I own ... most of the characters seen here, but not Caranthir, nor his famous or infamous father, nor the world all created by J. R. R. Tolkien.

Sanin pulled herself up by her hands digging her fingernails into a mountain trail broad enough for one elf to walk upon. When she had pulled her feet up onto it, she stood and turned to face the slowly receding back of her niece. As she began to follow, she spoke. "I must apologize, my greatly beloved niece for my foolishness."

Lathwinn stopped and spun her head. Her brown hair brushed the mountainside before her widened eyes pierced her aunt's. "'Apologize?' Whatever for?"

Sarnin stopped. Her mouth fell open. "What for? We fled for our lives from that fort I insisted on going to. Now we walk along hard mountain trails to avoid their rage on horseback. And you left your own beast back there! I know how attached your hearts were to one another!"

Lathwinn began to laugh. Her cheeks pinkened slightly showing her Laegrim heritage. Her eyes glinted like polished wood. "Oh Aunty, I've fled grumpy hosts many times before. And I know all their foolish laws! Why do you think I wouldn't let you go there by yourself?"

Sarnin fell silent. Her mouth and eyes opened further. Lathwinn's chin and gaze fell slightly as she continued. "I meant what I said. I know what it is to long for loved ones and desire to know their fates, to be separated by leagues' of distance and years of ignorance, and do all you can to remedy that. I came with you because I believed it right thing to do, as you did, to let Sarnhael's kin know of his life with us." Then Lathwinn smirked. "And worry not for my dear mare. They'll soon turn her loose, and she will return to the green fields bordering the north edge of our forest. Her heart is there as well as mine, and the elves of that fort will soon know of it."

. . .

The son of Feonor glared. His face greatly reminded his people of his father as that moment. He watched from the top of the steps into the lowest door of his citadel as the stable elf attempted to mount the brown mare in the open space between the bottom of those stairs and the fort's outer wall.

His expert horse-ellon was now simply trying to lay a light hand upon the brown mare's flank. Every time he approached her though, she shied away from his touch to the side a few steps before advancing forward several. Ever she kept one wary eye upon him.

When she began her stay with them, she had taken grain from his hand as well as oats, but ever since he'd tried to step off a stable door onto her back, and she had run out from under him letting him land on the floor and looked back as if to ask why he thought he'd earned such a privilege from her, she'd been running from him. The stable elf finally turned away shaking his head and approached his lord. "She will not let me near her, my lord."

The son of Feonor scowled at his stable master. "You mean this little brown mare prefers a wood elf to your Noldo hands?"

The stable elf's shoulders fell as he stared up at his lord the place between his brows creased in care. Caranthir lifted his eyes to watch the beast again. She now ran in a small loop as if unable to keep still and calm. Then the son of Feonor shifted his shoulders back and raised his chin toward the sky. "Very well. Set her loose. Let her return to those wild lands where anything might find and eat her."

The stable elf raised his eyebrows, but then he pursed his mouth and nodded. He turned and shouted to the soldiers far behind him. "Let her loose!"

After nods of their own, Noldo in armor ran to and began to turn the handles connected to many gears. Soon the sound of grating and grinding followed. The double gates began to lift.

As if she had no fear of the sounds roaring beside and in front of her, nor the sharp, but sand encrusted points at the bottom of the bars that had been stabbed deep into the ground keeping her in, the horse fled under them as soon as her ears were even with them. They brushed their inner sides as they passed between and through them giving a whinny of triumph.

. . .

The eyes of one Green Elf widened as he watched and listened from a nearby mountainside. "That is Lathwinn's horse!" Lastanan lay flat on an outcrop of stone watching the fort and listening for the voices of his kin to come to him from within. He heard his sister's mount's cry and saw the beast running out from under the gate and across the open space between it and the nearest mountain pass.

Manpalan shifted over the stone from his brother's right side to look over the edge of the outcropping. From there, his gaze followed the mare's flight from the fort after she had left his eldest brother's sight. "Which means Lathwinn cannot still be there. None of those who give their hearts to our sister including beasts abandon her so readily or happily."

Melarbeth let out a breath that stirred the dust before the stone he lay on behind Lastanan's feet. "Thank the Father of all things … Lathwinn would not have left without Sarnin. They both must have left this place together and be on their way home ..."

Ranthalion raised an eyebrow from where he watched the air above his brothers' backs staying in the crevice of stone, they had walked through to get there. His voice came out hard and flat. "But they left without the horse. Lathwinn would not have done that without great need. It must not have been a friendly parting."

Lastanan lifted his head high enough off the stone to nod before backing away on his forearms and toes. "Then let us move on from here. She and Aunt Sarnin must be taking a roundabout path horses cannot use to avoid their angered hosts patrols."

Melarbeth and Manpalan began moving back with him also on their forearms and toes. But Celuant had not moved from where he'd lain on Lastanan's left also staring at the fort. His form was stiff and gaze unwavering and unblinking. Melarbeth saw this and stopped his slow retreat. His voice was soft and musical voice as he spoke to the back of the Noldo's head. "Sarnhael?"

"In those days, I thought I had it in me to be at their sides forever … or as long as I lived."

Melarbeth whispered back. "From what I've heard of your tale you tried …"

"I did. I fought for them. Several times. I told them to ride away and leave me as orcs dragged me from my horse before slaying and butchering it and dragging me away to their master. I told my eldest younger brother to look after the rest as I had done in my stead ..."

Lastanan looked over his shoulder still lying on stone to exchange a glance with Ranthalion still standing shadowed inside the mountain crevice watching over their heads bow in hand. Manpalan raised his head dangerously high if anyone happened to look up at the rock outcropping. He thus watched his closest brother and the Noldo's exchange as Melarbeth continued with "But they sent you away from this fort long ago, so your oath was not broken as they released you from it."

"But it was. I said when we started out, 'They could not get rid of me. I would be there with them in their every folly …' I knew then their own oaths to follow and aid Feonor and his sons in their quest and obey them as they would the Valar was their priority."

Ranthalion stared down at the elf's back. "Then you were a fool. It is true we follow and love our sister, but she loves the Valar and Father of All, Singer of the Great Song, more than any of us."

Lastanan spoke low, but lightly. "She has her faults though. And she pays for them, but if we remain together letting our own strengths, wisdoms, and follies flow around and overlap each others we flourish for it."

Melarbeth canted his head a bit as he stared at the back of Sarnhael's head. "Was it that way with your family?"

Sarnhael did not look away from the fort as he answered. "It used to be …"

Ranthalion's nose wrinkled as he growled. "We waste time! I am going to find my kin whatever you have to say about or do to yours. You may do whatever you want!" He turned and began to stride back the way they'd come.

Manpalan crawled backward before rising to and turning on his knees into the crevice then standing up within it to stride after and follow. Lastanan raised his enough to turn it and follow his progress. Then he looked back to Celuant. "Are you coming?"

Sarnhael sighed. "Yes."

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God bless

ScribeofHeroes