Men of the Mark

One.. two... and step back… one.. two... and step back… trying to increase the speed... one, two and I’m out of balance again... stumbling back, instead of the single steady step required. It is hard to practice the basic counter maneuver I learned all those years ago, with the left arm in a sling and broken ribs not fully healed. The throbbing headache is not helping either.

Music

Music

She had not fully woken to her strength yet, the lone wolf, the sleeping wolf who hunted soft pawed in the dream-lands, pale grey eyes glimmering in the dark. 

Ride not easy into dark and shadowed forests,
Where ancient trees whisper and conspire,
Where roots and stones tickle a horse’s hooves,
Where streams are deep and treacherous,
And overgrown paths lead too far from home.

Ride not foolishly into golden northern realms,
Where wicked elves weave their magic spells,
Where the shade of trees hide their gilded arrows,
Where heavy leaves glitter in the dark of night,
And elven waybread tastes naught of home.

Note: This is my own rendition of J.R.R Tolkien's poem Lament of the Rohirrim / The Horse and the Rider (which in turn is based on The Wanderer), and should be read for what it is: a fun interpretation from a creative point of view.
 

“Eda? Eda, if it be possible I would speak with you, woman to woman."

It was a chilly night, the stars clearly visible with no hint of a cloud in sight. The gibbous moon shone down upon me with distant curiosity. ‘What was I doing, seeking to speak with the dead?’

At the sound of elvish, I paused. I did not know what the words meant, but oh, I knew that sound. 

Standing beside me, Waelden looked down at his friend. “What was that? Gibberish, delusions?”

“My mind is drifting like numerous rivulets, spread out in all kinds of uncoordinated directions, a mind dwelling in the dark and pain caused by my own undertaking. My will to piece together the mind, to form it into a strong river, is shattered and I despair in the dark. Where is the blissful reward promised all those long years ago, for those who are true to their oaths?