[Amanaduial the archer]

As Thaubar offered the kingsfoil, Aenara smiled at him for his kindness. Besides, she might be needing some soon, the girl was clutching that tightly to her sides...

"Come Youlielle, you know we do not mean you harm." Aenara murmered back to her. "Thaubar especially wouldnt."

The girl hesistated for a moment longer before snatching the Athelas.

"Thank you, Lord. Now for the second time I learn of the great knowlege in healing you and your people posses. It has saved me once, and I am sure your kingsfoil could take no harm.
For your information, my name is Youlielle. I come from Lake Town. As for anything else concerning me, my past or my buisiness in this parts of Middle-Earth, I have kept it for myself and fully intend to remain doing so. And one other thing. I am not a child. I am fifteen years old and, have allmost reached maturity." Youlielle relaxed as Thaubar nodded and rode away after a moment, but Aenara winced. Youlielle looked up sharply, puzzled. "Whats the matter?"

"Whats the matter?" Aenara repeated quietly to herself in her own language then remained silent for a moment. When she spoke it was quietly. "You should not have done that."

"Why not?" Youlielle snapped angrily. Aenara didnt want to scold the girl so she tried to find a way around. Like finding out why the elf had made her young companion so angry.

"He only gave you kindness." She replied, then waited for the explosion she knew would come.

"Kindness? He patronised me! He demanded my roots, as if that was all I am, and spoke down to me! He does not treat you like that Aenara! The demanding, and the looks...and he called me a child." She ended lamely. He anger was working itself out from its start as a rant. The elf guard in front of her laughed, but not at the girl.

"Thaubar has quite a healthy respect for me, as do many of the males- excepting Fin, but then, he is the excpetion to many rules while at the same time a complete cliche- because I am an elf guard. And when he called you a child- you are 15 human years of age are you not? Thaubar has lived about 100 times that length!"

"He has?" Now Youlielle was incredulous.

"Indeed. We roam the earth much longer than you Youlielle; every elf here is far far older than any human you will meet."

The girl now looked around at the fair elves around her. Then Aenara saw her face darken in the corner of her eye. "But...but he reminded me so much...s-so much of..." She stuttered, clearly dealing with a painful memory.

"Shhh." Aenara didnt press her. The memory obviously hurt her still and to try and dig it out before it was ready... "Chew the Athelas- I mean, the Kingsfoil. And shall we continue with the lesson?" She added, adopting a mock scholarly tone, looking back and down at Youlielle as if over a pair of invisible spectacles. "You will never learn!"

Both of them laughed and they got back to pronunciation of the song...