stood in the centre of the room bowed in respect to the Lord as he took a seat on the nearby throne. The woman, however, quietly strode into the room and skilfully darted through the shadows underneath the windows, none except Elrond knowing of her presence.

"Please, take a seat" Elrond requested and the Captain and his army sat in seats along the long table to discuss the matters at hand. The woman stood in the shadows until Elrond beckoned her over to sit to his left. All eyes focused onto her when she emerged from the shadows, some eyes were filled with fear, and some eyes were filled with joy but only one set of eyes were filled with question and curiosity. The woman respectfully took her seat at the left of Elrond, flexing out her arm which loudly clicked in protest.

"We are gathered here to speak of the threat that travels to Rivendell…" Elrond loudly said, his powerful voice bouncing around the room making a victorious smirk fall upon his lips before he sneakily covered it with a frown.

"What does a fair lady have to do with this?" one fearful elven soldier questioned from the far right as he gazed upon the woman who didn't even acknowledge him until another soldier flared up and stood.

"Do you not know who this fair lady is?" he shot at the first soldier who flinched in surprise. The woman stirred and raised a hand to the standing soldier.

"Please, take your seat my friend. One so young would not remember me…" the woman softly spoke, her onyx eyes showing a touch of life as they gave the blushing elf a soft look that shocked the one who looked at her in curiosity and question. Silence lingered in the hall as the elf took his seat again, his eyes downcast in embarrassment but deep within his heart he was proud for his actions.

The woman raised her eyes to take in the soldiers and the Captain in little interest until her eyes fell upon a figure that stood out against the soldiers and Captain. He too was tightly clad in dark clothing, a black hood handing over his head hiding away features that many would spend hours trying to discover but the woman could easily see beneath his hood. The man, who was gazing back at the woman, held tanned skin, a very soft bronze colour that brought life to the room as he sat next to pale-skinned elves. Dark coloured stubble surrounded soft but firm lips that easily matched his dark wavy hair. The most dominant feature to the man was his striking grey blue eyes that were so filled with life that it almost made the woman flinch back in surprise; curiosity and question were lingering in his eyes but also there was something else in the depths of his eyes, something that the woman was almost afraid to discover. The woman turned away from him and gazed at Elrond who was giddily watching the exchange before recovering himself.

"This…" he started, gracefully waving his hand towards the woman, "…this is Lady Grace but she is more commonly known to us as 'Lady of Shadows'…" The whole hall was in silence, the fearful looks from before turning into disbelief and joy but still the man with the silvery blue eyes held curiosity in them yet there was no questioning to be seen. Lord Elrond sent the Captain a look, allowing speech, and the Captain nodded his head in respect.

"Lady Grace has been spying on the advancing army that Sauron has sent towards us and has sent us news. Tell us, Lady Grace, what is there to be told…?" the Captain told his army before turning the question towards Grace who acceptingly told the Captain and the Army basically what she had told Lord Elrond but in a lot more depth. Hours had flown by as the meeting had finally come to an end, a well organised strategy formed along with a few others if that one fails.

"That is all" Elrond dismissed when standing up before he, himself, exited the room into the light of the afternoon sun.

"So the legend is true, you really do exist" a silky soft humble voice spoke making Grace stop in her step and politely turn around to gaze at the man who had caught her gaze many times turning the whole meeting.

"I am Strider" he introduced himself while holding his hand out in greeting. Grace merely nodded to the man but gave him her hand as he softly kissed her soft uncovered hand.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Strider, or dare I call you Lord Aragorn?" Grace spoke to the man who lifted his beautiful silvery blue eyes in surprise.

"You know of me?" Aragorn questioned, his surprise undisguised as Grace pulled her hand away from his touch, the tingling sensation never leaving her skin.

"Aye, many years ago I spotted you up north and when I spoke to Arwen of you she told me a little about you. She did not tell me your true name, it was merely a guess that was confirmed correct by your reaction" Grace noted with a small timid smile awkwardly forming onto her lips, the reaction making Aragorn wonder if the woman had ever smiled before. Grace, realising her mistake, straightened her face out before glancing down at her muddied damp boots making Aragorn frown.

"Would you like me to show you a room where you may refresh yourself?" Aragorn lightly asked and Grace gave him a thankful look that brought life back into her eyes for a few seconds. She nodded before following him towards Elrond's house.

"So what brings you here Lady Grace?" Aragorn questioned, wanting nothing more than to gain information from the mysterious woman he knew nothing about except stories and songs that described her heroic and brave fighting in large wars years ago.

