Part 170 of the Elfwine Chronicles. The Elfwine Chronicles are a series of one-shots built around the family group of Eomer, Lothiriel and Elfwine. The total number will depend on how many ideas I get for new vignettes.

Why?

(May, 7 IV)

"Papa?"

Eomer glanced up from working at his desk, and eyed his son questioningly. Lothiriel had left Elfwine with him while she went into town, as Daelwyn had been unwell the past couple of days and unable to care for the child. While tending his son could be disruptive to his day, he always eagerly accepted the charge whenever Lothiriel deemed it necessary to press it upon him. He just regretted that he was not readily available for her to do it more frequently. "What is it, Elfwine?" he asked.

"Why…do animals have fur and people do not?" The boy was sprawled on his stomach on the floor, and running his hand over one of the skins that covered the wooden flooring to provide a bit more warmth to the room.

Eomer's eyebrows raised at the question, and he considered it for a moment. "I suppose," he finally answered, "that it is because they are out of doors most of the time and so they need extra warmth. And they do not wear clothing to keep out the cold."

Elfwine contemplated this briefly, and apparently his thoughts had latched onto one particular part of the response, engendering a new question. "Where does snow come from?" The boy had rolled onto his back and was now staring at the ceiling, as though expecting flakes of white to come drifting down upon him at any time.

Rubbing his chin, the king reflected on this, and then replied, "I believe it is water, turned solid from the coldness of the winter air. After all, when it melts, it becomes water again." He picked up his pen, intending to resume his work, but Elfwine was not yet finished.

"If it got very, very cold, would the sea freeze?" The previous summer they had visited Dol Amroth, and Elfwine had seen the sea for the first time in his life. The lad had been greatly impressed by all that water.

"Hmmm, I do not think so. I think it would have to get very cold indeed to freeze that much water. We could ask Mama if she knows of it ever happening. I have seen smaller ponds that have been frozen in cold weather, at least partially. In the coldest weather, one can even walk upon the ice that forms from the water," Eomer explained patiently.

Now Elfwine rose and moved over to stand next to his father. Gazing up into Eomer's eyes, he asked, "Why do you have light hair and Mama has dark?"

This was getting more difficult. "I would assume it is like the horses. The foals tend to have the coloring of their parents, and so it is with people usually. Or sometimes they are a blend of both parents."

"But I just look like you," Elfwine argued, his forehead knit in concern. He crawled up to settle in Eomer's lap, and his father's arms automatically encircled him.

"Not so," Eomer replied with a grin. "You most definitely have your mother's eyes. And, with people, sometimes they change over time. It is still possible your hair will darken and you will resemble Mama more than me. Even so, you will always be a part of us both."

Elfwine considered this, then asked curiously, "Papa, why do people love each other?"

The king's eyebrows shot up at the query; how in the world could one respond to that! Thoughtfully, he said, "I am not sure that I know. There are different kinds of love. There is love between friends – people who share some sort of kinship, who perhaps enjoy doing the same things, such as you and Freawine. Then there is love between a man and a woman, though what specifically causes it, I do not know. All I know is that when it occurs, you find everything about the other person to be pleasing; or, if you do not, you are more inclined to forgive them their failings. If you do not love them, then you are less likely to be tolerant when they do something that annoys you." He paused, then glancing down at his son, he added, "And then there is the love between parents and children. I am not certain about that either, but it seems almost to be born right along with the child. From the moment a father or mother first looks at their child, their feelings overwhelm them. They want only to shelter and protect their little one, and see them safely raised to live a good life. Perhaps Mama and I love you so much because we love each other so very much."

The boy pondered this answer and then nodded. "That makes sense. I love you and Mama also!" He turned and reached up to hug Eomer tightly about the neck.

Just then, the door to the study opened and Lothiriel joined them, smiling at the sight of her two men embracing. Noticing her, Elfwine clambered down and raced over to her, flinging his arms around her waist. "Mama!" he exclaimed with delight.

Allowing her hand to stroke through his hair, she asked, "What have you and Papa been doing while I was gone, dearest?"

"Papa has been explaining to me why things are the way they are," Elfwine told her solemnly.

A perplexed look crossed her face and she glanced up at her husband. "Indeed? That must have been interesting," she murmured.

Eomer grinned in response, barely restraining a snicker. "Not to worry, my love. I am sure I left our son with plenty of questions for you to answer!"

THE END

2/25/08

End note: It is best that you read the Elfwine Chronicles in the order they were written. The more of them that I wrote, the more likely I was to make reference to one of the previous ones and something that happened there. If you want to read them in order, go to the top of this page and click on my name (Deandra). That will take you to my profile page. Scroll down and you will find all the stories I have written. The Elfwine Chronicles are in order from bottom to top since ffn shows them in the order they were posted. A few were posted out of number order, but you can read them in posting order or number order since those few won't be affected in the story content.