I know that you are on your way to Summerland, but I just finished transcribing the last of Leggs' Pennsic writings and want it off my hands as soon as possible. This is the longest bit. So take your time and let me know what you think I should do when you get back.
I hope you are having a lovely time and that the event is the only place in Ohio that isn't raining!
Your affectionate friend,
Kendrah
August 4, 2007 by reality’s reckoning
1:15am
Success. I am sure that it worked. Although watching her from the road during the competition, I am sure that look of annoyance on her face was just because she was required to remain until the end instead of finding me and accepting my proposal immediately. By this time tomorrow I will be well rested and with K, who I will then be able to call my bride. We may even beat the King and future Queen to the vows!
7:15am
Imagine my shock when I went to K’s tent this morning only to find that Corwynne, who was caring for the sons, was asleep in her bed. I count my self blessed by the Valar that the King did not find me there, for I am certain that I would not have been given time to explain before I would have been more intimately introduced to the sword that was broken and has now been reforged! I got away quickly, however, and I must say that I am please to see that Kendrah’s desire to find me has now out lasted her desire to stay out late. She has always returned by this time in the morning, but while searching for me, she has not stopped, she will not rest until she finds me…..
10:35am
I was incorrect, but it matters little. It does not matter that she did not stay out later in her search for me than she does for her parties. She is, although an extraordinary example, still only a human, and must have her sleep. It appears that she returned around 6:45 and rather than wake the future Queen and risk waking the sons, she slipped into Corwynne’s tent and slept there. Corwynne, ever the saint and the only human who would make an acceptable Queen of Gondor, allowed my love to sleep for several hours before handing back the child care responsibilities. She is a wonder and Gondor will be all the better for it.
1:45 pm
The sons have been returned to the care of their father. I continue to rest and draw strength from the trees…
August 5, 2007 by reality’s reckoning
9 am
Today is the day…I know it. I will go down to the camp and Kendrah will have finally relented to my pleas.
3:27pm
I entered her tent to find her not alone. My initial thought was that it was the loud one, then I saw it was Charmaine. For a moment I was still concerned. "Valar help me, first the loud one and now a woman!" Once I realized it was Charmaine I remembered that K had told me that if Charmaine’s husband decided not to come that she had invited Charmaine to share her tent with us. Charmaine was awake and taking care of her morning tasks, while Kendrah struggled to sleep. I feel a bit guilty, for I am sure it is not knowing where I am that is making it difficult for her to get the sleep that she needs so very much. Perhaps in the future she will make better use of her time so that she can withstand these hardships when they come.
I was about to return so that she and I could have our touching reuniting scene for all of her friends and family to witness, when it started to rain. I feel no discomfort from the rain, or the snow, or any weather for that matter….but I decided it was better to wait. A love such as ours deserves better than some cheesy rain scene like in one of those movies I have seen in the palantir box. So I will wait.
11:57pm
I traveled down to the camp in search of Kendrah today. Apparently I underestimated her need to find me, for I discovered that shortly after she awoke this morning she left camp and she had not returned for many hours. Charmaine and the future Queen joked about the idea that she may have gone over to the camp of the Loud One for a nap, but I know better….she was searching for me. I was unable to resist the call of the trees while waiting for her and left. When I returned from a lovely conversation with an Oak I had not met before she had returned looking very well rested…the search for me must be invigorating. But she was sitting down to dinner, so I have decided to wait until tomorrow. It will be the perfect time for the vows that will bind the rest of her life, since it is the anniversary of her birth.
Despite being separated from me, she seems to be coping quiet well. This evening she left the camp again. Amazingly enough, she returned and stayed in camp for an extended period of time, to smoke a hookah with her friends. Yes, the loud one was there, but I know that she longs to be with me. Why else would any human ears be able to hear them bickering from miles away. "What do you want to argue about?" "Oh, I guess we will argue about what we always argue about….what ever you want to argue about!" I think that after all of this they won’t even be able to maintain a friendship. That is sad considering a life with out the light that is Kendrah is a dark one, but what can one do?
August 6, 2007 by reality’s reckoning
The most sacred of days, for it is the birthday of my love.
11:57am
I have had a moment with my love today. I managed to catch her alone in her tent. She seemed happy to see me but it was far less than I expected. Perhaps I waited too long and some of the overwhelming love that I am sure the music competition instilled in her has waned a bit. It matters not, for she has agreed to spend a bit of this evening with me…without the Loud One.
August 7, 2007 by reality’s reckoning
2:37am
Tonight did not go as expected. Kendrah was with the Loud One. They were at a party where she was not enjoying herself. The LO didn’t even notice….and on her birthday. So I suggested that we leave. To my shock, she agreed. We left together and I was certain, especially when she said Chalkman, that now was when she would make her vows. Instead, it was her suggested destination….
I am not sorry though. Kendrah and I spent several hours among her friends, of which not a one is romantically interested in her, There were toasts made to the birth that day of her friend’s baby, Chloe Jean. I will be sure to offer a song of praise to the Valar for her joyous entry into the world.
Kendrah has many friends from varying stations in life. She is not at all biased in one direction or another. She is friends with barkeeps, vikings, bellydancers and barbarians. And they all seem to have genuine affection for her. She laughed and joked with them for hours and I delighted in watching it.
Sadly, many of these friends do not seem to have her best interests at heart. It seems that they are not used to seeing her without the LO. They were concerned that they weren’t together. I was aghast to find her saying that they were meeting up later, but that she thought it best if she came to the Chalkman to do her thing and left him at the party to do his.
