Walking in the darkness and in the still of the night, Haldir and Goneril arrived at the beginning of what looked like a tunnel of branches and fronds, a small path that deviated from the main road.

The soldier girl had lit a torch, which illuminated the path with an orange light. The cloak and the golden sword - which Haldir had recovered from the treasury just before it was thrown into a furnace - had been returned to her.

"Here we are." announced the Elf, pointing the way through the tree trunks. "Now, you have to follow this path. You will come to a barren plain, which slopes downhill. You will have to follow it to the end, being careful not to slip. It is still winter, the ground is hard and there may even be ice."

"I could lose myself." said Goneril.

Haldir smiled. "Don't worry. I left traces as I passed. Follow them."

"What traces?" asked Goneril. "And how come your father doesn't know about this road? He allowed you to go to Dale once a month, why did you have to find a secret way?"

"The official road to the human realm, the one that the King knows, is over there. But as you may have guessed, I often disobeyed his orders. I visited my mother ten times in one month, and of course I had to ... find an alternative. " revealed the Prince. "Nobody ever surprised me."

"Well, your heighness, you have a remarkable temperament. And great courage." said the warrior. "I wonder, though, why you let me go like this." She added.

Haldir looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Your father must have told you who I am, I suppose. I mean, what was my profession until recently." she answered.

"Yes. He said you are a ruthless cutthroat. He called you a murderer, a brigand. Scum."  retorted Haldir.  "My father has no respect for you, if you wanted to know."

Goneril nodded slyly.  "I know very well his opinions. And do not believe that in the rest of Middle-earth I've earned more consideration. That's why I am surprised: are you releasing a criminal like me...?"  She asked him.  "...you have no scruples?"

Haldir moved closer to her, his features enlightened by the fire were even more beautiful.  "My father said another thing: that you are the daughter of a King. The King of Rohan, Théoden."

"A nice tale that has come this far, I see. The fact must still be proven."  she answered.

"He has read your mind, there's no need for a proof. It's true. And that's why I want to trust you."  the young Elf explained.  "I want to believe that that noble part of your soul, the one that descends from Théoden, will win over the other ... the dark, evil one. The King of Rohan is a good man, I knew, and a person of honor  .You must have inherited something from him. "

Goneril chuckled.  A good man, she thought, who abandoned a daughter who was still in her infancy.  Who betrayed his Queen.

Then she ran a hand over her forehead, because a sudden pang had hit her where the scar was.  "The only thing I could have inherited from that guy is the total inability to respect duties. You don't know Théoden. But you can believe me if I tell you that he has so many regrets that it is even incomprehensible how he can sleep at night."

Haldir remained silent, he was perplexed.  Yet, Thranduil had told him how much he admired that human ruler.  He had been a great leader in his youth, his father had said.

"What are the traces you left?"  Goneril asked, bringing him back to reality.  "I mean, how can I orient myself?"

"I placed stones on the path up to Dale ... small particular boulders, which have nothing to do with the other stones in this wood."  explained Haldir.  "Follow them, you will reach a series of hills after a few hours. Look at the sky: Men light the chimneys in winter, the smoke in the distance will show you where to go."

"Excellent. And then, how will I enter Dale, are there hidden entrances through the walls?" she asked.

There was no answer.  The woman turned to look at the prince: he seemed dumbfounded.  "Well, I hadn't thought about it. I've always passed over the walls ... but you can't."  He murmured.

"Why not?"  she asked.

"Well, there is a distance of at least five meters from the heights above which I walk to the other side of the walls. I can climb over it ... I am an Elf, it's easy for us. But ...  you cannot do it. You will be forced to enter through the great gates of the Kingdom. "  Haldir reasoned.

"...are you kidding? The main entrance is guarded by soldiers, day and night ..." she snapped.

"Yes. And they will recognize you. You are famous among us Elves, and among Men too ..." said Haldir.

"You'd better say notorious ..." she sighed.  It would have been much more complicated than expected.

"They will arrest you if they discover your identity. But ... you could disguise yourself."  the prince proposed.

"Disguise...like...what?"  asked Goneril.

Haldir reflected for a moment.  "Well, maybe ... a servant. You could dress up like a maid. You could pretend to have reached Dale to search for a job!"  said the Elf.

"What ?! Should I introduce myself as a humble house worker?"  the warrior was indignant.  Damn, until five days ago I used to command five hundred soldiers ...

However, the Elf's idea had its own logic. Dressed in rags and without armor, they certainly wouldn't have recognized her. She would have entered unnoticed in a kingdom of humble people, fishermen, peasants, artisans, blacksmiths. She could have told any kind of lie, for example, that she had escaped from Rohan after the Orcs had attacked it, and that she had reached the North East in search of a home and employment. Of course, it was not very credible that a single, unarmed girl would wander alone, but perhaps the guards at the entrance to the kingdom would have bought it.

