A chorus of birds chirping at the dawn of day was the noise to which the elf woke up. Sitting up, she ran a hand over her face in puzzlement. Where was she and why was she here, in the forest? Looking around, she saw another elf nearby. What used to be elven plate mail hung, scorched, on his form, and his breathing was shallow. She slowly went over to him and kneeled down, looking into his face. She didn't recognize him. In fact, the befuddled elf maiden thought frantically, she didn't remember her own name, or what she was doing here. Placing a hand on the sorched chest, she gently shook the other elf. He murmered and his eyelids fluttered. He mumbled incoherently. Pressing a shaking hand to her mouth, she realized that he was slowly dying.

The elf maiden stood up and looked around warily. She had to find help for this elf, whoever he was. Suddenly, there was a movement off to her right. A dun-colored body moved through the woods. She rested a hand on her dagger and crouched in front of the body of her companion. A centaur stepped out from the trees. Noting her tension, the noble beast raised a hand in a gesture of friendship.

"Fear not, fair elf. I will not harm another of the forest." the beast said, slowly approaching the frightened elf. "I see that your companion is in need of help." he stated, stopping to stand in front of her.

"Yes, he is dying, I think." the elf maiden said shakily, falling back to the side of the centaur to lean against a nearby tree. The centaur knelt down by the fallen elf. He passed a hand over his body and shook his head wearily.

"I know not what I can do to save your companion." he said sadly. "I know of no source that could cause these kind of burns. The only thing I can do here is apply a healing salve and transport him back to our tribe. Perhaps our shaman could help. What is your name, fair elf?" he asked, removing the sorched plate and clothing from the prone elf.

"I...I don't know." she said, "I don't remember how exactly I got here, and I don't remember who this elf is." She shook her head sadly, a crystal like tear falling down her pale cheek. The centaur looked at her more closely.

"I didn't notice before, but you are not like an elf of these realms." he said, bending again to rub the salve on the body. "For one, your hair is too gold to befit the high elves of this particular land, and those emerald eyes..." he stopped, rising with the body of the elf in his arms.

"Follow me." was all he said as he started off through the forest. She follwed slowly, looking down at her clothing and the sword that hung at her waist. It all looked oddly familiar, yet strange, as if it was a costume that she had worn for a ball, instead of her real clothing. Remembering that she did not know these woods, she looked up again to follow her guide.

Arriving at the centaur tribe, she was greeted kindly by all that they passed. The centaur of Tak'ihin were friendly to all of the natives of the wood, especially the elves. The elves and the centaurs had always shared a comraderie and a peacefulness between the two groups and thus, many elves passed through the Tak'ihin's village when they visited this part of the woods. The centaur finally stopped in front of a small hut. An older centaur female came out and stood before him.

"What do you bring, Rajiki?" she asked, her voice sounding like brittle paper crackling before a fire.

"An injured elf, and his companion who has forgotten her way." he said, bowing slightly before the other centaur.

"Bring them in, and I'll see what I can do." she said, thoughtfully looking at the burns that scarred the elf's torso. Rajiki complied, and soon the elf maiden was left alone with the old centaur.

"My dear, you have forgotten your way, have you?" she asked, examining the wounds on the other elf.

"Yes, I think so." she agreed, watching as the elder centaur rubbed a strange smelling liquid on the elf. "I can't remember where I came from. The clothes I wear are unfamiliar to me, and..." she trailed off, fiddling with a strange pendant that she had found around her neck.

"Ah, what is that?" the shaman asked, reaching out suddenly to touch the pendant. "A gift, perhaps?"

"I don't know. I don't know anything." she said, looking down at the prone elf on the table, his bare chest covered with salves. "Is he going to live?" she asked suddenly, concerned about her strange comrade.

"I don't believe that he will live through the night." she said sadly. "I'm sorry. What it looks to me is that since you are uninjured and he is apparently sorched, is that he died protecting you. Wherever you came from, you must be very important." she said, giving her a strange look.

"I wish I could remember his name." the elf maiden said sadly. "Can I stay with him in case he awakes?" she asked. The centaur nodded.

"If you don't mind me asking, may I take your pendant and sword? I sense an aura of magic about them, and it may prove to tell us who you are." she asked gently.

"Yes, of course, take them." she agreed, holding out the pendant and weapon. "I want to know, if you could tell me."

"Well, I know one thing about your friend here." the shaman told her before stepping out of the hut into the sunshine again. "He was a great warrior, a leader, perhaps, of his regimen, and had been duty-bound to protect you. This is why he is so injured, and you are unscratched." the centaur gave the elf a pitying look and left the hut. As soon as she left, the elf maiden pulled a stool up to the table and sat by the warrior. She leaned down and brushed a stray hair from his face.

"Wake up, please, and tell me who I am." she whispered, placing her weary head in her hands. Soon she was fast asleep.

***

She was soon awakened by a movement on the table. Sitting up, she saw the other elf open his eyes slowly and gaze at her for a few moments. She was about to say something, but he started to speak, as if reciting from a parchment.

"Selinara, I have sworn to protect, and I have been victorious. The city of Palanthas may be no more, but my promise to Krynnas to protect the fair priest has been completed." These sentences came out as if the elf was trying to speak under the effects of much feywine, as some words were slurred. The shaman chose that moment to walk in also.

