[piosenniel]

It was a wonderful spread of food. Pio and Bird piled their plates high and set to with a great gusto.

The skinchanger had been in a strange mood for many days now, and Pio could not puzzle out the why of it. Many questions were asked of Bird about what the place was like where she and the elf had gone, but she turned them aside with curt answers. Discouraged, the questioners turned to Pio.

Unfortunately her answers were not as colorful and exciting as the youngsters exected. Walking on a coastline strewn with ordinary rocks and growing ordinary trees, and worse yet speaking with an elf who looked much like Pio and had only one head and no fangs, halos, or wings - well, that was not much of an adventure at all by their standards!

Daisy turned the questions back to the tale Pio had been telling them last night of her life. 'Ma'am, just what did you do after you escaped with the other elves from that city?'

'Were you scared?' asked Rose.

'Yes, I was very frightened. The armies of Morgoth were terrible to see and terrible in their actions. My child's imagination ran wild thinking of the horrors that might happen if they caught us. But Idril kept me close, and I was cheered up by the company of her little boy. He was only a few years older than myself,but so brave. He told me he would protect me, and I believed him with my childish innocence. The older elves were preoccupied with getting us to safety and finding us food and shelter, so much so that they never seemed to have time for childish questions and pursuits. He was my dear, sweet friend, and a small beacon of light in that long dark way.'

'Did you have to go far to get away?'Where did you live? With Idril and Tuor and their son?' said Child leaning forward.

'We journeyed for about a year, until we came to the mouths of the Sirion at the Bay of Balar. Over half our little band was lost. Morgoth's evil infested much of the lands we passed through, and many times we fought off marauding orcs to make our way to safety. It was a grim year, but Tuor and another of Gondolin, Voronwë, brought us at last to safer lands.'

'So, you did stay with Idril's family, then.'

'No, I was fostered out to a Falathrim family, in Brithombar. Idril believed it best that I go there. She thought it safer there for me, as it was so far from Morgoth's forces in Angband. And in truth, I loved it there! It was a large family, and they taught me all their sea-craft and sea-lore. I had many new brothers and sisters and cousins and aunts and uncles of all kinds! It was a wonderful place for a child to be, yet still I wished often that my mother could be there to share it.'

'How about your friend, Idril's son. Did you ever see him again?' asked Rose.

'I saw him as often as Idril could find time to come to see me. We remained fast friends, but the visits grew less often over the years as Morgoth increased his power and his evil Shadow spread further into the land. I do remember his last visit. He had grown into quite a handsome young man. When he smiled the light played about his eyes, and he was tall and strong and wonderful to look upon. My cousins all turned into mush-brained tweenagers when they saw him, and were quite crushed when I told them they had no hope of ever marrying him. He had come to tell me he was going to marry Elwing, my father's younger sister.'

'O! Elwing!' said Rose, her face lighting up. 'She's the one whose little practice sword you gave to me!'

'But you never told us your friend's name.' brought up Daisy. 'Who was he?', pleaded Rose.

Bird looked up at this question, fixing both of the young hobbits with a disbelieving stare. 'Did you two learn nothing during school, other than to ask irritating questions and pay no mind to the answers! It was Eärendil she meant, you great ninnies!' She shoved herself roughly away from the table and stomped up the steps. Rose and Daisy stared at each other and at Child and Pio with tears welling in their eyes.

'We didn't mean to make her mad!' they cried.

Child went round the table to comfort them, and Pio went up stairs, following her friend to the helm.

'What's the matter, Bird. What's happening to you?' Pio reached her hand out to touch her arm, but Bird pulled away and was silent.

[ July 30, 2002: Message edited by: piosenniel ]