Across the Grass Sea

in the meadow

March 7th 3019, Dol Amroth,

POV Lothiriel, Princess of Dol Amroth and Belfalas

The morning dew collected on the tall stalks of prairie grass soaking my elbows resting in the puddle to the side. I craned my neck to peer over the grass which had been inhibiting my view of the stag I had been hunting for the past hour. The grip of my left hand on my bow-which was already cramping- tightened and I leveled my gaze on the flank of the grazing deer. There. My eyes trained on the target, I reached my hand over my shoulder grasping onto an arrow to take down what I hoped would be next week's dinner. His antlers reared back, mouth full of grass, and, in that moment, seemed to sense my presence and lock eyes with me, right through the tall stalks of grass. It must be now. It must be now. Knock and shoot, Lothi. Soundlessly murmuring, calculating the angle of my arrow and how visible I was making myself as I got to my knees, I took aim. Release. The whizzing of the arrows past my jaw and the sound of it hitting its mark filled my ears and I immediately gave chase. The stag let out a roar of pain but, the sturdy thing that it was, bucked and was off. We were going too quickly to risk taking another shot, so now, sprinting full out across the prairie, I slung the bow across my back and unsheathed my dagger from the holster on my thigh. Significantly slowed by the arrow protruding from his hindquarters, I didn't have to throw the dagger far to take him down. He fell into the grass, his eyes closed and my dagger protruding from his chest. As I reached him, I fell to my knees, one hand on his side. I grasped the dagger, and bent my head muttering the words.

"Glenn na Valar...min tank cin..." and with that, forced the dagger completely into his chest and yanked it back out in one motion. I swiped the bloodied dagger on a patch of grass alongside me and stood.

The sun's rays were now visible through the mist, dancing on the morning dew and fogging up the meadow and warming my cheeks. With dawn now on the horizon, my duties would be resuming once more as Dol Amorth stirred from the peace of night. With a sigh and one last glance towards my capture, I began my jog towards the wooded areas beyond the meadow. As I passed beneath the trees once more, now stepping over protruding tree roots and dodging low hanging branches, I could see my guard and our horses gathered around a small pool of water.

"Galin!", I chuckled as the fatigued man startled from his slumber against the trunk of a tree.

"Yes, my lady?"

"Take some men about 200 yards out into the field, there's a deer out there who needs to be hauled up to the kitchens." His eyes widened at this but he jumped up, rallying three other guards and a cart that had been brought along just for the occasion. He had been escorting me on my morning hunting trips all the many months since my father and brothers had scattered across the kingdom and began to beat back the encroaching darkness of Mordor. However he had never grown used to my affinity for the hunt of larger game."Pheasants didn't please you this morning, my lady?" Jordy, captain of my guard, joked and smiled good-naturedly, motioning for the men to mount up.

Making my way to my own mount I grinned, "Well, I thought I might allow us all some respite from Estile's broiled cod..." The men laughed at that as Jordy responded with gratitude warming his tone, "And for that, my lady, we all wholeheartedly thank you." I chuckled as I resheathed my dagger and greeted my horse. The war had called away most of my father's men and emptied more than half of his stables, but my mount, Astalda had been left with me. I had been riding her ever since my father and brothers had begun taking me out hunting in the early mornings nearly 11 years ago. Back then my father used to ride her in tourneys and into any Umbar skirmishes that might have arisen, but she had been deemed by him " well beyond her battle days now", passed up for some wily steed Amrothos had campaigned for. However, she was still a thoroughbred war horse, and, while she might be beyond her prime now, she still managed to frighten some members of my guard. A glossy chestnut mare, she was beautiful and majestic and all mine. She nudged my hand, eager for her treat for having waited for me while I got all the fun hunting. "There, there now...shhh..." I calmed her grabbing the nose bit and producing some oats from my satchel.

"Oh, you do spoil her Lothiriel." Jordy clicked his tongue and tugged on his reins impatiently. I merely rolled my eyes at that and swung up into the saddle. "Don't you pay him any mind, Asta, he is just mad I dragged him from the comfort of his bed for the fifth time this week, grumpy old man..." I whispered, quite aware I could be heard ten paces away, and heard the snickers of my four other guards as I could feel Jordy's grimace against my back. But now, it was time to return home. "Na bar, Astalda," and we cantered out of the woods, the turrets and towers of the castle coming into clearer focus.