Disclaimer: I do not own 'Shadows of Amn', the 'Forgotten Realms' or any characters therein. Wizards of the Coast do, at my last check. Lucky them.
I do, however, own Fritha and certain other characters and plot points. Basically, if you don't recognise it from the game, it's probably mine.

– Blackcross & Taylor

With aspect stern

Anomen took another long draft of water, smoothing a hand a cross his mouth as he set the cup down, the plate and knife before him chiming slightly with the jolt only to be lost in the low rumble of the surrounding common room. His breakfast finished, he leant back in his chair with a satisfied sigh, his eyes drifting over the other patrons as they too took their first meal, unable to stop a smile pulling at his mouth as the previous day's events came back to him.

If his visit to the temple had not been inspiring enough, with the High Watcher so full of grave praise, Anomen's meeting with Sir Ryan Trawl had been no less encouraging. The man sat austerely behind the heavy oak desk, listening to his report of the last few days' travel before heartily commending him on his works so far and perhaps, Anomen considered, knighthood was closer than he'd first thought. Though he had been unwilling to let his mind linger on this, and had not even mentioned his hopes to his friends in the end; Simon catching him outside the dormitories with a couple of other squires he was not so well acquainted with.

Anomen sighed as the maid arrived to clear the table. He had meant to use the rest of his afternoon to visit his sister, but Simon had been eager to hear about his travels, the four of them going to the local tavern "for a quick half" as his friend had put it, and before Anomen had known it, the moon was high and he was onto his third ale.

Something he had rather regretted that morning, the day beginning early, as it had; a knock at his door dragging him from his bed to reveal Fritha, a dark bruise at her temple and a pile of clean laundry in her arms.
They had worked out between them which of the clothes were his and she'd left him with a smile, going to awaken the next unfortunate friend, while he'd returned to sleep, rising an hour or so later to find the others already at breakfast.

Anomen frowned slightly as the door of the tavern banged open, though more out of habit than any real displeasure, watching as a group of unfamiliar mercenaries wandered up to the bar. Jaheira and Fritha had left just as he'd arrived, to attend their meeting with the thief master, Renal Bloodscalp, and though Anomen knew he would not be able to accompany them in any unlawful acts the man would no doubt suggest, he was very mindful of the decision he had made to stay with their company, and had kept his comments on such to a minimum.

And, one by the one, the others had left as well, drifting back to their rooms to prepare for the day and leaving him alone at the table, the previous evening's excesses making breakfast a slow campaign, and he must have been there for at least an hour before he'd finally finished.
Anomen glanced up again as the door banged open once more, not really expecting it to be the pair and he was on his feet before he could draw breath, his chair clattering to the floor behind him as he rushed to help Fritha, the girl almost collapsing under the weight of the woman she was supporting.

'What happened?' he cried, his suspicions instantly turning to the thief master as he caught Jaheira about the shoulders, taking her weight from Fritha and the girl straightening to answer him.

'I- I don't know. She didn't come into the guild with me and when I came out, she was slumped on the steps just up from the quays. She says she's been cursed!'

Jaheira drew a rasping breath, her voice hoarse.

'Pl- Ployer, blight his soul!' she croaked, her fury evident even in her weakened state, the woman struggling to stand a moment before slumping once more in his grasp and Fritha looked stricken.

'Come on, help me get her upstairs; where's Aerie?'

Anomen lifted Jaheira easily, carrying her upstairs, Fritha opening the druid's door before tearing along the hallway to rouse Aerie, the elf already panicked by Fritha's wild appearance. Together the three of them settled Jaheira in her bed, Aerie running back to her room for her bag, lighting the fire with a word and emptying her flask into a small iron pot and hanging it over the flames, adding various herbs as it heated and infusing the room with the heavy woody scent.

At last, it was declared ready, the elf spooning some into a waiting cup and adding more water to cool it before passing the mixture to Fritha, the girl helping Jaheira to sit, her hands steady as she held it to the woman's lips. Anomen watched as the druid finished it by sips, the cup returned to Aerie with a grateful glance as Fritha settled the woman back on her pillows and finally Jaheira drew a deep fractured breath and spoke.

'Ployer… it was Baron Ployer. He was a slaver here years ago, breeding people like animals in Calimshan!' she spat with real venom, her anger still strong even after all that time.

