All Who Wander Are Not Lost

Chapter 4

"Thennil!" He cried in alarm. Could she have fallen from the path? Even the most sure-footed horse could loose their footing and slip over the side, though it rarely happened, if ever. Slowing his ride down to a slow trot he scanned the raven for any sign of her among the trees."Thennil!"

A snicker from his right caught him off guard as a flash of grey and copper shot past him, galloping at full speed towards the courtyard ahead. His sister streaked forward on her mount, laughter bubbling out of her like a brook. Growling, he nudged Belroch into a gallop in effort to reach his sister before she entered the yard. Leaning low over his rides neck he whispered encouraging words into the horses ear, watching as they caught up to his sister.

Bursting through the gates, she pulled her steed to a stop, watching as her younger brother came careening in a few seconds after in amusement. He was so gullible sometimes, still young. Swinging her leg over the head of Talagor, she hopped gracefully to the ground before being caught in her father's arms. Drawing him close she relished his warmth and security, it had been a long three month trip from the Greenwood to Lothlorien.

Withdrawing, she looked up into his eyes and smiled,"Ada, how are you? Has the-

"I am fine. But your mother would like to see all of you."

"Is she not well!"Elladan and Elrohir gasped worriedly in the same breath.

"Nay, she just misses her children," their father reassured them,"You can have the time to clean yourselves up, then meet me outside our bedroom. I don't know if she sleeps or not. After that you may tell me of your trip and what transpired."

The trio nodded and hurried into the house eager to shed their smelly clothes and wash the stains of travel from their bodies.

Upon reaching her own room, Thennil tossed her cloak onto a chair in the corner and began to strip down. She threw all her dirty things in a pile as she entered the bathing room, and throwing all decorum to the wind ran and jumped into the large spring fed pool that greeted her.

Splashing around in the hot water she lay there floating while tracing the vine patterns on the ceiling with her eyes. She breathed in the moist sticky air, relaxing like she had not been able to do in months. Even among her grandmother's kin she had not been able to settle down, always thinking of her home, her parents, her friends, sparring with Glorfindel and the like. Kicking over to the side of the pool she sorted through her many hair oils and soaps, choosing a rose and lavender concoction to use. Pouring it into her hand she scrubbed her hair thoroughly, leaving no piece unturned.

After having carefully washed herself of the grime of the road, she climbed from the pool. Snatching a towel from the stack on the table, she wrapped the soft cloth around her body and crept silently into her room. Standing before her wardrobe she wondered what to wear. In the front of her closet hung many tunics, pairs of trousers, leather jerkins, and long tunics of her own creation. Pushed to the back were dresses of every color, red, navy, gold, forest green, silver, and many more; all had the long draping sleeves and elegant yet bothersome a-line skirts that drug along the ground. Nudging aside the other clothes she snatched one of the dresses from the hanger and hastily donned the magnificent creation of teal along with all the necessary undergarments.

Tugging at the collar of the dress she huffed,"This is why I wear tunics, they are so much more convenient and don't cause a hassle to put on!"

Still tugging and pulling at the dress, she exited her room and hurried along to hallway to join her brother's at their parents door.

Seeing her mother laying propped up on pillows, but with a radiant smile on her face reminded Thennil of another birth that had happened years before. She smiled softly, walking noiselessly up to the bed and taking her mother's hand in hers. Her mother exchanged a knowing look with her before turning to her two eager sons with a bright smile. They chatted for many long minutes while she waited for the twins to finally realize that something was different with their mother. It was Elrohir who spoke first after letting his brother run his mouth, having been able to sit back and observe the scene with silent silent grey eyes.