Yrill

A routine of sorts had started to develop. Research and continue the cataloging Danel's extensive collection of papers followed by an evening walk along the river up to the falls. The sound of the rushing water was a comfort and relaxation, very much an antidote to the many ills of the time.

Dear Diary,

Well, the expression "wonders never cease" is certainly true. 

Dear Diary, today I let loose my hair. As I had thought, it is quite grown back since last year. I wish Galdorion spent more time in the Vale, for several ellyth have asked me where one can get those unique fan-shaped hair-pins, and as far as I know, he is the source. As well, he is a gentle soul, and did not reprimand me for cutting my hair short in a paroxysm of grief one year ago today. Ai Themodir!

My Caun,

Norliriel and I have done as you requested, and spoken with Helcequen. While she herself is resting well in the Houses as I write this - Norliriel was there when I left, and may have stayed all night - the matter is... unpleasant, at best, and may require all of our scholars to unriddle. As well as the Lady Ambassador, Sileril, Anglador, and Sorontar are out of the Vale, as you know. But there is some urgency to this.

“I hate Orcs” she said, a cold statement of fact supported by the nearby heap of arrow pierced bodies.

“I hate Elves” I replied, watching her closely. I did not intend to be her next victim.

Oh, she was a fighter this one, the likes of which I had rarely seen. A tall, lithe whirlwind of destruction with that bow and twin blades she wielded. The Orc party had not stood a chance.

Lord Anglachelm,

Pray forgive me for not seeking you out in person, but a personal matter of great urgency demands my immediate departure from the Valley and from my post as Arrow Lord.  It is my hope that this errand will be brief and my return swift, but should that not be the case, I leave the Order of the Arrow in your capable hands to command as you see fit. 

The copper-haired elf took the silver arrowhead and held it up to the light of the forge, inspecting it with a keen eye. 

“How many?”

“Twenty.”

The smith’s lips twitched into a smirk.

“You lose twice as many in a single day, Dolthafaer.”

The Lord of the Arrow chuckled under his breath and dropped a small pouch of coins onto the table strewn with scattered notes, tools, and metal shavings. Sometimes he wondered how the foreman could find anything amidst this mess.

Dolthafaer was not sure how long he had been sitting on the porch, carving sticks into arrow shafts.  There was a neat stack of them at his side, and he was surrounded by (and covered in) wood shavings.  It was an easy task – repetitive, calming.  He was so absorbed in the work that he did not notice the sound of approaching footsteps. 

Dolthafaer was returning from an errand at the forge when he spotted her on the path ahead of him – Yrill, unmistakable even at a distance, dark of hair and moving with all the grace of a mountain cat.  She hailed him with her usual ‘captain!’ once the distance closed between them and he met her with a smile.

“Evening, Yrill.”

She bowed her head respectfully, but Dolthafaer tilted his to the side, taking note of her gear – black leathers, different from the muted greens and browns that she wore on the field.

Lilleduil would not have wanted to track Dolthafaer in a forest.  Could her friends have found him?  Most likely.  But to send a bear or lynx or perhaps even an Eagle to spy upon the Lord of Arrows would be dangerous, a violation of their bond with her.  Fortuitously, she actually happened upon him outside the Last Homely House.  She paused for a moment before approaching.