Parvon glared at Triwathon. Experiencing too many emotions to process, he was drowning in hope and fear and joy and dread until all those feelings were suddenly supplanted by an immense rage that fell into despair as soon as Parvon acknowledged it.

Triwathon was gazing at him with adoring eyes as he slowly rose from his crouch.

'I love you, Parvon!'

'No, you don't!' Parvon blurted. 'You love Melpomaen!'

'No, I don't love Melpomaen! That's ridiculous! Why would anyone look twice at him when there's you?'

'I saw him kiss you, Triw! You were at the earth-cave with him, under the beech, and he kissed you, and you looked around and suddenly there was this huge sense of… of love and longing, and it was so… so sweet and true and I know you don't…'

'Idiot!' Triwathon said, almost shouting with fear; he'd come all this way to be rejected…? 'That was for you, I looked at the beech tree, and all I saw was you! Yes, Mel kissed me, friendly, not loving. When he knew how I felt about you, he was glad! I love you!'

'I've loved you for centuries, Triw, and you decide now's a good time…?' Parvon shook his head and took a step back. 'Why couldn't you just leave me alone and let me sail in peace?'

'Because I love you!' Triwathon insisted. 'You have to believe me!'

He moved in, hands reaching, tilting up his face and Parvon batted him away, scowling.

'What are you…? Don't! Don't do that!'

'I was only going to kiss you!' Triw said, chest heaving, tears trembling in his eyes. 'They say a kiss will tell if you're fëa-mates or not, I wanted to prove to you…'

He leaned in again, less sure this time, and Parvon backed away, raising his hands as if to ward him off.

'If there's any kissing to be done,' he said, 'it's going to be me does the doing of it!'

Someone buffeted him from behind, and there was Captain Thiriston.

'Well, Master Parvon?' he said, grinning ferociously. 'What are you waiting for?'

Parvon suddenly realised he and Triw were at the centre of a circle of very interested elves. He saw Thindorion, beaming and nodding encouragement, Canadion grinning delightedly, all the Walkers looking on as if they had some sort of right…!

'A little privacy would not go amiss.' Parvon's tone was icy, but all that happened was that Captain Thiriston shrugged.

'Good luck, there. Come on, got to get to the camp site before dark. Get on with it, kiss your elf, Master Parvon!'

Parvon gave him a look to quail a dragon, then turned back to Triwathon. His friend was looking anxiously hopeful, somehow, eyes still shining like the gleam of tiger's eye in lamplight…

'Oh, all right, then!' he said. 'And only because people will be discommoded if we don't make camp soon.'

Opening his arms, before he could even take a step forward, Triwathon was there, folding himself into his embrace and offering his mouth. His lips were cool and moist and wonderfully sweet, and the warmth of holding him, of feeling Triw's arms go around him, to inhale the soft fragrance of him, mossy and wholesome, and a soft little sound that could have been from him, but which felt like it came from Triwathon's throat made him jump and jitter and want to hold closer, tighter against him, and there were strange, lovely sensations everywhere, but especially where his hips and Triwathon's met, and as if that were not enough, there was a surge of wonderful, gloriously warm affection, golden and pure, the same as he had sensed when Triwathon had been looking at the beech tree, and he realised that Triw had been speaking truly; it wasn't Melpomaen who had provoked that wash of love, instead the response had been all for him, just for him…

The surprise of it made him pull out of the kiss, but Triwathon looked into him with knowing eyes.

'All for you, for you, my beloved pen-pusher!' His mouth curved into a beautiful, beautiful smile that stole Parvon's breath away. 'Well? Now do you believe me? We are fëa-mates, are we not? What do you think?'

'I think… I think we need to talk.'

'Amongst other things, yes.' Triwathon reached for Parvon's hand, intertwined their fingers, and looked at the gathered crowd. 'Are you still King's Office? Can't you do something about this lot?'

'No, I am here solely for the proper care of the Starlight Gemstone.'

'Oh. That thing. Well, who's in charge? Captain Thiriston? Can you help?'

'Seem to be managing fine without it,' Thiriston said, then clapped his hands. 'Walkers, get walking! Magorion'll show you the way. Come on, pick it up a bit… Now. You two. When you're ready, head due west to the break in the trail. I'll leave Canadion there to bring you in. We'll camp near the wayflet for the night, you two can take that. Privacy for… talking. And such. Don't be too long, or I'll come looking for you.'

