Life of Gold RPG

[Cordelia Harrison]

Marieme sat upon her horse and peered into the pea soup fog. She depended upon her hearing too for when her eyesight failed, which it rarely did. Yet the fog was rather dense and she was relying more on her hearing at this moment then ever before.

As she looked she thought about what was occuring between her two friends. She hadn't seen either of them in so long, but she could see that they were still deeply in love. She marvelled at how life had taken them so far away from one another and yet their love still remained. She remembered that they both had been too stubborn to admit that they liked one another, but being the tag along that she had been in their youth she had seen it every day. She was glad that her observational skills had been correct even then.

[Crystal Heart]

As morning began to dawn the fog started to disappate until there was only a wisp that lingered above the ground. Arianna stretched and looked up at Glirdingo, who was still sleeping. She shook him gently.

"Glirdingo. Wake up sleepy elf. The fog has lifted," she whispered gently. She watched as he woke up. It had been far too long since she had seen the way he groggily pulled out of sleep.

[Glirdan]

Glirdingo was having a wonderful dream. One of him and Arianna living peacefully back home in Lorien with Marieme. It was then that he heard his name being called from afar.

"Glirdingo. Wake up sleepy elf. The fog has lifted." It was Arianna attempting to wake him up. He looked around groggily and noticed that no one else was up as of yet.

"You silly elf. We're the only two up!" He leaned forward and kissed her gently. After they broke apart, he held her close to him and whispered in her ear, "I love you Arianna. I will never leave you." He leaned forward and kissed her once more on her soft lips.

[Crystal Heart]

Arianna held him closer as he kissed her. She sighed as he pulled away and smiled up at him. She touched his ears gently, fingering his pointy elf ears delicately.

"And I love you, Glirdingo. And I will never leave you. Once this is over we can journey home and finally stop galavanting around this world and just live peacefully. It's all I have dreamt about for the longest time," she whispered. She pulled him in for another gently kiss. She rested her forehead against his.

"If this journey gets dangerous, dangerous as in . . . the possibilty of forever losing you arises don't stop me from protecting you. Promise me that," she whispered, her eyes examined his.

[Valesse]

As the elves nearby lost one another in their eyes, Valesseka was sleeping soundly in the grass decidedly further away from the couple than she had originally retired to. Dreaming peacefully until given a cue by a seeding sprout of wild rye swatted the Arnorian square in the nose, she gave a loud snort and sat up blinking.

"Whosat? Hmm?" She attempted to focus on the other up-right figures in the grass. "Is everyone still sleeping? We ought to be moving, right?" Slowly standing and brushing seeds off of her skirt Valesseka wobbled to Buinn and her pack mummbling inanely about being hungry.

[Cordelia Harrison]

Marieme opened her eyes and saw that Arianna and Glirdingo were having a very serious moment indeed. She knew her friends well enough that this meant that a promise was being made and so she turned away, pretending that she hadn't woken up and saw them.

"Shh human. Allow our leader and his love to have a least one unbroken moment before the horrors of this day arrive. Enjoy the last moments of peace we have," Marieme whispered, closing her eyes. She slowed her breathing and meditated upon the day that was before them.

[Glirdan]

"If this journey gets dangerous, dangerous as in . . . the possibilty of forever losing you arises don't stop me from protecting you. Promise me that," Arianna had asked him as the sun slowly rose behind her casting a beautiful shine to her dark hair. He looked her in the eyes and saw how serious her statement was.

"Arianna, I could never ask you to give your life for mine. I can't promise you to let you to protect me. Your the only one I love. If you were to die, I'd die of sorrow." He looked away from her penetrating stare, not wanting to show the pain he felt at the thought of loosing her.

There was a long pause and he finally looked back at her. She was still staring straight at him with those deep, grey eyes with that penetrating stare. "Arianna, I'm sorry, but I could never ask you to do that for me. If anything, it will be me to give my life for the one I love. I'm sorry, but I cannot ask that of you."

[Crystal Heart]

Arianna smiled and shook her head. She rested her hand upon his cheek.

"Oh Glirdingo you're not asking me that. I'm just asking you not to stop me. That's all. Perhaps we should be promising that no matter what is to happen we will still love one another instead of worrying about something that might not exactly happen," she whispered. She inched foreward slowly, stopping only mere inches away from his lips.

"I vow myself to you, Glirdingo. You have all of me," she whispered. Her hands reached behind her neck and she undid the clasp of her necklace. She took his hand and placed it in his before kissing him slowly.

