‘You, child! Where is your mother?’
Dithering shyly, digging one toe in the ground, she shrugged.
‘You mustn’t play in the road,’ he said seriously, jumping down and approaching her. ‘Come, sit with me and talk awhile, until your mother comes to claim you.’
He picked her up lightly and placed her on the seat. Getting back on the wagon and sitting beside her, he began rummaging in a leather pack behind the seat, and shortly produced something with a smell that set her mouth to watering.
With a smile, he said, ‘Here, would you like some of this?’
She nodded, grabbed some of the sweetmeats with both hands, and stuffed them all into her mouth, much to his amusement. After sitting quietly with the old Elf for a few minutes, from behind the wagon, back along the road, there came the sound of several riders.
Speaking to her urgently, confidingly, he said, ‘Some of the people coming along the road behind me are not as nice as I am. You wouldn’t want to meet such people alone. Do you understand me?’
She had stared uncomprehendingly, wide-eyed, and watched as a dozen or so mounted Elf Soldiers came cantering out of the forest. When their leader was abreast of the wagon, he reined in his mount, spotting Satu immediately.