A/N: Gee, why on earth would you people think Orgel is going to resurface? You don't see him in this chapter, do you?

Artistic Design

Chapter 3

Cool fall days meandered into the rainy chill of early winter and then the usual snow. That slowed business somewhat, since fewer ladies were inclined to venture out and trudge to the shop. The inactivity made Theomund restless and he kept returning to the window to stare out at the frigid day.

Suddenly, he turned and strode over to Fele's work area. She had noticed his fidgeting, but had tried not to let it distract her from her work. His presence in front of her crafting table, however, was more difficult to ignore. She looked up at him questioningly, "Yes?"

"Do you have a nice dress?" he asked pointedly, causing her brow to furrow at such an unexpected query.

"No, not really. But then I do not have need of one. The work dresses I wear are more suitable."

Before she could question him, he swept her cloak off the wall hook and held it for her to put on. "Then we must go buy you one."

She sat staring at him, at a complete loss to understand what he was on about. Impatiently he shook the cloak at her. "Come on! You cannot go to the feast in a work dress. We must get you something nicer to wear. Do not worry – I have excellent taste!"

"The feast? Theomund, I am not going to the feast. That is not for peasants like me," she murmured with embarrassment.

"Meduseld is open to all who wish to come. True, the peasants usually do not often turn out, but that does not mean they are not welcome. And you are now a prosperous merchant rather than just a peasant. Think of this as business – you need to be there to promote your work." He looked pleased with the argument he had managed to produce.

Fele shook her head. "I do not think –"

"Fele, have I been wrong yet in guiding you with your work? This is a wise business move. Trust me!"

"You keep saying that, and you keep getting me –"

"I keep getting you more and more business! Now let us go!"

To her chagrin, he made a valid point. Everything he had done in her behalf had worked out extremely well for her, and she almost felt ungrateful to be arguing with him now. With a sigh, she laid aside the jewel she was crafting and rose to move over for her cloak. Moments later, they were making their way down the snowy pathway to the main thoroughfare where most of the dress shops were to be found.

The unpleasant weather seemed to be affecting other businesses as well, and the merchants were quite eager to please when they stepped inside to browse. Had it been left to Fele, she would have bought a rather nice, but plain, gown in the first shop and been done with it, but Theomund was more discriminating. He did not find anything to his liking in the first two shops, and tugged her along to the next. There he spied a heavy, dark cream gown that he instantly claimed for her, explaining it would look glorious with her hair.

Now that the gown was found, and arrangements made for it to be altered to fit, he led her back to the other two shops for accessories. Evidently he believed in spreading his business around so as not to favor any one shopkeeper, and it was clear that they appreciated his thoughtfulness in the matter.

Less than two hours after the excursion had begun, Fele was back in the shop at her work table and somewhat in shock. Normally, she would not have dreamed of spending so much money on such frivolous items, but the merchants had given Theomund a good price and he insisted she think of it as an investment in her business rather than trifling waste.

A week later, she found herself entering the front doors of Meduseld with Theomund at her side. Despite all his assurances, she still felt very much out of place in this situation. Surely these fine ladies would not be pleased to find her in their midst. As Theomund confidently waded into the throng, she did her best to hide in his shadow and go unnoticed.

To her consternation, after chatting briefly with people he encountered along his path, she discovered he was leading her right up to the main table to greet the king and queen. The other party-goers seemed to be pressing in behind them, and she could find no avenue to sneak away. The next thing she knew, she was face to face with the king and queen of Rohan again, but this time they were decked out in all their finery. She thought surely the queen must be the most beautiful woman she had ever seen, even at the age of two and sixty years. Had Theomund not sworn an oath to his telling the truth, she would not have believed him when he had told her how old his mother was.

Before she could become overwhelmed with awe at the sight of the royal couple, Lothiriel rose and stepped down to take her hands, kissing her on the cheek. "Fele, I am so happy you could come! I do hope you will enjoy yourself."

