Summer had finally arrived in Gondor. Gondor was mostly hot and dry during summers but in the Cape of Belfalas, where Delioron had his house, summers were always milder due to the cold currents of Belegaer that brought forth mist in the mornings and sometimes heavy rain.
In the mornings they used to work together in his large garden where flowers bloomed and herbs, fruit and vegetables thrived. It was tedious, meticulous work, but Radawen saw that he enjoyed it and the more time he spent in his garden the more satisfied he seemed. He still had bad dreams. The dreams he did not want to talk about were the ones that scared Radawen the most. She would shake him and repeat his name until he woke up and saw that she had caught him having a nightmare again. At first he had felt ashamed about it, as if he had revealed a weakness they should never talk about. He would not tell her about the shades and ghosts of dead men that filled his violent dreams.
During those scary moments in the dead of night he was most scared. The dreams did not scare him, for he had learned to live with them. He was scared that he could never escape his past, not even with the woman who was lying there next to him, not even so far from the shadow of Mordor here in the Cape of Belfalas where summers were always mild and gentle and nothing bad ever happened.
”I love you”, Radawen said as if she could read his mind, and he accepted the comfort she offered. He embraced her like a child embraces his mother.
Because all words lied, he never talked about his own feelings anymore. He just said her name. After a while she would understand, he was sure of it.
Sometimes they worked in pouring rain. Sometimes they took long walks in the prettily paved roads of the small, drowsy village. In the evenings they would light a fire in the stone hearth of the house, eat a modest meal and talk.
Radawen never grew bored of him. She woke up before him and saw him sleeping by her side. She traced the scars on his body with her finger, but when she asked how he had gotten them, he would not tell her. She tried to pry his secrets, but he would not reveal them.
”I have not done anything particularly interesting or important”, he once said. ”It is a part of my past life and I do not want to go back to it. I cannot mix my past with you in my thoughts. Bury it already, Radawen!”
”But I want all of you!”
And so that he would not have to talk about it to her anymore, he just said: ”Radawen.” And it was enough.
