After a nice respite for a couple of chapters, we're back to the action! Tough decisions are made, with some unnecessary drama. Hope you like it!

Chapter 70

We were able to get a few hours of sleep, as we were occupied with other things most of the night, but I felt rested when my eyes cleared of reverie. I was on my back, and I turned to see Candaith facing me, his body relaxed in sleep. He had thrown an arm around my waist at some point, and when I tried to get up to drink some water, he pulled me closer but did not wake. Instead of trying again, I studied his profile. His tanned, angular face was covered by some of his dark, wavy brown hair, and I moved it aside with my fingertips. A shadow of a beard was forming, but I knew he would likely shave today, as was his wont.

I started as I felt him kiss my palm, and his eyes slowly opened. Smiling at me sleepily, he pulled me close and captured my lips in his, kissing me lazily. After we parted, he ran his hand through my hair and asked, "Sleep well, meleth nin?"

"Yes, and yourself?" I whispered, with a coy smile.

His blue eyes sparkled with some amusement, "Indeed. That is, when we did sleep. Although I certainly enjoyed when we were awake." My breath hitched as he kissed me with more fervor, and we passed the next period of time doing something where no words were required.

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Someone had placed our packs in the tent before we had arrived last night, and when Candaith poked his head outside, he found a bucket of cool water. We both took a moment to wash, before we donned some clean clothes, ate a little, and headed out towards the main camp. I was a little sore from the evening's activities, but not enough to bother me. The thought nearly made me blush, but I kept it at bay.

Thankfully we were not accosted by anyone as we arrived, and after a few moments, we wandered over to Halbarad, where he was setting something out on a table. He nodded at both of us and gestured to a map. Ergothorn was standing next to him, studying it silently.

"Ergothorn, you mentioned a place called the Forsaken Road," Halbarad began. "Could these Oath-breakers be compelled to fulfill their oath?"

"Hmm…I'm not certain. Theoretically they would be considered under the same curse as those in the Dwimorberg. At least, according to the legend and the texts. If they were called, they would need to decide whether or not to answer," Ergothorn replied. His eyes sparkled with barely contained excitement, and it brightened my spirits for a moment.

However, I could not ignore the unease I felt, and offered my opinion, "Perhaps, but why would they listen to us? Only Aragorn can call upon them and have any chance of success." I motioned my head towards Ergothorn after meeting Halbarad's gaze with a questioning look, and he nodded slightly. I took it as confirmation that Ergothorn had been briefed about our mission in more detail.

Radanir looked intrigued and somewhat excited, "Could we fool them with one of the fake Rings of Barahir?" He was looking at Ergothorn in excitement, hoping the Gondorian would somehow know the answer. However, Ergothorn was clearly puzzled, as he knew nothing of the secret rings we had crafted in Eregion.

Halbarad frowned, mulling it over. "It could work, but only one of us could wear it and appear to be Isildur's Heir, if it came to that."

"If it came to that?" I asked, surprised. "If there are Oath-breakers inside, they will likely attack us on sight, even before one of you could claim to be Aragorn. We may not even get the chance to ask them if they would fulfill their oath." I moved closer to the map, and Ergothorn moved to the side a little so I could see better. "I find it is too risky. The Oath-breakers I have faced in Esteldin were ruthless, and cared only to fulfill their own aims."

"Should we not do whatever we can to aid Aragorn?" Saeradan said softly, and I noticed he had come up beside me. "If there is even a chance this could work, it is our duty to see it done."

Frustrated now, I took a breath to calm myself and turned to face him. "I do not believe Aragorn would wish us to risk our lives on such a whim."

"It could also be a trap," Candaith added, and I noticed an edge to his tone as he stepped between Ergothorn and I and slid an arm around my waist. "Could we have been…misled?" I noticed Ergothorn stiffen, and chanced a look at Candaith's face. He was regarding Ergothorn with clear suspicion, and perhaps even hostility.

What was going on here?

Before Ergothorn could say anything, I pulled away from Candaith and stared at him incredulously. "He saved my life and nearly died trying to get me safely returned to you." I looked at the others, who seemed uncomfortable. "Why would he mislead us?"

"If you have something to accuse me of, Dunedain," Ergothorn growled at Candaith. "I am standing right here." Candaith's eyes hardened, and he took a step towards him. I felt distressed and bewildered; would this come to blows?

Halbarad stepped between them and held up his hands, "Peace, everyone. It is prudent to look at every side of this before making a decision." Despite his calming words, he gave Candaith a disappointed look, who's face flushed in embarrassment. I felt a flare of anger come from him, and I realized it was the first time I was able to sense his emotions in such a way.

