“Dance with me?”

Gwyndir looked away from the bowls of frosting he was tinting. One light blue, one pink, one purple, one moss, and one navy. “Who will play for us?”

“Do we need music?” Eledu dipped his finger into the purple frosting to taste it. “Wait, solution. I can hum.”

Gwyndir smiled as he wiped his hands on his apron and stepped away from the table. “That would be nice, but you are right. We need no music.” He took the hand that Eledu offered as he stood up.

“No music,” whispered Eledu. “Just the rhythm of your heartbeat.”

“What’s my favorite color?”

“Navy blue,” answered Eledu. He was lying on the picnic blanket, head resting on Gwyndir’s knee as their daughter quizzed him.

“And… what’s my favorite animal?”

“Squirrel,” answered Eledu without blinking an eye.

“What about…” Fauneth narrowed her eyes in deep concentration. “What about your favorite animal?”

“You tell me,” he challenged as Gwyndir stroked his forehead.

“Kitties?”

Eledu shook his head slowly. “Nope.”

“Puppies?”

“Wrong again.”

“Tell me!” Fauneth teasingly tickled at her father’s feet. He flinched and chuckled.

“Deer, my little deer! Because I love my little Fawn and my Gwyn-deer most of all.”

Eledu awoke fully from the peck on his cheek. “Going out for a bit. Be back soon,” whispered Gwyndir to keep from waking up Fauneth.

“Where?” Eledu sat up in bed, reaching down to retrieve his pants from the previous day.

“Just to the well for water,” said Gwyndir. “You can sleep in,” he offered.

“Walking?” The pants were on, and now Eledu was looking for boots.

Gwyndir nodded.

“I can come along.”

“I can manage.”

“I hate walking alone.”Eledu paused to run a hand through his dark, cropped hair. “Don’t you?”

Gwyndir smiled and invitingly held out his hand.

“Alright, but, imagine if the sun rose in the West instead!” It was rare that Ellonur and Eledu shared a meal together without others. As usual, Ellonur was excitedly dominating the conversation, stealing nibbles from Eledu’s dinner.

“But it cannot.”

“Why not?” Ellonur rescued some cheese from Eledu’s plate. “What if the Maiar got bored? I would certainly get bored circling the same place over and over! It could happen,” he warned, waving one of Eledu’s own chicken legs at him. “And then we would know the way home!”

“Clearly, it would be a blessing,” decided Eledu with a smile.

“Bainith.”

Ellonur and Bainith were readying to leave Lothlorien, giving Gwyndir and Eledu a few days more to spend. Bainith pulled his reins back to where the pair were standing below the talan. Eledu scuffed his foot on the ground. “Haldir gave me the armor; the set you made.”

“Do you like it?” Bainith asked nervously.

“It is magnificent,” answered Eledu. “But.. meant for a Galadhel. It should be yours.”

“You honor me by wearing it, father.”

Eledu held his emotions in check until Bainith rode away. “He never called me that,” he whispered to Gwyndir. “Never to me before.”