I reworked this a few times, as it just wasn't coming together right. I think I'm finally happy with it! A bit of a transition chapter, but it sets up the next part of their journey. I hope you like it!

Chapter 92

My eyes cleared of reverie as I felt Candaith stir next to me. I was tired, but felt the lack of rest was worth the cause of it. After we married, we ended up separated for so long…it was as if we were making up for lost time. I simply couldn't get enough of him, and not only his body. I had missed his presence fiercely when we were apart, and being by his side made me feel whole again. I hoped we would not be parted during the rest of this journey; Halbarad did have us doing separate tasks previously, but with Candaith and I being married, I hoped he would let us do things together. Thankfully, this next leg of the road would do just that.

I settled myself on his bare chest, and his eyes fluttered open to look down at me. "Arduil," he murmured, his voice sounding sleepy.

"Arduil," I replied, just as softly. "It is time to rise, meleth nin. I would like for us to get an early start, as the journey to Tal Methedras will take several days."

He pouted, and I giggled at how silly it looked on his handsome face. Crawling up to kiss him, it took all my willpower not to deepen it and take things further. He was running his fingers up and down my spine, which made it even more difficult. "Are you sure you want to get up? Because I can think of more…pleasurable things we could do instead," he said, his deep voice making me shiver with desire.

"You are quite the distraction," I whispered. "It makes getting out of this bed much less desirable." However, I knew we needed to get moving, and I sighed, "Unfortunately, we must ready ourselves." I kissed him one last time, and then rose to gather my things.

"I will go outside and inquire where I can find us some water and linen," Candaith offered.

I turned to smile at him, "That would be lovely, although…" I eyed him up. "You should probably don some clothing first. I do not want anyone else but me to see you like this."

He smiled roguishly, "Ah, you are right, of course." Quickly putting on some trousers and a somewhat wrinkled shirt, he ducked out of the tent and wandered off. I pulled out my own clothes, and made sure I had my warmer cloak on hand. According to Ergothorn's map, it would be faster to take the narrow pass through the mountains, and we were unsure of the barricade's exact location. Being at a higher vantage point could allow us to look down to the main road and see where the enemy had gathered. I pulled it out of my pack to study it. Seeing his familiar handwriting made me frown, and I sighed; it would have been nice to have him with us, as he was very knowledgeable of the surrounding area. Hopefully we would meet up with him again in Rohan.

I was startled out of my thoughts as Candaith hauled in a larger bucket for us to share, and I put the map back with my things. I realized I had never spoken to Candaith about my time in the cave with Ergothorn, and I felt the urge to keep it to myself. It was a familiar feeling, as I had kept much of the events of my life close to my chest; Candaith knew only a little about the journey I had been on since leaving Celondim, and almost nothing before it. There was much we needed to learn about one another, and it would be difficult to share such personal, even traumatizing things with him.

"Gwin?" Candaith asked softly. "Is everything all right?"

I gave him a small smile, "I am well, meleth." I rose and took the proffered linen and we both used a little soap to clean up. I would have done just about anything to have a real bath, but I mused it would likely not happen for quite some time. Rivers and buckets of water just weren't the same.

We finished quickly, and both of us exited the tent while eating some lembas. Lothrandir offered to refill our waterskins from a nearby lake, and we joined the others in collapsing our tents and readying ourselves to leave.

Halbarad strode over to me, "Are you prepared to travel to Tur Morva?" He sounded calm, but there was a tightening around his eyes which spoke of his worry.

"As prepared as we can be," I replied honestly. "I am glad we will have Nona with us; she can act as a go-between, especially if there is a language barrier."

"Gwin," he began hesitantly. "Please be careful. I still worry about what has happened with the strange darkness, and how it will affect you."

I felt touched by his care for me, "I have Candaith and the twins to help, and the others also. They will keep me safe." I would rather keep myself safe, but had to admit there had been a number of times where I needed others to aid me. We also didn't know how to permanently combat this darkness…hopefully we could figure out some solution soon.

Halbarad sighed, but gave me a small smile, "That is true, and I am glad of it. I…I will miss having you with us, while you are gone." I held in an amused smile. This more paternal side of him was endearing.

"We will be reunited before you know it," I said brightly. "After we arrive at Tur Morva and confer with the Brenin, Galtrev will be our next destination, correct?"

He nodded, "Or somewhere nearby. As Nona mentioned, it might not be wise of us to all gather inside the city at once. Once we have all come together, we can move onto the Gravenwood, to the southeast, and then on to the Gap of Rohan."

"Your plan is sound," I replied. I looked over Halbarad's shoulder and noticed Lothrandir, Golodir, Candaith, and the twins were all standing together, apparently waiting for me. Nona was hovering nearby, but seemed a little uncomfortable joining the group. I would need to make an effort to help her get more comfortable with us.

Halbarad and I made our way over to them, and he addressed us all. "Good luck, and may Elbereth guide your steps." I raised an eyebrow at the somewhat Elvish farewell, but did not comment. Instead, we clasped arms in a warrior's embrace, and the rest of us headed over towards our horses, with Nona following behind.

I realized belatedly that perhaps Nona didn't have her own horse, and I turned to her to ask, "Do you still have the horse you were riding when we last met?"

She shook her head, looking sad, "I had to leave him behind; the path I chose was rocky and narrow, and would have been too tricky for him to navigate safely."

"Why did you choose such a path?" I asked curiously.

Nona shrugged, "It was one I knew the enemy would not be guarding, and I was able to slip into Dunland unseen. When Halbarad decided I could not join you, I knew I had to find another way, and the Bonevales and Trum Dreng were not options because of it."

