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Ahren was glad that he wouldn't have to wait for Donovan, and a wave of relief washed over him.

"I'm so glad you're here," he murmured, heading over to one of the chairs to sit down. He folded his hands in his lap. "Did Miyu warn you about the new girl?"

"Judging from the look on her face when we were with Shiara," Ahren murmured, "I'm sure she does. But before you go, we have to discuss what this means ... Donovan, she wasn't the only one up there, in the Northland. Despite our best efforts, they are still collecting elven children as slaves ... Shiara's been there for at least a decade, and she says there are many more. Not only that, but it seems ..."

He trailed off and closed his eyes as if he were almost too pained by his thought to even voice it.

"It seems," he murmured quietly, "that the dwarfs have been treating them worse than anyone could ever have foreseen ..."

Ahren shook his head. "We sneaked in and out," he replied. "The guards never knew we were there - and they have no idea about the slavery, as far as we know. We did it that way on purpose, for a few reasons. First, to prove that it's possible for people to get in and out without being caught. Second, so that we weren't making accusations without proof. Third, because if we told them about the situation and then left, they would attempt their own rescue and force the dwarfs deeper underground. The children aren't out in the open, they're hidden away, deep, where no one would ever find them. Without following the dwarfs by stealth, no one would ever find any of the children, let alone rescue all of them."

He paused for a moment, and then he looked Donovan in the eye. "As for losing their rights as people," he murmured, "abuse is one thing. But sexual abuse is another. The dwarfs have gone so far beyond the line that there is no saving grace for them now. Shiara spent more than ten years there as their sexual slave, for them to abuse, toy with, and beat on ... and when any of the other children misbehaved, Shiara was the one who was made an example of."

He shook his head, his face darkening with fury. "They have to be stopped, and stopped for good. The children ... no one should have to suffer like that."

"We might talk to them," Ahren agreed, "but I doubt that it would do any good. The soldiers there are part of the Westland Army, and royal family or not, we have no authority over them. They might hear us out for the sake of appearances, but that would be about it. They don't even have that much of an obligation. What we need to do, at least in my opinion, is talk to King Eregon of the Westland Elves. He isi the only one with the authority to do anything."

He clenched his fists in his lap. It meant far too much talking, and not nearly enough action, not nearly soon enough.

"The best course of action, I think," he added, "would be to get as many people as we can and just infiltrate them. But no matter what we do, the caves are so ... fortressed ... that no matter how we go about this, there's a high probability that we'll never get them all."

He gestured around him. "What we do here ... sure it helps. It helps the children that we do rescue. But it's not enough. None of it is helping to annihilate the slavery itself. We have to go to the root of the cause, the dwarfs themselves. If there's no one to take the children into slavery, then there's no need to take children, and they'll be a lot safer. But how to do that without declaring all out war ... and how to guarantee we would find them all ... I don't know."

He passed his hand over his face. "But either way, we do have to talk to King Eregon. If we don't, our actions could end up seeming an act of defiance, or even outright hostility, to launch an attack on a place that's under their supervision. The last thing we need is a political war on top of it."

Though he seriously doubted it would go that far, it was still a possibility.

Ahren nodded. He agreed with everything that Donovan had said, he only wished that it wouldn't take as long as he knew it had to.

"Then I will personally see to it that it is done promptly," he told Donovan seriously. "I will make sure that it reaches King Eregon's attention, and that he knows just how grave the situation is. And with the help of the Valar, by the next time you come, something will have been accomplished."

Ahren nodded. "I understand. I'll do what I can to make sure that it won't have to happen again."

At that moment, Haradhel returned downstairs, with Shiara following close behind her. Shiara was dressed in Arwen's old clothes, and they fit her well - Miyu it seemed had a good eye when it came to choosing clothes. The girl also looked a lot better than she had before her bath: her hair was brushed and braided, her skin clean and clear - even the wound on her neck did not seem so ugly now that she was clean. On top of that, she looked far more relaxed than she had beforehand, and if possible, more comfortable. Still, she was keeping a bit of distance between herself and Haradhel, though she did not seem quite as insistent as before.

Haradhel smiled at Ahren and Donovan. "So. Things are worked out, yes?" she asked them, her tone hopeful.

Shiara stood by the door and looked around the room: the toybox, Ahren, the desks, shelves, the twins; and finally her gaze came to rest on Donovan. Surprisingly, she registered no more fear of him than of anyone else she had encountered so far.

Haradhel nodded. "And Toshiro?" she asked, tilting her head slightly. "Will he be staying with Miyu? Or will he be going back with you as well?"

He was well used to his new body by this time, but as to how well he would hold up with it when his source of magical energy was in another world ...

Haradhel nodded. "They're welcome to stay as long as they like," she told Donovan. "Though I'm afraid it may be a long time before any physical healing can be done." She looked sadly at Shiara, who simply stared at the ground.

"As soon as possible, I'll go myself to King Eregon," Ahren told his mother, "and tell him about what's going on, and see if we can count on him for help when the time comes. Perhaps we should also write to Lothiriel and Ninako, maybe they could also help out. After all, despite the fact that the dwarfs are under the Westlanders' guard, the problem really belongs to all the nations - children are being stolen from all of them."

Haradhel nodded again. "I'll speak to your father about it," she promised. "We will send others to speak to them in person as well, though they already know firsthand about the problem, and how serious it is."

Atalya after all had had a great-grandson taken - Daeron - and Lothiriel had helped out at the ranch for a while, so she had a feeling that there would be no trouble with convincing them to help.