"Lord Elrond is a close friend of mine and he saw a vision of an attack coming towards Rivendell. He spoke of this to me a year ago and needed a skilled and dedicated spy so I happily took the place and went searching for the large band of orcs, whom I only found several months ago... As the time passed I finally found something that confirmed that they were the group ordered to attack Rivendell so I travelled back here to inform Lord Elrond" Grace briefly told him as she wearily glanced up at him.

"Did you travel with a group?" Aragorn asked while glancing down at her. Grace shook her head.

"Nay, I travelled alone." At this Aragorn raised his eyebrow in surprise but deep down in his warming heart he felt fear, fear towards her. Aragorn, as they continued walking in silence, properly analysed the woman in great depth; he noticed the limp in her stride, he noticed several parts of her clothing was slashed, he noticed both dried and wet blood seeping into view in several places.

"Are you injured Lady Grace?" he lightly asked making Grace raise her chest higher and disguise her limp with gritted teeth.

"I am well Lord Aragorn, nothing I cannot handle" Grace replied but unfortunately the question had reminded her of the amount of pain she was actually in and her head dizzily throbbed making her stagger two strides before swiftly recovering herself with a frown that rivalled Aragorn's.

"It does not seem that way…" Aragorn softly commented with concern lingering in his heart. Grace couldn't help but glance up at Aragorn, a sheepish expression on her face from attempting to act all strong.

"Maybe not but I shall be fine" she told him in such a way that made Aragorn wonder if those words were directed to her instead of himself.

"Allow me to dress them when we reach your room" he requested making Grace part her lips to protest but the concern and worry that danced around in Aragorn's eyes made Grace seal her lips shut; Grace wanted nothing more than to see a smile upon Aragorn's lips… and this worried her.

They both reached Grace's new bedroom, a beautiful designed elven room, and Aragorn quietly sat in the corner while Grace limped into the washroom to clean herself up and make herself some sort of acceptable. After a ten minute wait Aragorn watched with a sudden interest as Grace hobbled back into the bedroom with a sour look. Most of her dark clothing had been removed and only a black shirt and black leggings that had hurriedly been cut, with a dagger Aragorn assumed, into rugged shorts, displaying her long slim legs which were covered in open gashes. Aragorn stood, gesturing her to take the seat that he sat upon moments ago and she sourly accepted it, her features softening slightly as Aragorn moved around the room to grab much needed equipment to clean Grace's wounds. Aragorn gave her a soft smile before crouching down to examine the wounds, a large dark shadow covering his features.

"How many attacked you?" he questioned as he placed the soft cloth into the bowl and pulled it back out, wringing out the excess water with added herbs, carefully wiping away the falling blood and splotches of mud from her wounds.

"I do not remember, 50 or 80 I believe" Grace told him with a wince as Aragorn added pressure upon an open gash. Aragorn froze for a second before recovering himself and continuing to clean her wounds.

"You must be a legendary fighter then" Aragorn told her making a sacred blush fall upon her glossy pale cheeks unnoticed by Aragorn. She had been told this many times however when Aragorn told her this she couldn't help but blush at the comment. They both fell into silence again, a hiss or two entering the silence as Aragorn pushed his damp cloth deeper into her wounds to remove dirt.

"Are you injured anywhere else?" he asked, breaking the silence, but Grace simply sighed at him.

"Aye but I have already cleaned them, worry not Lord Aragorn" she said with another awkward smile on her lips, Aragorn spotting it when glancing up at her, but instead of the smile staying it died off in a matter of seconds. Aragorn was greatly confused by this but instead of bluntly asking her he quietly thought of a way to tackle the question at hand.

"Why do you not travel in a group? Surely you knew that there was a large risk of being attacked in the wild" Aragorn asked her in an innocent tone making Grace glance down at him in suspicion but simply shrugged it off before gazing at the wall ahead.

"If a large group went with me then we would be easily spotted and we could have ended up in a much more serious situation" she told him in a soft tone before glancing down at him but the way she had told him Aragorn couldn't help but feel there was more behind it. Aragorn raised an eyebrow at her, hoping she'd continue.

"Anyway when one walks alone all one has to worry about is oneself…" she trailed off with distance eyes before bravely gazing deep into Aragorn's eyes with a sad expression on her face making Aragorn's heart lurch in sadness.

