Hebo Estel

Chapter Twelve: A Bath and a Reunion

A/N: Hey all! Well, here's chapter twelve! I hope you enjoy it! It's a bit longer. As ever, I send thanks and love to my beta, LothirielofRohan. I also want to give my thanks and regards to all of my wonderful, supportive readers and reviewers. You guys keep me writing! Well, drop a review and give me your thoughts!

Delyth awoke the next morning to the sounds of Eothed moving and rustling about. When he saw that she was awake, Eothed said, "Good morning, Delyth! I think I've found something that you'll like!"

Delyth sat up and rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?"

Eothed shoved some bundles into his pack, and then looked up and smiled. "It's just past dawn. You missed a beautiful sunrise."

Delyth yawned and stretched. For the first time in weeks, she felt rested, and ready to meet the day. "You should've woken me up; I would've liked to see it."

"I did not want to wake you. You slept so peacefully." Eothed immediately realized what he had said and ducked his in embarrassment.

Delyth blushed, but said, "Eothed, you told me that you had found something. Show me?"

With a large grin, Eothed stood and offered Delyth his arm. She stood and accepted it, and walked with him to a cluster of trees. "I found it this morning, while I was searching for some decent firewood." As he spoke, he led her through the trees and into a wide clearing. At the center of the clearing, there was a large pool of clear blue water, sparkling as the morning sun shone down upon it.

Delyth gasped and ran forward to dip her fingers into the warm pool. Eothed moved to stand behind her, casting a shadow onto the water. "I thought you might like to take a bath, you know, to freshen up for when you see Lord Boromir. I imagine you haven't had a decent washing in ages."

Delyth stood up and turned around to envelop Eothed in a warm hug. "Oh!" she gushed, laughing with happiness. "Oh, Eothed! I can't thank you enough! This is so kind of you!"

Eothed's grin grew broader, and soon he was laughing, too. "Here," he said, pulling a bundle out of the sack he was holding. "This is a towel, and a bar of soap. I always keep them with me; you never know when you'll need them!" He handed the towel and the scrawny bar of soap to Delyth, who accepted them graciously. For a moment, he stood there, looking uncomfortable and grinning shyly. Delyth gave him a meaningful look, and at last he understood. "Oh! Yes, sorry! I'll just go get everything ready to go, and I'll make us a quick breakfast. Once you've dried off, you can come and find me, and we'll be on our way!"

Delyth thanked him three more times before he disappeared in the trees again, and waited several more minutes to be sure he was gone. Then, she turned to the pool and sighed with happiness. This was exactly what she needed. She slowly undressed, peeling off her soiled dress and chemise. For a long moment, she stood naked in the sun, her face tilted upwards and her arms outstretched. In this very moment, she was happy. In this very moment, everything was good. Then, slowly, she eased herself into the lukewarm water and gasped at the sensation. The water felt amazing as it flowed softly about her body, and she couldn't remember ever being happier in her life. She must've soaked in the water for twenty minutes before she finally picked up the bar of soap and gently glided it about her body. Delyth worked wrinkled fingers through her hair and then dunked under the water, trying to get all of the knots out of her dark mane. When at last she emerged, she felt clean for the first time in months, and she decided to clean her clothes as well, as they were soiled with dirt, mud, and orc blood.

Finally, when most the stains had washed away, she laid her dress out on the grass so it could dry in the sun. Then, she eased herself back into the water and breathed in the earthy scent of the forest around her. She was more relaxed and content than she had been in months, and it was because of this that she didn't notice the man kneeling behind her.

"Delyth?" he said in a low, shaky voice.

Her eyelids flew open, and she splashed water everywhere as she struggled to cover herself. "Eothed?" she screeched. "What are you doing here? Why are you…?"

Eothed immediately covered his eyes with his hand. "I'm sorry, Delyth! I didn't mean- it's just that I- I was wondering why you were taking so long and…" He stretched his other arm out and searched blindly for the towel. When his hand finally found it, he handed it swiftly to Delyth, who took it angrily.

