[Elora]

An incongruous sight they must have been, kneeling in the straw and pressed dirt of the stable beneath the bundled herbs that hung from an overhead beam. It was as though they had fallen from that present into a golden ray of afternoon sunlight. Falowik's lips brushed against her fingers lightly and her eyes drifted shut at the sensation as he spoke.

When they opened again, Falowik found them filled with many things that words could not give shape to. She made no move to withdraw her hand. Instead, Uien leaned closer. The fingers of her other hand trailed along Falowik's jaw. A heart such as his is beyond servitude, she thought.

"If you would serve, then serve your heart, my love. For from it comes that which sets you apart to shine as you do. Trust to it, for I do." Her voice was a murmur. Her hand fell to press over his chest, over his heart. She could feel its living beat through her fingers and palm. Uien smiled gently at that.

"Your heart do I serve, such is my choice Falowik Laurëatan." The words seemed to well up from within her as her thoughts spiralled with her spirit. She wondered if he knew how near she was to pulling him into her arms before the night parted them once more for a time. Perhaps he does.