Got another light-hearted chapter for you, and a somewhat awkward conversation between Gwin and a worried villager. I hope you like it!

Chapter 104

After I returned to our shelter and dropped off my things, I made my way up the street, in search of Halbarad. Candaith was off somewhere, and I could feel his contentment through our bond. He seemed in a rather good mood, and I wondered what he was up to.

Despite Elrohir's insistence that it was up to me whether or not we stayed, I needed to speak to Halbarad myself, so we were both on the same page, so to speak.

I could see him on the main thoroughfare, speaking with Lothrandir about something, when I noticed a woman eyeing me from her doorstep. Once she caught me looking, she blushed and lowered her eyes. At first I thought she was perhaps just curious about me, but it seemed like she had something she wanted to speak about. Therefore, I gave her a smile and walked up to her. "Hialthi," I said in greeting. It made the woman's eyes widen in surprise, clearly not expecting me to know any words of Dunlendish.

"H-hialthi, milady," she stuttered. Biting her lip, she seemed to gather her courage before looking up at me, "Can…can I ask you something?"

"Of course," I replied breezily, trying to lessen her nerves.

"Do you know a man named Anirin?" she asked breathlessly. She seemed tense, and worried.

Hoping to ease her discomfort, I said, "Yes I do! We met in Enedwaith."

"Is he…is he well?" she whispered, barely loud enough for even an Elf to hear.

I nodded, "When we left to come south to Dunland, he was safe in Lhanuch." At this, she let out a shaky breath she had been holding, and gave me a tremulous smile. "What is your name?"

"M-my name, milady?" she stammered. When I nodded, she continued, "I am Wenda, and Anirin is my intended."

I had to focus hard on keeping my smile in place, because I remembered he seemed rather interested in Nona, when they last spoke. Perhaps it had only been a fleeting attraction, out of admiration? Keeping my thoughts to myself, I answered, "Hello Wenda, my name is-"

"Lady Gwinthilnel," she finished, then flushed red as she realized she had interrupted me, "I-I am so sorry, Lady, I did not mean to-" I took her hand, which was shaking. Did she fear me?

I decided I needed to find out. "Wenda, there is no need to be so nervous," I said softly, trying to look as harmless as I could…with all of my weapons strapped on. "I will not hurt you; I am only here with the others, to help you and your people."

"I…I know," she stuttered. "I have never met an Elichthi, and you are so very beautiful, and brave."

I fought my own blush, and ducked my head a little. "Thank you for your kind words, Wenda, but I am not so different from you as you might think." When she looked at me with some astonishment, I hid a smile and leaned in a little closer. "I am also a woman, who loves a man, and wants to make sure he is safe and well." Wenda looked a little dreamy at this, and I could tell how smitten she was with Anirin the Messenger. "Shall I tell you a little of my travels with Anirin?" She nodded eagerly, and I spent a short time with her, telling the tale of Lhaid Ogo and his brave errand to report to Glynn Brenin in Lhanuch. I kept some of the scarier parts out, and she seemed impressed with her love's bravery. "He did well in his mission," I said, finishing the tale. "I am sure he misses you."

"Will he come home soon?" she asked, her voice small.

"The journey from Lhanuch to Tur Morva is not safe at this time," I replied, hating the dejection on Wenda's face. "I am sure he will return to you as soon as he can; I bet he misses you just as much as you miss him."

"Do you think so?" Her eyes were shining with hope, and I wished I could tell her for certain. If he showed up here and Nona was still helping out, would there be some sort of awkward reunion that could lead to problems?

Realizing I was jumping to conclusions, I instead just nodded with a smile. This was the right thing to do, for I saw her shoulders relax as she took a relieved breath. "Thank you, Lady Gwinthilnel. Your words bring me much comfort, and hope."

"I am glad of it," I murmured, looking up the road for Halbarad again. "However, I must say my farewells for now. I am sure we will see each other once more." With that, I gave her a small wave and continued on my way.

After greeting Lothrandir with a smile, I turned to face Halbarad. "Suilad, mellon nin. I was looking for you," I said, mentally sighing at my somewhat pointless statement.

I was pleased to see him take it with good humor, raising an eyebrow and replying, "I assumed as much." He looked serious, except for the slight upward quirk of his lips. "What can I do for you?"

"Well," I began, licking my suddenly dry lips nervously. "I was speaking with Elrohir, and he mentioned you decided we could stay here for a little longer, to help the people with their struggles."

