The elleth danger is increased when it starts snowing, the freezing cold biting at her chest, suckin the warmth form her body. The edhel trudges through the snow bearing her weight easily, like a man lifting an infant, her small frame cradle against his. As the progress she starts to fall further and furthre into weariness and sleep. She recalls a vague memory of walking into a house and through several rooms until she arrives in a room towards the back of the house. She is placed on a bed, in an among cushions and covers. She can remember faces looking at her, female faces.... three of them. Turning her head she sees a familiar face next to her, asleep.

Looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings, Ilwin blinks a few times, trying to remember what happened. The sudden memory of a few days ago washes over her like a wave, falling into the river, Mordhrin carrying her here. Turning her head, she sees Mordhrin next to her and smiles, leaning forward to kiss him softly. Lying back on the bed, she watches him sleep.

The house is large and surprisngly warm. Listening closer, you can hear the voices of several girls in the hallway, their voices filling the room with the sound of their childish giggling. A full head of blonde hair peaks around the corner, then pulls back....more whispers, finally three young elleth tip toe around the corner, pausing at the doorway. The oldest one turns to the others," They are asleep. Dont worry." The three girls enter the room and stand around the bed, careful not to disturb the edhel there. They seem compeletely oblivious to the fact that Ilwin is awake. " This must be the girl, the one he is always talking about? Well she really is as beautiful as Mordhrin said she was. Yes this must be her.. thats the necklace he had me commsion for her."

Ilwin smiles secretly to herself, closing her eyes halfway, feigning sleep as they obviously don't realize she is awake. She moves slightly, as if she were waking slowly, stretching gracefully.

The three girls are so startle by Ilwin being awake that the smallest one lets out a little scream and all three try to run out of the room at the same time. All three go down as they trip over each other, skirts and dresses all tangled together.

Ilwin sits up, cautiously looking towards the floor near the door, her face split by a wide grin. She giggles, and asks,"Are you alright? I didn't mean to frighten you." She grins again, and moves from beneath the blankets, crawling to the edge of the bed to check on them.

The struggles of the three young elleth succed in awakening Mordhrin, porbly becuase they knock him off the edge of his bed. He hits the ground with a grunt, finally awakening.

Mordhrin is not vey happy when he gets up. All it takes is one angry look from him to send all three running for their lives, slipping all over each other out the door. He rubs his eyes, getting the last of the sleep out. " Yes I am fine. Drat them and their ways, but I love them anyways, silly elleth that they are."

Ilwin tries to hold in her smile and laughter, but it doesn't work, and she bursts out anyway, her eyes glittering. "I'm sorry, I suppose it's my fault for startling them." Leaning over, Ilwin gives Mordhrin a kiss, and smiles, pulling him up onto the bed.

" Thank you, my limbs are quite stiff from walking all the way form the river in the cold. It was worth it I see, you certainly seem better, thought I wonder who clothed us, if I remember correctly," he blushes slightly," uh you were missing the upper half of your dress."

Blushing furiously, Ilwin looks down at her hands. "I'm sorry, I should have walked instead of making you carry me."

" What and leave you exposed to the cold? I think not. I am fine, really. I just need to rest, thats all.

"Are you sure? I'd hate to have you injured again." Ilwin smiles and looks up, her eyes glittering as she stares at Mordhrin.

Mordhrin shakes his head, " Enough already Ilwim. I told you I am fine.

A bit taken back at Mordhrin's hostility, Ilwin nods quickly, and bites her lower lip, quickly looking away from the edhel beside her. Instead, she examines the room, looking about curiously.

Mordhrin turns red, ashamed at the way he has spoken too her. " Curse me for my words Ilwin, I have a temper sometimes. It was not right, hard and cruel words to one who was only showing care and compassion."

Ilwin turns again to Mordhrin, her face written with confusion and some sadness, her eyes filled with unshed tears. "It's alright," she says quietly. "I understand."

" What have I done to you. I read confussion and sadness in your eyes,... and unshed tears." His voice raises," is this what my love does to you? It cuases you this much pain? This much hurt? I will end this here and now if it does. I will suffer no harm to you."

"No, no, 'tis not you that causes pain, not at all. If you were to end your love, that would cause me more than the utmost pain. I'd live as an empty shell, nothing more than a zombie without you." A few of the tears rush down Ilwin's face, leaving faint trails of moisture on her cheeks.

Mordhrin turns? An empty shell? How so, you where so full of life and energy before our love. Now you seem subdued, withdrawn. Nah, I think it might be better for you."

"No, because now that my heart knows what it is to feel love, if it were taken away, so would be the rest of me. I was happy then, for I didn't know what true happiness is." Ilwin's tears come quicker now, her words punctured by an occasional sob. "It would be the death of me."

" My love will be the death of you. That is the vision i saw, that I have been dreading. It was not my own death but yours. Nah, I will end this for your sake. There is nothing I can give you but pain and suffering. My gift to you is suffering and my brideprice pain. I cannot do that to you."

"Mordhin," Ilwin begins. "You say you give me only pain and suffering, but that is not true. For you bring great joy to me, and have brightened my world a thousand suns more than anyone. If you were to take that away, I'd be living in the dark again, searching, eternally torn apart by the absense of your love, always lost in a sea of sorrows for which I have no map." Ilwin looks closely at Mordhrin, deep into his eyes, the hurt of his words clearly showing in her own.

"I have live over two thousand years and yet my wander lust is not over. What do you think our lives would be like? Someday I will be called away, perphaps to battle and die, leaving you what? A widow? Grief? Pain? Men like me have no business getting married, just to leave them alone when we leave. It was all just a dream.

"I think our lives would be complete! We'd have the love of eachother to keep us going, even if one of us were to move on!" Ilwin cries out passionately. "You'd leave me with love, given and recieved, my life would be complete, peaceful." she finishes softly, almost whispering.

" I dont know. I think you are trying too hard to make a square peg fit into a round hole. Why do you try so hard? What can i give you? What do you want form me?"

"I want what only you can give to me," Ilwin says sadly, prepared to give up. She looks down at the floor, her tears falling like rain, the drops suiciding on the wood. "I try because I love you, and seek your love in return." she says quietly, almost inaudibly

" Then you seek for that which I cannot, in good conscience, give you. Don't you understand?"

"Then I shall be doomed to live a life full of misunderstanding and torture, for this one mistake I have made in giving you my heart, not understanding you could not give your own," Ilwin sighs shakily and closes her eyes.

" I....," he cannot continue, too much emotion is in his voice. " I must go... you are welcome to stay if you like." He hurries for the door, desperate to get out of this torture, this suffering he msut put her through.

Opening her eyes, Ilwin realizes that this could be her last chance for life and grabs Mordhrin by the arm, stopping his flee. "Mordhrin, you think that by loving me, you would be putting me through torture. But as you say that you cannot know the torture I go through from your current actions. I think you are the one that does not understand. I've given my heart to you, but you choose to treat it as if it were dirt, just grinding it into the ground as nothing. Don't you understand? I love you. I always shall. But by doing this, you put me through the ultimate torture."

" Leave me be! By the gods how you torture me. Let me go please, I beg you. This does neither of us any good. Why cant you see that?"

Ilwin looks at Mordhrin for a moment longer, then releases his arm, running out of the room. A moment later a door slams as she runs out of the house to who knows where.