Chapter 10

She was annoyed at him, he could tell. One of her hands was in his, the other was balled up into a tight fist on his shoulder. This was not exactly how he had intended for this to go. Still, he was rather enjoying himself and was determined not to let her sour face spoil his mood. He had had quite a lot of Dorwinion wine, he had a pretty elleth in his arms, and he was back from the borders for three weeks. He had no intention of getting into a mood.

Holly was in a mood, however. She barely made eye contact with him as he twirled her around the dance floor. While his wardens had cheered them on at first, her unwillingness to dance with him had been made clear by this point, and they were now snickering at their leader. Haldir was going to lose his reputation if she kept this up. He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, then apologised,

"I am sorry, Holly. I did not mean to force you to dance," he said, looking down at her. She raised her face to his and raised her eyebrows as though she did not entirely believe him. He cocked his head to the side in concession, "Every beautiful elleth should be on the dance floor. I simply wanted to pay you a compliment."

Her eyes softened at this. Ah ha! A few gentle words, then.

"I actually do like dancing," she admitted, biting her bottom lip lightly. Haldir eyed her mouth as she spoke, "It's just that Rúmil was supposed to show me the moves, I don't know them."

"You seem to be doing well." he remarked, looking down at her feet. Her eyes followed his and she eyed her steps,

"Yes, it doesn't seem to be that different than our own dances."

"I am surprised that you are still on your feet. Dorwinion wine is very strong. How many cups of wine did you have?" he asked playfully, his mouth turning up at the corners, forming a slow, cautious smile.

Holly frowned at him, "Three," she said firmly. "No, four. Well, three and a half, you drank the last half of my last cup."

"My, aren't we the little lush." he responded, guiding her slowly away from the centre of the dance floor and closer to the outer edge. "Careful or you may find yourself dancing naked in the moonlight." She laughed at his joke, rather more enthusiastically then she usually did. He liked the way she threw her head back in laughter. Her long, elegant neck was in full view, arched back. He imagined another situation in which head might be thrown back in pleasure and shifted uncomfortably, suddenly enormously aware of how close they were. The entire ordeal was totally lost on Holly; she brought her head forward again and her long, dark hair fell forward onto his hand.

She made no move to push it back. Now near the edge of the dance floor, he stopped their dancing and simply stood there. Still holding her hand in his, he removed the other from her shoulder and slowly pushed her hair back, once again revealing her neck. He allowed his fingers to brush against her soft skin and felt her skin break into gooseflesh underneath his touch. Not laughing anymore, she looked straight up at him.

This is no timid elleth, he thought to himself. Her hazel eyes bore into his as though trying to figure out just what he was playing at. Haldir himself had absolutely no idea. Her hand still in his, he led her over to a bench against the far, back wall. They walked past the table of wine and he quickly swiped another goblet. He would come to regret this in the morning, he knew.

He sat down silently beside her. He took a long sip of wine and enjoyed the music. The cup was lifted right from his hand and he looked over to see Holly taking a small sip before handing it back to him,

"You owe me." she said simply, pursing her lips. He nodded emphatically,

"That I do."

They sat there for a few more moments. It was not lost on Haldir that neither of his brothers nor Eruana had stopped to talk to them. In fact, they seemed to be avoiding he and Holly like some sort of pestilence. If Holly had noticed the same, she gave no indication. She swayed slightly side-to-side in her seat in time with the music. Her eyelids dropped low and she gave him a half-lidded smile. She began to hum a long with the music.

"You do like to dance, I can tell." he said, observing the way she moved to the music. Holly sighed,

"Yes, I really do. Unfortunately, I think I got lucky with that one dance. I don't recognize the steps of any of these other dances."

Haldir looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, then emboldened by the wine, he stood up and dropped a hand in front of her, "I shall teach you. Come!"

Holly sat back against the wall and folded her arms across her chest. She shook her head at him rather violently, "No, no, no. I will not learn to dance from you in front of all of your wardens."

"Not all my wardens are here!" he exclaimed and shoved his hand closer to her face. She rolled her eyes,

"You are determined to embarrass me."