"Yes. Your idea is not bad." She finally admitted.

But Haldir had not finished. "In that case, you will have to leave the sword."

Goneril thought she didn't understand correctly. "This weapon is made of solid gold, for your information. It has no price."

"Exactly. Which maid goes around with an object of such value? If you take it with you, you will attract suspicions." explained Haldir. "In fact, it's much better if you leave it here. I'll take care of it."

Goneril grinned. "Right in your hands eh? No, your heighness, this thing comes with me."

Haldir turned his gaze to the tangled woods, impatient. "Do as you wish, worse for you." He concluded. "In any case, you have to leave your armor and wear more common clothes."

"This is the least of the problems." answered Goneril.

At that point, Haldir pulled an envelope from a pocket of his cloak, closed with sealing wax. "This is the message you have to bring to my mother. She lives in a big house, just above a small hill. It is a bit isolated from the others. The door is large, painted in blue. You will get to Dale at dawn, probably. Wait until the sun is up before going to her. " the Elf explained. "My mother does not live alone: ​​she has a girl at home who helps her, her name is Bettie. She is naive, she will immediately believe the farce of the maid in search of work. Make sure she invites you in the house and when she is distracted, give the letter to my mother. "

"Your mother ... how will she react to my visit? Is she ... lucid?" Goneril asked.

"Sometimes yes, others not. She is eighty-six years old. If you find her in a good day, she might even start chatting with you. Something about her past sometimes comes back to mind ..." Haldir said, smiling. Then he became serious again. "... but don't make Bettie suspicious."

"And about your father ... should I tell her something?" asked Goneril.

Haldir gave her a sudden sad look. "If you want, just tell her he is fine and that ... he keeps loving her. But she already knows."

Goneril took the envelope and put it in her pocket.

"Another thing ... even that cloak is too rich for a maid. Leave it behind when you change clothes." suggested Haldir.

"I know, Prince, I know. Remember who I am: here in front of you there's a nice example of brigand. I am quite cunning, you know?" the woman retorted.

The two looked at each other for a moment, then Goneril was taken by a sudden concern. "How will you explain my disappearance from the dungeons? Your father is not a fool, he will understand that someone has helped me."

"I'll say you forced the lock and freed yourself." answered Haldir.

"No. Your cells are resistant. But ..." the warrior murmured, observing the environment around her.

There was a small fence there. It was very old, the wood was rotten and some rusty nails poked out. Goneril grabbed one and, not without difficulty, managed to extract it from the boards. "Here ... take it to my cell, throw it on the floor. They'll think I forced the door with this."

"Very clever, really." complimented the Elf. "I guess you've escaped many times ... from many prisons."

Goneril smiled.  "No, actually. I had never been locked up before."

Haldir watched her in silence.  His beautiful blue eyes scanned the face of the human, hoping to find a semblance of goodness, or at least honesty.  But he couldn't.
"I hope I made the right choice. I hope I didn't make a mistake tonight."  He said.

"You did the right thing, don't worry. Keeping me locked up would have been pointless, anyway. Your father would have been raging on me for no reason."  she answered.

"I believe it is a mistake: it is true, war is coming. And the best fighters must be free, not left to rot in a hole under the ground. We will all be called to defend our world, sooner or later."  Haldir reflected.

"You already talk like a King."  observed Goneril.  She felt obliged to add something before she disappeared on the path.  "You know, your father is right when he says that your life is precious, and that it must be protected. You have an extraordinary future, Prince. And your existence has to be ... guarded."

"Yeah ... but I want to fight! I don't want to hide in a room and watch others from a window! That's what he doesn't understand!"  protested Haldir.

Goneril laughed.  "I should introduce you to Éowyn, King Théoden's niece. You guys have a lot in common."
Then she saw a dagger at the prince's belt.  With a quick gesture, she slipped it out of the lining.  "May I? It will be useful."  she asked.

"You already have the sword ..." objected Haldir.

"This is more manageable. Farewell, Haldir Thranduilion. A new journey awaits me. The night is long."  the woman said, covering herself with her cloak.

"Will I see you again?"  asked the Elf.

"I don't think so. Don't hope for it. But remember what I told you: a great future awaits you. Face it with courage."  having said that, she ran away.

"Tell my mother that I love her!"  She heard him recommend aloud.

Of course I'll tell her.  It will be the last thing she hears, before closing her eyes forever, she thought, as the chill of the night froze her cheeks.