The sun rose high into the sky over a small valley deep into the Brigand Hills. The brigands' camp was bristling with activity. Alfred awoke with a start, amid the brigands having breakfast. As he tried to rise a terrible pain forced him back to the ground, and he let out an audible moan. As he lay on the ground, he saw Gorbag, Tarnak, and Rasha come to him, and sit next to him. Rasha was looking all right, and the only mark of last night that was visible on her was a small cut on her forehead that seemed to be doing well. As they all sat down, Alfred tried to rise again but the pain in his back pushed him back down. Rasha looked at Alfred and spoke:

-Hush, hush now. Don't try to speak or rise. You are going to be all right. You were pretty badly burned by those bolts, and those bugbears broke a couple of your ribs, but all in all, I think they got more than they bargained for.

Alfred painfully gesticulated toward Gorbag and Tarnak, trying to ask how come they were here, and how fared the battle. Rasha looked puzzled for a moment, then smiled and spoke again:

-Alfred, last night you stumbled into our camp with me on your shoulders. They were waiting for us, but didn't really expect to see either of us again. I see you want to know how did we do, and if we were victorious. Well, look around you.

Alfred looked around, and people seemed somehow different, happier, more relaxed. Sun was high in the blue sky, and warmth was all around. Alfred felt the good pulsing through the land. Now he knew evil was gone, at least for the moment. Rasha continued:

-Your men provided me with an excellent cover. We fought several sentries on the opposite wall, but they soon fell down, and we were free to proceed with the burning of their camp. We looted their barracks, killing small groups here and there. It seemed that most of their strength had either gone out before, or was busy fighting you at the gates. We set fire to most of the buildings, and started to retreat, when I noticed you standing at the gate, with that awful necromancer at your back. I tried to yell, but it was too late. He struck you with that lighting of his, and you fell. I sent off the rest of my men, and then ran for the necromancer. I struck him from behind just as he was about to hit you. He turned on me, and I hacked as strong as I could, but he just laughed, and then he struck me with darkness. I fell unconscious, and that is all I remember. Gorbag here tells me that you carried me all the way here with all those broken ribs. You are a very brave man, Alfred, and I think that you deserve to be knighted more than any man in my company.

Now Alfred again tried to speak, as he blushed with all those good words meant for him, but the only thing that went out of his mouth was a croaked:

-Thanks.

Rasha now nudged Gorbag, who stopped eating his porridge, and proceeded to tell of the final attack, and its results:

-Aye, Alfred, you fought well. Our attack was a very good one indeed. My group set flame to their tents, and killed a great many in the chaos that ensued. You fought at the gate, and I think your men handled most of the big orcs, and bugbears. I thank you for that. After we retreated, I stayed for a while to watch their camp burn. Almost nothing is left there now, except ashes. The small orcs left right after Rasha's group, and anyone else who stayed burned alive in that pire. About an hour later, one large group of orcs appeared in the eastern ridge, fleeing from the elven cavalry. They seemed to be holding together until they reached the remains of their camp, then they screamed and tried to outrun the elvish horses. Methinks those were the last ones to find their doom here. Elves dispatched with them quickly, and I heard from them that their brethren found many a target for their arrows in the hills. I don't think the orcs will soon dare enter these hills under arms. There is not a living enemy within a hundred leagues. We won!

Gorbag smiled broadly, and Alfred did too. Then Tarnak chuckled, and as Alfred looked at him with a question on his lips, Tarnak explained, still laughing:

-Just as I told my men, sir, if you would excuse me, I said that orc heads will roll under your sword or my name is not Tarnak the Stout, and we all laughed. Well, now it seems that I were right, orcish heads did roll, and more rolling than I have seen in my entire life, and believe me lad, I've seen a lot!

Alfred chuckled too, and soon they were all laughing under the morning sun. Light creeped into Alfred's soul, and sent the darkness away. All was well, and all was right. Alfred relaxed, and silently thanked all the gods for being alive, and for the revenge they had given him. Orcs had paid for his friends, yes, they have paid dearly, but they will never pay enough for Eyral. No, not even if he slays every single orc that ever lived. Never enough. But the thought of Eyral reminded him of his medallion, and he struggled to ask how long will it be before he can continue on his path:

-Rasha, -he coughed- how long, before, I can, go on?