I tried to slow my breathing and push away my own fury before speaking again. "You are right, of course," I managed to force out. "However, I will tell you my impression of Ergothorn." I managed to give him a small smile. "He is an honorable man with good intentions…who does not always make the right choices." Ergothorn's eyes lowered, and I noticed he seemed ashamed. "He is a scholar and knows much about many subjects, and I believe he only wishes to help us succeed. I trust him, and so should the rest of you." I squeezed his shoulder briefly before I turned away from the group and walked purposefully to the other side of the camp.

I sighed as I knew Candaith had followed behind me; I could feel his guilt coming through our bond. He took my hand and I turned around to face him. "I am sorry if I hurt you," he said softly.

"It is not I who deserves an apology," I replied sternly, crossing my arms. "I did not expect you to regard him with such open distrust, considering all he has done for me." Candaith sighed, and I could see his hands twitch as he stopped himself from taking mine. I then continued, "It was not your intention to hurt me," I murmured. "Yet your implied accusation was still difficult to hear." I looked at Candaith earnestly, wanting him to understand. "As you know, Ergothorn saved my life. If not for him, I am certain I would have drowned in the river or frozen to death. He helped me recover out of the goodness of his heart, and I repaid him by getting him so gravely wounded he nearly died."

"Gwin, you did not cause his injuries," Candaith replied firmly. "It was his own decision to come and find us."

"If only I had gone with him…" I began, but Candaith put a finger over my lips, and I let him speak.

"If you had, you could have been hurt…or killed." He looked at me emotionally, and I could feel the worry in his heart. "I could not have borne such a loss, meleth."

I gave him a sad smile, "You are stronger than me; you would have been able to carry on."

"Not anymore, I fear," he replied, and I realized the truth of it. "Now that we are so closely bonded, it would be like part of my soul breaking." It was strange hearing such things from a Man; I knew enough about how Elves could fade after the loss of their partners, but could the same be said of Men? I hope he never has to find out.

I took his hands in mine and squeezed them, before meeting his eyes. "Let us not dwell on such sad tidings now." I tried to smile, "We were married yesterday, and it is a happy occasion."

A real smile came to his face and he whispered, "Indeed it is, meleth nin." Hugging me for a moment, he said, "Are you feeling well enough to return to the conversation?" It was not asked in sarcasm, and I could tell he was genuinely concerned.

"Yes, I am ready," I replied with a sigh. Candaith went to start walking, but I grasped his hand to halt him for a moment longer. "Do not feel threatened by Ergothorn; he saved my life, and I hope you feel as grateful to him as I do."

Candaith sighed, "I am grateful, truly. I just do not trust easily, especially someone I know little about."

"Well perhaps you should speak with him, and get to know him better," I replied, a grin on my face as he rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Very well, meleth. Now, shall we rejoin the others?" I nodded, squared my shoulders, and we held hands as we made our way back towards the group. I drew some comfort from this, and felt warmth surround my soul.

"Has it been decided?" Candaith asked. I noticed he purposefully did not look towards Ergothorn, and kept his eyes on Halbarad. I held in a sigh; they would need to mend things.

Men could be so proud sometimes, and apologies did not always come easily, nor did forgiveness. However, I believed Ergothorn was not the type of person to hold grudges, and hoped Candaith could get over his reservations sooner rather than later. Perhaps he is jealous. I prevented yet another sigh. Good thing I didn't tell him much about what happened in the cave. Not that anything untoward occurred, but I knew Candaith might not see it that way.

Focusing back on the topic at hand, I saw Halbarad nod and reply, "I suggest we attempt to speak with them, at the very least, and gauge if they would be opposed to the call of the Heir of Isildur. It would not be our job to claim any of us are him, just yet. Rather, I want to know if they would come if Aragorn asked."

"How would he ask them? Would he not have to travel north?" I inquired. Aragorn likely had never heard of the Forsaken Road. It would be near impossible to find him quickly enough to recall him back, and time was of the essence.

Calenglad looked pensive, "Perhaps they would hear his call, from even as far south as Gondor."

I shrugged helplessly, "We cannot know the answer to these questions." Unless we ask. I had a feeling of foreboding about this, but had no clear evidence of why.

Candaith looked at me with some concern. "What worries you most?"

"That we will be ambushed and killed as soon as we enter the cave or tomb…whatever it is," I replied pessimistically. "Halbarad, your words make sense, but my heart warns me of this course of action."

Our leader looked like he wanted to start pacing, but felt he had an image to uphold and therefore held his ground. I could understand why he wanted to pursue this, but these undead soldiers were traitors. Who's to say they would be truthful, even if they said they would answer Aragorn's summons?

With a sigh, Halbarad met my eyes briefly before addressing the group, and my heart sank as I knew what he would say. "We must pursue this. I could not face Aragorn and know there was something we could have done to aid him that we did not. Yes, it is a risk, but I believe it is worth it."

