Chapter Four
Quildë Minë
The next morning Felipe woke up to find Bashar leaning over him. He sat up abruptly and gazed around. To his left the child lay on her same cot, asleep. He turned back to Bashar and looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"You were attacked," Bashar answered, "You were knocked unconscious and that poor child saved you. After you were brought here a pair of guards went out to see if they could find out what had happened and they found a goblin with a dagger in his throat," she handed the dagger it Felipe. It had small elfish writing one side and was covered in dried blood, "I assume that it belongs to you."
Felipe took it and studied it for a moment. It had what looked like elfish writing on the handle. He shook his head and said, "I carry no weapons unless I know that I will need them. Never when I am taking care of the horses."
"Well then whose is it?" Bashar asked, now very puzzled herself.
"I do not know. I only remember falling and then waking to see her face," Felipe said as he looked over at the resting girl, "She looked terribly worried and then all went dark. What happened in between? How did I get here?"
"Well I do not know who killed the goblin, but the guards told me that you and the girl rode up to the gates and were led here. You were lying over the saddle and the girl was sitting behind you. Montiago, the guard who brought you here, carried you in. When he came back the girl fainted and he brought her in. He then took your horse back to the stable. You had suffered a severe concussion, but it was healed when you got back. You were only sleeping when Montiago brought you in. But the girl," Bashar sighed, "was again extremely exhausted and dehydrated. Just like when she came here the first time."
Felipe was very puzzled. Had the goblin done this to her? If he had, how did they get here? Who had killed the goblin? "I guess the answer to all the riddles will have to be answered when she wakes."
Bashar nodded, "It may be a while, though."
"Well I should get to the horses. They need to be feed and their stalls need to be cleaned," Felipe said as he stood up. But when he took the first step he started to sway and many white dots flashed before his eyes.
"I don't think so," Bashar said as she helped him to sit down again, "Montiago offered to take care of the horses while you were ill."
"Someone still needs to exercise the horses," Felipe protested.
"They can sit a day," Bashar said firmly.
Felipe sighed and lay back down. He drifted off to sleep. He dreamt of elves and the great healers of the world. Later in the afternoon he awoke to the girl leaning over him. She had gently brushed his head where he had been his. When she saw his eyes open she jumped back and her hand dropped to her side. He sat up and looked at her. At that moment Bashar walked in. She looked over at the, and smiled.
"You have wakened sooner than I expected," Bashar said to the child. Turning to Felipe she said, "A message from Montiago, he says that the horses have been well taken care of for today, but he must return to his post. He also said that if you were not well yet by tomorrow that he could find someone else to take care of them."
"I think that I will be fine by then," Felipe replied, "But I think that there are some questions that needed answering. That goblin could have been a scout."
The two adults turned to the child. She went slightly pail and looked confused,
"Have I done something wrong?"
"No my child," Bashar said comfortingly, "We only wish to know what happened yesterday. Much has been left unsaid for you are the only one who was awake during the incident. Can you remember anything?"
"Of course," the girl replied simply. She took a deep breath and began, "After we finished the chores Felipe and I went to exercise the horses. They needed to get outside so we took a quick ride. The horses were a bit afraid at first, but then they settled down. After riding for a bit horse whipped around and I found myself staring at a goblin. Felipe's mare reared and took off. He tried to fight off the goblin, but he was hit pretty hard on the head," the girl paused and looked Felipe in the eyes. She was still a bit uptight, "I remembered that I kept a dagger in boot. I threw it into the goblin's throat. As it died I rushed to Felipe. I got him into the saddle and brought him to the gates. You know that rest."
Bashar shook her head, "No, we do not know the rest. We do not know how Felipe was healed."
The girl shifted her weight but did not say anything.
"Do you know how I was healed?" Felipe asked, almost pleading as he looked into her eyes.
Fear went into the girl. "Its okay child, you needn't be afraid," Bashar said.
"I did," the girl squeaked hoarsely,
Both adults looked at her dumbfound. "But how?" Felipe gasped.
"I'm not sure," the girl replied slowly, "When I went to touch your head I felt this energy flow through me."
"So that is what you were doing when I saw you," Felipe realized. The girl just nodded.
"That might explain why you where exhausted when you got back," Bashar proclaimed, "the healing must have drained your own energy," there was a pause, "Maybe that's what happened to you before."
