A nice fluffy chapter up ahead, as Gwin and Candaith get some alone time. Enjoy!

Chapter 45

I woke up early, a little before dawn. I yawned and threw my cloak around myself before heading over to the fire and stoking it. After standing up, I smiled as I felt two familiar, strong arms come around me. "Good morning meleth," he murmured. It felt wonderful to hear those words.

I turned around in his arms to face him and replied, "Good morning." Kissing him softly, I appraised his somewhat disheveled appearance. "Did you just awaken?"

He shook his head, "I was on last watch, and did not really mark my appearance until just now." Looking down at himself he muttered, "I do look a little scruffy."

I chuckled, "Rangers are known to look scruffy, according to what I have heard." I ran my fingers through his hair, "However, none of the other scruffy rangers are as handsome as you."

He tucked my hair behind my ear, "You took out the braids before sleep?" he asked.

"If I do not, my hair is an absolute disaster when I try and remove them the next day," I replied, chuckling ruefully. "It is time-consuming, especially when they are as intricate as the ones Elrohir put in my hair."

Candaith started running his fingers through my hair, and I closed my eyes at the pleasant sensation. "I will have to help you remove them sometime." I blushed at the implication. Just as with braiding an Elleth's hair, removing the braids was reserved for family or perhaps a handmaid, and was an intimate act between lovers. He grinned and I realized he must have known this.

I decided to tease him back, "Hmm…do rangers need help with their hair in the mornings?" He raised an eyebrow and I leaned a little closer. Surprised at my own boldness, I whispered, "Or perhaps…they need help sharpening their sword?" Candaith's jaw dropped, and I giggled as the blush spread across his cheeks.

However, he turned the tables on me. "If your brothers were not in those tents, perhaps I would take you up on that offer," he growled, his eyes smoldering with desire.

"Would you really?" I asked breathily. Before I could throw myself at him like my body was telling me to do, I noticed the flap of Elrohir's tent start to open, and I attempted to slow down my breathing and act natural. Candaith must have noticed also, for he sat down next to the fire, shifting a little uncomfortably, which made me blush even more. To hide my flaming cheeks, I ducked into my tent, changed into my clothes for the day, and gathered my supplies.

When I felt calmer and more collected, I joined the twins and Candaith around the fire, and Elrohir passed me some lembas and my water skin. "Thanks," I said with a smile, sitting down beside him. "Have we made any decisions about today?"

"We have discussed some options," Elrohir replied. "The one I find makes the most sense would be for Elladan to head back up to Zudrugund and tell them the coast is clear, and for me to ride to the main camp and give Halbarad a report."

"Where will I go?" I asked quizzically.

"You will stay with me," Candaith said softly, and I couldn't help but smile at him. "At least for today. Once the rest of the group up the mountain joins us, we will likely all make our way to the main camp. However, it will depend on what Halbarad thinks."

As nice as it would be to stay here with Candaith, I mentally took a step back so I could view things objectively. "Is the journey to Halbarad's camp safe enough to go on alone?" I asked.

"Things have been quiet, and we have had no trouble with people moving between our camps," Candaith answered. "It is thankfully a somewhat short journey, and Elrohir is good at moving with stealth, am I right?"

At this, Elrohir looked a little arrogant, and I rolled my eyes. "Candaith, if you give him too many compliments, he will be insufferable."

"Gwin, he is already insufferable!" Elladan replied, ducking as Elrohir threw his bedroll at him. "I am clearly the more responsible, humble one." I raised an eyebrow at this ludicrous statement, and he just laughed.

Agreed on our plan, the twins went their separate ways, but not before getting a hug from me. "Be careful," I said seriously. "As much as I appreciate the alone time I am being given, I hope you return to me safely."

Both of them smiled at me, returned my hug, and said, "Namarie."

After that, it was just Candaith and I, and it was wonderful. Since there was no one around, I settled myself in front of him and leaned my back against his chest, and he put his arms around me. "Comfortable?" he asked, amused.

I looked up at him with a cheeky smile, "Very." We sat like this for a time, and I decided to bring up Nar's troubling words, as it directly impacted our journey. I left out some of the other…unpleasant events of the past few days, not wanting to worry him.

"Hmm," Candaith murmured. "They are indeed ominous. How could this addled dwarf know anything about our road?"

I shrugged, "This is what worries us. We wonder if one of Saruman's spies somehow heard tell of our path and passed it on to Nar, but Frithgeir made no mention of any other visitors recently besides Wadu, unless he was lying." Which he very well could be, in order to save his own skin.

"You mentioned a potion which could restore his memory?" Candaith asked.

I nodded, "He drinks it and, for a short time, has a clear mind and can answer questions logically, being more aware of the present. However, he can only drink it about once a week or it loses its efficacy, and I do not think we have time to wait a week to get any answers."

After a few minutes of quiet contemplation, Candaith asked, "Have you heard the story of the Oathbreakers?"

"I have, but it was many years ago." I looked up at him again, "If you would like to tell me of it, I would be happy to hear it. You tell stories very well."

Candaith smiled, "It is a long story, meleth."

My heart gave a jolt at the endearment, and I answered, "We have nowhere else to be, and I am a good listener. My parents always said I was a very attentive and patient learner." Thinking of them always made my heart ache, and Candaith gave me a squeeze, seeming to sense this.

"Very well," Candaith said softly, and began.

