A/N: I apologize if it's been too blood or violent for you guys. This
story is going to be a little more serious, but still funny a little later.
I toned this chapter down a bit. Review and let me know if it's still too
violent, or if you want more, or any suggestions and/or thoughts you have
about the story.
NOTE: Shinta is pronounced Sheenta.
The girl sat down beside a stream, rubbing her aching feet and cursing herself for not grabbing shoes. She contemplated what she knew. Okay, some people said she killed an entire town. Had she? She searched her memory, trying desperately to pull the answers she searched for from its depths. Still, nothing came. She grabbed her head in frustration, and was about to let out an angry scream when she heard something.
Slowly, she let her hands drop to the ground as she listened to the woods, trying to pick up the sound again. There it was. A smell caught her nose and she tilted her head, inhaling the scent deeply. Blood. She stood and walked silently through the woods. She cautiously peeked through the bushes in front of her, then nearly gasped aloud.
There was a woman on the ground, bleeding. A small boy was crouched next to her, probably no more than four years old. She was about to step out of the bushes to help when something caught her eye. Light glinted off of a blade.
Her head turned as she looked upon the form of a beautiful woman wearing a cloak. A sword was held limply at her side, the tip of the blade pointed down, blood dripping from it.
The girl was about to jump from the bushes when she heard what the woman said.
"I already asked you one. Now tell me where Efalu is or I will kill your son right before your eyes."
A chill ran down the girl's spine at the cold voice of the cloaked woman. The bleeding woman on the ground spoke. Her voice was weak, but full of defiance.
"I already told you, I don't know who Efalu is!"
'Creepy,' as the girl had decided to call her, raised her sword up, ready to kill the boy. She decided that she would watch this no more. As the sword came flying down at the boy she jumped from the bushes, grabbed him, and sprang away, the sword missing her by a hair's width.
'Creepy' jerked her head up at this new pest. "Who are you that dares to interfere with me?" she asked, her eyes seeming to have a fire within them. The girl was nearly frozen by 'Creepy's' eyes. The irises were red. A chill ran down her spine.
"I can't answer that question, but why would you kill a little boy?"
'Creepy' smirked. "I will do whatever I have to in order to get what I want. Besides, what is a meager little boy, or lack of, anyway? But if you must know why, it is to make his mother suffer, of course."
This angered the girl. She set the boy down and turned back to 'Creepy.' "What is your name?" she asked.
The woman smiled icily.
"Luvair." The girl didn't hesitate and truck at Luvair, trying to kick her legs out from under her. Luvair dodged it easily and only smiled.
"Aaah, so you want to fight do you? Well then, let us make it fair." She stuck her sword in the ground, never letting the smile leave her face. The girl let a growl like noise escape her lips.
"You're stalling," she ground out.
"My my, we are hasty, aren't we?" she asked, taunting the girl. With speed born of anger, she shot her hand out at Luvair, hitting her chin with the heel of her hand. Luvair's head snapped up, but her body didn't move from the impact.
Slowly, her head tilted back down, the smile gone from her face. She attacked the girl, trying to hit her in the neck. The girl's body took over again, just like before. She did a back flip. Just as her hands touched the ground, her back arched and with her feet in the air, she placed each foot on either side of Luvair's neck to grab her with them.
She continued through with the back flip, pulling her leg up over her and releasing Luvair as she threw her through the air. She flew into a tree. The girl winced when she heard a crack as Luvair's shoulder was dislocated.
The girl turned around; Luvair was probably out cold. The girl began making her way towards the woman on the ground, but stopped when she heard a popping noise. She turned around and saw Luvair standing there with a smirk on her face. She had relocated her own shoulder.
The girl ducked as Luvair jumped at her, flying over her head. For some reason it didn't seem like that had been an attack. Luvair landed next to her sword, pulled it from the ground, and jumped into the nearest tree.
"I will see you again," she said as she jumped away, seeming to disappear. The girl turned back around and jogged to the bleeding woman. The woman looked up at her, her eyes widening in shock.
"Erin?" she asked. The girl froze. 'Erin?'
"Do you know me?" she asked hesitantly. Yes, don't you remember me? I am Ilthilien. I met you in Mirkwood many months ago."
The girl shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I don't remember anything."