Halbarad nodded, "While we both know our errand to Aragorn is important and urgent, I understand why you wish to help them." He didn't fully understand my reasoning, not knowing of my past in Eryn Galen, but I didn't feel comfortable sharing such things with him. It had taken considerable courage to even speak of it with Candaith. Maybe someday I would be able to open up to him, perhaps when all of this was over. For good or ill.

"I appreciate it, truly," I said sincerely. "Just a couple more days, and hopefully they should be on their feet enough for us to move on."

"They cannot rely on us forever," Halbarad warned. "They must depend on their own defenses and resources, now that the barricade is dismantled." He narrowed his eyes in thought, looking towards the Brenin's home. "I will speak with him today and give him a report on the progress which has been made. Perhaps then we will have a more definite estimate on when we should leave."

"I agree, please let me know what he says," I replied with a smile.

With that, I caught Lothrandir's eye, and barely stifled a laugh at the numerous amounts of feathers on the clearly borrowed apron he was wearing. "Were you assaulted by a bird, mellon nin?"

The ranger grinned and shook his head, "It was rather the other way around. I was helping pluck some geese and wild turkeys, and luckily I was given this apron, or it would have been all over my regular clothes!"

This time I couldn't hold back a laugh, "Can you imagine, heading into battle in your Dunedain gear, and the enemy spotting you due to the white feathers of a turkey stuck to you?"

He winked, "It would make a nice disguise, do you not think? The forces of Saruman would never suspect a turkey to be their enemy!" I noticed almost too late the mischief dancing in his eyes, before he tried to wrap his arms around me and therefore spread the feathers to me. I nimbly dodged, and fled down the street with him laughing in pursuit. "Gwin, come back here, I need a hug and you are the perfect person to provide it!"

The next moment found me wrapped up in a familiar pair of arms. "Candaith, you have to protect me from Lothrandir."

Candaith raised an eyebrow and looked towards the pursuing ranger. "Protect you from him?"

"He is trying to hug me," I replied nervously.

My husband looked flabbergasted, "Hug you? This causes you distress?" However, my hopes of escape were dashed as Lothrandir used Candaith's confusion to pull both of us into a bear hug. I tried to squirm out of his grasp, but it just made the feathers stick to my tunic even more! "Lothrandir, let go of me you hooligan," Candaith grumbled, and luckily we were released from his grip. Candaith looked down at himself and grimaced, trying to brush the feathers off. "How…kind of you to share this with us."

"Do you like it? I think the feathers add a bit of flair to your dour grey outfit," Lothrandir exclaimed with a grin.

As much as I wanted to be cross with him, I couldn't help the smile which formed on my face as I appraised Candaith, "I suppose it does, although the color scheme could use some work."

Candaith raised an eyebrow. "Color scheme?"

I grinned and replied, "Have you ever heard of a bird called a peacock?" When both he and Lothrandir shook their heads, I continued, "They are magnificent birds with shining green and blue feathers. When they elevate and display their tails, it is like a fan, shimmering with color in the sunlight."

"They sound wonderful!" Lothrandir exclaimed. "Have you seen one yourself?"

"Only once," I answered. "When I lived in Eryn Galen, I visited the capital many times for training. King Thranduil is very fond of beautiful things, and as I wandered through the many gardens, I stopped in my tracks as I spotted the bird. I had never seen anything like it, and demanded Prince Legolas tell me what it was when I saw him at dinner the next evening." I laughed lightly at the memory. "When he told me it was a peacock, I thought he was perhaps teasing me, as the name is not majestic enough for such a creature, but he insists he speaks the truth."

"So you are saying we will need to travel to Felegoth to get these feathers for my attire?" Candaith said, eyes glittering with mirth. "We should run that by Halbarad first, as it is only a slight detour."

I shoved him lightly, "Oh yes, I bet he would be thrilled to go on such an important quest." The ranger winked, and we painstakingly removed all the feathers from our clothing, as Lothrandir simply removed his apron. "Now, isn't there something useful you both could be doing?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Where are you off to Gwin?" Lothrandir asked curiously.

I paused, unsure of the answer. "Well, I came to speak with Halbarad, but the conversation was shorter than I expected." I stood in thought for a moment. Where would I be most useful?

Before I could think of some answer, a child's voice was shouting, "Lady Gwin! Lady Gwin!" Sure enough, Leona was racing towards me, a wide smile on her face, with her doll in hand.

I crouched down to her level as she skidded to a stop in front of me. "Look at what Mama made!" Sure enough, Malwen was wearing a brand-new dress, made from the fabric I had purchased. "Isn't she beautiful?"

