I waited two whole days for him.

Nothing.

The forest is silent.

I waited one more day, still nothing.

I kept heading south, keeping my pace slow.

If he's alive I don't want to risk leaving him.

No.

I won't say "if" he's alive, he is alive. 

I know he is.

I thought he was dead once after he put himself between me and Alatar, I thought he had died. He survived that he can survive this. He has to.

And now I'm coming to the edge of the forest, soon I'll leave it for good. Pallando said that he would meet me in the Forest of Harad, I have no choice but to trust his words. That promise is all I have left to hold on to. If I don't have that, I'll fall.

/\\//\\/

My last night in Mirkwood before I leave it forever. I'm resting underneath the trees, I dare not risk a fire. I sharpen one of my swords to pass the time. Too tired to keep moving, and not tired enough to fall asleep. I sleep more than most Elves, simply because I'm always doing one thing or another. Usually, I'm running for my life, fighting for my life comes in close second, and the third thing is the fact that I'm constantly thinking about things.

My mind never seems to run out of things to ponder about.

I inspect the blade I just sharpened and, satisfied with my work, I place it in its sheath beside me.

Let's see...

Swords have been sharpened, bows have been checked, and I've eaten. 

What to do now?

I really don't want to let my mind wander, who knows where it will end up?

I lean my head back against the tree I'm by. There's a soft breeze blowing through the branches, beautiful Spring weather. The sky is clear and the stars are out, the moon is casting a pale glow over the forest. I'd be enjoying this night much more if there wasn't a chance that my friend had been ripped to pieces by something that is probably after me now.

I fish the amulet out of my pocket and inspect in my hands. Strangely, I haven't really thought about it all since Pallando gave it to me. Usually, after a wizard gives you a strange object of immense power it slowly begins to corrupt who you are inside and drives you mad. But I haven't felt anything at all with the amulet. No desire, repulsion, there's nothing odd about it at all.

And yet there is someone who is willing to kill to get their hands on it. I toss it into the air before catching it again. I doubt that something like this should be kept in my pocket...

I finger the black cord that's attached to the amulet, it should fit over my head. I slip the amulet over my head and now it's safely around my neck. I slip it under my tunic to keep it hidden, looking down I'm relieved to find that it's completely unnoticeable from the outside. Reclining against the tree I think about the quickest way to get to Harad. Obviously, the quickest way would be to travel to former Rohan and "borrow" a horse. Then I can ride for the rest of the way, and since it will only be the horse that will have to do most of the resting, it shouldn't take me long at all.

With that settled, I decide to at least try and get some rest, but I've hardly moved to lie down when I hear something; footsteps.

Not the loud, shuffling sound of Pallando's footsteps, but soft and quick, as if whoever is coming is trying to move as fast as possible without being detected. It's probably nothing but a deer, but one thing that has kept me alive for this long is my golden rule: Always suspect everything.

Without taking my eyes off where I keep hearing the noise, I slowly reach for my bow and grab an arrow. I stand and nock the arrow, I don't raise it though.

Not yet.

The footsteps keep starting and stopping, whoever is coming towards me isn't sure of whether or not they want to keep coming forward. Part of me wants them to come, and the more rational side of me hopes they keep their distance. I see something move in the shadows and raise my bow.

I hold my breath as my body tenses. 

It's getting closer...  

Closer...

They stopped.

I lower my bow in annoyance. They stopped just out of my sight, I can see something standing there but apparently, they decided not to come out. They also decided to stay quiet. 

"Who's out there?" I take a step forward and at the same time, the figure hiding takes a step back.

"Don't hurt me, please." The voice stops me in my tracks. It was not what I was expecting.

"Come out of hiding and I won't," I say trying not to sound too threatening.

"Promise?" The voice asks in a trembling voice.

Sighing I toss my bow and arrow aside, then I spread my arms out at my sides to prove that I'm weaponless.

"Yes, I promise. Now come out so I can see you."

