[Amanaduial the archer]

Nuhrive leapt back with a little yell as the figure jumped out in front of her.

"You!" She gasped, trying not to sound too dismayed. Of all the people she could have met, did it have to be her parents partner?! She knew she was being rather unfair to Feadhros himself; she knew him to be friendly and a good friend, as well as funny, something proven from the mischevious way he was now grinning at her. There were very few adults in Lorien who actually grinned.

"What are you doing out here?"

...and that was another thing about Feadhros. He could spot mischief a mile off. But Nuhrive was good at covering up on the spot; she spent half her life doing it when she had to explain what she did all day.

"We were just going to run a few errands for-"

"Oh dont tell Milar and Isolde please, Nuhrives meant to be in her room!" Sultir rushed out in one breath.

...however, Sultir was not so good at covering up. But suddenly very good at avoiding his friends eyes. She kicked him sharply on the ankle and he winced.

"But....but thats only because she, erm, had to do some...some....things in her room that were, um, very...important..." He improvised but Feadhros laughed and Nuhrive couldnt help smiling. "Sultir, you're hopeless at lying!"

"I will take that as a good thing!" her friend shot back, but he was also grinning. Then Nuhrive turned to Feadhros, who was still waiting for an answer, and she was not going to beg him not to tell her parents. She stood up straight and looked him in the eye. "We have a few things to do in the Wood."

"Oh really? What sort of things then?" He was still grinning and Nuhrive was getting angry.

"None of your business!" She said, feeling her cheeks getting hot. Why was he so hard to lie to? She knew the elf better than her own parents. She started to storm off but Feadhros caught her arm, speaking gently. "Hey. I just asked. Hang on..." Nuhrive winced; she knew he had heard something about Harlon, and he would be able to have guessed about her parents reaction. She pulled her arm from his grasp angrily. He was just another of her parents friends, she should have known it, just another one who would tell her parents of her whereabouts and stop her from doing anything.

"No." She said angrily, her temper flaring up. "No, Im not going back. They'll make me do embroidery again, and just sit in my room. I dont want to do embroidery; I want to be one of the scouts! Not even my mother will let me- she says I am to well bred, even though she does it!" She was backing off all the time. "I hate just being 'well bred'!" Turning she ran away into the forest, taking a cut through to the palace, leaving Feadhros and Sultir gasping on the path.

Taking the rickety stairs up to the gallery two at a time, she grabbed some of the lembas and dried fruit she kept there for snacks. Then taking up her elegant dagger in its sheath she put it on and ran down the stairs again.

Sprinting through the forest, Nuhrive reached the borders of the Golden Wood. Staring out from a hiding place out of sight of the guards, she saw past the trees, gasping. There were entire expanses out there which might have no trees at all; she trembled at the thought then became more resolute. There would also be no embroidery. When the guards changed in an hour or so, at twilight, she would be gone.