Her Resurrection

chapter 9

The day flew by, and before I realized it, supper was nearly over. Instead of eating the delicious food, I pushed it around my plate, too uneasy to eat with the upcoming walk with Gondien. I had not mentioned it to any of my family, and I wondered what they would think of it. Was I correct in my assumption it was like a date?

Through my muddled thoughts, I vaguely heard the others as they cheerfully discussed the days events. I nodded and smiled in the right places, and answered any questions directed at me. It was all done half-heartedly, and they seemed to notice my quietness but made no mention of it. Supper creeped by slowly. Every agonizing minute I would glance towards the door in anticipation, then return my gaze to my plate. Soon enough, the others rose from their seats, signaling the end of the meal. Following slowly on shaky legs, I quietly excused myself and walked as quickly as I could out of the room. Their eyes followed me curiously.

I walked down the dark hallway, not knowing where to go or where to expect to meet Gondien. I turned a corner and nearly jumped ten feet in the air when a heavy hand landed on my shoulder.

"My lady?"

I stifled a scream and whirled around to come face to chest with an Ellon.

Why does everyone have to be so much taller than me here?

My gaze roamed up the expanse of the wide chest covered in a dark green silk tunic, tracing the gold embroidered leaves and vines up the front panel, before finally meeting his gaze.

"Good evening, Captain," I squeaked out before clearing my throat.

Slight amusement flashed in his eyes before they were quickly schooled back to their usual emotionless shield. 

"Good evening," he replied. His voice struck me as it always did: deep and completely different from the other Elves I had met so far. Everyone here seemed to have a tenor or slightly lower voice, but his seemed to rumble straight from the depths of his chest. I had always been a sucker for a deep voice, and his was no different. The few times I had heard him speak nearly sent my knees into a puddle on the floor.

I wonder what he would sound like singing!?

I inwardly sighed and mustered up a small smile. "I guess you were looking for me."

"Yes, would you care to walk with me now?"

I merely nodded and smiled bashfully at him. He offered his arm to me, as I had found was the fashion here when escorting a woman anywhere, and I placed my hand lightly through the crook of his elbow. He led me quietly down the dim hallway out into one of the many gardens on the grounds. The night breeze was cool and refreshing on my warm cheeks, but I soon realized the chiffon dress I wore was a bit light for the cooling nights. It was probably one of my more favorite dresses. I usually saved it for the evening meals with the family. It hung loosely around my legs, but the higher it went the more fitted it became. The sleeves were flowing strips of cloth ending at my elbows, and the neckline scooped widely around my neck. The color was a soft champagne, enough to make my honey colored hair seem to glow and my pink complexion complimented it beautifully. I was never one to say I was beautiful, but in this dress I felt beautiful. Maybe I had worn it to only give myself a little more confidence around the unearthly beauty of the captain.

The garden was lovely, as were the other gardens in the beautiful valley. No flowers bloomed, for the air was becoming colder as time went by, signaling the closeness of autumn. The one thing that seemed to never change was the constant sound of trickling water. Whether it may be a slow moving creek, a small waterfall, or the fountains, there always seemed to be an abundance of moving water to be found. We walked silently around the grounds, moving across the small stone paths and in between hedge trails. He had not said a word, merely strolled beside me, tall and straight as an oak tree. I looked for anything to talk about, but my tongue seemed frozen to the roof of my mouth.