"Yes you are Erin, I am sure of it, but I heard that you were dead. You are alive, you must sa-" she was cut off as a bout of pain seized her. She sucked a sharp breath in through clenched teeth, squeezing her eyes shut. Slowly, she opened them again continuing what she was saying.
"You must save Prince Legolas. He will die if you do not go to him."
Legoals. That name struck a chord in her mind. She felt the beginnings of a headache begin to creep into her. Ilthilien continued.
"Please care for Shinta," she said, her eyes pleading with Erin. Erin turned and looked at the boy, then back to Ilthilien, questioning in her eyes. Ilthilien nodded, indicating that that was Shinta.
"He is my son. I beg of you pl-" Her face contorted in pain.
"I will take care of him," Erin said. Ilthilien smiled and closed her eyes, her body going limp. Shinta ran to his mother's side, crying. Erin scooped him up quickly, cradling his small form against her.
"Naneth!" he cried out. "Naneth!!!"
Erin felt tears coming to her eyes. She stopped them. She had to be strong for the boy. Naneth. That word registered in her mind. It was Elvish. It meant mother. Elvish. The little boy was an Elf. Her headache began to get worse. She was remembering something, that thought stuck in her mind.
She stood and walked over to a tree, sitting down against the trunk with the little boy still in her arms, rocking him back and forth until he slept. When she felt him go limp, she set him down next to the tree, walking over to his mother.
Erin grabbed a nearby rock and began to dig, setting about the huge task of digging a grave.
She stacked the last of the fist sized rocks on top of the grave, adequately marking it as such. She looked over at the small child, curled into a fetal position against the tree. She walked over to him and picked him up, careful not to wake him.
Erin began to walk away from the place, determined to never return to this spot of death again. She turned Shinta so that he faced her, his head resting on her shoulder and his arms hanging limply at his sides. She hugged him closer to her, taking comfort in his presence.
The boy whimpered in his sleep and Erin began rubbing his back soothingly. She blanched as her stomach growled. She was going to have to find food soon.
Frustration. She felt so much frustration. It was eating away at her mind. Erin sat down, with the boy still sleeping in her arms, and held the one berry she could find. She looked at it longingly as her stomach growled. She shook the boy gently, waking him. He looked up at her.
"Naneth?" he asked quietly. Erin sighed, wondering how she should go about this.
"No, I'm not your mother, but I will be taking care of you from now on."
He looked at her. "Then what should I call you?" he asked.
"I don't know. You can call me whatever you want. My name is Erin, I think."
Shinta seemed to ponder this a moment. "I will call you muinthel."
Erin smiled. Muinthel meant sister. She gave him the lone berry and watched him eat it slowly. Her eyes widened as tears formed in the boy's eyes.
"I miss naneth," he sobbed. Erin hugged him and, in an attempt to distract him, began asking him questions.
"So your name is Shinta?" He looked up at her and sniffled, rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hands. He nodded, not speaking.
"Well Shinta, how old are you?"
"Four."
"I noticed that you have pointy ears. Where'd you get those?" she asked.
He let a giddy grin cross his face. "From my parents, of course. You're silly!" he cried, laughing a little. Erin smiled down at him. His eyes became questioning and she waited for him to aske about whatever was on his mind.
"Are you Prince Legolas's wife?" he asked, tilting his head in curiosity.
"I-" she had to think about this one. "I don't know. That name sounds so familiar, but I don't remember who it belongs to."
"Why don't you remember?"
"I don't know that either."
"Lots of people said that you were dead," Shinta declared. "Everybody was talking about it for some reason." Erin thought about that. Everyone thinks that she's dead?
"You need to save Prince Legolas," the little boy said.
"Save him from what?"
"He's dying."
"Why is he dying?"
"Because you died," he said matter-of-factly.
Erin paled. "What am I to Legolas?" she asked, her voice shaky.
"I don't know, but he must've loved you bunches to go through Morn Methed."
"Morn Methed?"
"Yup, we need to go to him n-"
Erin clamped a hand over the boy's mouth as she heard something coming towards them. It was the sound of a horse running. She raised a finger to her lips in a motion for the boy to remain silent. He nodded and she removed her hand from his mouth, lifting him up into a tree branch.
"You climb higher," she whispered. "Don't come down unless I tell you to. If something happens to me then hide. Once it's over, if I don't come back, go find somebody to help you. Got it?" He nodded.
