On the Road to Angmore...

The sensation of being watched gets stronger and stronger every day. While stompi... sorry, gliding - stomping is SO unladylike - one day, I abruptly turned and asked that little weasel of a halfling whether he's been following and watching me secretly. He denied it strenuously, and I'm half-inclined to believe him, because he was crap at sneaking around. I caught him crashing through the woods yesterday while I was taking a refreshing dip in the river and he claimed that he was just getting firewood. As if! He probably just wanted a glimpse of my shapely, nubile form. I had my back to him, although I glanced around and glared at him the moment he broke through the treeline. He stared for a moment then ran away shrieking. Haha... the power of the glare. I'm good! No, not just good. I'm magnificent! He was probably both awed and terrified at the magnificent glare I directed at him!

Well, enough about that. I found in camp later packing his things. He seemed rather jittery and jumped at the sound of my voice. I didn't know I was that good at scaring people! I didn't mind him leaving, although he did ask me a very odd question before he went. He asked me who my parents were, and he kept glancing at the bangle I wore around my upper arm. It's usually covered by the sleeve of the tunic that I wear, but I had just been to the river and was wearing a simple sleeveless sheath that hugs my curves in all the right places. It was rather odd that he wasn't staring at my boobs instead...

Yes, the bangle. It was made of some metal that looked like iron, but lighter and stronger. It was made so that it looked like a claw grasping my upper arm, with two talons meeting the third around my arm. It looked old, but the scales covering the talons were intricately carved and the talons themselves were pretty formidable-looking. Maybe that scared him? Silly halfling. It was just a bangle. It wasn't even gold, so it's probably just some keepsake or token. The old man told me never to take it off. I don't see any way to, anyway. The metal was too strong for me to bend, and there aren't any hinges that I could see... how did it ended up on my arm in the first place? Odd, that. I've never thought about why he wanted me to keep it on all the time. As for my parents, I don't even know who they were. I shrugged and told him as much. Anyone who dumped me in the woods is not worth thinking about anyways.

Scarile scurried off, interrupting my train of thoughts. He didn't hear what I said! He managed to gobble his share of the rabbit on the spit before I got back from the river. Greedy lil' bugger. Guess I'll be travelling alone again, except for the company of one silly male hawk who makes eggs wherever he goes. I'd have frowned, but that would create frown lines on my beautiful face, so I decided to put it out of my mind and settled down for the night. When I meet my prince, it'd be easier not to have to explain the presence of a greasy little halfling tagging along. That thought made me smile, so I was in a much better mood when I got ready for bed.

The shadows came again... it always started the same way. It would creep up behind my prince and envelop him in darkness, swallowing everything around it, but this time, I heard a murmuring... There seemed to a voice, or voices, in the shadowy darkness. I stood there, petrified, before I woke up with a gasp. Damn dreams! Interrupting my precious beauty sleep. It has to stop! Grrr... Wonder why I keep getting them...

It's a beautiful morning, the dawn of my birthday, or what passes for it, according to the old man. I kinda miss him. Not that I'd tell him that. Still, he always woke me up and somehow managed a present. Like the bow on my tenth birthday. How to fletch arrows on my eleventh. The swords on my twelfth. Hand-to-hand combat on my thirteenth... whataminute... it's all combat skills and weapons! Well, there was the green dress he got me for my last birthday... well, I suppose he tried. Not sure why I'm feeling nostalgic all of a sudden. Probably because someone as breathtakingly beautiful as I am should always get something spectacular for my birthday. Perhaps my prince might make up for all the lost years by showering me with gifts? That made me happy, for a moment. Suddenly, I saw something glinting next to my foot. I scrambled to my feet and prodded it with one of my swords. It didn't move. I took a closer look.

How odd... it was a long necklace with a pendant - a carving of a dragon holding a polished red stone in its claws. I glanced around the clearing, but did not see or feel the presence of anyone. I gingerly lifted it and inspected it closely. It seemed to be made of the same metal that my bangle was made of. The pendant was just the length of my little finger, but the details on it were amazingly lifelike.

Who could have left it there? Curiouser and curiouser...  I wonder if the old man somehow managed to drop it here? That seemed too convoluted even for him. I considered throwing it away, but it was such a beautiful piece of work that it's practically made to compliment my magnificence. Pity it isn't made out of gold... gold is such a nice metal. So warm... and shiny... I shrugged and tucked it in my belt pouch. Time to continue my journey...