[Orual]

Walking back to the company was an odd experience.

His heart felt light at the decision, but it still felt like he had iron chains around his feet, and he made much more noise walking than he usually did. It was very little like a Ranger, but he did not care. He dragged his feet and he made a lot of noise, and all of it meant that he kept on walking.

He heard a low, mournful neigh, and looked up sharply. He had been so deep in thought that he had not noticed the noise of an injured horse.

"Gond?" he said softly. Gond bobbed his head and turned around. He clearly meant for Ravion to follow him. The Ranger did so, stroking his horse's withers and whispering soft words to him.

As he broke through the foliage, his heart sank. Not only did he fail to see either Mellonin or Gwyllion, but he saw Erundil, his old tutor, injured much like Gond.

Without speaking to either Raefindan or Aeron, he walked to Erundil. "What happened?" he asked quietly. Erundil glanced at him, but said nothing. Perhaps he could not. Raefindan came up to Ravion and put a hand on his shoulder.

The tale that Ravion was told was not encouraging. Every word of it pierced him like a sword, and he bowed his head. It took him a moment before he could speak. "I never should have left," he said quietly.

"I was wondering when you would get around to noticing that -- or do you just like to repeat the obvious?" Ravion looked up at Aeron's sneer. "You should have realized that there was some wild swamp elf on the loose especially after you resuced Raefindan from him! But no. Your pride suffered a little jab and you had to leave. You couldn't stand being brought down a notch or two."

"Certainly not," Ravion said bitterly, but the bitterness was directed at himself, not at Aeron. He took a deep breath, sending sorrowful glances to Aeron and Gond. He dug into one of his horse's saddlebags and took out some herbs. He made from the herbs a quick poultice and put it against Erundil's wound. "All of this is of my making," he added.

"I should say so," Aeron snapped.

Ravion turned to him slowly, a look of deep sorrow and pain in his eyes. Aeron glared at him still. The younger Ranger went up to the boy, knelt on one knee, and, taking the boy's hand in his own, pressed it to his forehead. This was what he had been dreading. "Please," he said quietly, almost inaudibly, "I beg your forgiveness. I have done wrong: no, much, much more than that. I cannot even express it. Aeron, Raefindan, I put myself into your service. I do not know how I can regain your trust, or if I ever can. But I hope that I can be of some use to you. I see that all I have sown here was misery and pain: for you, for Mellonin, Gwyllion, Erundil, for myself." He stood. "I await your command."