At War in Love. The Shadow over Rhudaur Part IV

Chapter 18. "I want you to marry Eryndil"

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Eryndil's house in Cameth Brin. Morning of November 9, 1347.
Written by Rian
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Eryndil walked into the morning room and paused a moment to admire the pleasant sight before him: Caelen and his sister sitting together on the couch, talking and laughing and doing needlework together, the bright morning sun glinting off their shining hair and fresh young faces. He smiled and then sighed; if only life was this simple! It wasn't safe for these young ladies to go out in certain areas anymore, or at certain times. What was the world coming to?

Hendegil and Caelen looked up from their work at the noise of the door and Eryndil's entry.

"Eryndil!" said Hendegil gaily, with a meaningful glint in her eyes as she glanced at Caelen and then back at her brother, trying to see if she could get a reaction out of him. But he wasn't biting this time.

Caelen held up her work with a satisfied smile. "Your sister is showing me a new stitch," she said. "It's really pretty!" Then her expression changed to one of determination as she added, "I've neglected my needlework terribly since my mother passed away, and I'm determined to do better."

"It's always so much easier with a friend, though, isn't it?" said Hendegil, and then added, with another sly smile at her brother, "We're SO glad you're staying here with us!"

"I'm so grateful you took me in," said Caelen seriously. "My brother and I owe so much to you ..."

"Oh, nonsense," broke in Eryndil, trying to make light of what they were doing to help Caelen. "You're doing ME a favor! You're keeping my sister entertained and out of trouble!" He gave a mock-angry stare to his sister, who made a face back at him.

"He's right, you know, you're doing us the favor," she said to Caelen, and before Caelen could object, she added firmly to Eryndil, "And now I need YOU to do me a favor - would you please keep Caelen amused while I look for some thread I left in my room?" She rose quickly and left the room, leaving the other two occupants staring blankly after her.

"Well, shall I read to you?" suggested Eryndil quickly. "My sister often asks me to read to her while she sews."

"That would be nice!" agreed Caelen. "You choose, please!"

Eryndil scanned the books on the shelf, but before he was able to make his choice, they were interrupted by a knock on the door, and a messenger was shown into the room.

"Eryndil, son of Camglas, thane of Ostenand?" asked the messenger with a bow.

"I am," replied Eryndil, and took the proffered letter. He scanned it quickly - it was a summons to meet with the King on the following day. He got out some money for the messenger's tip, but the messenger was busy digging in his bag again.

"Caelen, wife of Callon, ostler at the King's stables?" he inquired, looking at Caelen as he pulled a small pouch out of his bag.

"Yes," answered Caelen, wondering who would be sending her something.

"Then this is for you, ma'am," said the messenger, as he handed Caelen a small pouch of money with a bow. "60 silver pennies, double-counted and sealed. If you could just put your mark on this receipt, please ..."

"But what is it for?" asked Caelen as she took the money pouch from the messenger and then turned to Eryndil to see if he could shed any light on the situation. But the look that she saw on Eryndil's face made her drop the pouch in horror.

"No! NO!" she cried, her hands tearing through her hair in her distress, backing away from the pouch on the floor as if it were some deadly thing. "NO! Callon!"

Eryndil rushed over to her and grabbed her wrists, stilling her frantic movements. "No, we don't know that!" he said urgently. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have looked like that - usually an officer will come with that kind of news ..."

He turned his head around quickly to the messenger, still keeping hold of Caelen's wrists. "Isn't there some kind of message with this?" he demanded angrily. "There must be something!"

The messenger put down the receipt form and re-checked his list. "Oh, sorry - yes, there's a letter with this," he said, pulling it out of his bag and extending it to Eryndil, who quickly took it and scanned the outside.

"It's from Callon," he said to Caelen, and put it into her hand, helping her sit down on the couch again. "I'm sure it will explain the money."

"Is that ALL?" he asked the messenger with bit of irritation in his voice and more than a bit of irritation flashing in his eyes.

"Yes, sir, that's all - but I'll just double-check, sir," replied the messenger, mindful of his upcoming tip and hoping that he wasn't going to leave with nothing. "Yes, that's all, sir, and I'm sorry to have caused the lady any distress..."

"Yes, yes, just be more careful next time," replied Eryndil impatiently, listening to Caelen's little sounds as she read her brother's letter and trying to guess what they meant. At least she didn't sound too distressed ... He shooed the messenger out with a small tip, and walked quickly over to Caelen, and, after a second's hesitation, sat down on the couch with her, anxiously awaiting information.

Finally, Caelen looked up at Eryndil with a shaky smile. "It says here that the money was for his extra duty," she told him, and gave a big sigh of relief.

"Well, that's good news!" replied Eryndil, also with a smile and a sigh of relief. "Of course, that doesn't mean that he wasn't killed in the battle," he thought grimly, trying to keep his cheerful expression firmly on his face.

"Of course, that doesn't mean that he wasn't killed in the battle," said Caelen slowly. Eryndil looked at her, startled - it was like she could read his mind ... "You were thinking that, too, weren't you?" she added.

