AUTHORS NOTE:
Archer1eye - Yup, I've worked every day this week and have managed to fill in my off time with something more productive :) You'll have to wait and see, most of the tenday will go through in one chapter. Ah! As to names, the pronunciation is Shar-ain (ain as in rain) :)
Chapter 5611th Day of Middle Spring 768 n.c
I woke the next day exhausted and a bit sore. I also awoke to possibly the cutest sound I had ever heard. I was lying on my back, with a dead weight cuddled up against my side and on my shoulder. Without any idea of it being still night or, in fact morning, I lay there for a few moments trying to pick up sounds around me. That's when I heard it. The cutest little snores coming from the most adorable person resting upon me. I smiled to myself as a huge wave of euphoria welled up inside me.
'This,' I thought to myself, 'this is happiness.'
I lay there for quite a while, enjoying the feel, enjoying the sounds, enjoying the comforting presence. I began to hear birds chirping just as the need to rise made itself known in my abdomen. Slowly, I began to slide my arm out from underneath Shard's head and shift my body backwards on the mattress. I knew that I had awakened her when her adorable snores finished abruptly.
"I'm sorry love," I whispered, "I need to get up."
"Alright," she said brightly, "would you like a hand?"
"A hand getting to the inhouse?" I asked, "I'll be all right with the rest myself."
"Oh?" Shard said curiously, "of course."
"You know," I said to her as she assisted me across the room, "you sound far too cheerful for so early in the morning."
"Oh?" She repeated, "I can try to sound more… ummm… tired? Just woken?"
"No no," I replied, with a smile and a slight hip bump, "I'm not complaining exactly, I love you just as you are."
Shard let out an adorable, "awwwwwwww," and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
I did my business and once finished told Shard, "I'd like to try getting dressed on my own, if you don't mind."
"Of course I don't mind my love," she replied, "but I'll be here if you need me."
I made my way over to the bed quite easily, it was exactly where I thought it was. Taking off my nightgown was simple and I managed to fold it and place it on the right corner of the bed, ready for later. I had no idea whether the fold was neat or not, but I couldn't see it so it didn't really worry me. I found my shirt exactly where I had left it and managed to get into it without too much trouble, but for the life of me I couldn't find my trousers.
"Shard," I said quietly, "my trousers aren't where I left them."
"No, they definitely aren't," she replied with a giggle.
"Did you move them?" I accused.
"Perhaps it was me, perhaps it was you," she replied cryptically, "I couldn't be sure."
I frowned, "what do you mean? I'd know if I'd moved them," I wasn't frustrated too much, but more confused.
"It appears," she began, "that one of us may have kicked them off the bed last night, for they are quite some distance away."
We both broke up with laughter, me beginning and her continuing.
She fetched my trousers for me once we had calmed down and I finished getting dressed, brushing my hair and tying it in a bow in a mostly satisfactory manner. There was one lock of hair that I missed that would prove to irritate me all day, but not significantly enough that I'd re-do my hair.
Once getting ready was all done, I turned to Shard and asked "would you like to help me make breakfast?"
"Could I?" she asked, all eagerness.
"Of course my love," I told her, "I can't very well do it myself, but I should think that Malkarov might be pleasantly surprised if breakfast were prepared for him."
It was an… interesting experience. Shard had no knowledge about cooking and her experience with food extended only as far as the dinner she ate with my family. For someone who seemed to have knowledge about the most esoteric of things, everyday experiences were all brand new. She took to it with an unquenchable curiosity and enthusiasm. I had considered making something simple to begin with, but thought that with my "overseeing" we should be able to manage something harder. When Shard described the things hanging up in the pantry and stored in the cold cupboard, I knew what I desired. So I had decided on a fried breakfast. Mushrooms, eggs, bacon, sausages, fried bread and potato cakes were all prepared and ready to go.
"I wonder if Alladrial is here?" I asked, "there will be plenty of food and should be enough for him."
"Would you like me to see?" Shard asked.
"No," I said, "better not to, I'll just assume that he's here."
"Why not try detect animals?" she asked.
"What?" I said, stopping what I was doing. Her suggestion raised something hidden down the back of my mind.
"You should know how to pray for it, but nothing about it. She hasn't given that part over yet," Shard explained, speaking very quickly, "it's almost like you have part of a book inside your head, but the contents table is missing, or that index thing at the back I suppose. Let me in?"
'Let her in?' I thought to myself in confusion and suddenly I felt a warm and comfortable pressure in my mind. If my mind were a library, Tenebrae had during the night delivered box upon box of books but just left them on the floor. It felt like Shard was whizzing around, lifting each book to look at it's spine before putting it back down again and moving onto the next. Finally after about fifty odd 'books' I felt her mental exclamation of triumph and I suddenly understood. Detect Animals would provide information to me gradually about a particular animal. First of all if there were any nearby, secondly how many and finally the location of each one. I knew the words to speak to begin the communication between Tenebrae and myself.
