The Fairy of Middle Earth

Chapter 7: Communication and Understanding

The food had been set out before him, a place was set for her as well. His eyes drawn to the entrance of the royal dining room. She was standing there. The darkness of the night at her back and her face in the glow of warm candle light. He felt himself smiling for a few seconds before quickly commanding the servants to leave. They would hurry out and she was left alone with him.

"Please, have a seat with me and eat." Gingerly she stepped into the room . She was striking to look at. Dainty and delicate. Her weight loss making her seem even more so. He rose and began to approach, she gasped and stepped back . He chuckles softly. His hands taking the back of her chair and pulling it out for her.

"This is considered polite. It is what males do for females." He explained and she looked utterly confused. "I guess such things are lost on you at this time. No worries one day it will make sense." She cautiously moved to the chair and slides into the seat. He pushed it in for her. As he sat and looked across the small table at her and began to chuckle.

He realized the things in his home were made for him. For someone much taller than she. The table top coming up to her breast. She looked at him with widened eyes unsure of why he was amused.

"Pixie we are going to need to get a taller chair made for you," he began to look around the room, "Ah Ha!" he exclaimed and rose again walking through an opened door into the adjoining sitting room where he plucked a cushion from the settee. Fluffing it up as he walked back to her, her head tilted as far back so she could get it, so she could look up at him.

"This should help," he said and offered to place the cushion under her backside. Her eyes narrowed a bit as she slides from the chair. The cushion placed unto the seat and she would climb her way back into it. Indeed now she was lifted up a bit more and her chest wasn't in her plate.

There was of course no meat on her plate. She did not eat meat regularly. He had been told that. Instead as a variety of roasted vegetables was offered to her. She had learned how to use a fork in the last few weeks and lifted it up in her rather small hand . She pushed the food around on her plate, this was an everyday thing. She hadn't had an appetite since she had arrived there.

He was watching her. There was something different about her. He couldn't quite put his finger on it . "If the food isn't appealing just tell me what you might like. I can see that it is prepared for you." He offered .

Her shoulders lifted a bit . A strap of the thin light dress she wore slid down the soft curve of her shoulder. "There isn't anything wrong with this really," her voice was small and cracked a bit, "I just haven't been hungry. There is a knot in my stomach. It never goes away." She did not look at him when she spoke. She just stared into her plate. The sound of her voice, while small and a bit weak was beautiful as it found his ears. At least she was speaking to him.

He watched her closely, trying to figure out what was different. "That's because you are sad, " He said then. His voice gentle and smooth. He had an understanding of this as well. The knot in ones stomach and not being able to eat from it.

"Just take little bites. One little bite after another. Eventually You will feel hungry again. "

Eyes the color of lavender peeked up at him then back to the plate. She would spear a mushroom with the fork and bring it to her lips. Her teeth bared and a small bite taken . He smiled to himself.

Lifting his goblet to take a drink of the wine within it, he eyed her over the rim . She picking at her food, struggling to swallow each bite down. "I was thinking of taking a ride through the forest tomorrow . I would like to take you ."

She stopped eating and looked up at him . Her gaze became excited and hopeful.

"However, I just can't bring myself to take such a poor creature that struggles to even nourish herself. It might be too much." He had barely finished his words when she just dug in. Her cheeks began to bulge with each bite .

"Wait a minute," he laughed, " slow down pixie you will make yourself sick then you really couldn't go . Here take a drink and wash all that down ." He lifted her goblet to her., inside was just water. The fork dropped and the goblet was taken into two small hands.

"Tomorrow I will take you with me but you must behave ." He looked to the circle of gold around her dainty wrist. "You must do what I say, when I say it, understood ?"

She was still chewing food and swallowing water as she nodded. " Yeffff," she tried to speak and his brows would knit in disapproval.

"No speaking when your mouth is full of food. That is poor manners, that is another thing we will work on."

She actually smiled for him and he would for her. She spoke more than a few words and he found himself amused by her charm. In the hours since supper he had sent her off to bed and he worked at signing more things than he would have liked but doing it so he could take the pixie for a ride on the morrow. The candle blown out and he lay his head on the pillow. He was in that twilight state between sleep and waking when there was a tapping on the bedroom door and it opened.

His eyes having adjusted quickly to low light he could see her standing there closing the door behind her. "What is wrong little fae?" He asked, having prepared to be awakened sometime in the night by her screaming and fighting in her sleep but not like this.

"Since we are speaking truths to each other now," she began softly and stepped closer. "I can not sleep because the bed is cold to me. I always sleep next to Hannibal. He is always there. Warm and safe. The sound of his heart is my lullaby and the bad dreams stay away." She was confessing to him now. He was learning the reason for her unrest at night. He pulled back the covers for her.

"I am not as great as Hannibal in size and I may not be as warm, I am afraid I am a poor substitute but let's try anyway. "

The small fae crawled into his bed . Her delicate frame curling against him . He lowered the covers over her. Her head laying against his arm, she squirmed a bit back against him before she settled. This would of course be seen as inappropriate by Galion. Though he suspected Ninnel might understand . He would just have to awaken before Galion showed in the morning.

She lay there, still but for her breathing. He knew she was not asleep. Her back against him and he laying there on his. Looking up at the ceiling of this upper bed chamber. How long had it been since he had looked on this ceiling? Of course he remembered the paintings. He just had not seen them in a long time. The white stag among the trees. Surrounded by the glorious green that his home had once been. The healing was slow.

He was struck with the sudden urge to hold her close. To be protective of her as she slept. Was she asleep? He shifted his gaze to see her shoulders move with deep steady breaths. Gently he rolled to his side . Her head still rested on his arm. He peeked over her shoulder. Her eyes closed and the plump lips were parted a bit. He pulled her in close to him. His other arm draped over her. She only moved to wiggle in closer and settle. Eventually, his own sleep would find him and his dreams would be of color and light, pleasant dreams, calming dreams of just relaxing in a field of colorful flowers and the warm sun light.