I frowned, "I am sorry if we made things difficult for you, Nona."

She squared her shoulders and the calm, indifferent mask was in place, "What's done is done; now we must move on to Tur Morva."

Candaith sidled up to me and greeted Nona warmly, which seemed to surprise her. When I mentioned she didn't have a horse, he offered to give her his. "I will ride with Gwin," he said with a smile. "You do not mind, do you?" he asked me belatedly.

"Well, you will have to ask my horse, for she is quite selective on who she lets ride her," I teased.

"Is she as selective as her owner?" a voice joked, and I blushed to the tips of my ears as Radanir joined us with a wink. Candaith gave him a look, but I could tell he was trying not to laugh. Nona's jaw had dropped, and she seemed unable to think of what to say.

Instead of replying with words, I dragged him aside and whacked him on the shoulder. "A little crass, don't you think, mellon nin?" I muttered.

He just laughed and said, "I'm sorry if I offended your delicate disposition," but he looked entirely unapologetic.

I rolled my eyes, "Perhaps when I return, I can think up some way to embarrass you."

"Good luck with that!" Radanir replied with a cheeky grin. "Farewell, and be safe, as I will not be there to get you out of any trouble you find yourself in." His words were spoken lightly, but I could see the sincerity in his eyes.

"I will do my best," I replied softly. I smiled and turned back towards Candaith and Nona, and I was amused at their awkward attempts at conversation. Luckily, I did not leave them to deal with it for long, and the rest of us joined the others with our horses.

Candaith gave me a teasing look and said, "Will you need help mounting your horse, my lady?"

"Hmm…I think I know exactly what to do," I replied, giving him a heated glance before smirking at how it affected him. "I have had plenty of practice, you see."

After swinging into the saddle, he followed after and settled himself behind me. "Perhaps you need a little more," he whispered into my ear huskily.

I used much of my willpower to prevent myself from blushing, as I saw Elladan and Elrohir making their way over to me. "Are you ready to depart?"

They both wore matching grins. "Of course! We always love a good adventure, do we not, muindor?" Elrohir asked.

"Certainly! Especially when our sister is along," Elladan replied, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"What are you up to?" I asked suspiciously.

"Nothing at all, muinthel! We are perfect angels who never misbehave," Elrohir said with an innocent look, which fooled no one.

"Perfect angels indeed," I said sarcastically. I would need to keep an eye on those two.

Once everyone was ready to go, we set out, heading east towards the mountains of Tal Methedras. They were not overly tall, but I hoped the path on Ergothorn's map was easy to follow, especially with our horses. It was a risk, but if the path looked impassable, we could turn around and take the much longer route to the main road.

Candaith had his arm loosely around my waist, and I felt comforted by his presence. "I am glad you are with me," I 'said' through our bond.

He pulled me a little closer. "Where else would I be? My place is at your side, always."

I smiled, and leaned back against his chest slightly. I squeezed his hand briefly, "If you could travel anywhere in Middle Earth, where would it be?"

"Hm…it is a difficult question to answer, but perhaps more difficult for you, since you have already been so many places." Candaith paused in thought for a time, and I watched the forested scenery go by. Finally, he 'said', "I would like to see Celondim someday, as it is so important to you."

His reply made me smile, "I would love to show it to you, especially the place I used to go play my hand harp. The view across the river to Duillond is beautiful, and always brought me peace."

"I doubt it is as beautiful as you." I rolled my eyes, but felt warm at the compliment. "Do you have an answer to the question?"

"I have never seen Minas Tirith…but perhaps now it may not look as grand as it could have, as the war has changed many things." I sighed as I remembered the passion in which Boromir spoke about it, all those months ago. "It is said the Tower of Ecthelion sparkles in the sunlight, and the sound of silver trumpets ringing as you approach raises your spirits and gives you hope. Have you been there?"

"Not since I was a young boy, when my father brought me along to attend some meeting or other. What I do remember was how many people there were, and there was a place with silver fountains that I found quite enjoyable to splash around in." He chuckled. "My father was not pleased with me when he came across me, soaking wet inside of the largest of them. To be fair, I was not the only child partaking!"

I smiled as I tried to imagine a young Candaith. I wondered if our children would look like him, and the thought made my breath catch. Would we be so lucky as to survive this war to have them? It was not something I had ever given much thought to, up until I met Candaith and fell in love, and even then, it was pushed to the side as other concerns took its place.

Candaith must have sensed my thoughts, for he whispered in my ear, "I would love to have children with you, meleth nin." His words almost brought tears to my eyes; it would make me so happy to be blessed with them, and I hoped we would get the chance. He squeezed me a little tighter, and interlaced his fingers with mine. "Making them will be quite enjoyable as well." I blushed and mused he was very right in that assumption.

I started as I noticed we were almost to the beginning of the mountains, but we needed to pass by a barrow; it almost looked like it had been looted and was abandoned. As it was daylight, I felt a little less uncomfortable, but I kept a hand on one of my knives, just in case.

Luck was with us, for nothing emerged, and we carefully began our ascent. The path was thankfully well-marked and wide enough for us to move two horses abreast. The only concern I had was the possibility of an ambush, as the rock walls were high and could be hiding archers. However, all of us were keeping a close eye out, and notching an arrow took less than a second if I needed to shoot quickly.

Let us hope our presence goes unnoticed.

Off to Tur Morva! Gwin and Candaith, despite being married and very much in love, don't know a lot about each other. I like sprinkling in these little conversations where they get to know each other, which also helps the reader learn more about them. I hope you liked the chapter, and leave a review!