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"I can take care of myself," Rhea winked at Lin; but before she could say anything more, Aerin interrupted.

"The king has to be stopped once and for all," she said, as she had said before, though she was calmer now. "That was Alena's message to me. The king must be stopped. Permanently."

She looked at Lin. "They won't be going back alone. And they will not have to suffer under the king's rule - at least not for long. This I promise you."

She turned to Rhea and Aurin. "And I promise you that you will have the life together that you desire. I will not make the mistake that my people did. I will not run away from the problem. I will return, and I will fix it."

Earendil leaned down to Lin and whispered softly in her ear, "I think she's starting to scare me."

She was talking about getting rid of her own father!

"I know," Earendil grimaced. "It's just frightening that she can be so passionate about getting rid of her own father. Tyrant or no. Have you heard about Haradhel's father? But she would never have such thoughts."

Still, it was a different situation, and Lin was right. A tyrant of a king ruined far more lives than a tyrant of a father. And perhaps it was the only way Aerin could distance herself enough from her father to do the necessary task.

"I need time to prepare to leave, first, though," she added, turning to Aurin and Rhea.

Aurin bowed his head. "Earendil-sola has a message that first needs to be delivered to a man in the Eastland, so you will have a while yet."

"Yes," Earendil put in, "a letter for a friend of Alena."

Aerin nodded. "Good. Then I will have time to prepare."

She turned to Caranthir. "Will you come with me?" she asked him.

Caranthir gazed back at her, almost tenderly. "You know you don't have to ask that."

The corners of Aerin's mouth twitched, then curled up slightly in semblance of a smile. "Thank you," she said softly. She looked back to Lin and Earendil. "We have to tell Lord Earendil and Lady Haradhel that we're leaving." She sighed and lowered her gaze. "As much as it pains me."

"Aerin," Rhea said softly, "no one will deny that you've done more than your part here. Think of all the children that have been saved since you arrived ... you were a part of that, even if you didn't go with on the hunts. You kept us safe. The whole valley, as well as the ranch. There's no shame in you leaving. You're a hero here."

Aerin looked at Lin, her brow furrowing slightly. "It is not that it will make me happy," she said softly. "It may well turn out to be the worst experience of my life. But it must be done."

She wasn't sure why people had been worried about her, though. As far as she was concerned, until this matter had come to light, there hadn't been anything about her worth worrying about.

She turned to Caranthir. "Come, we must speak with them."

Earendil looked down at Lin. "Are we heading that way as well?" he asked her.

So the entire group started back towards the ranch house. Leyenda and the others were still in the yard, chatting, while Amalirahc seemed to have grown tired of chasing his mother's spirit around. He had fallen asleep on the grass near the adults, and Leyenda's dragon had vanished.

Leyenda waved at the group as they drew near, but the excitement faded from her face as she saw how somber they all were.

"Everything all right?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

Everyone was just as startled as Lin was, but Aerin was one of the first to recover.

"Donovan," she called out to him, quite possibly the first time she had spoken directly to him, "you may want to listen to this." She motioned for him to hurry, her green eyes dark and foreboding.

Elrohir and Haradhel had also stepped forward, as had Kelirahc and Leyenda.

"At least we only have to explain things once," Aerin muttered. She raised her voice so that everyone could hear and explained, "My people ... Aurin's people ... are in danger, and I'm the only one who can put a stop to it. I have to leave."

"Your people?" Elrohir questioned.

Aerin nodded. "Captain Striate has a message to deliver to the Eastland, but when he returns, I must leave with him to go back to Amon Darthir. There are many lives depending on me."

"And I will be going with her," Caranthir put in, uncharacteristically serious.

"I wish I didn't have to leave," Aerin added, looking at Donovan, sadness toning down her anger slightly, "but there is no way around it. My people have suffered enough."

Elrohir nodded his agreement. "Aerin, you've been a boon to our operation," he told her, "but your job here is done. The dwarfs are no longer a problem. Your people need you, you go to them. And yes, as Donovan says, you can take what you need, be it supplies, gold or people. You've helped us, now it's our turn to help you."

Aerin clasped her hands together and bowed her head, hiding the tears that had gathered in her eyes. "Thank you," she said, her voice husky.

Haradhel put one hand on her back, something no one else (save perhaps Caranthir) would ever dare to do.

"We were honoured to have had you with us," she murmured, "even if it was only for a time."

Aerin sniffled slightly and turned to Aurin, Rhea, Earendil and Lin. "When you go to the east," she said quietly, "may I come with you?"

Earendil wondered why she wanted to come with them suddenly, but he didn't question her. He simply nodded. "Of course."