Chapter 7: The River

The next day passed almost awkwardly for Jodis, the comfortable traveling rhythm they'd fallen into in the Mirkwood disrupted by the addition of Olithir, Soora, and Elrohir, though they were not entirely to blame. Still the old prejudices ran deep, and though Bjoni had to share a horse with Olithir, the tension was palpable. Neither Olithir nor Bjorni were happy with having to ride together, but the ponies couldn't support the weight of two dwarves, and, as per usual, Jodis's offer of help was rejected.

"Begging you pardon, Azbadu men, but I'm rather attached to my beard, and your grandmother would surely have it if I took your offer."

Bjorni resembled her deceased uncle, Fili, or at least she imagined he did. Golden hair and beard, bright blue eyes, and almost always smiling, he was slighter than the others of her guard, but was incredibly skilled with thrown weapons and a bow. When Dwalin had first taken over her training, Bjorni had just been assigned to Thorin's personal guard, and would join in their training on occasion. Jodis had thought he'd given her occasional sidelong glances, his hand lingering a moment or two too long when she passed him the waterskin on her own, showing that he thought of her as more than a sparring partner. Dwalin had taken note of this, and Jodis guessed he had put a stop to it. He was right, of course. It wouldn't be appropriate for Jodis and Bjorni to start a flirtation, and the nearly hidden heat in his gaze was swiftly dealt with.

Jodis was glad, in the end, that Bjorni had turned her down, because it would do no good to give him hope where there likely was none. Not that she minded the odd bit of flattery or kiss tucked away in a corridor, but something about Bjorni felt too… Expectant. As though if she offered him more than passing acquaintanceship, he'd expect them to be together always. So she settled for politeness and sincerity, while holding him at something of a distance.

Her musings on Bjorni were interrupted by Elrohir calling that they were near the ford, and Jodis saw the sparking blue-green of the river Anduin not far ahead. The sounds of rushing water reached her not long after that, and she was brought back to the steady clop and shift of her mare beneath her. The horse would not be pleased with having to get wet again so soon, but Jodis imagined she'd be glad of the drink. When they reached its banks, Elrohir and Elladan drew close together, speaking in hushed tones as they stared at the water. Jodis drew close and managed to hear a bit of their conversation.

"It's swelled with the rains, I don't know if the ponies can get across."

"Certainly not with the dwarves on their backs. Besides, the currents look faster than normal. Could make the horses slip."

Jodis cleared her throat politely, and Elrohir turned his attention to her. "Hîr nin, is there a problem? Are we able to cross?" Jodis feigned ignorance to their conversation with her questions, allowing them a chance to decide how best to answer. "I'm afraid not, Aranel, the rain has made the river too treacherous to cross. We'll have to make camp here." Jodis looked from Elrohir to the sky and back. "It's just past midday. Is there no way around?"

Elrohir smirked impetuously at her as he answered. "Impatient, aren't we? Unfortunately no, there's no way around. You and your dwarrow will simply have to endure our company a day longer."

Jodis had a mind to remind them both that they'd been delayed once already, but held her tongue, opting instead to simply nod and return to her dwarrow guards. Inside, she couldn't decide if she liked Elrohir's teasing or not, it felt far more familiar than was appropriate. She'd expect that from Bjorni or Beini before him. What she didn't see was Elladan lightly punch his brother's arm and shake his head before following to give the rest of their company the news.

Camp was set up at a more leisurely pace, since they had more than half a day before they actually settled down to sleep. Jodis was helped to a nearby boulder to sit by Zelphar, who checked her ankle again, going through the same procedure to check for worsening. It was swollen and painful, but Zelphar confirmed it was on the mend, and should be healed by the time they got to Rivendell. As he rejoined the others in making camp, she looked from the company to the running waters of Anduin, and she decided she could probably make it to the water on her own. The moment she tried to stand, Bjorni called out for her to wait, and ran to help her.

Jodis sighed quietly and obediently waited for him to reach her, half perched on the stone as he came to her side and nearly lifted her onto her feet. She smiled politely and thanked him, leaning on him as she made her way to the water's edge around the other side of the boulder, out of sight from the camp. She sat on the bank of the river, and Bjorni looked uncertain what to do. "Thank you, Bjorni. Can you do me a favor and fetch my cloak? I'd like to wash it and bathe myself."

He nodded, and walked away, leaving her to her own thoughts for a moment while he went on the errand she'd asked for. She knew they'd insist on keeping a guard nearby, just in case, and secretly, she hoped it wouldn't be Bjorni. There was too much tension between them, and she didn't care to be tense while she attempted to relax. While she waited, she took off her boots and carefully unwrapped her ankle, putting the makeshift bandages and boots on a dry spot of grass nearby when she heard footsteps approaching from the other side of the stone.

