Some more silly fluff! Enjoy!

Chapter 6

After a hearty meal of beef stew and fresh bread that I was unsuccessful in convincing the waitress to give to Candaith for free, we wandered up to the bar and ordered some ales.

Candaith raised his eyebrows, "I was unaware that Elleths liked ale."

I frowned, "You know what they say about making assumptions."

The ranger chuckled and raised his mug, "Cheers to making it this far, and for the rest of the journey to be just as uneventful". Our glasses clinked together and I took a small sip, gaping as Candaith drained his. "Thirsty, are we?" I said drily, giving him a surprised look.

"I haven't had a decent ale in quite some time. The Forsaken Inn isn't exactly known for its good brew," he said with a grimace. I could imagine; the Inn was on the shabby side and had made me feel uneasy the moment I entered it. "Be right back." He wandered up to the bar and ordered another, returning and sipping it much slower. "Now…you cannot expect me to keep my comments about earlier to myself, can you?"

I groaned, knowing my hopes of avoiding the teasing were in vain. "I had to do it, he was not going to give us a room, and I knew you wouldn't have been able to convince him."

"Your Elvish charms certainly did the trick," he fluttered his eyelashes exaggeratingly. "Oh, thank you sir, you are just so kind, you won't let me come to harm Mr. Butterbur," he imitated girlishly.

I shoved him lightly, "We have spent so much time camping and sleeping on the ground, I will not apologize for getting us a place with beds and a fireplace."

He laughed and held up his mug again, "Cheers to that!"

As people started to wander to their rooms, we followed suit. Pearson glowered at Candaith, who put a stern, almost menacing expression on his face, which seemed to frighten the guard. He then laughed as we entered the room. "If you keep doing that, Barliman might kick you out." I muttered, exasperated.

"It will be fine. You worry too much," he said, once again throwing himself on the bed.

I pulled out a cotton shirt and pants. "Turn over so I can change."

"You know, you can trust me to keep my eyes closed," he said with a smirk.

"Turn. Over."

He rolled his eyes, "Fine". He turned towards the door, but not before giving me a wink.

I turned so my back was facing him and quickly stripped off my travel clothes before pulling on the other outfit, resolutely ignoring the fact that I was blushing. It was a bit odd that I was reacting this way now; we had been traveling together for a few days and had to change around each other, although usually we walked a little distance away for more privacy. I knew I could trust him to respect my privacy, but surprisingly the thought of his eyes on me was not unpleasant. This revelation confused me, and I filed it away for further consideration later.

I pulled the covers back and slid under the blankets, relishing in the softness of the mattress and turning towards the window so Candaith could change.

After we were both settled, I laid on my back. "Goodnight, and sleep well."

I thought I could sense him looking at me, but when I turned my head towards him, he was facing the other way. "Goodnight Gwinthilnel" he murmured.

Soon I could hear his soft snores, but I lied awake for a little while, reflecting on Candaith and our travels. At some point our relationship had turned from simply travel companions to friends. I had other friends of course, but they were scattered around Middle Earth. Many had been based off of working together to complete some task, like it was with Candaith. Others have lasted for centuries; I had met Legolas in the Guard, and although there were some boundaries due to him being my Prince, we became closer when we met again in Imladris when he joined the Fellowship. I smiled as I thought about the hobbits and their joyful innocence; I hoped they were still safe. Elladan and Elrohir, the sons of Elrond, had become as brothers to me over the hundreds of years we had known each other.

Regarding my relationship with Candaith, it seemed more complicated. We truly had only known each other a short time, but whenever we were reunited, it felt like no time had passed despite the many months in between. As an Elf, time seemed to pass much more quickly, but it didn't completely explain this feeling. It was amusing how we had gone from being suspicious of one another to becoming friends. When we had first met, he seemed to be yet another grim-faced, serious ranger. I was surprised to find he had a more laid-back disposition. The teasing, joking personality was not evident to me initially, but Candaith was certainly more than meets the eye.

There was also something else…something I couldn't put my finger on. Sometimes I got this funny feeling in my chest when he looked at me, or I would blush when he winked. If he smiled at me, I felt a little flip in my stomach. I couldn't deny he was objectively handsome, so perhaps it was related to that?

Shrugging and internally shaking myself, I relaxed and wandered into reverie.

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I awoke to soft music. Candaith was lighting a fire and humming some unfamiliar tune. I watched him for a little while, as he was seemingly unaware I was awake. I eventually decided to hum along, able to pick up the simple tune. He turned towards me, looking a little disheveled and still in his sleeping clothes.

"Good morning", he murmured quietly. "I trust you slept well?"

"Elves do not really sleep, we wander in reverie," I replied with a smile. He narrowed his eyes playfully. "But yes, I feel well rested".

