Gilwen
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There are times when silence has the loudest voice.[Mo0:0]
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Post by Gilwen on Apr 2, 2009 15:17:16 GMT -5
It had been a complete disaster; coming home to explain the exact events of the night to her mother, and later, her father after her mother's alternation of exclamations of joy and sorrow had woken him from his rest.
It had begun with the feeling of eyes on her as she and Faeldor had approached her house. Her mother, of course, had been anxiously waiting for her all evening wanting to see her daughter's face the second she walked through the door, and know in detail all that had transpired.
And the second she had walked through the front door, the servant heard hurried footsteps to enter the room, as if her mother had been in the back of the house the whole time.
"Gilwen, dear, how was your---" Niniel had begun, stopping short as she saw the front of her dress. "What happened, here?" And so it had started.
Of course, Gilwen had not entirely been honest, and had left off a few of the best points on either side. She had not, for instance, told her father and mother that she was called a harlot, and she left off Miriel's implications of the foot soldiers to save her father from disheartening. And the end of the evening had been left off altogether, though it was not entirely Gilwen's doing.
"Niniel, do give our daughter a rest. She has a long day of work ahead of her tomorrow." Her father had said calmly, and then had dismissed Gilwen to change into her nightdress.
"Beregar, I simply want to know---" Her mother's voice had begun sadly.
Her father had laughed lightly, and taken her back toward their bedroom. He must have whispered something to her, for Gilwen heard her mother make a happy exclamation, and then all of them had turned into their beds.
The time to rise had come quickly for Gilwen, and she routinely prepared herself to step out of the house and begin her walk to the seventh tier, to begin work in the palace. What she had seen when she stepped outside of her room, however, was far from routine.
There stood her mother, waiting expectantly in front of her door, smiling in a poorly cloaked desirous manner. "Good morning, dear!"
"Good morning, Mama." Gilwen replied curiously, giving her mother a kiss on the cheek. Her mother was normally in bed when she left, and her father would leave shortly after her. "What are you doing up at this hour?" She inquired delicately.
"Oh, I figured that I would walk you to work this morning. I was already awake." Niniel merely stated offhandedly, though her smile had grown all the larger. She turned to the door and began to walk forward. "Come on, then. We would not want you to be late!" She called over her shoulder.
Gilwen's jaw had dropped open, as she stood motionless following her mother with her eyes. Walk me to work? A sickening realization that she would have to recount last night once more, in greater detail almost caused the young woman to groan. Though she caught herself, hearing the footsteps of her father beside her.
She turned to him, and he was smiling at her laughingly. Beregar knew well the eccentricities of his beloved wife. It was then that Gilwen realized this had been her father's idea to begin with. The glint in her eye told Beregar that she had in fact figured it out, and he laughed and raised his hands in front of himself, trying to play innocent. "Papa!" She hissed in disbelief.
"Gilwen!" Her mother called merrily from the doorway, turning to her once more. She was motioning her daughter forward.
"Coming," she replied, giving one last look to her father as he kissed her cheek, and turned to follow her mother into the streets. The city was just coming out of its slumber, and so a few people had already begun crowding the stone road.
The same distance that Gilwen had been thankful for the previous night, when she was with Faeldor, could not have been short enough to be to her liking this morning. She glanced sideways at Niniel, whose face was beaming, and step was light. At least someone is excited about this, she thought blandly.
It was silent for a few moments, but Gilwen knew all too well that was not to last long. "So," her mother's voice began. "How did it turn out, dear?"
"How did what turn out?" Gilwen responded, trying to evade the question. It was all in vain, she knew. Though she now at least could not say she did not try.
"Last night, of course! With Faeldor!" Niniel's eyes were dancing happily. Gilwen responded with silence. Her mother did not have to know absolutely everything that had gone on between them. Though, Gilwen immediately regretted it. "Did he kiss you?" She asked tempestuously.
"Mama!" Gilwen hissed, her cheeks changing shades in a rather revealing manner. She received a few looks from the various neighbors that had emerged from their homes.
"Oh, he did!" Niniel clapped her hands in front of her, beaming.
Gilwen quickly tried to recover herself. There was no use in having the neighbors know her personal life, even if her mother did. She dreaded every step to the palace. Her mother was surely not going to relent now.
