Lairiel stiffened. "Nothing." her usually strong voice was weak. a lie, I know. she thought. "I am fine." though she clutched the cloth so tight her knuckles were white. She was thinking of Gabriel. And how he had left her for what seemed ages ago. But it felt like yesterday. A fresh tear coursed down her face. He had betrayed her. Betrayal stung more than anything else. "Is Holly awake?" she finally spoke in a rough whisper, her voice raw from the salty tears that also ran down her throat.

"I have been told I am a good listener," Morohtar said casually, his head resting against the tree. "It's not good to keep things bottled up either," he added idly. He did not want to push Lairiel, but he could not bare to see her in pain. Lairiel had done so much for him. The least he could do was return the favour. "Holly can sleep a little longer. I think she needs it."

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keep things bottled up...ha. I could never say the words outloud. She thought, even as more tears tracked down her face. "I appreciate your kindness, Morohtar, I really do..." she hesitated before continuing on, choosing her words carefully. "But with the load you already carry, I cannot ask you to carry my troubles on your shoulders as well." she whispered.

"Why not let me be the judge of what load I can carry?" He asked rhetorically of Lairiel. He turned to face Lairiel head on. "Come on Lairiel. You can talk to me. You can trust me."

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"I do not doubt you can carry much. But there are certain things that you do not need to carry. Especially with what you are going through with Holly. I will not be the one to place doubts in your mind because of my experiences." she turned her head away. It seemed as though she was old, yet, in that instant, she appeared to be younger, afraid, almost lost.

"Lairiel do not fear for Holly and me. We are strong. What is meant to be, will be no matter what you tell me." Morohtar glanced over at Holly. There was already doubts in his mind as to where they would end up. Before his eyes he could see Holly changing. He wondered if he would still love her when she stopped. "I do not want to push you Lairiel. If you do not want to talk I will let you be and go find some supplies. I really think you should talk to someone though. It might help."

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She closed her eyes. "I do not want you to fear what happened to me will happen to you." she whispered. "I loved a man. Loved him with my very soul. Then...one day...he just walked away. Told me he had never loved me, that he had only said it to please me. He led me on.." tears threatened again, and she fell silent.

"Then that man was a very stupid man," Morohtar said softly, placing his arms around Lairiel. "Don't let him plague your thoughts any longer. It was his loss...not yours." Morohtar whispered softly. "Those that cannot see your beauty, warm heart, intelligence and kindness are fools and do not deserve your time."

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"No, Morohtar. It bothers me because Gabriel was right in what he did." She whispered. "I know that. I am a ranger, and rangers cannot love. Let alone female rangers who tend to draw out the bad in people."

"That's not right and you know it. No occupation demands that you spend the rest of your life alone." Morohtar glanced over at Holly again. "If that was the case you would have advised Holly against our relationship. Surely Holly and I are an example of relationships with rangers working?" His eyes returned to Lairiel. "We all must feel the pain of betrayal. But you learn from the heartache. You learn where your boundaries are. You learn who you can trust and who you cannot. It makes you a stronger person, don't you think?"

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"I had already learned before him. I suspected, I believed him different. He was the last straw. There is no love for one such as I." she replied, closing her eyes. She had dreamed of settling down, dreamed of children...her eyes opened. Now she knew better, and now knew she would be a wanderer the rest of her life. "Sometimes, life does that to you."

"I wouldn't be so quick to say that love was not an option for you." Morohtar said thougtfully. "I would not let your experience so far taint your view of people. Some people may very well surprise you." Morohtar smiled to Lairiel. "No, Lairiel...I would not say you are destined to be a wanderer all your life..."

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"I thank you for the kind words, Morohtar.." there was doubt in her voice. "I hope..things are better for you." she whispered, hugging her knees to her chest.

Morohtar sighed softly. "Come now Lairiel, let us not wallow in self pity. Today is a new, bright and shiny day. Who knows what it may bring." He stood and shook the dirt from his knees. "We best get a move on," he said, holding his hand out to Lairiel with a kind smile.

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She snorted, then took his hand and stood, her body stiff. "Wake up Holly, we are not too far from Rohan by now." she picked up her pipe, which had dropped from her lap when she stood.

Morohtar embraced Lairiel gently. "Don't give up hope," he said quiet enough for just Lairiel to hear. He crossed over to Holly and helped her to her feet, before gathering her belongings and putting them away. "We should reach Rohan before dinner time," Morohtar said brightly, eager to get on with their journey.

Holly nodded absentmindedly as she helped to put what little belongings she had away, before mounting her horse. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stretched her weary back. A bed and soft pillow will be much appreciated after the journey she had been through.

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