Syah's Tears

Syah was awakened early by Marien. She saw that Syah had an extra pair of pants, made almost like the ones she arrived in except they were a dark brown color. A heavier shirt for the cold weather and three undergarments for changing. It all fit into a small pack that Marien had given her. Marien showed her a small pouch with three small bottles in it, each filled with a liquid. She indicated to Syah that you mix it with water, but only once a day. She also related to her that it was for pain. Any pain. Marien had also given her three or four medium-thick pieces of cloth. Syah gave her a strange look, which made Marien smile. She looked down once and put a hand to Syah’s stomach.

“Oh,” Syah had said, smiling at the woman. She hadn’t even thought of her period in the last two days. Her last one ended the night she fell asleep on her porch, only to wake up here. She would be fine for the next few weeks.

After seeing her to a light breakfast, Marien walked Syah outside. There, Legolas, Hathol and Aras were waiting for her. Her horse walked up to her immediately. This made the small party of five chuckle. “What’s his name?”

They looked at her, confused.

Syah pointed at herself, then to each of them as she said, “Syah. Legolas. Hathol. Marien. Aras. Who’s he?”

Hathol nodded. *Edhel’s Dagnir.*

Syah nodded. She didn’t know what the name meant but it sounded like a good one for the horse. She’d just call him Edhel. She nodded a ‘thank you’ to Marien, and in return got a sad smile. This was curious but Legolas beckoned her to mount her horse. It was barely dawn and they were leaving. She just hoped they wouldn’t run into any of those spiders. They would give her nightmares if she saw them again!

Legolas said something to Marien, then they were off on their journey. What lay ahead for them? she wondered as they made their way through the forest. Aras stayed beside her and Legolas in front of her. Hathol was behind them. They were flanking her! Though, if there were spiders anywhere near them she did not mind. Not at all. Part of her was excited about this journey, of seeing new lands. But part of her was also frightened. Did they react to her connection to the forest because they knew something of what she was? Did they know why she was here?

It still made her uneasy at how comfortable she was around the three of them, especially Legolas. They felt familiar to something inside of her. Somewhere deep inside of her. She worried briefly if they would break down her walls she so carefully had built up. The thought soon fled. She couldn’t afford that kind of mistake when she didn’t even know how long she’d be in this world.

Just then, Legolas looked back to see how she was doing. He saw her deep in thought, looking at the woods around her. What was she thinking? He was dying to know how she had come across her connection with the woods, the trees. When the tree had shouted a warning to her they had been stunned. But the look upon her face made him realize that there was something special about her, Hathol and Aras had felt it too. He touched her face to reassure her that they did understand, at least to some extent, what kind of gift she had. And they did understand. They were elves. Wood elves. They understood the forests. A few could speak Entish. But a human with that gift...

“Are you okay?”

Syah’s words shook him from his thoughts. He hadn’t realized he was staring at her the whole time. “Gohena nin.”

When he turned his head forward again Syah looked at Aras. He gestured that Legolas had apologized. She nodded and kept her eyes on the forest. They were going to a place called Rivendell. This much she had discerned. How far of a ride was it? How often would they stop?

Her thoughts were interrpted by a loud shout. She snapped out of her daze to find herself and Edhel in front of a tree. The horse, no doubt, had stopped before the warning. She got back next to Aras and felt herself turn pink at their smiles. “Sorry...”

Legolas laughed, as he was now turned toward the three behind him. *Keep an eye on her, gentlemen.*

*We will!* they said in unison.

Syah gave them a dirty look and shook her head. This was going to be an interesting journey for sure!

*************************

Three weeks later they were riding across a great plain. Through those three weeks Syah had gotten teased endlessly by Aras for her tendency to lose herself in thought while riding and walking. He had taken to calling her Mist Laes. She had no idea what this meant but from the laughing fits and humorous grins it evoked from Legolas and Hathol it surely was a name of great amusement. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know what it meant. Hathol, meanwhile, tried to explain to her where they were. She understood that he was teaching their language in small bits. So she could understand them better. Sweet, but he also found her amusing at times.

