How strange it felt! To see her father and mother, walking hand in hand. Hadn't they died? Of course they hadn't! They were right there, in front of her! She felt silly for thinking such a terrible, dreadful thing had ever happened. The farmhouse was silhouetted by a setting summer sun. Butterflies fluttered over the lilac hedge. Her mother was barefoot, laughing at a joke her father was telling, beaming up at him with adoration. She was wearing her summer at-home dress, with slender straps that left her freckled shoulders bare. Taite followed behind them, feeling the cool dirt of the path on her own naked toes, and such joy in her heart that she felt she might explode from it. Her mother glanced back and lavished a luminous smile upon her daughter, and said, "The bone will not be impacted!"
Pumpkin was sitting on the bear-man's lap. How tiny the kitten looked there! Taite didn't recall how or when the man had returned. She flitted around the room, preparing a tray of biscuits with jam and honey while the bear-man spoke of far off places and exciting tales. It was strange and wonderful, how quickly and easily she could move. The man watched her with a warm smile and said, "Will you help me clean up?"
Who knew that dwarves could dance! It wasn't the way she imagined a Yule ball would look. There were more dwarves than men or hobbits. Stocky, bearded figures whirled and spun about the floor with more grace than she would've thought possible. Perhaps it was a ball just for dwarves? She turned away from the jolly scene, searching for the door leading to the outside. Such a waste it seemed! Her dress was glorious, made of shining silk in a deep, midnight purple. She passed her hands over it and reveled in the soft, crinkling sound of the fabric. Oh, well.
Once outside, the night was perfectly still. Everything was a lovely shade of dark, inky blue. She lifted the skirt of her dress and trotted down the sloping lawn. There was a lake at the bottom of the hill, frozen over with glimmering ice. I shall dance here! she thought, kicking off her slippers. She stepped onto the ice and began to twirl with her eyes close and her arms gracefully poised. All at once, she bumped into someone, and her eyes flew open in surprise.
"May I?" said a deep voice, and the dashing man bowed low with a grin. How fetching he was in his dress-robes! She took his hand and her heart soared. As he pulled her close by her waist, he gazed into her eyes and murmured passionately, "You can go home now. Just take care not to put too much weight on your leg."
Taite gave a startled spasm, her limbs jerking all together, and a little cry burst from her throat. Pain instantly throbbed from her right leg, making her groan. Closing her eyes again, she fell back on the pillow, breathing hard. The hurt pushed the dreams aside, reminding her of where she was.
Faint voices came through the wall. One was deep and gruff, the other more melodious even in its solemnity. She blinked her eyes open once more, staring hard at the ceiling overhead in the darkness. Everything that had happened came back in a tumbling rush, bouncing about in her addled brain. Bits and pieces, snatches of conversations, disjointed images. She frowned with the effort it took to sort through it all, and remember enough to decide if she needed to panic or not. A hand wormed beneath the blanket, searching for her leg, needing to see if it was there in its entirety.
Her fingers closed around her thigh. She dared to wiggled her toes just a tiny bit. The ache surged afresh, and she bit her lips together. And smiled.
