Disclaimer: Tolkien's characters belong in no way to me, however, I do have a few of those cute little Elflings, some Not-King-Yet's, and a few Furry- footed friends hidden in some cages. Nari is mine, however. : D
Prologue
She was at her post. One of the usual mornings, sky clear, crisp, but the air colder, as winter was approaching, but altogether comforting as any other day in the wondrous realm that was Lothlòrien. Now, as a rule, her position required the utmost vigilance, and attention to detail, every movement to be noted and scrutinized in that complex mind...but that was not her style this day. Legs hooked over the thin silver branches and hair cascading down in a chestnut waterfall, this guard was interested in nothing but how long she could endure hanging upside down at her post.
"Nari, Nari..." Giving a hard smack to her rear end, he smirked. "Not at all the top guard I would have expected.."
Her rear was the first thing to hit the ground, followed by her back, head, and last, legs, as she tumbled, startled, from her tree. Blinking several times before she could fully register the impact of what had happened, an arm was down jerking her from the ground. A smile, brilliantly white teeth and an I-Got-You demeanor, was the first thing her eyes met as she stood.
"Oh, how you amuse me, dear friend..." Grabbing his pristine hair and arrogant-like pointed ear, she began to drag him around through the woods, all while his clear bell-like laughter filled the spaces between the trees. He grimaced, but chuckled in a good-natured manner, grabbing her arm and jerking it away from his violet-tinged extremity.
"Dear Nari, what a temper you have...as always...But I came to fetch you. Apparently, Sindalis and his arrogant brother snuck past you into my brothers' flet and raided it to nothing but a mess... Now, I find it only too amusing to hear of their misfortune, but Nari, those mischievous Elves could have proved to be something worse...I understand you are just out of training, but this can't go on for much longer, or you will be put back in my care. Nothing serious has occurred, but this has been going on for weeks and I don't want it to take place again. Am I understood?"
Her face went strangely odd and pale, and she nodded, folding her arms tightly over her chest. "Undeniably." She looked at him, tossed up her hood, and leapt up into the tree before her, soon lost among the confusion of branches. He sighed.
Narisia did always have that disposition, he thought later on while treading back to his flet, to take things as the worst thing possible...Her carelessness could cost him much more than his brothers' flet, it could cost the whole city their safety, which was something he would not give allowance to. His calm, azure eyes trailed down to his desk, his face now in his hands, a tired and creased look over his usually flawless features. "She's so young...she has not the wisdom to see what she's doing..."
If he had been allowed, the distressed Guard would have sat there in a stupor of complex reasoning and sympathy for something half of him contradicted, but he was not permitted. A sharp tap on his door and he was up, to go greet his visitor...which turned out to be visitors once the door swung open, two of them...Rumil, and Orophin.
"Brother, we've come to address an issue...once again..." Rumil swept in briskly, set his hands on Haldir's shoulders, and squeezed. "Narisia is out of hand. And we have to do something about it. She's a brilliant guard...she could show me up in any sport, no contest, but her attention span has waned. She pays attention to naught but what she fancies for the moment..Haldir, I'm sorry, but I've gone to the Lady and we've expelled her from the Guard. She agreed, Nari needs some time to grow up."
Haldir blanched, and his heart sunk simultaneously at their news. "Rumil, did you deliver these tidings to her?"
He shifted, before meeting his brother's eyes. "Well..we attempted to..." At the sudden hostility in his brother's eyes, he hurried. "We really did! However, the..the...that impossible wench shot arrows at us when we tried to climb into the tree she was in! My foot will be sore on the job for weeks, Haldir! She is entirely unreasonable and I feel that the Lady's decision was all too well placed. You're so cozy with her, go deliver the news to that..woman." Without another word, nor glance at his brother, he stormed out, positively seething with distress and now, that Haldir noticed, a rather noticeable limp. Orophin followed suit.
Haldir was perfectly content with staying in his flet, safe and secure, without having to face the harsh consequences that would surely come after telling her of these revelations, but it had to be done. Smoothing his tunic and brushing up his shoes, trying anything to delay his final course, he left his flet, thinking that finding this angry maiden would be something of a maze, but eventually he noticed that there was only a singular tree with arrows littered about the base. Shaking off his nerves, he ascended it.