And she had not. Niniel, in fact, had not faltered for a moment on questions for her dear child, and her Gilwen desperately tried to avoid them. She was an adult, after all, and deserved a bit of privacy.
Finally they stood in front of the palace. Gilwen turned quickly to kiss her mother goodbye, but was surprised to see that she had no intention of leaving just yet. Niniel sauntered right past her daughter, calling out yet another question. "Does he work in that stable there?" She motioned to the stable that Gilwen and she had passed on the sixth tier.
"Yes, Mama, he does. It is the only stable the Steward has on the sixth tier." Gilwen replied flatly, closing her eyes and sighing heavily before continuing forward to join her mother.
"Oh, wonderful! You both work near each other!" Gilwen took a deep breath and rolled her eyes behind her mother for a moment. Of course we do, she thought. And her mother knew that the day Gilwen had told her how she had met him in the halls.
They stepped into the palace now, and Gilwen melded right into silence, though her mother was anything but. "Is this the hallway, then? Where you met him?"
Gilwen shot her a wide-eyed glance. Would the woman not cease? "No, Mama." She murmured softly.
"This one?"
"No, Mama."
"This one, then?"
"Yes, Mama. This one." Gilwen was entirely irritated by this point. She had not even known the extent of her mother's inquiries. Still, she could not be rude.
"Gilwen, the supervisor is looking for you. You have had a change in assignment," A young woman said quietly to her, and she nodded to show she understood.
"Where will I find her?"
"The kitchens. She was off there the last I saw." With that, the interaction ceased, and Gilwen altered course, her mother following behind.
"This is where Meleth works, yes?" Niniel finally inquired as they reached the door.
Gilwen almost froze in horror. Yes, yes this is where she works. Her face paled, she could feel it herself. Her mother was going to go seek the poor woman out. "Yes, though I am not sure if you shall find her. Besides, I must get to work." Gilwen replied aloud, not opening the kitchen doorway and turning to her mother instead.
"Oh, come now. It won't hurt to take a look," and Niniel breezed right by her and opened the door herself. There was no escaping now, and taking another deep breath, Gilwen reluctantly followed.
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Faeldor
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Do we walk in legends or on the green earth in the daylight?[Mo0:1]
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Post by Faeldor on Apr 2, 2009 17:01:15 GMT -5
“I left you in the morning, And in the morning glow, You walked a way beside me To make me sad to go. Do you know me in the gloaming, Gaunt and dusty grey with roaming? Are you dumb because you know me not, Or dumb because you know? All for me? And not a question For the faded flowers gay That could take me from beside you For the ages of a day? They are yours, and be the measure Of their worth for you to treasure, The measure of the little while That I've been long away.”
Escalating up and asunder like the bread now rising beneath the cloths in their pans, Meleth’s voice sang out, while her hands were a flurry of flour, sugar, and cinnamon. The rolls need be on the oven for breakfast, and here she was already rolling them into spirals and twists! The bakery was warm and sweet smelling, and the joy of having her own place of work and the ability to sing as she wished always rose Meleth’s spirits in the morning. The kitchen was a noisy and busy place, yet the pleasure in working there was in the people she worked with, and the bit of freedom that those within it’s walls held. Elsewhere in the palace, it was spotless and quiet.
But here Meleth was! She sung away, and for her busy morning work, her apron was already covered in flour, and her hair perhaps a bit disheveled from her bustling about. A streak of flour rested upon her forehead, where she had used her wrist to brush the hair back. As soon as she finished these rolls and placed them on the oven, she needed to stop and tie that hair back again, less it make its way into the Steward’s breakfast.
She finished her song, and began another, just singing for the sake of singing. She was in a good mood, surprisingly, after her disastrous dinner the night before. She thought she would be more upset; for goodness, of the two guests they had invited; one had gone home crying in the arms of her daughter, and another crying in the arms of her son. What a thing to happen! Of course, she was not so bitter over Rosiel’s fit as she has been over poor Gilwen’s tears. Though, when she had bid goodnight to the girl; both Gilwen and her son were smiling.
