A/N; As you can obviously see, I took a bit of hiatus… A really long one. I really did need a break after typing for so much in a month. xP

Anyway! I'll still be updating, but probably not as quickly, as I'm swamped right now…

And, I must say… Hey Monday is a very pwnful band. 8D

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Minutes swiftly flowed in to hours, which then collected themselves to form days. Each day went by at its own pace, sometimes lethargically, sometimes swiftly. No matter what, however, Arya could always count upon the day to draw to a close, and for her to retire to her quarters where she could, for the most part, rest, with no distractions or interruptions.

Arya found, for the first time in a while, that she was content. Learning the affairs of the Varden, with the added bonus of having Faolin by her side—it was near a dream come true. She still continued to have thoughts on sending the male elf back to Du Weldenvarden in order to, yes, preserve his safety—but these thoughts were always banished when she saw his face, so perfectly shaped and chiseled.

Her relationship with him was tricky—yet playfully so, as it had always been a matter of the elves to not fully embrace a relationship so deeply as to think of marriage. Both were happy with the kisses stolen in the moment, as well as the embraces and soft, whispered words they shared. To most, it was obvious that Faolin was Arya's protector and lover.

Gazing in to his face—every shape and line lightly creased on to his fair skin, every light and dark contrasting gray hue filling the color of his eyes—everything about him was enchanting.

He loves me; Faolin loves me.

Things were progressing slowly—but surely. Among these was Arya's knowledge of the Varden. Soon, she was able to find her way through the Varden and its maze of halls. Soon, she was able to answer questions from both Deynor and Brom. There were other things that were moving ahead at a slower pace, however…

It was mostly the acceptance of the Varden that trickled by ever so slowly—so slowly that sometimes it made even Arya, with her increasing amount of patience, want to scream. Arya had succeeded in winning the general amiableness of some of the members, yet the majority still remained stubborn. With time, however, it seemed like an unspoken truce generated itself, and the snide comments and rude gestures soon died down. Arya was grateful for this, but she did not revert back to her former carefree ways; to the contrary, she remained a stoic and impassive figure, always observing, but never saying much.

Glenwing remained ever popular with the Varden, as the elf's bubbly personality as well as his song won over anyone who felt the need to scorn him. It took a while, but Arya eventually managed to accept the fact that Glenwing would always be well favored amongst the Varden, and that there would be no use for her to be envious of him.

At the present moment, Arya was a quiet presence in a hall in which every single movement and sound made was echoed, due to the hall's absence of furniture with the exception of a couple of chairs. Her eyes were fixed upon Deynor as she watched him swiftly deal with the issues the people of the Varden presented him. He had a quick wit, and was able to resolve matters quickly. His patience could very nearly be described as never ending, though Arya witnessed him raising his tone once in a while in order to get his point across strictly.

Once Deynor's court dismissed, Arya felt compelled to wander around by herself. She was soon joined by Faolin, however, as the two of them were near inseparable after his return. Thoughts of telling him to go back to Du Weldenvarden continued to plague Arya, but she could not bring herself to do it. She knew it was indeed a selfish act to keep him with her when he could experience a safe and easy life back in the Elvin forest, but she did her best to ignore her conscious.

Out from the side, a dwarf stumbled in to view and hailed Arya and Faolin in a boisterous tone. Raising her eyebrows at this, Arya exchanged a quick glance with Faolin, and the two proceeded to briskly reach the dwarf.

It was Orik.

A very drunk Orik.

"Orik… have you been drinking?" The inquiry came from Faolin, and it was stated in a voice that was indecisive between confusion and amusement.

"Why, of coursh not. Yesh I have, hee hee! What maksh you thinksh so, handshum, handshum Faolish? Hee hee, sounds like foulish… Or maybe foolish… Foulish, foolish Faolish!" While saying all of this, Orik stumbled back and forth, a sure sign that his mind was a bit… muddled.

Arya watched Orik, wondering if she dare laugh. Few things these days made her laugh, but she could feel the bubbling sensation within her as she observed Orik's drunken escapade.

Faolin sighed, though his eyes danced with merriment. "Dwarves enjoy their drink entirely too much." With that, he enjoyed a laugh at Orik's expense, though the dwarf was not aware of what was being said of him, and simply joined in with the laughter, adding a couple of snorts along with it.

A smile creased Arya's face as she allowed herself to be swept along with the giddy feeling of mirth for a while before returning back to a more solemn demeanor. "We should get Orik somewhere he cannot somehow reach the opportunity to hurt himself," she told Faolin. The elf agreed with a quick nod of his head.

Stooping down low, Faolin picked Orik up, with a large amount of protests from the dwarf. The sight in all its hilarity reached Arya, and once again, the sound of tinkling bells of laughter rang through the air momentarily. Closing the distance between them in a matter of a few delicate steps, Arya pecked Faolin lightly on the cheek, showing a slight display of affection as a follow-up to her delight. With that, she turned and began walking in the direction of Orik's quarters, which she had been shown on a map earlier in the week.

"Ah, young love," Orik said, drawing the syllables of words out. "I just lovesha young looooove."

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A/N; Bleh. Short chapter. Kind of a filler, if you want to say… Just decided to through Orik in again. I promise I'll eventually make a chapter where he's not drunk. :P