Ara frowned when Elthorin reprimanded her and sent her to the corner. She walked away angrily, turned to look at him, stuck her tongue out angrily, and stared at the corner of the room, like a punished child. She stood in the corner as punishment all day. At nightfall, Elthorin remembered she was still in the corner, forgetting he had a child in his care, and immediately got up from his chair. And he turned to the corner; she was still standing there, playing with her fingers on the wall, as if counting how many lines the oak wall has, with a pout on her lips.
-"Have you really thought through what you did?"
Elthorin asked, crossing his arms, in a serious, strong, and deep voice. Ara turned to look at him, frowning.
-"Stop making faces or you'll be stuck there all night."
Elthorin warned her before she could stick her tongue out again. Ara, trying to calm herself, inhaled deeply, her eyes glazed over, He opened his eyes slowly and exhaled very, very slowly, his eyes threatening and sharp. Elthorin was surprised, felt a slight chill, a light blush covered his cheeks, and quickly returned to his usual expression.
-"Well... It seems you've thought about it enough, haven't you?"
Elthorin asked in a serious voice, looking down at Ara with a superior air, his arms crossed and his posture firm.Ara also changed her threatening expression to a gentler one, and nodded slowly.
-"Okay, I'll go to sleep now..."
Elthorin said, turned around, walked calmly but with a hint of heaviness towards his bed, and sat down on the edge of the bed, He stared at the floor for a long time, then looked at his hand, where he had his ring and his wife's, and sighed sadly, Then he finally decided to lie down in bed. His depressive rest wouldn't last long; large eyes were silently watching him.
-"... Ara, please, just this once, could you sleep and not watch me?"
Frustrated, he brought his hands to his face. Ara, he hesitated, looking away, Then he looked up again. Slowly, like a cat, he climbed onto the bed, testing the waters and Elthorin's reaction, until finally he reached the other side of the bed, and She hid under the sheets, leaving only her eyes visible.
-"Now close your eyes and go to sleep, please."
Ara tried to close her eyes, but she couldn't; she opened them immediately. Her eyes reflected fear, and they only looked at Elthorin.
-"What scares you?"
Elthorin asked, noticing her fearful eyes, although he wasn't even looking at her, just staring at the ceiling, a little annoyed at having to look after her.
-"Are you afraid of the dark?"
Elthorin asked. Ara shook her head gently.
-"Nightmares?
Elthorin asked again. Ara nodded gently, fear in her eyes.
-"..."
Elthorin closed his eyes and sighed; he was tired. Since she arrived, he hadn't felt free to cry for the death of Elenath, his wife.
He sighed again in frustration, gently extending his left arm and placing it above Ara's head.
-"Here, use it as a pillow..."
He offered his left arm as a "pillow" for Ara so she could sleep more comfortably and closer to him, since she was on the other side of the bed, far away from him, keeping her distance. Ara looked at him, her eyes wide with surprise at the sudden kindness, and hesitated before approaching.
-"I don't bite... please just accept it."
Ara continued to doubt his sudden kindness. Slowly, she approached his arm and gently placed her head on it, as if testing the waters, or in this case, Elthorin's situation and actions. Gradually, she raised her small hand to his chest, looking at his face with her large, alert eyes.
-"Relax and go to sleep. I need to sleep too"
Elthorin said, annoyed, moving the arm where she was, gently embracing her. He thought, "How small." She had an incredibly narrow waist, her torso was slender but firm. He didn't dare lower his hand any further out of respect. Ara slowly fell asleep in his embrace, closing her eyes heavily, until she finally drifted off.
-"Finally...
Elthorin sighed. She had finally fallen asleep. He could sleep too. He didn't have to wait long; as soon as he closed his eyes, he fell asleep.