I had been invited to a feast by Welten.
Or, to be more precise, Weltens friend Rionir suggested to Welten in front of me that he Welten should invite me to this feast, which Welten then readily did. I was uncertain about whether or not to attend to begin with. I had no desire to send the wrong message having previously told him that friendship was my only desire. I was less inclined to go when Blodwynn started waxing lyrical about dancing and how men would stare into ones eyes whilst doing so.
Dancing? Me? I have never danced a single step in my life and I most certainly do not want anyone looking into my eyes in that manner. Well... perhaps I do, but only one certain person and that is a laughable thought.
Aside from that, there was the question of social etiquette. How is one expected to act at such times? What should one say or do in order to remain polite? I know not the rules of such affairs and that lack of information left me feeling rather uneasy with the idea.
In the end, though, I reluctantly agreed to go. I need not have worried, as it turned out, for I did not stay long enough to be called upon for a dance, nor were there too many guests at the feast. To my delight, I was not the only one Welten had requested accompany him. Indeed, there was another woman upon his arm that eve, making it clear to me that he had heard and respected my prior words.
To my surprise, the hostess of the eve was none other then Irmiel, the elf lady who had stitched my wounds so long ago. It was a pleasure to see her again. She looked as radiant this time as she had upon our last meeting.
The highlight of the evening was the reason for the feast itself. Irmiel called Welten up in front of everyone, gave a short speech concerning her thoughts on him and then said something about him now being fit to wear a white cloak. I did not quite understand the connotations behind the entire thing, but I think it was a promotion or an award of some sort. Why a cloak of a particular hue might be considered an honour is not something that I have found an answer to as of yet. I shall have to look into that.
I left shortly after that for, in truth, I was deeply uncomfortable and wished to be away before the aforementioned singing and dancing had cause to occur!
Upon my return to Bree, I went straight to the High Stair, for night had fallen and I wished to sit and think whilst watching the stars from the wall there, as I so often do. I found Baradar awaiting the arrival of Blodwynn upon the bridge and stayed to chat with him.
Our talk turned from one thing to another and, somehow, ended up on the subject of Drevorin. I was asked what it was about the man that had caused me to love him and a part of me wished that I had not answered. In speaking those reasons, I was revisited by the sweet memories I have of him; the ones I have been wilfuly ignoring since that day in Forochel.
The words spoken aloud, the memories no longer caged and hidden. They resurfaced with each syllable. I saw again his smile, the way he looked at me and all the good I saw in him that others did not; the light of his spirit that he kept hidden away from the world. I recalled the way he understood without needing explanation, the similarities in our pasts, the knowledge that he was as lost and broken as I; the affinity we shared. I heard again the words he spoke to me, the tone in which he did so. I felt once more the tenderness with which he would treat me, the way he made me feel - as if I was complete at last and nothing could do me harm - along with his gentle and respectful touch. I tasted his lips, smelled his scent...
It all came rushing back to me, every moment of it. It made me yearn for him again.
I am such a fool.
