Almost six weeks later, the summer reached its peak. School was over and life was all about picnics, horse riding, flying kites and swimming in the river.
Ringil started to spend time with us. It was Navari who got especially along with him, which shouldn't be too surprising, given their carefree and friendly nature.
On the first day of Urui we were to set off to Imladris. I felt that it was safe to leave mom and Aerina on their own. We all learned something since we came home from Rivendell last year.
The evening before our departure, I went to the stables with the twins to prepare our luggage, check on our horses and make sure all equipment was in place and unharmed.
They seemed agitated and in good moods, I figured it was at the thought of coming home soon. I realised what was going on when we entered my house and a group of people yelled: "Surprise!" I saw Ringil laughing next to Navari and Estel already chatting with some girl friends of mine. There weren't many guests but it was just who it was supposed to be. I later found out it was Ringil who had managed the invitations.
After everyone had something to drink and we played charades and sang songs, the house went a bit quieter. People were divided into smaller groups or pairs, busy with conversations, a few very heated ones. Estel and I were just explaining the hierarchy of Rivendell to Beldir, Ringil's friend, who said it made no sense to him, when I looked over to the kitchen and I saw Ringil and Elladan talking in low voices. Ringil smiling as ever, Elladan's face serious but not hostile. When he saw me approaching, he flashed me a smile, too.
"Hey, girl, looking good, you from here?" Ringil said and tried to spin me around but the wine had done its work and I almost tripped, which gained both of us a laugh from Elladan. "Got yourself a boyfriend, princess?" I laughed so hard I only managed to nod. "Must be a lucky man. May I have a dance, sweetheart?"
"May he?" I looked at Elladan jokingly.
"There's no music," he noticed, looking very amused.
"Like that would be a problem," the man snorted and led me out of the kitchen.
Everyone had had their share of booze so no one really paid attention to us. What we did could barely be called a dance but we swayed to the imaginary music.
"I'll miss you," he said in an earnest voice, so much unlike him.
"Oh, stop… Don't ruin the moment."
"No, no, no, you don't ruin the moment. You know how I love guilt tripping you. At least give me that." I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt. "Anyway, what was I saying? Ah, right. I will miss you every second of the day. And night, probably."
"And I you."
"No, you won't," he said accusingly and I jumped back.
"What?"
"I bet you won't even think about me. Making sweet…"
"Oh, shut up!" I cut him off, maybe a little too loud because the chatter stopped for a second. "Can't you act serious for once? This is a very serious moment." I lay my hands back on his shoulder and his held-up hand.
"Sorry, I don't think I can."
"Let's not say goodbye, alright? I don't think I could do it."
"Alright," he rested his cheek on my head.
We were supposed to set off at dawn but first we overslept, then had a lot to clean up after the party, so before we were ready, it was almost noon. When I went to bed, Ringil was still downstairs, chatting with the twins, but he was gone by the morning.
I shared a long hug with Aerina and my mom, who took a day off to make sure we took everything we needed to travel safe. She acted like everyone's mom, reminding us of the most basic stuff and asking obvious questions, but nobody minded. My sister and I never spent much time together but I saw she was moved by our parting and I felt the same.
I had this feeling I always get when I travel to Rivendell. Something on the verge of nervousness and excitement, ripping me from the inside, so I feel like I'm about to burst. I took one last look at the white city glistening in the sun. I was leaving home and heading home.
Thank you for reading! :)