She crouched down into the bushes and waited as the sound came nearer. She grabbed a nearby branch and waited for the horse to burst through the bushes next to her. Quickly, she stood and held the branch in front of the person's neck so that it knocked them off the horse. He fell to the ground with a loud thud and an 'oof.'
Erin continued to hold the branch, ready to pummel the person with it if the need arose. He groaned and opened his eyes after he caught his breath. Erin watched as his eyes began to clear. She took this time to study his face. Her jaw dropped. He was beyond attractive. She stared as recognition flickered through his eyes.
'Erin!" he cried, leaping from the ground and pulling her into a tight embrace. She dropped the stick and didn't speak, too shocked to do so. She continued to stare as he crushed her to him. Finally, she found her voice.
"Um, who are you?" she felt him stiffen. Slowly, he pulled back from her. She searched his eyes, which seemed confused and hurt.
"Are you not Erin?" he asked.
"People have called me by that name, but I'm afraid that I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"No, I don't remember anything."
"You don't remember anything?"
"No! What is it with you and repeating me! Do you have some kind of mental problem or something?!" She was growing annoyed with the man and felt an insatiable urge to smack him upside the head.
He reached for the skirt of her dress, causing her to jerk away quickly.
"So you're not only mentally retarded but a pervert too?!"
He smiled sheepishly. "Same old Erin, even if you don't remember anything." She eyed him as he reached for the skirt of her dress again, this time slowly.
Because it wasn't sewn together, he was able to pull the pieces slightly apart without exposing too much skin. His eyes widened when he saw the scar.
"It is you! Quickly, you need to come with me!"
She snickered. "On what?" she asked, smirking at his predicament. He looked around. The horse had run away.
"Then call him. He will come to you."
"Why would he come to ME?" she asked, still smirking, convinced that this guy was completely loony.
"Because it is Aegnor."
She felt a crack in her mind, like a dam holding back too much water, about to break from the pressure. It was quick and soon disappeared. Her whole body had jerked at this. The man stared at her as she clutched her head.
"What's wrong?" he asked, genuine concern in his eyes.
She straightened up. "Nothing is wrong with me, you're the retarded one." He looked skeptical, but didn't say anything else.
"What is your name anyways, your idiot lordship?"
"My my, you're in a bad mood today. Esgalan. My name is Esgalan."
CRACK
Another crack snaked across the dam of her mind.
She fell to her knees, squeezing her eyes shut and clutching her head in pain. It felt like her mind was ripping in two. She let out a scream of anguish as there was a sudden throb of pain, then it went away. She opened her eyes and saw Esgalan kneeling next to her, his hand on her back.
"What is wrong?" he asked, his tone of voice telling her that he wouldn't take 'nothing, retard' for an answer.
"My head, when you said those names............ It felt like it was ripping in two."
His eyes narrowed as he picked her up off the ground, helping her stand.
"We must hurry, call Aegnor."
She gave him a look of disbelief, but did as he bid. She raised her hands up to her mouth and called out.
"Aegnor! It seemed to echo through the woods. She looked at Esgalan."
"You see, it didn't-" she began, but Esgalan motioned for her to be quiet.
"Wait," he whispered. She waited, and was surprised when she heard hoof beats coming towards them. She looked up as a large black horse burst through the bushes and ran to her, stamping his feet in excitement.
"He remembers you. He never does that for me," Esgalan said, staring at Erin. Erin reached up to his head tentatively, jerking back when he snorted. She laughed as he rubbed his head playfully against her arm. Esgalan turned to her, not wating anymore time.
"Come, we must go to Legolas before it is too late." He grabbed her and lifted her up to the horse. He jumped on behind her and was about to go forward when she stopped him.
"Hold on." She jumped off the horse and ran to a tree as Esgalan looked on curiously. Her eyes searched for the boy, finally falling upon his small form. Erin lifted her arms up for him to jump into.
"Come on, Shinta, it's alright."
Alowly, the boy began climbing down until she was able to grab him. She pulled his small form to her body, waiting as he wrapped his arms around her neck and his legs around her wait, resting his cheek on her shoulder.
Esgalan stared in awe. "You and Legolas...... you guys had a.......... a........"
Erin looked up at him. "Huh? I was going through the woods and saw him and his mother. She died, so I'm taking care of him. Her name was Ilthilien."
