Morning sun, heavy fell trough first fallen leaves, on head of silvery gold tresses of a woman that slept for too long. She opens her eyes, blue as sky above, tired from life, decorated with wrinkles of weather, her cheeks charred with wind and sun, drawing many freckles out at this season.
She crossed her feet, one upon other and placed hands below her head, watching the flickering sky behind canopy of a tree above her, her lips start to move as she converses with herself in silence of Thinglad, known to her as Hwitholt.
- Lo, even thou art tied between land and sky, but even thou leaves must fall. Everything must fall. -
With last word her voice was painfully dry, as if she didn't talk too much and every word became a burden to her nowadays. Aeschegen stands up, shakes the blanked and covers the back of her horse before placing a saddle and securing it with belts. After rolling up the bedroll, she ties it tightly to the saddle, behind the back side, on top of pair of saddle bags. Lastly she hangs her shield, dark green with profile of a horse on its hold, on one side and axe on other side. With feet she draws dirt on fire, putting it down then gets on her knees and digs deeper hole to put all the coals and stones, puts and evens dirt on it, and spreads leaves, trying to cover up every trace of her being here. Only after last look around, she puts foot in stirrup and raises up in saddle with ease, while taking reigns from the saddles apple. She pats neck of the friend and he just takes a path trough forest, path visible to him only. Through white-gray forest, whose roots were suddenly raising up, with floor covered sparsely in golden leaves, until rider and the horse reached the clearing, covered with purple and yellow flower, and in south her eyes could clearly see the statues on the hill, The Promise or The gift, where her people were rewarded with land of green pastures.
Her eyes close for a long moment and her heart becomes heavy, as memories rise up to the light of a day dragging her heart down again.
There was fire, wooden tower of a town was burning and with it she heard, once again, screams of a woman, the innocent and good woman, screaming after running into the fire herself. Heva, that the name was, was far from their reach, left willingly to help few wounded as she served in Stangard as healer. From distance Aeschegen could see her rounded up with four easterlings that prodded her dress with spears, ripping it to they malicious joy. Aeschegen at sight of it started fighting trough, with help few riders, shouting to Heva to run to them, but it was too late, girl was tied between easterlings and their spears and raging flames that started to swallow the tavern. Bewildered, now almost bare before eyes of enemy, with wounds from spears, upon her white skin, the girl, the innocent heart, turns to fire and after a glance toward group of easterlings, she shouts.
- Ill rather burn! -
And she did, flames took firstly her golden red hair and turned it to flames, her screams no one could forget, while she shouted again and again till flames swallowed her in its brightness and pain.
- Burn! - last is what they could hear, and in that moment four rohirrims led by Aeschegen were too late, too late to save the one that saved so many, but wrath, wrath took lives of easterlings, not four of them, but dozen, and in rage they pushed them into the flames offering them no choice but flames or the blade.
Aeschegen opens her eyes, breathing heavily until the sound of horn awaken her sight too. In distance she could hear thunder of hoofs, a company of riders, on its way. Even though her heart was filled with joy at the moment she pulls reigns of her horse and prods vigorously with her heels. Horse jumps a little, before going into a gallop toward the east, to Eorlsmead.
Horn once more sounds loudly, bringing the sound over the hills and the smoothness of a river, ringing deep in the hills. Cynebur known now as Aeschegen, smiles, probably for the first time in seasons, as her eyes catch bridge over Limlight in distance.
- The Mark! - she said to herself and her heart rejoiced.
