A long, long time had passed since Stray had lived in Rohan. She was only a little girl when the Dark Lord Sauron was overthrown and their King Theoden slain, but that was a very long time ago. Stray was not her proper name, but she liked to call herself that. Her proper name was known to not a soul but herself, for all who knew her when she was a girl were dead. She called herself many names, but Stray was the one she used now, at least most often. The first name she used after her family was slaughtered was Culvîr: ‘golden-red jewel’; because her hair was very fair, yet it was covered in blood for the first time when her kin were killed.

She was called Culvîr when she went to live with a group of gypsies in Fangorn Forest. But after a few years they began to move again, taking her with them. They were on their way to the Elf-haven of long ago, Lothlórien, when this story takes place. The wanderers had called her Stray, for short. They were her only friends in the world.

Chapter One

The dawn broke over the heart of Fangorn, though precious few sunbeams penetrated the deep, thick woods. The green light that overshadowed and enveloped everything was eerie and strange, yet it was just another day to those who lived there.

Stray slung her pack upon her shoulder as she stood up and brushed off the dirty moss that stuck to her dress. Raen was sleeping on the roots of a gnarled tree next to her, a wide straw hat pulled down over her eyes. Raen had deep black eyes that made you want to stare at her, but when you couldn’t see them she looked pretty normal. Raen was the only woman in the company, besides Stray, but she got along well with the men. She could actually pull off being a man very well, if not for the feminine, catlike way she looked at you.

“Gwath!” Stray called out, cupping her hands to her mouth. Most of the others were out of the clearing readying the few supplies they had. “Gwath!”

A tall, skinny man with spiky dark hair stepped out of the trees. He looked as though he was terribly preoccupied with something else, but he always looked like that. He was Gwath, the leader of the rag-tag troupe that dwelled within Fangorn. He was an Elf, Stray supposed, for he looked the same now as he did when she had first joined them, and she had only been a small child. She really didn’t know what he was.

“What, what?” he asked, his voice high for a man, yet not like a woman’s. “Why is Raen asleep!?” he demanded, seeing the woman lying on the ground.

Raen chuckled, still keeping her hat down over her face. She had her hands folded on her stomach, and she didn’t move an inch. “Calm down, ‘wath. The sun’s not high yet; we’ve got all the time in the world.”

Gwath seemed less tense after she spoke, but he still looked fidgety. “What do you want, Laurë?” he asked Stray. Laurë was a name that one of the company of Fangorn had dubbed her after she joined them, because of her golden hair.

“Just to know when we’re leaving…” she said, her eyes wandering from his face.

Raen chuckled again, slowly standing from the ground and tipping her hat back to meet Stray’s eyes. They were black like a starless night of steel. “And I know what else. Honey, you know I’m the only one who can ride Aegnor,” she said.

Stray sighed at the mention of the huge black steed that the company had, the only horse. Aegnor was wild and untamed, but a look from Raen’s black eyes and he was as submissive as a trained dog. But he would let no one else ride him, though he carried most of their baggage. Stray had always wanted to sit upon his bare silky back, like Raen did, but was never allowed.

Gwath nodded. “Yes, she’s right. Go on Stray, and help the others.”

She went out of the clearing and followed the trail for a few moments until she came to the place where all the noise was coming from. There was the jet-black Aegnor, tied to a large, thick tree, and their belongings in bundles around him. There were four men there, all of them looking like thieves or scoundrels. They had a bright gleam in their eyes, for now they were finally leaving Fangorn. Ever since Stray had come to live with them, when she was a small girl, they had remained deep within the confines of the forest. But now they traveled north.

A man turned his head swiftly to see her, a strange smile lighting up his dark features. His eyes were that of Raen, mysterious and inky, though not as powerful as hers. His name was Raion, and he was Raen’s twin brother. He had deep, dark red hair, like his sister, and was not particularly strong looking. However, hardly a being in Middle-earth was as skillful with a dagger as he, if any. He was handsome, though not excessively so, and intimidating.

