A/N I know that I haven't updated in forever but I swear I have a reason for that and my reason is that I have been working on an original story on fictionpress and I would love some feedback so please check it out! My username for fictionpress is Rose Evans. You can find a link to it on my profile.

A thank you to: Mistra Rose, obbbid, zZhell-butterflyZz, ShyxSkater, El W, totaliny, and Schlangenkind for leaving a review! I appreciate every single one of them. A big thank you to all of those who have followed/favorited this story. Laili is coming! Who's excited? I also finally figured out how to do a horizontal line to divide sections. I feel so accomplished.

Tara,

Something happened and changed our plans. I am sending this letter with our fastest courier, we should arrive three days behind him. I don't have time to explain. Tell your King we are coming now.

-Laili

I paced back and forth in front of the door. I could feel the guards' eyes on me but ignored them. Rian had led me here and I had told another servant that I needed to speak with the king and that it was urgent. It was late, and I believe the only reason the servant went to announce me was because of who I was. The letter was held tightly in one clenched fist as my mind whirled with possibilities and worst case scenarios. I forcibly told myself to calm down and abruptly stopped in place before turning to face the door.

Soon after that the door opened to reveal Elessar. I could easily read the concern in his face and stance as he quickly looked me over.

"Taravel?"

"Could we go to your study?"

A gentle hand was placed on my back as he carefully steered me through the doorway. He left the door slightly ajar and led me to a chair. I sat, and he sat next to me, taking my free hand in his.

"What has happened?" His body was angled towards mine and he was leaning in close to me.

"You need to read this."

I handed him the wrinkled letter and he took it. With one last look of concern in my direction, he unfolded the parchment. It didn't take him long to read through it and with great care he folded it back up and placed the letter on the table.

"This is worrying, but it does not mean that the worst has happened."

"I know that if someone I knew had died she would have told me, but her penmanship is messy and the ink is smeared in places. Laili prides herself on her calligraphy, she wouldn't have sent me this if anything good had happened."

"There is no use torturing yourself when we don't have all the information. She will be here soon and you can ask her your questions then."

"I will still worry. I hate not knowing." My hand tightened around his.

His grey-blue eyes watched my face carefully before he sighed and brought my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles softly.

"You should stay with Lothíriel tonight, you need sleep."

I nodded, turning over the suggestion in my mind before discarding it. I always slept better in my own bed. He tugged me gently to my feet, dropping my hand. I turned to leave but was stopped by his voice.

"Tara?"

I turned back around to face him. "Hmm?"

Then he stepped forward and placed a kiss on my forehead, and then a butterfly soft kiss across my eyelids, before briefly brushing his lips against mine.

"Sleep well."

"Uh huh."

I walked out of there in a daze; lack of sleep combining with the giddy feelings that always came whenever he touched me.

"So he kissed you?" Lothíriel was in her sleeping attire and her long straight hair touched the pillows she was sitting on.

"Yeah."

"And how was it."

"Well…" I could feel my cheeks heating up but forged on despite Lothi's growing grin. "Fantastic, wonderful. I want to kiss him again. You know, the usual."

"You're lucky your first kiss went so well, you already know how mine went."

"Awful."

"Precisely, though with a bit of practice it gets much better."

I shifted positions. "I got the feeling that he had quite a bit of practice."

"Does that surprise you?"

I shook my head. "No, not really."

"I suppose the better question is, does it bother you?" She laid out on her bed and propped her head up on her arm.

I thought about it for a moment before slowly shaking my head. "No, whatever happened is in the past. I have to trust in what we have now."

"Mature. Jealously is an ugly emotion that warps you into someone you don't recognize."

She traced the edge of an embroidered bird on her pillow while she talked.

"Your Horse Lord seemed pretty confident in your feelings towards him, otherwise why risk kissing you, the princess of Dol Amroth?"

"Yeah well, he had reason to be."

"Is there something you're not telling me?" I leaned forward in curiosity.

She managed a shrug from her position on the bed. "You know almost everything, but you were pretty wrapped up in what was happening between you and the king."

"So what happened?"

"We had a conversation."

"About what? You can't just leave it at that!"

"A conversation that made it clear what we felt for the other. I do think his leaving did spur him into action sooner though." She paused, and the snickered. "Spur, get it?"

"I get it." I said dryly.

My hand fisted on top of the blanket and Lothíriel zeroed in on the action.

"No thinking about depressing things right now and a war that may or may not happen! We promised we would only talk about happy things until Laili comes and we know more!"

"I know."

I made a concentrated effort like Laili said to focus on happier things. Éowyn's wedding was coming up. Weddings are happy.

"Have you heard from Éowyn lately?" I asked.

"About a week ago I got a letter. She mentioned the possibility of us visiting Rohan before her wedding."

"We have a couple months before that. Maybe we could go closer to the date and travel back with her."

"Maybe."

I rubbed at my eyes.

"I really need to get some sleep."

Lothi automatically glanced out the window to check the time and sat up abruptly.

"I didn't realize it had gotten that late, see you in the morning."

I rolled off the bed with ease and stepped through the sitting room to get to the main door. I paused briefly in the doorway before shaking my head and continuing on.

My mind wasn't tired but my body needed rest, and I needed a break from worrying about things beyond my control. So I slept, and dreamed of desert sands and the stirrings of ancient sentient magic.