Haldir sighed, "No, I am not. I want to help you. You do not give me any credit. If you won't learn here, then come with me outside the clearing. There is no one there and I could show you some basic steps. When you feel confident, we can come back to the clearing and dance properly."

Holly narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion. Haldir did his best to look sincere. She continued to scrutinize his face until she finally dropped her hand lightly into his. He flashed her a smug smile and he saw her nearly sit back down, but he held her hand tightly. She stood in front of him, grabbing the cup of wine before following him out of the clearing.

Holly had no idea what she was doing, and she was not referring to the dancing. She was not stupid – she could see that Haldir was a terrible flirt. She knew enough from Eruana to know that while the elves only ever married once, binding themselves to another for eternity, that did not stop them from having physical relationships. The idea that Haldir was metaphorically trying to get into her pants was entirely possible, and Holly was wary of this. Still, he was just...so handsome. His intense eyes stared her down until her resolve was completely shattered and she gave into whatever thinly-veiled plot to seduce her he had concocted.

Yes, Holly was completely, entirely, one-hundred percent aware of what was happening.

And she did absolutely nothing to stop it.

They exited Elenalcar and walked into the cool air outside the clearing. The light from the lanterns and the heat from the crowd kept the clearing warm and intoxicating. Out here, Holly felt much more aware and far less tipsy. Haldir pulled her gently into a large empty space, away from the footpath, but with enough distance between the nearby mellyrn. Holly was impressed and surprised – it seemed he really did want to dance.

He turned around and looked at her, holding his arms out, "Take my hands. I will show you a fairly simple dance, this is one everyone knows."

Holly steadied herself and placed her hands in his, keeping her frame straight as she had been taught by her mother years ago, sometime before Prom. Haldir eyed her stiff shoulders and straight back and dropped her hands, "No, you must loosen your stance. Much like when shooting an arrow – keep your frame loose, but controlled."

Holly raised an arched eyebrow at him, "I've never shot an arrow, you dolt."

In a fairly un-elf-like movement, Haldir scratched his head. "Hmm. It is no matter, we shall work on that later. Take my hands again, step closer, no need to keep your distance."

Holly looked at him ruefully, letting him know that she was aware that there was a need to keep her distance. He gave her yet another apologetic look – he's getting better at those, she thought.

"Come, I will not try to ravage you here in plain view of half of my own wardens." he took her hands firmly, lacing his fingers with hers. Holly blushed hotly at the unexpected move. "It is how many of our dances begin," he explained.

Holly nodded and looked down at her feet, "Okay, so what's next?"

Haldir pulled one of his arms back and she let hers follow. As he did this his feet went backward, she followed his steps. He pulled her arm back and wound it around his shoulder so that they were now side-by-side. He twirled her in front of him, one of her hands still on his shoulder, the other now loose in front of her. He took it and they were now in a typical dancing position.

"That is how it begins, if you have a good partner, you should not wonder what to do next." he said, obviously implying that he was a good partner. Holly nodded, ignoring his statement. "Next, I will come closer. Most Elvish dances are close – at least, the Silvan ones are."

He pulled her closer to him and they were standing slightly off-set – his right leg ever-so-slightly between her own.

"In this dance, we sway, lifting one foot and then the other, while also turning in a small circle. It is a popular dance as it does not require much movement around the dance floor, allowing many couples to dance at once. It is useful in this type of setting."

They were very, very close. Haldir had not lied when he said that the elves were not as prudish as human. Granted, this was still tame compared to what she was used to, but it was not the stuffy, courtly dance she had expected. It was far more intimate than she had expected. Still, he moved slowly, mentioning each step before he did it, which rather detracted from the romanticism of the entire thing. She followed along, trying to ignore the feeling of his strong thigh between hers, or the taught cage his arms formed around her. She felt utterly enclosed, encapsulated, trapped in the very best way.

"I suppose the closeness helps me not to trip." she mumbled, staring intently at her feet.

