The Green Dragon Inn - Part 8

[Imladris]

I sat numb after Iris's announcement to go to post office had assailed my ears, afterwich she had left in a might storm leaving me brimming with curiosity. I racked my brains trying to find the reason while Elentari sat quietly, thankfully not saying anything. Could Iris be sending a letter back home, telling her family not to worry about her? I paused as the suggestion, but then shook my head and threw it away: Iris didn't seem to be the caring sort of person. She had seemed annoyed about going, but that didn't really give any clues because she was annoyed about everything , and she was extremely terse about it, but that was nothing new either. A poisoned thought entered my mind, a malign whisper: she betrayed my secret once before, what if she would do it again and betray my refuge in this Inn to my trollish relatives. "That little orc!" I snapped, drumming my fingers violently on the table.

"What?" asked Elentari in surprise.

But then again, I could be wrong and she did seem to like me a little bit when I first met her. "Oh nothing," I muttered, stopping my drumming and reverting to a nervous jitter. "How is it outside, fair elf friend?" Inside was so...stuffy and caged, I thought.

"It is warm outside and the sun shines down from a clear sky. A soft wind rustles the branches of a nearby oak, squirrels are chattering and scamper among the leaves chasing acorns."

Her voice seemed to smile, and I grinned back. "Take me outside, please."

"Alright," she said gently, as I heard her slide her chair back, the legs skidding raucously across the wooden planks of the floor. I could feel the floor tremble beneath my bare feet, I could feel flutter cross the wood toward me and I could only guess that it was the light-footed Elentari.

With her gentle hands, she guided me out the door. The wind caught my hair and blew it into a brown cloud behind my head...I could feel his hands mold it into a flowing horse's mane behind my head. I smiled broadly and wondered what shapes he was sculpting with Elentari's hair. But he soon went away to chase the birds and smiles behind some other hill, I suppose.

"We're beside the tree," Elentari said softly.

Outstretching my hand, my fingers brushed the jagged barck. I traced the oak's deep ravines that scarred his surface. Standing on tiptoe, my hand encountered a jutting limp. Freeing my other arm from Elentari's clasp, I enrapped it about the limb and then curled my legs to my chest and swung softly, ignoring my protesting limbs that slowly pricked with sleep. I flashed a grin down to where I hope Elentari had stayed.

"You could probably climb the tree," she suggested.

Of course she didn't bother to tell me how to do it, but, after I pondered the logic of it, I realized that the way to climb a tree didn't change with one's eyesight.

I dropped my legs and heaved with my arms, my chin collided with the branch and my hands slipped a little bit, but I didn't fall. I lugged my leg upon the tree and slid my whole body onto the branch.

I rested upon the tree, much like a cat would. I smiled happily and felt Elentari spring beside me. A breeze tiptoed to us, whispering that life was good.