Aliel

Chapter 6

My head was spinning with numerous questions. Customs? Proprieties? He only wants to make you happy. Why should my happiness matter to him? Why should I matter at all, I only met him a week ago. Why all the allusions to something that was of obvious importance, but neither of them thought I should know about just yet? Why, why, why???

"What in the world was that all about?" Renai asked incredulously, echoing my sentiments exactly.

"I have no idea, and it seems that I won't know until at least tomorrow."

"They're strange folk, that's for sure." Renai turned and went into the kitchen, and I followed.

"They are strange. But I do want to know what going on. Do you mind, Renai, if they come back tomorrow? I'm sorry, I should have asked before, but..."

"No, no, I don't mind. That she-elf has such a way about her, a person couldn't really tell her 'no'." She opened an oven and brought out a pan of perfectly golden brown cookies. I always wondered exactly how she knew at what time to get something out of an oven. I think that it will remain a mystery to me forever.

"I suppose not."

"And the other one, my goodness, he had eyes only for you! You don't think- no, it couldn't be."

"What?"

"Well... proprieties... having to have someone with the both of you all the time... You don't think that could have been the start of some strange... elven... courtship, do you?"

"What?!?"

"You're right, it's silly. Ridiculous. Don't look so aghast, Claresa!" Renai burst out laughing at the look on my face, which I'm sure was a cross between horror and bewilderment. "I'm sure it's nothing like that, really."

"But what if it is?!? What am I to do!?!" Marriage to an elf? How preposterous! No, there had to be some other explanation for their strange behavior.

"Don't worry about it. Like the she-elf said, everything will be explained in time." With that little tidbit of advice, Renai left me standing there while she bustled about, humming one of her tunes.

The rest of the day I was so distracted that Renai and Adeem had to do most of the work. When Adeem heard about what happened and about Renai's speculations, he assured me, much better than Renai had, that it was probably nothing to worry about.

That night I had the strangest dream. I was tending the shop when all of a sudden that elf burst in, threw himself onto his knees in front of me, and professed his undying love and passion. Then we weren't in the shop at all, but on a gigantic stage. The audience was filled with elves, pointing and laughing, throwing back their heads. Lorien stood up and took a bow, then turned to me and said:

"Good show, Claresa, who knew you could act?"

I then woke up, feeling immensely humiliated and embarrassed. I know, I know, it was just a dream, right? But dreams have a funny way of showing some truths. I knew that the real Lorien probably wasn't acting. But how did I know that? That feeling of familiarity and trust from the first day we met seemed to linger in my mind. I did know that I was terrified of being made to look a fool.

That whole day I had been thinking about what Renai had said. What if Lorien really did want to court me, and therefore marry me? Love me? No, it was ridiculous. I knew absolutely nothing about him. I'd barely even had a conversation with him. But then I remembered how he'd kept looking at me. It could be that he just liked the way I looked, but I didn't believe that. I was no beauty.

But the way he'd looked at me. Intense. He bore into my eyes, like he was trying to see into my soul. Like he was trying to find some sort of connection. I thought of the shock I'd felt when he touched my hand, and the unexplainable feeling of just... knowing him. Maybe there was a connection after all. I shook my head, rolled over, and went back to sleep.