Once she had wrapped the towel around her, she told Eothed that he could look. He moved his hand slowly, and glanced up at Delyth with a scared look on his face. "Delyth, I am truly sorry. I didn't mean to spy on you, it's just that-"

Delyth ran a hand through her slick hair, very confused. She knew she should be very upset with Eothed, and she was a little, but she was oddly flattered, and even slightly short of breath. The thought that Eothed had just seen her naked gave her a feeling that only Boromir had ever given her before. It was a feeling that burned in the pit of her stomach, and went lower and lower until-

"Delyth?" Eothed asked, looking worried.

Delyth sighed. "Eothed, why did you come here?"

"You took so long, I wondered if something had happened to you. I came just to make sure that you were unharmed."

"You didn't have to come all the way over here to see that I was unharmed," Delyth commented dryly.

Eothed blushed crimson and ducked his head with embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Delyth. It's just that you are so beautiful, and I haven't seen a woman such as you for a very long time… I- I couldn't resist. I really am sorry. I'll just go and wait at the camp for you."

He turned to leave, but Delyth caught his arm, and he turned back to look at her. "Look, Eothed, I know you're sorry. I know it must be difficult for you, what with your wife gone, and traveling with only men for so long." Eothed drew closer, and Delyth suddenly found it harder to speak. "I- I accept your… your apology, and… and I- I want things to b-be fine… be fine between us…" Her breathing grew fast and shallow, and her face flushed with heat.

Eothed looked as if he was in a trance, and he drew closer and closer to her, until his nose was mere inches from hers. "Delyth," he muttered weakly, raising a shaking hand to caress her face. Suddenly, he closed the gap between him and covered her quivering mouth with his.

For a moment, Delyth melted into the kiss, enjoying the wonderful sensation she had not felt for weeks. Then, with a start, she realized who she was kissing, and pulled away from Eothed in shock. For several awkward seconds, they stared at each other, eyes wide. Finally, Delyth spoke up. "Eothed," she said in a calm, steady voice, belying the shock she had just felt, "we cannot do this. I love Boromir, you know that. We don't know each other; we are just searching for comfort. These feelings aren't real. I'm sorry."

Eothed tilted his head back and closed his eyes, obviously upset. With a deep breath, he said, "You're right, Delyth. I was completely out of line. This is my fault, and I shall take responsibility for my actions. When we get back to Edoras, I will tell Lord Eomer what I have done, and he will punish me as he sees fit."

"You will do no such thing!" Delyth exclaimed, letting go of his arm. "Look, you have done me no wrong. You apologized, and I accepted. As far as I see it, there is absolutely no need for anyone else to know about this."

"But, Delyth! That's absurd! I-"

Delyth shook her head resolutely. "No. I may be only a woman, but even I know that we are on the brink of war. Soon, Lord Theodred will need all the men he can get. You would not abandon him in his time of need, would you?"

Eothed stared at Delyth, a mixture of surprise and relief on his handsome face. "No, I wouldn't."

"Well then, I see no need to tell neither him, nor anyone else about this. We were just both very weak for a moment, but we are strong now," Delyth said, giving him a tiny smile. "Now, kindly go prepare to leave so I can clothe myself in peace. I shall meet you at our campsite in ten minutes at the latest, and if I am not back by then, I give you permission to come seek me out."

"But, Delyth, what about breakfast? You need to eat something!"

"No," said Delyth, "I do not. I am perfectly fine. Now, shoo!"

Eothed gave her a brilliant smile and then ran off into the trees again. Delyth dropped the towel and fell to the ground, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Why did Eothed make her feel like this? Why had she let him kiss her? What about Boromir? What would he say if he knew she was kissing other men?

After several minutes of wondering and worrying, Delyth finally came back to reality and began to shakily dress herself.

Back at the camp, Eothed meekly offered her a bowl of broth, but she refused. "Eothed, I need to see Boromir today. I will not waste time with food. Let's just leave, alright?"