Rasha looked at his wounds, and bandages, and smiled at him:

-Not as long as you think. Wounds usually look worse than they are. Elven healers are on their way, and if they help, you should be up and running in four days, maybe five. Don't worry, - she said as Alfred tried to tell her he can't wait four days - we will start moving to the north tomorrow, and we will take you on horseback, so your mission won't be delayed. And now rest, or I'll have to put you to sleep!

Alfred tried to ask something else, but Rasha put a warning finger on her lips, and Alfred sighed and looked up into the sky. Tarnak and Gorbag went back to their breakfast, while Rasha went to help with the wounded.

Alfred was left to think mostly by himself. Somehow the medallion was much easier to bear now, and the sun gave him strength, of spirit, if not of mind. One of the brigands approached him with a bowl of gruel, and gave it to Alfred. Alfred silently thanked him, and the brigand went back to his breakfast. As Alfred stared into the steaming surface of the gruel, his thoughts went ahead, wondering what lay north, in his path to Ebening. North was the upper valley of Froas, and from all he had heard, orcs were all over that place. And he could not forget his duty as a messenger for King Akkharten; he had to deliver his message to the Duke first. Alfred visualized in his head all that he knew about the terrain in a map, and looking at it with his inner eye, he realized that he was off course by at least a hundred leagues. Ebening was much more to the west, and he should have just followed the flow of mighty Froas. This way, however, Duke Dunnbarrow's estate was much closer, about four days of riding from here. But something annoyed him. Then he remembered. Rasha was heading to Leavenwood first, to clear her name! Leavenwood, as he remembered it, was only a little bit more to the west than Castle Dunnbarrow. Relaxing a little, Alfred thought it will be no longer than two weeks at most before he reaches the dales of Ebening. First, though, he had to regain his strength, and feeling more than a little famished, he eagerly emptied his bowl. Gruel was hot, and tingled in his throat. He felt warmth return to his limbs, and with it he felt sharp pangs of pain, but he heeded them not. As soon as he was finished, he raised his voice, and asked the nearmost man to bring him more. As he ate his second bowl, he felt much better. After he was finished, he noticed that everyone was preparing to leave. He then saw two brigands come to him, and help him onto a stretcher made of two long, thick branches and a cloth sprung between them. He placed himself comfortably on the cloth, when his two carriers lifted him from the ground effortlessly. Alfred smiled at the way they took the weight without wincing. Ahead, Rasha was setting the remains of her troop into order, and then when she was done, Gorbag gave the sign to move. Slowly, but certainly, the troop of men and women left the green stony valley behind them.

Alfred was resting comfortably as they traversed the hills going back tthe plain. One at a time, small groups of elves joined them, smiling broadly, and cheering as they came:

-Ayeee! We have won! Plain is clear, sun is high, and sky is blue! May light follow your steps, from now on till stars fade!

Rasha's men greeted them in kind. By the time they reached again the gray plains, most of the elven archers were marching with them. Plain looked so much merrier under sunlight, and more green, Alfred thought. As they came onto the now-green slopes of the rolling grass, the elven nobility joined them on their horses. Alfred saw Almar and a group of elves he saw in the council ride to speak with Rasha, broad smiles on their faces. He was surprised, though, to see a small figure ride up to him. It was Merin, who had come to congratulate Alfred on his virtue in battle yesternight. As Merin rode next to his stretcher, Alfred rose his head, and supported himself on his elbows, saying:

-Good to see you, Merin the Hunter. I see that your bow sang a sweet song tonight.

Alfred pointed to the empty quiver, and the blood-smeared bow. Merin laughed aloud, throwing his hair back over his face. He then spoke in a merry, merry voice:

-Aye, Alfred of Eyral, you are right. Many an orc have I yesternight sent to his doom, and sweet was indeed the song of my bow. We have won. I think that the orcs won't be bothering us for a while. But you, as I have heard, have sent many an orc to the underworld yourself. And also, if what I have heard is correct, you have dispatched one of those monsters, a necromancer that led this orc army! Am I right, then, to proclaim you Bright Blade, the Orc-Slayer? For I think that is the name Prince will give you soon enough.

