[Hookbill the Goomba]

As Cree had sun out of the inn he remembered the vision he had had just a few minuets ago. Reluctantly he went to the door of the inn, to his relief, she was near the stables rather than going over the hill.

As she ran to him, he suddenly felt a deep foreboding fall upon him. All seemed to go quiet, he could not even hear if she was talking to him. Birds sang in the trees and he did not hear them. It passed. He looked at Cree and felt pity.

"I do not wish to leave you," he said, and with truth, "I am not ready to leave. I shall not go anywhere for at least a month."

Avalon rested upon the top of the inn and crowed. She sensed that Cree was unhappy, and now distrusted Fáinu. But still, Fáinu did not wish to lead Cree to harm, he knew that if she followed him, she would surly perish, he knew what dwelt in the north, not only Orcs and Trolls. He stepped back and placed both hands on her shoulders.

"I will not leave you by choose," he said, "I cannot see any hope for myself, only darkness. I do not think that my future will be present; I fear it will be filled with torture, torment, anguish, and flame. If you wish to be by my side through all of that, then I shall stick by thee to whatever end. Even if the end of days comes and the world is crashing about us, still I shall be by you. Do you wish for such a fate?"

He saw that tears were rolling down Cree's face; he did not know what to say to her. All of a sudden the pain of his wound began to hurt again. He pulled his hand back like one who spills hot water on their hand. The pain passed, and he thought it very curious. He looked up at Cree and saw that she was looking in curiosity at his hand, why had it begun to hurt now? None knew. Perhaps, it was the memory of the day, and the fact that Cree was the first one he thought of after it happened.

Soon he felt that he needed to rest and spend some time to think about all that had happened. He took Cree's hand and held it firmly.

"Think on all I have told you," he said, "Elrond told me that I will face peril and torment before the end. Although I do not wish to put you in harm's way, I fear that I am destined to put to hurt, all whom are dear to me." He turned and went in to the inn. He went down the road to a small cottage, it was owned by Dwaline, and he had leave to use it. He went swiftly to sleep and had troubled dreams.