Ghash sat in his cell, doing his best to rest till the following day. He wished he could simply sleep. It had been... How long? He wasn't sure, but he couldn't make himself sleep when everyone there wanted him dead, and with good reason. But constantly being exhausted was certainly doing him no favors. He managed to drift in and out of a light rest but little more than that.

Ghash's eyes suddenly flicked open as he heard the soft steps of Aragorn approaching his cell. He supposed he was there to either question or reprimand him for raising his voice to the man in the training yard. He knew it was risky, but the boy needed to be put back in place. Regardless, a reproach was to be expected, all he could hope was that the risk wouldn't have fatal results. But Aragorn never appeared. Instead, it was the lean form of the elf he had met before, his face one of rage that had calmed to a stony, mistrusting calm.

Ghash rose to his feet, readying himself for he didn't know what, but it couldn't be good. The elf did nothing for a time, he simply motioned the guard to leave, then stood, silently appraising him. "I've heard you've been making yourself relatively useful." he said at last. Ghash said nothing, only watching him. The elf then pulled a familiar jewel from his pocket and held it out. Ghash reflexively tensed. "Where did you get this?" questioned the elf, but Ghash remained silent. "Answer me, damn it!!" snapped the elf.

"Why does it matter?" asked Ghash in turn.

"Answer my question!" countered the elf, but Ghash said nothing. "You admit to having killed, without hesitance, so then why do you refuse to explain this one damned necklace!?" demanded the elf, but still nothing. The elf stepped closer to the bars, "An elf wore this necklace, a woman. Where is she now?" he pressed.

"Why do you believe that I know this?" asked Ghash. The elf lowered the hand with the necklace, his face desperately trying to control his emotions.

"Did..." he stopped and cleared his voice. "Did you kill her?..." he asked, forcing the words out, barely able to look at him as he spoke.

Ghash was quiet for a moment, till he finally breathed, "No..." as he turned his back to the elf.

"You're lying." said the elf.

At this, Ghash swung round, moving toward the elf, angrily grasping the bars. "I do not lie!!" he barked. The elf faintly flinched but didn't move.

"Then where is she!?" he demanded.

"Would Mirkwood not be the logical conclusion?" growled Ghash.

"How did you get this!?" pressed the elf. Ghash released his grip on the gate. He didn't know how to answer these questions but he had to say something.

Ghash turned from the elf, moving back to the stone bed, "If you fear for this woman, turn your wrath elsewhere." he muttered. The elf stood still with anger before returning the necklace to his pocket. He was far too angry to keep fighting with the creature. He turned on his heel and started to walk away. "Elf," said Ghash. He slowed his pace. "I have harmed no she-elf. For my part, no ill has befallen this woman. You have my word." The elf made no reply, he simply walked away. He could only hope that this would be enough to get the elf off his case for the time being. He was clearly dissatisfied, but Ghash had nothing better to offer. So, crossing his arms, he sat in silence.

Dani was not thrilled with the whole concept of staying up all night watching nothing, but she did surprisingly well for her first try. It helped that she was determined to make Elayin sleep, but that only made her willing, not pleased. There they were, running again... If she had hated it before, it was nothing compared to right then. The days of little sleep and non-stop running was catching up with her. And yet Elayin seemed perfectly fine!! There were, of course, moments when her strength faded, but that could only be expected in her condition. Most of the time though, she seemed perfectly contented by all this "roughing it"! How could she be fine with this, but not the simplicity of a party!?

"Alright, Dani, if we keep at this rate, then we should make it out of the forest by nightfall." said Elayin. A grumble was as close to "oh thank goodness" as Dani could manage. She was sore, tired, and about to the point of being cranky! She didn't think she'd ever understand why Lady Elayin would choose this over the beauties of the castle. "I think we should try to hunt for something before we reach the planes. There'll be fewer deer out there." Elayin mused. Hunting?! Dani had never done that before! What do you do? Was it hard? Would she have to butcher it!? These questions, of course, never occurred to Elayin to answer.

Hours passed and the sun began to fall, but still, they jogged, till finally the forest began to thin, and fade into a plane. "Alright, so I guess this is good. We'll camp here, and I'll see if I can catch anything on the outskirts." Said Elayin, but Dani made no reply. "Dani?" asked Elayin, but she was silent, her eyes trained on the broad, unending fields ahead of her. "Dani?" said Elayin.

"I've never been out this far before..." muttered Dani, seeming in a daze.

"Oh. Right. I hadn't thought about that..." said Elayin quietly. "You, um... Are you ok?" she asked.

Dani shook herself. "Um, yes, yes, of course, my lady." she said softly. Elayin looked to her but could think of no words of comfort to offer. Every time she'd crossed the plane, her objective had been to never return, so she supposed she'd gotten used to it.