Legolas though, he watched her quite often. Even when he was riding in the front, when they were in the woods, he would turn to make sure she was faring well. When they stopped once or twice so that she could bathe, he would follow her down to make sure the area was clear and free of danger. Syah, however, wondered just how much he watched when he walked away to leave her to wash. He never would cross that barrier, she knew him better than that. He would not intrude on her personal space. But still, even as she slept, she felt his eyes upon her. This didn’t unsettled her as much as it should. Something about him stirred her, something inside of her. He made her feel safe, protected even though she could take care of herself...for the most part. His eyes were kind and soft when he looked at her.

But the three elves around her were now her friends, and though she should fear it Syah knew Hathol and Aras were starting to feel more like brothers to her. And Legolas was...something else. They were, all three, starting to wear down the wall she had built. This, out of all things, was what scared her. What frightened her the most. She couldn’t let them that close. Not ever. But could she stop it?

“Mist Laes!”

Syah felt the familiar brush of Aras’ leg on hers, pushing her back into their course. She looked at him and he laughed. Hathol and Legolas laughed as well when she was back beside them.

*We should just flank her the whole way to Rivendell.* Hathol said. *It would be easier.*

*Yes,* Legolas said. *But not as amusing.*

Syah shook her head. Let them tease her, it wasn’t her fault this place made her mind wander!

*I think she is highly amusing with her tree connection,* Aras smiled. *And the way they warn her about impending...crashes.*

Legolas burst out laughing. *Remember last week, when we were in the woods, and she walked straight into that huge tree! And it laughed at her!*

“Shut up!” Syah huffed, though she herself was starting to smile. “You are all impossible!”

She kicked Edhel to move faster and their laughter doubled at this. “Men!”

*************

When they stopped that evening to rest, Syah ate little. Her mind was still on the walls the three were beginning to break. She stood up from the ground and began to walk away.

“Syah?” Legolas called to her before she got too far.

She turned to him. “Walking. I’m just going for a short walk.”

He looked a little confused. What was the word for walk again? Oh, right. “Pada.”

He nodded and began to walk with her, though a few feet behind to give her room. He knew she probably needed to be alone, but in these troubled times he did not think it wise. Something had been bothering her all day. It was not their teasing, it was something she had been thinking about. This worried him. Syah was very good at hiding anything she did not want known. In the past three weeks it seemed to Legolas that she had began to let them inside herself. Maybe that was it. Maybe they were beginning to break her walls. Though, he could not see this around her. He couldn’t even feel it, sense it. No, when she wanted something hidden, it stayed hidden.

They were out of the sight of camp when Syah suddenly stopped. She turned to Legolas and he immediately saw the tears begin to form in her eyes. *Are you alright, hiril nin?*

Syah shook her head. “No.”

Why was she crying? She did not wish him to see her sorrow. Her fear. How alone she felt because of her walls.

*Try to tell me. Please.*

She was certain he wanted to know. But she couldn’t tell him. Ever. “I cannot do this, Legolas. I cannot let you in here.”

Legolas fought the urge to touch her face, knowing she wouldn’t like it. He sensed great sorrow from her. Great pain. And when she looked into his eyes, he knew why. She wouldn’t let them in. Wouldn’t let him in.

She touch her hand to her heart then at the camp, then to him. “You, Hathol, Aras. You’re breaking me. I cannot let you in.”

Legolas nodded in understanding. She was fighting them, fighting the urge to let them into her heart, past her walls. She was scared to death to do it. This worried Legolas even more. She was a strong woman, a survivor. He knew she feared she wouldn’t be able to handle another loss of one she loved. That she didn’t have that much strength in her. But she did. She did have. He decided then and there that he would see her through this pain. This fear. She was worth it, beyond worth it. She needed to know that she was that strong. That she had gifts beyond her own and his own comprehension. He looked her in the eyes and simply said, “Henion, hiril nin. Henion.”