As Alfred started to give an answer, he noticed Merin was smiling at someone behind him. He then turned, and noticed Prince

Almar, Rasha, and several elven nobles standing right behind, dead serious were their faces. He tried to rise quickly and to bow to the Prince, but as he rose, pain brought him down to the stretcher again. The Prince put his hand on Alfred's back, and helped him down. He then looked around at his councilmen, and they all nodded. Prince then took a green branch out of his robe, and put it's end on Alfred's head. He then spoke:

-Sir Alfred of Eyral, I, Prince Almar of Laugandar, have a right to welcome new creatures to the elven circle of life. For the valor you showed in the battle of Darotan, and for the virtue you possess, I dub thee Bright Blade the Orc-Slayer, and declare you from now on till the stars fade a friend to all elves throughout this wide world. If in need, our people will provide you with that what you need to utmost of their ability. You shall ride with us, eat, drink, and be merry with us, you shall from this point be welcome in any elven company or land, and all that you chose to bring with you shall be welcomed in similar manner. Now, I will not ask you to rise - and with this everyone near Alfred chuckled, as he tried to rise again, and failed, again - because you are in no condition to, but please, we wish to hear of the necromancer that you've slain in their foul camp. Speak now, please.

Alfred blushed at the thought of trying to rise again, and was more than a little mad at his condition, but calmed down and quickly began to talk with some effort:

-The necromancer, he called himself Dar'Thragh, and he led the orc army here. I know not why he came, or from whence, but he almost got to me. His power was great; I saw Rasha's sword fall on him many times, and yet he was not wounded in the least. In truth, I am not sure how I came to defeat him. All I know I ran to him, and struck him down with all my might, and a bright flash insued. As I pulled the blade out of his body, he screamed, and fell to the ground, felled by the death-wound. That is all I know of him.

Prince slowly nodded, looking back at his advisors, and then said:

-You speak the truth. And now must you rest, lest you are late for your mission. Light be with your footsteps!

Prince and his nobles left Alfred to discuss the events to the north. Rasha looked fondly at Alfred, and said, smiling:

-See, young man, where had your courage led you so far. You are a now friend of the Elves, something not many can boast with. I hope you get well soon. I will see you later. Now I must attend to my men. Rest, and heal.

Rasha left Alfred without further word, and walked off to speak with Gorbag. Merin kept riding at Alfred's side, talking to him:

-Alfred, if I may call you just that, - Alfred nodded in agreement - I wish to accompany you on your mission to the Castle Dunnbarrow. I'd like to visit the north, and maybe see my cousins in Ebening. What do you say?

Alfred thought of it for a moment, then agreed enthusiastically:

-Why, of course, Merin, if I may call you that...

-Everybody does, so why shouldn't you.

-Thank you Merin. Of course you may travel with me! I think I am heading to Ebening too, just after I deliver my message. I think this will be for good, for two can defend themselves easier then one. But I think I need to go with Rasha first. I gave my word that I'll help her clear her name in Leavenwood.

Merin smiled at this, and then said:

-I don't think you need worry about that any more. Be sure to talk to Rasha of it. I think you will be surprised. But I have to leave you now. We are moving back to the forest, and I am needed in the council. I will see you soon. Fare well, Alfred!

Merin then rode off quickly to catch up with the front of the elven cavalry, leaving Alfred to be with his thoughts.

Slowly the army moved back under the trees. Alfred was very happy that he should have a companion on his voyage, but he was puzzled with Merin's last comment. What does he know about Rasha and her problem? This bothered Alfred for a while, until the trees grew thick again, and they came under the green shadows. Step by step, they finally came to the clearing in the woods, and here elves dispersed, each to his own home. His stretcher was carried to one corner of the clearing, where he saw Rasha and her men were gathered.

Here Alfred was lowered to the ground, and Rasha turned to speak to him. She looked at him for a long moment or two, then sighed, and spoke:

-Alfred, in these few days you have grown closer to my heart than I have imagined possible in my age. I see you need to go on, and I know of the importance of your mission. Thus, I have decided to relieve you of your pledge to come with me to Leavenwood. I see it is not necessary, since Black Eye surrendered that scroll, which should make proving my innocence and the innocence of my men easy. My men had already agreed, - all of Rasha's men nodded in agreement - and thus you are relieved of your promise. I had hoped to spend more time with you, for you remind me so much of my son, but now is not the time. Maybe when you return.

