Title: CAPTURED

Authors: Fianna and Heather the Mage

Rating: R for violence

Note and Warning: The story continues, with some minor violence. Haldir has accepted his role as protector, and once decided, focuses on that mission as keenly as any he might have taken from his Lady. Danger is paramount in many ways. But Haldir and the girls are not alone in their plight, as friends rush to aid them. But will they arrive in time, will they meet before the three fugitives escape the harrowing region of Harad? Time will only tell.

Disclaimer: Lórien and the world of Arda belong to JRR Tolkien and are written here only for personal pleasure and respect to the one who created them.

Chapter 11: Relief

Haldir jerked his horse around with a curse, one of many that day, hauling the two other horses quickly back the way they had come. The horses moved rapidly, sensing the same danger he'd seen, ears flattened back nearly to their heads.

He dismounted, shoving his horse out of the way, and threw Selena the reins to her mount.

"You must ride with Sanaa back to the stream we just crossed, and then into the water toward the sun until you cannot see that hill behind you." He caught the girl's arm, pulling her toward him, forcing her to stare into his gaze.

She blinked blearily, nodding. "We can do that, but why?"

He did not want to tell them, afraid they would panic in their terror, but had little choice. "Haradrim, we cannot avoid them."

Selena's eyes grew wide and she nearly reeled off the horse, but Sanaa caught her arm before her sister slid off the other side. Selena lifted a trembling hand to her forehead, her voice thick with fear. "We will be caught," she gasped weakly, twisting to stare down at him as Haldir shoved the horses around toward the stream.

Haldir gripped her wrist tightly; aware he had little time to explain. "I will lead them off in another direction, Selena. I will find you as soon as I can. But you must hurry." He could tell Selena was not well enough to grasp fully their danger and instead turned to Sanaa.

The young girl nodded bravely, taking the reins from Selena's limp hands. "We will do as you say, to the stream, and then toward the sun."

Haldir nodded stiffly, slapping Sanaa's horse, sending the animal off with a lurch. Sanaa looked back over her shoulder once, her eyes dark with worry.

Haldir turned around toward where the Haradrim were approaching. He whispered to his stallion, sending the animal off without concern, and then taking a deep breath, pulled the dagger from the back of his leggings.

xxx

The Haradrim warriors walked toward him, unaware that he watched, laughing at something one of them said, when suddenly they stopped, and as one the men crouched down near the ground. Their voices rose excitedly as they studied the tracks in front of them. His tracks. The men glanced around carefully, eyes skimming the landscape swiftly, pulling on the veils that the Haradrim wore when facing an enemy.

Haldir glanced behind him to make sure the girls were out of sight and then slipped in among the rocks lining the trail. A few moments later, He gripped his knife loosely, wedged into a crevice of rock just above the path the men would take. They would follow the tracks doggedly, now that they had discovered Haldir's direction of travel. He had no choice in what he had to do, none at all.

Four against one was a fair number that normally would never have concerned him. Today, however, was different. He was not himself and the two girls fleeing behind him were too precious to leave alone. Haldir gritted his teeth, willing away the dizziness that threatened to send him tumbling from his perch. He felt for the vial in his pocket, and with a grunt of displeasure, pulled it free to look at it. Perhaps this was why he felt he had to wait to drink it. He could only hope the effects would be as quick as the last. He pulled the tiny stopper free of the glass and drank the contents quickly.

The Haradrim warriors were on their feet, edging up the hillside cautiously, fully aware of their impending danger.

Haldir shuddered, wiping his forehead with his arm.

The first man walked past the Elf, unable to smell him, nor sense his presence. The second stopped just below Haldir with a frown, sniffing loudly, and then turned, looking up just in time to see Haldir leap.

Haldir landed on the man, knocking him into the first warrior, and the three of them hit the ground hard. Haldir rolled off the man underneath him, knowing he would not rise again, and pushed himself to his feet as the first Haradrim stood up with a snarl. Behind Haldir, two more warriors rushed up the hill, knives drawn, faces covered but for their eyes.

Haldir ducked the first man's lunge. He slid low under the Harad warrior's arm, catching the man's wrist to twist it hard, pulling him around and then down to the ground. A knee on his chest had him pinned, and the elvish dagger finished the work, sliding effortlessly over the man's throat.

The two other men parted, whirling around Haldir as he leaped back to his feet.