I bit back a retort, and kept my expression as blank as possible. I suddenly realized how tired I was; not only was I still recovering from my plethora of injuries, but part of my spirit was fatigued by the stress of our mission. I also knew the ever-present darkness dragged me down, although it had retreated as of late. Probably due to my reunion with Candaith and our marriage. Candaith tried to aid me by the flood of support I felt stir within me, but it was not quite enough. I gave him an apologetic smile, and he looked at me with some sympathy.

"Who will you send on this mission?" Saeradan asked curiously.

Halbarad looked like he was concentrating very hard, which was understandable. This was not without risk. Again, his gaze flickered to me, and I wondered what he was thinking. "As this is a decision of my making, I will go. I would ask Radanir and Candaith to join me."

At this, my heart froze in my chest. "So few?" I asked, sounding weaker than I'd have liked.

"It would not be wise to approach with a large number of us, as it might seem threatening," Halbarad replied, and looked at me with some sympathy, as if reading my thoughts. "Candaith is very learned in the history of our people, and Radanir has proven himself as a worthy scout with the ability to see things others might easily miss." Radanir looked pleased at this praise, but Candaith would not meet my eyes. "I will also ask for a few volunteers from Harndirion; they speak Dunlendish fluently, which could prove useful." He turned to Ergothorn. "Since this was your idea, would you like to join us?"

Ergothorn smiled ruefully, but shook his head. "I am no warrior, plus I am still recovering." I also wondered if he wanted to avoid spending any more time with Candaith, but set this aside for the moment. Halbarad nodded his acceptance, and caught my determined gaze.

"I will go as well," I added, but Halbarad shook his head. "Why do you refuse me?" I asked in frustration.

Halbarad sighed, "You are not yet healed; you know this."

"I have partaken on missions much more difficult and in much poorer condition," I replied hotly. "You just offered Ergothorn a spot, yet his injuries are possibly even more grave than mine!"

"You are also an Elleth, and as we have seen, the Dunlendings trust Elves even less than the Dunedain," Halbarad said softly, placing a hand on my shoulder. I shook him off and stepped away from him.

Part of me knew I was being objectively unreasonable, but the thought of staying behind while Candaith left made me physically ache. I focused and pushed all of these emotions towards Candaith, and his eyes widened as he met my gaze. Halbarad seemed to sense something, for he ushered the rest of our group away so Candaith and I could talk.

"Meleth, I sense your unease," Candaith said with some concern.

"Please do not send me from your side," I blurted out, fighting back tears. "We have only just been reunited."

Candaith took my hands in his, and rubbed his thumbs over my knuckles. "Halbarad would not have asked me to come if he did not think it was absolutely necessary." He took me into his arms, and I settled my head in the crook of his neck. "Our duty is to Aragorn, and whatever I can do to aid him, I must do."

I pulled back slightly, "What about your duty to me?" It was a bit of a low blow, but my emotional state was not as stable as usual.

His eyes softened, but I could see the resolve there; his decision was already made. "I will always have a duty to you as your husband, and it is not one I take lightly." He brushed my cheek with his calloused fingers, and I leaned into his touch. "If our roles were reversed, and Halbarad had asked you to go, would you not say the same as I?"

I sighed; it was the truth. I nodded and said, "You are right, of course." I looked deeply into his eyes, and made sure he was paying attention. "Be careful. As I said, my heart warns me about this course of action, and I am not sure it is the right one. However, Halbarad and Radanir are fierce fighters, and loyal as brothers. You will need to support each other."

Candaith smiled weakly. "I will do my best." I frowned slightly; it was not enough, but there was nothing else he could say. There was no promise he could make to return to me safely, as we both knew it was never a guarantee when going into battle or other dangerous situations.

That night we held each other close, and we expressed how much we loved each other without the need for words. My heart was full of fear, but I shoved those emotions away with some difficulty as I did not want to burden Candaith with them. As I had explained only the night before, it was possible to put up 'walls' of sorts to keep thoughts or emotions we did not want to share or burden our partner with. As this was all very new, I was unsure if Candaith could tell I was doing this, and I wondered if he was doing the same. All I could do was let him know I loved him, and pray for his safe return.

I hoped it would be enough.

Looks like another dangerous mission ahead, and this time Gwin has to stay behind. She sure likes to play the hero, so it'll be a tough pill to swallow. It sure wasn't Candaith's finest hour when he let his jealousy, or perhaps over-protectiveness, get the best of him. Hopefully Gwin convinced him to apologize!

I am traveling to Arizona on vacation, and I'm not sure how regular my updates will be. Worst case scenario, I won't be able to update until Thursday March 11th. We have some great things coming up in the story, which I'm so excited to share with you. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and leave a review!