'I was with the group of Harpers that exposed him. It would have been more fitting for him to hang, but the courts decided seizing his assets was enough of a punishment. He was left destitute and I thought it an end to the matter. Ployer clearly considered otherwise.'
Jaheira drew a breath, her throat catching and her voice was suddenly lost to hoarse coughing, Fritha hurrying to refill her cup with water, the woman spilling half of it as her frame shook, until at last she managed to take a long draft, the fit subsiding enough for her to continue.

'I- I ran in to him as I waited for you on the docks, though our meeting turned out to be no mere coincidence. We were arguing and then a group of mages appeared; I do not know how many, but they all wore black robes… black with green trim. There was a flash, and suddenly I could barely stand. And Ployer, that wretch, was stood over me crowing about how I would now suffer a long and wasting death!'

'A curse,' breathed Aerie at his side. 'Oh, Jaheira…'

'I'm not dead yet!' the woman snapped fiercely. 'Before he left, he spoke of Belgrade. He was a Harper informant, a merchant by trade, and he helped us to expose Ployer. Bernard, the barman downstairs, is used to pass messages through the network… he- he might know where to find him.'

A final heavy sigh and Jaheira slumped back into the pillows again, not unconscious, but the effort of speaking had clearly been exhausting for her.

'She should really get some rest,' said Aerie gently and Fritha nodded, rising from the bed and turning to ask in an undertone, 'how- how long do we have?'

Aerie hesitated, glancing quickly to her patient.
'Well, I- I've never seen this kind of curse before, it has taken hold very quickly… I- I think about a day, perhaps longer.'

Fritha swallowed, her face set, the ashen pallor of her skin the only thing to betray her distress.
'We should get going. Aerie can you-?'

'Of course,' the elf cut in with uncharacteristic firmness and Fritha gave her a wan smile as she turned to leave, Anomen moving to follow her, a thin croak from the bed halting them both.

'Wait… Fritha…'

Fritha glanced up to him, nodding for him to continue on out as she turned back to Jaheira, the woman wearing a soft look he had never seen before, Aerie pointedly turning to busy herself over the fireplace and give them some privacy. And the last thing he saw as he closed the door was Fritha sinking on the edge of the bed, Jaheira moving a frail hand up to brush the stray curls from the girl's face as she spoke.

Anomen moved purposefully along the hallway, rousing first Nalia and then Minsc and bidding them to the common room to await Fritha, the grim set of his face forestalling even the ranger's questions. Just a moment to visit his own room for his cloak and weapon, and he returned to the hall as Jaheira's door opened once more, Fritha appearing in the hallway.

He watched as she pulled the door closed behind her and leant back against the wood with a sigh, her eyes raised in silent query to the ceiling. For a moment he thought she might cry, and he hovered in his doorway, unsure whether his presence would be a help or hindrance. But before he could decide, she'd pushed herself upright with a deep breath and walked off down the corridor.

He waited a moment longer, unwilling to let the girl realise he may have seen her, and when he arrived downstairs she was already halfway through telling the others, Nalia stood with a hand at her mouth looking horrified while Minsc towered over them both, almost trembling with barely contained fury.

'He has cursed our druid? This is a crime against Nature herself and Minsc will make him pay!'

'Yes, well we've got to find him first,' snapped Fritha turning to stride up to the bar, the portly balding man behind it glancing up from the cup he was cleaning to give her a friendly nod.

'Yes, what can I get for y-?'

'You Bernard?' she cut in brusquely and the man nodded easily enough, though Anomen could not help but notice him pale slightly as well. 'I'm looking for Belgrade.'

Bernard gave her a bewildered smile.
'Well now, miss, I've not heard that name bef-'

'Perhaps Boo can help you to remember, yes?' rumbled Minsc, a large hand flying across the bar to grab him, and Fritha caught it just in time.

'Peace Minsc,' she soothed, a steel to her voice as she whirled back to Bernard, the man now flattened back against the bottled covered shelves behind him looking alarmed. 'We haven't time for this! I know about the Harpers and Jaheira is ill! Now where is he?'

'I- I don't know, miss,' he finally stuttered, relaxing somewhat as Minsc took a step back from the bar, 'I've not heard from him for nigh on a month or more now. He has a stall in the promenade, though he was talking about moving over to the bridge district once his lease ran out at the end of the season. More than that,' he shrugged, looking apologetic, 'I- I just don't know.'

Fritha nodded once.
'My thanks.'

