Disclaimer: Not mine! Although I wish Haldir was!
This is my first LotR fanfic, and if it jumps in too fast, I apologise, but it sort of wrote itself. Unfortunately, I am a self confessed Haldir fan/obsessor/fantaciser. He is the one who comes to Aragorn's aid at Helms Deep in the Two Towers film. Unfortunately, he dies in that film, although he does not die in the books. They guy who played him in the films id Craig Parker, and he makes the most sexy, gorgeous elf I have ever laid eyes on!
Ok, enough rambling, I am working on my other fics aswell, but this insisted on being written.
Also, writing in italics denotes elvish. Am really bad with the language, except for a few words!
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It had been a long day. All Alex wanted was to have a bath and go to bed. Work had been a nightmare. She still worked fulltime as a receptionist, meeting and greeting clients and customers all day long. Today had been a busy day. She was still struggling to get herself published, and so had resigned herself to working fulltime until that happened. She hated every minute of it. She wanted nothing more than to have unlimited time to write. It seemed that was not about to happen anytime soon.
She reluctantly dragged herself out of her relaxing bath, and collapsed into bed. She drifted off relatively quickly and had been asleep for about an hour, when a thud awoke her. She bolted upright and saw a dark figure standing on the opposite side of the room. She threw the covers off and reached down underneath the bed for the dagger she kept there, in case of situations like this. Her hand never closed around the dagger as someone grabbed her from behind. The mystery person gripped her tightly around the waist and held a knife to her throat. She could still see the figure on the other side of the room as it moved towards the door. The person behind her held her tightly. She could smell the woody scent of pine and wildflowers coming from behind her. It was strangely comforting, despite the knife at her throat.
The figure closed the door, and flicked on the light switch. Alex gasped when she saw who the person was, or at least, whom he looked like. He was the spitting image of Gandalf from LotR. He simply smiled at her and sat down on her dresser stool.
"Haldir, you can let her go now," the Gandalf look-a-like said calmly.
The person holding her lowered the knife and let go of her waist. He moved away and stood next to the Gandalf look-a-like. She had recognised the name Haldir, but it wasn't until she saw his face did she realise why. He looked like the image of an elf, more specifically, the March Warden Haldir. He was tall, at least 6 feet 2, and had long silvery white hair. His eyes were a blue colour. Not deep, but not pale either. He was broad across the chest and shoulders, and was armed to the teeth. He had a bow and quiver on his shoulders, a dagger on his right hip and a long sword on his left. His face had a rather non-threatening look to it and he was looking straight at her with curiosity. His pointy ears were clearly visible and looked incredibly real.
Alex blinked a few times, trying to take in the scene before her. The only logical explanation was that she was dreaming. Here they were though, in her bedroom, Gandalf the White and Haldir of Lorien. She thought she was losing her mind.
"Are you quite alright, my dear?" Gandalf asked
"Hmm? Oh, um…" was all she could manage.
"I expect you are a little shocked to find us here. Quite understandable. I assure you, we intend no harm towards you," he tried to reassure.
Alex opened her mouth, but found nothing would come out. She had been sat on her haunches since Haldir had let go of her, and her feet were starting to get pins and needles in them. She moved them out from under her and sat on the edge of the bed, unsure what to say or do.
"We have been sent here, because the people of Middle Earth need your help," Gandalf explained.
Alex went wide-eyed at the words 'Middle Earth'. Surely, this was a joke. He couldn't possibly be serious. Middle Earth was fiction. Wasn't it?
"What did you say?" Alex whispered.
"Middle Earth needs your help," Gandalf repeated.
"Ok, now I know I'm dreaming," Alex admonished.
"I can assure you, we are very real."
"I feel it necessary to apologise for my previous actions. We were unsure if we had been brought into the world we were searching for. I mean you no ill harm," Haldir said.
"World? You both come from another world?" Alex asked.
"Yes, by means of a portal. It's not an exact science and we could quite easily have ended up in the most undesirable of places," Gandalf explained.
"You mean, you come from a world where Middle Earth is real?"
"Of course. Surely you know about our world?" Gandalf asked.
"Yes, but it's not real. It's fiction. Your world is the creation of…"
"Tolkien," Gandalf finished.
"Yes… how did you know that?"
"Because he was a druid. He travelled to our world some time ago, and spent time with each of the races, gathering information. It was after the demise of Sauron that he disappeared. He must have come back here. As I understand it, he wrote books about our world. So you will know all about what happened."
"Yes, most people do, but I don't understand. What could you want with me?" Alex asked.
"You have control over the elements, do you not?"
"Yes, but how…"
"Then you are the person we have been looking for. Haldir has been assigned as your personal Guardian. I am to be your guide, until we reach Lothlorien."
"You want me to go back with you to your world?"
"You can't very well help us from here," Gandalf replied.
"What is it exactly that you need me to do?"
"I'm afraid I cannot tell you. You will be told once we reach Lorien. We must leave at once," Gandalf stated, rising from the stool.
"Wait! I can't just drop everything and leave! I have family, a job, and bills to pay!"
"When you return here, it will be at the exact moment you left. Nothing will have changed."
It was so much to take in, and she hadn't been given a lot of time in which to digest this information. She had long since believed in parallel worlds, and worlds in other dimensions, but to have two people come from a world she thought was only fiction, was enough to cause anyone to think they were losing their mind.
Deciding to go along with it, she packed a bag, and got herself dressed in some jeans and cowboy style boots. They were the sturdiest she owned and were comfortable enough to wear for long periods. She debated whether she should take her Spellbook with her, but figured it would simply be a burden.
"Do you own any weapons?" Gandalf asked as she packed.
"A couple, why?"
