Sweat trickled down Thorundur’s face. Even in the shade of the trees the metal helmet made it feel like his head was boiling. One good thing about the warmth was that at least it seemed to calm the horse down. He hadn’t admitted it to Roe but he was scared every minute that he was on the hot-tempered stallion’s back. Everything was wrong and he missed Roe so much. He didn’t know what he had done wrong but she had been so scornful and angry at him lately.

When he had told Roe how he felt for Aliendre she had make it clear that she didn’t find him worthy of a princess. He had never thought that Roe of all people would make that kind of difference between people. Lately she seemed to despise and dismiss everything that he said. He would show her! Everyone would praise him when he brought Aliendre home and Roe would understand that he was not as worthless as she believed.




In the mirror at home he had seen a mighty elven warrior. He felt embarrassed when he remembered how he had looked forward to the impressed look he had been so sure that Roe would have when she saw him dressed in armor. Roe had only found him ridiculous. Now he felt nothing like the elven warrior that he had seen in the mirror. The old chainmail was warm, heavy and chafed but he figured that the human would give up easily when he faced an elven warrior so he endured the uncomfortable outfit. If the human would be stupid enough to fight him, the armor would probably be useful. Aliendre had once shown him a place that he thought would be ideal if she wanted to keep away together with the prince. He hadn’t really planned what to do if he found her but he figured that the human would give up and that Aliendre would realize the foolishness in running away with a human and come home with him. The king would praise him and everyone would be impressed. He would be a hero and Roe would admire him. Thorundur’s imaginations were interrupted as the black stallion jumped aside when a bird flew from a bush. He almost fell to the ground. Maybe taking the horse hadn’t been a very good idea after all but there was no doubt that he could travel much faster on the back of the horse. Actually he sometimes felt that they travelled a little too fast as the horse didn’t always listen to him when he wanted to slow down the pace. I shouldn’t be far now.



Confused Thorundur looked around and then down on his own chest. He was dressed in armor and was riding a hot tempered stallion. How could this be? He was all alone in the middle of the forest and he couldn’t remember what he was doing here but somehow he knew that he was riding in the wrong direction so he turned around. Maybe Roe could tell him if he went to her. There was something that didn’t feel good when he thought about Roe. Of course, now he remembered. Roe was angry at him but he couldn’t remember why. Or maybe it was he who was angry at Roe. There was someone else he should remember too. Then suddenly it all became clear. He should bring Aliendre home but he had forgotten. He shook his head and smiled. Obviously there was magic working here. Aliendre must have put a spell around her hiding place. He turned back and concentrated hard on the destination. Again he could feel a wave of confusion when he approached the place where he had turned back, but he spurred the horse to make it run forward. For a while he couldn’t remember why he was on the back of a galloping horse but then the trees thinned out and he could see the glade. The fence surrounding a pasture had been mended and there were three horses grassing there. In front of the cabin he could see the human chopping wood. He had been right, they were here.


Suddenly Night-Sky neighed and the horses in the enclosure responded. The prince looked up and the chance to surprise him was lost. The fright in the human’s face made Thorundur feel very content. He tried to make the horse stop but it wasn’t easy because it stepped around and was more interested in the other horses than to listen to Thorundur. This moment wasn’t exactly as he had planned and when he finally reached the ground on unsteady legs Alexander had already put on a chainmail and had a sword in his hand. Stupid horse, Thorundur’s chance to surprise Alexander was gone.


“Stay where you are”, Alexander shouted.

Thorundur stretched his back. He couldn’t see Aliendre. “I’m here to rescue Princess Aliendre. She will come back with me and escape the fate of the mortals” he said doing his best to sound like a mighty elven warrior.

“How could you find this place? It’s shielded.” The prince seemed more worried about the fact that Thorundur had found him than about the sword in Thorundur’s hand.”


“Give up, or you will be sorry,” Thorundur said, making his voice as dark and threatening as he could.

The prince didn’t seem impressed. “It’s Aliendre’s choice to be with me and I will not give her up as long as she wants me. This is ridiculous. Go back.”