"Do not stare at your feet. When shooting, do you stare at your hands or the -"

"I don't do archery!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. He grabbed her hands, replacing one on his shoulder.

"Yes, as you've mentioned." he replied, drawing her back into him. "Look at me or to the side, your feet will move as I move."

Not sure if she wanted to look directly at him, Holly looked to the side, to their clasped hands. His hand was large, and the skin of his fingers had very little softness, to her surprise. It made sense – Haldir was a warrior who spent much of his time climbing trees and fighting orcs, and evidently, shooting. She could still hear the music from Elenalcar from where they were, and the music was slow. She looked to the clearing and saw many couples on the dance floor, dancing in a very similar way to how her and Haldir were dancing now. She suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to pull him back into the clearing and dance with him in plain view. As if reading her mind, Haldir stopped his instruction,

"I fear the rest will come with practice. Would you like to return to the clearing?" he asked her, dropping her hands. Holly felt strangely disappointed.

"Uhm, no, not yet, I think." she lied. She walked over to a large mallorn. She had left her cup of wine there earlier. She lifted it to her lips and took a big gulp, nearly finishing the wine. Haldir followed her and snatched the goblet from her hand,

"You ought to slow down. Dorwinion wine is very strong." he said, taking a sip.

"Yes, you mentioned that." she said quietly. He was standing very close to her. She could feel the heat from his body, she could see the glitter of the starlight in his eyes as he briefly looked to the sky. He looked back down at her, his eyes scanning her face, searching hers.

Holly took a small step back but was stopped by the great, wide trunk of the mallorn. Not deterred by her movement, Haldir stepped forward. He touched the soft, gauzy fabric of her sleeve, letting it fall from between his index and middle fingers.

"This colour suits you. Your hair is so unlike our own. Our greys and whites would do you no justice." he said, his voice dropping low. Holly was spellbound by his face. She could not look away from him. His gaze felt heavy on her face, his eyes still scanning every inch of her, each feature, as though memorizing them.

His eyes finally met hers and she opened her mouth to speak. Before she could utter a word, she was silenced by his lips. The kiss began slowly, and Holly could hardly move for surprise. His lips did not move against hers, not until her own involuntarily began to part. Sensing the permission in her reaction, he moved his own, deepening and opening the kiss. Without thinking, Holly brought her hand to his cheek, her fingers grazing his soft, silver hair. Holly stumbled forward, and he pushed her back softly against the tree. He steadied himself there with a carefully-placed hand beside her head. She could taste the wine on his tongue, soft in her mouth, skimming her lower lip. She allowed herself to suck gently on his in response, and she heard his breath hitch in his throat. The hand that was poised above her head flew to the back of her head, crushing her mouth into his. She couldn't stop the soft sigh that escaped her lips.

Suddenly, she felt...wet. No, not, in the pleasant sense, in the strange sense. She felt the cold wetness seep through her dress and down her leg. She froze and pushed Haldir back softly, looking down to the source of the interruption.

Down the side of her dress was a deep, dark, stain. A now empty cup of wine held haphazardly in Haldir's hand, dripping its final drops onto the pale purple gauze of Holly's new gown. Holly could not help the growl of frustration that developed back in her throat,

"Haldir!" she exclaimed, pushing him back forcefully. He stumbled backward and dropped the cup, catching up to recent events. "This dress was new! It's ruined!"

Rather than apologize, however, Haldir laughed a deep, hearty laugh. The laugh did not stop, but dissipated into snickers and wheezes as he doubled over. Holly pulled at the fabric attempting to see the extent of the damage. As quickly as her desire for him came, it was gone, and she stared at him in utter annoyance,

"Couldn't you have paid a little attention? How will I explain this to Ethiriel?" she demanded, her eyes aflame. Haldir stopped laughing finally, straightening himself,

"Well, you could always tell her that we were kis-"

Holly shrieked with rage, "Urgh! You're insufferable! You could at least apologize!"

Haldir took a step back, his brows furrowing. He obviously did not appreciate her tone, "I won't apologize! I did not throw wine at you intentionally."

