By wearing the Star of the Dúnedain to Wilderness Town, Abinas had never intended to conceal his identity completely. Few people in those days knew precisely what the silver brooch represented. Neither the Hobbits living in the Shire nor the humans living in Bree knew its meaning. In fact, the Dúnedain had been so secretive in their efforts to conceal their identities that they had instead aroused the locals' suspicions. Others always referred to them contemptuously as wanderers.
Apart from the Dúnedain themselves, only a handful of friendly groups and individuals understood the Star of the Dúnedain, such as the Elves living in Rivendell or a certain Gandalf the Grey who traveled throughout Middle-earth.
As Abinas saw it, if their host truly shared their Númenórean blood and had always taken a keen interest in the Dúnedain's plight, as Lord Elrond had said, then whether he openly identified himself at the outset made no difference. Besides, he was only scouting ahead. The person who would actually discuss matters with the king of Rhovanion was Aragorn's mother, Lady Gilraen.
Life was not particularly easy for the Dúnedain at present. Their previous chieftain had been dead for years, while the current one was still a young boy. As the former chieftain's widow, Lady Gilraen, who now lived in Rivendell, naturally had both the right and the duty to oversee her people.
After receiving the news from Lord Elrond, Gilraen had not made a rash decision. Instead, she had summoned the Dúnedain elders living throughout Eriador.
The distances involved meant that merely waiting for the elders scattered across the land to gather in Rivendell had taken a great deal of time. Abinas was one of them. Despite his middle-aged appearance, he was actually nearly a hundred years old.
During the meeting, Abinas, as one