Upon waking, Elthorin felt a strange warmth in his arms, a warmth he had never felt before. It was very soft and malleable. He hugged it tighter, sinking his fingers into the soft, warm mass, yet it was so small. He lowered his hand further, noticing that the lower he did, the more it rose in a large curve. He squeezed and stretched the mass, savoring this warmth as he awoke.
"MMM~"
Then he remembered that he had been sleeping alone for years, ever since his wife's death. He immediately opened his eyes, looked around, and a bittersweet scent lingered near his nose. He slowly lowered his gaze; it was Ara's hair near his nose. His arms analyzed what they were squeezing, what his hands kneaded and stretched. It was Ara's body.
He quickly moved away from her, backing up in bed until he fell to the floor along with a couple of pillows.
-"D-Did I hug her?!" No, no, no, impossible!"
He tried to deny that he had hugged Ara while they slept. He got up from the floor, stunned, unable to believe what he had done last night. He looked at the bed, and she was still asleep. He felt relieved; the rapid heartbeat in his chest slowly calmed. He covered his face with his hands, trying to think clearly.
-"It's not what you think, Elenath. I just wanted to help her sleep..."
He began to murmur into his hands as if his deceased queen could see his actions. He walked to the nightstand and poured some water into a glass. He drank it quickly and wiped the remaining water from his lips with the back of his hand. Then he put on a very serious expression, staring into space.
-"I'll never drink again, I swear."
He swore firmly as if his life depended on it, until he realized that someone else was in his room, silently watching him in the darkness, in front of the door.
"Oh... I see, you really swear to me...?" said the person hidden in the darkness. He was as tall as Elthorin, with an ironic smile. He walked slowly, opening the windows one by one as he passed, until his identity was revealed.
"Hhhh!" Elthorin inhaled sharply upon sensing his presence. He slowly turned to look at him: a tall elf boy with long, black hair, almost identical to him, but with white eyes. He felt intimidated.
"...Father?" This elf boy finished the sentence, calling him father. He was the son of Elthorin and Elenath. Elthorin was even more frightened. He was disheveled, his hair a mess. Clearly, the room was a disaster after a century of living among bottles and in darkness. The boy frowned, annoyed, as he looked around Elthorin's room, but his gaze fell on the bed, where Ara slept peacefully, oblivious to the situation.
-"Ereinion! Son..."
Elthorin spoke nervously, placing a sheet over Ara, covering her completely.
-"What brings you here? You haven't been here since..." Elthorin seemed to be trying to hide Ara, nervously leaning against the wall, crossing his arms.
-"I come to visit you every year. My uncle Annarrgeal told me you were improving with your depression, and I decided to visit earlier than planned..."
Ereinion replied, slightly annoyed, pacing around the room, away from his father, and slowly approaching the bed.
"Can't a son visit his father?" Ereinion smiled ironically, looking down with superiority, and without warning, he yanked the sheet covering Ara. She immediately jumped out of bed, leaping behind Elthorin like a ninja escaping her enemy.
-"A-Ara?!"
He exclaimed, surprised by how agilely she moved from the bed, hiding behind him.
-"So her name is Ara, huh... I didn't know you liked girls from arid places, Father,"
He said sarcastically, barely managing to calm his annoyance. He let go of the sheet and crossed his arms.
-"What? NO, I don't like her. I only love your mother. Don't slander me. I only love Elenath."
He was upset; he didn't like it when people talked about his wife, especially not his son, who knew perfectly well that he had fallen into depression when Elenath died. But he continued to hide Ara behind him. For some reason, Ara clung to him as if Ereinion were a threat or something belonging to him.
-"What's wrong, Ara? He's just my son... for God's sake, you're unfathomable,"
Elthorin said, frustrated, trying to calm her. Ara looked up, staring intently at Elthorin, then looked down again. Slowly, she walked toward Ereinion, like a frightened cat.
-"What's she doing?" Ereinion asked, confused by Ara's actions.
-"Just ignore her, that's how she is," Elthorin replied, already used to Ara and her silent, alert behavior.
-"What else did Annarrgeal tell you? How do you know where Ara's from? I only know her name"
Elthorin began, a little calmer now, walking to his seat. He sat down lazily and leaned back, closing his eyes. "First of all, I won't talk in this room. Mother wouldn't like this room," Ereinion replied irritably, and left the room, covering his nose. There was a strong smell of liquor.
"Ugh..." Elthorin groaned, and lazily got up from his chair. He walked toward the door without even tidying himself up; he left just as he had gotten up. Ara followed behind him, taking a comb and some natural hair oil.
Elthorin reached the table in the castle's central courtyard, covered in white snow with a few red fruits falling from a tree. The table was made of stone, as were the seats, and the large white tree provided shade. Ereinion was already sitting there. Elthorin walked over and sat down.
"Tell me what you know."