Elendor
Divided Interests
Hildis and Ranol discuss a life together, and a life apart.
Sort Date: no date set
Location: Erebor
Description: [Hildis(#23062)] Mid-morning and the bustle of dwarves walking to work in their workshops or to the trading hall has died down. There is no one about. Hildis wipes her hands on a handkerchief, straightens her hair, her beard and turns away from Ranor's doorway. She stands with her head down, a deep frown turning the ends of her moustache down until she turns back. She stands straight, bites a lip and knocks.
Ranol is almost never home this time of day, usually he's training with the clan-karls or busy with other duties. In fact, Hildis's knock goes entirely unanswered, but her timing is very fortuitous. Ranol just happens to be on his way to stop in at home. "Hildis!" He calls from down the tunnel, picking up his pace to meet with her more quickly. "I tried to track you down last night, but.. I got held up with things."
[Hildis(#23062)] Hildis is not a dramatic dwarf if anything she prefers understatement yet she whirls with a hand to her heart, her mouth in a startled O when she hears Ranol's voice. "I...well.. that works out, doesn't it? You were looking for me?" She essays a smile that becomes wistful till she realizes how she must look.
Ranol hesitantly returns the smile, closing the distance between them. "Well, I wanted to tell you what Lord Braldor decided.. and, there are some other things that I want to talk about." He bows his head for a moment, thinking, "I have some time now, if you do? I was going to make lunch. Thari brought some food by last night."
[Hildis(#23062)] "Nice of her to do that. Very. I didn't know you could cook," she replies with an intrigued smile "You wanted to talk to me? I have, I've gotten some news of Lord Gimli's trip. Frarin was very surprised when I asked him about it a few days before thane Braldor had his audience with the King.
"Yes.. well, actually, it was your conversation with Frarin that I was wondering about. But, let's go inside and talk." Ranol opens the door and gestures her inside. "I won't be leaving on the trip with Lord Gimli. I spoke with my thane last night and reported on the meeting with King Dain." He sounds cheerful about that bit of news, perhaps expecting her to be happy about it?
[Hildis(#23062)] "You /won't/ be leaving?" She follows him and if he seems cheerful, she has a look of pleased wonder. "Well, I'm...surprised." She stands in the room and looks about her.
"I said I wasn't sure. Braldor said that Lord Gimli will be making great haste, mostly likely.. so there will not be a huge group going with him." The huskarl pushes the door closed and reaches for a dim lamp, raising the wick to allow more light to flood the dark hall. "But.. I do want to ask you about what you said to Frarin..." Ranol turns to look at her. "Do you feel that I do not spend enough time with you? Are you upset with the amount of time I spend on my duties?" He's decided not to hedge, which is a sign that Ranol is growing more comfortable around the Barazin.
[Hildis(#23062)] She approaches him, shyly and touches his arm, she tilts her head in puzzlement, "I...thank you for asking that Ranol. Anytime we send together is welcome, very welcome. But you have your work and I have mine."
"Frarin implied that you still weren't content with the possibility that I might be leaving. He said you weren't happy that I didn't want you to go.. I thought we understood each other? Wait.. no.. this isn't what I wanted to say." Ranol shakes his head quickly and pulls off his helm. He moves into the living room, running his hand through his hair as nervousness begins to get the better of him.
"I spent all night thinking, so I'm rather glad that I didn't manage to track you down last night. It gave me more time to realize how I felt about things and I fear I may have walked into a mistake." The huskarl bows his head, then speaks carefully, "Before, when we were in the stables that day.. I said that I always have to put my duty to Braldor first. But, that doesn't mean that my heart couldn't belong to another. It.. it goes against some of what I believe in. If you make a committment, you should fully divest yourself into it. Don't you think?"
[Hildis(#23062)] She swivels to watch him an affectionate smile twinkling in her eyes. Her face is calm yet she has to make an effort not to wring her hands anxiously. "Yes, you have an important committment to Braldor. A very important committment. When I spoke to Frarin I thought he might know whether merchants would be travelling with the group....it,"she bows her head in thought, "anyone who will have you in their life fulltime will have to live with that. I am not so practised at it yet."
"That is what I mean, though. There is no way I could ever divide my time evenly. My duty will not change. You understand that? Hildis.. " Ranol looks even more nervous now and fidgets with the end of his beard. "I would give my heart to you, I do not want to disappoint you.."
[Hildis(#23062)] "Give your heart to me?" she whispers and takes a step towards him."Oh..." her eyes suddenly become very bright and she swallows, twisting her fingers together. She takes another step toward him and stops short of reaching out to him. "You wouldn't disappoint me. I'm sorry you thought that, think that."
"I worry that I would. How will you feel if I go off to fight a battle at Braldor's side and you must stay here in Erebor, left to worry?" Ranol takes her hands, his gaze dropping to look her fingers in his grasp. "Or what if we had children someday? What if I am to leave on another trip that takes me away from the mountain for several years?" He lifts his blue eyes again, "These are things that I worry about."