"Oh.......... so Ilthilien has fallen." He didn't say another word as she got back up on the horse, with the boy still held tightly in her arms, and began to walk forward.
NOTE: Shinta is pronounced Sheenta.
The girl sat down beside a stream, rubbing her aching feet and cursing herself for not grabbing shoes. She contemplated what she knew. Okay, some people said she killed an entire town. Had she? She searched her memory, trying desperately to pull the answers she searched for from its depths. Still, nothing came. She grabbed her head in frustration, and was about to let out an angry scream when she heard something.
Slowly, she let her hands drop to the ground as she listened to the woods, trying to pick up the sound again. There it was. A smell caught her nose and she tilted her head, inhaling the scent deeply. Blood. She stood and walked silently through the woods. She cautiously peeked through the bushes in front of her, then nearly gasped aloud.
There was a woman on the ground, bleeding. A small boy was crouched next to her, probably no more than four years old. She was about to step out of the bushes to help when something caught her eye. Light glinted off of a blade.
Her head turned as she looked upon the form of a beautiful woman wearing a cloak. A sword was held limply at her side, the tip of the blade pointed down, blood dripping from it.
The girl was about to jump from the bushes when she heard what the woman said.
"I already asked you one. Now tell me where Efalu is or I will kill your son right before your eyes."
A chill ran down the girl's spine at the cold voice of the cloaked woman. The bleeding woman on the ground spoke. Her voice was weak, but full of defiance.
"I already told you, I don't know who Efalu is!"
'Creepy,' as the girl had decided to call her, raised her sword up, ready to kill the boy. She decided that she would watch this no more. As the sword came flying down at the boy she jumped from the bushes, grabbed him, and sprang away, the sword missing her by a hair's width.
'Creepy' jerked her head up at this new pest. "Who are you that dares to interfere with me?" she asked, her eyes seeming to have a fire within them. The girl was nearly frozen by 'Creepy's' eyes. The irises were red. A chill ran down her spine.
"I can't answer that question, but why would you kill a little boy?"
'Creepy' smirked. "I will do whatever I have to in order to get what I want. Besides, what is a meager little boy, or lack of, anyway? But if you must know why, it is to make his mother suffer, of course."
This angered the girl. She set the boy down and turned back to 'Creepy.' "What is your name?" she asked.
The woman smiled icily.
"Luvair." The girl didn't hesitate and truck at Luvair, trying to kick her legs out from under her. Luvair dodged it easily and only smiled.
"Aaah, so you want to fight do you? Well then, let us make it fair." She stuck her sword in the ground, never letting the smile leave her face. The girl let a growl like noise escape her lips.
"You're stalling," she ground out.
"My my, we are hasty, aren't we?" she asked, taunting the girl. With speed born of anger, she shot her hand out at Luvair, hitting her chin with the heel of her hand. Luvair's head snapped up, but her body didn't move from the impact.
Slowly, her head tilted back down, the smile gone from her face. She attacked the girl, trying to hit her in the neck. The girl's body took over again, just like before. She did a back flip. Just as her hands touched the ground, her back arched and with her feet in the air, she placed each foot on either side of Luvair's neck to grab her with them.
She continued through with the back flip, pulling her leg up over her and releasing Luvair as she threw her through the air. She flew into a tree. The girl winced when she heard a crack as Luvair's shoulder was dislocated.
The girl turned around; Luvair was probably out cold. The girl began making her way towards the woman on the ground, but stopped when she heard a popping noise. She turned around and saw Luvair standing there with a smirk on her face. She had relocated her own shoulder.
The girl ducked as Luvair jumped at her, flying over her head. For some reason it didn't seem like that had been an attack. Luvair landed next to her sword, pulled it from the ground, and jumped into the nearest tree.
"I will see you again," she said as she jumped away, seeming to disappear. The girl turned back around and jogged to the bleeding woman. The woman looked up at her, her eyes widening in shock.
"Erin?" she asked. The girl froze. 'Erin?'
"Do you know me?" she asked hesitantly. Yes, don't you remember me? I am Ilthilien. I met you in Mirkwood many months ago."
The girl shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I don't remember anything."
"Yes you are Erin, I am sure of it, but I heard that you were dead. You are alive, you must sa-" she was cut off as a bout of pain seized her. She sucked a sharp breath in through clenched teeth, squeezing her eyes shut. Slowly, she opened them again continuing what she was saying.