"Do you understand?" Shard asked.
I nodded to her and spoke the words of the prayer. Rather than the magic welling up in me, I felt it coalesce all around me in response to the words. I felt the connection to the Mother of Darkness. When I finished, the magic shrunk and rushed into me and I concentrated on elves. I felt the pulse of magic in response, letting me know that there was an elf nearby. I did not need to keep the prayer going for that by itself was enough confirmation.
Shard clapped excitedly nearby and almost knocked me off my feet when she embraced me and kissed me on my cheek.
We continued preparing breakfast for four and I was immensely pleased, both in myself and Shard, when we were able to ring the bells.
Shard helped me sit down in my seat and I pointed towards the seats that Alladrial and Malkarov had claimed.
"Good morning Sharein and Shard!" I heard Malkarov exclaim after a few moments, "I had no idea you were here!"
He said it in an extremely sarcastic way and I frowned towards him.
"Breakfast!" He exclaimed suddenly and I was distracted by such a sudden diversion.
"Shard prepared it," I said proudly, "with only a little bit of direction."
Malkarov suddenly said, "I am putting my blower on the back burner and shall begin working on some sort of enchantment to damper sounds through a door… or two doors."
I had forgotten about that! I blushed in complete and utter embarrassment and considered briefly that it was completely unfair that Shard on the other hand most likely would not be. It would surprise me if she would even be capable of it.
"Thank you so much Shard and Sharein," he said, "it looks delicious!"
"You're welcome," Shard said, "it's the…"
She was interrupted by an invocation from the stairway, "Kalaa'alarana sinasin, hirestilia ama."
I heard Shard make a sound I hadn't heard before, it almost sounded like… pain.
"Shard?" I asked, "are you alright?"
She took my hand and I relaxed a little, "I'm alright, I just wasn't ready for it."
"Alladrial!" Malkarov said crossly.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Alladrial exclaimed.
"It's nothing," Shard said next to me, "just a surprise. Invoking an aspect of Luna at me causes a small amount of discomfort."
"Sit, sit!" Malkarov shouted, "eat. Look at what Shard and Sharein have prepared for us!"
I heard a chair scrape and it sounded like it was Malkarov sitting down.
I cleared my throat, "Alladrial?" I called.
Another chair scraped and I heard the elf respond, "yes?"
"May I have the pleasure of introducing you to Shard," I said as formally as I could imagine, "we're engaged to marry."
"It's… a pleasure," Alladrial said, sounding a little unsure.
"It's entirely mine," Shard responded.
A chair scraped again and I heard Malkarov whisper, "well?"
"Well what Allavaer? It's time to enjoy this wonderful breakfast, not time for such discussions," Alladrial said, then added ominously, "that can come later."
I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach until, that is, Shard squeezed my hand. Then the feeling disappeared as if it had never been.
Despite my desire for such a delicious breakfast (and it indeed was) and despite my confidence in Shard's cooking abilities (confirmed to be well placed), I had completely underestimated my abilities to actually eat the food. I almost banged my face flat onto the table when I realised my mistake (although my face would definitely have ended up with various pieces of food all over it). How was I to accurately put my fork into food, or cut it? What a mistake to make.
Shard had already made cute little humming noises with each mouthful (I assumed) before said, "Sharein, is it not any good?"
"I'm sure it is my love, but I can't see to eat it," I explained.
Malkarov started laughing hysterically and I tried to glare at him as best I could. There was a thud and an exclamation of "ow!" before the laughter actually ended. Shard patted my hand in comfort. I felt her take the cutlery out of my hands and heard the scratching noise of a knife against the plate before I felt a slight pressure on my lips. I opened my mouth and Shard extended into my mouth a forkful of sausage and potato cake. I tried to smile and express my gratitude with my eyes but for some reason Malkarov just began laughing again.
Breakfast extended much longer than it usually did, with Shard taking turns between feeding me and feeding herself. I appreciated her help so much, but felt a bit helpless that I required it.
At the end of breakfast Alladrial asked, "did Malkarov mention his ideas for a silence enchantment?"
I blushed all over once more and he laughed lightly.
"What's wrong my love?" Shard asked with a great deal of concern, which in turn caused Malkarov to laugh again.
"It's embarrassing," I whispered back to her.
"What's embarrassing?" She asked and managed to sound very confused.
"They both heard what we were doing last night, together, loudly," I explained in whisper.
"Three times," came the whispered voice of Malkarov from right behind my ear, which caused me to jump in surprise.
"Three times?" Shard said with confusion.
I tried to force my brain to work and opened my mouth a couple of times without success.
"Oh!" Shard exclaimed and I looked towards her in shock, begging her to stop, "they probably didn't hear the second, third or fifth times."
I wanted to bang my head on the table once again. Twice now and morning wasn't even over!
