Part 197 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.
A/N: Just because I was sitting here and heard a sound similar to thunder and it reminded me of what it felt like when a storm was coming.
Freshening
(March, 3 IV)
A low rumble of thunder made Eomer glance toward the mountains, noticing for the first time the dark clouds building there. His mind had been so preoccupied with thoughts of the herd they had just visited, and deciding what changes he wished to make there, that he had not been alert to his surroundings for some time. That was the benefit of always having a guard on hand!
Well, good. They could use the rain. The past week had been unusually hot and dry, and there was constant worry about grass fires starting on the plains. Most summers, rain would come every few days, even if only for a brief time, but it was not so this year.
Already, the air was freshening as drafts blew down from the upper reaches, drying the sweat on his face. He smiled with pleasure. He knew that many did not care for the rain, and if it came in excess, he supposed he agreed with their view on the matter. But as a general course, he enjoyed the feel of it against his skin, despite sodden clothing afterwards. Most of the time, when possible, he removed his helm in the rain, letting it bathe him in its renewal. He almost felt as though he drew the moisture into his spirit as a mighty tree drew life from the ground.
The only time he preferred it not to rain was in battle. Then, it made the ground under the horse's hooves unstable, and even if they did not fall, they were more prone to injury by sliding in mud.
When Lothiriel had first come to the Riddermark, she was unused to the amount of rain they received, and it tended to bring her spirits low. He smiled as he recalled the manner in which he had brightened her outlook. It had not taken many such sessions before she no longer objected to the rain, and began to welcome it as he did. Oh, he was sure she still minded the mud that was tracked into the Hall on wet days, and the constant battle required to keep their home tidy, but all in all he was sure she was not overly beleaguered by it.
The other advantage to the rain was that it tended to keep visitors and advisers away from the Golden Hall, easing the burden of his days. It only proved his belief that much of what they troubled him with was not so urgent as they made it seem on sunny days. A fine downpour kept them tucked up at home, and gave him more leisure to spend time with his family.
His Riders snugged their cloaks more tightly around them as the first drops fell, but with a laugh, he turned his face up to catch them on his tongue. They eyed him as if he were mad, though most were used to this behavior. After a moment, he signaled them on. They hurried home to warmth and dryness; he hurried to a respite of his duties and the company of his loved ones.
THE END
7/10/11
A/N2: The reference Eomer makes to his way of bringing Lothiriel out of her melancholy when it rained occurred in Chronicle #80 – Rain.
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.