CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: Ink and Parchment
Arwen shoved the last of the heavy trunks out into the hall, and then straightened up with a weary sigh, wiping the sweat from her forehead. Any minute now someone would come to collect her luggage and take it down to the harbor. In a few hours her ship would set sail, and she would take her leave of the city of Zin Zaraboob forever.
And that would be that.
Splashing her face with ice-cold water from the underground river beneath the palace, the Daughter of Elrond found herself thinking fondly of the strange creatures who lived down there. She had said her goodbyes to the Frog Children last night, after many solemn rituals and formal ceremonies. It was good to know that the surface people and the cavern dwellers were now friends, and that the miri-squaramirihad a safe nesting place below where they could live undisturbed. The grateful creatures had presented the new king and his court with abundant aquatic delicacies, many precious stones and a generous supply of gliss-ta glorp-slorp, the intoxicating beverage known as the Happiness Drink.
Arwen patted her face dry with a soft towel, and began to pace back and forth in her empty bedchamber. The bare walls made her realize just how soon she would be leaving.
She should have said something to Ling Kray last night! She could have found some time during the festivities. While everyone else was drinking toasts with the Frog Children, she should have told him goodbye. For the last two weeks the two of them had been together almost every day, but they were never alone. Either they were waving to cheering crowds or she was helping the new king establish his rule through hours of talk and negotiation with the city's wealthier citizens. There were many jeweled and turbaned merchants who hated the idea of an ex-pirate on the throne – but few of them could resist the kind words and gentle persuasion of a lovely and innocent elf-maiden. They all thought that Arwen's purity and grace had transformed Ling Kray from a crude, bloodthirsty barbarian to a just and enlightened prince.
It wasn't all lies, of course. Ling Kray really had changed. But there was a weak and foolish and very human part of Arwen that wished he hadn't . . . that wished deep down that he were still the same fierce pirate who had enslaved her!
She sat down at the foot of her enormous bed, overwhelmed by the force of her conflicting emotions. Arwen felt tired after her morning's work, and all the ceremony of the past two weeks. She was so proud of all that she and Ling Kray had accomplished together. But her last day in Zin Zaraboob was flying by. The heat and her appetite both told her that it was noontime already. In just a few more hours her ship would sail, and she would never see the handsome pirate again.
Unless . . .
A knock on the door roused the elf-maid from her thoughts. She looked up with a thudding heart, half-hoping that Ling Kray had come to say farewell.
"Hey there, beautiful! Got any more baggage for us?"
"Just what's outside." Arwen didn't bother to look happy or put on an act. Red-haired Captain Margo knew her to well.
"Well, no worries, then." The carefree captain's cheery smile was quickly replaced by a look of deep concern. "Hey, you're not having second thoughts about leaving, are you? Ling Kray has been saying all week what a huge loss it will be when you go. Didn't you hear his speech last night to the froggy people?"
"Yes, I heard his speech." Arwen couldn't bring herself to say that the big speech had been a letdown. She'd hoped for something more personal. A private thank you. Some sign that Ling Kray would miss her the way she already missed him. But ever since their last kiss at the temple, the "new" Ling Kray had been very cool and distant. He knew she belonged to Aragorn. She always had. She just wished . . .
"Well, is there anything I can get you, like some food from the royal kitchens? You've got a long journey ahead, so why not eat now? It wouldn't hurt to lie down afterwards, either. Maybe get a little shut-eye before you sail."
"That sounds lovely." Arwen couldn't help smiling at her friend. "I'd love a tray, right away. And Margo . . . do you think you could find me some ink and parchment?"