Forever Immortal

CH 7: A Road Trip

A week had passed when she received a message from Thranduil saying that the scouts had been patrolling the area between the palace and her homeplace and had no evidence that orcs had been in the vicinity, nor had anyone in the surrounding towns reported any sightings, so they could make the trip. He said they would be leaving the day after tomorrow.

They? she thought. Will he also be going? She thought about going to his office, but changed her mind and supposed she would find out at dinner.

When Nuella came in later, she helped her put a few things together for the trip. Since she knew Roland was off today, she suggested that Nuella take some time off to visit with him. As Roland had been promoted to patrol, Nuella was glad to have some time to spend with him as he had been gone most of the week and would be away again as he had been assigned as a scout for Rowan's homecoming trip.

Rowan decided to pass the hours until dinner in the sewing circle since she hadn't been to one in a few weeks. In addition to making new clothes and mending worn clothing, the elves recycled clothing, sheets, towels, and other fabrics as they could. As a result, there was a healthy collection of lightly worn clothing in every possible size--in fact--Rowan had picked out several everyday outfits from the "closet," and any piece of fabric that that was not usable for clothing was cut up, basted, and used for cleaning rags, medical bandages, and even elfling nappies.

The circle had already started when she got there and a lively discussion about having sex before marriage was in full swing when she took a seat at the mending table.

One older elleth was talking about premarital sex: "Well, no, I don't think it's right for an elleth to have sex before marriage, but if she and her beau are planning an engagement, I think it's ok. As long as she doesn't get engaged to a different ellon every week or so." Everyone in the room had a good laugh at that.

"The same goes for hand-clasping," added Emelial. In elven culture if both parties agree, they can pledge themselves to each other and perform a hand clasping in private without witnesses or a ceremony. They simply have to inform their tribe, and its scribe, that they are now husband and wife. And that's for life--even if one of them departs Arda (earth) before the other.

"But don't you think there's a lot of engagements and hand clasping going on without being reported to the scribe?" Rowan asked.

"I would assume so," said Emelia. "But probably not as much as one would think."

"And how does an elleth keep from getting pregnant?" Rowan had a lot of questions, as her father never talked to her about these things. All she got was some confusing discussion about birds and bees from Sadie, their female caretaker. Then one day Sadie got her up out of bed early to come watch the bull tupping one of the cows over by the barn. "See, hun, they's making a baby," Sadie told her.

"But that's not birds and bees, Sadie," she complained. From living in the country around animals, Rowan finally solved that piece of the puzzle on her own. She still hadn't figured out how elves could have sex without making an elfling.

Sorcha provided the needed information: "Well, Rowan, one way is not to have sex. Another way is for the ellon to pull out his sex before he expresses his seed. And yet another way is the rhythm method."

"What is the rhythm method? Does the couple choose a song and have sex to its rhythm?"

The laughter and whooping and hollering was thunderous. Two of the older elleths even peed themselves a little. And they were still laughing!

Rowan turned so red she felt as if her face was going to melt.

"No, hun," Sorcha said when she finally composed herself. "Elleths are more fertile on certain days before their monthly business so you refrain from having sex during that time. If your monthly business isn't regular, it's not a good method, but then withdrawal isn't foolproof either."