There And Back Again?
By Thalia Weaver
A/N: This chapter dedicated to Aranel Manveri, whose persistence convinced me to continue this fic.
Disclaimer: Anyone who believes the canon's mine can pick up a bridge in Brooklyn...going cheap...
Chapter Nine: Surprises
Many hours later, I had finally dropped off to a fitful sleep; I had a few dreams, mostly ones of home, and my parents. It seemed like only a few minutes had passed, though, when I awoke.
My bedsheets were soaked in sweat, or so I thought. With a grimace, I threw back the covers and stood up, thinking to open a window and get a little fresh air or something. Then I looked down at my nightgown.
"Ack!" I exclaimed. There was a bloodstain on it, spreading down from between my legs and...oh. "Shitshitshit," I muttered, feeling unclean. "Greeeeat, Thalia, just go and get your PERIOD now..."
"Thalia?" It was Deowyn, looking sleepy and rumpled in her own nightgown.
"Deowyn! I...well...I have my...monthlies," I told her, wincing a little.
Deo merely tsk-ed. "No need to make such a fuss, my dear," she chided, every inch the mother. "I've some cloth in my room that will suit your purpose well enough."
Lovely, I thought. Just flippin' spiffy.
Deowyn's cloth pads, it turned out, functioned every bit as well as my own Kotex ones at home, proving once again that my preconceived notions were often sorely mistaken. Miraculously enough, Operation Period went relatively well, and I managed to salvage my lost night's sleep. The morning, however, was a different story.
I've never had easy 'times of the month', but this one was a topper. Cramps, nausea- the whole nine yards. With it came the usual wave of depression, but I managed to battle through it, helping Deo serve breakfast to the kids and send them off to play. I only then realized what strength it takes to be a mother, and my respect for all mothers increased tenfold. Deowyn looked very excited in the afternoon, making me wonder exactly what she was up to.
"My monthlies always make me feel sad," she said, her round face alight with excitement. "And so I thought, well, if your courses make you feel so ill as mine do, perhaps I can do something to cheer you up! And sure enough, the fates have conspired to help me."
These words sounded ominous to my ears, and I raised a suspicious eyebrow. "And what would that entail, exactly?"
"The market fair is coming to Eornhal on the morrow!" She exclaimed. Seeing my blank look, she smiled. "'Tis the next village from Edoras, but a league from here!"
I blinked. "A league?" Not being an expert in medieval measurements, I had no idea what this meant.
She looked at me oddly. "Yes, a league."
I gave up. "And we would have to wake up..."
"Before the rising of the sun- bright and early!"
I looked at her with dread. "You're not a...morning person, are you?"
She blinked. "What does that mean?"
"Never mind."
It was with some trepidation that I fell asleep that night...
...and was awoken before the sun rose, which felt like about five o'clock or so. I moaned. "How do you expect me to rise at such an ungodly hour?"
"Nay, tis the start of a new day! Oh, can you not wait for the fair? I am so excited!"
I had the feeling that if we were in a chat room, her remarks would be peppered with exclamation points. Being the polite guest that I am, I refrained from hitting her with the nearest two-by-four and going back to sleep- she had opened her home and her heart to me, even if she WAS a supernaturally cheerful morning person.
Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I dressed as quickly as I could manage, with Deowyn hovering over me like a too-energetic honey bee.
"Are you ready?" She asked.
"Yes," I replied, and we set out.
* * *
A league apparently was somewhere between ten and twenty miles. I'm not exactly in the best shape in the world, and soon was puffing and panting like a cow stranded on a desert island. Deowyn occasionally called back encouragement from her place about twenty feet in front of me, and I nodded and tried to wheeze softer, though why I did so was really beyond my reasoning.
Finally, we reached Eornhal, a small village that looked to have a population of a hundred or so, judging by the amount of straw huts. A massive throng of traders, entertainers, and blonde Rohirric gawpers crowded the streets, and I smiled to myself at the sheer and utter shock on their faces.
"'Tis quite a sight, is it not?" Deowyn almost-yelled in my ear, trying to be heard among the din. "There are so many traders here, from distant lands! Perhaps your kin are here as well!"
Although she meant well, the words, amplified by raging depressive hormones, triggered a wave of homesickness that hit me like a tsunami. All of a sudden, the massive fair didn't seem so fun anymore- now it was alien, unfamiliar, frightening. I nodded through the sudden lump in my throat, and didn't meet her eyes.