'Captain, thank you.' Parvon found himself smiling. 'I do not know how long it will take, but… we have a lot to say to each other, I think.'

They found a little clearing with a beech tree and Triwathon spread his bedroll beneath. Parvon eyed him warily until he laughed, and sat, patting the space next to him.

'Just for sitting, my love. May I call you that, may I speak nicely to you now?'

'You could have spoken nicely to me at any point during the last twenty years, Triw…'

'I know.' Triwathon sighed and shrugged. 'I have been very foolish, and… and very slow. All the time I've wasted… on insisting I was over… him… when really, I think I was hoping he wasn't over me, and then… his death hit me harder than it should, if it had been over, surely? Except then I found out, it had been over, for him. So I think that helped, although it didn't feel like it at the time. Ai, sorry, this is stupid! Here I am, with my forever-love, talking about someone else…'

'Yes, I was wondering why you were doing that.'

'It is over, it is over with everyone except you, Parvon.' Triwathon took Parvon's hands in his and pulled him down beside him. 'With you, it is just beginning. I love you.'

Parvon kissed him on the cheek.

'You said,' he said. 'And I cannot deny the love I have for you, not now, not after so long being silent about my feelings. But what if I damaged the bond between us, what if…?'

'No, don't do that! No doubts, Parvon, not now! I have none! Come, kiss me again? Last time was lovely, but everyone was watching and you may have felt the need to be restrained…'

Restrained? Parvon had thought it wonderful, perfect, exactly what a kiss should be.

'Suppose you show me what you mean?' he said lightly 'You're the expert.'

'I… Oh, Parvon, I have been so afraid of this, that my past would be difficult for you.' Triwathon cast down his eyes. 'If I had known, I wouldn't have…'

'Yes, you would,' Parvon said. 'With that poacher of yours, you were together before I even saw you, so you'd already have been in love. And… look, don't look so sad! It's one of the things we need to talk about, but you must know, Triw, you are who you are because of who you've been… that is… well, one of us needs to know what's going on. And I don't mind that it's you. Come, let's try that kiss again?'

This time… ah, this time was joyous and glorious, as sweet as the first kiss, but heated, and before he knew what was happening, he was lying over Triwathon, the whole length of his body moulding against that of his lovely elf beneath him, hard and soft and very, very provocative.

It ended this time when Triw, hands shifting, caressed Triwathon's back and slid lower to cup his buttocks. Parvon lifted his head, but the startling delight of the contact made him loath to break away.

'That feels… nice,' he admitted.

'There are nicer things to do than simply kiss, my beloved pen-pusher.' Triw grew bold, moistening his lips with his tongue and sliding his fingertips into the waistband of Parvon's leggings. 'I could show you, if you like?'

'I'd like…' Parvon swallowed, falling into a chaos of confused longing and love and need. 'I would like… but for that we would… we would need vows.'

'Oh, Parvon!' Triwathon wriggled out from beneath his beloved, sitting up with eyes shining as he reached for Parvon's hands. 'Yes! Yes, I would love to marry you, to be bound to you for…'

'Triwathon, will you take short vows with me?'

The rest of Triwathon's word died in his mouth; forever, he'd been going to say. But short vows? Why would Parvon offer only short vows?

'Death or ships,' Parvon went on.

'Short… vows?'

'I love you now and forever, Triw, but just at present, short vows seem more fitting. Is that not what you want? We do not have to make vows at all, I've loved you so long, Triw, that just to have you with me, like this, is so much more than I ever expected, but if we were to be more intimate than this, I would need to have you vowed to me.'

Triwathon shook his head.

'I would give you all my days, ships or no, I would make forever vows with you, Parvon, so why only offer short vows?'

Parvon ducked his head.

'I've hurt your feelings, I am sorry, I did not intend to. But… there are several reasons, although the most important is you. I… I know you're sure, now, but you've had so much loss, Triw. You're vulnerable, and it's possible that something I did, when I first saw you and knew you were my fëa-mate, how I rejected the idea of it, I might have harmed the bond between us. It might be that your fëa is hurting, and you've discovered I'm sailing, and you've reached out because yet another loss would be too much…'

'No.' Triwathon shook his head violently. 'It isn't that. No, I knew I loved you before I knew you were going. I was about to write to you, and then I had to help find a lost elf and the wagons had left before I had the chance!'