The girl turned away from the bar, the others gathering round her as she spoke.
'Right. Minsc and Nalia, you two go and see if you can find Belgrade. He may know how to track down Ployer. Anomen and I will speak with the thieves' guild about his links to slavery here, see if we can find him that way.'

'He will not hide from Minsc and Boo,' the ranger roared with his usual enthusiasm, 'his evil will meet my sword this day!'
Fritha sent Nalia a frown as though wondering if she should not change their pairings, but the girl just smiled reassuringly, laying a hand upon the man's arm.

'Don't worry, we'll find him. Good hunting.'

Fritha nodded.
'To us both.'

xxx

Outside, the weather was still and close and Anomen felt his forehead bead, the humid air instantly condensing on his skin. Overhead the heavens were an arc of curdled white; a thin layer of hazy cloud holding in the sun's heat and the whole sky glowed with a strange glary light.

The two pairs stood a moment facing each other, a nod passing between them and Anomen watched as Nalia and Minsc turned eastwards to head to the promenade, Fritha stood at his side, facing the same way but her eyes were almost closed, her chin tilted up towards the dazzling sky.

'It will rain this afternoon,' she said eventually, turning to him, eyes shaded beneath a hand, 'you can feel it in the breeze, a certain weight to the air.'

He nodded and swallowed dryly, unsure of what to say, but she did not seem to expect a reply, turning to march westwards towards the docks, the crowds parting before her, none willing to stray into the path of so determined a stride.

Anomen followed, catching her easily and they walked on in a silence as heavy and uncomfortable as the air about them, his discomfort only growing until he could bear it no longer, the squire clearing his throat and finally breaking the stillness.

'My lady, how do you suppose Ployer knew where to find Jaheira?'

Fritha glanced up to him sharply; it was clear she was agitated and perhaps, he considered, she did not feel like talking, though her voice was as mild as ever it was as she answered him.
'I do not know, some sort of spell? Those mages with him sounded capable enough.'

'Perhaps,' he nodded, relieved she seemed willing to talk; there was something about the silence between them that day that felt even
more unbearable than usual. 'Or you could have been followed this morning, did you notice anyone?'

'No,' she sighed, returning her gaze to the path ahead of them, 'but then I wasn't looking, was I. We just walked over to the temple of Helm-'

'The temple of Helm?' he cut in, throwing her a surprised glance, 'why?'

Fritha shrugged.
'I wanted to see if they had caught any more of the cultists,'

And see if they fetched Sassar out as you asked them too, Anomen's mind prompted and he was unsure whether to be offended that she had not believed they would, or pleased that she has wanted to check.

'Sassar was there,' she added and he felt himself fighting against a smile despite their grim situation, the girl continuing oblivious, 'they have given him quarters above the temple and he spends his days helping out there and praying. He said that he and the other outcasts were guided out early this morning though some are still being treated in the temple infirmary; the path to the guardians was not a easy one, but they managed it. The avatar destroyed the artefact, and released the guardians to death; apparently they died singing their praises to Amaunator.'

There was a relief to her voice and Anomen realised that Sassar's quest to the guardians must have been a worry that had still been pressing on her. A slight guilt twinged in his stomach. If he was honest, he had thought no more on any of it since they had left the sewers.

'Then,' Fritha continued briskly, 'once we left the temple, we went straight to the docks. I went into the thieves' guild and Jaheira said she'd meet me outside later. I met with Renal, asked about work, left just under an hour later and you know the rest.'

'It took an hour to ask if he'd any work for us?' Anomen confirmed incredulously and she turned to give him a mildly irritated look.

'Well, yes. One does not just launch into such discussions. We took tea and talked idly over a couple of games of draughts. It was all very civilised, as men of uncivilised professions are often wont to be.'

Anomen turned his attention back to their path as silence held them again, the warm sandstone of the customs house slowly shifting into view as they followed the curve of the street, the moments passing slowly by when a sudden deep sigh broke the stillness.
He glanced down to Fritha, the girl's eyes still fixed ahead of them, her voice coming strange and soft, free of its previous terseness.

'Did you ever imagine life would be like this?'

Anomen blinked slowly.
'I- I'm sorry?'

She shrugged slightly, turning to look at him as they finally reached the customs house, the tunnel to the docks yawning dark before them.