"Perhaps."
A/N: This chapter dedicated to Aranel Manveri, whose persistence convinced me to continue this fic.
Disclaimer: Anyone who believes the canon's mine can pick up a bridge in Brooklyn...going cheap...
Chapter Nine: Surprises
Many hours later, I had finally dropped off to a fitful sleep; I had a few dreams, mostly ones of home, and my parents. It seemed like only a few minutes had passed, though, when I awoke.
My bedsheets were soaked in sweat, or so I thought. With a grimace, I threw back the covers and stood up, thinking to open a window and get a little fresh air or something. Then I looked down at my nightgown.
"Ack!" I exclaimed. There was a bloodstain on it, spreading down from between my legs and...oh. "Shitshitshit," I muttered, feeling unclean. "Greeeeat, Thalia, just go and get your PERIOD now..."
"Thalia?" It was Deowyn, looking sleepy and rumpled in her own nightgown.
"Deowyn! I...well...I have my...monthlies," I told her, wincing a little.
Deo merely tsk-ed. "No need to make such a fuss, my dear," she chided, every inch the mother. "I've some cloth in my room that will suit your purpose well enough."
Lovely, I thought. Just flippin' spiffy.
Deowyn's cloth pads, it turned out, functioned every bit as well as my own Kotex ones at home, proving once again that my preconceived notions were often sorely mistaken. Miraculously enough, Operation Period went relatively well, and I managed to salvage my lost night's sleep. The morning, however, was a different story.
I've never had easy 'times of the month', but this one was a topper. Cramps, nausea- the whole nine yards. With it came the usual wave of depression, but I managed to battle through it, helping Deo serve breakfast to the kids and send them off to play. I only then realized what strength it takes to be a mother, and my respect for all mothers increased tenfold. Deowyn looked very excited in the afternoon, making me wonder exactly what she was up to.
"My monthlies always make me feel sad," she said, her round face alight with excitement. "And so I thought, well, if your courses make you feel so ill as mine do, perhaps I can do something to cheer you up! And sure enough, the fates have conspired to help me."
These words sounded ominous to my ears, and I raised a suspicious eyebrow. "And what would that entail, exactly?"
"The market fair is coming to Eornhal on the morrow!" She exclaimed. Seeing my blank look, she smiled. "'Tis the next village from Edoras, but a league from here!"
I blinked. "A league?" Not being an expert in medieval measurements, I had no idea what this meant.
She looked at me oddly. "Yes, a league."
I gave up. "And we would have to wake up..."
"Before the rising of the sun- bright and early!"
I looked at her with dread. "You're not a...morning person, are you?"
She blinked. "What does that mean?"
"Never mind."
It was with some trepidation that I fell asleep that night...
...and was awoken before the sun rose, which felt like about five o'clock or so. I moaned. "How do you expect me to rise at such an ungodly hour?"
"Nay, tis the start of a new day! Oh, can you not wait for the fair? I am so excited!"
I had the feeling that if we were in a chat room, her remarks would be peppered with exclamation points. Being the polite guest that I am, I refrained from hitting her with the nearest two-by-four and going back to sleep- she had opened her home and her heart to me, even if she WAS a supernaturally cheerful morning person.
Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I dressed as quickly as I could manage, with Deowyn hovering over me like a too-energetic honey bee.
"Are you ready?" She asked.
"Yes," I replied, and we set out.
* * *
A league apparently was somewhere between ten and twenty miles. I'm not exactly in the best shape in the world, and soon was puffing and panting like a cow stranded on a desert island. Deowyn occasionally called back encouragement from her place about twenty feet in front of me, and I nodded and tried to wheeze softer, though why I did so was really beyond my reasoning.
Finally, we reached Eornhal, a small village that looked to have a population of a hundred or so, judging by the amount of straw huts. A massive throng of traders, entertainers, and blonde Rohirric gawpers crowded the streets, and I smiled to myself at the sheer and utter shock on their faces.
"'Tis quite a sight, is it not?" Deowyn almost-yelled in my ear, trying to be heard among the din. "There are so many traders here, from distant lands! Perhaps your kin are here as well!"
Although she meant well, the words, amplified by raging depressive hormones, triggered a wave of homesickness that hit me like a tsunami. All of a sudden, the massive fair didn't seem so fun anymore- now it was alien, unfamiliar, frightening. I nodded through the sudden lump in my throat, and didn't meet her eyes.
"Perhaps."