"Alright, just take your time. I'm going to go hunt. Why don't you stay here and- oh..." said Elayin as she realized that Dani was probably not the most capable person to leave alone in the middle of nowhere. "Um... I guess follow me, but just be as quiet as you can, ok?" Dani nodded and followed wordlessly. Elayin was thrilled to finally be doing what she was best at, and thankfully Dani was practically silent! Though Elayin couldn't help but feel that the hunt was missing something. It felt a little... Dull. In a way it never had before...

Regardless, Elayin managed to catch a couple of rabbits. She would have gone after a deer, but she didn't have the time to preserve the meat long-term. So, small game it was. Probably for the best, considering weight. Dani didn't care too much for the processing part, and she felt certain that many of the pieces that Elayin was harvesting weren't anywhere near edible! Still, she helped where she could and without complaint. Though she looked miserable while doing it.

They returned to the edge of the planes. The sun had gone down, and yet it still seemed bright to Dani, who was used to the coverage of trees and leaves. She couldn't help but feel uneasy in this new land, but she tried not to complain. Elayin understood to an extent. Perhaps not as severely, but she recognized the odd feeling of having to leave your forest. On top of being in a strange and dangerous land, Dani was sore, tired, anxious, and cold.

One of those things, however, Elayin felt she could risk the cure to, at least for one night, even if she really shouldn't. Reaching for her flint and steel, Elayin formed a fire and hung the rabbit over it to cook. The smell of food and the comfort of light and heat improved Dani's mood greatly. That and Dani was not averse to Elayin's offer to take that night's watch while Dani slept.

She laid down, leaving Elayin to her thoughts as her gaze drifted to the fire. She smiled to herself. Ghash would be livid if he knew, but Dani deserved a little comfort, even if a fire was a little risky. Fire... She couldn't help as her mind wandered back to her hut, the fire, and him... She wished she could have known more about his life. She'd told him a lot about her life but she seldom got to hear about him. She never knew what he was thinking about that night in the hut. It didn't matter she supposed. The opportunity was gone.

"My lady?" said Dani, making her jump.

"You're supposed to be sleeping." she said.

"I know, I just... Can I ask you something?" asked Dani.

Elayin grew a little concerned as to what she might ask, but she said, "Ok, what?"

Dani sat up from the dirt, looking to her keenly. "What was he like?" she asked.

"What?" said Elayin, taken off guard. "Oh, you mean..."

"I mean, what did he look like? Tall, handsome? What?" she clarified.

Elayin gave a laugh, "Well, tall, yes, but I don't if handsome would be accurate!"

"Well, what else?" pressed Dani, looking much like a child asking for a bedtime story.

"Well, he's sort of... Swarthy... With arms like tree trunks!" she chuckled, Dani smiled. "And the most piercing eyes you've ever seen..." she added with a wistful smile. "And his voice is..." becoming aware of Dani's peering face, she trailed off, clearing her throat, "He's controlling." she said curtly, turning back to the fire to distract herself.

"Do you think you'll see him again? After the war?" Asked Dani, but Elayin fell silent. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." muttered Dani nervously.

"No, no, it's fine, I just... I don't know Dani." said Elayin softly.

"We might win, my lady!" said Dani, optimistically.

"I... I know..." muttered Elayin, unenthusiastically. Dani, sensing that this statement did little to improve her lady's mood, tried to lighten the atmosphere.

"Um... Well... Oh! How did you meet?" she said brightly.

"Huh? Oh, um... Well, I found him in the woods, he was wounded." said Elayin.

"And you nursed him back to health?" offered Dani excitedly.

Elayin chuckled. "Yup. And he was the least appreciative person you'd ever meet!" she said with a smile.

Dani raised a brow, "He was? And you liked him?" she questioned.

"Oh no!" Elayin exclaimed with a laugh, "I was practically counting the days till he would leave! Honestly, so was he. But I got to know him better, and we got to understand each other, and... I thought he would stay..." she quietly mused. Looking back up to Dani's curious face, she smiled. "Get some sleep, after all, you've got watch tomorrow." she said. Contented by the concept of sleep but not the concept of watch duty, Dani rolled over. Elayin shook her head with a smile. She's like a schoolgirl when it comes to romance! Dani really should have gotten married! Elayin had never really sought it, but she got it anyway, and in the worst possible place.

Elayin's thoughts strayed back to him and what she'd lost. What she would give just to see his face looking at her from across the fire. She had to stop doing this to herself. She passed her hand over her eyes, where she remembered her vambrace. She unlaced the leather, and pulled it from her wrist, revealing the rough, gnarled scar. Damn, it hurt at the time, but now... Now... She looked at it... And she smiled.