Replies to reviewers:
lady scribe of avandell – "i thought it took longer than a day to get to helm's deep from edoras" – I couldn't find out for certain anywhere I looked. I think it took a couple of days for the exodus, but there were a lot of people on foot then, so I just went with it being possible, riding hard. Unless someone knows for certain, you can either believe me or consider it "fudged".
Mad-Aniviel - "I feel warm on the inside, but cold on the outside now." - Don't give me that! I know it's nothing more than a thinly disguised attempt to get Elfwine (or his dad) to come over and snuggle you til you warm up!
Second Thoughts
Chapter 6
The sun was still nowhere in sight the next day, but it was quite a while after daybreak before Elfwine awoke. He lay in bed replaying the events of the past two days. He couldn't restrain a grin as he remembered the feel of Dariel in his arms. How nice it would be if she had been there willingly, pleased to have his attention. He sighed. He doubted very much they would ever get to that point. While she did seem sincere in her apology for her comment, he was certain she only viewed him as the friend of her brother. But even so, he could not help daydreaming what it would be like if she did return his interest...
Little did he know, Dariel's thoughts were moving along a similar path. She always felt safe with Elfwine, no matter how frightening an experience she was having. Somehow she knew he would protect her from harm. She indulged her imagination about what it would be like if he were interested in her, if he wanted to kiss her... That set the butterflies doing their wild dance in the pit of her stomach again, but somehow she didn't care. She stretched in her warm bed and daydreamed about Elfwine until her twin sisters raced into her room to wake her for breakfast. Reluctantly, she rose and began to dress, moving more quickly as she realized that the rain would likely keep everyone indoors, and perhaps now she could suggest another drawing lesson from Elfwine.
After everyone had eaten, they ended up in the Golden Hall, with the children playing around the fire. Eldarion was largely bored and, not being much of a reader, he was at loose ends, until he found a chess set and discovered that Gamling played. Soon they were completely engrossed and, taking a deep breath, Dariel approached Elfwine who was sitting by himself, sketching the children. He had purposely brought his drawing things, both because he had obligated himself to drawing the children of Gondor's royalty, and because he hoped it would give him a chance to spend time with Dariel.
"We never did finish my drawing lesson," Dariel commented shyly, as she came to sit at the table where Elfwine was.
He looked up and smiled at her. "No, we did not. Would you like to do so now?"
She grinned excitedly, but then hesitated. "But I do not want to interrupt what you are doing..."
He quickly set it aside. "I can finish it later. I have the basic sketch in place."
She picked up the sketch and studied it, then turned and looked at her siblings at play and shook her head.
"What is wrong?" Elfwine inquired.
She hastened to correct his misimpression. "Nothing! You just make it seem so easy!"
He blushed, with more pleasure than embarrassment, and rose to come around and seat himself next to her. Handing her a sheet of paper, he asked, "What have you decided to draw?"
She thought for a moment, then teased, "I could draw you, and give it to your parents as a gift! But somehow I do not think they would be as impressed as mine will be!"
He laughed. "It is too early to try to draw people. They are not easy to do." He pointed to the flowers in a jug on the table, "What about those?"
She reached down and pulled the jug closer, considering it. "All right. I will try to draw that. Where do I begin?" And moments later, they were completely lost in their task.
A few times, Dariel found it difficult to focus on what he was saying when he would take her hand in his and guide her strokes. And Elfwine occasionally had to consciously pull his attention back to the lesson when he was distracted by her nearness. But as far as the pair was concerned, it was one of the most wonderful mornings they had spent. They were reluctant to set their work aside when it was time to eat the midday meal.
As they sat eating, Elfwine would sneak a few sidelong glances at her. He suddenly remembered the panic on her pretty face when her horse had been uncooperative in the storm, and prior to that when it had bolted. His jaw tightened, and when the meal ended, he rose quickly and excused himself. He headed for his father's study, where Eomer and King Elessar had returned after eating.
At his knock, Eomer called him in and both men looked at him curiously. "Elfwine, what brings you here?" his father asked.
Nervously, Elfwine stood at attention and formally said, "Father, King Elessar, I would request permission to find a suitable horse for Lady Dariel among our horses, and make a gift of it to her."
