[Nurumaiel]

The door opened softly and a man not old yet not very young stepped in. His face was fair to look upon, his eyes clear and grey, and his hair dark. It was clear that he was of Gondor. He was tall and the way he stood gave the impression of great nobility. His clothing was rich, black in color with a white tree embroidered richly upon it. His eyes looked over the room with a profoud wisdom as well as kindness. He turned to the door, opening it wider, smiling fondly as a young woman stepped in. She was fair to look upon even as he was. Her hair fell down her shoulders in a golden stream, complementing his darker features. At a glance one would suppose she was Rohirric, and indeed she was. While her face was fair she was not slender, but rather large.

The man took her arm and led her to the nearest table, pulling out a chair and gently helping her to sit down. She sat with easy grace, smiling at the man and thanking him. He sat down opposite her and slid his figures over the wood of the table. "Oft have I heard of The Seventh Star spoken, but I have not yet let my wandering steps find its way to the threshold," he said. "I fear I have not chosen a good day to at last see what I have heard spoken. Has the journey wearied you, Ceolwyn?"

Her eyes shone with love and she shook her head, and she said nothing. Her long fingers played with the embroideries on her dress and she gazed about her in curiosity. She was clad in a very loose-fitting dress of green, the shade of the green that could be found on the banners of Rohan that bore the emblem of the white horse. He watched her with a fond little smile and then reached out and took her hand. "Little child, stop playing," he said, laughing softly. Her eyes met his and she smiled. "Do you desire anything to eat?" She shook her head again, still silent. He did not release her hand but studied the bright ring upon her finger. "That's a pretty little trinket," he said. "Where did you get it?" Again she said nothing but merely gazed into his eyes, the expression on her face clearly saying that he knew where she had received it. He nodded. "The ring your brother gave to you when you were a little girl." She nodded.

A silence fell between them, or rather the man fell silent, for the woman had not spoken yet. He stared at the far wall of the room, deep in thought, and she continued to look into his face. Then he looked at her again. "What name?" he questioned. She dropped her eyes and blushed modestly and said nothing. He put one hand to his chin and tapped it thoughtfully. "A Rohirric name?" She nodded. He continued in his thoughts. "For a boy Cyneric perhaps?" A bright smile came to her face and again she nodded. "For a girl you must choose the name," he urged her.

She studied his hand holding her own. She seemed to hesitate before speaking, and then she said, "Eahlwyn."

"You have been planning that name for many a month, have you not?" He laughed when she nodded. "Little silent one, why did your mother not name you for the way you speak... hardly at all?" He increased the pressure on her hand and then released it. "That is what first drew me to you, quiet one... your silence. The other young girls, all laughing and talking with hardly a pause for breath, and you sitting gazing at the sky. And when I spoke to you, you spoke to me just enough to be courteous and no more. How sweet these past two years have been since I took you as my wife." Still she said nothing though her eyes shone brightly. "And our happiness will soon be completed when the little one comes... I eagerly await the day."

She spoke once again, a single word. "Soon," she said.