"He is awake." she said mildly. The elf maiden nodded and continued to listen to the words of the warrior.

"...by my honor, I Trynnas, will chose to protect the fair maiden..." The shaman looked interested as she wove her hands in a spell over the elf.

"Well, his name is Trynnas, that much I heard." the shaman said.

"Knowing this, I can rest in peace." he finished suddenly, turning his head to look directly at the female elf beside him. "Please tell your father that I wish to be buried with my brother, Selin...." and then Tyrinnas closed his eyes, the last word he spoke trailing off into silence.

"My dear, I think that is who you are. Celine?" the shaman said sofly, taking Tyrinnas' hands and placing them neatly on his chest. "I am sorry about your companion. He apparently cared for you very much." she said sadly, reaching down and picking up the sword and pendant that had been dropped in a rush to try to save the young elf. She handed both to the elf maiden.

"Celine. I am Celine." she whispered, thinking about the name as she accepted her sword and pendant back. "What else did you find?"

"Your surname apparently is 'Skyblade' as it is inscribed on both the sword and pendant. The pendant is magical, it will protect the wearer from many kinds of magic and will actually serve as a sort of shield against harm also." the centaur explained. "That may have been part of the reason you were not injured. The sword, too, is magical, it will make a more accurate and stronger attack whenever you use it. A great priest was the one who blessed both of these, but the name is not in any of my lore, so if you need that, I'm sorry, I can't help you." she finished.

"Celine Skyblade." she said finally, placing the sword back in it's scabbard. "It sounds about right. I too, then, must be a warrior, if I was in a battle with one." she decided, looking back towards Trynnas' still form.

"Possibly it was my father who had told him to protect me." she said, becoming solemn. "He deserves a proper warrior's burial, then." she added, looking to the shaman for her blessing.

"He shall get that. It would be an honor." The shaman said. "Now, as you seem to be homeless, let me offer you our home as yours also. We would be pleased if you would stay with us."

"I would be honored." Celine said, bowing slightly to the centaur. The two walked out of the hut, where Rajiki was standing.

"I will take you to Rajasta." he told Celine. "She just lost her daughter, and would be most happy to house you. Her husband is a great swordmaster and can also assist you in the use of your weapon." he graciously told her. The two walked off to find Rajasta, leaving the shaman behind. The elder centaur stood there a moment, frowning, then shook her head and walked back inside. There was a body to take care of.

***

For eight years, Celine lived amongst the centaur. In that time, she became a swordmaster of reknown and had even polished up her archery skills. Although she had found happiness living among the centaur, a wanderlust began to grow within her, and she wished to go off on her own. This was the statement she posed to Rajasta and Rajiki at the end of her eighth year in the village.

"Of course, Celine Skyblade, if you wish to leave, we will not stop you." was all that Rajasta told her with a smile. "It has been a pleasant eight years though."

"Where will you go?" Rajiki asked her concernedly. "At least allow us to outfit you for such a journey."

"I do not know that yet. I wish to see more of this world, although I have enjoyed my years in your village." Celine replied.

"Then you go with our blessing." Rajiki said, "But first you must accompany me to my hut. There is a small gift that I would allow you to have as you leave on your journey."

Walking to the centaur's hut, for the first time since she had gained consciousness in this strange world, Celine felt a sense of purpose. She was smiling when they reached Rajiki's hut. Going inside, he came back out with a silver and gold shield.

"This was left here long ago by some elves in payment for a service that we rendered. It is the finest elven alloy of metals, and should last quite a while." he explained, holding it out to her. "As we centaurs rarely use sheilds, I would like you to have it, as a gift." Reverently, Celine took the shield. On it's gleaming silver face was etched a gold torch, apparently the symbol of a village.

"I accept this gift from you and know that I am forever grateful to the centaur of Tak'ihin for their hospitality." she told him, bowing slightly. "Now, I must head out. There is a ship which I hope to board tonight. It is headed close to the kingdom of Gondor,and I have heard of much adventure in the surrounding regions."

"Of course. Fare thee well, and may you always find sweet water and light laughter." he told her. "That is how you elves say it, I am correct?" he asked with a smile.

"Yes, I think so." Celine agreed, although inside her head she could not shake that phrase from her memory. Perhaps it meant something, perhaps not. She finally just ignored it.

"Farewell." Celine said, walking out of the centaur village. As she did so, she passed by the simple grave in which the brave elven warrior, Tyrinnas, was buried. She paused for a moment before the grave.

"Farewell to you, brave warrior. It is apparent that you may have been my savior, although I will never be able to report back to your troops that you died bravely." she whispered, looking at the unmarked plot sadly. Then, she turned and walked away.

After Celine left, the elder centaur shaman stepped out from the forest to stand beside the grave. She had a good idea where Celine had come from now, for the entire eight years that the elf maiden had spent here had proved enough for the shaman to find out much about the elf. She also knew that she would never reveal what she had learned. What Celine didn't remember was good, for a trip to Krynn would only reveal sadness to her now. The battles had never really been won, and the fair elven village of Qualinesti was now being governed by an elf who distrusted all magic and goverened with an all too cautious hand. No, Celine, being the free spirit that she was, would not have liked Qualinesti now. Shaking her head, the shaman returned to her village.

***