At War in Love. The Shadow over Rhudaur Part IV

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Cameth Brin, November 3, 1347.
Written by Rian
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Caelen's eyes opened slowly at first, and then popped wide open as a big smile spread across her face. Eryndil's lecture had not been in vain - today she was going to be really good and think of others!

Caelen's family had always hated these days. There were always tears, and often blood, to be wiped up by the end of these days.

Caelen hurriedly washed her face and attacked her unruly hair. For once, it didn't put up much of a fight, and Caelen took that as a good sign.

Now, where should she start?

"Probably with my room," she thought guiltily, looking at the clothes strewn about. That wasn't right - her mother had tried for years to get her to keep her room clean, and now she would finally take that to heart. She hastily went around the room and put things in their proper places, finishing up by neatly folding Callon's shirt that she placed on her pillow every night since he had left so that she could feel near to him. She closed her eyes and held it to her face, inhaling the familiar scent - horses and brother - and then with a little kiss placed it neatly on the pillow.

Now what next?

Her brow furrowed in concentration as she looked at the shirt as if it had the answer. Callon ... what would make Callon happy? Oh yes, to act like she was married! She had been avoiding the young married women, despite their friendly overtures to her, partly because it felt so awkward to be with them when she knew she was deceiving them, and partly because they were just in entirely another world than the one she was in.

That was it - she would find them and act like one of them. That would make Callon happy,and hopefully make up a little for yesterday ("what would he say when he found out that Daurendil knew their secret?" she wondered guiltily).

She ran out of her room with a rosy blush on her fresh, young face, and then stopped and forced herself to walk, thinking that walking was more matronly. She rounded a corner and found the young married girls enjoying some breakfast together. They greeted her kindly and waved her over to join them. Caelen heaped up a huge plateful of food (being virtuous made one so hungry!) and joined them.

The conversation centered around the one young lady whose time, it was very obvious, was coming any minute now, and of course, labor and delivery horror stories were the order of conversation. The young lady listened with ever-widening eyes as the ladies related their stories with relish. "And I still can't sit down right!" finished one triumphantly, then added to the now visibly pale pregnant lady, "But I'm sure that won't happen to you!"

Caelen reached out and took the young girl's hand, giving it a little squeeze. "My mother always said she had an easy time of it, and you look like you have her build - I bet you'll deliver as quickly as she did!"

The young girl smiled gratefully at Caelen, and Caelen smiled back. Maybe they weren't all so bad after all.

From labor and delivery, the talk turned to actually getting into the state where labor and delivery were necessary. Caelen's fair complexion grew more and more pink as the ladies shared stories and laughter and "Oh, I know what you mean!"'s. She had grown up in a family that bred horses and knew the "how"'s, but she had matured slowly, and the "why's" were still a bit beyond her. She bit her lower lip in embarassment, and after a particularly detailed story, fled the room as quickly as was politely possible.

"Well, I tried, and I'm sure it did some good," she thought, grateful to have finished with the conversation about "all of that stuff" and convinced that she portrayed a married woman to perfection. "But I am NEVER getting married!"

Her cheeks were still hot, and she decided she needed a walk to cool down. Oh wait, she was being good and thinking of others today ... hmmm ... oh! She would walk into town and buy Callon a little present to surprise him when he got back! She smiled happily and ran on light feet towards town, forgetting that matrons weren't supposed to run.

***

Caelen hadn't had such a wonderful day in a long, long time. On the way to town, she had done as many virtuous acts as she could, whether the people had wanted them or not. Oh, it was so good to be good!

Caelen reached town and started looking around for something that her brother would like. She ended up at the stall of a jewelry merchant, attracted by the beautiful hair pins on display, before she remembered she was getting something for Callon. Shaking her head at this slight lapse of virtue, she carefully scrutinized some pieces for men, finally picking up a lovely dagger inlaid with irridescent abalone, which she had never seen before.

Eryndil had decided to stroll through town and become acquainted with its general layout that morning. He was standing on a corner, inspecting some winter gloves, when he noticed out of the corner of his eye that the men passing by him were not walking like normal men. He looked away from the gloves in order to investigate this strange phenomenon further, and discovered that the men were all walking past him with their heads turned backwards instead of forward. They were clearly gazing at something very interesting behind them.

Eryndil turned his head to see what was causing the commotion, and saw, nicely outlined against the midmorning sun, the very pleasing figure of a lovely girl holding something up to the sun to see it better. He moved forward just a bit to get the sun out of his eyes, and as his gaze swept a little higher, he noticed reddish-colored hair ... could it be ... oh, it was Caelen! She had always been a pretty girl, but today, she looked luminous; her reddish-gold hair framed her fair skin and delicate features like a halo, and the way she was holding up that - what was it, a dagger?! - to the light as she examined it showed off her figure to full advantage. He smiled to himself. "They ARE walking like normal men!" he thought humorously. "They're admiring a pretty girl!"

He watched her for another minute, then put the gloves down, thanked the man selling the gloves and said he might be back a bit later. Then, deftly avoiding another backwards-glancing man, he crossed the street and started walking over to where Caelen was standing, now with an enchanting pout on her face as the seller told her the price of the dagger.

Eryndil had thought that Caelen couldn't possibly get any prettier than she was then, but he was wrong - when she saw him approaching, her face lit up even brighter, and with a joyous cry of "Eryndil! I was hoping I'd see you!" she ran towards him with outstretched hands and a smile on her face that made one admiring onlooker run into the apple seller's cart and knock some of the apples out. But Eryndil didn't notice that - he only had eyes for Caelen now ...

