The watchful eyes of the lone sentry found her as soon as she stepped out from the shadows of the trees, but he only nodded, eyes flicking to the stitched mark of her company on her arm, and gestured for her to pass.
As she moved closer, one corner of his mouth lifted in a wry smile, and he remarked: “You're getting sloppy, Cae. Saw you coming from miles away.”
Caethel blushed, but smiled ruefully, recognising the truth of his statement. “There are not as many trees in the valley... I am out of practice.” Eyes drifting back to his watch, the sentry shrugged.
“Perhaps you'd better stay a few days and practice with us then!”
Smiling wistfully at the thought, Caethel moved past him into the small camp, approaching the scouts gathered around its centre, and making for one pair who sat slightly apart.
At her approach, Erion looked up and gave a wide grin, nudging Merilindis to look, with the remark: “Uh-oh, here comes noisy Cae! I hope someone's on watch - everything for miles around will hear us now.”
Caethel grimaced at him, and he pulled an appalling face back that had Merilindis pushing him away from her, exclaiming in distaste. Good-humoured as ever, he raised his hands in surrender and moved to sit opposite the fallen log where Merilindis was perched, giving up his space to Caethel, who settled down shoulder to shoulder with her friend, smiling in delight.
Erion reached into his pack and pulled out a neatly-wrapped package of lembas, tossing it to Caethel. In their own, more familiar Silvan tongue, he spoke: “Here, a taste of home. I bet they don't feed you properly in Imladris - all that fancy food.”
Caethel peeled back the wrapping to reveal a corner of the waybread, baked with the unique herbs favoured in their own corner of the Greenwood, and smiled. Revelling in the chance to speak the tongue that still came more quickly to her, even after so many months in Rivendell, she responded “Don't you need it? We have rations of our own, you know!”
Erion shrugged. “We brought extra. The captain thought that the only way we'd get anything decent to eat down here was if we brought it ourselves. You know what he's like.” Caethel nodded, wrapping the bread back up and tucking it away in a pocket of her cloak with a grateful smile at Erion, who winked back. “Food aside,” Merilindis interrupted, nudging Caethel with her shoulder to get her attention, “What is it like there? Is it as grand as you thought it would be? Your letters don't say much.”
“It's grander,” Caethel responded with a rueful sigh. “But it's very pretty - there are waterfalls everywhere, and they have all these little stone pavilions scattered about.”
“What are the parties like?” Erion interjected. “Lots of elaborate dancing and beautiful music, I suppose? They must be something to see!”
Caethel blushed, and Merilindis laughed, putting an arm around her shoulders and squeezing her gently. “Be fair, Erion, she's only been there a few months. Give it another decade or so before you ask her to dare a party!”
Before Caethel could defend herself, her former captain appeared, looking around the trio with an absent-minded air. He addressed them in his usual firm tones.
“Erion, go and join the watch, will you? I want everyone on doubles until we know the situation here a little better. And... ah, Caethel - there you are. You can pair with Merilindis – take the second shift. We'll need your sharp eyes for the later stretch.” With that, he vanished off towards the far perimeter, leaving the three young elves to dissolve into smothered giggles.
“Has he even noticed...?” Caethel began breathlessly, and Erion shook his head, rolling his eyes.
“That's what comes of having such a 'fine tactical mind' – he can hold twenty different maps in his head in the middle of a pitched battle, but ask him who's actually in his patrol at any given time...” With a sigh, he stood up, and with only a warning to Caethel not to leave without saying goodbye, disappeared off to join the lone sentry.
“Can you stay for the whole night?” Merilindis asked, glancing over at their more distant companions, the rest of Caethel's former patrol, who, other than a brief welcome, had mercifully left her mostly to her closest friends. “Otherwise I will need to find someone else to pair with...”
Caethel smiled, leaning into her friend. “I can stay. We're not moving on until the morning. It will be like old times.”
Merilindis sighed in relief, giving Caethel a warm smile. “It's just not the same with anyone else – I'd got so used to sharing watches with you and Erion. The others make me jumpy.”
Caethel nodded in agreement, and the pair sat in companionable silence for a minute before Merilindis spoke again. “Is it really very different in Imladris? Are you... have you made any friends there at least?”
Caethel grimaced, and Merilindis took hold of her hand, squeezing it softly. “Well... there are the others of my company... but no one like you and Erion, Meri. We've known each other forever, after all.”
“I know.” Her friend said gently. “It's not the same. You know how much we miss you, don't you, Cae? All the time. And...”
Cae nodded, swallowing a lump in her throat before she could respond. “Me too. It's harder here, somehow. Especially after finding you two, I keep expecting to see him, too. Suddenly appearing out of the trees like he always did... teasing me for not noticing him sooner....”
“Challenging us to a race, or a shooting contest, or to see who can drink their wine the fastest.” Merilindis finished, holding her friend's hand tight. “I know, Cae. I'm so sorry.” Caethel nodded, heart too full for a response.
“So...” Merilindis finally said, tone suddenly serious. “Do your parents even know that you're here?” Caethel turned alarmed eyes to her, and Merilindis immediately held up her free hand in a gesture of surrender. “I'm not going to tell them! I didn't mean that. I just... this is not exactly what they intended – you, serving as a wartime scout again for some House in the valley, and now coming back here of all places.”
“I know,” Caethel spoke softly, eyes fixed in their clasped hands in shame. “I hate lying to them...”
“They said you've stopped writing?” Merilindis remarked, and Caethel nodded, cheeks hot.
“I couldn't think of what to say. I can't tell the truth, and I can't bear to carry on writing lies. And you know I can't do what they want...”
“Maybe you should try talking to them. They love you, Cae, they just want you to be safe.”
Caethel nodded. “I know that too. But that's what caused all this -”
Merilindis cut her off, shaking her head so vigorously that some of her fair hair escaped from its braid and flew around her face. Her raised voice drew curious looks, although on realising the tone of the conversation, most of the others obligingly turned their backs so that she and Caethel remained cocooned in privacy. “Don't start that again. You aren't responsible for anything that happened – you never were. And if you're going to talk like that, you may as well go back to your fancy new friends and tell them that story, not those of us who know the truth.”
Caethel gave her a miserable look, and Merilindis sighed, gently shaking free her hand so that she could re-fasten her hair. “I'm sorry, Cae. I didn't mean it. I just wish... I wish you would forgive yourself. Something terrible happened... it wasn't your fault.”
Sighing, Caethel nodded, although her expression remained unconvinced. Merilindis didn't press the point, and for a long while they sat in silent, listening to the hushed sounds of the other scouts moving around or talking quietly.
Finally, Merilindis sighed, wrapping one arm around her friend's shoulders once more and shaking her gently. “Well, it's up to you. We'll keep your secrets, if you like. Just... think about it. If you're going to run headlong back into this bleak southern wasteland of terrible food anyway, at least you could get your exile ended and come back and do it where we can watch your back.” Caethel smiled, slipping her arm around Merilindis' waist and giving her a heartfelt, grateful look.
“Now,” Merilindis began briskly, “I think Erion and I have monopolised you long enough – let's go and see the others before our watch begins. I think there'll be a riot if we let you go without speaking to the others, and that really would give away our position!” Caethel laughed softly, and the two friends stood, and were quickly surrounded by the rest of Caethel's former comrades, who teased her and embraced her and exclaimed over the new carvings on her bow until she felt thoroughly happy, for this brief interlude in their war-torn homeland.
