Chapter Eleven: True Love?
C'mon, elephant...thing, don't fail me now, I thought, clutching the jade figurine. I looked around.
The crowd showed no signs of disappearing, or yielding up my friend.
"Damnit," I muttered, slipping the elephant in my basket.
"Jew-el-ry!" a random merchant yelled, much too close to my ear for comfort. I jumped and turned, to find that I had nearly bumped into a man laden with necklaces, rings and bracelets.
"Sorry," I apologized. He nodded, smiled and walked on, raising his voice again in plaintive advertisement of his sparkling wares.
I cast my gaze dismally around at the milling crowd, eyeing the sea of blond heads; trying to spot Deowyn would be something like trying to find a straw in a haystack.
"Pfft," I sighed explosively, longing to sit down. My feet hurt, and roaming around aimlessly searching for Deowyn wasn't helping anything. Everywhere around me, Rohirric men, women and children laughed joyously, contributing to the general hubbub.
Dark-haired merchants, minstrels and entertainers occasionally surfaced among the crowd. The whole scene had taken on a tinge of unreality; a sense of disbelief descended on me. I almost smiled at the bizarre irony of it: I was lost in Rohan, wishing I was home. How many times had I wished to be in MIddle-Earth? ...some astronomical number. The sun dipped lower inthe sky: it had been hours since I had left Deowyn. It felt like weeks.
At any rate, I was lost, hungry, aching and alone in an unfamiliar crowd.
Spiffy, I thought grimly, just fecking uber-spiffy.
I felt a familiar pricking at the back of my eye. Sure enough, a tear made its way down my cheek. Angrily, I brushed it away.
"Thalia?" a familiar voice asked, behind me.
"Deowyn! Thank Eru!" I cried, hugging her tightly. "I've been looking for you!"
She laughed. "I am sorry, Thalia...I should not have let you go alone."
"Psssh," I replied, "I was an idiot for wanting to." A thought occurred to me. "Where's Anneth?"
"Deowyn!" A man callled, elbowing his way though the crowd. "Sorry...excuse me...forgive me...pardon..."
"Right there," Deowyn replied, pointing at him.
"There you are, Deowyn!" Anneth panted, catching up to us. "I stopped to look at that horse for but a moment, and then you were gone..." He grinned. "But none can elude me for long."
"I am sorry, Anneth; I thought you were behind me," Deowyn replied, turning towards him with a smile. Their eyes met.
"You are forgiven, of course," Anneht told her, suddenly dropping his eyes. "The fault was mine."
She looked worriedly at him, stepping closer. "Anneth? Is something wrong?"
He looked up. "It's nothing, I-" he sighed. "I just-"
Hoo boy, I thought. I'm betting there's a confession of True Love coming up.
"You-" he continued stuttering. Deowyn quirked an eyebrow. I grinned. That's my Deo...Make 'im sweat. Now, if he really loves her...
Practical considerations like a home and food aside, Deo was my friend; she was genuinely selfless and sweet, and occasionally revealed a wicked sense of humor. So if Anneth was actually a con-artist scumbag, I'm blow a gasket and kick his ass. But I didn't think you could fake chemistry like the chemistry hanging so thickly between them you could cut it with a knife.
"What I mean is, you're beautiful," Anneth finished, finally.
"I-" Deowyn, flustered, began studying her shoes.
"That's not what I meant," Anneth said hastily. Looking surprised at his own daring, he grabbed her hand. "What I mean is..."
The cliche-ness was too obvious to ignore. I prepared for the inevitable Cheesy Love Speech. A thought occurred to me.
All those movies and books kinda cheapen love, I thought. Here I am, rolling my eyes...I mean, this is probably genuine! This moment should generate some major aww's...
"...All day I sing about true love, and lovers that meet and fall in love in a day, but I've- well, I've never felt anything that came close, until..." he lifted her hand, clasping it to his chest. "Until I met you, and then- oh, it's a thousand times better than the old songs, because it's happening to...me."
Deowyn smiled at him, pushing back a lock of hair that had fallen into his eyes; they appeared to have completely forgotten my existence.
"Before this day, I thought love was but a lie," she whispered. "But you- you changed my mind..."
I could feel a sentimental tear trickling down my cheek.
That's so beautiful! I thought, sniffling.
Anneth leaned forward, to meet Deowyn's upturned face. Both their eyes widened as their lips met, but the kiss lasted.
"Aww, gee," I muttered, smiling goofily.
Deowyn broke the kiss, and placed a gentle hand on his cheek.
"I love you," she whispered."
There were tears glistening in Anneth's eyes as he smiled.
"And I- I, too," he replied, hesitantly. "I never thought this would -nay, could- happen to me..."
Deo nodded. "I have only known you this day, but..."
"Beren and Luthien met but once, in a wood- he fell in love with her whilst she danced; Thingol watched Melian, bound to her as with a spell; and I- I met you at a fair..."
"Fine company I keep," Deowyn replied, ruefully. Then she leaned up and kissed him, ard.
I looked at the sky. The sun was setting; in a matter of moments it would be dark. I cast a glacne at Deowyn and Anneth, wondering how rude it would be to interrupt. I wanted to be *home* by midnight.
I tried a discreet cough. They completely ignored me. Deo was crying, and Anneth was wiping away her tears.
Oy, I thought, eyeing the colorful sky. I looked dismally back at the two.
Okay, I thought resignedly. Lots of walking in complete darkness for Thalia. Yeah...that's fine...I can deal with that...
A/n: My God, that took a really long time to write...I have about ten different versions of it in my notebook, but that one's the best, I think. Anyway, hope you liked! ^_^
C'mon, elephant...thing, don't fail me now, I thought, clutching the jade figurine. I looked around.