[Hildis(#23062)] "Those are very good things to worry about." She returns his grasp, twisting her fingers in his, timidly stroking his palm with her thumbs. "I have asked myself over and over of late what I would do were you to leave for battle and I could not be near you or fight by your side. But I am not a soldier though I must learn to protect myself and so unless we were caught by surprise as we were with that troll, I would not be there except perhaps in your heart." She looks up from looking at the wonder of their hands entwined. "This is something I would do, will learn to do in order to love you as best as I can. I cannot promise to be perfect at it but I would try and learn to do it in order to support you as you would be and want to be. Does that make sense Ranol?"
"It is a lot to ask.. I.. would not want us to get married for a long time. I think you should have time to decide if this is something you truly are okay with. I don't want the pressure of a committment to be upon you. We are both very young." Ranol says softly, obviously taking the time to think his words through carefully before speaking. "This does not mean that I wouldn't be completely devoted to you."
[Hildis(#23062)] She shakes her head in wonder then raises his hand to her cheek. "You are wise for someone of your years, Ranol. But how would you feel were I to leave you here while I traded in Imladhris or some other place? Would you accept that as well? I would be devoted to you, as well...there is no question."
"If that is what you chose to do, I would support your decision, Hildis. I know that it works both ways. I would perhaps try to convince you to wait until Lord Braldor had a trip heading that way, but.. If it was truly your desire I would accept it. I trust you. I do." Ranol holds his hand to where she's lifted it, his thumb gently stroking her cheek. "I do not think it would be an easy life for us, but.. I think we could be happy."
[Hildis(#23062)] "Look at us! Not so long ago we were circling around each other, very unsure and now we are talking about the possibility of marriage. Not so long ago, I was worried I would stay in prison, I was worried...O Mahal, about so many things. You, my trading, losing my reputation because of what happened...whether you would ever ...I don't know, like me, perhaps."
She locks her gaze on him saying softly, "No, not easy but happy, I think. Yes. Happy."
"I am sorry.. it takes me some time to make up my mind on things. I am overly careful, I think." Ranol lifts his other hand to tug at her beard, grinning now. "I do not know that I could ever provide such lavish estates as my uncle, or your home." He chuckles then, "I am getting ahead of myself. Does a long courtship bother you? As I said, I want you to have time to truly understand my lifestyle, and I to learn more of yours."
[Hildis(#23062)] "I may get impatient." She turns a bright red. "Ummmm, I know you are careful. Oh dear do I know. But you are right that we need to learn whether we can accomodate each of our passions and convictions." A light hand tugs his beard right back. "I do not mind when you get ahead of yourself. Talk, we must. Talk and talk. I think it is the only way to know. Do you trust me enough to do that?"
"Aye.. We can talk more. But first, let's eat. I'm starving." Ranol says, chuckling. He'll lean in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek and then draw away, moving off towards the kitchen. Truth be told, he -can't- cook.. but he'll try.
Ranol is almost never home this time of day, usually he's training with the clan-karls or busy with other duties. In fact, Hildis's knock goes entirely unanswered, but her timing is very fortuitous. Ranol just happens to be on his way to stop in at home. "Hildis!" He calls from down the tunnel, picking up his pace to meet with her more quickly. "I tried to track you down last night, but.. I got held up with things."
[Hildis(#23062)] Hildis is not a dramatic dwarf if anything she prefers understatement yet she whirls with a hand to her heart, her mouth in a startled O when she hears Ranol's voice. "I...well.. that works out, doesn't it? You were looking for me?" She essays a smile that becomes wistful till she realizes how she must look.
Ranol hesitantly returns the smile, closing the distance between them. "Well, I wanted to tell you what Lord Braldor decided.. and, there are some other things that I want to talk about." He bows his head for a moment, thinking, "I have some time now, if you do? I was going to make lunch. Thari brought some food by last night."
[Hildis(#23062)] "Nice of her to do that. Very. I didn't know you could cook," she replies with an intrigued smile "You wanted to talk to me? I have, I've gotten some news of Lord Gimli's trip. Frarin was very surprised when I asked him about it a few days before thane Braldor had his audience with the King.
"Yes.. well, actually, it was your conversation with Frarin that I was wondering about. But, let's go inside and talk." Ranol opens the door and gestures her inside. "I won't be leaving on the trip with Lord Gimli. I spoke with my thane last night and reported on the meeting with King Dain." He sounds cheerful about that bit of news, perhaps expecting her to be happy about it?
[Hildis(#23062)] "You /won't/ be leaving?" She follows him and if he seems cheerful, she has a look of pleased wonder. "Well, I'm...surprised." She stands in the room and looks about her.
"I said I wasn't sure. Braldor said that Lord Gimli will be making great haste, mostly likely.. so there will not be a huge group going with him." The huskarl pushes the door closed and reaches for a dim lamp, raising the wick to allow more light to flood the dark hall. "But.. I do want to ask you about what you said to Frarin..." Ranol turns to look at her. "Do you feel that I do not spend enough time with you? Are you upset with the amount of time I spend on my duties?" He's decided not to hedge, which is a sign that Ranol is growing more comfortable around the Barazin.
