The brown horse that Arrana named Ned was the most beautiful animal she ever saw. The light brown color of the skin, the black hair of his, the long legs and the black eyes. A tall and long horse, that could be ridden on it. Father gave her Ned as a gift before Arah, and she had to go back to Minas Hír. Father and mother will probably be angry when they find out she went with uncle Calen.

Ned licked her cheek. "Alright Ned, stop, stop!" she said, placing her hand on the horse' face. "You are a good horse, are you not?" Ned neighed. Arrana loved the sound of horses, as always when she was little. When she was just a small girl, she would always ask the mother or the father to let her ride a horse together with them. Sometimes father would allow her to mount on his horse and hold him on the back while he is riding. Mother never did. She was always protective. After she became sixteen years old, they finally allowed her to ride horses, but she still didn't have her own horse. She was always riding a horse that belonged to the army or one of her father's horses. Until now. Ned was her horse.

"I see you love your new friend, Arrana." uncle Calen said, leaving his horse behind and coming to her.

"Horses are beautiful animals." Arrana said, her hand still on Ned's face. He licked her cheek again, to what she chuckled. "And very friendly, as well."

"The friendliest animals you can find, besides the dogs. Horses and dogs are man's best friends. You know, there is a story that when Adam and Eve were exiled from paradise, all the animals left them except the horse and the dog. They followed them out of paradise."

"Mother told me that dogs are man's best friends." Arrana smiled. "But that the horses are woman's best friends." uncle Calen rolled his eyes.

"Oh, yes, as if that distinction exists. My horse is very loyal to me even though I am a man, and your mother once had a dog when she was little, and he would follow her everywhere. Your mother made a dumb distinction. Men even use horses much more than women. But your mother was always a hard person."

"Watch out, it is my mother about whom you are talking about." Arrana tried to look insulted, but couldn't keep her chuckle.

"Oh, forgive me. I thought I was talking to my niece Arrana, and not to lady Arrana of Gondor."

"Those two are the same." Arrana said and Ned licked her again. "Will you stop it?" uncle laughed.

"When a horse really loves his master it never stops licking him when it has a chance." uncle said and started caressing the horse as well. "It's a bond between man and animal. One of the bonds that cannot be broken." Arrana smiled, until she remembered another bond of her's-with her father.

"And what about a bond between a daughter and her father?" she said and looked down. Uncle sighed.

"Arra, your father doesn't want anyone of you, his children, to be in danger."

"Children," Arrana raised her voice and looked into Calen, "are most in danger when their father is not there to protect them. When he leaves them behind.

"Your father left you all behind because he wanted to keep you safe, not because he doesn't care about you, and you know that Arrana." Arrana closed her eyes and sighed.

"Yes, I know." she started fixing Ned's reins. "I just...I just want to be there beside him. Not because I am rebellious, but because of him. He even sent uncle Ondoher and Isaiah away. He is now alone, without anyone of us beside him. He is like a lone wolf."

"A lone wolf still has his claws, Arrana." uncle said. "And he is still dangerous."

"But what if he is surrounded by many snakes" she asked him, and uncle didn't answer. While she was fixing Ned's reins, she noticed that she placed something beside the saddle. The arrow that she made and Isaiah taught her to aim and shot with, and the quiver and arrows that Isaiah gave her as a gift. She wondered how was Isaiah now, is he safe, is he alright. She then remembered another brother of hers, Minardil. Minardil and Benjen are both gone from Minas Hír and now they are lost. Mother sent many scouts and soldiers to look for them and find them, together with those two captives of the Red Snake that run together with them. Arrana didn't guess twice what happened. Minardil is too smart to allow two simple bandits to see him. And yet, on the other hand, he is so wild, young and full of himself that she was certain without a doubt that the chose to follow them. And he even got poor Benjen in his troubles with himself. She hoped that Minardil will be alright, that is the only thing she could do, hope and pray. And when he comes back, I will box his ears so strongly that he will never dare to do something like that again! Since mother didn't threaten him or punished him enough when he was little, she will! But only if he returns alive and safe.

Then she remembered Túrin. Her twin brother. Túrin and she shared the same womb. They played together when they were little, together with Isaiah. True, Arrana liked more to walk or talk with Isaiah. He was more mature and, honestly, maybe even a little brighter than Túrin. But she loved Túrin and Isaiah equally. Arrana was sorry to admit it-she didn't love all of her brothers equally. She loved them all very, very much. She would give her life for all of them. But, honestly, she didn't think she loved them equally. Minardil and Bran were the most immature of all of them, and they could irritate her more than anyone else. They probably even did it intentionally. Arah was very smart boy and Arrana loved him but...he was a boy. Isaiah and Túrin were two brothers she loved the most of all of them. But they both had something unique. Isaiah was very much like father was, and she loved that in him. And Túrin was her twin. He was closest to her in age and could sometimes be funny, not as irritating as Minardil and Bran. Though, he was still less mature than he should have been, since he was just hour or two younger than her. When she was little, Arrana wanted a sister. But now she didn't. Her brothers were enough to her.

