Chapter 3,

The Hard Meeting



They spent a long time in the forest. Soron and Blaise were often alone, or so they thought, because Domî could not often be seen. Domî was showing them the forest. However they couldn't see her much, they could still hear her well. But they couldn't understand how she was so near but they couldn't see her. She seemed to move like a spider on the trees, her voice changing its place every now and then.

Soron was a young Sea Elf Domî introduced to Blaise. Soron was another who survived the Ancient Battle. But he survived by hiding perfectly and hitting people if they came near. So he wasn't counted in the "Great Three", neither he was to be seen when the battle was over. He turned up five days after the battle, in the Firien Wood. And Silver Elves easily had him as one of them, as he was flexible.

He had bright blue eyes, just like Blaise and his hair was…a unique color between aqua and light blue, unlike Blaise's yellow hair. And he definitely had muscles and a good body. However he was impressive, Domî somehow didn't like him that way. But when she first saw him, she was more than amazed. But Blaise seemed to be effected even more than her. Blaise totally seemed to see him as some sort of a God. And it wasn't like Soron didn't answer her. But Domî noticed none of these; she was too interested, showing the Wood to them, she didn't often watch them.

(A/N: Ok, Domî isn't the best, but for now, she hasn't done a mistake. But of course she will, she is no super-hero!! Okok I shut up. Go on with the story!!)

Suddenly Domî stopped. "Wait" she said to Soron and Blaise. They were deep in talk of the old days of Sea Elves, but they stopped in a second as Domî hushed them. Domî could sense someone coming near. Her heart was pounding hard. Then suddenly a girl came out of nowhere.

"Hello" she said in a weird accent, and bowed low at their horrified faces "My name is Miriam. And I won't bite" she added, to Soron whose mouth was still open in shock – or something else.

Soron quickly closed his mouth at the words and opened it again to speak "I am Soron son of Hyron." With a voice, which was not his own.

"Blaise." Blaise said quickly, as if words came out painfully from her mouth "Daughter of Ringlô the fourth, the great warrior and Mâourî"

"Daughter?" the stranger repeated blankly

"What with it?" Blaise asked coldly

The stranger laughed for a little while to herself and said "I first thought you were a 'he', see"

Blaise blushed at the bare words. She was probably going to fight when Soron held her from her shoulders. He wasn't very much taller than her but seemed to be a lot stronger. And also, her legs seemed not to work when he touched her, so she stood there, silent, and let the stranger talk. It wasn't before then that Domî appeared. Domî glanced at the stranger and said "Domî, daughter of Câdeoughr, the wise." She looked at the grass for a while and said "Also you may have heard me, if you ever did, as 'Ithil'quessir Berô Dess'"

Stranger halted for a second and then looked at them all. 'What a weird bunch,' she thought, 'Two boy-like girls, daughters of great people and the only heir of Hyron.' "So," she said to the crowd "as you said who you were, I will too. What a coincidence, (she looked at Domî) I as well am a gray elf. My name is Ithil'quessir Yaarer Gilja to most, though my real name is Macramé, daughter of Aron the Green."

Domî sniffed "Half-blood, are you?" she said, disgustedly "Well…I suppose you are pretty good for a half-blood. I mean, I haven't noticed you around till an hour ago…"

Macramé laughed politely, though the anger changed her tone, her eyes didn't seem to have heard what Domî said. "Well," she said slowly, and with a tense tone in her voice "and I suppose you are a pure elf. Poor Câdeoughr," she added sadly "having you for a daughter. What a shame for him"

"Ladies…ladies…" Soron said, warningly "Don't act like little kids. Macramé, nice to meet you, but now we shall go. And Domî (he shot a more- than-warning look at Domî) just cool down, all right?"

Domî looked terribly annoyed with this "special warning" but she kept silent. Everyone kept silent for a few moments. Then Blaise talked, "Well, I think we ought to go. I suppose," she shot a glance at Soron, who was looking at her without blinking "we have a lot to do!"

"Like?" Macramé asked,

"Nothing to bother you," Domî said, "you wouldn't understand…"

"What do you mean, 'you'?" Macramé asked

"Well…" Domî rolled her eyes "nobody but us three would know."

"Oh…" Macramé said, totally disappointed. She waited Domî to say something insulting and then she would have a reason to fight her. Though Domî was well aware of her thoughts. She kept silent.

