[Amanaduial the archer]

"The High King has sent for you, Arthain. He wishes to see you immediately."

The soldier had entered Arthain's tent without warning, and the older man spun around quickly, anger flaring in his eyes. "That's Captain Ar-" he stopped, the sentence unfinished, before a sad, bitter expression came onto his face. Captain Arthain? No, not any more...

The elf soldier watched him with something like satisfaction at his discomfort, and also a sort of disgust. So everyone knows about it, then, Arthain thought bitterly. But as he stood, his chin was raised, determined not to show what he felt. So Gil-Galad wished to see him...I should feel fear, the Captain thought dully. I am going to see the kin of he who I betrayed. I should be terrified... but these thoughts seemed to come from a distance. All Arthain really felt was a sort of weary acceptance. I betrayed him. From his people, I deserve whatever I get. And so does... Arthain stopped the thought as he followed the soldier outside. He knew the snake deserved punishment, but to think of her conciously simply angered him, and after all, it was not all her fault. She had tempted him, and like a weak child, unable to resist, he had been fooled and given in.

As he stepped outside the tent, Arthain paused, looking up at the stars. There was a tale he had once heard about elves; that when they died, their souls became the stars, placed high above in reverence, looking down from above on the world that they had reigned over. When he had told Melost this, the elf had laughed and corrected him, telling him of the halls of Mandos. Good times those had been, however foolish Arthain had felt: their friendship was new, Arthain was young, and Melost would never grow old.

But as he looked at the stars, Arthain felt the same wonder he had felt when he had first heard the story of the stars being the souls of wise, good elves, and, as he had since Melost had run away, Arthain once again wondered what had become of the elf who had given him such friendship. Could he have survived by himself in the state he had been in when he ran from Arthain, his eyes wild, tears running down his cheeks, despair and betrayal in his eyes and his voice as he cursed Arthain forever?

As he thought this, it seemed to his tired mind that one star was shining even more brightly than the rest, although he would doubt it later, putting it down the fuddled mind of the weary and foolish. Staring up at the star, Arthain watched it in awe, as if it was the first star he had ever seen, and once more it glinted brightly, putting Arthain in mind of the way, when Melost had thrown back his head and laughed at Arthain's tale of elves' souls, the moonlight had glinted off the fine strands of blonde in Melost's hair.

"I wronged you, my friend, I wronged you more than I could have ever had a right to. But if you are there, please...I am sorry. I am so sorry..." He trailed off, feeling tears coming into his eyes. The soldier, who hadn't heard, turned, irritated, and told Arthain in clipped tones to hurry; the High King didn't like being kept waiting. Wiping his hand across his eyes as if wiping away some dust that had got caught there, Arthain followed.