Thorundur swallowed. This was not going as he had planned. He had no other choice than to raise his sword to demonstrate that he wasn’t going to give up. The prince didn’t wait for the first strike. Before Thorundur could blink he heard the sound of metal meeting metal as the prince parried his sword with his own. The strength in the blow made Thorundur lose his balance for a short while. He realized that Roe had been right, he had underestimated the human. Every time he moved his sword to strike at the prince, Alexander parried easily. It almost seemed as if he was playing with Thorundur. Not once did he try to strike back. It was like an absurd dance, and Thorundur found that the sword was becoming heavier and heavier while Alexander’s strength didn’t seem to diminish at all.


A sharp cry echoed over sound of metal meeting metal. Thorundur looked up and saw Aliendre’s terrified face. She had raised one of her hands. For an instant he could see her hand being lit up and then there was a sharp pain in his own hand when the light bolt hit him. He dropped the sword and fell backwards.


What are you doing here? How could you find us? Aliendre shrieked. He had never seen the calm princess so upset before.

“I have come to bring you back. The King and Queen are very upset and everyone is looking for you. This is not right Aliendre and you know it. Our kind is not meant to live with the mortals. You will die. The prince is killing you.”


“How dare you believe that you can make choices for me? Do you think Alexander could keep me here against my will? Actually he begged me to leave him when he realized what it will do to me to love him. But this is my choice. I’m happier than I’ve ever been before. Who are you to judge me? You’re only truly happy when you’re with Roe and she’s mortal just like Alexander.” She raised her head high and looked triumphant. “Besides it’s already too late for me.”

Thorundur looked down. Aliendre’s last words were horrifying but she was right, it was none of his business what she did after all. This had been one of his worst ideas ever. He should have listened to Roe. Aliendre was wrong to compare Alexander with Roe though. Roe was not a human and she was his friend, not the woman that he would give his heart to. He knew that elves were not supposed to live with mortals.

“Go away now Thorundur. I do not wish to move from this place so I beg you to not tell anyone where to find me.” She didn’t sound as if she was begging. “If I find out that you have told anyone, you can trust that I will make you regret it.”

“I would not, he said with head down. “I’m sorry Aliendre. It was wrong of me to come here but I would never betray you.”


He picked up the sword and walked slowly to his horse who was standing outside the pasture looking as he was talking with the other horses. Thorundur grabbed the reins and swung himself up in the saddle. Night-Sky took a jump forward when he felt Thorundur’s foot touching his haunch and Thorundur fell headlong to the ground. He tried to get up but found himself stuck to a thick branch that had wedged between the plates of his chest armor. There was no end to his humiliation. He pulled hard to get loose. Finally he managed to get up on the back of Night-Sky and started his ride back home with a hanging head.

It was a somber ride back. Not only was he humiliated but also very sad about Aliendre’s choice. It was unheard of that an elf would chose mortality for the love of a mortal. Everyone knew that elves were not supposed to live with the mortals. Aliendre’s sad fate would no doubt be told in stories thousands of years from now. Life used to be so easy and uncomplicated and now everything was a mess. Everything had been a total disaster. He felt dizzy and weak and his chest hurt where the branch had hit his chainmail. The armor was too warm and heavy. He stopped the horse and jumped down to the soft ground. It felt so good to get rid of the weight of the plated armor but every breath hurt. He pulled the chain mail over his head and felt how his hand got wet from the sweat on his chest. The effort it took to bend down to strike the hand against the grass to get rid of the sweat made him feel even dizzier.


He stretched out his hand and saw that it was soaked in blood. It was wet from blood, not sweat! There was a large red patch on the tunic on his chest. He knew that it was too much blood and then he realized something else. Oh no, grandfather will be angry because I have ruined his silk tunic, he thought. No of course not, how silly he was. Grandfather had been dead since long before Thorundur was born. Then Thorundur realized the logic in his thoughts. Of course he would also be dead soon, and then he would meet his grandfather. He would leave this world and he would never meet Roe again. Would she find his bones eventually or would she always wonder why he never came back to her?



Then everything went black and he didn’t think more.