'When you were younger, I mean. Did you even think it would be this…' her voice trailed off, the sudden shadow as they entered the tunnel making it hard to read her expression, though for just a moment he thought he saw a flicker of intense regret. But just as suddenly it was gone and the girl shook herself, the terseness about her once more. 'Just forget it.'

She went to step into the light and before he could stop himself, he had caught her arm to halt her, though he instantly dropped it again, embarrassed by his own forwardness.
'I, ah…'

And he wanted to tell her he understood. Tell her of his own disappointment sometimes, when he thought back to how his father had always stood in his way. How he'd had to struggle for everything he had ever wanted, and even then the man was a shadow over his life; any moment of pleasure always marred by some humiliating gossip of the bastard's drunken antics, or worry for his sister alone with the man in that joyless old house. But he just couldn't bring himself to speak of it, to simply announce feelings he usually kept so well buried…

'We will find Ployer, my lady,' he reassured with a hearty smile, and he felt his stomach twist at the emptiness of her look. She had been reaching out to someone and he had just dismissed her.

'Yes,' she answered eventually, her voice even as she stepped out into the glare of the docks. 'Yes, of course.'

xxx

The docks were cooler than the slums, a breeze coming in off the sea and Anomen could see dark clouds gathering on the horizon. Together they crossed the first terrace to the plain grey building that housed the local thieves' guild, Anomen struggling against a scowl as he thought of the corruption within.

'Right, wait here,' began Fritha, reaching for the door handle, and he put an arm out to halt her.

'I will not allow you to enter alone, my lady.'

The girl sighed, but seemed too tired to argue the point.
'Fine, just don't start anything.'

She pushed open the door and he followed her into the gloom, the room they entered large and airy, stairs leading off to the left of them, crates and chests stacked neatly about the rest of the room, though it was seemingly empty of people barring the three men sat at the foot of the stairs, the middle one rising as they approached. The man was shorter than him but only just, dark hair cropped so close his head was almost shaved, narrow eyes watching them both with clear contempt.
Anomen squared his shoulders, his breastplate creaking pointedly as Fritha stepped forward.

'You lost?' the thief began with a sneer, the two men behind him laughing quietly.

'No,' Fritha answered with no less disdain, eyes glancing about the room, 'where is the blond girl, Myrtle?'

'She ain't here. You can talk t' me.'

'Fine,' she sighed tersely, clearly trying to keep her patience, 'I need to see Renal. It's very urgent.'

The man raised an eyebrow.
'You got an appointment?'

'No, I-'

'If you ain't got an appointment, then you ain't going t' see him.'

'You tell her, Carter,' one of the men behind him laughed.

'Look,' snapped Fritha through gritted teeth and Anomen could hear the anger she was trying to suppress quivering in her voice as she continued in slow clipped tones, 'just ask him if he'll see me. My name is Fritha.'

But Carter merely snorted, stepping up to meet her toe to toe.

'I don't care what your name is! You ain't seeing him, now push off!'

The thief had raised a hand, clearly meaning to end his order with an encouraging shove to Fritha's shoulder and before Anomen had realised, he grabbed the wrist, twisting it angrily away from her.

'Do not presume to lay hands upon her, dog!'

Suddenly everything seemed to erupt, Carter's outraged cry almost drowned out by Fritha's shriek of 'Anomen!' The two companions leapt to their feet, everyone all shouting at once, when a pointed cough sounded above them and silence fell, Anomen turning to see a short wiry man of late middle age at the top of the stairs, shaggy dark hair greying at his temples whilst gimlet eyes surveyed them all with a frown.

Carter recovered first, bowing respectfully.
'Renal, these people wanted t' see you an-'

'So I gathered,' the thief master interrupted icily, barely sparing him a glance, his gaze trained unblinkingly on the girl before him, 'please show them up, Carter, I am sure I've a few moments to spare.'

'Milord,' he muttered sullenly, though he did as he was told, leading them up the stairs and showing them along the corridor to the small office, Renal already seated behind his desk and staring up at them with a cold anger.

'So, you have your audience, what is it you want?'

Fritha stepped forward with a quick bow, looking as though she was having to force herself to meet his eye.
'Your pardon first; it was not my intention to bring trouble to your guild.'

She held his gaze a moment longer, before she dropped her face and Anomen could hardly believe his eyes as the flush crept into her cheeks, her shame evident; she seemed to hold this thief in higher regard than all the priests and paladins she had met put together!
Renal watched her with a contemplative look, as though trying to discern whether her contrition was genuine before he sighed and Anomen was surprised to see him smiling faintly.

