Thelian's white hand embraced Amlan's, and she let him slowly lead her through the ruins in the early morning. He felt the silk of her long dress brush against his side, and softly looked down at her figure beside him. She didn't raise her glance, and he admired her unearthly beauty in silence - so cold, yet so fair. It was almost as if a star was brought down upon the earth, radiant and unyielding in its light...
"Amlan." she spoke silently. Her head slowly turned towards him, soft silver chains on her circlet slipping through the wind-blown strands of black hair. "Don't worry yourself about the Hand any more. We both know that it has been lost... I never expected you to bring it any soon, for I know well that it was lost in the flow of time."
"Every day my searching takes is only another day you have to spend in solitude. How can I not worry? I wish for you to be free and walk the earth like you deserve to." Amlan replied, shaking his head. Thelian stopped walking for a moment, and turned around, facing him.
"There isn't a day I would not sacrifice for you."
"And there isn't one that I wouldn't devote to you, Thelian." The ranger smiled, but it was a sad smile, and he softly stroke her cheek.
They continued walking. The ruins, far from the valley, were dead and cold, but a sound somewhere afar broke the silence in which only wind was wailing. A skittering, something scratching the stone, and a large figure moved somewhere in the distance. At its sight, Amlan immediately jumped in front of Thelian in a defensive stance, drawing his bow, and slowly approaching the ruins.
A huge, evil-looking figure was towering amid them, holding some corpse. He clutched his bow tighter, and prepared an arrow on its bowstring, but Thelian's hand on his arm pushed it down. "There is no evil about this stranger. Put the bow down, Amlan."
"It looks dangerous..." Amlan said silently, but listened to her advice, and his hands with the arrow sunk down. Instead, he made a step forth, towards the strange creature. "Who are you, and what is your business here?" he cried out, still partly covering Thelian.