A surprising realm

Ileen, daughter of Djord, bridles her horse and listens carefully. She thinks she heard a sound she's not familiar with, could be a wolf but still is different. She can hear now only the wind in the trees around.As the sound does not repeat she continues to ride admiring the nice forest: very different from the green fields at home where trees are rare enough to be used as landmarks. She is now crossing the forest of Chetwood coming from Rohan to Bree. She is eager to meet her new brothers-in-arms and she reaches to the letter from her father to Lady Sinderwyn in her packet very often - as to make sure she still has it. Another strange sound in the forest.. might be the wind but also some animal moving. She is not used to the sounds of forests and a bit nervous because all these trees do not allow her to see more than 20 meters before her, and the road has just so many curves.. She knows she can take down about any boar at home but she is not sure what kind of life is in this forests. Above the tree a snowy mountain raises to the sun its shining top, reflecting the light as a mirror. She heard there are some ruins there, some dwarven lost city.. but there should be abandoned now as no rumor of goblins or orcs taking them over reached the people in the nearby town. She took the longer road exactly to avoid facing alone such groups of dangerous enemies. Another rustle even closer to the skirts of the forest and now she is sure: there has to be some wolf or even a deer as from all the stories she heard both goblins and orcs use warcryies at that close distance.. and even a pack of wolfs would not be a problem.. she faced such creatures many times. But as she smiles confident and reaches again to her pocket thinking if to rush the horse a bit in order to put some distance between her and whatever creature might make a mess of the new elegant costume she wears for the first contact with her new commanders. Would be a pitty to ruin it with dust and blood as the amour she has in her pack is old and ugly.. good in battle but yet old and stained. But before the hand reached the packet or the decision had been made the most unpleasant cry she heard in any battle starts in the forest in both her sides and in the next moment at least 10 small ugly creatures with pointy ears riding big wolfs are making a circle around her. Her horse jumps scared but calms the instantly under her proficient pull on his bridle. She makes circles on the spot her halberd in her hand before she even realized she is doing it.. long hours of training do pay off. The creatures are not attacking but waiting for the right moment: their prey has no escape and they want to diminish their losses so they wait for her to make a mistake. Her heart beats so loud it seems to break her chest but she is decided to sell her skin on a good price.. a price measured in their blood. As each side wach the other for the wrong fatal move a sound so strange and pure as raindrops in a spring morning reaches them from the forest, coming from above. Is the sound of a lute but the tune is so different of anything human Ileen ever heard and the effect is very different for the girl and the goblins: while for her it's like pure strength is poured into her veins they seem to forget any wisdom and few of them attack with no method the girl and the horse while the others just run in disorder to and vanish into the forest. She hits two of them from a single large halberd bow and while one warg and rider fall in a plash of blood and dust the other rider still tries to attack again and only a second bow puts him to the ground. She turns fast to face the enemies she knew behind and then the strangest picture she saw in her life make her stop for a second: the most beautifull woman she ever saw fights 2 goblins- a short sword in her hands and silver lute adorned across her back. Even if the long rich green dress and jewelry would fit better in a ballroom then on a fighter in the middle of the battle she seems to know her way with that short sword so Ileen leaves her the two enemies and makes a full circle looking for any other enemy but it seems they all flew. When she is again facing the strange woman the two goblins are dead. The whole fight did not last more than a minute or two and only the bodies and the strange appearance are prove it ever existed. Ileen dismounts and thanks with a deep bow and few words for the so welcomed help. Reising her eyes again she notices the pointed ears and the rose-marble fainess of the stranger's skin: an elf lady.. here near Bree.. indeed here the world is so different from back-home. "Thank you again M'lady for your help, no doubt I owe you my life." "You are not from this parts.." the stranger notices "I see that now from your accent and suspected it all along when I saw you walking so undisturbed with all those wargs following you. You have to learn the sounds of the forest if you are to survive here.. Who are you anyway, child, and why venture alone and unprepared in this parts?" Not very flattering the "child" and "unprepared" for our ambitious Ileen but she knows when to lower her head and learn. "Pride is never a good advisor" - her step father told her. "Ileen, daughter of Djord, capitain of Theoden King, from Rohan at your service M'lady.. I did not think I am unprepared, back home I am pretty good on fighting.." "You are good with that weapon, no doubt, I saw that much.. but you have to learn more than that.. to avoid dangers that surpass your abilities or you'll end up just as dead as anyone who never stirred a sword in his life... I am Driadriel from Lorien and I am glad I could be of help to you" ends the stranger with the most elegant bow, suited in the highest elven Court. "Thank you again M'lady and is an honor to make your acquaintance.. I will continue my travel to Bree and I hope our paths will cross again and I'll be able to repay my debt.." "So you are going to Bree.. and what wind brings a Rohrrim in these parts?" Listening to the short story of the young girl the elf lady first has a light of amusement in her beautyfull green eyes and then of sadness.. "Yes.. the war brought many of us in this parts.. people that had a good life back home and never wanted to war.. but many dangers we will be forced to face before.. if ever.. will be able to return to our peacefull lives.. I bid you farewell young Rohrrim and I'm sure we will meet again in Bree or in this parts anyway.. you don't have much more to go.. an hour at most.. and I have some other road through this forest that I must follow." ..and when Ileen rose her eyes again from the deep bow she took noone was around.. and just a faint lute sound in the forest some time after proved that the stranger was still near, following a parallel way for mysterious reasons.