"Of course you didn't, but you were careless. Why were you holding it to begin with?!" she demanded, rubbing at the fabric furiously.

Haldir threw his hands up in exasperation, "Drinking it, for Eru's sake! You were there!"

Holly rolled her eyes in the way that made him want to down an entire cask of Dorwinion wine. How he loathed that expression on her. "You could have put it down!"

"I was otherwise occupied, if you recall!" he retorted, growing increasingly aggravated with her. Why did she have to be so obstinate about everything?

"Why must you argue with me about absolutely everything?" she spat, walking away from him. He followed her and attempted to grab onto her arm. She twisted away from him and he reached out further, grasping her wrist in his strong hand. She spun around to face him, but there was no tenderness there now.

"It is you who turns everything into a disagreement! We were having a perfectly pleasant evening, then you go and throw this tantrum over a little spilled wine!" he responded hotly, glaring down at her. She met his gaze with an equally cold one,

"I'm throwing a tantrum? I think that's pretty reasonable after you force me onto the dance floor in some deliberate attempt to embarrass me, then you ply me with wine and...and...and ravish me in the forest!" she countered. Haldir looked positively livid,

"Ai, Eru lend me strength!" he spat under his breath, "I already apologized for marking you dance, and if you recall you fetched your own wine, and you followed me into the forest, and you kissed me back!"

"Oh, well, don't worry, there's no risk of THAT happening again!" she growled back at him. It was Haldir's turn to roll his eyes,

"As if I would attempt itagain! I'd sooner kiss a goblin!"

Holly froze in place, tears threatening to well up in her eyes. She was not sad, she was angry, and she couldn't help the hot, angry tears that were threatening to fall. She looked at the elf in front of her. His eyes were dark with anger and insult, his composure thoroughly rattled. Holly was in no better state, her own nails were digging into her palms and she feared that if he made her any angrier, she would draw blood.

"Urgh! You are the worst!" she exclaimed to the skies. Holly turned on her heel and walked clear away from Elenalcar and back toward the city. She could hear Haldir following her,

"Holly! Holly, stop this." he said angrily, his long strides catching up with hers quickly. She turned away from him, not wanting him to see the tears streaming down her cheeks. Again, he made to grab her wrist, but she moved away,

"Would you leave me alone?" she asked, shooting him another glare. Seeing the tears on her face and the ire in her expression, he dropped his hand and stop walking.

"Fine." he said stiffly. Holly didn't look at him again before turning back toward the footpath and walking as quickly as she could back to her talan. Using the sleeve of her now ruined dress, she wiped the tears from her eyes.

Why, why, why did she have to ruin everything? Why couldn't she have just laughed it off and let it go? Why did he have to argue with her about everything! Why did he do his best to push every single button she had?

Why had he kissed her? What was she to him, some new conquest? A shiny new toy in a city where everyone had known each other for a millenia? The thought made her even more furious and she threw open the door to her talan and slammed it shut behind her. She was angry with Haldir, yes, he was irritating, arrogant, cocky, and more, but she was also angry at herself for allowing herself to be so easily seduced by it all.

Too much wine, she thought more rationally.

She stripped off her dress and threw it into an angry pile at the foot of her bed. Not bothering to put on a nightgown, she crawled into bed in her under-dress and stared at the ceiling, anxiously analyzing every action, word, feeling of the night. Her brain was swimming with emotion. She recalled the feeling of Haldir's lips on hers – so natural, so gentle and wanting. As if they were meant to be there. Then she recalled his words, how he'd rather kiss a goblin, and she felt her heart race in a way that had nothing to do with the kiss and everything to do with the plethora of ways in which she'd like to skin the Marchwarden alive and fashion his hide into a cloak.

Sometime, when the dawn was beginning to break, she fell into a fitful sleep, praying she could get an hour or two of sleep in before she had to rise.

A/N: So that was a little more exciting than we've been used to. But you didn't think I would let it be all butterflies and wine and dances, did you. No, no, that wouldn't be Holly and Haldir's way. Nothing will come easily to them. Please review :) I really appreciate them and the encouragement makes me write faster :)