The hardened woman limped into the clearing from behind the fragrant spring brush, leading her black horse by the reigns. Letting the horse wander off to graze, she paced slowly towards the grassy mound that lay under the protection of a giant oak. She let her hood fall, and then winced as the sun pierced her mahogany eyes. The woman also shrugged off her arrow and quiver that was filled with silver-tipped arrows, laying them onto the ground.

She knelt down ceremoniously before the grave, her hands in her lap. She did not know any prayers, so nothing was said. Bowing her head, she allowed a few strands of long brown hair fall over her smooth features.

Her lips were drawn tight as she opened her callused hand to reveal a small silver ring. Se turned the ring over and gazed at its beauty. There was nothing to compare to the emerald jewel that lay embedded into the silver. She traced the curves with his finger and sighed.

A soft wind blew her hair into his eyes and she closed them for a moment, reveling in this calm feeling. She lay a hand on the grave, feeling the warm grassy ground beneath her touch.

"Art thou ready?" A voice asked, bringing the woman out of distant thoughts and a distant song.

She turned around to see a man standing in the sunlight, his hand reaching out to her, his dangerous scar almost hidden by his shadowed hood.

The woman reached out to him, and he pulled her to him, wrapping her in a comforting embrace. She buried her head into his chest, sighing deeply. His hand still encased hers, feeling the coolness of the ring between their hands. Gently taking it from her, he brought the ring to his lips, kissed it softly before sliding it onto the woman's slender finger.

She smiled up at him with an admiring gaze.

Walking away from the grave, hearing the sound of two pairs of footfalls on the ground, they both smiled, knowingly.

The Green Rider had lived on.

Finnis Green Rider