[The Sixth Wizard]

In truth, Glirdingo the Elf had been wrong when he claimed 'they were the only two up'. Dárin the Dwarf had been up much of the night. When his watch was over, he had started to go to sleep, but found that he couldn't. He thought of gold, and lost dragon-hoards, war and magic. Dárin walked a long way from the camp in a train of his own thought, now looking at the ground, now at the dark star-studded sky. But a trail of feet had intrigued him. They led further away. Suddenly a dark shape had been in the distance. More of them. Men? Bandits?

A cold wind blew and he had felt suddenly alone, haunted. Dárin had turned, started to walk, then hobble quickly back to camp. Was that a howl? He broke into a run. And here Dárin was, a little past dawn, running back to camp. A rustle came from a grove nearby. Eyes?! Dárin drew his axe and fell into a crouch. But then the first ray of dawn spread across the horizon.

The camp! Finally! He entered and said to the travellers, "Men. Horses. Who would be out here alone? There were more of them than us, I don't know if they are armed. What should we do?"

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

Éomeléo mumbled in his sleep as his companions roused around him. He was dreaming of vampires and dread creatures.

He awoke to a a pleasant morn. Dew and a slight mist were around him, and he could tell that a brilliant sunshine would soon enter the arena of Middle-earth. What a life! he thought. It made all the camping out in the rain over the past few years worthwhile.

As soon as he became properly conscious, he was aware of Dárin hurriedly telling of strangers in the vicinity. Éomeléo gazed about him sleepily. There was no immediate threat so he refused to expend energy in getting up off the ground. Instead, he listened intently to what Dárin and the Elves had to say, while looking at Valesseka.

He knew there would likely be trouble on this journey. He sometimes worried that not all the companions would make it back alive, but right now he was quite untroubled. He was more curious to meet the men than he was afraid of them. Maybe they would join forces with them and offer protection on the road?

Hopefully they had not heard of the Treasure. That could make things difficult.

[Crystal Heart]

Arianna sat up, and looked over at the men on their horses. Who could they be? Yet oddly she was not afraid of these men. She watched as they gave a nod to them and headed onwards. She relaxed against Glirdingo.

"They are merely travellers like us. Pay them no heed," Arianna replied as she watched them disappear over the hill. She could already tell that it would be a long day.

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

Éomeléo snorted. "Travellers? Like us?" He had heard all about the wisdom of Elves but he was unsure that this Arianna was quite on the gold (so to speak). The 'like us' part was all too attractive to the festering paranoia. He could see that Dárin remained unconvinced as well.

"Perhaps one of us should trail behind as a scout?" Éomeléo suggested. "I wouldn't be surprised if they have sniffed us out so that we can act as their guides. Legend grows swiftly, especially where riches are concerned."

He didn't need an answer from his fellow adventurers. He was going to keep an eye on the band of strangers. He watched them walk southwards, over a hill and out of sight.

"Well? Let us make haste! We have a friend to save!"

[Glirdan]

Glirdingo stood up with Arianna to go and pack Léoflic for the journey ahead. He was just putting his last bag on when he looked into the distance and noticed something peculiar.

"Arianna! Marieme come here please!!" he cried suddenly. "It's quite urgent! Please!! NOW!!" He cried, panic rising in him, daring to hope that what he saw, wasn't what he thought it was.

[Crystal Heart]

Arianna jumped when Glirdingo called her name so sharply. She ran over to him. Her eyes were filled with fear and her heart raced. He hadn't said her name in that manner since that day he found. . . she hated the thought. It had been a horrid day for the three of them. Herself and Glirdingo had lost their childhood, and one another, that day.

"Glirdingo. What is it?" She asked him, her voice taut with concern. She rested her hand upon his forearm, fearing that he would be gone. She knew that that wasn't possible this time, now that he held her necklace around his neck, but she still feared it all the same.

[Cordelia Harrison]

Marieme ran over to Glirdingo and Arianna. His face was pale. She didn't like the look of his fear. She could see how tense it was making Arianna. They had always been like that, sharing emotions. Arianna's had always been more prominent to read. Never Glirdingo. He had been able to control it enough not to scare Arianna or herself. Yet, something had him spooked. That much was for certain.

"I'm here. What's wrong?" Marieme inquired, her eyes darted between Glirdingo and Arianna. She licked her lips and tucked a strand of her hair behind one of her pointy ears.

