Elenna concentrated hard, but she could no longer feel Aman's presence in her mind. Both relieved and a sad, she turned back to the daughters of Keldin.
"I was most grieved to hear about your father. He was a great warrior and a very courageous person. We will sing songs of him on winters nights if we live through this, and die with his name on our hearts if we don't." Realizing how much of a speech this sounded, Elenna added "And at least we can take a few with us."
She was amazed by the force these two maidens had amassed from the Havens and Mirkwood. Thousands of elven warriors, mostly archers. Very few of them had horses, but that wouldn't be much of a handicap. For the first time in quite a while, she thought that this battle might be won after all. Therin the Dwarf came up behind her and affectionately patted her arm.
"Quite a force yer leading, lass." Elenna had given up telling him to call her by her given name. "So, we march soon?"
"We march in 2 days, if not sooner, my friend. Prepare yourself. It will be a long walk, or would you prefer to ride on Celebdae with me?"
"I will walk, lass. A commander cannot avoid a hardship that he makes his troops face. Remember that."
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If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell him is "God is crying." And if he asks why God is crying, another cute thing to tell him is "Probably because of something you did."
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