[Hildis(#23062)] She approaches him, shyly and touches his arm, she tilts her head in puzzlement, "I...thank you for asking that Ranol. Anytime we send together is welcome, very welcome. But you have your work and I have mine."
"Frarin implied that you still weren't content with the possibility that I might be leaving. He said you weren't happy that I didn't want you to go.. I thought we understood each other? Wait.. no.. this isn't what I wanted to say." Ranol shakes his head quickly and pulls off his helm. He moves into the living room, running his hand through his hair as nervousness begins to get the better of him.
"I spent all night thinking, so I'm rather glad that I didn't manage to track you down last night. It gave me more time to realize how I felt about things and I fear I may have walked into a mistake." The huskarl bows his head, then speaks carefully, "Before, when we were in the stables that day.. I said that I always have to put my duty to Braldor first. But, that doesn't mean that my heart couldn't belong to another. It.. it goes against some of what I believe in. If you make a committment, you should fully divest yourself into it. Don't you think?"
[Hildis(#23062)] She swivels to watch him an affectionate smile twinkling in her eyes. Her face is calm yet she has to make an effort not to wring her hands anxiously. "Yes, you have an important committment to Braldor. A very important committment. When I spoke to Frarin I thought he might know whether merchants would be travelling with the group....it,"she bows her head in thought, "anyone who will have you in their life fulltime will have to live with that. I am not so practised at it yet."
"That is what I mean, though. There is no way I could ever divide my time evenly. My duty will not change. You understand that? Hildis.. " Ranol looks even more nervous now and fidgets with the end of his beard. "I would give my heart to you, I do not want to disappoint you.."
[Hildis(#23062)] "Give your heart to me?" she whispers and takes a step towards him."Oh..." her eyes suddenly become very bright and she swallows, twisting her fingers together. She takes another step toward him and stops short of reaching out to him. "You wouldn't disappoint me. I'm sorry you thought that, think that."
"I worry that I would. How will you feel if I go off to fight a battle at Braldor's side and you must stay here in Erebor, left to worry?" Ranol takes her hands, his gaze dropping to look her fingers in his grasp. "Or what if we had children someday? What if I am to leave on another trip that takes me away from the mountain for several years?" He lifts his blue eyes again, "These are things that I worry about."
[Hildis(#23062)] "Those are very good things to worry about." She returns his grasp, twisting her fingers in his, timidly stroking his palm with her thumbs. "I have asked myself over and over of late what I would do were you to leave for battle and I could not be near you or fight by your side. But I am not a soldier though I must learn to protect myself and so unless we were caught by surprise as we were with that troll, I would not be there except perhaps in your heart." She looks up from looking at the wonder of their hands entwined. "This is something I would do, will learn to do in order to love you as best as I can. I cannot promise to be perfect at it but I would try and learn to do it in order to support you as you would be and want to be. Does that make sense Ranol?"
"It is a lot to ask.. I.. would not want us to get married for a long time. I think you should have time to decide if this is something you truly are okay with. I don't want the pressure of a committment to be upon you. We are both very young." Ranol says softly, obviously taking the time to think his words through carefully before speaking. "This does not mean that I wouldn't be completely devoted to you."
[Hildis(#23062)] She shakes her head in wonder then raises his hand to her cheek. "You are wise for someone of your years, Ranol. But how would you feel were I to leave you here while I traded in Imladhris or some other place? Would you accept that as well? I would be devoted to you, as well...there is no question."
"If that is what you chose to do, I would support your decision, Hildis. I know that it works both ways. I would perhaps try to convince you to wait until Lord Braldor had a trip heading that way, but.. If it was truly your desire I would accept it. I trust you. I do." Ranol holds his hand to where she's lifted it, his thumb gently stroking her cheek. "I do not think it would be an easy life for us, but.. I think we could be happy."
[Hildis(#23062)] "Look at us! Not so long ago we were circling around each other, very unsure and now we are talking about the possibility of marriage. Not so long ago, I was worried I would stay in prison, I was worried...O Mahal, about so many things. You, my trading, losing my reputation because of what happened...whether you would ever ...I don't know, like me, perhaps."
She locks her gaze on him saying softly, "No, not easy but happy, I think. Yes. Happy."
"I am sorry.. it takes me some time to make up my mind on things. I am overly careful, I think." Ranol lifts his other hand to tug at her beard, grinning now. "I do not know that I could ever provide such lavish estates as my uncle, or your home." He chuckles then, "I am getting ahead of myself. Does a long courtship bother you? As I said, I want you to have time to truly understand my lifestyle, and I to learn more of yours."
[Hildis(#23062)] "I may get impatient." She turns a bright red. "Ummmm, I know you are careful. Oh dear do I know. But you are right that we need to learn whether we can accomodate each of our passions and convictions." A light hand tugs his beard right back. "I do not mind when you get ahead of yourself. Talk, we must. Talk and talk. I think it is the only way to know. Do you trust me enough to do that?"
"Aye.. We can talk more. But first, let's eat. I'm starving." Ranol says, chuckling. He'll lean in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek and then draw away, moving off towards the kitchen. Truth be told, he -can't- cook.. but he'll try.
Players: Hildis, Ranol
Located in: Erebor