'I see. But you've been through an awful time, Triw. I don't want to rush you into something and then you find it's a mistake. That's why short vows are such a good idea for us; we will have plenty of time between now and the ship to make sure this is as right for you as I want it to be for both of us; I couldn't bear it, Triw, if I hurried you into something, and you found yourself committed to me forever and you'd outgrown me. This way, love, if you find you're bored with me, well, I can get on my ship knowing at least we tried, and taking the memories of you with me for consolation. And if we find we're right together, then we can get married forever in Valinor, have a huge party, even ask your friend the poacher to be our Witness, what do you say?'

Triwathon swallowed, Parvon's words haunting him…

'I can get on my ship…'

Because, of course Parvon would sail, the mere fact that he knew Triwathon loved him, how could that make up for him being unhappy and alone and missing his brother?

'I… why would I ever be bored with you?' he said, ignoring the thought that he would need to choose between sailing, or losing Parvon and be alone, this time forever.

'Why wouldn't you? Triw, you're a hero, you've been surrounded by heroes and warriors and I can't… can't compete with that! I sit at a table and think up ways to stop Thranduil upsetting people, that's the most daring thing I've ever done, and… I'm not a warrior, not a hero, Triw.'

'You're my hero,' Triwathon said softly, and as Parvon shook his head, he pressed on, 'Parvon, you were out on the night of the dragons, you did as much as any of my garrison to help. And… and you saved my life! When the messenger…'

He broke off, shuddering, and Parvon put his arms around him and drew him into a comforting hug.

'Had you not found me, I would have died,' Triw said, burrowing his face into Parvon's shirt. 'And the Night of the Names, I was so close to fading and you… you stopped me. You took care of me, Parvon, and you didn't even… and I would, and you knew not to. I… short vows, and we will marry forever later, once you're convinced I really do love you.'

'Oh, I don't doubt that,' Parvon said. 'I just… I don't want to tie you to me if I'm not enough for you.'

'But you are everything to me.' Triwathon removed his face from Parvon's shoulder and looked up into his face. 'I am only sorry I have been so silly and you have been sad because of it.'

'Well, to be fair, Triw, you're not the only reason I've been unhappy.'

Triw nodded. 'Everyone said you miss your brother.'

'I do, more than… Wait… everyone?'

'Nestoril, and Faerveren, and Thindorion…'

'Thindo?'

'He wrote to me.'

'The scoundrel! He said he would write from Ithilien, had I known he'd…'

'You didn't want me to know.'

'I didn't want you to worry, or think I wanted your attention.'

'You have my attention now, Parvon, you can have all of me, as much as you want of me, and…'

'And for that we will need vows. Shall we go and find the camp, and pick on someone to be Witness? No, I have exactly the person in mind…'

'Oh? Who?'

'Oh, no!' Parvon smiled. 'I want it to be a surprise.'

Hand-in-hand, they made their way to the fork in the road where Canadion waited for them. He jumped up, smiling, as they approached.

'At last!' he said. 'I was about to signal you, I thought you'd lost track of time. Come, we are headed this way. Is all well, may I ask?'

'Yes,' Parvon said, smiling at Triwathon. 'All is very well. Except I need to find a way to make a token for my friend, here, before the end of the evening…'

'And I will need to do the same,' Triw said, as Canadion grinned and nodded encouragement. 'Although I cannot make a warrior token. Or can I, because who braver than Parvon, setting out like this for a new life?'

'A fact which is meant to be a secret, I think?' Canadion said, smiling. 'I know because Faerveren wanted me to take good care of his mentor, but it is not widely spoken of.'

'Really?' Triw shook his head. 'Everyone at the New Palace probably knows by now.'

'It's true that not many here know it,' Parvon admitted. 'I suppose it does not matter now, though. Or it won't, once I have an avowed warrior-fëa-mate to keep the hordes at bay.'

'Well, I am delighted for both of you!' Canadion said. 'Only what a shame my Ada cannot help with your arrangements, he would make sure you had some nice bunting and other decorations; I do not think we have any bunting with us… Never mind, you can always have a proper celebration when you get back to the Old Palace, my Ada will be delighted to organise something special for you both.'

Parvon shook his head.

'It is a kind thought, Canadion, but it will not be possible; once I have discharged my duty at Ithilien, I will be continuing on with the rest of the Walkers; I am still sailing.'