[Valesse]

Valesseka shook her head and keep her thoughts of the group which the others reported seeing in the distance. To her it wasn't important to try and squint out how many or what these other travellers might be, but it was important, however, to hasten her activities. placing the saddle blanket back ontop of Buinn as well as the rest of the tacting, Valesseka checked her fastenings and then moved on to check on the others' horses.

Just then the elven male gave a shout for his companions to come near. Somewhat frightened as to what it might be and curious as to why he didn't include the rest of the party, she resisted cranning her neck toward the three elves and clumsily climbed ontop of Buinn sighing "Another delay? Thingloomy will surely waste away before we arrive." With a tug she directed the stubborn gelding toward Darin and Eomerleo. "Whatever it is can't be grave enough to keep us from our mission."

[Glirdan]

Glirdingo's heart was racing as he gazed into the distance, waiting for Arianna and Marieme to join him. Glirdingo was never one to freeze in fear when the three of them were in danger when they were younger.

When Arianna and Marieme had joined him, he knew they were scared. He looked at them worriedly. "I'm sorry to scare you like this, but I need to know what you can see in the distance. Is it just me, or does it look like a group of horses with their riders?" He asked this as calmly as he possibly could, hoping against hope that it wasn't.

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

Éomeléo was startled by Glirdingo's obvious panic. He had never known the Elf to appear so before. Granted, he didn't know him too well, but he wondered what dread image could be flashing in his mind. He was looking toward the horizon.

Having not the sight of Elves, Éomeléo could only presume that some fell beast or mighty army was pursuing them. He often presumed the worst; all his fears of this band of adventurers being too low on numbers and strength came back to him.

He had foreseen battle, but the threat of its imminence was severely disconcerting. Éomeléo just stood there, fingering his sword, eyes flicking hither and thither.

[Crystal Heart]

Arianna looked where he pointed and her eyes widened. Riders. They weren't the friendly kind that had just left them and they were too far to be the riders that they just saw. Her hold upon his arm tightened.

"Glirdingo. . . what do you suppose. . . Oh I don't like this. Not one bit," she replied, looking up into his agitated eyes. She returned her gaze back to the riders.

[The Sixth Wizard]

"Ah! Let them come! No blade or shaft will fell me today! I feel it," cried Dárin harshly. "But still may we be overwhelmed with numbers. I suppose we must take to cover. Is there any on this landscape?" The fog had cleared. The plains were flat and had little or no trees. Rocks stuck up here and there but were probably not enough.

"Ride to meet them! The other alternative is to be rooted out before we can escape. Unless our horses are swifter, which I doubt, trained by the Horse-Lords though they be." His axe grew restless. Dárin wondered if he was counseling them to their deaths. But there was no real other alternative, at least in his eyes.

[Glirdan]

Glirdingo winced slightly in pain as Arianna's grip tightened upon his arm as she saw the riders approasching. So, it's just as I feared....Another group of outlaws.....question is, who are they working for? Are they independent? Or do they work for Thin-Gloomy's kidnappers?

"Glirdingo. . . what do you suppose. . . Oh I don't like this. Not one bit," Arianna said as she looked at him with fear. He looked at her and tried to smile, but failed. "Do not worry Arianna. Whatever happens, happens, and I will be here by your side ever step of the way."

It was then that he heard the Dwarf speaking. He must have overheard us, Glirdingo thought agitatedly.

"....Unless our horses are swifter, which I doubt, trained by the Horse-Lords though they be." he was finishing. Glirdingo turned to look at the Dwarf. "My dear Dwarf, even if our horses were swift enough, I am quite positive that they have now had sight of us," Glirdingo responded calmly, his logic overtaking his fear. "Even if we were to run, they would see us and follow us. I say we stay and wait."

He turned back to look at the group approaching swiftly over the plains. He held onto Arianna tightly and whispered, "Don't worry my love. I am here for you." as the group advanced closer and closer with each breath they took.

[Crystal Heart]

Arianna stood Glirdingo's arms. She was shaking slightly as she tried to recompose herself. Why couldn't they have remet one another on more happier, calmer terms. Why couldn't they have the days that she so longed for now, ones that weren't filled with danger nor adventure. As she looked up at her beloved, she realized that that kind of life would never be theirs. He was too honorable and he loved adventure. Danger went hand in hand with adventure. As much as it made her fear where their lives would head together, it made her love him all the more.

