Disclaimer: See chapter 1

I have run out of people to blame for mistakes. Blame the... the... the computer! It's the computers fault!

As 'Ro retrieved the knife once more, he flashed a brilliant, blinding smile to Thea.

He threw the blade into the air, and it twirled as it returned to his hand. Catching it deftly, he came back to Thea's side. He pressed into her palm, whispering into her ear as he did so,

"I knew you could do it." A small grin flitted across Thea's face at those words.

As he lowered his hand back to his side, his one of his fingers seemed to glow and when she looked again, she realized he was wearing a ring. It was a silver band, set with a jewel of the clearest teal. It was so odd to see 'Ro wearing it. The rest of his attire was threadbare, worn. It was in dark browns and blacks with thick boots. The ring looked like it belonged on the hand of a king or a courtier, not a roaming Noldor elf!

"Your ring. Where did you get it?" She asked simply. Ro's face darkened instantly, and he stared distractedly at his finger when the ring sat.

"You noticed." He said in a small, broken voice. Thea raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"Yes, I noticed." She replied slowly, wondering why 'Ro was stating the obvious.

"No one ever notices…" Thea blinked. No one ever noticed he wore a ring before?

"…No one?" He shook his head dejectedly.

"Not even my brother."

Thea paused. Which brother? She remembered their previous conversation. 'Ro had a gwador- Legolas-, a little brother, then his twin, and she knew from Rubah that he and 'Ro were also gwadors.

"Elladan?" She asked tentatively. 'Ro's deceased twin did make the most sense. Elladan would have known 'Ro the best, so it would have had the most impact for him not to have seen it. 'Ro nodded.

"How long have you been wearing it, exactly?" If Elladan hadn't seen it… at least six years.

"Over a century." 'Ro murmured. Thea's head spun. Her gwanur had been wearing the same ring for over a hundred years?

She closed her eyes and held up her hands in a stop motion.

"Sit down and explain, please." Thea dropped to the ground almost as if she had fallen and sat cross-legged in a moment. 'Ro was slower. He lowered himself to the soil and kneeled, eyes downcast.

For a minute, neither said anything. 'Ro was purposely avoiding Thea's gaze. Eventually, she sighed and asked,

"Where did you get the ring?"

"From Cynthia." He answered.

"Cynthia…" She pressed.

"I don't know." Thea raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean, you don't know? You got a ring from someone who you don't even know the birthplace or last name of?" 'Ro swallowed hard and then nodded.

Thea shook her head to clear it. Clearly, she was going to get nowhere like this.

"Just, start from the beginning." 'Ro was silent for a moment. Thea saw his eyelids close for a moment. Then, they opened, before he spoke.

"About one-hundred-thirty-five years- I don't remember exactly- I was taking a pleasure ride around Imladris when, um, I got lost." Thea had to stifle a laugh. He got lost around his own home? However, she was able to keep her face bland as she nodded to urge him on. 'Ro cleared his throat, and then continued, "I wondered aimlessly, trying to find some indication of where I was, when I stumbled across a village." Thea raised an eyebrow.

"You stumbled upon a village? Like, you didn't know it was there?" 'Ro shook his head, but kept it bowed.

"No. I don't know how we didn't realize they were there. They were only about three leagues away from the hidden valley. When I first came to it, I thought it was abandoned."

"Why?" Thea interrupted.

"Well, I was going to explain before you cut me off." She blushed.

"Sorry." 'Ro sighed.

"Don't worry about it." Thea waved a hand forward.

"Continue."

"I couldn't find anyone inside any of the buildings. And when I finally did, well, it wasn't in the way I expected." He swallowed. "They were all dead." He said in a hoarse whisper, "All I could find were corpses." Thea gasped, and brought up a hand to cover her mouth, eyes wide in horror. "I checked a few of the bodies, and it was obvious they had died of an illness. There were no wounds upon any of them, and many were young. I thought the sickness had claimed the entire town. That is until I saw her. While I had searched the houses, a girl had crawled out of one and into the center of the road. I ran to her. She was panting, hyperventilating. After I had helped her to calm her breathing, she told me her name was Cynthia, she was eight years old, and that her favorite thing to do was to draw, specifically the moon. Without warning, she started to cry and told me that she was scared; she didn't want to die; she didn't want to be forgotten." 'Ro bit his bottom lip. "Those where her last words. She died in my arms. I couldn't save her."

His voice sounded choked, and Thea realized he was crying when she few tears slipped out of his eyes. She gave a soft, sad smile and placed a reassuring hand on her arm.

"There was nothing you could have done. You had no idea what illness Cynthia even had, much less how to cure it." 'Ro looked up for the first time and returned the grin. It vanished in an instant as he spoke again,

"I buried the people of the village, including Cynthia. When I did… When I did, I saw the ring that she wore on her left hand. I didn't know where you got it. The ring seemed much to rich for her. But, I wear it every day, as a reminder of her." 'Ro looked deep into Thea's eyes. "I never forgot her."

Thea opened her mouth to respond, when a scream pierced the air, coming from the cave.

They shot to their feet, glancing at each other, before 'Ro, who know the scream, whispered,

"Rubah."

And they ran in the direction of the sound.

Author's Note:

I HAVE EXCUSES! I HAVE EXCUSES, I SWEAR! Okay, first, I lost my charger, for like, a week. Then, I didn't know what to write. I had like, four ideas for chapter 39. This is the one I went with. I'll have to put the others off. But, besides the point. I promised myself I would update before two weeks had gone by, and I did! Barely…

Anyway! That story with Cynthia and 'Ro, I actually turned into a oneshot called 'Forgotten', which you can read if you want to!

Also, please vote on the poll I'm holding. It's about 'People Thieves', because I want your opinion on how I should end it.

Translations:

Gwador(s): Brother(s)-not-in-blood