They circled him, blades flashing in the sun, eyes glittering with intensity.

Haldir turned with them, feet planted, balancing on the balls of his feet. The Haradrim were excellent hand-to-hand fighters, something the Elves rarely needed. Haldir's extensive travels in and around Arda, on the other hand, had made it all too necessary for the March Warden to train in all forms of fighting, something he was hoping the warriors facing him would not realize.

The Haradrim both grinned and rushed toward him.

Haldir waited until they nearly reached him, and then dropped to the ground bonelessly, sliding out his feet to drop one of the men down on his back. Haldir quickly coiled back up, shoving the other man from behind. The Haradrim staggered a few steps, and then whirled around to face Haldir, leaping back toward the Elf with his blade thrust before him.

At the same time, the Haradrim on the ground spun in a circle, taking Haldir's ankle out from under him, and he dropped with a grunt to one knee, blocking the arm sweeping toward him with his wrist. He lowered his shoulder into the man's chest, rising to lift him off his feet and over his back. The Haradrim landed with a wheeze, and a stifled moan. Haldir ignored him, facing the other warrior with gritted teeth.

They came together furiously, knives flashing, bodies intent on gaining the upper hand. The Harad warrior slammed an elbow into Haldir's ribs, sending new waves of pain shooting into his head, but did not turn quick enough to evade Haldir's elvish blade when it slid between his ribs. The Haradrim gasped, staggering back as Haldir fell to the ground, clutching the bloody dagger.

The man wiped his mouth as he coughed up blood, and then he staggered another step, dropping first to his knees, and then sprawled flat on his face on the ground, and was still.

Haldir tried to catch his breath, aware there was yet one more man alive.

"I've always heard the Elves were good fighters," the man muttered from behind him.

Haldir clenched the knife tightly, shifting slightly to glance over his shoulder, drawing up onto one knee. The Haradrim stood up, weaving slightly, his head bloody where he had fallen on a rock.

"Indeed," Haldir replied icily, slowly rising to stare at the man intently.

The Haradrim grinned ruefully, waving the dagger in his hand. "Four against one should have been excellent odds." He pointed at Haldir with the tip of his knife. "And you ill and wounded to boot."

Haldir flushed, irritated that his weakness had been so easy to see.

"Word is that Arad has been wounded by just such an Elf," the Haradrim continued softly.

Haldir narrowed his eyes, shifting his stance slightly as the Harad warrior brushed a hand over his brow, wiping away the flow of blood.

"Wounded is not how I intended to leave him," Haldir replied in a tight voice.

The man laughed, his eyes gleaming in amusement. "A bad choice for you, I think. Arad will never forget you, or that you have stolen his children. Where are they?"

Haldir only smiled grimly. "Do you think I would tell?"

The man shrugged, moving around the Elf. "It will be only a matter of time before they are found. Word has been sent to all reaches of Harad, as well as Mordor. You are doomed, Elf, and the children slaves to the Dark Lord for what they have done."

Haldir inhaled carefully, balancing the blade in his hand, focusing on the man before him.

The Haradrim leaped for him, whirling in a flurry of black robes and veil, but then he stopped suddenly, gripping his throat. He stared at Haldir in surprise, his eyes wide as Haldir straightened hands empty.

The Haradrim grasped the knife in his throat in a weak attempt to remove it, but then dropped to the ground with a gurgling cough to lie still.

Haldir began to take a step toward him only fell instead to his knees, his head throbbing, and then he sprawled on the ground, closing his eyes as the dizziness sent him reeling into oblivion.

xxx

Sanaa looked up at the sky with a worried glance, curled up next to Selena on a small mound of soft moss near the stream. Her sister was too quiet, her skin hot to touch, her eyes fluttering behind closed lids. She had nearly fallen from her horse only a short while ago, somehow becoming lucid enough to see the knoll where they now sat, and finding the strength to hold on until the horse was close enough that she could slide off without hurting herself. Sanaa had followed quickly, but she had nearly misjudged the depth and swiftness of the stream they were traversing, sliding off her horse into the water only to have her feet taken out by the force of the current. She might have fallen in completely had it not been for the horse, who decided for some reason to take a good bite of Sanaa's robe just as she hit the water.

She glanced again at the horse, standing near the small hill, munching the few strands of grass that grew beside the rocks. She refused to believe the horse had known what it was doing, horses couldn't think like that. Could they? She wondered, but then looked up at the sky again as the clouds continued to converge over them.

