Geliriel spent the next week walking outside when the weather was agreeable, and exploring various parts of the manor when the weather was not agreeable. She often walked by herself, but knew that Berior was not far behind should she need any help. During the evenings, she would eat dinner in her rooms, and often insisted that Glinneth and Berior join her. They would often talk about the day's events and what happened where. Once that was done, she would listen to Berior tell of the lands and its surroundings and then to Glinneth as she talked about daily life in the manor. She laughed quietly to herself. Glinneth, it seemed, was the head gossipmonger of the manor and knew just about anything about anyone.

On the morning of the sixth day, Glinneth came bustling into the bedroom. She carried a pot of steaming water, two towels, and a rather small box. She went about getting the basin and screen set up for Geliriel, opened the curtains to let the morning light in, and then left to go get breakfast. Through it all, Geliriel tried not to hear her and go back to sleep, but failed miserably. Stretching, she got up out of bed and went behind the screen to wash up.

She had just finished putting on her robe when Glinneth came back in carrying the tray of fruits and sweet wine Geliriel usually had for breakfast. As she ate, Glinneth dumped the water in the basin out and refilled it with water from the pitcher. She got the second towel and draped over the back of the chair. Then she selected the dark red gown from the armoire and placed it on the bed with the small box beside it. Rubbing her hands together excitedly, she went back to wait on her mistress. Today, Lord Amrod would return, and she was determined to have Geliriel dazzling and radiant for him.

Geliriel smiled at her giddy friend. She had decided to let the girl have her way. 'What harm could it do?' she asked herself. She finished with the last bites of fruit and the last of the wine and then stood.

"I guess I'm ready for you, Glinneth," she said as she faced the maid. She could've sworn she saw the girl give a little jump as she followed her into the room.

Glinneth started by sitting Geliriel in a chair facing away from the vanity. Leaning her back without tipping her over, the girl washed Geliriel's hair with what smelled like rose-scented soap. When that was done, and her hair was wrapped in the towel to help dry it, she was handed her under things and she went behind the screen to change into them. She came out and Glinneth had the red dress draped over her arm and a great big smile on her face. 'She's enjoying this much more than I am,' she thought. The maid's nearly effervescent mood was catching and Geliriel couldn't help but be swept away by it.

Geliriel was helped into the dress and laced up properly. Then she was seated in front of the vanity once more, only facing the mirror, as Glinneth worked at drying her hair as much as possible. She watched as the maid brushed her auburn tresses and then put them up into an intricate style with only small tendrils hanging loose. Satisfied with her hair, Glinneth proceeded to put make up on her face. It wasn't much, and for that Geliriel was thankful.

Then Glinneth went and got the box off the bed. She placed it on the vanity in front of Geliriel and opened it. Inside was jewelry. She was simply speechless and marveled at such finery. Glinneth giggled at her reaction and took out a small black pouch, opened it, and emptied its contents into her hand. They were small gold hairpins with the ends wrought in golden flowers. Slowly, the girl placed the pins into Geliriel's hair. It was a random pattern, but after she was finished it looked like she had little sparkling flowers in her hair.

Glinneth went to remove a necklace from the box. It was made to fit close, but loose, around the neck. It had three rows of glittering gold chains that met and clasped in the back. Once it was on, Glinneth helped Geliriel to her feet and guided her to stand in front of the full-length mirror.

"You look beautiful, ma'am," Glinneth said in a quiet voice as she smiled.

"Thank you, Glinneth, but it's all your handiwork. I think I'm rather plain normally."

The girl laughed. "That's not true and you know it!" She went to get a pair of soft leather shoes that were dyed to match the dress. "Seeing you dressed up and looking like a queen is worth it, my lady."

"I'm no queen, Glinneth." Geliriel said as she felt a blush heat up her face. Glinneth stood up and smiled. She didn't say a word, but she didn't need to. Her total satisfaction in a job well done would come from the look on Lord Amrod's face when he saw the lady.