Alfred saw tears in Rasha's eyes, as she dropped to her knees to hug him. He felt very warm of her, and hugged her as if she were his mother, the one that he never knew. Next came Gorbag, who gave him a manly hug, and wished him all the strength, and valor in battle. Tarnak was last, devoutly thanking Alfred for leading him, and his men to glorious victory. Now Alfred's eyes filled with tears, as he said goodbye to all of them:

-Goodbye, and fare well you all! And may you clear all your names before your lord! Fare well!

Rasha mounted her horse, and so did Gorbag. Tarnak marched off to lead his men, while Rasha set her brigands into motion. As they rode off, they waved goodbye to Alfred, for as long as they saw him, small figure, lying on the stretcher, so small, and so full of good, among the green companies of the elves. The brigands' troop started slowly marching north. Alfred kept waving goodbye to them for as long as he saw their green robes marching over the background of the majestic trees. Thus had they come, and thus had they gone, faster that anyone could plan, faster that Alfred had wanted. As he wiped the tears of his eyes, he thought of all the goodness in the world, and his soul was merry.

Alfred sank back into his stretcher, and went to sleep. He was still sleeping when the last of the compreturned to their encampment, where Alfred was set down in one of their tree houses. When he came to, another day had passed, and he watched the elven community bustle about its business. He felt a little forgotten amidst all the activity, but as the shadows lengthened, he saw that he was not forgotten, and a group of elves came to him, and carried him off to one of their tree-houses. Once inside, he had only begun to thank them when they brought food and drink to him, and set him next to the fire. There he listened for a long time as they recounted the stories of the yesternight's battle. It seemed from their words that all of the orcs were hunted down, and felled down. Slowly, their conversation turned to more merry matters, and they began to sing the songs of their ancestors. As their high voices played in the chamber inside a great oaken tree, stars shone brightly outside. Alfred felt very tired, and slowly drifted to sleep.

Alfred slept soundly through the night, and awoke with the first light of dawn. As the sunrays slowly crept accross his face, he rose from his blanket, then realized with a start that the pain in his back was gone, and that he felt as good as new. The tree-house was empty, but Alfred noticed the furnishings for the first time: dry plants, roots, and leaves hung on walls, and a large symbol of the Branch of Life stared at him from the wall. He was in the in one of the elven Houses of Healing, where healers tend the wounds of elvenkind. He realized too, why had they helped him; he was now an elven-friend, and Prince really meant what he said at the ceremony, that he would be treated as one of their own. Alfred smiled, and flexed his muscles, stretching in the morning sun as he went out to the clearing. All around elves went on with their morning, and Alfred was amazed at how quickly could they put the horrors of the battle out of their minds. Strange were these people, the elves, and for a reason. Each kin of man had its role in the world, and was made for a purpose, so as to the strangeness of the elves, they were no stranger to him than he was to them.

As Alfred watched from the porch of the tree, he heard someone calling his name from below:

-Good morning to you, Alfred! And come down, if you will!

It was Merin, standing right below, leading two brown horses to the Alfred's tree-house. As Alfred nimbly descended down on the ropes hanging from the tree, he again heard Merin speak to him:

-I see that you are up and around! Good is that, for I was not lazy either; I have the horses we need for our journey! What thinks you of them?

Alfred jumped down last several feet, and then turned to face Merin and the two stallions. Two brown horses were young, and approximately of the same size. They looked healthy and strong to Alfred, so he cheerfully replied:

-I think they are very nice! Merin, thank you so much! Now we will travel much faster than I have anticipated. But give me a moment, and I will fetch my things, and be back here.

Merin mounted one of the horses, and answered:

-Go ahead, get your belongings. I still need to pick up my things from my tree-house. See you in a short while!

