A light breeze tugged softly at her hair, causing a few of her curls to fall into her path of sight and distracting her from her thoughts. Finduilas blinked her pale blue eyes a few times the beautiful world coming slowly back into focus, a smile appeared on her delicate face as she welcomed the sight. The sight was lovely, the young elven maiden sat at the edge of Lake Aelin, during a summer day’s early afternoon, just enjoying the tranquility of nature.

Finduilas could not help but love it at the lake… it was a peaceful and quiet place that allowed her to wonder in her own thoughts without worrying about the eyes of strangers watching her. This elven woman was a shy creature who much preferred the company of none to the company of many, she spent move of her free time away from the cities. Upon this day she was in fact just minding her own while spending her free time like many other days in the solitude of the lake, apart from the wild life that wondered by from time to time.

Laying back Fin stared up at the heavens above, the rays of the sun warming her body and quickly putting her back into a dream like state, as her thoughts again wonder. Unaware of anything going on around her, she soon falls asleep to the sound of the singing birds and the chirping bugs.

Gibbon walked along the shoreline of the plentiful blue lake. He saw off to the left of him some squirrels playing in a tree. He smiled and looked upon the lake.

Gibbon had come in a crossroads in his life. Things he was searching for and what was out there were not what he truly wanted. He didn't know what he wanted. All he knew was that he needed to leave all he had before and look for what he desired. He turned to mercenary jobs to make ends meet. So, he went town to town looking to help one party after another. His fire lust gone, his rage gone, his love gone. But today one of those came back into his life.

As he looked out on the lake he saw a familiar elf sleeping next to the waterside. One he hadn't seen in many a moon cycle. As he moved closer, he saw it was in fact his ex-wife to be, Finduilas. He then began to approach her, not to interrupt he slumber. Gibbon stood starring at the beauty he once had. If only he was half the man he was now. He would had gone through with the marriage.

The warmth that sun’s rays had been providing her was suddenly gone, as a shadow fell over her slowly causing her to stir lightly in her sleep. Finduilas did not wake though, not quite yet, she was far too deep into a dream she was enjoying. The dream was about someone who she greatly missed and one of the many great times they had shared together. This special person was none other than Gibbon, the man who had captured her heart and even asked for her hand in marriage, but sadly the wedding had never happened.

Gibbon had left without a word, without a note or anything else left behind to explain his sudden disappearance one night and since than Finduilas had never seen him again. It had been about a year now since he had left her and her heart was only now starting to heal. The dream that had her so caught up at the moment though was of her very dear and special memories of the evening that Gibbon had asked her to marry him. That had brought so much joy to her life and now as she remember all this tears began to stream down her cheeks.

The elven maiden began to toss and turn in her sleep her once peaceful dream quickly turning into a nightmare. Her golden hair fell into her face as she began to mumble over and over again two words, “Why Gibbon? Why? Gibbon, why?” Finduilas’s tossing become more frequent and soon her eyes began to quiver as she at long last woke up with a gasp and whimper of sadness.

Sitting up suddenly she was shocked to see who she saw standing over top of her. “Gibbon?” she asks in a whisper of a shaking voice as her tears continued to spill freely.

Gibbon was standing over her, a much wiser man than before. But he knew not the answer for the question she udders through her dreams. Again much had changed since last they meet. He wore now his cloak as his main garb. His hair much longer and lighter than before. He had sheathed a smaller longsword and not his trusty Greatsword. Many things have happened and he had few answers for any of the questions before him.

As she awoke, he stood still in shock that she still knew him. He hardly knew himself. All he udder was "Yes, its me." He fell to his knees and just stared into Fin's eyes. Time took a toll on him, he was most likely not ready to meet her yet. He then udders one last thing before snapping out of his daze. "I don't know, I don't know." He then feinted, out cold. Surely not ready for the encounter.

Finduilas sat up as Gibbon fell to his knees beside her and stared deeply back into his eyes. So many thoughts and feelings were rushing over the elven maiden as she sat their staring into the handsome man’s face as her eyes spilled streams of tears. Slowly she reached forward with a trembling hand and attempted to stroke one of his cheeks but before she had even touched his face he fell forward as he fainted.

Carefully as not to startle him if he wakes Finduilas moved Gibbon gently until his head rested in her lap. With his head now in her lap she softly started to stroke his forehead while humming a lullaby she had learned during her childhood. She was glad he was back but she also could see that he was not the same man she had once planned on marrying. As she hummed to him she could not help but think to herself that a lot had happened during their year apart, Finduilas was not the same either. She had been forced into a position where she had no choice but to learn how to take care of herself and no longer be taken advantage by those around her. In other words Finduilas was far more self reliant than ever before in her life.

All the same though her gain in self confidence had come at a far too high price in her opinion, the loss of Gibbon had been the price… Loosing him without even being left a note had shattered her heart into a million pieces and now here he was a year later suddenly thrown back into her life. What was she to do now? How should she respond to him returning when he awoke? She had not a clue on how to answer any of these questions; she was utterly lost in confusion. Sighing deeply Finduilas’s tears slowly started to stop but she continued to stroke Gibbon’s forehead until she got up the courage and leaned forward planting a very light kiss on his forehead. Shaking her head softly she could not help but whisper softly to him, “I have missed you so much Gibbon… I have so much to tell you… oh how I have changed and I can already tell you have too… but I would know your face and the sound of your voice anywhere no matter how long we had been apart.”

Gibbon lay unconscious in Fin's lap. The only thought running through his head is "Why now? I'm not ready for this." He did want to reconcile with her eventually but he was still trying to find out things in his life. He knew only that he must face his fear here and try to make the best of it.

Gibbon awoke slowly, to realize he was lying in someone's lap. He looked up to see Finduilas. "I must be dreaming, Fin would never be here" he said still slightly out of it. He ten realized this wasn't a dream and then jumped right up in shock.

"What are you doing way out here? I thought you were still in Imythess." he began to the freak out a bit and pace back and forth. "I'm not ready for this. I'm not ready for this." he said under his breath. He wondered if she would take his reaction the wrong way and be mad. He would if he was her.

Finduilas smiled softly down at Gibbon as he slowly started to wake but quite quickly her smile was replaced with frown of displeasure. The sudden mumbling followed by the unexpected pulling away in such haste made by Gibbon did not please Fin to say the least. As the man she had once considered her lover paced before her she too regained her feet her hands now resting her on her hips.

She watched him with bright eyes move back and forth in front of her as he started to first yell at her about not being in Imythess and then mumbling to himself about not being ready for this. “Not ready?! Of course you are not ready! Do you think I am ready to be facing the man who claimed to have wanted to marry me who then one night vanished entirely from my life for a year with not so much as a good bye letter?!” the elven girl yelled back at the pacing man a scowl on her face.

“How could you expect to be ready to see me? It’s not like you honestly ever wanted to see me again, I would think. I mean you must have realized I am a monster to have just left in the middle of the night and think that it would do nothing to me! You crushed my heart into a million pieces!” Fin said as she continued to scream and yell at Gibbon. She was obviously very hurt and upset as tears suddenly blossomed in her eyes and poured down her cheeks. “You hurt me so bad… You left me Gibbon… you left me all alone in a place I could not call home anymore once you left… there was nothing… nothing left at all for me back in Imythess once you left.” She told him as she stared at him while her tears kept pouring.

Shaking her head she tore her eyes away from his and reached up tearing at her hair in frustration and anger. “You hurt me so badly… Yet… yet I cannot force myself to hate you… left alone raise a hand against you” Fin whispered softly to Gibbon refusing to turn and look at him.