The Untrodden Path by Cirth

Chapter 3

Betas: Zopyrus and Ugly Duchess.

Chapter Three

The pungent aroma of broiling rabbit meat assails my nostrils; fat spits and crackles and drips onto the ground. Here in the low hills at night, the sounds are painfully sharp. As I work a bite off my piece of buttered bread, Makalaurë sits down behind me on the damp turf and presses his back against mine. Moments pass. I cannot hear him breathe.

At length he asks softly, "Do you regret this?" His tone is tinged with concern. I turn my head and find he is looking at me, searching my gaze once more, the way he did in my chamber. His back is warm and firm and stained with sweat; so is mine.

I turn back, let my eyes sweep over the rippling hills, which are wrapped in the deep blue of the evening. I am a little afraid; I have never before lived in the wilds. My fingers fumble blindly for his, clasp them in a clammy hold, and he tenses for a moment, but presently squeezes my hand. The fear is subsiding, beginning to mingle with thrill. I whisper, "No."

When I look at him again, his eyes are brighter than the stars.

- finis -