Welcome back to the fic To Be Forever Faithful. I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed and/or read my fic. I'm glad that everyone likes the beginning. I'm sorry about the rating change. When I registered the story, I forgot to change it from G. This is rated PG-13 as of now, but that might be subject to change. It may go up to R, depending on how explicate I decide to make the content. But, yippee! The more I think about this fic, the more excited I get! I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or anything that belongs to Tolkien Enterprises.

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To Be Forever Faithful

By: Ponytail Goddess

Chapter 2: Second in Command

Haldir slid into the water and immediately fell into a state of relaxation. The steaming water cleared his mind instantly. The large bath that was at the bottom of the mallorn tree which housed the warden's talans; it was one of his few escapes from the world of the guard. He could just be himself for about ten or fifteen minutes. Yes, the bath was wonderful indeed.

"If only I could stay here longer," he thought to himself. Alas, he could was business that he needed to deal with as well as a line of elves waiting to get clean as well.

As he rolled his bar of soap against his body, he pondered the benefits of having Belegwen as his second. How would she react to certain situations that require the skills and knowledge of the second in command? Did she have these skills and was she bold enough to use them?

Though he hated to admit it, she probably did. And the Lady of Light knew she did as well.

"But she is not the only one; Heledhril and Erthalion would both be suitable as well,"he thought stubbornly, wishing he could pick an elf for the job instead of an elleth.

However, Belegwen had been recommended by Galadriel, the Lady of Light. Naturally, that was important. Galadriel would not have proposed an idea unless she wished for it to be set into motion. Because of this, Belegwen practically already had the position without even knowing about it.

Haldir sighed as he got out of the bath. It had been ruined for him because he had been plagued by thoughts of the guard.

Silently, he dried off in the slightly dim, magical light. His eyes suddenly widened with realization. "If Curudae had made it, I wouldn't have to deal with this problem."

Haldir's eyes scrunched up as he put on a clean robe. He gritted his teeth as the aching pain of loss returned to his heart. For nearly an hour, he had went without thinking about the situation. Now though, the agony of Curudae's death had returned and it sickened him.

"It was all my fault," he thought, showering himself in the blame he thought he deserved. "How could I have missed it? Why did I not notice he was gone from his post?"

These thoughts continued to haunt him as he shoved his dirty clothes down the chute. There, the elven maids would wash them and transport them back to his room. "If only I had been a bit faster... Had I only made sure he was at his station..."

Standing in front of the door, Haldir quickly composed himself, blinking away the tears that were starting to form in his eyes. His men could not see him like this. They needed to see his strength, not his weaknesses. Besides, tears could never truly solve a predicament. He had to be strong and see this through to the end.

Becoming his solid, warden persona again, he swiftly exited the bath and stormed up to his own personal talan again. However, he found himself stopped in front of his room as he thought back to the newly open warden position. He looked down the hall to the last door.

That was Belegwen's room. It was exactly six doors down from his own. "I could discuss it with her now."

Though Haldir was tired, he knew he would not be able to sleep for a while anyway; not with the negative thoughts that were nagging at him with every moment that he inhaled. Quickly, he entered his room and put away his belongings before walking up the lighted, black marble hall to her door. He softly knocked upon her door.

"Come in," a muffled voice replied. Cautiously, Haldir opened the door, not exactly knowing what to expect in the elleth's room.

Haldir let out the breath that he hadn't even realized he was holding. The room was exactly like his and all the other elves'.

The first thing he noticed as he entered was that she had obviously not showered yet. The musty smell of sweat permeated through the entire room. While it was nothing in comparison to that of the Edain, it still repulsed him. Elleths were not supposed to smell like that. They were supposed to smell like flowers and nice things. "How can she bear it," he wondered to himself as his eyes drifted to her soiled armor that had been sloppily tossed upon the floor.

Belegwen herself stood in front of her mirror trying to undo her hair, which appeared to be in a few braids that were poorly woven. Condensation was quite visible in her silver hair, making it appear somewhat dark even in the magical blue light. Her robe was did not fit her well, as it had been intended for an elf's use. The rope was wrapped around her waist twice so that the ends would not drag on the ground.

She looked in the mirror to see who had come in behind her. Her eyes enlarged when she saw him and she ungracefully whipped around to face him. Yanking the hairpins out of her mouth and hiding them behind her back, she stood in front of him and looked at him, waiting for him to say something.

Now that he was here though, no words came to Haldir's mouth. This elleth was obviously an embarrassment to all of Lothlorien, having chosen to take up the life of an elf for no apparent reason. This was not how Eldarin society was supposed to work!

Finally, she spoke up. "Commander, what brings you here?"

"I have an offer for you, warden," he stated, regretting that he had to tell her about the new position.

"Yes?" she replied, a curious look appearing upon her face.

Mentally, Haldir had to keep reminding himself that the Lady of Light wanted her for the job as he continued. "Because Curudae has met his fate, we are in need of someone to be second in command. You have been with this guard for over a millenium now and have proven yourself to be loyal. I have come here to ask if you would consider taking this post."

She stared at him for a moment, then replied, "I shall consider it with great honor, commander. Tell me, what responsibilities are involved with this post?" she asked as she turned around so that she was facing the mirror again; immediately, she started yanking more pins out of her sloppy tresses.

He watched as her long hair slowly started to fall from its place atop her head. It was rather unusual for someone in the guard to have hair so long. However, Haldir barely spared it a thought. "Meet me at breakfast tomorrow and I will tell you all you need to know about the responsibilities."

"Yes, sir," she replied as she turned around to face him again, her hair floating messily behind her. "I shall meet you in the morning, sir."

The two then both exited the room. Haldir entered his room and Belegwen rushed down the stairs towards the bath.

Once in his room, Haldir sighed. Would it even be possible to work with this elleth? Doubt filled his mind. Had the Lady of Light chosen the wrong person for the job? What if it did not work out?

"I cannot believe I got myself into this," he thought as he slowly got into his bed and shut his eyes, dreading the new day that awaited him.

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Well, did you like it? Please review. Thanks. I think the next chapter will be from Belegwen's p.o.v. I can't wait!

FAVOR: Sorry about this, but I need to ask a favor of my reviewers. See, I am really new to the LotR fandom, and I have no idea about what the term "Mary-Sue" means. Yeah, laugh at me; I don't care. Anyhow, if someone would tell me about it, I would be forever grateful. Thanks!

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Chapter edited on 01/21/10.

-P.G.