Perhaps her tongue may have slipped when she bid the girl goodnight, but she was joyous nonetheless. Her son, Faeldor, was a committed man, and would not even think of starting something without finishing. He had never held an interest in ladies before; only horses. In dismay, she thought he would end up marrying one of the four legged creatures, and delightful as they were (for she enjoyed horses as well) she was glad that his interests were swayed by another. She had not spoken to Faeldor on the matter, and had asked him no further questions of Gilwen, for she had seen enough the night before. As she, Faeldor, and Miriel walked together part way to their duties this morning, Faeldor was all smile and song, and she was content.
Breaking into the chorus of her song as her fingers rolled the dough, Meleth heard the door open, and looked to see who her visitor was.
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Gilwen
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There are times when silence has the loudest voice.[Mo0:0]
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Post by Gilwen on Apr 2, 2009 17:25:26 GMT -5
"Mama, please. You should not disturb her," Gilwen pleaded as her mother inquired to one of the kitchen staffs where the bakery was. She received a strange look, but the direction she needed nonetheless. Gilwen took an exasperated breath as she chased her, ducking out of the way of the busy cooks.
"I won't trouble her," Niniel replied as she continued to make her way to the bakery door, and finally rested her hand on the doorknob, stopping and putting the other hand against her daughter's cheek. "I merely want to meet her. That is all."
The door opened. And Gilwen's heart began to race, and her mind searched for the words that would make her mother halt in her tracks. Though, she could find no words at all. Though, if her mother had truly paid mind to her expression, she would have needed no words at all.
Niniel opened the door, letting the warm scents overcome her. The bakery smelt heavenly. She looked about the room, for the first time all morning, falling silent. One could tell a lot by another by simply seeing their workspace. And Niniel's heart grew all the lighter, pleased immensely with what she saw.
It was in a great state of order, though homey overall. The stove was hot and glowing, and so was the face of the woman working with the dough. What a kind face! Niniel smiled. A woman with such a face could be no other way than kind. Gilwen's hand reached for her sleeve, though without notice the woman stepped forward and into the bakery.
Gilwen's heart plummeted. Too late! She thought with a groan. If her mother grew too talkative, and surely this morning it would be no other way, Meleth was sure to see quite the brazen side of Niniel. She stepped in after her mother, wiping the look of distress from her face as much as she possibly could.
"Is this her, dear?" Niniel asked happily.
"Yes, Mama." Gilwen responded politely. Her cheeks were burning pink now. "Good morning, Meleth." She greeted the woman. She seemed happy enough, perhaps she could handle a bit of her mother before Gilwen sent her home. There was no way she would leave her here unattended. There was no way to tell what dear Niniel might offer as far as information goes, and she did not want Meleth to think her too bold, or perhaps too talkative with that she told her mother of she and her son's interactions.
"Oh, lovely!" Niniel exclaimed, beaming at the baker. "I was here this morning by chance," Gilwen looked at her with disbelief, "and I simply had to come make your acquaintance!" Niniel was sure to have offered the woman a handshake, though Meleth's hands were quite busy in their work.
Gilwen comforted herself in the fact that her mother would not linger too long, and also that Meleth was sure to be busy and eventually ask her to leave if she stayed about past her welcome. She would have to seek out her supervisor eventually---and that troubled Gilwen slightly. Could she leave her mother alone for even that long?
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Faeldor
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Do we walk in legends or on the green earth in the daylight?[Mo0:1]
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Post by Faeldor on Apr 2, 2009 18:42:08 GMT -5
Meleth was confused when the woman entered, for she had never seen her in the kitchens before, and she was not wearing the dress of anyone who worked in the palace. But after only a second, she saw dear Gilwen coming in behind her. Her perplexed look soon turned to a smile. Oh what a delight!
“Oh, sweet child! I am glad to see you again so soon! And this must be your mother. Niniel, is it?” Meleth was even cheerier now than she had been, for it did gladden her to see Gilwen in the bakery. She had been concerned for a time that Gilwen would wish to stay out of the kitchens, and not visit her here, for the sake of staying away from Miriel. But here she was now, and she had even brought her mother to meet her! What a kind gesture!
“Do come in now,” she invited Niniel and her daughter. “Forgive me for not greeting you properly, but I am quite covered in flour and dough, and these cinnamon rolls must make it to the oven or the Steward shall not have them with his breakfast.” She did leave her dough for the moment though, and stepped toward them to kiss Gilwen upon the cheek, and to smile at her mother.
