When Reinette had caught sight of the Anduin, her heart had almost sank in her chest. The last time she had seen the glorious river was when DĂșlinnor had taken her out for a ride for the first time. She had wanted to see it again - but not under these circumstances. He'd spoken to her of travelling; he'd told her he would show her around Middle Earth...
Reinette was just beginning to realize that such a thing was never going to happen. The feeling settling in her chest was like that of ice, the coldness choking her up and making her numb all over. There was a lot that was never going to happen, she told herself. And every time she thought of such things, it felt like another stab in her heart.
Reinette was just weary. Mentally weary.
The day wore on, the group following the proud river until finally Aglaron brought their small cavalcade to a halt. Reinette had simply been watching around them as they'd ridden, trying to take in the scenery and remember it, tuck it all away for later. But as they day had progressed, the scenery was beginning to blend into itself, and Reinette was thankful for the mental and physical break.
DĂșlinnor helped her down from the horse, and she stood sort of awkwardly as the both of them moved about, setting up their camp. She didn't know what she could do to help, though the two of them seemed to have everything well taken care of. They'd done things like this numerous times before, while she had never had such a life experience...
Reinette watched DĂșlinnor as he lay out some bedding, and what she assumed was her own. He'd added an extra blanket to it, and while she was thankful for the gesture, she could already feel in her bones that the night was going to be chilly. The bed rolls and blankets would be her only reprieve from the cold, and she hoped it would be enough, though she had a feeling that it wouldn't.
It was these moments that she wished she'd done more camping as a child.
Aglaron spoke to DĂșlinnor before the younger elf turned his gaze on Reinette. She almost froze where she was; he hadn't really looked directly at her for a long time and she wondered briefly if she'd done something wrong. But her thought process was way off the mark, as was revealed to her once he spoke. "Reinette..."
She let out a small noise in return. "Hmm?" It was an acknowledgement that he'd spoken, and so he continued.
"You should rest. I shall have a fire going soon and then we can eat." She nodded lightly, moving to make herself comfortable on top of the bedroll she had seen DĂșlinnor set up for her. DĂșlinnor wasn't gone long, eventually returning with firewood. He set to making a fire, and had a nice one going in only a few minutes. Reinette was quick to move more toward the fire, settling her body in a way that the warmth from the flames soaked into her muscles. She warmed her hands momentarily, a small shiver running down her spine at the cool chill in the air.
She stole a quick glance at the Elven man. She wondered how he felt... He'd been practically avoiding her, avoided speaking to her, for about a week. All she wanted to do was apologize, kiss the crap out of him, and fall asleep in his arms. But she was sure that he was finished with all of that... That he had mentally checked out of whatever they had. There were times when she thought she caught a look of sadness in his eyes, but his body language was so difficult for her to read that she couldn't be sure if it was true, or if her mind was just playing tricks on her.
The Elven male made his way to the packs and removed something from one of them. He then took a seat relatively nearby to her. Reinette watched with interest as he opened the leaf that was securely wrapped around the item within. Inside was something that appeared to be bread like. "Eat. You will feel better." He was offering her a piece, and the name for it came to her thoughts as he voiced it aloud.
"That is lembas. It is what we use when we travel. One small bite is enough to fill a grown man. It is not the most flavorful thing and so I must apologize for that." She had taken a bite, actually surprised that his words about only needing a small piece were true. She felt full nearly instantly, and she handed him back the piece that she had not eaten, watching as he replaced it with his own in the leaf.
Reinette met DĂșlinnor's eyes, and she did her best to offer him a small smile. It was tinged with sadness, which was tried her best to hide. But at that point, she wasn't really sure if she cared anymore, before she spoke. "Thank you..." It was directed at the meal, but she also gestured around them toward the fire and the bedrolls. "...For all of this. It... means a lot to me." Her small smile was strained, and after a moment she lightly sighed, not even bothering to try to push the smile back onto her face. Her thoughts were too preoccupied with the idea that she and DĂșlinnor were 'through', and that the man she had fallen in love with would never feel the same about her.
She moved slightly then, slipping into the bedroll and getting as comfortable as she could. She doubted very much that she was going to enjoy sleeping on the ground, but she knew that there wasn't much of a choice to be made in the matter, and that there wasn't really any one way around it really.
She lay her head against the pillow, her eyes immediately focusing up toward the first stars that were beginning to come out.
"Even without the trees as their picture frame, they are still quite beautiful..."
Reinette was staring up at the stars, a small smile on her face. It held a lot of sadness and grief, but even still, she meant those words all the same. The stars were just beginning to make themselves known, and Reinette was reminded of the countless hours spent on DĂșlinnor's roof. Her voice had been nearly a whisper...
Eventually, Reinette would fall into a sleep disturbed by a great evil, searching within her mind for information that she couldn't give words to, information that he couldn't pull from her.