"You must save Prince Legolas. He will die if you do not go to him."
Legoals. That name struck a chord in her mind. She felt the beginnings of a headache begin to creep into her. Ilthilien continued.
"Please care for Shinta," she said, her eyes pleading with Erin. Erin turned and looked at the boy, then back to Ilthilien, questioning in her eyes. Ilthilien nodded, indicating that that was Shinta.
"He is my son. I beg of you pl-" Her face contorted in pain.
"I will take care of him," Erin said. Ilthilien smiled and closed her eyes, her body going limp. Shinta ran to his mother's side, crying. Erin scooped him up quickly, cradling his small form against her.
"Naneth!" he cried out. "Naneth!!!"
Erin felt tears coming to her eyes. She stopped them. She had to be strong for the boy. Naneth. That word registered in her mind. It was Elvish. It meant mother. Elvish. The little boy was an Elf. Her headache began to get worse. She was remembering something, that thought stuck in her mind.
She stood and walked over to a tree, sitting down against the trunk with the little boy still in her arms, rocking him back and forth until he slept. When she felt him go limp, she set him down next to the tree, walking over to his mother.
Erin grabbed a nearby rock and began to dig, setting about the huge task of digging a grave.
She stacked the last of the fist sized rocks on top of the grave, adequately marking it as such. She looked over at the small child, curled into a fetal position against the tree. She walked over to him and picked him up, careful not to wake him.
Erin began to walk away from the place, determined to never return to this spot of death again. She turned Shinta so that he faced her, his head resting on her shoulder and his arms hanging limply at his sides. She hugged him closer to her, taking comfort in his presence.
The boy whimpered in his sleep and Erin began rubbing his back soothingly. She blanched as her stomach growled. She was going to have to find food soon.
Frustration. She felt so much frustration. It was eating away at her mind. Erin sat down, with the boy still sleeping in her arms, and held the one berry she could find. She looked at it longingly as her stomach growled. She shook the boy gently, waking him. He looked up at her.
"Naneth?" he asked quietly. Erin sighed, wondering how she should go about this.
"No, I'm not your mother, but I will be taking care of you from now on."
He looked at her. "Then what should I call you?" he asked.
"I don't know. You can call me whatever you want. My name is Erin, I think."
Shinta seemed to ponder this a moment. "I will call you muinthel."
Erin smiled. Muinthel meant sister. She gave him the lone berry and watched him eat it slowly. Her eyes widened as tears formed in the boy's eyes.
"I miss naneth," he sobbed. Erin hugged him and, in an attempt to distract him, began asking him questions.
"So your name is Shinta?" He looked up at her and sniffled, rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hands. He nodded, not speaking.
"Well Shinta, how old are you?"
"Four."
"I noticed that you have pointy ears. Where'd you get those?" she asked.
He let a giddy grin cross his face. "From my parents, of course. You're silly!" he cried, laughing a little. Erin smiled down at him. His eyes became questioning and she waited for him to aske about whatever was on his mind.
"Are you Prince Legolas's wife?" he asked, tilting his head in curiosity.
"I-" she had to think about this one. "I don't know. That name sounds so familiar, but I don't remember who it belongs to."
"Why don't you remember?"
"I don't know that either."
"Lots of people said that you were dead," Shinta declared. "Everybody was talking about it for some reason." Erin thought about that. Everyone thinks that she's dead?
"You need to save Prince Legolas," the little boy said.
"Save him from what?"
"He's dying."
"Why is he dying?"
"Because you died," he said matter-of-factly.
Erin paled. "What am I to Legolas?" she asked, her voice shaky.
"I don't know, but he must've loved you bunches to go through Morn Methed."
"Morn Methed?"
"Yup, we need to go to him n-"
Erin clamped a hand over the boy's mouth as she heard something coming towards them. It was the sound of a horse running. She raised a finger to her lips in a motion for the boy to remain silent. He nodded and she removed her hand from his mouth, lifting him up into a tree branch.
"You climb higher," she whispered. "Don't come down unless I tell you to. If something happens to me then hide. Once it's over, if I don't come back, go find somebody to help you. Got it?" He nodded.
She crouched down into the bushes and waited as the sound came nearer. She grabbed a nearby branch and waited for the horse to burst through the bushes next to her. Quickly, she stood and held the branch in front of the person's neck so that it knocked them off the horse. He fell to the ground with a loud thud and an 'oof.'
