AN: After reading the rundown of what happened to the rest of Sable's band (from CBD's site), I thought I would write fic based on their story since it's never mentioned within the novels. Thorn's the protagonist, but don't worry, he gets his payback for what he did to Sable, rather quickly.

Long Road to Redemption

Chapter 1

When Thorn woke up, it was quiet. Unnaturally quiet. Something was wrong.

He sat up in his tent and looked around him. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He was alone in his tent, just like he had been for the last five years. All of his possessions were in order. It was just silent.

That's what was wrong. He didn't hear usual evening sounds of Sable going about her nightly chores or Irina's voice prattling about nothing.

Suddenly, the events just before his forced sleep came rushing back to him.

Seylin about to kill the horse… his ugly, irritating fiancée marching into camp and stopping him… the hideous goblin child Rowan found lurking around the camp… Sable clinging to Thorn's arm, begging him not to do anything that would harm the horrible child, because more goblins would come find them… Then nothing.

That all happened outside. Yet, now somehow he was inside.

He charged out of his tent and looked around the cave that served as their winter camp. There was no one.

"Ugly woman! Rowan! Irina!"

He flung open each tent, looking for the members of his band. Sable and Irina's was empty, but Rowan's was occupied. Thorn shook him awake.

"Thorn, what is it?" the black haired elf asked, groggily. "What's happened?"

"That's what I want to ask you," Thorn said. "The women are gone."

"Stars above!" They heard Willow exclaim.

Both men rushed to the young elf's tent and opened the flaps. The boy sat in his dwelling holding a brown cloak that looked better than any of theirs. It was Seylin's.

After continued searching around the camp and outside turned up no Sable and Irina, the three remaining elves discussed their situation, trying to piece together what happened.

"It's that Seylin," Thorn said. "I knew that pretty elf was after our women. Sab- The ugly woman was right." It killed him to admit anything positive about her, even now. "More right than she thought. Seylin had seen goblins alright. He was working with them to take our women."

"But he had one already," Willow pointed out. "The ugly one with the brown hair."

"He wasn't content with her, now was he?" Thorn crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. "He was after Irina all along, just like I said. The goblins helped him get her in exchange for the ugly woman. It all makes sense. Only something as hideous as a goblin would want her. They had him infiltrate the camp to gain our trust and then took us unawares."

"At least they left us some of his supplies," Willow said, still clutching the warm cloak and examining a brand new knife and extra clothing.

Thorn and Rowan exchanged looks and rolled their eyes.

"Well, they're not getting away with this," Thorn said. "We're getting our women back."

Now Rowan and Willow exchanged looks, but of horror.

"They're very powerful," Rowan said. "We were awake outside, ready to kill a horse one minute and they put us to sleep the next. How can we fight an enemy who can beat us without striking a blow?"

Thorn wouldn't hear it. "They stole something that belongs to me and I'm taking it back."

"Is Irina really worth whatever torture the goblins might put you through?"

At this, he paused. Thorn hadn't been talking about Irina. He meant Sable. She belonged to him ever since the night her father promised her to him when she was twelve years old. Even her hideous face couldn't change that, no matter how much he hated her.

"I'm taking back what's mine," he said.

Taking charge, Thorn led the others back outside where they last saw the women. Examining the ground for markings, he tried to piece together what happened and ended up turning it into a lesson for the poor hunter, Willow.

"See here?" He knelt down to the ground. "This is where Sable stood. These are her prints, next to mine," he said. "She knelt here beside me after I fell. She was picked up by the goblin that made these prints, but she was put down again, tried to run, then fell and had to be picked up again."

From there, they tracked her captor's prints out of camp. They meshed with those of other goblins and the horse. The hoof prints led to an area where the thieves temporarily camped some distance away. It was so far, the trio was forced to turn back immediately for fear that they wouldn't make it it back before the morning light blinded them.

"First thing tomorrow night, we set out," Thorn announced. "We'll bring our tents. Plan for at least a few days of travel."

"This isn't a good idea," Rowan said.

"We've hunted deer and all breeds of other animals since we were boys," Thorn said. "We can hunt these filthy goblins. They're certainly leaving us clear enough tracks to follow."

"Hunting the goblins isn't what I'm worried about," Rowan said. "It's the finding them."

Coward.

"Then stay. Both of you." Thorn charged past his friend, back into the cave. "I'm better on my own anyway."

"Um... Thorn." Willow followed the older elves into the camp.

"What?"

"I'm starving. We haven't eaten a thing all night. With the women gone, well, who's going to cook."

For once, Willow was right. Who was going to cook?

The three men looked at the hearth where Sable kept the pots and other cooking utensils. To them, the tools looked more like foreign objects. Certainly not anything they themselves would stoop to use.

"Damn those goblins!"

True to his word, Thorn marched out of camp with a pack carrying his tent and some food he and his band members managed to scrape together. It was so early in the evening that the sun still left touches of blazing pink in the sky. It was bright and pierced his elvish eyes, but he needed to start as soon as possible in order to cover enough ground before the moon set and the sun reappeared.

He made good time, reaching the goblin's temporary campsite before the moon had risen very high in the sky. He followed their prints for miles until he reached a forest. Thorn would have continued on, but the cursed sun began to rise, setting the sky on fire.

The next night, he picked up where he left off only to discover that he didn't have much farther to go. In that forest, he found goblin prints everywhere. The prints were of varying sizes, shapes, and even species, but they were mostly goblin. Many of them too. If he hadn't been a skilled hunter, the lumbering creatures would have caught him right away. But no, he was raised to outwit animals.

During the nights, Thorn hid and lurked, keeping silent and keeping to the shadows, trying to figure out his best course of action. During the day, he camped on the far side of the forest where goblins never went.

Weeks passed, yet he couldn't find a way to penetrate their defenses. He found the place that must have been the opening to their home, but it looked like pure rock that he couldn't pass through.

As hopeless as it was, he couldn't give up. Thorn couldn't go back to camp empty handed and admit defeat to Rowan and Willow. There would be no respecting himself if he did. So he stayed and waited.

Miraculously, Thorn's patience paid off. On the night of the full moon, more than just goblins came out of the steep bluffs of the hill. A small party made up of elves, humans, and goblins came prancing out. Among them was Sable.

At the sight of her, Thorn almost gave himself away. This wasn't the hideously disfigured and pitiful creature he last saw in the camp. This was the Sable he loved and thought was lost to him forever. Those twin scars that once mangled her cheeks had somehow disappeared and she was beautiful again.

He watched her for hours as she played and danced under the light of the full moon. He couldn't take his eyes off of the enchanting sight. The light from her smile rivaled the stars. Even in their happiest days, they had never been so carefree and happy. They never had time.

All too soon, it was over. The goblins herded their captives back inside.

Thorn glowered from his hiding place as one of the goblins took Sable's hand and held it like he was accustomed to doing so regularly.

His plan was still the same, but with a small alteration. Thorn still planned on getting Sable back, Irina too if he could. But now, he was going to bring his resurrected fiancee home to marry her at last.