She could have helped either Minardil or father or Isaiah if she was beside them. She knew how to shoot an arrow, after all.

"What if Minardil or Isaiah or father are somewhere out there," she started speaking to her uncle "and someone is behind them, aiming at their backs with arrows and bows or hiding and holding a knife ready to kill them, and I would be the only one able to notice that murderer behind them and I could shoot an arrow between his eyes before he touches any of the. But...I am not there." shе said, not moving her eyes away from her quiver and bow. "I know how to shoot an arrow uncle, maybe they would need me."

"Arrana, daughter" he placed a hand on her shoulder, "they will be well without you. Trust me. They know how to take care of themselves. It is not your fault that you cannot help them." Arrana looked down.

"I just wish I could help them, uncle." uncle smiled at her after that. "What is funny?"

"You and your brothers, Arrana." he said. "Through your father, you have the Israelite and Aredain blood, and through your mother, you have Vellian blood flowing through your veins. The wisdom of the Aredain, that old people that once dwelt in the lands of Gondor until it mixed with the Israelites. The righteousness of the Israelites, a people chosen by God Himself and to whom He gave His laws. The spirit of Vellians, who were always warrior and would never stop at the sight of the enemy. Vellians have a legend that their ancestors were wolves. Quite a coincidence, your house's sigil, Arrana, is a wolf. You will grow to be one of the best persons I ever saw, both in spirit, righteousness, love, wisdom and kindness. The only thing I want quickly, Arrana, is this bloody war to end." then he swore, cursing every single war waged by humans. Arrana's eyes widened at this. "I know you are a lady, but I don't care. I had to curse that filthy, awful thing that humans call war, Arrana, so that you may know how evil it is." Uncle then took our his sword, showing it to Arrana.

"Many people think that we soldiers are men who love war, Arrana. Wrong. No one hates war more than we do, because we know what is it like. Sometimes, a war can be waged for a good cause, but even that war will be awful. Thousands of innocents will die for a good cause to be fulfilled. And then, when the war for good cause is over, you see countless dead bodies laying on the ground, bodies of innocent men, women and children. And then you ask was it even worth fighting if it all led to this slaughter. My mother once told me that there is no limit to human evil nor to human stupidity. That we will always do opposite of what is good for us. We will do evil until the Last Day. Lord help us, we will never change. Only a small fraction of us will, but the great part of us humans will remain violent always. Always."

"Maybe there is no limit to our evil." Arrana said. "But when someone starts doing good, he cannot stop."

"Exactly, Arrana. But the problem is that not many people do good, but evil instead. I just want this war to end, for the sake of young men and women like you who hold the future of Israel in your lands. Young people like you Arrana, you and your brothers, are the only bright future that humanity can have. It is the only thing that restores my faith in humanity."

"We had our older teachers to teach us how to live." Arrana smiled, and so did uncle Calen. "That, and you are not so old uncle. Not old at all. You will probably live for another forty years."

"But you Arrana," he pointed at her, "you will live for another sixty years, I hope even more. And that is the hope for humanity. If only our enemy had humanity in himself."

"Himself?" Arrana asked.

"Yes Arrana, himself. Those people who serve the Red Snake cannot be anything but lied to and tricked to serve him. Who knows what he promised them. Maybe he captured wives, children or friends of some of them and is threatening to kill them if they don't fight for him. Maybe he promised them love and glory that they never had in their lives. Maybe he promised the gold. Treasures, crowns and powers over everything. Maybe some of them love him. Maybe he convinced some of them that he is a god or something else. Who knows what he did to them. But the point is, Arrana, that among them, there are ordinary, simple people, who would have rather stayed home than fought for him. Those are people that are deceived, he deceived their humanity, he deceived their hearts, their minds. Every tyrant did those things to those who follow and fight for them even after their cruel and unforgivable crimes. He played with their humanity, with their hearts and with their minds, and he turns once good people into his personal weapons of war. Yet he himself doesn't have humanity."

"That kind of man would be better dead than alive." Arrana said. "If he has no humanity, he has no life."

