Moving On

Chapter 2

Samantha's eyes flickered open and they settled on the unfamiliar ceiling. This wasn't a dream. She sat up in bed and looked around the room. The room Elrond had let her stay in for the time being. She had hoped that when she woke up, she would be back home and in her own bed. 'I really am in Middle Earth,' she thought to herself. It was still so hard to believe.

After several minutes of being alone with her thoughts, there was a knock on the door. "Yes?" She called out, not knowing who would be knocking.

The door opened and Penneth entered. An elf of extraordinary beauty, as they all were. Her hair was a lovely chestnut brown and her eyes were like honey. She gave the human a gentle smile, "Good morning, Samantha. I hope I did not wake you."

Samantha held up a hand and smiled in return, "Oh, no! You're fine, I was already up actually."

Penneth smiled at the human girl, "I am here to help you prepare for the day. I have drawn a bath for you and require your measurements for a gown. I will also have your clothes sent off to be washed."

She looked down at her clothing and realized that these clothes were all she had left of her home. She supposed it was alright for them to be washed, as long as she got them back. She also thought about the bath. A bath sounded unbelievably nice after the night she had wandering through the woods. But having help? She wasn't a child...

Samantha nodded and Penneth lead her through a few halls to a bathroom of sorts. Penneth motioned to the tub and looked at Samantha expectantly. An awkward silence soon fell over them and Samantha quietly asked, "Umm... do you mind turning around?"

Penneth smiled in understanding and nodded. She turned to give the girl some privacy. Once Samantha knew she couldn't see her, she stripped off her clothing and hopped into the tub. The water was slightly warm and there were some bubbles. 'Elves are fancy,' she thought. She had expected just plain water, but this water smelled of lavender. "Alright, I'm good. Thanks."

The elf turned back around and reached for a bar of soap to lather her hands before scrubbing Samantha's hair. Samantha could tell she had done this many times before. She was skilled and maybe it was just because of her own lack of physical contact, but it felt so refreshing to have this. This touch was like going to a salon, only better.

Once Penneth was satisfied with her work she wrung our her short red hair and handed Samantha a different bar of soap for her body before turning and giving her a little more privacy.

Samantha began to scrub herself. She had a feeling that Penneth had no issues at all with nudity, though for her it was a little embarrassing to be seen undressed by someone so lovely. Once Samantha said she was done Penneth gave Samantha a bucket of clean water to rinse and a thin robe before turning back around. She stood and dumped the bucket over herself before wringing her hair and using her hands to squeegee off most of the water. When she put the robe on, it was a little too thin for her liking but it would do. It was decent enough to go back to her room in.

When given the go ahead, Penneth turned around and looked her up and down with a little surprise. "Oh my, I was told you were barely a young-ling, though I see now you are much more mature. May I ask how many years you have lived?" Penneth had Samantha hold her arms out in a T formation so she could take her measurements.

Samantha thought for a second, how young did they think she was? It was true her hoodie had hidden all of her curves, and she had always looked young for her age. When she was 16 she had been mistaken for a 12 year old, and she had also worn baggy clothing at the time. She also hated to wear makeup. When she wore clothing that was actually her size or just a little too small you could see the natural curves of her body that screamed yes, she is indeed a woman. "I'm 20. I have a baby face, so I'm not surprised you thought I was young. Happens all the time, really."