The crowd showed no signs of disappearing, or yielding up my friend.
"Damnit," I muttered, slipping the elephant in my basket.
"Jew-el-ry!" a random merchant yelled, much too close to my ear for comfort. I jumped and turned, to find that I had nearly bumped into a man laden with necklaces, rings and bracelets.
"Sorry," I apologized. He nodded, smiled and walked on, raising his voice again in plaintive advertisement of his sparkling wares.
I cast my gaze dismally around at the milling crowd, eyeing the sea of blond heads; trying to spot Deowyn would be something like trying to find a straw in a haystack.
"Pfft," I sighed explosively, longing to sit down. My feet hurt, and roaming around aimlessly searching for Deowyn wasn't helping anything. Everywhere around me, Rohirric men, women and children laughed joyously, contributing to the general hubbub.
Dark-haired merchants, minstrels and entertainers occasionally surfaced among the crowd. The whole scene had taken on a tinge of unreality; a sense of disbelief descended on me. I almost smiled at the bizarre irony of it: I was lost in Rohan, wishing I was home. How many times had I wished to be in MIddle-Earth? ...some astronomical number. The sun dipped lower inthe sky: it had been hours since I had left Deowyn. It felt like weeks.
At any rate, I was lost, hungry, aching and alone in an unfamiliar crowd.
Spiffy, I thought grimly, just fecking uber-spiffy.
I felt a familiar pricking at the back of my eye. Sure enough, a tear made its way down my cheek. Angrily, I brushed it away.
"Thalia?" a familiar voice asked, behind me.
"Deowyn! Thank Eru!" I cried, hugging her tightly. "I've been looking for you!"
She laughed. "I am sorry, Thalia...I should not have let you go alone."
"Psssh," I replied, "I was an idiot for wanting to." A thought occurred to me. "Where's Anneth?"
"Deowyn!" A man callled, elbowing his way though the crowd. "Sorry...excuse me...forgive me...pardon..."
"Right there," Deowyn replied, pointing at him.
"There you are, Deowyn!" Anneth panted, catching up to us. "I stopped to look at that horse for but a moment, and then you were gone..." He grinned. "But none can elude me for long."
"I am sorry, Anneth; I thought you were behind me," Deowyn replied, turning towards him with a smile. Their eyes met.
"You are forgiven, of course," Anneht told her, suddenly dropping his eyes. "The fault was mine."
She looked worriedly at him, stepping closer. "Anneth? Is something wrong?"
He looked up. "It's nothing, I-" he sighed. "I just-"
Hoo boy, I thought. I'm betting there's a confession of True Love coming up.
"You-" he continued stuttering. Deowyn quirked an eyebrow. I grinned. That's my Deo...Make 'im sweat. Now, if he really loves her...
Practical considerations like a home and food aside, Deo was my friend; she was genuinely selfless and sweet, and occasionally revealed a wicked sense of humor. So if Anneth was actually a con-artist scumbag, I'm blow a gasket and kick his ass. But I didn't think you could fake chemistry like the chemistry hanging so thickly between them you could cut it with a knife.
"What I mean is, you're beautiful," Anneth finished, finally.
"I-" Deowyn, flustered, began studying her shoes.
"That's not what I meant," Anneth said hastily. Looking surprised at his own daring, he grabbed her hand. "What I mean is..."
The cliche-ness was too obvious to ignore. I prepared for the inevitable Cheesy Love Speech. A thought occurred to me.
All those movies and books kinda cheapen love, I thought. Here I am, rolling my eyes...I mean, this is probably genuine! This moment should generate some major aww's...
"...All day I sing about true love, and lovers that meet and fall in love in a day, but I've- well, I've never felt anything that came close, until..." he lifted her hand, clasping it to his chest. "Until I met you, and then- oh, it's a thousand times better than the old songs, because it's happening to...me."
Deowyn smiled at him, pushing back a lock of hair that had fallen into his eyes; they appeared to have completely forgotten my existence.
"Before this day, I thought love was but a lie," she whispered. "But you- you changed my mind..."
I could feel a sentimental tear trickling down my cheek.
That's so beautiful! I thought, sniffling.
Anneth leaned forward, to meet Deowyn's upturned face. Both their eyes widened as their lips met, but the kiss lasted.
"Aww, gee," I muttered, smiling goofily.
Deowyn broke the kiss, and placed a gentle hand on his cheek.
"I love you," she whispered."
There were tears glistening in Anneth's eyes as he smiled.
"And I- I, too," he replied, hesitantly. "I never thought this would -nay, could- happen to me..."
Deo nodded. "I have only known you this day, but..."
"Beren and Luthien met but once, in a wood- he fell in love with her whilst she danced; Thingol watched Melian, bound to her as with a spell; and I- I met you at a fair..."
"Fine company I keep," Deowyn replied, ruefully. Then she leaned up and kissed him, ard.
I looked at the sky. The sun was setting; in a matter of moments it would be dark. I cast a glacne at Deowyn and Anneth, wondering how rude it would be to interrupt. I wanted to be *home* by midnight.
I tried a discreet cough. They completely ignored me. Deo was crying, and Anneth was wiping away her tears.
Oy, I thought, eyeing the colorful sky. I looked dismally back at the two.
Okay, I thought resignedly. Lots of walking in complete darkness for Thalia. Yeah...that's fine...I can deal with that...
A/n: My God, that took a really long time to write...I have about ten different versions of it in my notebook, but that one's the best, I think. Anyway, hope you liked! ^_^