The novelty of spending her day riding Brego wore off quickly. A wind had risen from the north, and her clothing was proving small protection. She munched an apple unhappily as they continued onward. The wind evidently did not bother Brego for his pace did not slow. How well-trained and tireless he was!
By that night they had come to the outer reaches of a small wood that ran along the slopes of the mountains. Helm's Deep had long since faded from sight, and as far as she surmised, they were riding south. Since there was no home for her in Isenberg, and probably little but orc bands between here and there, Léofe had decided during the long ride to migrate to Stoneland in the south. From what she had heard in the markets of her childhood, they were far richer and she would have little trouble securing a position in some stable to work.
With no fire or means to make one, and certainly with no wish to be discovered by friend or foe, Léofe curled up close to Brego under a thicket of branches. Her stomach begged for something more substantial than an apple, but she gritted her teeth as Brego ate his share of victuals. The sky had long since darkened, and to her relief, the chill wind had faded. Though it was certainly cold enough - Brego's warmth would hopefully help her sleep.
Strange dreams came to her that night, and when the dawn came Léofe felt completely unrested. She tried to stand and cried out as her legs gave way. She cursed herself, long and loud, and it was only a reproachful whinny from Brego brought her about.
"I should have known," she grumbled, rubbing her trembling thighs. "Have I not lived around horses the entirety of my life? I should have known my legs would cramp after such a long ride!"
Brego had sprung to his feet already, sniffing around for grass and flicking his tail.
"Rest all you want," she informed him, crossing her arms in anger. "We shan't be going anywhere until I can lift myself onto your back." Her poor mood lasted the remainder of the day, increasing as she continued to try to force her body into doing her will. They must keep moving! Was it not the surest way to avoid detection?
Her hunger compounded with the disappearance of the last apples, and the wind picked up again, moaning and rushing through the trees to pierce her clothing. She shivered, watching through the bare branches above as the sun waltzed through the sky - oh so slowly. Miserable, she cursed herself again and again. Why had she been so stupid, running off to fend for herself, with no money and so close to winter?
When the sunset was finally drawing near, Léofe stood tenderly, leaning on Brego as she stretched her stiff and rather numb legs. They were somewhat better - she would be able to ride! Though it would be painful. The stallion was still grazed to fill his insatiable appetite, and once he was finished and Léofe had walked a slow lap around their clearing, she made ready to mount.
Brego's ears flicked and he shied away, suddenly neighing with such volume Léofe nearly toppled in her precarious state. "What is it?" She asked him, limping over and stroking his neck. "Are we in danger, my sweet?"
Abruptly his distress was explained, for not so far off Léofe heard shouting. She whipped her head around, looking this way and that - who was it? Thieves? Orcs? Murderers? Oh, why had she left the safe, secure fortress!
A gelding charged through the foliage, startling Léofe and causing Brego to start prancing and snorting at the new arrival. Before she had a chance to grow more terrified from this sudden appearance, the rider pulled on the reins, the gelding stopping in its tracks and a pair of familiar brown eyes, though unfamiliarly angry, stared down at her.
Brego was still agitated, but with a quick word from Théodred, he quieted down. There was no communication directed towards Léofe, and too frightened to speak herself, she cast her eyes down and wrung her skirt between her hands. The prince had dismounted and was checking Brego's legs, mouth, and ears in an efficient fashion. Even as he completed the inspection and was stroking the stallion's neck as the horse nipped at his owner's ear, another rider entered the glade on a broad shouldered mare.
"I found her," Théodred spoke first, his words sharp and chilled, and he still did not look at her. "Please ride out and inform the others. See that all return to the Hornburg at once."
"Sire," the rider saluted before wheeling his horse around and disappearing in an instant. Théodred produced a measure of rope from his saddlebags, and quickly secured Brego on a loose halter to the gelding's saddle.
"Come," Théodred said, holding his hand out to Léofe, but looking past her shoulder and into the trees.
Léofe swallowed. "No."
There was a tick in his cheek, and with a deep breath, his eyes finally gazed into her own. The sheer emotion in them - fear, rage, annoyance, offense - started her bottom lip trembling. She had not wanted to hurt him so, he was so very distressed, he would never love her now… There was really no use in resisting his command. Léofe imagined that if she held her ground, she would find herself slung over his saddle like a sack of grain. She stuck her chin in the air and pranced forward, accepting Théodred's help to mount the gelding. He mounted behind her, wrapping one solid arm around her waist while holding the reins loose in the opposite hand. And with no visible command, the gelding and Brego trotted from the clearing, heading east. Slowly at first - but as soon as they reached the open plain a half-mile out, the horses began to gallop.
Théodred's grip on her waist, with his armored arm, wore quickly on her tender muscles, and even before Helm's Deep came into sight she felt that her ribs had been rubbed to pieces and she would have a bruise that would never fade. Focusing on that pain and the continued throbbing from her legs brought a measure of relief from her tormenting thoughts. She did not want to think at all, but remembering the look in his eyes brought her a haunting guilt. To cause the one she loved such pain! Hindsight told her she should have left on foot, or stolen a different horse. Then she might have gotten away completely - or found death instead of this...shame.
