"I love you Lala..." Her mother had said this with such sadness. Isollde didn't understand. When The Seekers came into Li'ein her mother had told her it was only a game.
"Just a big game of Hide and Seek, Lala. Nothing to be afraid of." But the look on her face had said otherwise. A game doesn't last this long... and when Triem and her had played hide and seek with the other Li'ein children, there had never been so much screaming... or spell casting... or orc's.
She was missing something. Even her young mind could see; the pieces didn't match up. Isollde pulled her cloak tighter around her, thinking over the situation. The sun was just slipping through the canopy of the forest for the first time. Its slivers of yellow light, danced back and forth over the clearing floor, making new shadows and shapes that were changing every minute.
"I've been here all night..." Isollde muttered to herself. Her eyes began welling up with tears. It was a mixture of things, anger, hunger, frustration, and confusion. Not fear though. She had always been a little too stubborn to be afraid. "It can't take this long to get to To'ladr and back..."
She sat quiet for a minute almost waiting for someone with a better answer to speak up. Her stomach lurched up and down, protesting in anger from lack of food. "Oh hush you..." She was in no mood.
Isollde cupped her face in her hands, still considering The Game, and The Seekers. She had always been told the Orc's were not a friendly group to get too close to... so why would they want to play any game with anyone? Unfriendly people never seemed to have the knack for games.
She sighed to herself again, "This is just silly, and I'm leaving!" Isollde said almost as if trying to convince herself it was the right thing to do. "But what about your promise, Lala?" A small voice inside her spoke up, finally.
"It doesn't matter what I promised. She isn't coming back. She was caught, with the others. This can't be game!" She whispered back to the voice, her eyes now brimming over with salty tears. "But why would Mommy say it was a game when it wasn't? Mother's don't lie, ya know!" The voice inside her rebutted back.
Isollde's tiny fists were balled up and digging into the dirt. "SHE ISN'T COMING BACK! IF SHE WAS SHE'D BE HERE!" She screamed into the empty clearing. Her small voice bounced off the trees and came back to her. The voice inside of her had no answer for this. There was only silence now, that was broken every once in a while by her own sob, or hiccup.
She wasn't coming back... could that really be true? Isollde looked out into the clearing again. "I'll be back for you as soon as I find your father and brother, I promise..." Her mother had promised... "Just wait for me and stay hidden..."