In short, King Isildur had formed an alliance with a great force of men who lived in the mountains, who promised to answer should Isildur call on them for aid in the fight against Sauron. Many years passed, and Isildur came with some soldiers to investigate why they had heard no word from the Gondorian fort of Garth Lotheg. They discovered it had been taken by a large force of orcs, and that they fought under the eye of Sauron. Realizing Sauron must have returned, they called upon the King of the Mountain, who had sworn the oath with Isildur, for aid. Sadly, the King and his people had turned to the worship of Sauron and refused to fight against him. Isildur, in his anger, cursed them; they would never find rest, even after death, until their oath was fulfilled.

"It is said that they linger still, in a haunted passage under the Dwimorberg between Rohan and Gondor, called the Dimholt Road, or the Paths of the Dead. It is the hope of Aragorn that he can summon these undead soldiers to fight for him against Sauron," Candaith finished.

I turned somewhat to face him and noted his doubtful expression. "Do you not believe it will work?"

He shrugged, "Who can say? They refused to fight for the last King of Gondor, and have no honor. Why would they help Aragorn?"

I sighed, "They are traitors, and they cannot be trusted to keep their word." I thought back to the words Elrond had told Elrohir, back in Imladris. "He said that the time is approaching when we can no longer hold back, and we must do more than defend against the actions of the Enemy. He said that the time is coming when we may need to wager everything on a final throw, and by so doing we will have done all that we can. Better a death in far off lands in the service of a chance, however small, than death at home a certainty." Could the 'final throw' be referring to this desperate plea for aid?

"It is Aragorn's decision to make, and we will follow him if he asks it of us," Candaith said quietly. I nodded, but still felt uneasy. He tucked some hair behind my ear and said, "Perhaps I can take your mind off things?"

Before I could answer, my stomach growled, and I blushed as Candaith laughed. "Or perhaps I can get us something to eat?" he asked. He stood up and headed over to our supplies, which were in the tent. "Hmm…let's see." I wandered over to him and sat down while he dug through his pack. "We have lembas." He kept searching, and exclaimed, "And look! Even more lembas!" I giggled at his antics. "Ah, and what's this?" He had some candied apricots in his hand, and my eyes widened. They were one of my favorite treats. Noticing where my attention was, he said, "Oh you don't want these. Elleths don't eat candied apricots, do they? I think I will keep them for myself." He made a show of putting them back in his bag, but not before I tackled him to the ground, trying to take them; they were just out of reach!

"Candaith, give me those right now." I said eagerly, imagining how delicious they would be when I ate them. He was on his back and I had crawled on top of him, trying my best to grasp at the candy but his arms were a little too long.

I yelped as he flipped us around, and I was trapped underneath him. "Why should I give them to you?" he asked playfully.

"Because I want them," I replied, pouting a little.

"Didn't your naneth ever tell you that you needed to have dinner before dessert?" He said jokingly.

"Maybe I want dessert first," I answered. At this, his expression changed, and I wondered if perhaps we weren't talking about food anymore. He was looking at me hungrily with darkened eyes, and I felt my heart start to beat a little faster in anticipation. He had his weight on his elbows and his knees were on either side of me, and he captured my lips with his own. I melted against him, and my hands were roaming under his shirt over the powerful muscles on his back. Remembering he liked this, I scraped my nails against his skin and he growled in pleasure.

I knew that ears on men were not as sensitive as those of Elves, but I was still curious. I broke our kiss and sucked on his left earlobe, and was amazed to hear a moan. I pulled back and looked at his expression; he looked as surprised as I was. I raised an eyebrow and smirked, "It seems I am not the only one who likes that."

"Apparently not," he murmured. Before he could gather himself, I did it again, this time rolling my hips against his.

I hadn't forgotten about those candied apricots, despite his attempts to distract me. I kept up my ministrations, and slowly but surely reached over to where I knew he had set them. He did not seem to notice, as his face was partially buried in my neck and he was breathing heavily.

There! I had them in my hand, and he looked confused when I pulled away, and flabbergasted when I popped an apricot in my mouth. "What?" was all he could manage. I just laughed and asked, "Want one?" He grinned ruefully at me and we both sat up.

"You are sneaky aren't you Gwin?" he asked. "Using me just to get to the apricots…how rude."

"Rude?" I raised an eyebrow. "It seemed to me like you were enjoying how I was 'using you'."

He grinned at me and winked. "You would be right, meleth." His smile always made me want to melt into a puddle on the ground, and he knew it. "Now, since those are my apricots, I think it only fair that you share."

I rolled my eyes, but I had offered him one. "When did you buy these?" I asked, curious. "I don't recall seeing them in the market in Lhanuch."

I was surprised to see a blush on his cheeks. "I got them in Breetown."

"When we were there last?" I asked, surprised. It was quite some time ago now, but the fruit does keep well over long periods of time.

"Well, I had heard you mention them when we were in the market, but you did not want to waste your money on such things," he replied shyly. "Before we left, I went back to the market to buy some for you."

"That was very sweet, thank you," I said with a smile. I leaned in for a quick kiss to thank him, but he deepened it, and I was breathless by the time he pulled away. "You are welcome," he replied softly, winking once more.

Even way back in Bree, Candaith cared enough about her to buy her a little gift. The moment when he headed back to the Market was at the beginning of Chapter 7! Did he have feelings for her even then? Too bad they faffed around for so long until they admitted how they felt! Silly Gwin and Candaith. Hoped you liked it, and leave a review if you have a moment!