Glinneth was making her finishing touches when a knock sounded at the door. Berior entered and stopped hard in his tracks. He had seen the lady and his eyes were wide and mouth dropped open. Glinneth laughed and went to him and closed his mouth. He shook himself out of his astonishment and bowed.

"My Lady, Lord Amrod has returned. If you wish, I can escort you to meet him."

"Thank you, Berior." He followed her out of her rooms and then offered his arm. Taking it, they walked slowly to the foyer and waited.

Amrod rode to his manor a little quicker than he usually did. He was anxious to see Geliriel again. He missed her smile and laughter. Most of all, he missed her. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen! He couldn't help the way he felt, and he hoped that one day, she'd feel the same. He was going to do his best to win her heart, even if it took forever to do it.

He dismounted and left his horse in the care of the stable boy that came to greet him. His plan was to wash up, then surprise Geliriel in her rooms. He would have the cook make a wonderful feast for two, and then he would walk with her wherever she pleased. It promised to be a lovely night with the full moon and shining stars. How he longed to see her in the moonlight.

He went into the manor and was in such a hurry, he almost didn't notice the two occupants of the foyer. He stopped and stared at Geliriel who smiled at him and made a graceful curtsy. He barely noticed Berior move away from her side, nor did he even see Glinneth who was peeking around the corner. All he saw was Geliriel, and she looked absolutely beautiful.

"Welcome home," was all she said. Wordlessly, he went to her and took her hand in his. He kissed it and then stood back to look at the rest of her. She had tiny little gold pins in her hair, in which he also caught the scent of roses. She also wore a golden necklace and a dark red gown.

"You're beautiful, my lady," he said softly. He smiled as he watched her blush.

"Thank you, my lord."

Suddenly remembering his plans, he stood back a little more and bowed deeply. 'I smell of horse and I'm covered with the dust of travel. I'm not fit to be in her presence!' he thought, reproaching himself.

"Forgive me, my lady, but I am dirty with travel. I'm going to make myself more presentable. Would you do me the honor of meeting me back here in an hour?"

"I would be happy to, my lord," she said in a hushed voice.

He bowed once more to her and then left the room. Once out of sight, he practically ran to his rooms and set about cleaning himself up and making himself presentable. He sent orders to the kitchen for the feast. 'Maybe we could dine out in the east garden,' he mused. She would look lovely by moon and candlelight. He sent down the order to have the feast brought out to the east garden gazebo. He sent another order to have the gazebo decorated with roses and candles. He wanted this to be a perfect night; spending it with the woman he had fallen in love with at first sight.

Precisely one hour later, there came a knock on the door to her rooms. Glinneth, who was practically beaming, opened the door to let Amrod in. He walked in and faced Geliriel, who was standing in front of the fireplace waiting for him.

It was her turn to admire him. He wore a dark green tunic that was shot through with gold thread in a leaf sort of pattern. His pants were the same dark green color, and he wore dark brown boots. His red hair was worn loose but for the small amount tied back to keep it out of his eyes. He had a simple gold chain around his neck.

"My lady, if you grant me the pleasure of walking with me to the east garden, I've taken the liberty of having dinner set out there."

"Certainly, my lord."

They went out of the rooms and walked to the garden gazebo. The sun was just setting, and a maid was going about lighting the candles. He held her chair for her as she sat, and then he seated himself. After they had been served, they were left alone. They ate and made small talk, enjoying the food, atmosphere and each other.

After they had eaten their fill, he escorted her through the garden itself. As they walked, she told him of the last two weeks, how she walked around and through the manor to regain her strength in walking. She told him about seeing the exteriors of the gardens, but not the interiors. She also told him of seeing the cottage. It reminded her of his meeting with his brothers, so she asked him about it. For the most part, he only told her of who was eldest and what they looked like, and who managed to get into the most trouble and who was the more likable.

Not long later, she felt a wave of tiredness come over her. She swayed a little on her feet, and he caught her. He walked her back to her rooms, made sure Glinneth was there to see to her needs, then wished her a good night and left. He smiled all the way back to his rooms, hoping that he had at least made a favorable impression on Geliriel.