In mild shock, she discovered the king grinning at her. "It is a pleasure to see you again, Fele. Enjoy the feast! Oh, and if you dance with Theomund, guard your feet. He has a reputation for treading on his partners' toes!"

Theomund glared in mock annoyance at his father, but ruefully shrugged after a moment since he could not refute the truthfulness of the statement.

Others pressed in then, to speak to the royal couple, and Theomund caught her arm to guide her off to a table at the side. "I am starved. Shall we eat?"

She nodded agreeance at him and they found seats. Servants bustled over to make sure they had goblets of wine and to replace any depleted chargers of food. As no one seemed to take particular notice of her presence or make any objection, Fele gradually began to relax and enjoy herself. She knew her mother would want to hear all about it when she returned home tonight.

Several of her customers wandered by, greeting her warmly, and it occurred to her that after the reception the king and queen had given her, and considering whom she was with, it was not likely anyone would say anything disparaging to her. That realization filled her with even more relief.

By the time they had eaten their fill, the meal portion of the evening seemed to be concluding and an area was cleared for dancing.

Theomund grinned at her teasingly. "Do you dare risk your feet on the dance floor?"

With a blush, she admitted, "I am not a good dancer, my lord."

He leaned closer and said softly, "Neither am I, hence my father's warning to you!" Rising he held out a hand expectantly, and resolutely she took it. If she had learned nothing else about him these past months, she knew how determined he could be when he got a notion in his head.

They managed to lumber their way through several dances before Fele finally had to plead for a rest, and Theomund escorted her to the side for some wine. Without her noticing, he steered her over to a group of ladies surrounding the queen, and again Lothiriel greeted her warmly.

Fele had created the promised jewel several weeks ago, and the queen insisted it was one of her favorites, though Fele had not had occasion to see her wearing it. Tonight, the gown Lothiriel wore had a high neck and so the jewel would not have worked well with this particular style. Almost without realizing it, Fele found herself contemplating what gem could be worn to adorn such a dress and, as if reading her thoughts, Lothiriel inquired, "Fele, you will have noticed I have little on in the way of jewels this evening, but I did not think any of my necklaces appropriate. What would you suggest for such a gown?"

All eyes turned to her and she fought to quell the panic rising in her chest. Forcing herself to be calm enough to speak without a quaver in her voice, she cleared her throat and commented, "Well…perhaps rather than a necklace you should consider a brooch, my lady. The lines of the dress would work better with such, and it would focus the attention on the beautiful neckline."

Lothiriel considered this a moment, and finally nodded. "I look forward, then, to seeing what you produce for me. See it done, please!"

Before Fele could give any sort of response, several of the other women eagerly launched into claims of having similar dresses and pressing her to make brooches for them as well. They promised to bring the gowns by the shop so she could see the color and material before beginning her work.

More than a little overwhelmed, she politely thanked each of them as she felt Theomund's hand on her elbow, nudging her away from the group. Excusing herself, just before she turned to accompany him back to the dance floor, she glanced at the queen's face and was rewarded with an amused glint and wink of the eye.

She was still blushing when they took up their dance positions, and Theomund leaned closer so only she would hear. "Did I not tell you tonight would be an investment in your business?"

His eyes held that familiar devilish gleam and she shook her head in wry amusement, then acknowledged, "Yes, my lord, you did. You were correct…again."

Pleased at her capitulation, he gave her another grin and swept her into the dance.

By the time she returned home much later that evening, Fele felt like she was still dancing. The evening had been almost magical, and she felt as if she were in some magnificent dream. Her mother helped her undress as she regaled her with all the gossip of the evening. Whatever Frideswide's thoughts, she merely smiled warmly at her daughter, pleased to see her so happy, and bid her goodnight.

xxxxx

Despite the wonder of the evening, all too soon Fele was back at work struggling to keep up with the demand for her jewels. She was distressed when her mother took ill with a fever and could not watch her son during the day, but was reluctant to simply not work until Frideswide had recovered. At length, she risked taking him to the shop with her. She had repeatedly impressed upon Eledher that he must be very quiet, and play by himself so as not to disturb Theomund or any customers, and he had solemnly promised her he would do so.