She reached up and touched the necklace that she had given him. Her own neck felt so very alone without it. Yet, she had been saving it for him. She had hoped that she would one day be able to give it to him. It looked so right on him. She feared that this would be the last moment that she would ever been in his arms and at the same time she knew that it wouldn't be.

"Glirdingo, I love you," she whispered as the men came closer. Her heart raced as she looked back over at the approaching figures.

[Cordelia Harrison]

Marieme saw the approaching men. She reached behind her and pulled out her sword. She stood in front of her two friends, ready to defend them.

"No matter what comes, I will fight to the death for both of you. You both will live even if it means I shall have to die," Marieme vowed. She watched them approach and she smiled over at the dwarf. If it was a fight that was coming then it was a fight that the men would get. They hadn't met the most fiestiest elf in all Middle Earth.

[Glirdan]

Glirdingo stared in amazement as Marieme drew her sword and stood in front of Arianna and himself. Never had he seen Marieme this fiesty. He always knew she was a fiesty, free willed and spirited individual, but never to the extent.

"No matter what comes, I will fight to the death for both of you. You both will live even if it means I shall have to die," Marieme vowed. Glirdingo looked at her and smiled while drawing his own sword which gleamed in the sun. "My have you changed since last we saw each, my old friend. However, there will be no need for you to give your life for me. If this is a fight to the death, I shall go with you every step of the way."

Glirdingo looked across the plains towards the advancing men. "Get ready my friends, for this may very well be a battle. But it may not be. We shall let them make the first move." He said this calmly while his heart beat quickly, the rush of excitment coming up on him.

He moved in front of Arianna to block any arrows should they shoot them. He looked quickly behind at her and whispered, "I love you too." He looked back across the plains as the men approached quickly, waiting on the inevitble.

[Crystal Heart]

Arianna grabbed her sword, getting her head finally into the game. Marieme had become more fiesty than she had once been. She chuckled. She was about to step beside her friend when Glirdingo stepped in front of her, protecting her. She smiled at his back.

"I love you too," Glirdingo replied, turning back to look at her for a moment. She stepped beside him, lighting touching his elbow as she did so.

"If we die, Marieme we die together," Arianna replied. She looked up at Glirdingo once more. "I would rather be by your side fighting for what we believe than to die without you," she lowered her voice. She was unsure that he heard her. It didn't matter at this moment.

The men on their horses were racing closer and Arianna was ready. She had acquired many battle skills during her years of travel. The men raced over to them, a few jumped down from their mounts to engage in hand to hand combat.

She jumped, pushing her sword through the first man that came at them. She pulled it out and turned to her next component. She saw a man across the field ready his bow. Arianna grabbed her bow and an arrow that lay in the carrier upon her back. She notched it with ease, aimed, and then let it sail through the air. It peirced the man in the throat and he toppled off his mount wordlessly.

[Cordelia Harrison]

Marieme laughed as she looked over at her friends. Yes, she had changed since she had last saw them. As had they and she would do anything to ensure that they had the life that they both so deserved.

"You haven't seen how fiesty I can be! And I don't give my life just for you, Glirdingo. I give my life to Arianna as well. You and Arianna deserve a chance to live out your lives together. I will do all in my power to see it happen," Marieme replied.

She turned to the men that were coming. Soon they were upon them and Marieme's instincts started in. She jumped up onto one of the mounts and pushed the man off. He tumbled, hitting his head upon a rock. He lay dead upon the ground. She reigned the horse in, spinning it around take on the others that were coming on mounts. She rode hard, her eyes narrowed. She swung her sword, cutting the soft flesh of the men around her. One by one they fell to the ground with sickening thuds that oddly enough no longer sicked Marieme.

[Crystal Heart]

Arianna's attention was diverted when she saw Marieme jump up onto one of the horses and swing her sword around dangerously. When had she learned that? A man came up and sliced at her, causing her to fall backwards. She screamed out, holding her abdomen. Painful tears sprung to her eyes as she lay wounded and helpless upon the ground. She removed her arm to see the blood that already was pouring through her white shirt.

She clenched her arm around her again, trying to stop the bleeding herself while her comrades were around her fighting. She prayed that the battle would end quickly. She was unsure of how long she could hold on herself.