“Stray,” he said, his voice daunting and low. Walking over to her, he gripped her shoulders and pressed a hard kiss on her mouth. Drawing back from her, he smiled again. The clutch of his thin hands on her shoulders was not painful, but it left her uneasy somehow. The touch of his lips was not caressing, nor tender, but possessive. He made her shiver.

“Morning, Raion,” she said, softly. “Almost ready to go?”

He nodded, releasing her and grabbing another bag from the ground. “I can’t wait to get out of this place, Laurë,” he said with annoyance. “We’ve lingered here too long.” He paused, smiling a little wickedly at her. “But we wouldn’t want to leave without our little jewel, eh?”

She smiled nervously, not wanting to meet his eyes.

“Well then,” they heard Gwath say, coming to join then with Raen. “I say we go. Mallorn!” he cried, and the head of a tall blond man jerked up. “Toss the stuff on Aegnor. We leave now!”

~~~~~

Stray was a lovely girl, with long blond hair that fell to the small of her back and eyes as blue as a crystal clear sky. She looked to anybody to be a maiden of Rohan, and so she had been. Her family had been among those in Helms Deep when the armies of Isengard had attacked, but because of their unrelenting armies, the four strangers from the north, and the loss of countless lives, the Uruk-Hai had been defeated. Her father had been among those killed, but her older brother had survived the battle. Her grandfather, grandmother, mother, and twin little sisters had been with her in the Glittering Caves. Her grandfather would have fought, but he was very old and very sick. He had died in the caves that very night, leaving her brother Éodain to care for the family.

But soon Éodain had gone off with the Rohirrim to fight in the war against Sauron, and he never returned. She was only twelve. Then, as her mother was struggling to put their lives back together in their small home in Edoras, a group of orcs had escaped from Mordor and raided their village. So many were slaughtered. Her grandmother, mother, and two little sisters had been ruthlessly murdered right before her eyes. As she ran off from the burning village, tears and mud streaking her pale face, a rider had swept her up and rode off with her into Fangorn. It was then she began her life with the company.

~~~~~

Mallorn was the biggest man in the company. He was a human, and was very gentle. He and Stray got along very well. Stray always remembered the story Gwath had told about him, when Mallorn first joined the company.

Gwath, Raen, and Raion had been traveling, and, not far from Lothlórien, they had come across Mallorn. He had been injured in a battle and had lost much of his memory from a knock to the head. He was big and golden, like a Mallorn Tree of Lórien, so that’s what Gwath called him. He every so often recalled a detail about his past life, but other than that he had no memories whatsoever.

Mithren had been with the three friends, Gwath, Raion, and Raen, for longer than any of them. He was an older human, at least fifty, but he was a cunning crook. He looked after Stray when no one else would. His hair was grey, and his face a little wrinkled, and he reminded Stray a bit of her own grandfather. Now he was not with the company, for he was on a mission of his own. Gwath had sent him to Rohan to find some horses, and would meet up with them later on.

Lhûg was crafty. Even Gwath did not trust Lhûg. He name meant ‘snake’, and so he was. His eyes were shiny, shiny green, and looked like cat’s eyes. He had very pale skin, very black hair, and was lanky and agile. He was a master thief, a master liar, and could get away with almost anything. Gwath didn’t even like Lhûg that well, really no one did, but they needed to keep him around. He was just too useful to let go. Besides, Raen seemed to like him a lot. She was good friends with all of the company.

Narbeleth was quiet, and was the newest recruit. He was a human too. He looked only to be a few years older than Stray, twenty five at the most. He was reluctant to do any of the thief work, so he mainly helped keep up the horse and care for the baggage and prepare the food. He was an excellent cook. Stray remembered how scared she had been when she first came to live in Fangorn, so she was always very nice to Narbeleth. It was easy, because he was a sweet, quiet boy. He had dull red hair that fell across his face, and his eyes were friendly and brown.

Raion hated him.

Raion had been with Stray since very soon after she had joined them. He had kissed her the first time when she was fourteen. Since then everyone knew that she was his, and not to come near them when they were alone. He was very protective.

But as of late she had been feeling uneasy about their relationship. He left her shivering whenever he broke away from a caress. She was restless, and glad they were moving. Perhaps the open air, so different from Fangorn, would calm her spirits.

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