The figure hesitates for just a second, then cautiously they step out into the pale light. My mouth opens in surprise and my eyes widen as a child appears. Well, in my eyes he'd be a child, to a mortal he'd be in his late teen years. He has his hands curled into fists at his side, but I can see him trembling. His biting his lip and has his head lowered. His hair is blond and goes down to his shoulders, he's dressed in grey (although it kind of looks white) and his feet are bare.

When he finally does risk a glance upwards, I can see that his eyes are a pale bluish, grey. I study him for a moment longer and notice that there's something odd about this boy, but I can't put my finger on it.

"What are you doing out here?" I ask narrowing my eyes. "This forest is dangerous, you don't just go for a midnight stroll in this place."

The boy looks down again and nervously traces a circle on the grass with his foot. 

"I-I am looking for someone." He murmurs.

"Your parents perhaps?"

He looks me in the eyes for the first time, his brow furrowed and eyes flickering back and forth.

"Parents?"

What is wrong with this boy?

"Yes, your parents," I reply impatiently. "You know, your mother and father? Surely they're worried about you."

He shakes his head and says, "I've never had parents."

Now it's my brows that are furrowed.

"What do you mean? Of course, you've had to have parents at some point in your life."

He shrugs. "If I did have parents, I don't remember them."

He doesn't remember his parents? Alright where did this child come from and why am I the one who has to deal with him?

Wait, he said he was looking for someone.

"Who's this person you're looking for?" I ask turning my back and making my way over to my fallen bow and arrow. 

"I'm, not sure. I only know his name."

"Why don't you tell me his name? Maybe I can assist you." I grab my bow in one hand and the arrow in the other.

"I-I mean his name, is Amarth."

The bow falls from my hand and I squeeze the arrow so tight that is snaps in half. I whirl around and the boy flinches.

"Who told you that name?" I stalk towards him and he cowers away from me, but he doesn't run.

"I-I don't know! It j-just came t-to me." He gulps and is trembling now more than ever. I try to calm myself but after the recent events that have befallen me lately, something like this is too strange to take lightly. Pallando disappears after being attacked by beasts of death, and now a mystery child appears out of nowhere claiming to know my name? 

I'm not buying it.

"Don't lie to me," I growl, "now tell me where you heard that name."

The boy opens his mouth, then closes it again. I groan and stand back up, rubbing the back of my neck. 

"Listen, why don't we go sit down, and you can tell me your little story, alright? I promise I won't get mad this time."

I let him consider my proposal while mentally kicking myself. Why did I have to go and lose my temper? And why of all the things that could have appeared tonight it had to be a child? Children are my one weakness.

"Alright," he mumbles, "I'll tell you."

I clap my hands together which causes him to jump.

"Great, now hurry it up. I have places to be and things to do." I sit down in the spot where I was earlier and motion for the boy to come sit down as well. He approaches, cautiously at first, then he sits down in front of me, inches out of arms reach. 

Smart.

"Now start at the beginning, and don't stop until you reach the end." I lean back against the tree and cross my arms, waiting for him to start.

"There isn't much to tell..." he says. He grabs a strand of his hair and stares at it absently as he continues.

"I woke up in a strange place, I don't know how I got there and I don't remember anything that happened before that. I tried to see if I could remember anything, but it's as if there's something keeping my memories hidden from me. As I laid there I heard a voice telling me to find a person named Amarth, that they could help me get my memories back. I got up and again I heard the voice telling me to go east, so I did. I traveled through forests and over mountains until I got here. I haven't seen anyone at all since I started traveling, well, until I met you."

He tilts his head to the side and I know that little mind of his is busy at work. I count the seconds in my head before he asks me exactly what I knew was coming.

"Are you Amarth?"

Now I have to choices before me: I can deny it, send him on his way, and carry on as normal. Or I could do the mature thing and tell him the truth. But then what? He said that this "voice" claimed that I could give him his memories back, but how am I supposed to do that?! I don't know anything about this boy, and I still don't know whether or not this is a trick!