To steal a line from the Bard…"I was not angry since I came to Pennsic. Until this instant."
I left the Pub, left her there to escort herself back to him. I may return to the settlement in the morning. But tonight I will sleep in the trees.
August 8, 2007 by reality’s reckoning
I was prepared to leave. I had every intention of going to Silver Phoenix and telling her that I was going to the settlement and she could find me when she was ready to make amends. But then the rains came. It has been raining heavily, on and off, for several days. The amount of mud that these humans have been trodding through makes me worry for my clothing. But today, the most beloved belly kitchen flooded. The children played in the massive puddle that appeared and then disappeared when Kendrah’s father dug Eelditch. The future Queen’s tent was flooded until Amron(K’s father) dug Lileelditch. The laughter and work that was going on in that camp today was overwhelming. Bailing of water, splashing through puddles and mud.
Kendrah decided to take Brennan (her oldest) and Arwen for a walk in the rain. (Logan, her youngest thought he would enjoy the rain and discovered he was wrong) With in moments of stepping out from the shelter of the kitchen fly she was drenched. And I remembered why I love her all over again. I went with them on there walk which to Kendrah’s dismay did not only include mud and puddles. It included a camp full of naked people and a man with what she told me was an inflatable sex doll, simulating sex in a stream. Luckily the kids did not ask any questions. The just enjoyed the splashing.
During the walk I told Kendrah of my intentions to leave. She seemed honestly befuddled. It appears that the dwell with me chant did not work as I had intended. She only heard the contestants. In the end this a good thing, because, the King was right. She is not charmed by it. She hates it.
She said that if I wasn’t happy I should leave. That I should not base my entire existence, even if only during her lifetime, upon her. She had assumed that the allure of the trees had been too much for me and that is why she had not seen me. And as for the LO….well, she did not expect it would be a problem….after all she was married to a man in this reality when we first met, so she didn’t realize that dating someone would upset me so much. Dating!!!
I don’t know if my love for her is strong enough for me to put up with him on a regular basis. He’s just so loud. And I told her so. She said that when she said dating, she didn’t mean it in the traditional sense. They seem to be in some sort of odd relationship in which they are deeply committed to one another for two weeks each year. That she never expects that he will visit and that even though he has said he would like her to come to see him, she doubts if he really means it.
I found myself shocked. Do I even know this woman, that I have been so devoted to all these years? In the end, we decided that I should go back to the settlement and she would come to see me and see what we can do when Pennsic is over.
I won’t go however. I have tried to leave, but instead I find myself back in my corps of trees watching her. And that is what I will do until the end of Pennsic. I think the term Kendrah would use is stalker….I hope it isn’t considered a bad term. Legolas, stalker of Kendrah.
August 9, 2007 by reality’s reckoning
11:58 pm
Today saw the Annual Beer Tasting in the neighboring camp. I could see it well from my spot in the woods. Drunken louts. The loud one passed close to my spot after the drinking was over after a visit with Li Chang at Silver Phoenix. If I had had my bow…but Kendrah would never forgive that….
I watched her as she cared for the children and the children of some friends. That way she has of threatening them with dismemberment with a smile on her face that says both "I will do it, if I have to." And "I will do it with love." What a woman!
Then the rains came again. The flooding was less this time, and the frolicking less too. This time the simply watched as Eelditch and Lileelditch did their jobs, albeit slowly and Kendrah looked sadly at the belly kitchen, which while still serviceable as a kitchen, could no longer be said to be the place to be.
Of course she spent the evening, night and pre-dawn hours out. I did not follow, in case she would spot me. I saw her return as the sun rose. This time the LO even walked her to the gate…what a gentleman!
August 10, 2007 by reality’s reckoning
Kendrah arose mid morning today. She dressed and spoke with some of her camp mates and then she was gone. I think the theory of napping elsewhere may have some merit after all.
The King, who senses more than humans, knew that I had not left and today stopped by for a chat. I think that he misunderstood what the problem between K and myself was, because he was going on about how the poor man’s tent had flooded so of course K would let him stay with her….she was just being kind.
I had somehow missed a night when the Loud One stayed in Kendrah’s tent. And now she is gone with him all night and possibly all day. I cannot abide this, but what am I to do?
August 11, 2007 by reality’s reckoning
The glorious day has arrived. The loud one has left and Kendrah is sleeping. The spent very little time together today, as he had much work to do. K packed the inside of her tent as well and was in a very good mood as far as I could tell. When the time came she hugged him goodbye and went back to packing. I think it is possible that she has no actually feelings for him at all…either that or she is the finest actress the world has ever seen.
After dark, Kendrah actually stayed in camp, sitting around the camp fire with her camp mates and Valar be praised, went to bed before 11. Perhaps her behavior is simply caused by sleep deprivation and all will be well in the morning.. I know that I will rest better now that he is gone.
August 12, 2007 by reality’s reckoning.
The last day of my last Pennsic.
I will not return to this event again, no matter how things turn out with K. I cannot return here. The trees have even lost their allure.
The camp was up early again today with the reverse purpose…tearing camp down. The efficiency was much improved from previous years. I watched for a few hours and still am convinced that K’s not overwhelmed with emotion for the loud one, her mood even during this sad time is just too good. I feel confident that I will see her in the settlement with in the next few days…until then I will sing my lament.
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