It rarely rained in Harad, but when it did, it was not good to be outside. The rain was usually so heavy it made what was normally a dry barren landscape turn into a mud bath. And being up on the hill was not a good place to be either, she thought frantically, as a bright flash of lightening lit the sky pink. Yet she dared not move Selena, even if she could have gotten her on the horse again.

She could only pray the Elf would return soon, before the rain, before Selena became even more ill. She had told Haldir her sister would be fine, and she did believe that, but also knew the illness had to run its course.

A few heavy drops of rain splattered her head. Sanaa sighed, edging closer to Selena.

Haldir would return for them. He would.

Sanaa continued to sit patiently, shivering and wet, but becoming more and more frightened as the rain began to pour down so hard she could hardly see the horses only a few feet away. Selena did not wake, even with the rain hitting her face.

Where was Haldir? She refused to believe the Harad warriors might have defeated him; he was too brave, too strong to be taken again. Yet she knew he was ill much like Selena, plus hurt, and most likely weakened by the blood he'd lost.

She decided bravely to wait a few more minutes, and then, if Haldir did not arrive, she would somehow wake Selena to ride on. Sanaa curled up her knees, drawing her wet robe around her body, pulling the hood further over her head. What was she saying? She had no idea which way to go and doubted Selena did either.

They would more than likely end up as orc breakfast, she thought grimly.

"He'll come, Sanaa," Selena said weakly, folding her hand over Sanaa's cold one.

Sanaa leaned over her sister, pressing a hand to her brow. "He has been gone a long time."

"Have faith," Selena whispered hoarsely, and then she closed her eyes, unaware once more.

Sanaa's lip trembled. She did have faith, but it was hard to remember it when she was cold and terrified.

One of the horses snorted, appearing out of the rain, ears laid back.

Sanaa stood up, staring into the rain trying to see, but there was only a blur of water, drops of it catching on her lashes as she struggled to look through the drizzle.

The sight of Haldir riding his stallion made Sanaa give a glad cry, and as he slid off his horse she leaped off the knoll into the water, wading toward him until he caught her shoulders. She slid out of his grasp and wrapped her arms tight around his waist, pressing her face into his stomach.

"I thought you were dead."

She felt him sigh, and then he placed his hands gently on her head. "I am fine, Sanaa."

She hugged him tighter, refusing to let go as the rain poured down around them. "I didn't know what to do. Selena almost fell off her horse, and then the rain started, and I'm cold and hungry, and you didn't come back …"

The Elf crouched down in the water, pulling her arms from his waist to look into her eyes. "I am here; you do not have to worry anymore."

She tried not to sniffle, running a hand across her nose. "You are bleeding again."

He looked down at his chest with a frown, and then lifted his eyes up to her again. He looked tired; his grey eyes dull with fever. "I will be all right, Sanaa, trust me."

She tried to smile, but instead she burst into tears, covering her face with her hands. A moment later, Haldir lifted her into his arms and carried out of the water to where Selena was lying. He sat down, wrapping an arm around Sanaa as she threw her arms around his neck.

She didn't want to cry; she wanted to be strong like Selena. She sniffed, holding the Elf tight, refusing to let go.

"You killed them all, didn't you," she whispered tearfully into his ear.

He tightened his arm around her, and then sighed deeply, grasping her shoulders to stare into her face. "I had no choice, Sanaa. They would have taken you back to your father, and I will not be captured again."

She understood far too well. "Will there be more?"

He frowned, seeming unaware of the rain that dripped off his nose and plastered his hair to his head. "I do not know, Sanaa. We are still deep inside Harad, and beyond that lie the lands of Mordor and Sauron. We must journey beyond them both to be free. It is a very long way as yet."

She pressed her hand to his brow, and he closed his eyes for a moment, allowing her to look at him closely. "You are ill like Selena; you just are refusing to let it slow you down."

"Elves do not get ill," he muttered under his breath.

"We need to rest," Sanaa said suddenly.

Haldir rubbed his forehead absently, brushing off a few drops of rain dripping off his hair. "Are you taking charge?" He looked at her with a smile for a brief moment, an expression that changed his face into something ethereal and mysterious. Sanaa wondered what Selena would say if she saw him smile like that. She wanted to giggle suddenly, knowing her sister was already smitten with the Elf. A smile would make her act like a fool.