[Glirdan]

It all happened so fast. Glirdingo was caught in combat with one man. He looked behind him and saw an arrow flying over his head at one of the men still seated. It struck him dead on. He screamed in agony as he toppled off his mount. Glirdingo smiled widely. That was Arianna no doubt, he thought for he saw his other friends locked in combat as well.

Marieme had just jumped up onto a man's horse (Where in Eru's name did she learn that move?) and slew him as they rode. He looked back at his opponent to finish his fight. He had gone.

Glirdingo looked around wildly, trying to find him. It was then that he heard a shrill scream from behind him. He spun around quickly and saw Arianna fall to the ground, blood pouring onto her shirt.

His blood rose with in him. He ran after the man and stabbed him through his left shoulder. He fell to the ground in pain, but not quite dead. "You stay here, or I WILL slay you. Understand?" Glirdingo hissed.

He ran back to Arianna, dropping his sword as he went. He fell to the ground once he reached her. Her eyes were closed. "Arianna?" he whispered, tears pouring forth from hiseyes. "Arianna? Answer me. Please answer me."

[The Sixth Wizard]

Dárin recovered quickly from the swift assault, but he was still quite shocked at the ferocity of the attack. What do the men of these lands do, ride around killing helpless strangers? he thought. The battle raged, but it was all Dárin could do to merely stay on his horse. He gave up, attempting to leap to the ground, but his aged legs buckled underneath him. Dárin tried to stand, but toppled over again.

Not Dárin of the Sigin-tarâg! No helpless stranger am I! Dárin righted himself just as a horse galloped past. The horse wheeled and charged straight at the Dwarf. Finally Dárin loosed the battle-cry every young dwarf knew, "Baruk Khazâd!
Khazâd ai-mênu! Stop fiend! Why are you here? Show some wisdom and speak, save us of the needless bloodshed! Or are you possessed, some wraith of Angmar?"

The rider ignored him and Dárin was forced to use the axe-haft to pole vault out of the way. He couldn't stand in time and was sure his time was up. May Mahal strike these orc-men down!

[Crystal Heart]

As the blood pulsed out of her the world around her began to spin and swim. She closed her eyes against the movement. Her breathing was shallow and she prayed that it wasn't a wound that was going to kill her. Never in her life had she wondered if she, as an elf, could die.

"Arianna?" A familiar voice whispered. "Arianna? Answer me. Please answer me." Sthe slowly opened her eyes, feeling more groggy now than she had a moment ago. As her eyes focused she could see that it was her Glirdingo. She gave him a very weak smile and her hand took his.

"Is . . . it bad?" She managed, fear pulsed through her veins. Glirdingo was crying and she hated to see the site. Perhaps she was worse off then she had thought. She tried to move, but pain sliced through all the way to her back. She cried out, clutching his hand harder.

"I. . . I love you. . . Glirdingo," she hissed. She wanted to say it now in case it would be the last time she would ever whisper those words to him again.

[Valesse]

Valesseka was panicked and trying her hardest to stay out of the middle of the fray. She was never 'trained' for battle and the hardest fighting she could recall was pulling weeds that had grown woody stocks back home. Clentching her 'stave' she kept her distance from the swarm and kept near her company's horses. Now more than every she was reconsidering her decision on joining the rescue of Thin-Gloomy.

She saw something moving around the other end of Buinn and whirlled around... sure enough, part of the battle had found her. With a squeak Valesseka retreated a few steps only to be matched and swung at with a crude ax. Dodging in a very ungraceful way, the Arnorian landed on her side, loosing her 'polearm' and retreated once more by crawling under Marime's horse. With the skirmish raging as it was Valesseka's chance of shucking off the bandit's attention was slim and fighting the man off appeared to be a growing delusion.

Clambering back to her feet the bandit once again appeared before her and took another swing which connected on Valesseka's upper arm. With a piteous cry, she cowered back toward the horse and crumpled. For all intensive purposes she was 'defeated'... until she could recall her bearing and make herself useful.

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

A blur of movement; shapes shifting and colours raging all around him. Éomeléo, when he needed it most, had the composure of mind to halt for a few seconds to survey the situation.

The Elves had charged the attackers. Who these men were the Gondorian had no inkling but what was clear was that much blood would be spilled out of this enmity. The elf Arianna had already slain two men and the others seemed filled with bloodlust. What reasoning was there to this horror? Éomeléo spied Dárin looking bewildered despite his solid Dwarven instincts – he was able to join the fight very quickly. But in the madness of battle, Valesseka had been lost. Eyes darting, he searched the field for her.