He nodded - he couldn't deny it. "It's always a possibility, but I think the chances he survived are very good."

She set her chin resolutely. "I just can't let myself worry about that, can I? I just won't worry - it won't do any good. I'm sure he's fine," she finished firmly.

"Good girl!" said Eryndil approvingly; then, trying to get her mind off of her brother's fate in the battle, he pressed her, "And what news in his letter? If there's any that you can share with me, " he added politely.

"Oh, yes," she said, opening up the letter again, then lifting up her eyes to his with a quizzical expression. "It was ... such an oddly-written letter, though - I almost didn't recognize it as his ..." She shook her head, and then applied herself to reading the letter out loud to him.

"My dearest Caelen," she read, and then suddenly stopped with an exclamation. "Oh! THAT'S why!" she said excitedly, pointing to several little swirls that were drawn after her name. "He wrote something to me in code! Those two swirls mean to take the first word in each sentence that makes sense until the ending marks - two swirls again. A single swirl means the end of a sentence. Now let's see what he wrote!" she finished eagerly, pointing to the first word.

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My dearest Caelen, ~~

I am grieved to have to write this news to you, for I miss you and love you very much. I want to be with you so much - even being away a week was hard - but something has happened on the trip and they have ordered me to stay longer. You know I would rather be home with you, but duty compels me to go with the Princess to Amon Sul. To do this grieves me, as we cannot be together for several months now, but I must obey against my desires. To marry you gave me such happiness, and to have to stay away grieves me. Eryndil and Arinya will be there to help you if you need it, thought.

If you have any problems or need help, I am sure they will be glad to come to your aid. He is a good man and one whom I would trust you with, even trust your life with. If he asks after me, please give him my greetings and tell him my message that you read in this letter. You also like Arinya, and she seems both kind and wise, and I hope you can spend time with her, too. ~

He - I'm speaking of Eryndil again - can also help you if you have any problems with housing - you should be able to stay in our current quarters, though. Is that fine with you? A bit small, but clean and safe. It's good that we got settled in before I left. The man next to me reminds me that I must get this letter off now, so farewell for now. ~~

Ah, Caelie - would that we could be home together but Eru has decreed otherwise for us, and we must meet what comes to us with courage and a good heart. I love you and miss you and look forward to our reunion. If anyone travels to Cameth Brin from here, I will write you again, but I think the winter will prevent this.

Love always, Callon

ps - I am being paid extra for this change in plans, and have sent the money (60 silver pennies) to you to spend as you think necessary. Please have a few nice dresses made up for yourself, and perhaps a few nice things for me, for I am hoping we can spend some time with friends like Eryndil and Arinya when I return. At the least, be sure to have a new riding habit made up for yourself and throw out the old one, for I know it grieves you to wear it.

I hope you see and understand everything that I've written in this letter - it's been very hard to write, I had to write in such haste.

love always, Callon

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Caelen's finger pointed to the first word in the first sentence. "See now, I start here - right after the two squiggly marks - and take the first word of each sentence after that that makes sense. "I ... then 'I' again, so check the next word - 'want' - so it's 'I want...', then 'you' ... "

But Eryndil had caught on much faster than Caelen had realized and was far ahead of her in working out the coded message, and was now smiling broadly; indeed, trying not to laugh out loud, for now his question to Callon, which he had thought could not be answered until spring, had just been answered - and in the best possible way.

Caelen continued reading Callon's letter, her finger tracing across her brother's words to the beginning of the next sentence. " 'I want you to', then 'to' again, so it must be the next word ..." and then she stopped, her mouth open in shock, for the next word was "marry" - and the one after that was "Eryndil"! She covered up the letter and looked quickly up at Eryndil with eyes open wide, hoping that he hadn't seen the message, but she saw by his expression that he had.

"Oh!" she exclaimed in horror, blushing furiously. "You must be thinking terrible things of us! You must think we're ... we're treasure seekers or ... or fortune hunters or .. or whatever it's called!" She covered her face with her hands in embarassment.

"Caelen, of course I don't think that!" said Eryndil firmly (or as firmly as he could with such a broad smile on his face). "I'm only the third son of a thane, after all - and you've turned down advances from a prince - twice! Or maybe more," he finished with a smile as he considered his most recent meeting with Daurendil in Caelen's room.

"More!" she said with a little shudder, remembering how she had worked hard avoiding the over-amorous prince. "But yes, that's true ... a treasure-seeker..."

"Fortune-hunter" corrected Eryndil, trying to look serious.

"Fortune-hunter certainly wouldn't have done that," she said thoughtfully. She furrowed her brow in concentration. "But maybe I turned down Daurendil because I knew it would impress you, and I knew that the King and Queen wouldn't let me marry him anyway, and ..."

Eryndil laughed - he just couldn't keep it in anymore - Caelen was anything BUT a fortune hunter! Caelen stopped short, looking up at him uncertainly.

"Is that what you did, Caelen?" he asked her, putting a serious expression on.

"No!" she said sincerely, shaking her head. "Really, we're not ..."

