A Beautiful Lady
A beautiful lady walked silently by the edge of Lake Nenuial, rain pouring from her dark cloak, which blended perfectly with the night. Her solemn eyes gazed on the ground, on the grass beneath her feet, but she didn't really see it. She was lost in thoughts, some sad, some happy. As much as she had gained, she had lost, but in her solitary wandering she could feel the ones whom she loved, and who had departed, as if they were near. Her heart led her away from the lake and its water- she didn't wish to see herself reflected alone and sorrowful. She was not meant to be sad yet.
A light shape against the dark ground caught her notice and she slowly walked towards it. As she saw what it was she ran to kneel beside it, tears blurring her vision, and her thoughts, still present in her mind, subtly altered Ilesté's face so it seemed to the lady that she was crying over her mother's body.
The warm tears fell on Ilesté's face and she opened her eyes with her last energy. There was a dark angel above her. She had the vague idea that she recognised the face for a moment, and then her eyes closed again, and she was borne further down the river to death. The lady watched her eyes open and saw that they were not the eyes of her mother, but the eyes of a dying child. She bent down, agonized that she hadn't realised earlier, for this child had a slim chance of life now. She cradled the small, light body in her arms, trying to give her some warmth and murmured words of healing over her. The words had little power coming from her now, and yet they seemed to have some effect nevertheless. Whispering to her all the while, she carried Ilesté through the night.