Beleg Cuthalion was searching the woods surrounding Menegroth for the king's fosterling.

Turin son of Hurin was a long standing friend of the Strongbow since he was an emotional antisocial nine year old, but that was seven years ago.

The years had passed by in a heartbeat to Beleg but he was reminded every time he returned from the wild what seven years meant to the edain.

Though his visits to Menegroth were infrequent, he made a point of spending time with the lone mortal in a kingdom of elves and with each visit, he was astounded on how much his friend had grown.

Not only was he shooting upwards physically but in a blink of an eye he had morphed from a saddened child walking hand in hand with Nellas, to a soldier training hard to avenge his people.

Beleg was informed from his friend Mablung that Turin and the other trainees of Doriath were sent on a low risk scouting mission. Unfortunately, they were spotted and attacked.

The details were blurry but from what the coherent survivors told it was Turin who brought those that were not shot down immediately back home.

It was also told that Turin was forced to leave an injured elf behind. One whom he was close friends with.

Beleg could only assume that the loss of a close friend would shake the already moody edain beyond his limits.

The fact that Turin could have stayed with his friend would make this all the more painful.

Seeing Turin sitting in a tree alone and looking none too happy, Beleg announced his presence by knocking on the trunk of his friend's hide out.

Turin looked down into the clear eyes of his mentor who was morphing into a brother and shrugged.

Taking this as a sign of welcome, Beleg sprung up effortlessly into the tree and stopped at a branch so that he could face Turin.

The march warden waited for a minute for Turin to start venting, but when all he got was a sad silence he decided to make the first move.

"Suilad"

"Hello"

Beleg took the hint and proceeded in the tongue of men.

"I hear you saved quite a few lives."

Turin looked away from the elf and into the forest.

"I saved a few and lost a few and then some."

"Those lives weren't your responsibility. You weren't leading the group, which makes the fact that you took charge all the more heroic."

Turin turned from the trees and into the face of Beleg.

"I was the only one uninjured. Therefore it was my responsibility to ensure that the ones who couldn't think straight due to blood loss could go home to their families."

Beleg didn't have anything to say to that. It was Turin's compassion for living things that drew Beleg into their friendship and he wasn't about to chastise him for it.

They sat for a few more minutes, drinking in the scenery when Turin spoke up.

"Why was I not hit? I was in plain view enough, and more or less in the open."

Beleg heard rumors that Morgoth had placed a curse on the kin of Hurin. He wondered if the dark lord had some greater doom in store for his friend than premature death.

He however did not speak his suspicions aloud and gave another answer.

"Mellon nin, there is a chance that the orcs did not see you or that they struck down the first things they saw. As your companions glow in the dark and that this took place in the hours of twilight..."

Turin smiled slightly and they again lapsed into silence.

Finally, Beleg brought up the topic that he knew to be the most difficult to move past.

"Turin, you have yet to tell me of your friend."

The young man wrapped his arms around hismelf and spoke softly.

"May Mandos be kind to him and hold him in honor"

Beleg did not want to press the matter but felt that as a friend he should get Turin to talk about it to ensure that he did not hold this pain for the rest of his life.

"Who was he?"

Turin couldn't bear to say the name aloud so he merely spoke of their last moments.

"He wasn't initially wounded. He and I were the few that were unhurt in the first wave. He was struck down as we were retreating to Menegroth. He was struck first in the leg. I made to send the others away first and bear him out of the battle but then training kicked in and I became the leader instead of the friend."

Turin's flat monotonous voice cracked slightly, but it had been many years since the hurts of small creatures or anything for that matter moved the proud son of Hurin and Morwen to tears.

Beleg reached out and gripped his friend's arm,

"Yes, you became the leader that will make Morwen proud and Morgoth shake with fear. By withholding the slight chance of homecoming for one, you guaranteed lives for many. Those parents owe you their gratitude."

"Perhaps," muttered Turin, "but there are others still that will perhaps blame me in their mourning for their loss."

Beleg perked up at the ominous speech, "Oh whom do you refer to?"

"Saeros, my friend's father. He does not love men and has forever begrudged me friendship with his son. He has always found me to blame."

Beleg racked his brain for any knowledge on Searos, finally he knew who Turin was referring to, "one of Thingol's counsellors?"

"Indeed" nodded Turin, "he has requested that I see him tonight, no doubt to blame me for his son's death."

Images of Saeros were filling Beleg's mind, he did remember him being none too happy with Beren and scorned the race of men in general. He however had no idea that the sneering counsellor had a son.

"I'll come with you." pronounced the elf.

Turin gave him a genuine smile of gratitude and leapt down lightly from the tree that they were sharing.

A heartbeat later, Beleg was beside him.

"Come on," said the elf, "it's been a long day and we have another hour or two before meeting Saeros, why don't I treat you to a Strongbow."

Turin raised a well practiced eyebrow at his friend.

"No joke," grinned Cuthalion, "they named a cider after me and I feel inclined to try it."

Beleg kept on shooting sideways looks at his companion on the hike back to Menegroth. He knew that Turin wasn't as collected or as calm as he appeared in the now.

It was clear that Turin blamed himself for his friend's death, and Beleg had a feeling that that night's meeting with Saeros would break the dam of shock as well as earn him a life long enemy.