Her Resurrection

chapter 14

The next day, I nearly balked from the room like a scared rabbit when Gondien walked in and announced he was taking over the dance lessons instead of the twins.  Arwen relented after a few moments of confused questions, while I sat rigidly in my chair and desperately tried not to faint.  What is he doing here, I wondered. She seemed to not notice my frantic looks in her direction when she brought me towards him into the center of the room.  

"I suppose If you don't mind being here, then it's alright with me," Arwen replied slowly.  "But what will those brothers of mine not do to get out of dancing," she mumbled.  

My gaze landed on his broad chest, and I nervously bit my lip as my gaze dragged upwards.  I was not surprised to find that he was already looking at me, for I could feel his gaze burning into me ever since he entered the room.  When I met his eyes, they crinkled slightly at the corners and he dipped his head in greeting. "Lady Esther, it is a pleasure to see you this afternoon," he murmured.  

Arwen was busy speaking with the lutist in the corner.  We were, in some regard, alone in the room at the moment. "What are you doing here?" I whispered.

He cocked one eyebrow in mock surprise and leaned forward conspiratorily.  "I would think it obvious.  I am here to be your dancing partner."

Glancing back at Arwen to make sure she was still not paying us any attention, I jabbed my finger into his chest and replied, "I know that! But what I want to know is why?"

He reached up and softly took my hand in his own, only taking his eyes away from me for a moment to observe the pair in the corner. I tried to rip my hand away, but his grip tightened. "The twins had other pressing matters to attend to. They asked me to take their place and I agreed."

"But you didn't have to.  There are others that could have done this."

He opened his mouth to reply but Arwen interrupted. "Now, let's begin."  

For the next hour, I was busy trying not to step on Gondien's toes while simultaneously trying not to wrench away from his grasp. The entire time he remained as stoic as always, only sending me an amused look when Arwen was not looking. Most of the dances were much like the medieval dances I had read about from my past world, but during the last dance she taught me, my hands were itching to strangle her.

"Esther, stand a little closer to him. He won't bite!" She was clearly exasperated with me, but she did not know the turbulent emotions and thoughts running through my mind for the entire last hour.

"I  might, though," I grumbled in English. Reluctantly I stepped an inch closer and concentrated on the stitching on his tunic instead of his eyes.  Thankfully this dance was much like a waltz, which seemed a bit odd to me since it was much more intimate than the other dances.  I already knew a bit of the steps and movements required, except for the slight differences the Elves had incorporated.  On the other hand, I was sincerely regretting agreeing to this.  His hand around my waist was nearly burning through the thick velvet of my dress and was not helping my poor racing heart one bit.  I wondered if it were possible to die from the proximity of a dancing partner.  

The entire time I felt his burning gaze on my face as Arwen walked me through the last dance, but all I could think of was the tingling he had left on my lips.  When the last chord was strummed, I jerked away from his touch with a sigh of relief.  "Is that it?" I asked Arwen.

"I believe that's enough for today," she replied. "But don't forget to meet back here tomorrow at the same time!" 

I barely heard her as I rushed out of the room and away from his scorching eyes, only stopping once I shut my bedroom door.  My head thumped painfully against the hardwood as I leaned back against it and took in a shaky breath.  What was that?  I wondered. In all of my twenty-one years, I had never had such an intense encounter with someone of the opposite gender.  Every time I looked him in the eye, he was always looking back with such an intensity that it nearly stole my breath each and every time. There was something in his gaze that left me nearly paralyzed, and I was much too afraid to read into it.