Eothed gave her an odd look, but dumped the broth on the ground and mounted his horse.

They were riding fast again, and Delyth let her hair loose so it could dry in the wind. Her clothes were still damp, too, so she tried to let the wind dry those, as well. She clung to Eothed, but not too tightly, the memory of their kiss at the pool still fresh in her mind. They had been riding for hours, and had skipped the midday meal to make up for the time they had lost that morning.

It was nearing evening, and still they were riding swiftly. They had only taken a few breaks all day, and then only short ones. Eothed kept pressuring her to eat or rest, but Delyth was determined to reach Boromir before sunset.

At last, after what seemed like ages, Edoras appeared on the horizon. Eothed pointed it out to her, adoration in his voice. It was clear that he loved Rohan very much.

"I will be able to surprise my daughter. She is living with my mother, and neither of them expects to see me for months!" Eothed exclaimed happily, his voice carrying on the wind.

Delyth grinned; she was genuinely happy for him. She sighed and leaned her forehead on his back. She was feeling a little queasy, and owed it to being nervous about seeing Boromir again.

Boromir. He would be very surprised to see her. Delyth looked back on the past few weeks, and found that she was surprised, too. She had dropped everything, left her home, her family, all for Boromir. She had traveled for weeks, for miles, just to catch up with him. She had somehow gotten her sisters and Beregond mixed up in this whole mess, knowing full well that they were in as much trouble and danger as she was. If she hadn't known better, Delyth would've said that it was a different girl, not her, who was chasing after Boromir.

They drew closer and closer to Edoras, Delyth's stomach giving a small flip with every stride. Finally, they were galloping through the gates and winding their way through the busy city streets, all the way up to the Golden Hall.

Eothed hopped off of the horse in one smooth move, and turned to help Delyth dismount. As soon as her feet touched the ground, her knees gave out, and her legs felt wobbly. She fell and Eothed caught her.

"Delyth?" he asked, concerned. He helped her steady herself and held his hands out to catch her should she fall again. "Are you all right?"

Delyth felt queasy again, and was very dizzy. "I'm fine," she lied. "It must just be from all of the riding we did today."

Eothed looked uncertain, but let her go. She stood up and tried her hardest to walk normally, but couldn't help but stumble a little. Suddenly, Eothed had his hand on her elbow, and he was helping her up the stairs. Delyth looked up at him and grinned, as if it was funny, but he just shot her a worried glance and then looked straight ahead.

They reached the great wooden doors at the entrance of Meduseld, and were admitted after a quick word with the guards. Once inside, Delyth looked around in awe. The Golden Hall was beautiful, with intricately carved statues and pillars.

Then, several things happened in quick succession. A large wooden door on the side of the Hall flew open and a man emerged, clean and dressed in fine leather. Eothed dropped her elbow and took a step away from her, and she struggled to keep her balance. The man called her name and ran over to her immediately, and swept her off her feet in a tremendous hug. It was Boromir. Delyth laughed and tears of joy and relief streamed down her face, and she tried to ignore the sharp pains in her stomach and forehead. Boromir set her down, and searched deeply into her eyes before giving her a tender kiss.

When her lips met his, suddenly everything felt right. Delyth was floating on air, and it felt as if suddenly, all the worries and stress from the past few weeks had disappeared. She encircled her arms around his neck and melted into his sturdy frame.

He let her go and took a step back. Delyth became aware that everyone in the Hall was staring at her, and blushed crimson. Boromir leaned in to kiss her forehead, but immediately drew back, a look of intense concern on his face. "What is it, my love?" Delyth asked, not very aware of what she was saying. She suddenly felt very faint.

"Delyth!" Boromir exclaimed, laying a hand on her face. "You're burning up!"

"Nonsense," Delyth muttered as her world began to spin. "There aren't any flames!"

Then she collapsed to the ground, and her world went black.

A/N: Ooooo! More suspense! What's happening with Delyth? You'll just have to review to find out!