"I know you're not!" said Eryndil decisively. "Now enough of that topic!" He pointed to the letter. "Now why don't you finish your brother's message - after all, it might say, 'I want you to marry Eryndil ... if he's the last man left on earth!"

That got a shaky smile from Caelen, and she uncovered the letter and found the place where she left off. Eryndil politely turned his head away, but Caelen said, with a little laugh, "No, go ahead and look - nothing could be any more embarassing than what you've already read! And I'd like you to see what he wrote me - I'm sure it's something good, because he is good."

They smiled nervously at each other, and Caelen continued. "... if ... he ..."

"See?" said Eryndil. "If he's the last man left on earth!"

Caelen giggled nervously and then continued. "... if ... he ... asks ... you." She pointed to the swirl after the word 'you'. "And that mark means the end of the sentence. So the next one starts with "He" - "He ... is ... a ... good ... man." She pointed to another mark after "man". "And the double swirls there mean the end of the coded message."

Eryndil sat back and gazed out of the window. "I want you to marry Eryndil if he asks you. He is a good man."

"He's referring back to a conversation we had the night before he left," explained Caelen shyly. "He was just trying to do everything he could to take care of me in case ... in case he didn't return. He said that ... that travel was ... could be dangerous ..."

"THAT'S an understatement, especially after what they went through!" thought Eryndil wryly.

"... and if he didn't come back, that I should go to ... to you, because you were a good man and would help get me settled somewhere, and that ... that ..." She took a deep breath, then continued quickly. "That IF you wanted to marry me someday, for some reason, that he wanted me to accept, because ... well, he thought you were a good man. Like he said. There - now you know everything," she said, biting her lower lip nervously and twisting Callon's letter into a wrinkled mess. "And I don't blame you if you never speak to me again ... or Callon either ... but he was just trying to ..."

"Caelen," said Eryndil. He took the letter out of her hands and put it on the nearby table, and then took her hands in his. "Caelen," he repeated, and she stopped her nervous movements and sat motionless, her head bent down, too shy to meet his eyes.

"I have sisters, Caelen, and I can understand your brother's actions," he said. No response, but he could tell she was listening intently. "I would have done the same thing in his place - if I were the only family that Hendegil had, and I was setting out on a journey that I might not come back from, I would certainly do everything that Callon did for you."

He could see Caelen take a deep breath and relax slightly.

"And I am honored by your brother's approbation of me, for I think that he is a good man, and I value his praise." As he hoped, that got Caelen to look up at him with a tentative little smile on her face. He had to fight the urge to kiss her right then and there, she was so sweet and lovely ...

"I'm so glad that you didn't take his message the wrong way!" exclaimed Caelen. "And you're right - if I was a fortune hunter, I guess that I would have encouraged the prince! I never thought of that!"

"That's because you're too honest and pure-hearted to even think of fortune-hunting - and so is your brother."

Caelen relaxed even more, and her smile lit up her face. She gave Eryndil's hands, which were still holding hers, a grateful little squeeze, and then suddenly blushed and looked down again in alarm as a new expression spread over his face - one that she had dreaded to see, and yet somehow welcomed, too ...

"Caelen, do you trust your brother's judgement?" asked Eryndil.

This was dangerous ground. Caelen tried feebly to pull her hands out of Eryndil's, but he held them tighter - and then raised them to his lips and brushed them with a soft kiss, and then another.

"I ... well, usually I do, but ... but ... " It was hard to concentrate with Eryndil kissing her hands like that, but she had to give herself an excuse to not take her brother's marriage advice - she couldn't remember exactly why, for a moment, and then remembered the attack on the road and her vow to never marry. But she had never expected it to be this hard - she had never expected to actually like a man like she did this man - so strong, yet gentle, and so honorable and good ... and she felt such strange feelings around him - strange but intoxicating, and rather exciting ...

She rallied, trying to speak casually, like a man kissing her hands was an everyday occurance. "Well, you know that you didn't think that marriage ruse of his was a good idea ... so I usually trust his judgement, but sometimes he makes mistakes, so ... well, not always ..." She trailed off incoherently.

Where was her resolve when she needed it? Why did marriage - at least to Eryndil - suddenly seem not such a bad thing anymore? But then she remembered again the robber's hands on her body, and the talk of the maid at Ostenand, and knew that Eryndil, with all his gentle kisses right now, would want more than kisses when they were married ... and she suddenly pulled her hands out of his. He let them go this time - he had to be careful to not force anything on her, and he knew it.

She looked up at Eryndil, trembling but defiant. He looked back at her with such love in his eyes that it was like a physical blow to her resolve.

"Caelen, I love you," he said simply and sincerely. "I love you with all my heart." He saw the defiance waver; the resolve become doubt. She looked down, knowing that it was the love that she could see so clearly in his eyes that was shaking her resolve to not marry. But Eryndil wasn't giving up so easily. He reached out and put a hand under her chin and lifted her face up. She still wouldn't meet his gaze. He took his other hand and started gently stroking her hair and saw her relax a little, seemingly against her will.

"Caelen, look at me," he said softly, and slowly her eyes rose to meet his.