I'm about to go with my first choice and leave, but of course, I had to look at him again. He looks so hopeful now, there's the faintest trace of a smile on his lips. His hands are clasped together as if he's praying that I'll say "yes."

I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and do something that I'm going to regret.

"Nope."

I get up, grab my weapons, and walk away without a second thought.

/\\//\\/

He's been following me for days now and it's starting to get on my nerves.

I left Mirkwood a week ago and I had assumed that the boy would continue on his way, but he's still here. He hasn't said anything to me or tried to strike up a conversation, he's just there. Watching me with those pale blue eyes of his. I finally figured out what is odd about him, though the revelation was quite unsettling. I found that the more you try to focus on him, the harder it is to see him.

I was eating lunch one day and noticed him sitting nearby, when I glanced over at him I nearly choked on the rabbit I was eating. For a moment he seemed to fade away as if he disappeared. When I tried to focus on him he kept appearing and reappearing. I don't know how to describe it, it's like he's transparent, yet whole at the same time. It's only during the day that it's noticeable which is why I didn't see it the night I met him.

I don't know whether it's a trick of the light that gives him that appearance, or if it's something completely different. The strangest thing though is that he doesn't seem to notice this. What would he say if I told him? I immediately abandon the idea. If I talk to him he'll make the assumption that I actually want him following me, which I don't.

I've been keeping a brisk pace and I plan on reaching Rohan (I still call it that even though no one else does anymore) by the end of the month. Once I have a horse I'll be able to cut the time it would usually take to reach Harad in half. Of course, there's still the matter of the ghost child who's following me...

I can't just leave him alone, can I?

I glance over my shoulder at him but he's looking up at the sky with a grin on his face. I follow his gaze and frown. There's a wren flying overhead, chirping and darting this way and that right above where he's standing. If I didn't know any better I'd say that the wren was doing that purposefully to entertain the boy.

I'm about to return to my own business when I hear him say, "Hello."

At first, I think he's talking to me so I turn around, only to see that he's actually holding the wren in his hand, gently stroking its head with his finger. 

I stand there looking as if I just saw an orc in a dress dancing a jig across the plains.

How on earth is he doing that? Anytime I go near a bird it flies away, but this wren is sitting comfortably in the boy's hand chirping happily as its neck is stroked. Before I can stop myself I march over to him intent on figuring this out.

He smiles when I approach and the wren stops its happy chirping. 

"How are you doing that?" I ask in a snappish way.

"Doing what?" His voice isn't sarcastic at all. He truly has no idea that what he's doing is strange and unusual.

"That!" I point at the wren who looks like it's trying to make itself as small as possible in the boy's hand.

"Oh, well she just flew down to me and I held out my hand to her, then she landed."

She?

She?

The wren chirps before taking flight, my attention isn't focused on the bird though.

I'm staring straight at the boy who is looking at me with a puzzled expression.

"Did I do something wrong?" He asks tilting his head to the left.

"No you didn't do anything wrong, I just don't understand-"

"What don't you understand?"

I grab the ends of my hair in exasperation. Can't he just be quiet and let me speak? He's still waiting for an answer; alright then. If he wants an explanation I'll give him an explanation. There is only one race capable of doing what he just did, and likewise, there is only one way to find out if my suspicions are true.

I motion for him to come forward and he does immediately. Why does he trust me so much? I'll never know. I look down and he looks up. His head barely comes up to my chest, and he's a tad lanky, but if you ignore that and the fact that his skin is slightly pale, then he looks like a normal boy. Or is he?

I kneel down so that I'm eye level with him, then I gently (or as gently as I can) push his hair away from his face. 

The shock on my face must have been noticeable because he looks startled for a second.

"Is something wrong?" He asks nervously.

"Something wrong? Something wrong?! I'll tell you what's wrong! You're an Elf and you didn't tell me!"

