"Hold still," I commanded the young girl as she squirmed under my knife. Gilraen wasn't very happy about getting her hair cut. Whatever, it was her fault for not tying it back or something to keep it from getting matted so much. Freya had tried to comb out the snarls after she gave Gilraen a bath but nothing worked.

I held the ponytail of clumped hair in one hand while sawing it off with my knife. Gilraen grimaced as her dark brown locks fell to the floor of our cabin. It was a pretty color, she had the right to be proud of it.

I made a few more snips before stepping back to admire my handiwork. She looked like a boy now.

Freya climbed down from the loft of our house after putting Shyra to bed up there. She walked over and took Gilraen's head gently in her hand.

"Doesn't look too bad. Well done Shyren." She gave me a small smile.

Gilraen sighed in disappointment, reaching up to touch her short hair.

"Oh hush, it'll grow back lass." Freya scolded gently before scooping up a bundle of blankets, "come along, we'll show you the way to the loft."

We followed her out of the house into the barn where the horses were contently eating their grain. Gilraen eyed them.

"Don't you think about it." I warned. I was starting to regret having her stay in the barn. Freya approached the latter that led up to the loft. She handed the blankets to me before she climbed up.

"You will be staying up here," Freya said as I handed the blankets up to her.

I beckoned Gilraen up the latter and waited below for Freya to get our guest set up. Carefully listening to the demands she gave the young girl.

The outhouse was a few paces from the barn.

Don't cause a racket.

If thirsty, wait till morning.

Freya descended from the latter soon, leaving Gilraen behind. I held out my hand for her to take but she just gently swatted it away. She was stubborn like that. Wanting to do everything by herself.

Gilraen poked her head over the edge of the loft.

"Thank you…" she muttered, I smiled up at her and nodded.

"You have the whole night to think about what you want to do. We will give you two days to stay here. We would give you some more time but we only have so much food to go around up here."

"No we wouldn't," Freya whispered.

"Alright, thank you, good night." we watched her disappear into the shadows of the barn rafters before departing.

Freya tapped my shoulder and motioned for me to follow her outside. I sighed, I was in for a lecture it would seem.

We stepped out through the barn doors into the crisp mountain night. The northern lights danced among the stars above us. Ribbons of pale green and purple reflecting off the glaciers in the heart of the mountains.

"Shyrenor."

"I know, I know. But it's only for two days and then she will be gone." I said, facing my wife who had her arms crossed.

"It's not that Shyren, you know that."

"She won't find out your secret, I promise."

"No Shyren! Did you hear what she called herself? Gilraen! That's Sindarin. She's a Dúnedain!" I froze before putting a hand to my forehead. I knew I was missing something about her. Of course, she was a Dúnedain! Her name, appearance, and the fact that she had made it this far out from her homeland by herself.

"Shyren...they will come for her...and if they find out that she was staying here with us...who knows what they will do."

"They won't kill us. That's not their way, even if we are Morchants. If we didn't hurt her, they will most likely just give us a warning and take her away."

Freya shook her head and began to pace back and forth through the grass. She looked tired but she would never admit it. Guilt washed over me. I worried her, tossed another burden on her shoulders, and possibly brought trouble behind me.

"If they figure out what I am, they will kill us."

"No. No, I won't let that happen-"

"Shyrenor you are one man! They probably have an entire company out there looking for this girl! They will come here, kill you, take Shyra away and then lock me up until I give birth before killing me and take them away too!" she put a hand on her stomach when the baby was mentioned.

Fear was in her eyes.

It made my heart sink.

I pulled her into a hug, placing her head gently against my chest. She melted into the gesture, wrapping her arms around my waist.

"I'll take her to Bree tomorrow at sundown. The Rangers don't know this land as well as we do so I can navigate through here better at night time. When we're hidden and out of sight."

Gilraen sighed and unwound herself from my arms.

I watched her walk back towards the house, hugging herself as she went.

Just so we are clear, Shyren is Freya's nickname for her husband. His name is still Shyrenor.