The men looked at each other in surprise and back at him. "Does not Lady Dariel already have a horse?" his father asked.
"She does, Father, but he is unsuited to her. Twice already he has endangered her, and I do not wish any harm to come to her. She needs a steadier mount."
King Elessar's mouth twitched with amusement as he turned away, giving Eomer a wink. A moment later, he turned back, his face impassive. "I am not sure I can allow Dariel to accept such a grand gift from a young man she barely knows."
Elfwine gulped. "It would not be a gift just from me, my lord, but from all of Rohan."
Eomer rubbed his chin, more to cover his grin than anything and, when it was again concealed, he told Elessar solemnly, "Rohan would be honored to gift your daughter in this way. None of us wish any harm to come to her."
Elessar appeared to consider the matter, then nodded. "Very well. You may find a mount for her. I do not think she will be dismayed at giving up her current one – she has never been entirely comfortable with him."
Elfwine gave a bow and replied, "Thank you, my lord. I will begin looking at my earliest opportunity." He then excused himself and departed, pleased with the outcome.
Once the door was closed behind him, Elessar arched an eyebrow at Eomer. "Indeed, my friend, tell me – is all of Rohan truly as concerned about my daughter's safety as your son is?"
Eomer laughed. "I doubt that very much, though we do value your daughter highly. In this matter, we will let Elfwine represent us since his feelings seem to be strongest!"
The two men laughed together before returning to work.
xxxxx
It wasn't until the afternoon of the next day that Elfwine could even consider going to the stables to select a horse. He wanted to take Dariel with him, but he would not drag her out into the rain for the undertaking.
But over the midday meal, he began to feel queasy and went to lie down in hopes it would pass. Luck was not with him, however, and he was soon losing his meal and feeling miserable. A servant went to inform his mother, and both Arwen and Dariel followed Lothiriel to his room to see if they could be of use. It was determined that he simply had a temporary illness that would eventually pass, and rest was the best thing for it.
Lothiriel stroked his cheek lovingly. "Try to sleep, dearest. I will have a servant come sit with you in case you require anything." He nodded, then caught a glimpse of Dariel standing with her mother near the door and felt even worse when he realized he would not be able to spend time with her until he was well. It seemed he just couldn't win.
As the three women stepped into the hall, Dariel ventured, "Queen Lothiriel...may I sit with Elfwine instead of a servant? He has done so much for me, it seems the least I can do for him. I can read or sew while he sleeps."
Lothiriel glanced at Arwen and saw the amusement in her eyes, but no reluctance to have her daughter do this, so she nodded. "That is very kind of you, Dariel. Go and find a book or something to do and return. I will have a servant check in periodically to see if you require anything or just need a break."
Dariel restrained herself from beaming too happily, and restricted herself to saying politely, "Thank you. I will return in a moment."
As she hurried to her room, Arwen leaned close to Lothiriel and whispered, "My, she is infatuated, is she not?" The two chuckled softly together before moving back to the Golden Hall.
Elfwine didn't bother to open his eyes when someone came into his room, assuming it was the servant, but a moment later they pulled a chair a bit closer to his bed and he caught a familiar scent. With some consternation, his eyes blinked open to find Dariel taking a seat.
"D..Dariel? What are you doing here?" he asked nervously, glancing at the closed door. "I am not sure your parents would approve of you being in my bedchamber."
She smiled bashfully at him. "My mother knows I am here. Queen Lothiriel said it would be all right for me to sit with you instead of a servant. But, please, do not let me disturb you. You should try to sleep. I will be here if you require anything."
He swallowed, not sure how he felt about this. He felt too ill to even enjoy the prospect of her company, and it would be rather humiliating for her to see him if he purged again; a likely occurrence. Still, she must have volunteered or she wouldn't be here. He decided not to make a fuss about it and hope for the best. He let his eyes slip closed again and murmured, "All right. If your mother does not object."
Elfwine eventually dozed off and Dariel tired of the book she was reading. Curiously, she rose and began to walk around his room. Clearly it was a boy's room, much like Eldarion's, though he seemed to keep his tidier than her brother did.