“Here you are, Niniel, you might have a seat if you wish to stay. I had very well wished to meet you,” she motioned to one of her stools, but the stools were rarely sat in for Meleth’s work, and were beneath some large open bags of flour and sugar that she had been using. “Oh, just one moment,” she muttered to herself, bustling to move the bag of flour, and brush it off the seat. “I do so enjoy to have company while I work.”
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Gilwen
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There are times when silence has the loudest voice.[Mo0:0]
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Post by Gilwen on Apr 2, 2009 20:50:45 GMT -5
Meleth's face lit up, and it brought a small smile to Gilwen's own face. For who would not be utterly joyed in seeing such a glow from another? A quick glance at her mother told Gilwen she was equally as pleased to see that Meleth knew her name.
"Yes," Niniel responded, and glowed all the more when she and Gilwen were invited inside. "Oh it is no problem at all, I know you are a busy woman!" It was a merry statement, and Gilwen wanted to groan again. Her mother was now too far into the bakery to scoot her out in fair time.
Her sound was subdued and kept inside, for Meleth came to her and kissed her cheek. She smiled at the woman. Though as soon as Meleth offered Niniel a seat it was gone again. Meleth, now is not the time to be hospitable! Gilwen frantically stepped forward. "Mama, I really must be getting to work."
"Oh, that works out lovely, then!" Niniel exclaimed, clasping her hands together for right near the hundredth time that morning. "Meleth and I will have a chance to meet each other!"
Gilwen bit her bottom lip. That was precisely what she was afraid of. Her mother, though, seemed intent on staying; after telling Meleth thank you for moving the flour she promptly claimed the seat.
"Ah, Gilwen!"
Her supervisor. The servant would have sobbed at the poor timing if she had been alone. She turned and curtsied. "Yes, milady?"
"I am glad you found me, child. You are to help one of the other girls in the servants quarters. It does need to be tidied." The woman gave Niniel a confused glance, but then returned to Gilwen, who was simply standing there. "Get going, girl. Don't dawdle!"
"Yes, milady." Gilwen curtsied again, and glanced back over at her mother offering her a pleading look, before skirting around her supervisor and wandering off to the servant quarters. The feeling in the pit of her stomach was not going away, even with the look of reassurance her mother had given her as she had left.
The supervisor turned and left as well, leaving the two women alone in the bakery together. "From what my daughter says of you, you are one of the kindest people in the palace." Niniel began, straightening her skirt absently. "I want to thank you for being so gracious to her."
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Faeldor
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Post by Faeldor on Apr 2, 2009 21:55:20 GMT -5
One of the kindest in the palace? Gilwen surely was charming to say such a thing. Though, with the way Faeldor raved about his Gilwen, the girl must say some of the same things about Faeldor, and obviously about his own family.
“Well, she only deserves graciousness. You have raised a very lovely child,” Meleth commented, smiling, and going back to the folding of her dough. The rolls were almost quite ready to go in. She looked to the oven, a healthy orange glow coming from it. It seemed to be ready as well.
“It was indeed lovely to have her over last night, our family was glad to meet her finally, after all Faeldor has talked of the charming girl.” The woman’s smile did not leave her own face, though she wondered how much Niniel already knew of her family. Surely she knew of Miriel, for the bruise on Gilwen’s cheek was not hidden, and her parents would have demanded to know where it came from. Meleth was ashamed of her eldest daughter though.
“Was it you who taught her how to dance as such? Oh, you should have seen them dancing together…” Meleth looked up to the window at her last word, as if she were travelling back in her thoughts. Then she recalled her place and quickly finished rolling the cinnamon rolls, and got them ready to put in the oven.
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Gilwen
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There are times when silence has the loudest voice.[Mo0:0]
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Post by Gilwen on Apr 2, 2009 22:18:08 GMT -5
"Thank you, Meleth." Niniel responded, touched by the kind words. She had always tried to be the best parent she could possibly be for her daughter. She had always wanted more children, but it had not turned out that way. And she would not press it. Gilwen was her joy.
And it was this reason that the woman seemed to be keen on finding her daughter someone to make her happy as well. A shadow passed over her face for a moment, though she quickly dispelled it. This was something to be happy over, now that she had gotten this far!
"You have done a fine job raising such a charming son!" She laughed slightly. "He came to the door, and I was certain he would handle my Gilwen well." He had the manners of one of the Steward's own sons, it seemed. Someone who was born to be raised in the court. Quite princely, indeed.