'Yes, I can believe that of you -though might I suggest a more restrained choice of bodyguard in the future,' he added with a pointed glance to him and Anomen returned the look with a scowl. Something which merely seemed to amuse the man further, the old thief continuing genially, all clearly forgiven. 'Now on to your question, Fritha.'

'What do you know of slavers in the city?'

'Slavers?' Renal repeated with mild surprise, 'the Shadow Thieves do not currently deal in the trade; Aran Linvail has no taste for it and I must say I agree with him.'

Fritha smiled faintly.
'That surely does not stop others. I do not need a list of names, I only wish to know of one called Ployer and where in the city he could be staying.'

Renal smiled broadly.
'Well, you are full of surprises. That is not a name I have heard spoken recently. He left the city in disgrace almost six years ago. I doubt he has any friends here, even among the slavers. Why are you looking for him?'

And so Fritha repeated to him all that Jaheira had told them, the thief finally shaking his head with a sigh.

'I am sorry, I can tell you no more than I have already. I will ask my people to keep an ear out for the name, but other than that, there is little more I can do. However, these mages you speak of may be your best lead. All mage groups must register with the Cowled Wizards over at the Council building.' Renal glanced to him with a dry smile. 'If they are lawful, that is.'

xxx

Anomen sighed, glad for the shade of the trees as the noon bells sounded across the city, the pair stood in the gardens in front of the Council buildings, Fritha next to him, leant back against the nearest trunk with her eyes closed and drawing deep slow breaths as she tried to calm herself.

Anomen understood her anger for it matched his own, the Cowled Wizards' representative, Corneil, barely sharing two words with them before dismissing her questions as nonsense, such a mage group not existing within the city; Fritha only just controlling her temper enough to march swiftly out and looking as though she was regretting such restraint now.

'That man,' the girl breathed, looking like she was fighting to keep herself from marching right back in there to give Corneil a piece of her mind and Anomen wondered whether he should bother to restrain her or not if the time came. But he was saved the decision as the doors of the building opened, a sandy haired man in clerk's robes appearing in the mouth, clearly glancing about for something before he noticed them and was suddenly hurrying across the grass.

'Excuse me, miss… I believe you have been looking for some associates of mine.'

Fritha sent him a stern look.
'The mages in green and black; Corneil knew nothing of you.'

The man shrugged.
'It is not for him to know. The Cowled Wizards watch mages closely, but there is still a high demand for mages to perform certain services. That is where my associates come in.'

'Certain services,' repeated Fritha, her voice icy, 'you mean like cursing people? Are you here to sell me the cure?'

To his credit, the clerk did not quail under her glare, though Anomen noticed the man could not meet her gaze as he continued.

'I- I understand the recent arrangement with Ployer has left one of your companions fighting for her life, though the power to lift the curse lies with him, not us. The current deal with Ployer is completed, though we are contracted to help Ployer once more, should you actually find his whereabouts. However,' he continued quickly, finally raising his eyes to her once more, 'I have been told to offer you an alternative. We could give you his location and make other arrangements for a fee, say one thousand gold pieces.'

'A thousand gold?' Anomen cried before he could stop himself and Fritha shot him a look, hefting her purse with a faint smile as she turned back to the clerk.

'I have barely half that.'

The man eyed her shrewdly and at last nodded once.
'I would not normally accept, but Ployer is a distasteful client even by our standards.'

She silently tossed him the purse; all the money they had been gifted by the temple and she did not even hesitate.
'You will find Ployer in the eastside of the slums, in a house next to a converted boat of all things. I look forward to not working with you. Good day.'

The man turned and disappeared back into the council building, Fritha instantly whirling to him with a sudden urgency.
'Come on!'

xxx

She drove them through the slums at a pace Anomen found hard to match, even with his superior height, striding through the labyrinth of streets and stopping only once to ask directions of a couple of grubby street children. One of them offered to show them the way, and it seemed only moment's later they were stood before a rundown old house, shutters hanging from the windows on rusted hinges, the rough wooden door looking little better.

Fritha stood silent, staring up at the building with a dark look and Anomen dismissed the boy with a few coppers, the child wishing him 'good business' and disappearing down the nearest ally, clearly sensing the trouble to come.
Fritha glanced to him, and he was pleased to see her manner soften slightly, though her voice remained hard.

