He trudged through the deep snow. Worn boots caked in ice as he struggled to lift them with every step.

He had seen many winters come and go but this one had to be the worst.

He pulled his hood tighter around himself trying to shield his face from the cold, biting wind.

The lights of a small village shone in the distance. He sighed in relief as he neared his destination.

Warmth and food were the only things on his mind, that and the reason he was going to the village in the first place.

As he entered the village his eyes searched for the inn that his "friend" had told him to meet him at.

Finally catching sight of the inn he opened the door and entered, stamping his boots on the wooden floor in order to shake off the ice.

He kept his hood pulled up as he searched the many old tables for a familiar face.

Seeing him sitting at a lone table in a dark corner, he quietly made his way towards him.

"I was beginning to think that you would never arrive."
The old man asked while watching the weather-worn man take a seat in front of him.

"I had trouble finding this place in the storm."
The man removed his hood, revealing dark, shoulder length hair and stormy grey-blue eyes.

"Well all that matters is that you are here now."
"May I ask why I am here Gandalf?"

Gandalf glanced at the other men in the room, all worn out travelers who would pay no heed to their discussion.

"I have a favor to ask of you Estel. There is someone I have been trying to find for many years now, but he seems to have vanished."

"Who is he?"
Estel asked, his curiosity growing with every word Gandalf shared with him.

"He is an old friend of mine, although I doubt he thinks of me as one."
"Does he dislike you?"
"It's not that, he is merely cautious of whom he calls 'friend.'"

"How long has he been gone?"
Gandalf shook his head.
"I am not sure, I only heard about his disappearance two years ago. I have searched for him ever since but have found no trace of him."

"Who told you that he was gone? And why have you not told me his name?"

Gandalf cast another glance at the men sitting near them. Some of them had cast curious looks at them during their conversation and had turned away, uninterested.

But some did seem interested, maybe too interested.

"I wish to keep him protected from those who would do him harm."

Estel figured that other men were listening so he nodded in understanding and lowered his voice.

"Where was he last seen?"
Gandalf shook his head.
"Near the southern border of Rivendell, but that was many years ago."

Estel drummed his fingers on the table as he mused over Gandalf's words.

"Correct me if I am wrong, but you want me to find someone that you call 'friend' but does not think of you as one, who has been missing for over two years, and whose name I shall never know unless I find him and ask him myself."

Estel ceased drumming and locked eyes with Gandalf.
"Why me Gandalf? Of all the people you know and could have asked for assistance why me?"

"First of all, I have gone to others. I have asked the elves of Lorien to keep watch for him, the elves of Mirkwood, and the elves of Rivendell. I even spoke with Halbarad and the other Rangers before I came here, letting him know to inform me if any sign of him was found."

Estel stared at Gandalf with an expression of surprise and amusment.

"This man must be very important if you have requested the help of so many. Including my own kinsmen."

Now it was Gandalf's turn to be amused, but also cautious.

"The person I seek is not a man."
Estel furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"What do you mean?"

Gandalf lowered his voice and leaned closer, the men who had been trying to listen to their conversation had moved closer.

"He is an elf."
Gandalf whispered into Estel's ear.
The Ranger's eyes widened in disbelief.

The task Gandalf had asked him to do now seemed even more impossible.

"How do you expect me to find an elf?"
Estel whispered sharply.
"I have trouble finding Elrohir and Elladan when I am in Rivendell."

"If anyone can do it it's you. You may have trouble finding your brothers yet you always find them eventually."

Estel sighed and leaned back in his chair. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the shady men watching them.

"Finding him would mean a lot to me Estel."
Gandalf stood from his seat and placed his hat onto his head.
"I will do my best. You have aided me too many times for me to refuse to aid you in return."

Gandalf smiled and placed a hand on Estel's shoulder.
"Be careful, I fear that in his absence he might have made some enemies."

Gandalf moved away and cast burning glares at the men who had been trying to listen to them.
The men quickly turned away from the wizard as he left the inn. Meanwhile Estel had decided that he would not stay the night in that village.