"It's alright, Bjorni, I'm still decent."

"I'm not Bjorni, but I am glad to hear that."

Jodis's head whipped around at the voice, startled, only to find Elrohir holding her cloak out to her. He'd been much closer than she thought, and she supposed it was because she was accustomed to listening for much heavier footfalls. "Hîr nin, forgive me, I did not expect you." She placed a hand on her chest to calm her fluttering pulse, and reached out with the other to take the material from him. Elrohir nodded and let her take it from him, looking more serious than he had a moment before. "I did not mean to startle you, Aranel, but Bjorni mentioned you asked for this and seemed… Uncomfortable with the idea of bringing it back. So, here I am." He made a wide gesture with his arms, the impetuous smile back as stood to full height. "I'll stand guard while you bathe." With a final bow of his head, he turned and stood with his back to her, giving her some measure of privacy.

Jodis looked from the material in her hands to the elf behind her, and decided to start with the cloak, then rinse herself. She unfolded the material and dunked it into the water, watching the muck and grime fall away from it, flowing downriver and becoming part of the water. After a few minutes, satisfied that the worst of the grime was off, she asked for Elrohir to help her lay it out on the nearby boulder to dry in the sun.

"Hîr nin… Could you, maybe, stand a little further off?" Jodis hesitated to ask as he guided her back to her spot where her feet had dangled in the water, and he seemed a little taken aback for a moment, before cheekily smiling and winking at her. "Aranel, you have my word, I won't look…"

"No, no, I know that, I'd just feel… more… comfortable…"

"Of course, Aranel."

He moved so he was on the other side of the boulder, and Jodis began the meticulous process of undoing the braid Sigrun had put in her hair many days before, careful to catch the bells and beads that fell from the pieces as she unwound them from each other. Each one she caught was placed on a piece of the bandages, careful not to lose the beads or bells, but especially her mother's beads.

Once they were all out, she shook out her hair and sighed with relief as her fingers massaged her scalp, and she carefully removed her tunic and breeches until she was just in her underthings. Cautiously, she slipped into the river, taking care of the current and her injured ankle. Sure of her footing, she dunked beneath the freezing water, the bracing cold making her momentarily lose her breath as she came up for a gasp of air. Slowly, her body adjusted, and she was able to relax and enjoy her swim, once again watching the muck come off her skin and from under her nails. She remembered summers with her mother and father at the lake, them teaching her to swim, her father playing splashing games and letting her win races to a nearby island. These memories comforted and saddened her, knowing she wouldn't see the lake and Esgaroth again for a long time.

She was reluctant to leave the water, the cool current had done wonders for her ankle and mood, but she knew the others would be getting restless, and assumed Elrohir needed to get back to his brother to plan how to make up the time they'd lost. Climbing back up the river's edge, she sat on the grass and wrung the worst of the water from her hair before redressing and calling for Elrohir to help her replace the bandage around her foot.

Once again, she was surprised to see a change in her guard. This time it was Elladan who rounded the boulder, and he smiled kindly when she blushed lightly. "My brother was needed by Soora, so I came to relieve him. Don't worry, I didn't look either." Jodis nodded, hoping he mistook the light pink stain creeping up her face for flush from the cold water, and not a reaction to his calloused, long-fingered hand gently holding her foot while he wrapped her ankle tightly.

Her preoccupation with her own embarrassment left her unaware of Elladan's determination not to look at her still very wet and clearly cold chest. He did allow himself to take his time in wrapping her ankle back up, justifying to himself that he was being extra tender and attentive because she was a princess amongst her people, no other reason. He glanced up at her face, and felt a slight swell of pride that she was as affected by their closeness as he was.

Behave, Elladan.

Once he finished the wrapping for her, he helped put on her boot and stood her up, the beads and bells safely in her free hand as she limped back to camp. The dwarrow watched them return closely, ready to pounce if there had been any hint of inappropriate behavior. Once she was settled, he moved away and Jodis set to the task of detangling and braiding her hair, the beads placed safely in her bag while the bells she wove back in near the bottom. She'd promised Sigrun she'd keep them in the braids until they reached Rivendell, and she always tried very hard to keep her promises.

She felt two sets of eyes burning into her as she patiently worked, and determinedly kept her eyes cast downwards to the ends of her hair, listening to the laughter and chatter swirl around her in an amicable haze. The tensions from earlier in the day were nearly forgotten, and when Elrohir suggested "Aranel had the right idea, I think I'll go for a swim as well. Who'll go with me?" many of her dwarrow and the elves went with him. Zelphar, Olithir, and Elladan agreed to stay back with her, and she heard them happily splashing and guffawing until just after sunset.