'I do not know what to expect from Ployer, but his actions so far mark him as a coward. Be ready if he attempts to flee, we haven't time to find him again.'

He nodded once and she turned back to the door, lifting the latch and slowly pushing it open.

Inside, the house seemed to be little better, the room they entered small and gloomy, empty but for a low rickety table in one corner surrounded by a couple of faded misshapen cushions. Another doorway stood opposite them, something that Anomen could only describe as rags hanging across the mouth.

'Baron Ployer?' Fritha called, the curtain moving aside to reveal a short bony man, long dark hair scraped back off his gaunt face. He was dressed in a set of drab threadbare robes though he wore them proudly, as a man assured of his own superiority, fixing them with a guarded look.

'Do I know you?'

Fritha shook her head.
'No, but I believe you are more than acquainted with a friend of mine.'

The man scowled and Anomen watched as it slowly dawned on him.

'Jaheira…' he breathed, before his rage seemed to overwhelm him, his voice shrill as he continued with venom. 'Damn that Harper wench! Was it not enough that I have my livelihood taken from me, that I am to be robbed of my vengeance as well.'

Fritha snorted, her manner hard.
'Oh, I'm crying you a river, mate. If you had put half as much effort in to rebuilding your life as you had this petty revenge, you would not even be in this situation!'

'Impudent wench!' he shrieked, eyes wide in his drawn face, 'who are you to lecture me? Such arrogance reeks of the Harpers; you two are more of their ilk I assume.'

'You assume incorrectly, though that is neither here nor there,' she answered with supreme disdain, coolly laying a hand upon her sword hilt. 'Remove the curse, Ployer.'

The man gave a bark of laughter, an ugly smile twisting his mouth.
'Your threats are nothing! You came expecting a defenceless old man but I am more than prepared for this eventuality. Meet the hirelings my last favours paid for; I sleep under rags tonight, but they are well worth it. Kill them! Now!'

Silence. Ployer swallowed nervously, a ripple travelling his scrawny neck.

'Er, now?'
Fritha smiled broadly, advancing on him with measured predatory steps and Anomen expected her to draw her blade at any moment.
'That's the trouble with hired hands; give them a better offer and they may just jump ship.'

Ployer shrieked as her hand flew from nowhere to seize him by the neck of his robes, Fritha shaking him so hard he stumbled to his knees.

'Remove the curse, Ployer… NOW!'

From the control of before, her rage was surprising and Anomen watched impassively as Ployer choked and struggled in her grip to finally push a skeletal hand beneath the robes he wore and pass her a lock of soft brown hair.

'There, take it,' he gasped as she released him, collapsing back to stare malevolently up at her, 'I suppose now you will kill me?'

She leaned in close, her eyes hard and Anomen was sure the blow was mere moments away when a grim smile lit her features.
'Oh, no, Ployer, something much worse. I curse you with life in this misery you've engineered; I pray it is a long one.'

xxx

Outside, the bustle of the slums seemed chaotic and unreal, the cool breeze a welcome respite from the heat of the morning and Anomen wordlessly fell into step beside Fritha as they started back to the inn under a leaden sky.
Anomen swallowed. Her sudden fury after a morning of control had been surprising, but not as surprising as her eventual mercy, however harshly it had been presented.

He had never seen her in quite that light before, used to her mild and occasionally childish ways, and he felt unsure of himself with her now, as though the rules of their relationship had been re-written.

He let his gaze fall to her again, walking beside him in silence, her eyes trained on some point far ahead and heedless of the bustle around them.

'I thought you would kill him,' he said eventually, keeping his voice even though he watched her carefully for a reaction, but she merely shrugged.

'There seemed little point after he had given me the cure.'

'He could still do great harm to us, to others.'

'He won't do anything dead,' she snapped, the remnants of her temper still lingering in her mood, before she scrubbed a hand across her face to add calmly, 'if I had killed him then, it would have been out of anger, not need. You may not agree with my decision, butit was mine to make and I do not regret it.'

She sighed slightly, a weariness settling over her as she stared down at the lock of hair, the scarlet string that bound it bright against her palm.

'You seem tired,' he commented, but when she raised her eyes to him, they were bright once more.

'I'm fine.' She smiled warmly, quickening her pace. 'Come, let's get this back to Jaheira.'