Quiet it was within the forest not that far from the Bruinen Gorges, the place was at rest, predators and prey were asleep. In this part of the forest there was hardly any wind, just a mild cool breeze, only the cracking of trees could be heard now and then. The snow however showed many footprints deer, hares and even wolf tracks now and then. Armanduil traveled over paths unseen, paths less travelled leading him through denser parts of the forest. The trees stood so close together, there was hardly any snow on the ground anymore. The deep silence and a thick cool air surrounded him as he rode vigilant and silently through the forest. The density of the trees did not permit a lot of light and the rays that did get through, threw a mystic blue light across the forest floor.
After a few hours, Armanduil looked up hearing a sound in the distant, it was drawing nearer. Laying his hand on the hilt of the sword he halted his horse. A deer with great antlers was running as fast as he could, crossing Armanduils path, as if he was chased by a wolf. But no wolf came. After an uneasy pause he continued only to be startled by another deer, storming through the forest as if its life depended on it. Suddenly his horse was unwilling to continue and a feeling of dread made Armanduil turn his horse around. He was facing a great white mist that was rolling with unnatural speed into his direction. The horse was neighing at the approaching fogbank, and Armanduil covered his face as they were engulfed by it.
The air now felt humid and colder than before, and having lost all vision, Armanduil was struggling to figure out which way he was supposed to go. Despite the fact that Armanduil is a gifted rider, he could hardly control his horse. He patted his horse and whispered in his ears “Don’t fear” but the horse remained restless. Suddenly Armanduil sensed there was something more, something out of place. There was a voice in the air, very distant, a woman’s voice. It drew closer and Armanduil dismounted, his horse immediately ran away, disappearing out of sight. Armanduil did not care nor look back, the voice intrigued him, and he simply stood there and waited. As the mist blocked all vision, he closed his eyes focusing on the sound. The voice drew nearer, he could make out it was a song, the voice was enchanting and beautiful to listen to, a song that struck him familiar. The voice was now all around him, and suddenly he realized that voice belonged to his sister Faervel! It had to be! The song was familiar as well, she always sang it when she overlooked the seas from the docks at Forlond. Wether that was true or not, that realization struck him and for a moment he could not breathe. The voice passed him and glided further into the forest. Armanduil blindly followed the song, he was now running, passing trees, jumping over rocks and disappeared into the night.
