[littlemanpoet]

Falowik left the Common room and came around the side hard by the stables, to return to Uien and see how her carving fared. He stopped short, for she was crawling on all fours along the grass; maybe she was looking for something. But no, her hair was draggling around her hands in the grass, as if she was crawling in her sleep! Which made no sense. He went up to her.

"Uien, what is wrong?"

He grasped her shoulders and started to lift her. She cried out in fear, struggling against his hold. Her eyes were shut tight and tears stained her cheeks. Something was very wrong.

"Uien! It's Falowik! Look at me!"

"Get out! Out! Out!" she cried in a harsh tone of dimissal, shaking her head, tears streaming, shaking her head.

What have I done? Or is she reliving something evil? Perhaps someone else has caused this?

"Who has done this to you?" His voice was harsh.

"Falowik, get out!" So she did not want him near. His grip stalled on her shoulders, and he let go. Maybe she needed to be let alone.

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No, Laurëatan! Please get out!"

So confusing! No, don't leave. Yes, get out. Get out of what? Did she not want him in her memory? Did she not want him near her? Where were her carving and knife? They were not near her. Finding this a ready excuse to put some distance between himself and Uien as he had found her, he went looking, and found both knife and carving where she had been sitting for the last few hours. He picked up the carving and studied it. It was Uien holding the hand of a little Elf-child, who stood between her and an Elven man. It was obvious what this meant. She had discovered that she desired an Elven husband and child: not him. What else could she mean by "get out"? Get out of my life, that was what she meant. And now she was having such a strong reaction to what she had discovered, that it meant she must despise these last months with Falowik, finally having broken through the illusion that he was her heart's love. His legs became weak. He resisted the temptation to let go and fall to the ground.

He went back to her. "Get out! out! out!" she was still saying as if speaking the words of a spell. His heart went cold and the knife and carving fell from his hands, landing near her. He began to walk away. He felt for the necklace she had made for him, the one that would warm near his heart when she thought of him, and he grabbed it. He would rip it off his neck and cast it beside the knife and carving. But his hands loosened. Maybe he would keep it in memory. Maybe she would think of him, and maybe it would be a warm memory. If it was, he might return. If he could tell from the way the gem burned that she despised him, he would cast it away. It would mean that though she was his lodestone, she rejected him and his life was as dust to him and anyone else. One last stab of dismissal might be worth the chance that she would welcome him back. He took his hand away from the necklace, and walked away from the Green Dragon Inn, headed for the north wilds between the Shire and Annuminas.