Chapter 3, rest and darkfall.

The journey through the forest went slowly onwards. Occasionally Mirra would call out to Hrafnir and then jump off into the undergrowth to gather some herb or berry she had discovered from the vantage point on his shoulder. Many stories were shared; mostly by the girl. The squirrel had woken up but was kept semi sedated and tended to by the little troll, who wanted to make sure it was loyal to her before she headed out on it again. Hrafnir started to feel a bit like a pack mule but didn't complain as the company was very pleasant and different from the slow and grumpy mountain kin he was used to. He didn't quite agree with her treatment of the squirrel either but it seemed happy.

Nightfall approached with a scent of water on the air. Vegetation grew more dense as a small forest lake appeared in front of them; stretching fairly far to each side. The surface lay still and black but for some mosquitoes and other insects spreading sparse circular ripples.

"These branches and brambles are tiresome" Hrafnir concluded and sat down next to a mossy log half covered by the water. "This would be a nice place to stay for a while" he added; prodding at the water with a reed. Mirra agreed. After having fed the squirrel ample supplies of her sedative herbs and nuts she tied it to a branch and jumped up on the log looking out over the lake. Abundant water lilies were closing up their flowers for the night, slowly and barely noticeable. "You should have one of those on your shoulder, Hrafnir. They are beautiful, I wouldn't mind sitting in one" she smiled. He sighed ponderously.

A few hours later the moon had risen and Mirra had gone to sleep on a bed of leaves inside the hollow log. Hrafnir was still sitting next to it. He felt happy for having some time alone to gather his thoughts. Sitting there he noticed a mysterious light that started dancing around the water lilies, occasionally settling down on one; luring it to open up it's petals before fluttering away again. He chuckled softly, dipping his feet in the cold water. The wisp twitched upon hearing him and fled toward the shoreline a bit further away.

Rising up he noticed something gleaming where the will-o'-wisp had fled. Between some branches he could make out the shape of a small human girl, eerie light surrounding her as she sat praying with her head bent towards the water surface. Carefully and with surprisingly little noise he braced himself and approached her.

"What are you praying for, little human?" he asked. She was dressed in delicately embroidered pale blue silks and her ghostly glow was enhanced by a slight translucency to her entire figure. Long locks of golden blond hair shone as the wisp circled her and she turned to face him. "Prayers are not for my kind, troll" she responded, "but still I try."

She paused. Her features were child-like, barely more than twelve or eleven in human years, but there was a different age to her expression. Hrafnir sat down next to her. "I've been told I'm a good listener" he said.

"Many centuries ago these lands were the hunting grounds to a castle. My name was Leliana, and I was the second daughter to the lord. My days were spent sewing, playing the piano and singing but sometimes my sister and I would sneak off to this lake to play. One day my mother took me aside and told me of the man my father had decided should be my husband. He was a prince from a far away kingdom and would come to claim me within the next cycle of the moon.

I got very excited and ran to tell my sister. She didn't react the way I expected. We had discussed our possible future husbands extensively and had been day dreaming together about our marriages, but instead of rejoicing she got angry with me and wouldn't speak to me for several days. I thought it was because she would miss me.

When she finally would pay me attention again she broke down and explained she had heard horrible things about the prince. She said he had the heads of three previous wives cut off and had beaten yet another one to death. I was shocked and scared to hear her tales. My nights got haunted by nightmares and as the day when I would be wed approached I could not sleep at all for fear of the future."

The ghost sighed and continued. "When my mother came home with my wedding dress I was in a state of panic. After the maids had dressed me I begged to be alone for a while. I had decided that rather than having my life taken by a brute of a husband, I would end it myself. Terrified, I swam to the bottom of this lake until the world faded around me.

Some days later I awoke to the sound of wedding bells. On the shore of the lake my sister was standing with her new husband and prince. She threw her flowers in the water and kissed him.He was no brute. He was a handsome young man, gentle and loving. I tried to reach through the surface of the lake but the sun was shining and imprisoned me in the dark waters.

They would often come to walk in near the lake, happy and in love. With time they moved into the castle together as rulers and had children of their own playing by the shores. It was many centuries ago now and the castle has crumbled to a ruin. Every night I have been sitting here praying for release. I sinned against my family and myself, trusting in a sister who couldn't bear the thought of not being the first to be wed away."

Hrafnir sat silent for a while, digesting the story. Humans were very strange, he concluded. "While I don't understand why you would want to be given away to a stranger, I do understand betrayal" he said slowly. "It is important to care for those who trust you".

The little girl gathered her skirts and walked out to one of the biggest water lilies and urged her wisp to settle down on it. With a sharp tug she picked it once it had blossomed and carried it back to Hrafnir. "Here, I want you to have this to remember me by. Keep me in your thoughts and one day I might be set free" she said as she took a deep breath and gently blew on the flower, surrounding it with her glow. "It will not wither until I do."

Hrafnir gratefully accepted her gift and sat with her until she faded when the first rays of the sun rose over the tree tops in the east.