He has pointy ears, I saw them! I had my suspicions but now they're confirmed. This is impossible! There are no more Elves left on earth! And if there are then surely it'd be impossible for one to be here this young!

The elfling however, seems more confused than ever.

"What's an Elf?"

I'm on the verge of tearing my own hair out, but I resist.

"You are! And so am I!" I settle for shouting instead.

"How can you tell?"

"Well usually these," I pull my hair back to show him my pointy ears, "are usually a dead giveaway."

The elfling's eyes widen and he reaches a hand up and touches the tip of his ear. 

Unbelievable.

When he finishes confirming that he does, in fact, have pointy ears, he looks at me and says, "So Elves have pointy ears?"

"Yes," I groan covering my face with my hands, "Elves have pointy ears."

"Oh, I saw your ears earlier and just assumed that everyone's ears were like that."

"Except for your own?" I peek at him from between my fingers, noticing that his face has turned red, probably from embarrassment.

"I guess..." he says bashfully.

I rub my hands over my face while my mind struggles to comprehend this new situation. But first I must ask: Why me?

Alright, now I have to try and figure out how this elfling came to be here by himself, with almost no memories whatsoever, and oblivious to the fact that he is an Elf. I turn away and start walking again, I can think better if I'm walking. 

The elfling said that he woke up alone in a strange place (I had asked him to describe it for me but he said he couldn't remember it) with no memory of who he was or how he got there. None of that makes sense to me. First of all, now that I know he's an Elf I can clearly tell that he hasn't come of age yet. In fact, I can guess that he's at least 60, so there's no chance that his parents would leave him alone like this.

Unless...

I quickly glance over my shoulder and sure enough, he's still following me. He said that he didn't remember his parents, and since Elf children are far too dear to their parents to abandon them (unless of course, it's one of those rare Elves who doesn't care about their children) then I can only assume that they are dead.

It makes sense in a sad way, there are no safe places for an Elf anymore (I should know because I am one and I have been traveling for a long time) any Elf caught alone with those who'd wish them harm wouldn't last long. Men seldom go anywhere alone, they always travel in large groups. Yes, I am almost certain that men killed this elfling's parents. Call it a hunch or personal feelings towards humans, but I have no doubt in my mind that if a man saw an Elf today, he wouldn't hesitate to try and kill them.

I stop walking and turn around. Any thoughts I had of leaving him behind have vanished. If I were to leave him alone he wouldn't last a day. He's far too innocent and trusting. It wouldn't be hard for some crook to lure the young Elf into a trap, and I can only imagine what men would do to an Elf like him.

I know for a fact that there are some men out there who still believe that Elves, Dwarves, and Hobbits once existed, some go as far as to believe that there are some still on the earth today. Many years back (before things became terrible) I was traveling near where the Shire used to be. The place had been taken over by men who used the fertile land for farming, the Hobbits were long gone, or so I'd thought. 

I was a few days north of the Shire when I came across a camp full of men, what they were doing so far north was of little interest to me so I decided to move on. Before I left however, I heard shouts coming from the woods, along with frightened screams. I spied on the camp and tried to locate the sources of the screams when I first laid eyes on them I thought they were children.

I was wrong.

Two burly men walked into the center of the camp and threw down two Hobbits, both who looked as if they had just come of age according to Hobbit years. They were brother and sister from the looks of it, and I remember vividly myself gripping my bow so tight the wood almost splintered. I don't want to even think about what the men spoke of doing to the Hobbits because it absolutely disgusts me to this day.

They took pleasure in seeing the two cower on the ground, the brother holding his sister, trying to look brave despite their situation. It was when one man grabbed the girl and tore her away from her brother, both screaming, crying, and hopelessly trying to fight off the men, is when I reacted.

I shot an arrow into the back of the man holding the girl, killing him. Then I shot at the men surrounding the boy. Then I raced into the camp and gathered the boy in my arms, the men had broken his leg, but the whole time he was only concerned for his sister. I found her and took her by the hand, then we ran. I didn't stop until we reached a forest far from the men's camp, I did what I could for the Hobbit's leg and fortunately, I knew how to deal with injuries like that.

