Uri & Sheno

Years ago Sheno and Uri were youngsters. Sheno lived in the Bent Horn Clan, Uri in the Loud Earth Clan. They loved each other dearly, and one night in a split of a rock just below the bare back of Kanstalith, they made love and pledged to marry each other. But it chanced to pass that Sheno's cousin Dorese was also in love with Sheno, and he told his mother, the wife of Sheno's uncle, whose sister lived in Bent Horn. So Henne went to see Puri, and told her of Uri's troth with Sheno, who told Sheno's father. Sheno's father went to the chief, Earenthi, and asked her for a great sword to reward him for his great skill. "What of that Loud Earth boy, who desires my daughter in marriage. Uri is his name. He might undertake to journey to the Salts to buy such a sword. Thus I would have my sword, and Uri might prove himself." Uri, of course, accepted the journey.

Now Henne was a great brewer, and she infused many strange and potent herbs into her liquor. She brought one such draught to Uri, before he left, saying it would give him strength to cross the Dry Country. Uri took it, and descended into the Dry Country, and drank the liquor. Instantly, he forgot who he was and why he had come. He wandered on the High Plateau, and would have died, except that he was found by some Morhirrim, who took him in, and married him to a woman named Wensli.

When a time had passed, and Uri had not returned, Sheno resolved to go looking for him. Her father forbade it, but Puri secretly encouraged her, saying that Henne feared for him, and would help her however she might. So Sheno slipped out in the night, and went down the mountain to get Henne's help. Henne gave her a draught of liquor that confused her, and she thought she saw Uri returning. So she asked him to marry her, he accepted, and they were married that day. Of course, it was actually Dorese, wearing Sheno's spotted fur jerkin, and no one would believe she hadn't intended to marry him, all having seen him as he was.

Now as time went on, Uri recovered his wits, and remembered who he was, and remembered Sheno. But he could not abandon Wensli, who was expecting a child. But she saw he was sad, and asked him, so he said he missed his home. Wensli said they must go to his homeland, and show their child to his father and mother. So it was done, but Wensli and her child died in the birthing.

Uri, discovering that Sheno was married to Dorese, thought she had betrayed him, but out of love for her he did not speak of this for many years. It pained Sheno deeply that Uri did not speak to her, so finally she told him what had happened, and Uri said he would kill Dorese, but Sheno begged him not to, as she had a daughter by him, and did not want Uri to shed blood that was part of her daughter. "But let us keep to our oath, for we may yet both outlive my husband."

In the flight up the mountain, Dorese fell and died. The time of the oath has come.