"Very much so, penneth," I replied with a smile. "Would you like to learn the word for 'beautiful' in my language?"

Leona's eyes brightened in delight, "Yes please…mellon." She looked so proud of herself for remembering the word for 'friend'.

"Mellon indeed," I replied with a smile. "Now, the word for beautiful is 'vanima'. If you wanted to say 'beautiful lady', you would say 'hiril vanima', because 'hiril' means lady."

The little girl nodded in understanding. "Hearl vaneema." The accent was on the wrong part of the word, but it was close enough. "Gwin is hearl vaneema!"

"Indeed, she truly is," Candaith said with a wink, and my cheeks reddened in a blush. "May I see Malwen, tithen pen?"

I hid a smile as a thoughtful look formed on Leona's face. She was sizing Candaith up, to make sure she could trust him with such an important possession. "Will you promise to be careful, Lord Candy?" Lothrandir had to walk away, his shoulders shaking in laughter at the adorable nickname, while I hid my own giggles behind my hand.

The amusement was evident through our bond, but Candaith's face was serious as he looked into Leona's eyes. "I promise." With that, the girl handed him the doll, and Candaith told her how beautiful the dress was and how lucky she was to have Leona as her caretaker, among a few other sweet things. I could see how special his words made Leona feel, and it warmed my heart.

"Leona!" My smile fell as I noticed her frantic-looking mother bustling towards us. Leona froze, and turned around to face her, a guilty look on her face. "You cannot just go running off!"

"But…but I just wanted to show Lady Gwin the new dress you made Malwen," Leona mumbled, taking the doll back from Candaith and scuffing her toe in the dirt.

"That may be, but you must tell me where you are going," her mother replied, the anxiety still present. "It is not safe to wander around alone."

Leona looked at her quizzically, "Not safe? Why not?" Before her mother could answer, the little girl frowned. "It's because of those monsters, right? The ones keeping us locked inside?" I was startled by the expression of both fear and resignation on her young face. It should not be there, and it made me furious to think of the evil creatures who caused it.

I put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. "It is always best to stay close to the ones you love and trust, just in case of danger, however small the chance of it. We defeated the monsters, but we must be careful, just in case they come back." I did not want to scare her, but it was all too possible that the enemy would return, and her life could be at risk. It made my resolve to make sure the town was prepared even stronger. I came around and knelt in front of her. "Now go with your naneth, and listen to her words. She loves you very much."

Leona nodded, the grave look in her eyes almost making me flinch. "Namaree, Gwin."

I quirked my lips up in a smile, "Namarie, Leona." With that, her mother took her hand and led her away, giving me a grateful look. I was glad I hadn't offended her in any way.

"That was well said, meleth nin," Candaith murmured, taking my hand and interlacing our fingers together.

"I just wish I did not have to say it," I replied with a sigh. "Despite the short time we have spent here, I have come to care for these people."

"Me too Gwin," Candaith whispered. "We fight for them, and for all who wish to see such days of evil come to an end. It is why we are going to the aid of Aragorn, for I believe the enemy can be vanquished, and leave us victorious."

I turned to face him, and put our foreheads together. "But at what cost?" I knew the chance of all of those I loved surviving the battles to come was small. The thought of it almost took my breath away.

"Meleth, you are trembling," Candaith said, concerned. He took my hand and pulled me out of the road, so we could have some privacy. I settled into his embrace, and he kissed my hair. "We cannot predict the future; all we can do is live each day at a time, and treat them as a blessing."

"I have lost so much in my life, and…and knowing I will lose more is difficult to bear," I whispered, resolutely refusing to cry; I had done enough of that over the past few months.

He pulled back a bit and put his warm hand on my cheek, looking into my eyes. "We will bear it together. We will live to see these days renewed, meleth nin. Trust me."

I gave him a shaky smile, "I will always trust you."

All I could do was hope he was right.

Got a little serious at the end there, but during this time in Middle Earth, happiness is always a little tinged with grief and worry. The peacock idea came from when I was recently looking at photos from my trip to India a few years ago. The peacock is the country's official bird, and they are quite beautiful when they fan out their tails! I hope you liked the chapter, and leave a review if you have a moment!

Dealing with a bit of writer's block at the moment (work has been busy and I haven't been able to get into a good headspace for writing), but I'm about 25 chapters ahead, so no worries about updates being regular for the near future. Thanks so much for reading and being so supportive, it means a lot.