"A few years ago I was leading a small army of ten; we were camping one night to recover from our attack on a small party of wild-men. As the morning approached I sensed something was wrong so I woke the six sleeping troops and order them to keep together while I searched for the other four who were on patrol. I quietly went searching for them and discovered them all together several feet away from the campsite, all killed and lifeless. I realised at once it was a surprised attack from the wild-men so I quickly ran but to camp but it was too late, all my men were slaughtered… The attackers nearly got me as well but I survived for some reason… It should have been me killed, not my men" Grace sourly said in bitter hatred making Aragorn stiffly look at her.

"It was not your fault" he whispered, placing a hand onto her very own, his warm hands sending heat into Grace's frozen ones.

"It feels as if it was… After that day I have always travelled alone and trained harder to avenge their deaths, which I did two years ago before going into spying for Lord Elrond" Grace told him, intently gazing into his eyes still. Aragorn finally noticed life come back into her onyx eyes, which almost seemed a dark blue, and Aragorn believed that the barriers that she lived behind were slowly breaking down.

Two weeks had passed and Aragorn and Grace had spent their entire spare time with each other; speaking, riding, training and planning for the coming battle. It was obvious to Lord Elrond, whom was watching them from a distance, that a strong bond had erupted between them both meaning that his daughter Arwen was saved from sharing a life with Aragorn. Thankfully Arwen had spotted this as well and instead of fighting for him, she encouraged them to spend time together and to build their bond.

"Aragorn…" Grace addressed him as they both sat together near the river that bordered Rivendell. Aragorn gazed at Grace with a smile across his features. It was strange how she made him feel over the past two weeks; ever since she had opened up to him his heart quickened at the thought of her, his eyes softened as she spoke and a smile always appeared on his face when they spent time together.

"I am afraid of the coming battle…" she expressed, her eyes glazing over as she gazed into the distance, her brows pulled together in thought and worry. After the two weeks Grace had done something she hadn't done for many years.

"Why do you fear it? You are the greatest fighter known" Aragorn asked her as he looked at her in confusion. Grace, who sighed softly, looked back at him, parting her lips to speak but not a sound left them until she shook her head and looked back into the distance.

"It sounds foolish" she softly said but Aragorn shook his head making her sigh before speaking again.

"For many years I have tried not to get close to anyone because I am afraid of losing them like I lost my own army… and now… now when I find someone so different, so special, I... well, I do not know what to do. Do I pull away and feel nothing or do I pull closer and feel everything?" she whispered, her eyes tearing up for the first time in so many years. Aragorn tightly gripped onto her hand, finally understanding why she had been a little shifty during the two weeks. Aragorn was unsure what to say, he could not council her one way or another but his heart leapt for joy at the thought of her loving him but his heart almost fell into pieces at the thought of her pulling away. He kept silence, secretly praying to the Valar that they would give him some words he could say but none came to him, all he could do was squeeze her hand in comfort, the sensation sending shivers down his spine.

"Many years I have spent alone and those years have been my worse…" she told him.

"What about the other years when you were not a lone?" Aragorn asked her without a second thought.

"Those were my best" she replied without hesitation, turning to look at him in the eye, the emotion deep within her eyes made Aragorn show his very own emotions to her without a word. Time slowed down as both Aragorn and Grace edged nearer to one another, their breaths rugged and something strange lingering in the air. Only millimetres away Grace paused in hesitation but Aragorn ignored in, placing a soft unsure kiss on her lips. When pulling away emotions flooded the atmosphere making a smug looking Elrond, who hid in the bushes metres away, turning around and scatter off into his study with a huge smile covering half of his face.

The final week had passed and the Captain, along with his army, proudly stood on the walls of Rivendell, watching the orc army approaching with their sharp elven eyes. Grace stood in the shadows, her bow tightly in her grip and her trusted sword in the sheath attached to her belt. A light hand touched her very own that sat on her bow, making her eyes dart to the left, a fresh new smile falling onto her glowing features.

"Are you ready?" Grace asked the owner of the hand, a smile appearing on the owners face that matched her very own.

"Always my love" Aragorn softly replied, placing a small peck on her cheek before preparing himself for the battle.

"Keep safe" he told her that made a few elven soldiers glance in their direction with unknown smiles on their faces.

"I always do" she replied before nudging him.

"It should be me telling you that" she added making Aragorn childishly huff, his eyes sparkling.

"Then I should tell you that I also always do keep safe" he softly said with a childish grin on his face making her roll her eyes.

"Then what a pair we make."

The residents at Rivendell were victorious and both Aragorn and Grace survived the battle; they both travelled in the North together until the coming of the One Ring when both Aragorn and Grace joined the Fellowship of the Ring, fighting alongside each other until the very end when Aragorn became King and Grace became Queen.