Erin continued to hold the branch, ready to pummel the person with it if the need arose. He groaned and opened his eyes after he caught his breath. Erin watched as his eyes began to clear. She took this time to study his face. Her jaw dropped. He was beyond attractive. She stared as recognition flickered through his eyes.
'Erin!" he cried, leaping from the ground and pulling her into a tight embrace. She dropped the stick and didn't speak, too shocked to do so. She continued to stare as he crushed her to him. Finally, she found her voice.
"Um, who are you?" she felt him stiffen. Slowly, he pulled back from her. She searched his eyes, which seemed confused and hurt.
"Are you not Erin?" he asked.
"People have called me by that name, but I'm afraid that I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"No, I don't remember anything."
"You don't remember anything?"
"No! What is it with you and repeating me! Do you have some kind of mental problem or something?!" She was growing annoyed with the man and felt an insatiable urge to smack him upside the head.
He reached for the skirt of her dress, causing her to jerk away quickly.
"So you're not only mentally retarded but a pervert too?!"
He smiled sheepishly. "Same old Erin, even if you don't remember anything." She eyed him as he reached for the skirt of her dress again, this time slowly.
Because it wasn't sewn together, he was able to pull the pieces slightly apart without exposing too much skin. His eyes widened when he saw the scar.
"It is you! Quickly, you need to come with me!"
She snickered. "On what?" she asked, smirking at his predicament. He looked around. The horse had run away.
"Then call him. He will come to you."
"Why would he come to ME?" she asked, still smirking, convinced that this guy was completely loony.
"Because it is Aegnor."
She felt a crack in her mind, like a dam holding back too much water, about to break from the pressure. It was quick and soon disappeared. Her whole body had jerked at this. The man stared at her as she clutched her head.
"What's wrong?" he asked, genuine concern in his eyes.
She straightened up. "Nothing is wrong with me, you're the retarded one." He looked skeptical, but didn't say anything else.
"What is your name anyways, your idiot lordship?"
"My my, you're in a bad mood today. Esgalan. My name is Esgalan."
CRACK
Another crack snaked across the dam of her mind.
She fell to her knees, squeezing her eyes shut and clutching her head in pain. It felt like her mind was ripping in two. She let out a scream of anguish as there was a sudden throb of pain, then it went away. She opened her eyes and saw Esgalan kneeling next to her, his hand on her back.
"What is wrong?" he asked, his tone of voice telling her that he wouldn't take 'nothing, retard' for an answer.
"My head, when you said those names............ It felt like it was ripping in two."
His eyes narrowed as he picked her up off the ground, helping her stand.
"We must hurry, call Aegnor."
She gave him a look of disbelief, but did as he bid. She raised her hands up to her mouth and called out.
"Aegnor! It seemed to echo through the woods. She looked at Esgalan."
"You see, it didn't-" she began, but Esgalan motioned for her to be quiet.
"Wait," he whispered. She waited, and was surprised when she heard hoof beats coming towards them. She looked up as a large black horse burst through the bushes and ran to her, stamping his feet in excitement.
"He remembers you. He never does that for me," Esgalan said, staring at Erin. Erin reached up to his head tentatively, jerking back when he snorted. She laughed as he rubbed his head playfully against her arm. Esgalan turned to her, not wating anymore time.
"Come, we must go to Legolas before it is too late." He grabbed her and lifted her up to the horse. He jumped on behind her and was about to go forward when she stopped him.
"Hold on." She jumped off the horse and ran to a tree as Esgalan looked on curiously. Her eyes searched for the boy, finally falling upon his small form. Erin lifted her arms up for him to jump into.
"Come on, Shinta, it's alright."
Alowly, the boy began climbing down until she was able to grab him. She pulled his small form to her body, waiting as he wrapped his arms around her neck and his legs around her wait, resting his cheek on her shoulder.
Esgalan stared in awe. "You and Legolas...... you guys had a.......... a........"
Erin looked up at him. "Huh? I was going through the woods and saw him and his mother. She died, so I'm taking care of him. Her name was Ilthilien."
"Oh.......... so Ilthilien has fallen." He didn't say another word as she got back up on the horse, with the boy still held tightly in her arms, and began to walk forward.