Sanaa realized her fear was gone. Haldir was there, he would take care of them. Just as she had to take care of him now.

"Can you find us a place to stay out of the rain?"

He reached out to touch Selena, his smile now a deep frown. "Aye, we need find shelter quickly."

Sanaa stood up, watching Haldir lift Selena gently into his arms. He whistled softly and one of the horses appeared out of the rain. He settled Selena onto the horse's back and leaped on behind her, and then held out his hand for Sanaa.

"You will ride with me for now. We'll find someplace to rest."

She caught his wrist, and he lifted her up behind him, waiting until she had her arms firmly around his waist, and then settled Selena onto his lap. The horse did not seem to mind the extra weight, and with a gentle kick of his feet, Haldir urged the horse into the stream.

xxx

Selena felt warm for the first time in days. She didn't want to move, didn't want to wake from the comfort of her sleep. Sanaa was next to her, she could feel her warmth, although the bed was oddly uncomfortable, almost as if they were sleeping on the ground.

With a start, she opened her eyes, and found it was not Sanaa that she was lying against, but Haldir. He was lying on his side, eyes closed, his face pale but for a faint reddish tint to his cheeks. His hair fanned across one shoulder, and one of his arms cushioned her head while the other was draped heavily across her hip. Selena nearly giggled when she realized Sanaa was lying in her favorite position, plastered to Haldir's back instead of Selena's, her tiny arm wrapped around his waist. They had the Elf sandwiched in between them, much to her sudden embarrassment.

She had never slept near a man before. He smelled like the earth, a faint scent like that of the trees. Having his body next to hers was quite nice actually; in fact, she wanted nothing more than to curl closer to him, to have his arms around her. She knew, however, he considered her only a child. It was more than likely he had someone waiting for him at home. The thought was depressing, and one she quickly shoved out of her mind, refusing to dwell on it.

She looked around, noting they were lying in some small cavern. Outside the cave entrance, the rain poured down blocking her view.

"Go back to sleep, Selena," Haldir said quietly, his voice hardly more than a whisper.

She looked up to find he had opened his eyes to peer down at her, and she realized he was probably as sick as she was. He looked tired, his grey eyes slightly unfocused.

"We cannot travel in such rain," he explained, shifting between them with a faint frown. "We all need to sleep."

"But what if someone comes," she whispered hoarsely.

He closed his eyes as if he were too tired to keep them open. "The horses will alert me if someone approaches."

She had to trust him, had already put her life, and Sanaa's, into his very capable hands. She sent a prayer to the gods, thanking them for bringing her the Elf, and then she closed her eyes again, snuggling unconsciously against Haldir, asleep again in moments.

xxx

Galadriel stared into her mirror with a sense of relief. Even though the scene before her was bleak and gloomy, she felt a definite lifting of her soul, a realization that her Elves had escaped harm so far.

Haldir was nearly free; Rumil was getting close to meeting with Orophin's company.

She did not need Ferodir's empathic senses to note his relief as he felt Haldir draw nearer.

She brushed a hand over the water, changing the scene, staring intently at the black mountain that glowed red. Sauron was going to be disappointed that the Haradrim's ploy to lure the Elves into Harad had not worked as well as they had hoped.

She had known to trust Haldir.

"You have great faith in your warden," Celeborn said softly from behind her.

The mirror shimmered and grew blank, but she knew Celeborn had not looked at it. He never did, trusting her to analyze the images herself.

"As you do as well," she countered evenly. She turned toward her husband, matching his keen stare intently. "They will soon leave the lands of Harad. Orophin is nearly in position, and Rumil only a short ways behind."

"Your mirror told you this," Celeborn teased.

She smiled, gently pushing him out of her way. "Of course not, I have spoken to Ferodir in my mind. He seems concerned that Haldir is ill, but I am sure it will be a simple matter to heal."

"Your faith is endless," Celeborn whispered, capturing her wrist to hold her still, his blue eyes twinkling. "So say what it is you mean to say, or must I dig further."

She laughed, her heart lighter. "We must travel soon to the border. He brings others with him."

Celeborn blinked and then he lifted a dark brow. "You do not tell all, my love."

Galadriel looked at the mirror over her shoulder. "I cannot say as yet what I know to be true. But soon, soon I will know."