The Dark Tower

Chapter 13 - Baths and Bargains

Gwaine looked the most guilty I had ever seen him. ‘I . . . I was kind of relying on Arwen being here when we arrived,’ he eventually said.

‘Why?’

‘Well, to make Aragorn leave you alone on the way here, I kind of promised him something. But I thought Arwen would be here and she’s Aragorn’s true love and they’d meet and kiss . . . and it wouldn’t matter what I’d promised him.’

‘Gwaine . . . You’d better tell me.’

‘Beth, I am SO sorry.’

‘Gwaine! Just tell me. It can’t be as bad as what I’m starting to imagine.’

‘I . . . Aragorn agreed that if he left you alone on the journey then . . . when we got here . . . I would let him spend the night with you.’

‘You . . . did . . . what?’

‘I know. Honestly Beth, I thought it wouldn’t matter, that it would just get us here in peace and . . . well, Arwen would be here and . . .’

Seeing his discomfort made me want to cry. With laughter. There was no way I was going to do anything with Aragorn, however tempting that might be at this precise moment, particularly if it made Gwaine think twice about loaning me out to other men. Even if it was Aragorn.

‘Beth, what happens now?’

‘Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m going to have a bath before dinner.’

‘Beth?’

‘This is your problem, not mine,’ and I started to undress.  

‘Beth?’

‘Well, if I have to spend the night with Aragorn, then I at least want to be clean for him,’ and I stepped into the water. He’d made my bed, and chosen who was going to lie in it with me, he could learn his lesson the hard way.

‘But what am I going to do?’

‘You could scrub my back.’

‘Beth!’

I was struggling to keep a straight face, so focused on washing off the last few days’ dirt. I heard him undress and then slip into the bath behind me. I leaned back into his arms, trying to keep the smile off my face.

‘Beth? I’ve done something really stupid, haven’t I?’

‘You really want me to answer that?’

‘No. It’s all your fault.’

‘Mine?’ I turned to face him. ‘How so?’

He looked at me sulkily. ‘Because if you weren’t so gorgeous and I wasn’t so totally in love with you-’

‘So in love with me you promise me to another man for the night?’

‘I only did that to stop him mooning and sighing over you all the way here.’

‘It’s not his fault, it’s this stupid bangle. I suppose I could ask Elrond, see if he knows how I can remove it. Legolas didn’t have a clue.’

‘Beth, how can you possibly love me when I’m such an idiot?’

‘Because you’re my idiot and you’re adorable and I love you, even if you do do ridiculous things.’

‘Like promising things that aren’t mine to promise?’

‘Exactly. Idiot.’

‘Gah! Let’s just hope Aragorn is reasonable. I don’t want to have to duel with him over this.’