"True, but since he has no humanity, neither does he have courage. He will hide, Arrana, he will hide behind those men whose lives he destroyed, the men that he deceived and made slaves of them. And when they give up their lives for him, he will not be found, but will run away, somewhere far from justice, far from any man, and he will stay alone with his inhumanity, he will become his own greatest enemy, and he will hate himself more than he hates anything else in the world. And that in itself will take his life. Not that he will kill himself. That can happen, but it doesn't have to. His inhumanity will, in the end, kill him." there was a longer silence for a short time being.

"If that is true, I will never allow myself to become inhuman. Never." Arrana answered, and uncle nodded.

"I am happy you won't, Arrana. I am happy more than you think." uncle then looked at the sun. "Forgive me, Arrana I have to leave you now, I have some things to do."

"Of course uncle." she said, and he nodded and then left Arrana and Ned alone. Arrana started to gather and think about all the things that her uncle just told her, wanting to understand them as best as she could. As she was standing beside the horse, she remembered one story that her nurse told her when she was little. A story about a horse, a hunter and a stag.

The horse wanted to have revenge on his enemy, the stag, but it needed the hunter's help, and he asked the hunter for it. The hunter said that he cannot help him unless he allows him to place a bridle and a saddle on him. Horse agreed and together, they killed the stag, and the horse was pleased because of his revenge and his victory. But the hunter refused to release the horse and made a slave of him, and the horse died as a slave, never free again.

The followers of the Red Snake must be like this horse. He promised them revenge, power, riches or freedom if they allow him to place on him a bridle and a saddle. They will probably get what they desired in the first place, but will lose the most precious thing they have-their souls, their humanity, and they will become his slaves.

Arrana then lead Ned by the reins (she hoped she was not like that hunter from the tale) into the forest somewhere, a little farther from the others in the uncle's camp. It was the light of day and the forest was beautiful, but Arrana didn't felt comfortable inside it. Something was strange. She felt that something is not alright with this forest, particularly it's strange silence, and she had a desire to leave it, but on the other hand, something was drawing her deeper and deeper in the forest.

She noticed a very small lake in the forest, and she allowed Ned to drink some water. He must have been thirsty from standing on the sun the whole time. Arrana knew she was. This summer was worse and hotter than any other before it. The Worst thing was that Arrana had to wear a black dress of hers. She of course liked to wear dresses all the time. Except bellow his cursed, hot sun. Sometimes, she desired that the Lord didn't create the sun.

She knelt to drink water. But after she did, she heard a noise coming from the woods, on the other side of the lake. She now saw no reason to stay here. She took Ned by the reins.

"Maybe I should leave..."

"I CAN SEE YOU, ARANNA!" a voice spoke out of nowhere, formless voice without any kind of tone. Just words coming out of nowhere. She decided to leave. Maybe the heat made her crazy.

"I CAN SEE YOU ARANNA. I CAN SEE YOU." the voice said again. It wasn't coming from her head.

"Who are you? Where are you?" she looked at the entire forest, waiting for the answer. She didn't get any. "Show yourself." Arrana was terrified, but decided to know who is talking to her. "Show yourself! What do you want from me?!" the voice didn't answer. It was just silent. Alright, maybe it is the heat after all.

At that moment, Ned started to move and neigh. He was disturbed. "What is it, Ned? Do you want us to..."

"I CAN SEE YOU." the third time. This is official now. This wasn't the heat. "Where are you? Who..." then someone grabbed her and put a hand on her mouth. Arrana wanted to reach her knife, but she didn't found it.

"Looking for this, young lady?" a man stood before her, holding her knife in his hand. "Sorry, but we couldn't risk you using it." Arrana's eyes widened. She then screamed with all her voice.

"Uncle! Hel..." someone shut her mouth so strongly that it hurt. She then felt something cold and sharp bellow her neck.

"Don't you dare, little lady." he said. "And I really don't want to kill you. He who wants you alive and well, and I personally wouldn't like to strike a woman. That, and it would be a real shame for someone beautiful like you to die." Arrana's eyes widened.

"Stop with playing!" a woman's voice said and there she appeared. The pirate woman that was on the docks with Aron the Red Snake. The woman with wavy auburn hair and black eyes. She was holding a sword in her hand, and she was smiling devilishly.

"Silence her. The last thing we need is for someone to hear her." He let go of her mouth. Arrana planned to scream, but she saw them attacking Ned.

"Don't hurt him!" she said.

"Hurt him?" the woman said. "Oh, only a fool would hurt a useful animal like this, young lady. We aren't. Though I don't promise he won't have a scar or two." they started to hurt him.

"No!" Arrana screamed and held back tears. "Un..." she failed to call for help when they covered her mouth with cloth.

"Get her on the horses with the others!"

"No! Let me go!" Arrana screamed with a cover in her mouth when they tied her hands. That was the only thing she was able to do.