She'd been speaking to him for some time, but still, he remained silent. Regardless what she said, his mind seemed elsewhere. She supposed this was normal for him, but it usually seemed as if he had been listening to an extent, even if he said nothing. But she didn't complain as he was prone to odd, aloof behavior. So she simply spoke to herself. "I always liked him, though I suppose he wouldn't really think highly of me, not now certainly. But it doesn't really matter anyway, I was never royalty. Nobility, yes, but that's not the same thing." and so she continued talking about everything and nothing all at once.

He, on the other hand, seemed to jump and twitch at the slightest sound. He was always paranoid, but it seemed only to worsen. She hoped that he might relax some as they traveled, but he remained fairly consistent in his skittishness. "What about you?" she asked, "Pardon?" he said. "Your ruler, or master, or whatever. What is he like?" she clarified. "You are aware that we come from Sauron, no?" he asked. The name itself sent a shudder of unease through her, that name rarely entered her mind, and she rather wished it had stayed that way. She cleared her throat and tried to continue, "Um, yes... But you spoke of a master before." she said. He sighed, "We have a master, yes." he replied briefly. "Well that doesn't tell me much!" she argued. "Indeed not." he shot back. She gave a huff and crossed her arms. "Fine then, I just wondered what you thought of him, that's all." she grumbled in annoyance.

Just then, she stopped, as she heard something. "Hey, hold on." She said as she listened. The harder she listened, the less she seemed to hear, but she could have sworn she heard something. "Did you hear that?" she asked. He stopped and listened. She expected whatever it was to do nothing and make her seem foolish, but the faint sound was heard once more. "That!" she said. The sound seemed like a faint rustling sound but mixed with a soft thud. It sounded both distant and quiet, so she wasn't very concerned, only curious.

He, however, did hear it and froze. He cleared his throat and looked ahead once more. "Likely a deer. Come." he said. She flashed a smirk at him, "You sure, cause as it turns out we need a deer about now!" she laughed, but she did as he suggested and continued. "Though we should go hunting. I mean, we have a fair bit, but we hardly want to get caught without any stores." she said to herself. "If needs be, we could take a day to not travel and only hunt and return to the same campsite. Do you think we'll need to, or do you think-"/"Elayin," he interrupted. "Um, yeah?" she asked as he stopped walking and stood still.

"I... I want..." he trailed off as he spoke. "Yes?" she urged as she looked up to him. "I... I need to tell you something..." he said. "Oh, ok, what's on your mind?" she asked. He was quiet for a time, but she said nothing and let him think through what he wanted to say. "I... My kind do not know compassion, nor affection. We were bred and raised to only find pleasure in the battle, in death." he said as he looked to the ground, trying to keep his thoughts in order. "I was contented by this, I had accepted that I would kill and be killed in the name of this war, whomever the victor be. I had no expectation or intention proceeding the fight. But..." he stopped once again, before looking up to her.

"You... You have become important... And... In knowing you lies a pleasure, and a will. You have given me a reason to persist beyond the war. To live... And for this I thank you, and I...I... adore you..." at this, she reached for him, but he stepped back from her. "Ghash, what's wrong?" she asked. "Without you, I have no reason to exist. As foolish as it may be, I can not lose you." he said, "I'm not going anywhere, that's why we're traveling, isn't it?" she said as she tried to understand.

He shook his head. "You still do not comprehend. If I were to stay, you would die, and I can not endure that... Even if I could not see you, to know you lived would be enough... So all I can hope is that you would come to understand and forgive me..." at this, she grew all the more concerned. "Ghash, what's going on? What did you do?" she questioned just as she heard that strange rustling sound once again, but louder. "Elayin, know that I would gladly have dedicated my days to fighting at your side, but I can not..." She could still hear the sound as it grew louder and more continuous, and it was then that it became familiar. The sound of hooves. The sound of hunters. The sound of elves...

"You didn't." she said in disbelief. He stepped back from her as she took a step forward. "No, NO!" she yelled, "I am truly sorry." He muttered. Before she could do anything, he let out a roar, leaving no doubt where they were. "No, you didn't! You bastard!!" she yelled as the sound of hooves became deafening, and he quickly moved back, keeping eye contact with her as long as he could before he had to turn and run. She ran after him, but the elven riders reached and surrounded her. One leapt from his horse and caught her, holding her back as she watched two others ride after her companion. She yelled and screamed all the while thrashing in his grip, but to no avail. She couldn't see him, and she couldn't hear him over the sound of hooves and her screams. He was gone.