Oh Maeve, I think I said it often and perhaps not often enough.. you have a beautiful balance of pacing in this vignette (and the other two I've already read), a dance almost. What I read here is a dance of desperation and regret. How does she last? How does she tolerate living like this? She simply must, somehow. Again this is another marbel of your fabulous Numenore !verse, thanks so much for sharing.

A hard fate! You describe it well: her pride and how it wears down.