Settling in for the night, they started a small fire to warm them and Jodis helped clean and cook the fish Radi had caught for their supper, all the while trying not to meet Elladan's eye. She felt as though they were both trying to ignore what had passed between them at the river bank. To distract herself, she joked with Radi about the size of his catch, which Beini gleefully joined in on, Bjorni chuckling quietly on Radi's other side, tending the fire so the fish could cook evenly.

After their meal, Elladan and Elrohir took the first watch, much to Jodis's relief, and she swiftly faded off to sleep.

"So, are you going to tell me what's going on?"

Elladan feigned confusion at his question, shrugging his shoulders with a furrowed and confused brow. "Going on with what?"

Elrohir rolled his eyes and pushed at his shoulder. "You know exactly what. You and Jodis, came back looking like you had been caught with your hands in the cookie jar, then ignored each other all night. What happened back there?" He lifted his brown suggestively "Tell me or I'll assume the worst."

Elladan sighed and shrugged again. "Nothing, really. She asked me to help bind her ankle, and there was just… Valar, I don't know, something." He felt like an adolescent with a crush, not wanting to think too hard about why he'd been so affected by her at that moment.

Elrohir nodded, and leaned back against the sapling they sat by for this watch. "That's a whole lot of something, Dani. Nothing wrong with a little flirting."

"Isn't there, with her? Nothing can come of it."

"Who says it has to? Just have your fun, enjoy it while it lasts."

The two lapsed into quiet for a while, keeping an eye on their surroundings while each became lost in thought.

"Aranel… Jodis…"

Jodis looked up from her desk, seeing a tall, dark haired figure at her door, almost looming as his eyes burned into hers. "Elladan? What are you doing here?" Her voice sounded higher than normal, breathier and more feminine. She scarcely recognized it, and felt a twinge of fear prick at her mind. She stood and moved to the other side of the desk, dipping into a quick curtsey as she heard him move closer. When she looked up, he was right in front of her, so close she could feel the heat coming off of him. She took a step back, the fear giving way to something else, a low heat building in her belly, unsure of herself.

He didn't answer, his rough hand reaching up to gently run up the side of her neck and cradle the back of her head. His fingers clenched, pulling at her hair, and a gasp stuck in Jodis's throat. Her head tipped back, and she looked up into Elladan's warm grey eyes, knowing the heat that lingered there was growing in her own. His normally serene and kind face looked at her with steely desire and he leaned in closer, her hand crushed between them on his chest. He stopped just shy of her lips, and she felt the ghost of his breath on her lips. "Jodis, tell me you want this. I can do nothing unless you tell me."

"I…"

"Tell me…" His free hand roamed her waist, wrapping around to her back and pulling her so they were pressed tightly together.

"I want… I want… Hîr nin, I-"

"Elladan." His voice was a soft growl, his eye roaming over her face hungrily, as if to devour her with his gaze alone.

"Elladan-" Her heart beat a hard rhythm against her ribs, and her fingers dug into his chest as she tried to close the distance keeping their lips apart, but he pulled back slightly. "Elladan, please…"

"Say it." He demanded it from her, demanded her words, holding her so tight to him but keeping her so needy for more.

"I want you, Elladan." Her voice held such a needy breath that she barely recognized it, and seeing the triumphant grin on Elladan's face made her desire burn hotter in her stomach, moving lower down her abdomen.

Before she had a chance to rethink her words, his lips crashed onto hers, kissing her fiercely, as though he was making good on the promise his eyes had held to devour her alive. She gasped at his thorough tasting of her, feeling that delicious heat pour through her, into her -

"Azbad, are you alright?"

Jodis jerked awake with a gasp, sitting straight up and nearly knocking heads with Bjorni on the way up. "Yes, what, is everything okay?"

"Azbadu men, you were whimpering and muttering in your sleep… I was worried you were having another nightmare." His expression was full of concern, and Jodis brought a hand up to her head, her mind still swimming in dreamy fog. She noticed the sky was a dim grey, meaning the sun would be on the rise soon. She shook her head, the bells tinkling sweetly in her hair.

"No, Bjorni, no nightmares, I don't think. But thank you for worrying just the same." She gave him a sleepy smile, and shooed him back to his bedroll. She rolled onto her side, facing the dying embers of the fire, and tried to fall back to sleep, the words from her dream echoing in her ears. "Tell me…"

A/N: Welp. Guess who's back. I can't tell you guys how thrilled I am to be back at it, and I apologize for the long delay.

No new translations this chapter, only my thanks for your patience and enthusiasm for Jodis's adventures.

As ever, reviews are LOVED, please tell me what you think!