She had brought all of his few toys, and made it a point to come quite early so she would be there before Theomund arrived. She knew if Eledher caught a glimpse of the man he would want to go to him, and she thought it best to keep the boy out of sight. Further, she thought it wise to conceal Eledher's presence from Theomund, not at all certain he would approve of her bringing her son into the shop.

Her plan worked well, for the most part, and she was in luck that Theomund was in something of a hurry that morning and merely called a greeting to her before going to his workspace. But by mid-morning, when things had eased for Theomund, he became aware of quiet conversations in the other room. Since he had not heard anyone come into the shop, he couldn't imagine who Fele was talking to and ventured forth to investigate.

As he drew near her door, she looked up at him, seeming mildly panicked that he was clearly intending to enter. Jumping up, she moved quickly toward him, as if to head him off, but just then a childish voice was heard to say, "Mama, I am thirsty."

A look of fear crossed Fele's features as she knew he would not have missed hearing Eledher, and she stared at Theomund a moment before launching into an apology. "My lord, I am so very sorry! I should not have brought my son with me but Mother is ill and I did not think I could afford not to work today and I was hoping I could keep him quiet so he would not disturb you!" She blurted it all out very fast and watched his face with apprehension.

His brow knit, not fully understanding her timid behavior, but at length he dismissed her concerns. "Why did you not tell me Eledher was here! I wish to see him." With that he poked his head in over the double-door, glancing around until he located the boy sitting on the floor in the corner with his toys.

"Well, hello! Did I hear you say you were thirsty? Come, I will get you something to drink while your mother works."

Gleefully, Eledher jumped up and ran to him, lifting his arms so Theomund could pick him up. Leaning down over the door, he hauled the boy up into his arms, gave Fele an amused look before turning and moving away, and leaving her at a loss to explain his reaction.

She could not imagine why he was not angry, but she was very grateful for the reprieve. Still, she could not allow Eledher to disrupt his day, so she opened the door to follow them and assure Theomund, "Please do not trouble yourself with him. I will tend Eledher. I do not wish to keep you from working."

"Nonsense," Theomund said over his shoulder, moving into his office and retrieving a jug of water. Awkwardly pouring a cup of it one handed, he produced the drink for Eledher, then looked up at the boy's mother. "He is no trouble. You should have brought him by before this so he could see the shop and the blacksmiths. You keep working – we are going to explore for a bit. I will have him back to you in a short while. Do not fret."

Eledher had paid enough attention to know there was fun to be had, so he quickly downed the water and indicated he was ready to see the sights. With that familiar grin, Theomund strode away with Fele's son in his arms.

As Fele watched them go, she shook her head in disbelief. She was beginning to think that she would never understand this man. He was like no one she had ever met before, and he seemed utterly oblivious to the way things were supposed to be. With a sigh, she returned to work, quite certain he would listen to no further arguments from her.

xxxxx

Yule celebrations in Aldburg were not nearly what they were in Edoras, and Theomund was not about to let Eledher miss out on any of the fun of it. Early on the first day of Yule, he turned up knocking at Fele's door, insisting all three of them dress warmly and come with him. They were not sure what to expect as he led them out to where a sleigh awaited them, but they ended up joining several others heading out of Edoras. Renward, his wife and two young daughters were sharing the sleigh with them, and Frideswide had soon become friends with the other woman, who had lived in Aldburg for several years prior to her marriage.

Fele had found herself perched on the front seat with Theomund and Eledher, and had to keep a firm grip on her son to prevent his exhilaration from sending him tumbling off. The ride alone thrilled him, but when the sleighs held mock races he was nearly overcome with excitement.

Once they reached the gathering place, Eledher was quickly out of the sleigh and having a wonderful time in the snow. After they got the women situated by the fire, Theomund went off to build snow figures with the child. He spent a good hour with Eledher, and then got lured away by some nephews and their friends to help in their snowfight. Eledher was contentedly playing with other children being watched over by a few mothers, so Theomund didn't feel guilty leaving him there for a time.