I actually revealed to them that I was an Elf and not a man like they had expected me to be. The two of them calmed down quickly after that. I watched over them that night so they could rest, and the next day I accompanied them as far north as I would go. They told me that all the Hobbits were moving to the north, to get away from all the big folk moving in. The two had been separated from their family but now they knew exactly where they were. They'd asked me to come with them but I politely refused. Don't get me wrong Hobbits are great people, but I'd go mad if I had to listen to their drinking songs every day.

I parted with them there and sent them on their way, and that was the last I ever saw of Hobbits. I've thought of trying to find them, but I think that they'd rather be left alone. 

Turning my thoughts back to the elfling, I think about how even more corrupt men have become in the last century. Pallando once told me that there were still good, noble men in the world, but every day I find it harder and harder to believe him. If a band of truly wicked, evil men got their hands on this elfling...

I shudder thinking about it. 

Finally, I stop walking, then I turn to face him. He looks up at me and again, there's that small grin. I've finally come to a decision, I'm not going to leave him, I just can't. But I also think about the danger I'm in, would it be worse if I got him tangled up in this mess? If this had been the Third Age I would have just brought him to Mirkwood or something, but since that place is empty and there are no elven sanctuaries left, I'm the best chance this child has at survival.

Having made up my mind I decide that it's time for a certain truth to come out.

"I'm sorry," I begin clasping my hands together, "but I didn't tell you the truth when you asked if I was-"

"So you are Amarth?" His face lights up faster than I can blink.

"Er... yes. I'm Amarth."

That wasn't the reaction I'd expected but as long as he isn't angry...

"Listen to me elfling, I know that you think I can get your memories back for you, but I honestly don't know how to do that."

His smile fades slightly, but he doesn't say anything.

I take a deep breath before continuing.

"However I can't just let you wander the earth alone, so here's what I'll do: I'll let you stay with me for awhile, and as long as you're with me I'll protect you and be your guardian. In return, I need you to stay quiet and obey every word I say. How does that sound to you?"

I expect him to think about it quietly for a moment, maybe even refuse altogether. After all, I just told him that I could nothing about his memories, I'd be pretty disappointed if I were in his situation. So I am completely unprepared for the bone crushing hug I'm suddenly trapped in.

"Thank you Amarth," he looks up at me and for the first time, I see a full smile on his face. "I don't care if you can't give me my memories back right away, you can do it in your own time. Until then, I'm just glad that I don't have to be alone anymore."

I rapidly nod my head, hoping that he lets go. I haven't been hugged in centuries, it feels so unnatural. Finally, he lets go (thank goodness) and I'm able to compose myself. 

"Alright, first rule of traveling with Amarth: No hugging."

The elfling nods, still smiling.

Does he have a name? I'm getting tired of calling him "the elfling" all the time.

"Do you have a name?" I ask.

He shakes his head, "I don't remember my name."

Of course you don't...

Well, that leaves me with no choice but to name him myself. I stand still for a moment trying to think of an appropriate name for him, what is something short and easy to remember?

Then I have it. Looking down at him, I give the elfling his new name.

"Ramben."

He looks at me, tilting his head to the left again.

"What did you say?"

"Your name, I'm going to call you Ramben."

He whispers the name to himself, then he smiles and asks, "What does it mean?"

"Well my Sindarian isn't very good, so your name loosely translates to "wanderer," do you like that name or would you like me to pick out another?"

He smiles and shakes his head.

"No, I like my name."

I chuckle before waving him forward.

"Well, come on Ramben. Now that you're with me you'll have to get used to traveling swiftly and quietly." 

Ramben scurries to catch up with me, soon we're walking side by side. You know, at first I was annoyed that he wouldn't just leave, but now that he's here I feel as if things are actually going to turn out alright.

Oh how wrong I was...