"Dancing?" Niniel seemed intrigued, though answered her question first. "Yes, her father and I taught her to dance." She fell silent a moment, and shifted in her seat slightly, and finally leaned in. "How did they look, then?" Her voice was full of wonder. "I have not seen her dance with anyone but her father! It must have been quite the sight!"
She laughed lightly, trying to imagine them twirling about. She could not seem to get it just right though. She had, after all, only seen Faeldor once, and knew nothing of his dancing skills. Simply that he had a friendly smile, stunning eyes and the air of a true gentleman.
She wished she had been there to see him whisk her beautiful daughter about the floor. It had surely been a wonderful sight!
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Faeldor
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Do we walk in legends or on the green earth in the daylight?[Mo0:1]
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Post by Faeldor on Apr 2, 2009 23:16:43 GMT -5
“Oh, Faeldor is sure to handle her well. His father was so gentle, he certainly would only be the same. At least from what I’ve seen.” The woman smiled.
“But the dancing, it was the loveliest sight,” Meleth mused lovingly. “They took the floor, for certain, and everyone’s eyes. “Oh, they did a lovely saltarello. They were all over the room, and he lifted her up, and she twirled. Ever so delightful. I was blessed to see such a thing. Oh, the two of them, they do look fine together,” Meleth grinned girlishly for a moment, looking at Niniel, then lidded her baking plan and turned about to place it on top of the oven. It seemed almost immediately that the smell of sugar and cinnamon worked it’s way through the room.
It was absolutely wonderful to be speaking with Niniel, Meleth thought. It were as if the both shared the same thoughts on the matter, and both were quite excited. She had only known the lady for a few minutes, but it seemed that they would get alone well. They both had the best interests of their children in mind.
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Gilwen
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There are times when silence has the loudest voice.[Mo0:0]
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Post by Gilwen on Apr 2, 2009 23:34:43 GMT -5
Immediately, Niniel could hear Meleth's change in voice tone and it piqued her interest, to say the least. Gilwen, when recounting it last night and some this morning, had said nothing too detailed about it. Simply that the two had danced, and that Faeldor was quite talented in it.
She listened, her brown eyes sparkling and dancing from the happiness within her. It strengthened as she heard Meleth's few final words. "Yes, they are quite the pair, aren't they?" She paused a moment, and tilted her head as she caught the baker's girlish smile. It seemed like it was very similar to the one that she wore herself.
Perhaps, Niniel mused, I shall test the water before I jump in. She fell silent a moment and then added, "I think Gilwen thinks so, too. At home she prattles on and on about him."
It seemed innocent enough to say. Her daughter would always bring Faeldor up under their roof at least twice a night. And if she had fallen silent too long, she was thinking of him. Niniel thought it absolutely wonderful, and could remember feeling that way about Beregar when she as a young girl herself.
Perhaps that was what it was. She had seen the fate of it all the minute he had called her "Starlight". She could see where they were headed, and wanted so desperately for them to see it, too!
She already adored Meleth. In the short time she had found herself in her kitchen, Niniel was well aware that they would get along grandly. And it was for the best, she mused happily. Someday, they would be family---if this worked out the way she saw it.
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Faeldor
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Post by Faeldor on Apr 3, 2009 0:08:25 GMT -5
“Oh they are a good pair,” Meleth agreed. She was glad that Niniel agreed, for if the wife agreed, the husband surely would as well. And there would be no discord in the match. Well, save Miriel at least.
“At home she prattles on and on about him." “Really, now? Do tell me, what does she say of him? I should very much like to know,” Meleth smiled excitedly. A mother always loved to hear praises of her son. Her eldest son, oh Faeldor. What a wonderful boy he had become. He deserved an equally charming lady.
“And Faeldor, well…” Meleth started, and then came closer to Niniel as if she were sharing a secret. “He calls her his treasure. He sings songs of her… he says she has the sweetest eyes on this side of Arda. The boy is utterly taken by her. A mother would know.” She winked at Niniel, then continued, quietly.
“Oh, and you should have seen them… later in the evening when they were alone and I walked in… it was just adorable…” Meleth started, looking to make sure that Gilwen had shut the bakery door behind her.