She came across a stack of pictures he had drawn, and when a glance at the bed showed he still slept, she looked through them. She was startled to find several of her near the bottom of the stack. Fearful he might catch her snooping, she hastily put them back the way they were and moved to the window.
Her mouth twitched with delight as she considered the matter. Maybe there was a chance Elfwine could like her... His mother had thought it possible, and she would know him well. She indulged herself in thoughts along those lines for a few moments, before starting to wonder how she could find out what his feelings were, and to let him know of hers. There seemed no easy solution in that respect. She was certain she was far too cowardly to ever say anything outright to him and risk being mistaken about his regard. But perhaps she could let her actions speak for her and see how he responded. She settled on that as the only course of action open to her.
Returning to her chair, she gazed down on him as he slept. He really was quite good looking. Even the other girls in Minas Tirith had noticed that, but he did not socialize the way her brother did. He seemed at ease in social situations in general, but not when it came to girls. Perhaps he was shy also.
He shifted in his sleep, and a strand of hair fell across his face. She barely restrained the urge to brush it back for him. She would simply die if he wakened to find her doing such a thing! So she contented herself with her silent study of him. It had been several minutes when a new thought occurred to her.
Going to Elfwine's drawing implements, she found a clean piece of paper and drawing utensil. She resumed her seat by his bed and tried to figure out how to go about sketching him. He had said that drawing people was difficult, and she soon agreed. After working for some time, her results were less than impressive, and in no way did him justice. She continued working at it, trying to correct some of the flaws, but with only marginal success.
Elfwine's voice broke her concentration. "What are you doing?"
She was startled enough to give a gasp, before laughing nervously. "Oh, you are awake. Er...I was just drawing a picture."
"Of what?" he asked curiously, as she had feared he would.
Her face flaming, she held it out to him. "Try not to laugh too hard..."
He studied it a moment and then looked up at her questioningly. "Why are you drawing a picture of me?"
She tried to be flippant to cover her embarrassment. "Turnabout is fair play, right? You have drawn me, so I am returning the favor. But I was right – your parents would not be particularly delighted with such a gift. It is not very good."
He shook his head. "Actually, it is not all that bad considering you have just learned to draw. Even if you were not sitting in my room drawing it, I would know it was of me. When I feel better, I will show you some ways to help you draw people. I did not think you would be up to it yet – you have surprised me."
This time the pink in her cheeks was pleasure at the compliment. "Thank you." She eyed him curiously and then commented, "I am surprised at how little you resemble your father."
"I did when I was younger. Now mother says I look a great deal like my grandfather, Prince Imrahil," he explained.
After a moment, she remembered why she was there. "How are you feeling? Do you need any–?"
Before she finished the question, the look on his face gave her the answer. Hastily he put the drawing on the nightstand and reached for the bucket, which she quickly snatched up for him. Uncertain what to do, she settled on pulling his hair back out of the way and resting her hand on his forehead, as her mother always did when she was ill.
After a few moments, the purging subsided, and he lay back, sweaty and pale. She reached for a cup of water by the bed and offered it to him. After rinsing his mouth and spitting, he set the bucket aside and sipped the water. Finally he handed the cup back to her and fell back against the pillows. She wetted a cloth in a basin of water and pressed it to his brow. Gratefully, he took it from her to wipe his face and neck, then returned it, not meeting her gaze.
"You should have a servant come sit with me. You do not want to see me like this," he told her miserably, closing his eyes so he wouldn't see her expression.
"I want to be here – to help. I do not mind. Everyone gets ill some time, and you have been so kind to look after me when I needed it that I want to return the favor." She paused, then added more softly, "But I will leave if you wish it."
His eyes came open in surprise at her words, and he shook his head. "No, it is nice having you here. Thank you." He gave her a weak grin, touched by her sentiment. But his churning stomach distracted him from contemplating it very long, and he turned on his side to get more comfortable.
"Sleep, if you can. You do not have to stay awake and talk with me. That is not why I am here," she encouraged.
He only smiled feebly and murmured, "Thank you." Then he let his eyes fall shut and did as she bid.