While the three mothers stood chatting in a group, the boys in the bunch had somehow gotten on the subject of their fathers, with each bragging about his own father. At length, one older boy of six years eyed Eledher and told him, "You do not have a papa."

Not entirely sure what was going on, and not wanting to feel left out, Eledher's eyes fell on Theomund not far away, firing snowballs at a rapid rate. His scowl turned triumphant. "Yes, I do! Theomund is my papa." The women, who had only been paying slight attention to the children's conversation, did not miss that declaration, and they fell silent, turning as one to look at Eledher.

The other boy shook his head firmly. "No, he is not! He is not anyone's papa. You do not have one."

"I do so! Theomund is my papa!" Eledher shouted.

Eledher's voice had gotten considerably louder, and Fele, who was coming to check on him, clearly heard this very public announcement. Flushing bright red, she hurried to snatch her son up in her arms. Choking back the humiliation she was feeling with the others staring at her, she firmly told Eledher, "Dearest, Theomund is not your papa. He is just our friend and does nice things for you, but he is not your papa."

Eledher's eyes filled with tears. "But I want him to be my papa! He would do it. I know he would!"

Trying not to show how unnerved she was by this discussion, Fele tried again. "Wanting it will not make it so, dearest. You must not say such things." She kissed his cheek, but hurried away from the group before he could say anything more. Frideswide had followed her when she heard the shouting, and watched with dismay as her daughter rushed off to stand by the sleigh with Eledher to try to reason with him.

She smiled tightly at the other women standing there, and said, "Please, pay the child no mind. He misses his own father and he is too young to understand what he is saying. Lord Theomund has been very kind to a little boy who has come to adore him." She turned and moved away before they could comment, carefully not meeting their eyes so she would not see any censure they might be feeling.

A short while later, Zimraphel approached Theomund who was sitting on a log, catching his breath after the battle. His forces had barely won, and presently the other side was trying to coax them into a rematch. Seating herself alongside him, Zimraphel watched the boys debating for a moment, then said quietly, "Eledher just announced that you were his father."

Theomund's head jerked toward her in surprise. "What?"

She sighed, then explained, "One of the other boys told him he had no papa, so he chose you. Fele is trying to convince him it is not so, and that his wanting it does not make it truth, but he is only three and all he knows is that you do the things with him that a father would." She paused, then added, "I thought you ought to know. Word of this will spread quickly." Rising, she moved away to leave him to his thoughts.

Glancing around the campsite, Theomund located Fele, Frideswide and Eledher over by the sleigh, apparently keeping well away from everyone else. This was his fault. He should have anticipated the child would be confused by his actions. If Eledher's father was dead, it would not matter much to Theomund to have the boy making such a claim; he would even have been honored by it. But Fele's husband still lived, thus she was still married to him. He had no right to make claims on the man's son, regardless of the abandonment. He rubbed at his forehead fretfully. He had little concern for the impact this would have on him, but he very much worried what it would do to Fele, and how she would react to it. It could well be that she would no longer wish him to spend time with Eledher. She might even desire to find another workshop to avoid any awkwardness between them.

He hadn't noticed Elfwine approaching him, and only looked up when his shadow fell over the spot where Theomund sat. Seating himself by his brother, Elfwine was silent a few moments, then said quietly, "A problem indeed, brother. What are you going to do?"

"I do not know," Theomund admitted. "I do not wish to cause difficulties for Fele's family, but I do not know how to fix this."

After several moments of silence, Elfwine offered, "I think if it was me, I would laugh it off." Theomund looked at him curiously, so he explained further. "Part of how this is received will depend on your reaction to it. If you avoid them, people will think you want to distance yourself from such accusations, and that you are rejecting their trying to make a claim on you. If you ignore it, hoping it will go away of its own accord, the rumors about the matter will soon make things far worse than any reality of it. But, if you laugh it off, appear unfazed by having found such favor with a friend's child, and continue on as though nothing has happened, then others will eventually take that view and follow your example. There will be a few who will insist on making this a scandal, but if you do nothing differently and it is all out in the open, it will be very difficult for them to make their case."

