Disclaimer: All mine, always was.

"Do you know how the orcs came to be?" Saruman asked in his deep, eerie voice. The Uruk-hai snarled in response, displaying a row of sharp teeth. "They were elves once, taken by the dark powers, tortured and mutilated. A ruined and terrible form of life. And now... perfected. My fighting Uruk-hai…"

Haldir scanned the horizon with his keen blue eyes, and he saw… nothing. Nothing unusual. Oh yes, there was a certain dark cloud hanging over a mountain-edged area called Morder, but that cloud was now fading into nothingness. It had been diminishing steadily for the past several months. So when Haldir did his routine glance across the expanse, it only dimly registered in his mind. He was not interested in the Shadow; he was looking for orcs.

After Sauron and Saruman both met their demise, the orcs and other foul creatures of Middle-Earth were left in confusion; they had no master, no one to lead them and tell them what to do. As a result, their existence had become pointless and they swarmed about Middle-Earth without a purpose, occasionally participating in small battles when their befuddled minds registered the fact that they were once supposed to kill everything in sight.

As The March Warden of Lothlorien, it was Haldir's job to make sure that any and all of these stray orcs never entered the wood and were disposed of as soon as they were sighted.

And as of yet, he had seen none.

Haldir gave an uncharacteristically impatient sigh and leaned against the trunk of a tree. The other guards gave him odd looks; Haldir never displayed any emotion other than chilly superiority when he was on patrol. Of course, the only emotion he displayed otherwise was proud humbleness, and that was only when he was around his lord and lady.

Haldir checked the surrounding land again; just to make sure he hadn't missed anything. He hadn't.

"Haldir!" a voice interrupted. Haldir jumped and hissed at the obnoxiously loud sound. One of his guards snickered softly and was rewarded with The March Warden glare, which silenced him instantly. "Haldir!" insisted the voice.

Forcing himself not to appear surprised at the intrusion, Haldir turned and faced the person. It was Orophin. "Haldir!" he said again.

"Yes?" asked Haldir grumpily. "I have not forgotten my name, thank you, if that is what you are here to accomplish."

"It is not," replied his brother, lowering his voice to a level more acceptable on elvish ears. "The Lady wishes to speak to you. Immediately."

Haldir's bad mood evaporated. "The Lady?" he repeated, his eyes lighting up at the thought of providing service to his lady. "What did she want?"

"She didn't tell me, but I suggest that you go and find out." Orophin answered. "She said she wished for you to see her as soon as possible."

"I will go. You make assume my post until this patrol is due back to Caras Galadhon." Haldir nodded his thanks at Orophin and swept past him to make his way back to the city.

XXXXXXXXX scene break (I don't know how to make it work so w/e) XXXXXXXXX

Haldir stood before Galadriel with his head bowed respectfully. She stood on the steps of her lavishly decorated talan and surveyed him critically. "You are still in your traveling clothes." she remarked disapprovingly.

"Yes, my lady," Haldir said, sounding properly ashamed. "I did not have time to change when I arrived. Orophin said you wished to see me immediately."

"Indeed," intoned Galadriel. She looked immaculately unattractive, as always. He wore a flowing, white dress draped across her body, with a low-cut neckline that exposed a hint of fine elvish cleavage. Her golden circlet was perched just so upon her long, blonde hair that had obviously been tamed with a curling iron and hairspray to stay in exactly the position she wanted it. Her face was unmarked by time, and may have been quite pretty if she only smiled more often. Her blue eyes blinked lazily at Haldir as she waited for him to say something.

Realizing his lady was less forthcoming than usual today, Haldir decided to take action. "What was it you wanted to see me about, my lady?" he prompted.

Galadriel drew in a deep breath, her nostrils flaring. She let it out and inhaled again, as though what she was about to say was forcing her to make a great personal sacrifice. "I," she announced in a deep slow voice that was supposed to convey wisdom. "Have looked into my mirror." Haldir was taken slightly aback. He had been called off patrol because The Lady had looked into piece of reflective glass? "And I have seen," She finished.

Oh, that mirror. The one that looked like a birdbath.

"What did you see?" He asked eagerly.

"Things that were…" Galadriel continued in the same excruciatingly monotone voice. "Things that are… and some things, that have not yet come to pass." At last some inflection crept into her words and her voice became higher pitched towards the end of her proclamation.

Galadriel said nothing more, and Haldir waited patiently. His lady always had reasons for her actions. Her birdbath gave her wisdom and she followed that wisdom. If she wanted to make him wait to find out the reason of her summons, he would wait.

"I have a task for you, Haldir." she finally said.

Haldir bowed. "I shall do whatever my lady wishes," he said.

"Good," came the response. "Tell me, Haldir, what do you know of the Uruk-hai?"

Haldir was delighted at the opportunity to share knowledge with his lady. "The Uruk-hai," he recited. "Are a thoroughbred strain of orcs first created by Sauron in the Third Age, by crossing orcs with goblin-men. Saruman recently copied Sauron's methods and created his own army of Uruk-hai. They were created in the ground beneath Isengard…"

"Wrong," interrupted Galadriel. Haldir blinked and fell silent. "Some were made in the birthing pits beneath Isengard, but others were not. They were elves."

"Elves!" Haldir exclaimed, thoroughly shocked. "But, elves wouldn't fight for the Sauron, or even Saruman!"

"They used to be elves," Galadriel corrected herself. "They were taken captive, thought for dead." Her eyes glazed over and her voice dropped. "They were tortured, Haldir, tortured. Their minds were twisted by evil until they forgot that they were children of the light. They became helpless minions of Saruman, condemned to killing their own kind!"

"But Saruman is dead, the orcs have no master," Haldir said. "What of them now?"

"They are bewildered," Galadriel breathed. "This I have seen." Haldir nodded, encouraging her to continue. "They know not who they are. Your task, Haldir," Here she paused dramatically. "Your task, is to release them from the evil that constricts their minds."

"I thought they were no longer elves," stated Haldir, echoing the lady's words back to her.

"The evil in Middle-Earth is receding," Galadriel said, with the air of one sharing a very important piece of information, never mind that everyone knew about it. "Their masters are gone; the orcs can be tamed." Her eyes fixated themselves on his face. "You must find an Uruk-hai and free the elf he once was."

"I have not seen any orcs, much less Uruk-hai, at the borders for weeks, my lady," said Haldir miserably.

"That is why you shall be traveling south," Galadriel glared at him as he opened his mouth to protest. "You will find an Uruk, restore him to his proper consciousness, and return with him to Lothlorien."

"My lady," Haldir began.

His lady cut him off. "You leave in two days time."

"He tried again. "My lady…"

"Go," she ordered.

He went.

TO BE CONTINUED (I HOPE…)

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A/N: Good? Bad? Ugly? I hope this doesn't suck as much as my last story!