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Gilwen
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There are times when silence has the loudest voice.[Mo0:0]
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Post by Gilwen on Apr 3, 2009 0:41:07 GMT -5
"Oh, almost everything." Niniel said excitedly. She felt like a young girl again, speaking secrets to her best friend. "That Faeldor has a smile that 'puts a light in her darkest day', that his laugh is like music, that his heart is greater than that of any man she has ever known. And..." Niniel laughed slightly before continuing. "That his hands make her feel more safe than she has ever felt before." Her daughter was surely smitten.
It seemed that her response had prompted Meleth to speak of what she heard at her own house. It thrilled her. His treasure? He called her his Starlight the evening previous at her home. She had been certain that that was the sweetest name to give her daughter. But to know that he called her a treasure....there was no way Niniel was wrong about them now.
“Oh, and you should have seen them… later in the evening when they were alone and I walked in… it was just adorable…”
This stopped Niniel altogether. For a moment, she was utterly frozen. Later in the evening? Gilwen had simply said that after the wine was spilled she had come home. Her face beamed. Clearly, that had not been the case! "Oh, Meleth! Since I did not see, do tell!"
How could her dear Gilwen leave such an important detail out of her account? Perhaps she had been too strained from the evening to remember correctly. Though, the look that Meleth had on her face seemed to say that it would have been completely unforgettable.
Gilwen had admitted, sort of, this morning that Faeldor had kissed her. Perhaps his mother saw that? Her heart seemed extremely light, and it quickened in anticipation to hear the events. If her own daughter would not tell her, Meleth surely would!
They seemed alike in mind, after all.
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Faeldor
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Post by Faeldor on Apr 3, 2009 17:36:07 GMT -5
"That Faeldor has a smile that 'puts a light in her darkest day', that his laugh is like music, that his heart is greater than that of any man she has ever known. And... That his hands make her feel more safe than she has ever felt before." Meleth beamed, to hear such words about her own son. “A light in her darkest day…” she repeated whimsically. “Oh, and Faeldor has said as such of her; ‘… the brightest star in the black of night…’ Oh, how precious they are together. I never could have dreamed him a better match.” Meleth thought on the words that had come from Gilwen’s own lips. She was such a lovely girl, and certainly deserving of her son. Meleth was secretly glad that her boy had not courted the women of the sixth tier. Most of them were very rich, yet plain, and demanding. Gilwen was sweet and gentle though. Perfect for him.
Meleth hoped that Niniel would inquire as to what she had seen. Of course, she would not have said such a thing to any other, for it to not be taken the wrong way, but Niniel was Gilwen’s very mother, and deserved to know such that she had witnessed.
“Oh, they were but sitting in the chair by the fireplace, and she was upon his lap; and they were just holding each other so tenderly. Oh to be so in love again,” Meleth smiled to herself, remembering her own days of love and courtship. How she did miss her husband, but she saw him in Faeldor more and more every day, and witnessing such a tender moment in her son’s life made her ever so joyous.
She leaned close to Niniel across the floury countertop where she worked. “She did have her head upon his shoulder, and his hands were in her hair. And they were as such for nearly two hours!” Meleth exclaimed in a whisper. “I finally had to disrupt them to send my other children through and off to bed, otherwise they surely would have stayed as such all the night.”
Such it was in a large family; one never had a moment of privacy, even when they thought they might have a bit of it. Someone was always coming or going, walking past or inquiring. Meleth always knew in some way of the doings of all her children, which was a prized trait of any mother. She did not mean to pry, nor relate news of gossip. But Niniel would understand without taking it as such. And Meleth’s joy was overflowing! Who else was she to speak of it with? Her husband was not there to rejoice with her, and Niniel must have entered her life and her bakery for a reason.
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Gilwen
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Post by Gilwen on Apr 3, 2009 18:43:10 GMT -5
"Nor I for her. Your Faeldor would never do her harm!" Niniel squealed in response. Such a compliment to her daughter! If even the mother of her daughter's love thought so well of her, surely nothing horrible would come of it. If there was anybody that Niniel would have thought unworthy of her daughter, surely she would have said so and let her mind be known. If Meleth adored her Gilwen as much as she adored her Faeldor, then there would be no mistaking the sheer brilliance of the match. What joy to a mother's heart!