There she was, locked in combat with one of the attackers. Éomeléo decided that here was where he was needed most. He charged her assailant and with all his might smashed the sword from his hand. The foe fled, and his nearest companion, a small wiry man, retreated in the face of the angered Gondorian. Éomeléo was free now to check on Valesseka.

[Glirdan]

Glirdingo held Arianna closely, completely unaware to all that went on behind him. He only had one thought in mind and that was to tend to Arianna. He continued to watch her, praying that she wasn't dying.

Finally her eyes started to open and she gave him a very feeble smile. He smiled back, tears pouring forth and dropping like little rain drops onto Arianna's already bloodstained shirt and onto his own shirt.

"Is . . . it bad?" she finally whispered. He looked at her, to afraid to look away in case she passed on to Mandos Halls. He stared straight at her, tears continuing to pour forth.

Then she attempted to move and she cried out in pain. Glirdingo held her closer. "I. . . I love you. . . Glirdingo," she said quietly. He looked deep into her eyes and said "I love you too Arianna." He bent forward and kissed her gently.

They broke apart slowly. Glirdingo looked up and around and noticed that the battle had finally ended. Éomeléo was looking after Valesseka and Dárin and Marieme were chasing the rest of the gang away.

"Marieme! MARIEME!!" he called out to his friend urgently. He needed someone to help him with Arianna. He was never good with the healing of wounds. "Marieme!!" he called one last time before turning back to Arianna.

[Cordelia Harrison]

Marieme had never heard her name screamed in such a terrified and desperate way. She sheathed her sword and turned the horse around in slow circles, looking for Glirdingo. She saw him kneeling over Arianna. Marieme's eyes widened as she saw the blood that came from her torso.

She hurried the horse over, jumping off as soon as she was close enough. She gave Glirdingo's shoulder a squeeze and smiled bravely at Arianna. The blood was clearly clotting, that much was a good sign.

"It'll be okay. Just let me see here, Arianna," Marieme said, making sure that her voice was steady. She lifted the blood stained shirt up, making sure that she was still decent. She stopped herself from cringing. It was a deep wound, not deep enough to have cut any organs, but deep enough to lose enough blood.

She reached into the pouch at her hip and pulled out the salve that she had from a previous battle. She opened the bottle and poured the green salve upon the long cut. She applied it thickly. She then took her cloak and her sword and cut it into a long, very thin piece. She wrapped it around Arianna's torso and tied it securely, all the while ignorning the hisses of pain that escaped from Arianna's lips.

Marieme looked over at Glirdingo and gave him a nod. She pulled down Arianna's shirt, reached over and gave Arianna's hand a squeeze. "She'll live," Marieme said softly, thankful that she hadn't lost her friend.

[Crystal Heart]

As Marieme worked she couldn't help but hiss at the pain. She clenched Glirdingo's hand and closed her eyes. Arianna trusted Marieme and her skills. When Marieme was done she opened her eyes and gave her a weak smile.

"She'll live," Marieme said softly. Arianna looked up at Glirdingo, her heart swelled. She would live and they might just see their future hopes come true. Tears sprung to the edge of her eyes.

"Thank you," Arianna whispered, giving Marieme's hand a thankful squeeze. Her eyes looked at the man that Glirdingo had caught. She knew that Glirdingo would want to interrogate him and she couldn't ask him to stay with her when his friend was in danger. She reached up and touched Glirdingo's face. "Go . . . interrogate him. . . I'll . . .be fine," Arianna whispered tiredly.

[The Sixth Wizard]

Dárin slowly picked himself off the ground, groaning. Not for the first time he had silent doubts about this journey, and they seemed well founded now. He marched over to the rest of the battered band. Angrily he stared them down.

"You elves! I can't take it any more! No-one can! It is simply impossible to cope! Arianna almost died and she isn't even a mortal! No, we must go back. There are many miles to Tharbad still, are we to be harrassed by bandits and no-goods and wraiths?

"Face the facts! We are in over our heads here, and caught up in a plot too large for our livelihoods. We should go back to Rohan and ask the aid of the King, or abandon Thin-Gloomy, terrible a prospect though it is. Shall we forfeit our lives for one dwarf?!" Dárin rose nearly to a shout at the end.

Awaiting an answer, he turned and kicked a stone. He knew it was mad to forfeit Thin-Gloomy, and it went against his determined dwarf nature, but what use was it to go into unknown danger, where they were perhaps heavily outnumbered?

