Rescue

Estarfin reached out to carefully touch the fabric of my dress. “It is beautiful,” he said. He smiled brightly, softly, almost as if he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing. 

Estarfin kicked some loose soil into the dying embers of the fire to smother it. Time to move on. 

Yaelithe in Linhir was possibly her only hope. But it was a distance away, and Khahaynd was injured in body and even more so in spirit. She was not sure she would make it. She had fled the Elves, not because of their weapons, but because of their love. Strange, unknown, unwanted emotions had been evoked in her. She had no time for them.

  It was a regular day at the Prancing Pony. Guri and I had just come back from a small outing, taking care of some brigands who were hiding in the Chetwood. We had the good luck of walking in during Sansa’s shift, and she was quick to seat us and take our order. While we waited, we turned around to listen to a minstrel’s playing.

We rode with them Elves as far as the North Downs. Them took a turnin’ ter what they said was an Elven Haven. A place where the Lady could get a horse and some more suitable clothes. Not that I thought she or Lord Estarfin minded riding together, but the poor horse likely had a long journey ahead, an’ would do better with just one rider. Norlomë was her name. I liked her, even though she be very tall. Henepa liked her too. 

“I can tell ‘em about it, if yer like Lady?” Gaisarix moved closer to me. He was still quite shaky on his legs, and his hair and clothing seemed a touch singed, but he didn’t seem as weak as I was. He had had a rough time as a captive himself, and from watching how others, particularly Henepa, had been treated. But he was of sturdy stock, and wanted to help if he could. 

The formation held in the depths. Goblins threw themselves at the Company’s rescue party. The commander had impaled and cut down many of the vanguard goblin warriors, and his fellows had done much the same. Between the dwarven screaming of Kildwin and the exasperated war cries of Furley, the commander struggled to keep order with the rest of his troops. The less experienced warriors stood shoulder to shoulder with the trained veterans and had taken quickly to Kildwin’s formation training.