"My name was called?"
Benia recognized the voice instantly. She whirled so quickly in the direction from whence it had come that her elbow barely missed the fresh pint of ale that Aman had just placed on the bar for her.
"Well, talk of the devil - a hobbit that appears when you speak its name..." Aman chuckled behind her, but Benia barely heard her.
"Gilly!" she exclaimed. "It's been so long."
"Can I get you a drink, Miss Gilly?" asked Aman.
"Anything she wants." Benia told her excitedly. "Please. It's on my bill."
"Can you get me a drink! You know your money's no good with me, Miss Benia!" Gilly scolded her cheerfully. She then took Benia's tattooed hand and led her away to a table near the door. Benia found herself following, or rather allowing herself to be led, all the while wearing an amused smile on her face. How little Gilly had changed!
The last time Benia had seen Gilly, the hobbit lady had been but a mischievous lass, barely out of pinafores. Now she was a rosy-cheeked and no doubt respectable hobbit matron, but the warmth of her heart and the generosity of her soul were exactly as Benia had remembered them. She had needed that warmth and generosity so desperately back in the old days when she and her parents had been on the run, so closely pursued and so close to death. She wondered if Gilly ever imagined how much her friendship had meant to her. Tears of remembrance glistened at the corners of Benia's exotic eyes. She, herself, had never forgotten.
Gilly, however, was preoccupied at the moment with settling Benia into a chair and, in true hobbit fashion, obtaining supper. Benia watched her bustle away toward the kitchen. She hadn't really even had a chance to say hello! She had had so much she planned to say to Gilly when she found her again. In fact, she had been writing speeches in her head for years, but now that the time had come to deliver them, she was at a loss for words. She simply watched the retreating back, thinking to herself, friend. This is my friend.
As Gilly vanished into the kitchen, Benia found herself alone again on the fringe of the crowded common room. She glanced toward the door. Had she imagined it? It seemed to her that just as Gilly had appeared and spoken to her, she had turned and seen a man standing in the doorway, watching her. As soon as her eyes lit on him, he had turned and vanished. She wished she had paid closer attention. The old question began gnawing at her again. Was he a friend or a foe?
[ May 21, 2003: Message edited by: Ealasaid ]
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