[Sophia the Thunder Mistress]

Morwyn sat, listening to the tale of Nahai's lost love. Her eyes glazed over, as her mind wandered to her own tale. The elf, Annalaliath, had joined the conversation breifly, but now seemed to be immersed in the conversation with the dark creature who sat in the corner sipping a steaming drink.

She looked up at Nahai, whose eyes were still glittering faintly, with tears.

"Your tale is terrible." she said softly, reaching across the table to touch the back of Nahai's hand with sympathy. "Shall I tell you of my own love?" her voice broke. "it was not too long ago... and I lost all." She sighed heavily, both dreading to speak of her dead, and longing for the release it would bring. It had been long since she shared stories with another.

Drawing a deep breath, and not waiting for Nahai's response, she began: "My father was called Anborn, a man of Rohan he bred horses for a living. My mother was of Gondor, the daughter of a captain in the guard, her name was Finduinan. Though the family lived in Rohan I spent much of my early life in Gondor with my mother, who was constantly homesick. My many journeys back and forth accustomed me to travel and hardship, and my father made sure I was well trained with the bow and the short sword for self defense.

When I was 14 Finduinan, my mother, died, but I continued to travel because I loved both the learning and lore of my mother’s people and the pride and independence of my father’s people. My travels stopped however, I met and married Alric Eorwine, one of my father’s friends." Morwyn paused, her eyes filled up with tears as she spoke. "Alric was an ambitious young man who, like my father, bred horses. His reputation was rapidly spreading because of the quality of the horses he bred, and soon we had all we could ask for.

Alric gave me a magnificent war horse on our first anniversary, I named him Leófa-- beloved in the tongue of Rohan, for he was a gift from my beloved. He is my greatest treasure.

My daughter was born when we had been married for two years. My Freya." Morwyn licked her lips, tasting the tears that were already trickling down her face. "Shortly after Freya was born, word came to me that Alric had been thrown. He was training a young stallion at the time, one that proved difficult to manage. He always loved challenges, it was the cause of his success. Would that he had bred ordinary horses and lived!" she sighed, "but he did not, and his bravery was what I loved in him. I ran to him in the field that day, but he was dying. He died in my arms."

Morwyn bent her head in an attempt to hide her tears, but she knew Nahai had seen them. She had to tell the rest, Nahai had trusted her, it was due. She dashed the tears from her eyes and tried to collect her thoughts before she continued.