"Er…" Soron said, looking at Macramé, and then Domî "I suppose…we could tell her. I mean, come on…it isn't such a big secret… Macramé, we are wandering around, and probably we won't be back in the village before we traveled far. And… I suppose that's that."

"Oh…well…I…I think I would come with you if you…asked…" Macramé said, every single word coming on by one, bursting, not being told, as if they hurt Macramé's throat.

"Yeah, great idea!" It was Blaise, for everyone's surprise.

"What d'you say, Domî?" Soron asked Domî, knowing they could go nowhere if she didn't want Macramé in.

"I," Domî gave a huge sigh, "I suppose she could…"



***



"I don't get it!" Blaise whispered to Soron as they were walking. Again Domî was amiss but Macramé was following the two silently. Domî seemed annoyed of Macramé; she didn't show up until she told them where the tent was. They were surprised how she came up with a tent in so little time. Domî said she had been having them circle around the place of the tent; she said she already had a place for a tent there; she only put up the tent.

"Neither do I…" Soron whispered slowly to Blaise and shot a glance at Macramé, making sure she wasn't listening

"How could she let her?"

"What d'you mean?"

"Well, there is nothing wrong with her but…you know…she didn't seem to like her…"

"Maybe she was afraid Macramé would follow us and she wouldn't notice?"

A cold laugh came from their back, "Possible," said Macramé, "but I really don't think so! Remember when she said she saw me only an hour ago? Well, I only followed you for an hour!"

Soron blushed. So did Blaise. But Blaise's blush looked like an anger blush, not an embarrassment sign. Soron and Blaise both stood there, frozen. But Macramé just walked pass them and giggled now and then for the next five minutes.

"There!" Domî said, as she put the food on three enormous leaves, "eat this. It is good for you!"

"What is this?" Soron asked suspiciously

"Oh, it is a mixture of rabbit meat and some plants" Domî answered, her tone saying she didn't think it was necessary. Though Blaise seemed to take it necessary, she didn't get one single piece more of her food. She seemed disgusted.

After like an hour, Domî turned up and saw that they were all finished with food and so she cleaned around and went off again. A few minutes later, she turned up with some wine. Three bottles, to be exact.

"Where did you find wine?" Blaise asked, half-impressed, half- suspicious.

"Well, I always have a few belongings around the wood you know…" she answered not caringly

"And you let us with water all through the dinner when you had wine?" Soron asked

"Well…these wine are of 1421! I can't go offering them to everybody for nothing!"

"1421?" Soron's eyes widened, "How did you get those? They are very valuable! And exclusive, come to that!"

"Er…"

"Yeah," Macramé said, "tell us how you got 'em! I myself wonder! Of course if you are older than I think…"

"What age do you think I am?"

"I think…" she looked longingly at Domî "you were born in…1502"

"Near enough…1512"

"Well…that makes you my little sister!" Soron said happily

"And," Blaise said miserable, "my older sister."

"And when did she become your sister?"

"Not 'relative' sister!" Soron said,

"I have to go." Domî suddenly said and wandered off yet again.

Domî didn't turn up. They thought she could get hold of herself and went to sleep. Tomorrow morning, their breakfast was ready; some cheese, bread and water. They supposed Domî was back but she wasn't. They looked around for her. They shouted her name to the wood for millions of times. Then they decided to eat and then go on looking for Domî – well, they stomachs decided more like…

And so they looked and looked for Domî. She was nowhere to be seen. They started to get worried – and hungry. Blaise asked if she should hunt something but Soron refused to eat anything that wasn't cooked and cooking was Domî's job. And Blaise said she couldn't eat a whole deer for herself and supposed she should wait for Domî too.

The wood was somehow more frightening when it was dark and Domî was gone. The fresh moonlight licked through the leaves of ancient trees and herb and reached Soron's face. He looked somehow older than he used to. Somehow a shadow darkened his face. And Blaise wasn't sure this was a good thing. It scared her out of her guts.

Blaise was the slowest one. It wasn't like she was really the slowest to walk through wood. It was just that her leg seemed not to want to go. And a corner of her heart found it rather dangerous to wander off at night in wood, alone, in full moon.

Even Macramé was showing signs of nervousness. Her hands seemed to be vibrating as if it was freezing cold. It wasn't like she wasn't used to this; wandering at Firien at nights, alone. And she wasn't quite alone, come to that, she had Soron and Blaise. And she supposed, however both were Sea Elves, they weren't stranger to the dark. But the lose of Domî scared her. If there as anything, anything she would admit Domî was better at than her, it was wandering in Firien.