"I can order us some breakfast to be brought to the room if you would like," Candaith offered.

I nodded, "That would be nice, thank you."

He put a brush through his dark, shoulder-length hair and threw a cloak around his shoulders. "I will also ask for some water and towels."

"As long as you promise not to douse me in it again," I replied, raising an eyebrow.

Candaith smirked, "I make no promises."

After he left, I forced myself to leave the warmth of the bed and pulled out some clean clothes. A few minutes later a maid brought in an actual tub with hot water. I thanked her, shocked at her actions. I had not expected what I would consider to be special treatment at this inn; filling a tub with hot water is not an easy task. She smiled, "Mr. Butterbur sends it with his complements."

I held back a grimace; it made me a little uncomfortable to know that Barliman was thinking about me and a bath, "Tell him it was very kind and that I am thankful." The woman bobbed her head and went back into the hallway, immediately returning with a 4-sided screen. She placed it around the bathtub "For privacy," she said simply. As she left, I noticed the guard still standing outside the door, looking bored.

I quickly stripped off, grabbed my bar of soap, a towel, and a change of clothes, moved the screen slightly, and sank into the hot water. It felt amazing! I couldn't remember the last time I had a proper bath; likely when I was in Imladris. Cold rivers and bowls of water certainly do not feel as good as soaking in a tub.

After relaxing for several minutes, I got to the job of cleaning myself. Despite my best efforts when traveling, I never felt I could truly remove all the dirt and dust when I washed. I took my time, scrubbing until my skin was almost red. I then dunked my head under the water and lathered up my hair, feeling it softening as the dirt and sweat was removed.

Reluctantly I noted the water getting cooler and decided it was time to get out. As I stood up, I knocked my bar of soap into the water, and when I was halfway out, I accidentally slipped on it. I yelped and toppled onto the floor, knocking over the screen and causing it to land on top of me.

Suddenly the door opened abruptly, and the guard came running into the room. He looked around and saw me; his face went pale and he ran back out, stammering an apology. Luckily the screen was quite large, covering all of my body except my head, which I had poked out of the top.

I then heard Candaith outside the room, "Why are you running away? Did something happen? Is the lady in danger?" Before I could say anything, Candaith came racing into the room, with a tray containing 2 plates and 2 mugs. He froze and stared at me in shock.

"Candaith, would you please put those down and turn around?" I said, as calmly as I could, my face flaming. Suddenly realizing he was staring, he averted his eyes and turned around. "Do you require assistance?"

"No, I'm…fine. I will just grab my towel and get this standing up again so I can change." Thankfully the towel had been knocked to the floor and was close enough to reach. I pushed the screen up off my body enough so I could wrap the towel around myself, and once it was secured, I moved the screen completely and stood up. Putting it somewhat in place I quickly changed, while Candaith stood silently and facing the door.

I tried to gain some semblance of composure but knew my face was red, and I felt flustered. After taking a calming breath I said, "The owner ordered a complimentary bath for me, as you can see. I am…sorry you were not so fortunate." I tried to sound casual but I'm not sure how convincing I was. "You can turn around now."

Instead of looking at me, he turned towards the table and sat down in one of the chairs. "Best eat while it is still warm," he said, gesturing at the plates. He had his eyes on his food, but I thought I noted a slight blush on his cheeks.

After finding my hairbrush and getting the tangles out as best I could, I sat down to eat. I considered braiding my hair back into a plat like usual, but decided to leave it down for now so it would dry faster. It was getting far too long, almost to the middle of my back. Deciding it was best to act as if the events of a few moments ago never happened, I said, "After we leave here, I want to head to the market to restock my supplies. I am running low on my athelas potions, and could also use a new strap for my quiver since mine has seen better days. Hopefully they have something adequate at Lalia's Market. We also need some trail food, as I am unsure what Saeradan will have available at his cabin. We will be traveling for quite some time I expect; we have a long distance to go before reaching Imladris. Is there anything you need?" I could sense I was speaking quicker than usual and cursed my nerves. Get it together!

Thinking for a moment, he murmured, "We could use more arrows, and I would like my sword sharpened. I will fill our waterskins before we leave the Inn."

We finished eating, and I felt the awkward tension dissolving as we talked about lighter topics. I found myself smiling as he recounted a previous visit to Bree where he spent some time watching fireworks during one of the festivals. I had surprisingly never seen fireworks in my long life, and his description of the variety of colors and the cheers of the spectators made me want to see them myself someday.

Checking out of the Inn was a somewhat awkward affair for me, and an amusing one for Candaith. As I turned in the room key, Barliman took my hand and quickly kissed the back of it with a slight bow. Blushing, I left after saying a rather hasty goodbye; Candaith was snickering softly.

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