DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Lord of the Rings or Ranger's Apprentice; all rights to J.R.R. Tolkien and John Flanagan!

Halt glared at the older ranger, his dark eyes burning with anger. Strider turned to face Halt, finally tearing his eyes away from the quickly disappearing horse and rider.

"What do you think you're doing?" Halt snapped.

"Saving your apprentice's life," Strider replied coolly.

"By sending him off with some strange woman who looks like she should be mending clothes instead of riding horses?" Halt's voice held an unusual heat that he hadn't gotten the chance to use since his childhood. He remembered using very much the same tone with Ferris—pure anger. But he knew that that wasn't all. Brooding deep down in his heart was a deep, dark hatred that begun to grow there ever since he laid eyes on this man. For some unknown reason, Halt knew he would be at odds with this man as long as the two Araluens were here.

"She is not just some woman," Strider said acidly, his voice deadly quiet. "I trust her with my life, and I suggest you do the same if your apprentice is going to live."

Halt narrowed his eyes.

Strider didn't blink.

Finally, the two broke their staring competition and seemed to remember the hobbits.

"What about them?" Halt asked.

"They come with us." It seemed like Strider had completely forgotten about their argument. He laid a hand on the hilt of his sword and stepped forward, motioning for the halflings to follow him.

Halt watched Strider angrily for a few seconds before trudging after him. You bring Will back to me alive, he thought, and I might just change my mind about hating you.

~*~

Arwen's heart was pounding. Her job: to take this young man back to Imladris and stay well ahead of the Nazgul behind her, all the while making sure to get there before Will turned into a wraith. Her thoughts on this job: well, let's just say she wasn't very optimistic about it. The only thing that kept her going was her compassion for the apprentice in front of her and the rush of adrenaline flooding through her veins, screaming at her to stay alive.

Asfaloth's hooves pounded underneath her, echoed by six other sets behind her. She felt a sudden presence beside her and ducked, pulling the young man in front of her down with her. A wicked-looking blade swept through the air above her and severed a few strands of hair from her head. The Nazgul shrieked angrily. Lord Glorfindel's horse charged through the woods, leaping a fallen log and landing in a hammering gallop on the other side. Arwen spoke a few words of elvish to the beast, encouraging it to run faster.

Imladris was within sight. All she had to do was get across the Bruínen and they would be safe.

Asfaloth splashed into the water and crossed to the opposite shore. The Nazgul screeched in outrage, but didn't enter the water.

"Give up the halfling," one of them snarled.

"If you want him, come and claim him," Arwen said menacingly. She held her sword aloft, hoping the undead monsters wouldn't decide to attack.

Asfaloth shifted nervously. Will stirred, lifting his head up to see the Nazgul. He really wished he had his bow with him right now, then he would be able to protect himself and the kind lady helping him. He thought of it lying all alone on Weathertop and the absence of its weight on his back made him feel lonely. He remembered what Halt had told him, and suddenly he knew what he had to do.

Though Arwen was holding him tight, he quickly shirked himself out of her grasp and slipped from the horse. She called his name and grabbed for him frantically, but her voice sounded far away. The pain in his shoulder was constant, dulling the world and turning everything to grey. He had to stay awake. Death was not an option right now.

He thought of his home. Of Redmont. He thought of the brilliant red castle in the sunset and Lady Pauline and Alyss. He thought of his best friend Horace. He could almost feel Tug headbutting him with his nose, hear Jenny giggling at a joke.

He took a slow step forward. The Nazgul watched in anticipation and…was that curiosity?

He felt around for his pocket, then reached inside. He glanced down at the object that Halt had slipped him just before Arwen had spirited him away. Was this too dangerous? Would it even work?

He was ankle deep in the water now, walking slowly towards the Nazgul. It felt like his very soul was being pulled towards them, and he wanted to run, but he restrained himself. He couldn't give in. Not yet.

He heard Arwen coming after him, but snapped at her to stay back. His voice sounded alien—like it wasn't his own.

He didn't know why the Nazgul were after him when he didn't even have the Ring. Maybe it was because he was turning into one of them. Slowly, slowly fading.

He stumbled over a rock, and pain shot through his arm. He ignored it and kept going, now halfway through the river. The water was hardly deep, like someone had cast a spell on it to make it slow for him.

He held the shiny gold band in his palm, wondering what Halt would be doing with a wedding ring. It didn't matter, anyway. The original plan had been to throw the fake ring in the water, hope the Nazgul were momentarily distracted, and get away. Unfortunately, Will couldn't seem to control himself anymore.

He felt his eyelids droop closed, and the ring fell from his fingertips. It splashed into the river, and all was silent. The Nazgul didn't seem terribly concerned that the ring had just fallen into the water. They didn't even acknowledge it. That's when Will knew his mentor's plan had failed. The Nazgul hadn't fallen for it, and he wasn't sure why. It looked enough like the One Ring.

Then it hit him. Of course. The Nazgul were drawn to the One Ring. They would be able to tell the difference if he had a fake one.

But it was too late. Will's eyes rolled up in his head and he crashed backwards into the water.

I am so ashamed, guys. I have no excuse except I was suffering from SEVERE writer's block for this story. I honestly had no idea what Halt's grand idea had been, so it turned out his grand idea wasn't so grand after all. Yeah…this chapter sucked. Sorry guys. I should be updating a little faster now that I'm a bit unstuck.

Arrow :D