Faeldor would certainly care for her child. Because of this, above all other things, Niniel was ecstatic. Every woman deserved to find the man that would treat her like a queen, even if she was a poorly servant. A star in his darkest night... Niniel mused, cherishing the dear words even her daughter had not heard.
Then, much to Niniel's glee, Meleth spoke on the display of the evening that her Gilwen had ever so kindly evaded in their own conversing. As soon as she heard the first description of it, her hand touched her own cheek, as she smiled profusely. No, there was no way her daughter had simply forgotten of this. And it was not all the information Meleth offered! By the end of it, Niniel was surely to burst through her skin in sheer rapture.
"Her head upon his shoulder? What a sight that must have been," it was half laughed in love, and there was no mistake on how her mother felt on the matter. "Stayed as such all the night," she repeated in a soft whisper. Oh, what a pleasant thing! To know that she could rest easy for her daughter's sake, and worry no longer if she would find a suitor spending all her waking hours scrubbing floors.
"And to think," she mused aloud, "they met here in this very palace!" It was all very exciting. She had been worried that by secluding herself in a workforce that was predominantly female, she would never happen along a nice young man that would steal her heart. What Gilwen had lost in time waiting to find him, she was quickly gaining in the swiftness he had taken her heart!
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Faeldor
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Do we walk in legends or on the green earth in the daylight?[Mo0:1]
Posts: 556
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Post by Faeldor on Apr 3, 2009 19:51:47 GMT -5
“Yes, in the very hall. It was the very day they met that Faeldor brought the girl in here for some of my baking. I thought she so timid at first, but she spoke of her love for horses, and he invited her riding. And when my boy did kiss her hand, she blushed and swept herself away so quickly. But even that very night when Faeldor returned, I knew in my heart that they would be such together. My boy, he has never had eyes for a girl before; nor held another in such high esteem. I do know that this will work out quite nice. “
“I am ever so glad that Faeldor’s hungry stomach brings him here in the day. And how might I ever known this would happen? Gilwen has worked here since she was a child. I have seen her about often the past ten years, and even then I never considered such that she should be with my son. If only we had introduced them sooner,” Meleth thought out loud. “But certainly I am glad in my heart, for through the years, I see Gilwen to be an honest and hard working girl. It reassures me greatly, and I need not have a mother’s worries even in the least, for I have already seen her character.”
“There are such good prospects in store for the future.” Meleth was still leaning against her counter, but then recalled that she should be working. “Oh, do please forgive me, I must keep busy while we chat.” The woman laughed slightly, standing up again, and beginning to clean off her counter quickly before beginning her next project.
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Gilwen
Man
servant
There are times when silence has the loudest voice.[Mo0:0]
Posts: 593
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Post by Gilwen on Apr 3, 2009 20:25:04 GMT -5
Niniel nodded thoughtfully with a smile. "Gilwen has always been embarrassed by her hands," the words sounded slightly less happy than all of her previous prattles. "She has been working here so long!" She sighed and looked to Meleth. "I remember when she had come home from her first day of laundry duty. She was so distraught over how chapped her little hands had become in one day! She was nearly in tears." She paused here and looked up to Meleth with a wider smile. "She was so pleased about that lotion you gave her---it was the very first thing she showed her father and I."
As soon as she had finished explaining about the dress, in fact, Gilwen had presented the jar to her mother for her to see. It was almost as if the girl wished to counteract the bad with the good. The dress. It saddened Niniel that the gift she had bought for her daughter had been ruined on the first night, in a mother's dear opinion, it had been useful toward her daughter's well being. Though, it had been an accident.
"Oh, my daughter told me of your littlest one, and the accident with the wine," Niniel began. "I do hope she is not still so upset over it. It was an accident---nobody was to blame." She could not recall the sweet little name that had gone with the dear little girl Gilwen had told them about last night.
"I am afraid I do not know much of your family, Meleth." She laughed slightly. "I do know the most about your Faeldor, though." She would very much like to get to know the woman. She was certainly someone that Niniel could see herself befriending. It wouldn't take long---here they were, already speaking to each other as if they were long-time confidantes. "Why not tell me more about yourselves? It would be so nice to hear of it!"
Perhaps part of it was that Niniel desperately wanted to know how having a large family felt. Though in truth, the biggest reason was so that Niniel might discover more of the family that, with more and more conversation, seemed to be guaranteed to combine with her own.
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