Merin then quickly rode off to one of the tree-houses on the other end of the clearing. Meanwhile, Alfred quickly climbed back up, and put his backpack on his back, and fastened his sword to his belt. He then jumped back onto the rope, and rappeled down. As he was mounting the other horse, Merin came back with his things in two packs he put behind him on the horseback. Alfred looked around at the elven camp, and asked:

-So, do we go now, or what? I say we go!

Merin's face turned to a broad smile, and he whispered something to his horse. Then he turned to Alfred, saying:

-I say that too. Race me to the plains!

Merin suddenly scraped his horses' side, and his horse carried him away in a gallop. Alfred laughed aloud, and felt his blood heat up, as he too, scraped his horses' side, and went into a gallop, following his friend.

Like the wind they went through the shadows of ancient trees. Soon elven camp was far behind them. Their horses shone with sweat, as they raced through the forest. Hooves thundered, and leaves flew as they passed by. Sheer joy filled Alfred. He hadn't had this much fun since he was a boy, when Eyral showed him how to light fire with his fingertips and a litle sulfurous powder. That was fun, and this was just like it. Alfred laughed again, and Merin did too. They ran like this for hours upon hours, and before Alfred could think of time, it was mid-afternoon. They both slowed down, and Alfred finally caught up with Merin. As their horses heaved, and breathed deeply, Alfred and Merin burst into laughing. Sun shone through the trees, lighting their faces in gold, filling their bodies with its golden warmth. They had passed many leagues already. Soon they finished their laugh, and Alfred then asked Merin:

-How come our horses could ride for so long, without tiring? No steed I know can do such a thing.

Merin laughed again, and answered:

-Don't you know? We are riding elvensteeds, not the horses you Men usually ride. Our steeds can ride as fast as a hawk for as long as the sun travels through the sky. Couldn't you tell?

Alfred honestly confessed to Merin:

-No, I couldn't; but now that you tell me I can't understand how could have I missed these - Alfred pointed to the horses' ears - pointed ears, same as yours. Ah, never mind that now; What matters is that we are but two days riding from Castle Dunnbarrow.

-Aye, although we could drive the horses and arrive there ere tommorow noon. But I don't want to tire the horses. They need rest after such a run as was ours just now.

Alfred thought for a moment, and then an idea flashed in his head. He turned to Merin and said:

-Merin, my friend, shouldn't we dismount and walk for a while? That would help our four-legged friends for sure.

-Alfred, that is a great idea. How come I didn't come of it first, I don't know. But I will certainly make use of it!

Merin dismouted, and so did Alfred. Then they started walking, leading their horses, through the trees and undergrowth.

Sun sank towards the western horizon, finding two friends steadly approaching the edge of the forest, the borders of Laugandar. The trees grew more and more widely spaced, and the ground sank lower toward the west as they traveled in the northwestern direction. Still, they were more than a league from the final trees, and the plains of the river valley, when the last rays of the red sun touched the treetops. As the forest dissapeared in the darkness, Alfred stopped his horse at a small clearing between the trees. Tying his steed to the tree, he said to Merin:

-We will make our camp here tonight. I will light the fire, and you can ready our meal tonight.

-I will take out some waybread of my people, and we can share it over the fire.

Alfred started the fire with his flint, and added several dead branches to it for the fire to grow. Soon red flames were dancing in the center of the clearing, and Alfred took out a good piece of rabbit, from his backpack, and set it to fire to roast. Merin silently shared his waybread with Alfred, and they both ate their portion, munching and crunching quietly. They shared the warmth of the fire, and Alfred took the first watch. Merin crawled under his blanket, and soon fell asleep. Alfred watched as the stars rose high in the sky, and the fire gradually died down. Alfred saw the Four Brothers, four bright stars forming a rectangle, right above the northern horizon. Lights danced in the sky, turning slowly with the passage of long hours.

Hours of Alfred's watch passed, and he woke Merin to take the second shift. Merin woke up easily, and took over the guard post. Alfred slid under his blanket, and went to sleep right away, tired from a long day. Merin watched for the rest of the night, and noted the time when the last of the Four Brothers sunk under the looming shadow of Misty Mountains in the north. Night was at its end; first light creeped over the eastern sky. Small tendrils of blue broke the darkness and the gray sky. New day was arising on the world of Rakhseth.