The sun was beginning its descent on the western horizon. They would likely be at Helm's Deep for supper, and again she would have to sit in that stifling hall with those horrid people with their suspicious stares. If Théodred would loosen his grip, she could throw herself from the saddle. Perhaps a well-timed kick from one of the horses would bring her relief.
With no warning, Théodred reined in the horses from their gallop. Low hills surrounded them, covered in dying grass which concealed their party from the watchtower at the Hornburg. "We are a little over six miles away," Théodred said, his voice quiet after the pounding of the horses' hooves, but still it had an edge.
"Why are we stopping?" she asked.
"I am in no fit state for company. I would prefer to recover my temper before I must explain what has happened. Wormtongue's spies will be keen to report about the king's son chasing a peasant maiden up and down mountains."
"Then you should not have come!" Léofe snapped, and with a surge of anger, she thrust back her elbow into his ribs. She could not possibly have hurt him, but a grunt betrayed his surprise - and his grip slackened. She swung a leg over the side and tried to jump to the ground, though her descent was better described as a plummet. Bema, that horse was tall! She landed hard on her shoulder, and bit back a cry of pain. As if she would give him the satisfaction! Léofe pulled herself to her feet, and started limping back the way they had come as quickly as she could in her injured state.
"Oi! Don't you dare!" Théodred was late on the uptake, but he reacted quickly enough. She had not even passed the hills when he caught up with her, clenching her arm in his hand and trying to lead her back toward the horses.
She tried to pry his fingers away, but he was too strong. "Let go of me!"
"No!
"Yes! Do it! I understand completely, sire, your desire to be rid of me and I am trying to oblige you! Please let me be on my way - I will not intrude on your life any longer!" Her wrath, now unveiled, seemed all-consuming, and she wrenched herself away from him. A second hit for her - she had shocked him again. Bewilderment crossed his face, and he stopped pulling her arm, though he kept a firm hold.
"I beg your pardon?" he asked, and his expression changed as her words sunk in - his brows drawing together and a sneer threatening at his lips. "You presume much, Léofe. I would not mark many as bold enough to assign words and thoughts to their sovereign of whom they know so little."
"Perhaps if all the Rohirrim knew you were such a...a nincompoop they might speak up more!"
His hand jerked back as if her arm had burned him. "You cannot dare," he said, voice dangerously low as he bore down on her. Adrenaline coursed through her body, ready to run, but a magnetism kept her riveted to the spot. "To cause me such...such terror and then fault me as if I am the one that has done wrong. You have thought of only yourself."
"I left because I did not wish to bother you any longer, nor anyone that lives or works in the Burg. I am a nuisance to all, but I do not wish to be. You cannot accuse me of selfishness for that!"
"It is selfishness," Théodred muttered, and his hands gripped her arms, though not so painfully this time. "It is selfish because you gave no thought to my reaction to find you disappeared. Did you consider how I might feel, knowing that I somehow caused you such discomfort that you did not want to be near me any longer?"
His touch was wearing on her composure, frail as that was - and the way he was looking at her was sending her heart into a thudding mess. "Well - well, no," she stammered. "I supposed you would not care at all, whether I was here or there. I knew you would be upset to find Brego gone, but - you said I could ride him. That is what I would have told anyone who asked, anyway."
"I did not fear for Brego," he said. Somewhere in the conversation his voice had quieted, and now he spoke so softly and tenderly that his words were nearly dissipated by the breeze. "I feared for you."
"You needn't have," Léofe said, trying to separate herself from her physical response to Théodred being so close to her. If she had the brazenness, she could lift her hands to touch his chest, his face, his neck, his hair… "I am...not quite worthy of your concern, sire."
"You are worthy if I say you are worthy," he said. "And I do declare that you are worthy of all the care and concern that any prince of the Riddermark can conjure in his dismal heart!"
"Oh," she said, her voice faint and her knees suddenly wobbly.
"Oh, indeed."
He was smiling now, the sensual half-grin that sent her reeling in the best of times, and now combined with his words - her legs gave way, but Théodred caught her in his arms as she buckled. Their faces were now very close together. She could feel his warm breath on her cheeks, and she closed her eyes. She could not look at him! They were touching so intimately - too intimately, in fact, and the thought of what she might see in his eyes filled her with both a hunger and a fear of something she did not understand.
"Look at me, Léofe."
Reluctantly, though with an excitement that send tremors to her belly, she obeyed. What she had wanted to see in him, for so long - was there. She did not need to be a scholar to know from his expression that he cared for her, even possibly had fallen in love with her - and that he was enjoying holding her close very much. His gaze was tender, and a full smile had broken across his face, something she had not seen before but decided that she wanted to see again. Léofe suddenly felt confident, and she bit her bottom lip to keep her own smile from betraying her. "You may kiss me now, if you would like," she said.