Theomund contemplated his words, then suddenly grinned at his brother. "You do know how much you sound like Mother, do you not?"

Elfwine chuckled. "I suppose it was inevitable she would influence me, but if you think my words are what hers would be, then I would say you would be even wiser to follow them. And I am certain Mother and Father will support you in this. Their lack of concern over the incident will also help put the matter to rest."

He stood and looked down at the younger man, then glanced over toward Fele. "And now," he advised, "I think you are being cruel leaving them over there in their misery. Go and draw them back to the fire, and make it clear the boy's declaration is of no consequence. Do not let this ruin their Yule celebration."

Theomund rose, nodding. "You are right. However, since I am going to be busy, and it looks like the two sides are regrouping for another showdown, you will have to take my place on the battle lines. Show no mercy, brother!" He strode away, laughing over his shoulder.

Frideswide was the first to spot Theomund approaching, and quietly murmured a warning to Fele. The woman glanced up, a look of sheer terror in her eyes. She had known that all of this was too good to be true. These past months, being able to make a good living and having a man take an interest in Eledher so he did not miss out entirely on a male influence, had seemed an impossible dream. Now it appeared it was turning into a nightmare, and it was more than she could bear.

Before she could speak, however, Theomund stepped in close and pulled Eledher from her arms, where he was crying into her shoulder. Stepping up into the back part of the sleigh, he seated himself and turned Eledher so he could see his face. "Eledher, listen to me. I know you realize that I am not truly your papa, but I understand why you said it. I am not angry with you."

The boys tears eased a bit, and he turned his tear-stained cheeks up to gaze mournfully at Theomund. Theomund wiped at the tears with his thumb as his hand cupped the boy's face. "But even if I am not your papa, we will always be friends, and I will always enjoy spending time with you. If your papa cannot be here to do things with you, then I will fill in for him until he can be. Is that all right with you?"

Eledher nodded and reached up to wrap his arms around Theomund's neck. Theomund held him for a long time until a quiet voice whispered, "Why did papa leave, Theomund?"

Theomund glanced at Fele and, if her face was any indication, she had heard the question and it was breaking her heart. He rubbed Eledher's back, and answered, "I do not know. He must have had a good reason, and he knew your mama would take good care of you."

Tears slipped down Fele's face at the response and she was fighting her own inclination to break into sobs. Frideswide noticed and caught her arm. "Come, dear, let us go for a walk. I am sure Lord Theomund does not mind watching Eledher for a moment."

Discerning her purpose, Theomund nodded his consent and the women moved away. Eledher turned to watch his mother go and then said softly, "Mama is angry with me."

Theomund kissed his head. "No. She is angry with the situation. She is sorry you do not have a papa here to be with you, and wishes she could do something about that. She is more angry with herself than with you. But you must promise me something." He caught Eledher's chin and turned his face to him. "I know it is hard, but you must not say such things about me to others. If you want to say them to your mother or grandmother, that is all right, but only tell them. It hurts your mama if you say such things when others can hear. They sometimes say mean things to her if they hear you. Will you promise?"

Eledher nodded fervently. "I do not want Mama to be hurt! I will only tell her from now on. I promise!"

"Good! Now, do you suppose you have enough strength left to build some more snow figures?"

"Yes!" the boy exclaimed, readily reverting to his usual cheerful demeanor.

Stepping down from the sleigh, and moving to the play area where other children were still working, Theomund knew all eyes were on him. Well, let them look. He had done nothing to be ashamed of, and neither had this little family. He would not let them suffer for knowing him.

A/N2: At the feast, Fele's view of the queen's beauty is not so much the result of Lothiriel's being extremely beautiful, though she has aged well, but is more due to Fele's low self-esteem. From her perspective, every woman in the room is very beautiful, certainly far more than she, and the queen in particular, and she does not realize that a number of men in the room would disagree with her own personal assessment.