[Lyra Greenleaf]

With shock, Telpeheled realised that the man was lowering his sword.
"I will not fight elf. You would kill an unarmed man?"
Relief washed over Telpeheled, though he knew he should not feel that way.
I could not fight him now, could I? If it is what a fighter must do then I am no fighter!
He lowered his sword.

"Just leave, now!" he said, with a feeling that he was doing the wrong thing, betraying his mission. The sooner this man left, the sooner that feeling would go away!

A look of gratitude spread over the face of the Easterling. Suddenly Telpeheled had a vision of the life these Easterlings must lead, so similar to that of an Elf.

"I wi..." an arrow came, from nowhere, and hit the Easterling right in the chest.
"Obviously that was untrue" he stuttered faintly.
"No!" said Telpeheled desperately. "No! It was not me. No!"
But the man had gone- his spirit had left his body to go to, who knows where. A sadness of shocking magnitude filled Telpeheled.
Who did he leave behind? What life has he left?

With a touch he closed the eyelids of the Easterling, according him the respect that had been given Durelin, though he had not known him. Maybe this man had been evil, or maybe he had not.
If my Lord told me I was to kidnap someone for the good of our land and our people- would I not do it? We may not have been so different in the end.

Anger coursed through his veins. He stood up and walked purposefully down the hill, coming to a halt in front of the group of Elves and Men. And a woman! he thought with mild surprise.

"Who was it who shot an unarmed man?" he demanded, forgetting in his rage that the man had been his enemy.
"Come, tell me!"

[ March 09, 2003: Message edited by: Lyra Greenleaf ]