"He bowed and took his leave, remounting his horse and guiding it over to his lieutenant. There was a tightness in his chest that he couldn’t explain, and for some reason he couldn’t pinpoint, his mind was filled with the fairy stories he had once told his nephew, and how when his father had first seen his mother, she had been covered in the soot of the forge."

Perfect!

I love this! I am such a sucker for a good fairy-story. Also, love Caranthir in all his geekiness! I always want to make their romance canon! Love being inside of his head here.

I love these two (and the idea of them as a couple), and I love their first meeting as you wrote it. Caranthir falling into her arms, and his very own brand of appreciation, was amusing to read (though embarrassing for him). Really enjoyed how you wrote his thought processes! And Haleth's responses were excellent. I liked the deep(er) thoughts they exchanged in Chapter 2, too. Looking forward to reading more!