Wife of the Thain: Old Tales of the Shire

“How do I know this promise will be kept?”

- The White Witch, the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis

.

.

All the long day, he waits upon the shore, hoping she will come. He counts each second as the sun sets.

Night falls. His soul quails, for in his heart, he cannot believe in her promise.

Then... the trumpet of a swan. He turns towards heaven, and in the sky, moonlight glinting upon snowy plumage, are eight swans. The descend to the lake’s calm surface, and the white bird in their center dives beneath the water.

A wolf howls. The Thain looks toward the sound, then back.

His lady and love stands before him in the shallows of the lake.