Winterfall

I found myself staring at myself in my bedroom mirror, I sighed deeply, “Alrighty, Maria, what am I going to wear today?”

I slipped off my boots and began to slip off my shirt and pants and walked over to the floor cautiously as I tried not to trip over the pants I was taking off. I opened my wardrobe and glanced over the dresses I had and decided on a sea green dress.

I finished taking off my workout clothes and got dressed for the day, slipping on a soft sea green, evoking the tranquility of the ocean. The fabric drapes gracefully, with a flowy, ethereal quality that catches the light with every movement. The dress features a high-to-low hemline, where the front is cut shorter, just above the knees, and the back cascades down to a more dramatic length, grazing the floor. The neckline is both elegant and modest, offering a gentle curve that enhances the décolletage without being too revealing. It’s perhaps a slight V-neck or a scoop, designed to complement the flowing silhouette.

The dress centrally complimented my features. Then again, that wasn’t the point of the dresses, as I had to uphold my appearance. And to be fair, I didn’t mind wearing the dresses despite the occasional wear of Théoden's clothing or my own pants and shirt.

Regardless of the matter, after slipping on my dress I slipped on my classic wedge boots that were crafted from high end leather, I slipped on my black belt that matched the boots and lopped my bag of holding in its proper spot. I ran my comb through my hair and glanced back at myself in the mirror.

I gave myself a gentle smile, “There you are.” I glanced down at the dress and began to question if it was alright to wear.

Should I…

Don’t change. You look beautiful. Théoden's voice sounded softly through the bond, reassuring me that what I wore was the one.

Thanks love. His quick compliment caused me to smile even more and a bit of redness formed on my cheeks as the heat rose upon them.

Sorry I won’t be there for breakfast. Théoden was bothered by his inability to be there for breakfast. Something we both treasured as breakfast was something we could enjoy together.

I understand Théoden. I did, even if it bothered me his work had to come first. At least I would still be able to converse with Roland at breakfast.

I’ll make it up to you. I was curious but I knew it wasn’t necessary. One missed breakfast wasn’t the end of the world.

It’s fine Théoden, I swear. I wanted him to know it was alright, that he didn’t need to beat himself up for one missed breakfast.

Alright love. Maybe bring me some breakfast after you are done eating? Théoden asked me as I could sense his hunger rumbling through the bond. Him and his appetite never failed to amuse me.

Sure, I will have Roland pack you extra bacon. I couldn’t help but chuckle because his love for bacon was almost as toxic as my love for sweets. Bacon was one piece of meat he would eat raw if he had too. His reasoning for his love for bacon was its savory, smoky, and slightly sweet flavors. I guess that made sense, sweets were always my favorite due to the sugary substance found in most, let alone the unique flavors of chocolate, vanilla, and fruits they often had.

Looking forward to it. Théoden was much cheerier now at the thought of a mound of bacon sitting in front of him.

I laughed as our telepathic communication faded. I soon left my room and wandered down the empty hall and marbled stairs to the kitchen where a delightful smell danced across my nostrils.

“What’s that I smell?” I asked Roland as I entered the kitchen. It had a sweet and savory smell. Similar to that of bacon but without the strong smokey scent.

“A bacon apple fritter filled with cinnamon apple jelly.” Roland grinned wide as he plopped the flakey tart substance on a ceramic plate and handed it to me to taste before I even sat down at the table. “Oh and you will want this.” Roland said as he walked back to the fridge and grabbed a brownish colored dip and walked back over and handed me the dip.

“What am I to do with this?” I questioned him as I walked over to the table and took my seat. I sat the plate and dish down and stared at him.

“Dip the bacon fritter in the dip. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.”

I tore off a small piece of the fritter and was instantly sticky due to the oozing jelly seeping from the area I just tore. Looking at the fritter it had small pieces of apple and crispy bacon intertwined in the dish. Following his order, I took the piece and dipped it in the creamy brown cinnamon smelling dip and ate it.

My tastebuds were astonished as the flavors coincided beautifully. I enjoyed it to the point where I devoured the fritter in seconds and quickly glanced over at Roland with a plea in my eyes.

“Could I have a couple more of those?” I asked him with a soft voice.

Save some of those for me. Théoden spoke quickly through the bond.

But you don’t like sweets… I quickly protested as these were clearly sweets and something he probably wouldn’t enjoy.

But it has bacon and I love bacon.

I rolled my eyes and chuckled softly. We shall see. I teased as I had no idea how many of these Roland had made.

“How many are you wanting?” Roland questioned me as he had walked back over and grabbed my plate and headed back to the counter.

“Three?” I asked with a shrug.

“I will give you four.”

I watched as he plated four decently sized fritters on my plate. He walked them back over to me and sat the plate down. “Do I need to save some for Théoden?” Roland questioned me.

“Yes.”

“Where is he?” He asked as he walked back over to the counter and grabbed another plate and began to carefully stack the fritters on them.

“Work. Something came up on our way back to the castle and he had to take care of it.”

“Everything alright?”

“Yeah, he just had to finish up the paperwork for it.”

“Mhm.”

Roland in that time had plated six fritters for Théoden and sat them aside. He went to the oven and pulled out two trays of bacon and a tray of eggs and began to plate them for him. Piling the bacon and eggs high on each plate.

“Think this will suffice?” Roland questioned me.

More bacon? Théoden asked me through the bond as I felt his eyes stare at the mound of food Roland was piling on the plate.

I chuckled, “He requests more bacon.”

“Maybe I should just give him the tray…” Roland said amusingly, shaking his head as he placed a third tray into the oven to heat up.

“Perhaps that would be best.” I laughed as I couldn’t help but picture me just carrying him two heaping trays of food through the city.

Don’t judge me and my love for bacon. Théoden's voice mimicked that of mine when he teased me for my love of sweets.

I’m just messing with you, love. I responded playfully.

“What are your plans today?” Roland asked curiously.

“Deliver Théoden breakfast, then I am not too sure. I suppose I should check on things for the wedding. Make sure the vendors are all in order.”

“Probably a good idea.” Roland said as he began to wrap the plates of food for easy carry.

“You are still up for cooking right?” I had requested Roland to make the cakes and our food for the big day.

“Of course.”

“Great.”

Our conversation was brief as I finished up the fritters on my plate. I washed the ceramic plate before gathering all of Theoden’s food and headed towards his office in the fourth ring.