"Bring them. They may be needed."
Alex placed her dagger on her belt, and put her Sais in the bag. She had never mastered the long sword or archery, but was adept at hand-to-hand combat. She was beginning to get worried about what they might encounter while travelling to Lorien. Did Gandalf expect them to be attacked?
She didn't get chance to ask. Gandalf opened a portal right there in her living room and instructed Haldir to go first. He then pushed Alex through forcefully, causing her to land right on top of Haldir, kneeing him in the groin in the process. He let out a strangled grunt, but did not shout or push her off.
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Alex exclaimed, scrambling to her feet.
"It's quite alright," he replied, gracefully getting up.
Gandalf stepped through calmly and smiled at the pair, clearly pleased with himself. Haldir sent a mild glare in Gandalf's direction, which was simply ignored, and started walking.
The portal had landed them in the middle of Fangorn Forest, approx 200 miles SSW of Lothlorien. The forest, like any other forest was not without its dangers, but both Haldir and Gandalf knew it well. Gandalf lead the way while Haldir brought up the rear. They walked almost 30 miles that first day, only taking two breaks for food and rest before settling down for the night in a secluded brush area.
Alex settled down onto a blanket Haldir had laid down for them. Gandalf had sat himself under a nearby tree, smoking from a pipe. Haldir lay down next to her and looked up at the stars. They looked the same from Middle Earth as they had from Alex's world. She knew it was little comfort to make out familiar constellations; she would still never be able to sleep. She rarely did these days, not since her fiancé had left her 6 months earlier. She found it difficult to drift off into sleep without the comfort of a warm body next to her. It seemed completely stupid, but no matter how hard she tried, she simply could not sleep for more that a couple of hours a night, no matter how exhausted she was.
Gandalf sensed she was having trouble sleeping, and when looking into her mind, could see why. He could not afford for her to be tired, they would be travelling for most of the week.
"Haldir, she will not sleep unless given comfort," he informed him.
"Are you asking me to take her?" Haldir asked incredulously.
"No of course not, unless you want to... No, I simply need you to give her a body to sleep next to. She finds it difficult sleeping alone. We do not have the option of leaving her too tired to travel."
"I understand," Haldir replied.
He then set about making a pillow from his cloak and settled onto his side facing Alex. He then opened his arms and gestured for her to move closer. Alex looked at him in confusion, and then looked at Gandalf.
"What did you tell him to do?" she asked him.
"That he should comfort you," Gandalf replied nonchalantly.
"Why would I need to be comforted?"
"So that you can get some sleep. We cannot afford to have you tired while travelling. The more sleep you can get the better, and if Haldir can help in that respect, he will."
Alex looked to Haldir who still had his arms outstretched. He didn't look in the least bit disturbed or uncomfortable and waited patiently for her to lie down next to him. He immediately put an arm under her neck and pulled her close, pulling a blanket over them. He folded his other arm over her and placed it gently on the small of her back, keeping her pressed against his chest, her head resting under his neck.
She could smell the earthy scent again, and it was surprisingly soothing. The heat radiating from him was more than sufficient in keeping her warm. She felt so comfortable nestling herself against his muscular chest, which felt surprisingly soft. It took only minutes for her to fall asleep.
It had been decades since Haldir felt such a soft body pressed against him. It felt strange at first, mostly because she was a human woman. She was fully grown, but to him, she was still incredibly young. He felt his protective side overshadowing almost all reason as he pulled her closer.
He stole a look down at her face as she slept, and gently moved a strand of golden hair away from her face. She looked delicate and peaceful, and snuggled closer.
Alex awoke several hours later with a start, when she heard a monstrous thundering sound.
"What the hell was that?" she whispered.
"Look," Haldir pointed to Gandalf who had fallen asleep against a nearby tree.
He was snoring loudly, but still had his eyes open. Alex covered her eyes and dropped her head back down onto Haldir's arm.
"How long was I asleep?" she asked.
"Almost 3 hours," he replied.
"Great. I won't sleep now."
"Of course you will. Let me help you. Look at me," he said.
She looked up into his eyes. They were full of kindness and strength, and were practically hypnotising. She felt her own eyes grow heavy, as he moved and hand to stroke her cheek. She could no longer keep her eyes open and fell asleep once more. His warm body and delicious scent making her cling tighter to him.
She slept more soundly and peacefully than she had in months, not waking up once after her initial shock of Gandalf snoring. Haldir had also fallen asleep despite his intentions to remain awake. He awoke to the feel of tingling coming from one of his nipples. He looked down and saw Alex circling a finger round it. She was clearly still asleep, and completely unaware of what she was doing to him.
He moved a hand up to stop her, but she responded by throwing her arm around him, grabbing hold of the back of his tunic, and threw a leg over his hip. She pressed herself tightly against him, her core now pressing against his morning erection. This contact actually elicited a gasp from him.
He looked down at her and could see her stirring. She opened her eyes slowly and looked up at him, blinking a few times in realisation. But before she could remove herself, Haldir had rolled them over several times, landing them deep in thick bushes. She had no time to react or protest as she heard the loud thuds of a sword hitting flesh, and the grunts of a body being cut in two. It lasted less than thirty seconds.
"It is safe to come out now," Gandalf called into the bush.
Haldir shifted his position, as he was lying in-between her legs. This movement caused his length to press up hard against her, causing her to gasp. Haldir looked at her, and suddenly realised why she had reacted in surprise. He pulled himself off her.
"My apologies," he mumbled before moving out of the bush and out of sight.
Gandalf extended a hand to help Alex out of the bush. She looked around and saw the dead creature. It was strangely elf like, although its skin was much darker and its teeth were bared. There was also no sign of Haldir.