At last they halted. Blaise's legs were aching. She wasn't used to this; walking all day. She was used to swim, to jump…but walking, more like forcing her legs to move…she wasn't used to it at all. She sat on a root of the big oak they were now under. She looked around. As far as she could see in the fogged darkness, there were leaves everywhere, except for the circle they were in. The circle was as if appointed for them. Right when they recognized they couldn't go on, the circle seemed to have appeared.

Macramé said it was the safest place of all they would find that night. And Soron found a large crack on the oak where a thin elf could squeeze through, so they could sleep in the oak that night. But Soron himself refused it, "You sleep there, I will sleep at the brilliance of the nature, under the endless sky and the countless stars! And wait for Domî…she might turn up." He said, "Just get in and sleep!"

Macramé tried to refuse but he wouldn't listen. He seemed to think Domî could turn up and not see them. Also, he thought the oak was a great place to hide in and attack from. And if everybody was inside it, the attacker (probably an animal, he thought) could easily finish all of them off. Finally girls let him and went inside the oak.



"Evening!" a soft voice hissed in his ear "what a great night, eh?"

He got up in a flash, "Domî!" he said great fully. Then suddenly his grin broke into a sour expression, like as if there was something under his nose that stunk. "Where were you, you idiot? We were dead worried!"

She giggled silently. Then she whispered, "Well, I have my right to wander off any time I want! Though this time, it was for a good reason!"

"And what is that 'good reason'?" Soron said sourly, he didn't quite believe Domî was in for 'real' business, he supposed she either liked to frighten them a bit or she just wanted to wander off.

"I have news!" she whispered, suddenly her smile broken, as if it wasn't there, ever. She looked serious. Soron got up from some leaves he out together to sleep on. He looked at her green eyes. There was a flashing blue light in them, and he wanted to know why. Just when he was going to ask, she answered him:

"Bad news." She said shortly "Really bad news indeed… They say Ugric is in losing. And also a few other elves. And it is not like Ugric to bring others with him if he wanted to wander off." She looked at the ground thoughtfully, and then said, "Soron, I don't know what has become of him but form what I've heard, he was last heard in Calenhad. And that's where I'm going. I just wanted to take you. I…might need help. It is not as easy for me as it is in Firien, outside…and I think you know a bit of outside. I haven't studied history and I may need to know things…it will be embarrassing to go there not knowing anything!"

"Me?" Soron asked blankly "Why only me?"

"Because Blaise is not strong enough. She is strong, but she needs experience. And Macramé…" she looked at the wet grass which wetted her foot as well. After a few seconds she continued; "Let's say I don't…trust her that much…you, I know but her, I've newly met. So I ask you, if you would come with me."

"Not without Blaise." He said dully, "…neither without Macramé."

"Why do you want her to come?"

"Because we might need her. And also, I think…I think I have quite warmed towards her." He blushed.

"Quite warmed towards her beauty you mean." Domî said disgustedly "Ok then, have it your way but…" she looked at Soron in the eyes "Oh ok…we will get her too. But let them rest, and also you must rest, for tomorrow a hard challenge awaits us all."

"You?" Soron asked

"I won't rest. I rested enough already."

"But you were on road all the time-" he started but Domî interrupted him

"I had sleep every night before yesterday and tonight. I can go with just sitting now. I dreamed while I journeyed yesterday. And that is enough rest for me."

Soron sighed, "I may stay awake also," he said "I cannot sleep."

"No." Domî said "You need rest, I can see it in your eyes, on your face."

"The shadow on my face does not belong to tiredness, it is the shadow of-" he broke. Domî was curious but knew he wasn't to tell it, not now.

"Good night" she said and walked away before Soron could say "Where?" And surprisingly she turned back in a few minutes, carrying a bottle of wine. "Here!" she told him, "Drink some! At least our souls must rest, even if our bodies doesn't need it."

And Soron, forgetting all his manners, forgetting that the wines were exclusive, drank and drank after cup after cup. Domî had brought two cups. She then said she shall think a bit and jumped on the oak. He wondered if he should jump too, but then thought better of it, he stayed still, he knew she wanted to be alone, either to think or something else, but alone.



A/N: Phew! Well, this chapter finished as well. I am writing fourth chapter now. Nearly done with it. Though whenever I'm "nearly done", I suddenly get author's block and can't write!! Anyway, please R&R!