The girl didn't say anything else. She just sat back down on her cot, staring off in space as if she were trying to remember something.
The rest of the week the girl would go and help Felipe do chores. They would ride several horses everyday, even go outside on occasion. There had been no more reports of any goblins roaming the plains, day or night; but the guards around the gates were ever watchful. The mare Felipe had ridden that day was never found. On the rides outside Felipe would look for her but the girl would say, "If she truly did run away, weather it was out of terror or not, she was not worthy of Rohan. A noble, trusty horses would have come back by now."
The girl had stayed with Bashar one more night and then set up a cot in the tack room in the barn. The old healer had offered her a bed for as long as she wished, but the girl turned her down. Bashar had given her the name Quildë Minë, which was elfish for quiet one. So it came to Felipe an unexpected, but very welcome stable hand. She worked tirelessly and needlessly for many long years.
During the first weeks the girl would often go and visit Bashar in the evenings. She would help with any patients that she could, but most of the time they would sit in front of the hearth and talk. Towards the end of the first week Bashar got tired of seeing Quildë Minë in the same tattered old clothes, so she made her a few new outfits. Quildë Minë took these gratefully.
Towards the end of the first month of Quildë Minë's arrival Bashar suggested that they have a fancy dinner with Felipe. There were no patients and Bashar needed an excuse to "get all dolled up" was her line. Felipe agreed and they planned it for the first night of the full moon.
The night of the dinner Quildë Minë came to Bashar's cottage very early. Her hair was still in tangles and covered with dirt. Now there were several bits of straw sticking out.
"Why have you come so early?" questioned Bashar.
"I do not have anything nice to wear tonight," Quildë Minë replied softly.
"Well we shall soon fix that," Bashar said with a chuckle, "We don't have time to make a proper dress, but I am sure that I can find one of my old ones." Bashar walked into her bedroom. At the foot of her small bed there lay a dark stained chest. It looked like it had been carried many leagues. Bashar opened it carefully and rummaged around inside. "This trunk has been passed down from mother to daughter from many generations. It came all the way from the lands of Numenor," Bashar said as she continues to dig.
At last she pulled out a small white dress. It was decorated with silver and golden lace. Quildë Minë slipped out of her dirty work clothes and into the dress. It fit her perfectly. She turned around to face Bashar. The woman looked her up and down and then gave a cry.
"We must do something with your hair."
The girl looked up at the locks of knotted hair that hung about her forehead.
"Quick! Off with the dress. I will heat some water for the tub," Bashar said as she hurried into the kitchen.
Twenty minutes later Quildë Minë was sitting in the small bath tub while Bashar tried desperately to get the dirt out of her hair. Soap was lathered on the top of her head and was streaming down her face. It fell in clumps into the water as Bashar scrubbed harder and several long strands of light brown hair fell into her eyes. After drying, the girl sat down in a chair with a cream colored robe wrapped around her small body. Bashar slowly untangled the snarls.
The girl winced as Bashar yanked. Bashar ran the brush along the side of the girl's head. "Oh!" the girl whimpered, "You got my ear."
"Nonsense," Bashar said, "your ear should be lower. But as Bashar worked her was through the mess the tip of the girl's ear became visible. It was slightly longer than any man's ear and it was pointed.
"You're an elf!" Bashar gasped.
"I am?" the girl questioned.
"You're an elf," Bashar whispered again. Not another word was said until Bashar was finished.
It took an hour of pulling and tearing to get Quildë Minë hair neat. As Bashar ran the brush one last time through the girl's hair she sighed.
"Now you may go put on the dress. I will go but super on the table. Felipe should be here soon." Without another word Bashar walked out of the bedroom.
Quildë Minë carefully put on the dress and tied the sting in the back. A silver necklace hung around her neck. It had been there since she woke up the first tie. Slowly her hands rose to finger the jewel in her small, calloused hands. It was a small winged horse, white and rearing elegantly. Suddenly a vision flashed before her eyes. A kind woman with long golden hair was putting the necklace on her. "It has been in our family for millions of years. Take care of it," the woman sand and the vision was gone.
The woman was her mother. She wasn't sure how she knew, but she did. Quildë Minë hands fell to her sides. She slowly headed for the kitchen.