How did it come to this?
Loyal to her family, her lands and her people, Théadain, the illegitimate daughter of Théoden, King of Rohan, has little concern for the world that lies beyond her familiar grasslands. When all that she loves is threatened...
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Chapter 26
At the sound of the branch snapping, her body jerked from relaxation to readiness, sinking lower into the water as her hand snaked to the pile of clothes behind her to grip her dagger. If something unfriendly approached, she could perhaps hide under the surface of the water until it passed – but her clothes would be seen. Gritting her teeth at the thought of being attacked naked and vulnerable, she pushed herself up to try and catch a glimpse of whatever was approaching, her free hand reaching for her cloak to cover her chest.
"Aragorn?" She spluttered as she recognised his familiar form standing with his back to her, a short distance away beneath the trees, "Gods above- don't sneak up on me like that!"
"Théa?" He breathed, his voice filled with relief as he turned, and then swiftly turned away again with a soft choked sound as he caught a glimpse of her bare shoulders over the edge of the stone she leaned on. "I- Forgive me, Legolas said you had wandered off and I-"
"Thought I needed protecting?" She raised an eyebrow, releasing her dagger and sinking down into the water.
"Thought you shouldn't be alone." He clarified, his shoulders hunching with discomfort as he focused on the tree in front of him.
She sighed as she watched him, her fingers moving to run through her wet hair, "For goodness sake Aragorn turn around, it's only me. I'm not that dreadful to look at. A body is a body, not some terrible secret."
Reluctantly he turned, and she laughed as she saw his eyes trying to settle anywhere but on her, "Or make it even, join me." She shrugged, kicking off from the edge with her feet and swimming back into the centre of the pool, "You said I shouldn't be alone, come and keep me company. I won't look." She smiled and turned to look out into the woods on the other side of the pool, tipping her head back to rinse her hair in the cool water as she waited for him to say something. She was not embarrassed to be seen, she was far too practical to believe that it was the end of the world for another being to see her body. Not that she thought it was anything special anyway, legs and arms and all of the necessary parts, it was a vessel for who she was, not the sole focus of her identity nor her value.
She smiled to herself at the soft splash behind her, the ripples caused by him entering the pool reaching her shoulders and making her shiver at the chill of the water. She listened as he wordlessly began to wash himself, the sound of his hands scooping the water onto his body drowning out the sound of the waterfall. Cautiously, she glanced over her shoulder, laughing softly as he met her gaze; "I know- I said I wouldn't look." She grinned, swimming back a little until she was in her depth, letting her feet follow the slope of the ground until her back met the stone edge, not far from where he stood. Slowly she resumed washing herself, closing her eyes to scrub water over her face as they lapsed into the easy silence they had come to enjoy sharing. There was a certain vulnerability, she felt, in standing so close to him, sharing something as personal and intimate as bathing, yet saying nothing, not acknowledging that the water that lapped at her collarbone did little to conceal her submerged body, or that it would only take a few steps for her to be able to touch his.
