[Mithalwen]

Elfride

"Why should you be intruding?" Elfride had said puzzled but the attack had come too swiftly for any answer even if it had been heard. She had not expected this ...a confrontation perhaps when they came to the kidnapper's hideout but not not an ambush in broad daylight so soon into the journey. There had been some skirmishes with orcs when she had travelled with her father and his eored but such encounters had been one sided and Elfride had never felt in danger.

This was her first experience of an attack on men by men and she didn't care for it much . Nevertheless as a soldier's daughter she mastered her feeling and drew her sword, wheeling her horse around in a manoeuvre she had only practised with her brother as a child, but which the old warhorse had performed for real often.
The violence shocked her. As a child she had dreamt of great deads and as a teenager envied the role of the Lady Eowyn at Pelennor but since then Elfride had become a healer and a mother, helped to bring lives into the world and fought to prevent others leaving it too soon. She drew her sword but had no desire to use it and though the irony was not lost on her she was glad that she was surrounded by these brave, strong men whose vocation was other than hers. But the fire was something she could fight.

Hama

The general had never been on an expedition quite like this and was seriously wondering why he had got involved. Was anyone focused on the job in hand? If it wasn't enough to have two pairs of young lovebirds forming the majority of the party he had just caught young Leoflic looking at Elfride in a way he understood even if she was oblivious - or maybe she just had the sense not to notice.

He wondered if she felt it kinder not to notice an attraction if she could not reciprocate but as he thought back it was possible she had not noticed. He was sure she never realised how many sorrows had been drowned in the White Horse the night her betrothal had been announced. She had only had eyes for Theodmund, her brother's best friend, and had never noticed that other eyes had been on her since she had metamorphosed from a gawky girl into a graceful young woman. Not his eyes of course, he was married himself by then and she regarded him as an extra big brother.

Nevertheless he expected her to be more worldly wise now - with the experience of the years both sweet and bitter. They had left their mark on her, that was sure - the spririt had been tempered by grief but her smile was still beguiling... and of course she was rich by the standards of many - but to give the lad his due his regard did seem focused on the woman - "You aim high my boy..." he thought and then the assault came and he chided himself for letting his mind drift as badly as the lovers from the task in hand.

It took second for panic to set in such an undisciplined company and already an arow had been fired. They had reached northernmost end of the fateful woods. THe village of underharrow was a little further south on the eastern side of the Snowbourn. The attackers had come from the western slopes skirting the denser woodland and setting fire to the scrub around them.

"Hold hard" he shouted " this attack proves we are on the right track to follow them may lead us away from Sandrina and into peril". Even his voice, pitched for the battlefield was not clear above the screaming whinnies of the frightened young horses.

Elfride heard him and responded " They flee - the fire we must fight - whatever peril it holds it is also the livelihood of many" . The dry grass and shrubs burnt as swift as tinder and though her horse was ready to charge she had sheathed her sword and started to beat the flames with the cloak she had thrown off when the sun's increased warmth had rendered it unnecessary.