[Cordelia Harrison]

Marieme blinked at the dwarf's outburst. She looked around and saw the rest of the group. The only one that was really bad off was Arianna and she wasn't that bad off. She had just lost a lot of blood and was weak and the cut was over her torso, causing breath to be painful. She would survive.

"Have you no courage, man? Is it not the meaning of the life of a dwarf to fight for your comrades and family? Arianna will live. She lost blood, nothing more. You should be ashamed of what you proposed! Leaving a dwarf in need, that is waiting on us to rescue him! You can leave, but this is the nature of the beast. We will come across bandits and travellers and all the like. We shall fight and maybe one or many of us shall die. But isn't it better to die for a noble cause then to turn your back upon him and die from old age in your bed?!" Marieme argued back, her eyes were blazing.

[Glirdan]

Glirdingo arose and sighed in exhasperation at the screaming and yelling that commenced. He looked down at Arianna who had closed her eyes for some rest. Some rest she's going get with all this screaming going on. He continued to look at her, happy that she was going to live yet exhausted.

The yelling progressed to a roar behind him. He turned around in anger and yelled as loud as he could. "STOP!!!" Everyone looked at him in astonishment. He looked at the Dwarf with narrowed eyes. "I understand your frustration Darin. I too am frustrated. However, if we want to save Thin-Gloomy, and you cannot stand there and say that you do not, we must perservere and keep our heads held high. We will not turn back now, not after all of this. We must move forth as soon as possible."

He looked around at his comrads, hoping that they didn't notice the fear in his eyes. He looked over to Valesseka and Éomeléo and said "If you two do not mind, I would like you to watch over Arianna while Mariem, Darin and myself go around to see if any are alive for questioning."

Without waiting for an answer, Glirdingo turned and walked to where the man he had stabbed, the man who had stabbed Arianna, lay, hoping that he was alive. As he approached, he noticed that he was breathing. But there was something different about this man. He walked up beside him, turnd him over and gasped.

The man wasn't a man. It was in fact a young woman. He noticed her eyes were open so he didn't wait for Marieme and Darin to arrive to start the questioning. "Who are you? What are you doing here? Why did you attack us!?" Glirdingo asked her all in one breath. He sat in impatiently, waiting for her to answer.

[The Sixth Wizard]

"...But isn't it better to die for a noble cause then to turn your back upon him and die from old age in your bed?!"

Easy for her to say, she doesn't fear death. But some of us have only one life to shape and experience the world, and may not squander it unwisely... But Dárin knew she was right. He just had too much experience of young dwarves letting their passions get the better of them, and dying for revenge, or for a seemingly just cause, to orcs and worse. It was the right thing to do, rescuing Thin-gloomy. Exhaustion and shock had made him grumpier than usual, but he still disliked their journey.

He grumbled and coughed. "Fine. I've got nothing to live for anyway. I'm bankrupt and have no spouse or children. I'll throw away nothing if I die. At least this way we have some chance of a just deed." The wind whistled.

[Thinlómien]

The world was fog for Jenfried. There was a throbbing, tearing pain in her left shoulder. The pain took everything. She was vaguely aware of laying on the ground, her face to the dirt and the little stones against her body. There were some distant yells and clashes of weapons. There was a faint smell that reminded her of grass and blood.

She could not concentrate. She was unable to think about almost anything. Only one thought swam in the pools of her pain: Will I die? Will this be the end of my miserable, short life?

The noises were fading. There was still shouting, but this was different... It was like... like Arunga shouting to Théodfara after he had dropped the honey pot... or like mum when Jen had brought her the dead rat family so many years ago...

Someone grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. Some dark shape was between her and the starry sky. "Who are you? What are you doing here? Why did you attack us!?" the foggy shadow demanded. But it was not a shadow anymore. Through the tears of pain blurring her eyes she could recognise the shape of a young man. An extraordinarily beautiful young man with very deep and shining eyes.

Like Elves in the fairytales and histories, she thought, oh, am I having hallucinations?

"Who - are - you?" the man spelled slowly and impatinetly. His voice was eeriely melodic. "My name is Jen", she replied. The man looked at her with a puzzled, angry face. Only then did she realize that she had uttered the words in her mother tongue, rohirric, not in the common tongue the man was speaking. "My name is Jen", she said again, now in the speech of the western lands. Before the man could make any reply, she asked: "Are you an elf?"