"Oh, may I?" One of his eyebrows quirked. "That is very generous of you."
"Yes. You have my permission."
"You must know, Léofe, that this is the only time I will wait for it."
"And if you delay any longer I will retract my consent!"
His lips touched hers, ending the teasing, and her eyes fluttered shut. How exquisite this was! A blossoming of wholeness, of warmth and love was spreading through her body and sending the sensation of pure goodness into her every fiber of being. She regained her balance, stepping forward on her tiptoes so that she could reach him better, wrapping her arms around his neck to keep him close. His breath was sweet and warm; his hands gentle and loving. Nothing in Léofe's life had ever been as deliciously comforting and stimulating as this.
Théodred pulled away from her, breathing deeply. "I believe that I have been quite carried away," he murmured, eyes roving across her face. "And if I stand here any longer with you and your beautiful blushes, I fear my self-control will be crushed."
Léofe melted into his embrace, resting her head on his chest. She could hear his heartbeat even through the leather jerkin. "I do not want to return," she said. "I do not care if I'm being childish, but that place is so dark and confining!"
"Then consider it temporary. Dear heart, we must both do what is required of us for the time being, even if it is distasteful. I fear it will be more difficult than ever for me to leave on patrols!"
"I haven't a friend within twenty leagues, I truly do not wish - "
"Does it matter?"
"Yes, it does. I have not gained acceptance in the Deep, and I do not at all like feeling unwanted and discarded."
"You need not worry yourself over that any longer," Théodred said, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled. "My aunt returned the same day as I, she will take you well in hand."
"Your - your aunt?"
"Indeed. Do not look so frightened! She is no dragon."
Could she trust his assurance? She had to. If she trusted him with her heart, she must trust him with her happiness as well. Léofe took a deep breath, and reluctantly released her hold on Théodred. "I will return. But only for you."
"Then let us depart at once. I have been unable to eat since you disappeared, and I suddenly find my appetite quite returned!"
.
.
She kept her head held high as they entered through the gate into the dining hall in the Deep. There were many stares, and even without romanticizing the situation, Léofe thought the noise and chatter died down as Théodred entered behind her. Not much had changed in the last days, then.
In the growing silence, a scraping sound broke through, and a dark-haired lady sitting next to Erkenbrand rose, looking decidedly anxious as she stood to call out. "Why did you not send word you were returning, Théodred? We could have been prepared to take care of the chit!"
"I am sorry, Aunt," the prince replied with a suitable amount of deference. "I sent my escort to round up the rest of the searchers, and Léofe and I made haste to the Deep."
"Humph!" The lady, who was obviously both Erkenbrand's wife and Théodred's aunt - the same lady who had been absent for the past weeks, strode down the long tables with purpose. With the most public of the exchange over, the soldiers turned back to their meals and their conversations. And so there was a comforting hum that kept the next bit private.
"I truly am sorry, Aunt," Théodred repeated, and if Léofe was not mistaken, he almost seemed to shrink at the annoyance of the smaller woman. "But the circumstances did not permit -"
"Damn the circumstances." The lady took Léofe's hand, ignoring her nephew, and peered into her eyes with interest. "I must apologize for my absence of late," she said, and to Léofe's surprise, the words were genuine. "I was in Snowbourne, as dear friend gave birth not a month past."
"Ermhild did say that you were detained on a personal matter," Léofe said.
"Yes, I imagine she did," the lady said. "Ermhild had her uses, but genuine hospitality is not one of them. I apologize for her ill-treatment of you."
Relief washed over Léofe with a warming tingle, and she wasn't quite sure if she wanted to laugh or cry. "Thank you, my lady," she said, voice trembling.
The lady tsked. "I forbid you from calling me such a ridiculous title. I am Alfrida to my friends; I am Alfrida to you."
"And Alfie to her family. Ouch!" Théodred received a smack on the back of the head nearly as quick as his jibe had been given, the older lady's arm reaching the distance easily as if the punishment had been dealt before. Yes, Léofe quite liked Alfrida, and she smiled.
"Thank you for your welcome," Léofe said. "And I would be most grateful if I might retire straightaway. I am exhausted!"
"Of course! I will show you to your rooms - guest rooms, of course, and I will have a meal brought up. No need to lift a finger on your part!" Immediately Alfrida guided Léofe towards the back doors, which led to the private family quarters. She looked over her shoulder, and saw that Théodred was hiding a smile. He winked at her - a rather bold move, she thought, and she was whisked around a corner.
Hiya! I just wanted to say a quick thank you to all who have reviewed/followed/favorited this story so far (especially reviewed - those little messages are like crack to me). I am so happy to know that some people are enjoying this slightly annoying and definitely doomed love story (ha, ha). By the way - as I am of the opinion that love doesn't end with declarations, you ought to know that we haven't even reached the halfway point yet. I'm doing my best to write, write, write so that y'all can enjoy the misery in full all the sooner. Love y'all :-*