He stood up from his chair and pulled his hood back over his head. Quickly, but not fast enough to draw attention to himself, Estel left the inn.

»»»»

Estel knew that he was being followed the moment he left the village.

He continued on as if he hadn't noticed the men trailing him, but at the same time searched for a way to lose the men.

Estel studied them out of the corner of his eye. There were at least ten of them, all of them were armed and undoubtedly dangerous.

"You there! Wait a moment, I want a word with you!"
Estel pretended that he hadn't heard the voice but he noticed that the men were starting to run towards him.

Had it been five men Estel would have run, but there were ten of them and they could catch up to him and surround him easily.

And defending himself from ten armed men was not something he could do.

He slowed his pace and allowed them to catch up, knowing that his best option would be to cooperate until he had a chance to get away.

The men surrounded him and Estel could see that all of them carried swords.

"Who are you and what do you want with me?"
Estel asked eyeing the man he assumed to be the leader.

"We are travelers, passing through this village on our way home to Bree."
The man that Estel thought to be in charge answered, confirming his assumption.

"What is it you wish to ask me?"
"What were you and that old man talking about in that inn?"
The man asked taking a step forward.

It was too dark to see the man clearly, but Estel could make out that he was indeed taller and stronger than he was.

"That is my business and no one else's. Now if you would please let me continue on my way I would be grateful."

Estel tried to step around the man but was blocked, just as he had expected.

"You're not going anywhere until I have some answers."
The other men closed in around him, hands on their weapons.

"I heard the old man mention an elf, I want to know where he is."
"What concern is it of yours? What is the elf to you?"

The man grinned slyly, although Estel couldn't see him do so.
"We don't get many elves this far south. Especially elves that travel alone."
"Your point?"

"Men down in Harad would pay a pretty price for an elf. And the only reason I am telling you this is because I will not be allowing you to leave."

So you're slave traders.

Estel was disgusted at the realization. He knew of men that traveled north to kidnap people from their homes and take them south to be sold as slaves in Harad.

What seemed odd to him though was how it seemed that these men, the leader in particular, had a personal vendetta against the elf in question.

"I'm going to ask you one more time."
The man pulled out his sword and placed it under Estel's chin.
"Where is the elf?"

"Even if I knew where he was I would not tell you."
"You don't know where he is?"
The man's voice rose in anger.
"No, I have never even seen him before."

The man scowled and refused to remove his sword.
"You're lying."
Estel narrowed his eyes.
"Believe what you like. But I am telling you the truth."

The man was ready to kill him, and Estel was ready to draw his own sword.

It slid out of its sheeth and with a sharp clang of steel against steel Estel forced the sword away from his neck and ducked out of the way of another sword.

The men swarmed around him, Estel could only hold them off for so long.

He slashed his sword across the chest of one of the men, and stabbed the leg of another.

That was only two men he had managed to wound, there were still eight tryinf to kill.

One of the men fell dead at as his feet, an arrow sticking out of his back.

Estel watched as the men fled in every direction, some falling dead from arrows.

The leader glared at Estel just before he disappeared into the trees.

"This isn't over!"
With that he ran into the trees, vanishing into the darkness.

Estel sheethed his sword and inspected one of the bodies.
He removed the arrow from the man's back and studied it.

If only it wasn't dark. I could actually see that arrow.

A hand grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around. A tall hooded figure glared at him, Estel could not see his captor's face under the hood.

The figure grabbed the arrow from Estel's hand. He shoved him onto the ground, hard.

Estel watched dumbfounded as the hooded figure retrieved the rest of his arrows, he did it quickly without a second glance of Estel.

Before Estel could get up and question the man he had finished gathering his arrows and had run into the forest.

Estel tried to follow but the moment he entered the forest he lost all sight of the strange man.

But Esel had the sneaking suspicion that his rescuer had not been a man, but an elf.

The very elf he had been asked to look for.