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Cameth Brin, afternoon of November 3, 1347.
Written by Valandil
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“Eryndil! You’re just the one I wanted to see!” called Caelen, her face lit up so brightly. Eryndil had to think back quickly. He had been in town for nearly two weeks, and this was only the second time he had seen Caelen here – the first being yesterday’s little disaster. Since coming to town, Eryndil and his men had noticed… well, that there were a lot more pretty girls in town than in the woods! But at this moment he thought Caelen outshone them all. He hadn’t remembered thinking her quite THIS pretty before.

“Good morning Caelen” he began with a slight bow as he came before her. “And thank you very much for…” his voice trailed off before he could add, ‘…the gift of all those apples,’ for she had extended her hands to him, her very eyes smiling at him. He took her hands in his and drew them close against his bosom. The mere thought of the apples recalled to his mind the events of the day before – seeing her wild ride, the harsh words he had for her upon her return, and the second incident with the apples, in which she had so completely redeemed herself. She had clearly taken his words to heart, he thought with a further smile.

She had continued looking at him, her eyes first resting upon him briefly, and then looking long into his own. He felt an awkward silence developing and thought to break it. He lowered her hands in his and slowly released them.

“So tell me now, what brings you out here, Caelen?”

“I’m buying something for someone VERY special…” she said, turning her attention at that back to the wares on the carts before her.

“Oh?” said Eryndil. After the apples, surely anything further wasn’t necessary. But still, he was quite flattered. “And before I completely forget, thank…”

“So – why are YOU here?” she interrupted, turning her smile upon him once more and placing a hand upon his forearm. My, she was beautiful! How had he not noticed it before, during their long march after he rescued her and Callon (he REALLY needed to speak with Callon), staying at his parents home, the subsequent trip toward Cameth Brin. Had he just been preoccupied?

“The King has not yet called me to my duties – and I now have enough time and money to purchase the items needed for my new station in life.” ‘A new station that I would gladly share – with a special person.’ But he couldn’t say that to her. Not now… not yet.

There was silence for awhile as Caelen returned to the carts, and he wondered if she had read his thoughts – heard his words not spoken, for a look of contemplation sat upon her brow. Half in expectation, he joined her in sifting through the objects on the cart before them.

Together they sorted through different items. Once or twice, Eryndil would pick something up and look at it, just to see. Sure enough, each time he did, Caelen turned her attention right to it and asked him what he thought of it, or if he liked it.

Finally, she picked up once more the dagger she was looking at when he first saw her there. “Do you think Callon would like this?” she asked excitedly.

“Callon…?” asked Eryndil quizzically.

“Why yes – of course. He’s the one I’m buying something for!” and she turned back to a closer examination of the dagger.

“But I thought…” began Eryndil, and then his perplexity turned to embarrassment. Did she think him silly? Surely she would if she had known what he was thinking. Maybe she DID know, and was dismissing those thoughts.

Eryndil stiffened, his embarrassment now giving way to just a little anger.

“I don’t know… why do we need so many daggers anyway?” he asked.

Caelen looked a little stung, but said nothing. So Eryndil continued, his temperature rising.

“After all, you should not be out here by yourself anyway. It’s just not… proper! Or safe!”

“But I was only…” the joy once in her face had turned to doubt

“It doesn’t matter…” but Eryndil caught himself. This wasn’t going well, but maybe he could salvage it with a little humor. “After all, I wouldn’t want to have to save you again,” he added with a slim smile and a low chuckle.

“Save me again?” yelled Caelen, not at all amused, for her doubt had passed and now quickly gave way to a growing rage. “Is that it? Now that you’ve saved my life I am indebted to you?” She bowed in mock obeisance, “Oh great lord and master, tell me exactly what I must do, now and henceforth…” Then she rose and her voice rose with her, “And from whom now will you save me … HER?” she shouted, pointing at a servant girl carrying two pails of water – the girl stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide open in surprise. “Or… must you save me from that peddler there?” Caelen asked, pointing at a man pushing another cart down the street – this fellow just pretended not to hear and continued on his way, minding his own business.

“Now look, Caelen, I just meant that with Callon away…”

“You leave Callon OUT of this! He’s twice the man YOU are. Why HE could have saved me that day, if he had twenty men along with him like you did.”

“Twelve.”

“Huh?”

“I had twelve men, Caelen.”

“WhatEVER! Well… who do you think you are, to tell me what I can or cannot do, where I can or cannot go? I don’t need any more saving… not here! Not ever again!”

She held the dagger forth to the merchant and said to him, with great calm and politeness, “I’ll take this one.” And then more sharply, and sideways, “but don’t bother to wrap it. I’ll just carry it, in case I NEED it! After all, the King’s Men can’t keep this place safe now, can they?”

That last ended with a glaring look at Eryndil, and then a final, “And you… didn’t even bother to thank me for those apples!” Turning in triumph at that, head held high, Caelen stormed off.

‘Caelen! Wait! Stop!’ But he hadn’t said it out loud… only in his head. He watched her go. Would she turn back? He kept watching until she was gone from view. She had never turned back. The merchant she bought the knife from, just shrugged and smirked, “Redheads!” Eryndil gave him an icy stare and walked away.

She was so frustrating! And stubborn! Why wouldn’t she listen to him, when all he cared about was her… safety!? And to think he had once considered her “sensible” – what a laugh!

Eryndil returned to the stall with the gloves. He saw a nice looking pair and picked it up. He looked it over, half-considering it, but his thoughts didn’t stay on the gloves. Suddenly, he threw them back down and stormed off toward home. Any further shopping would have to wait until tomorrow. This other merchant stood watching with his mouth open, not sure what had just happened.