Willow groaned and raised her hand to her neck, palm covering her scar and eyes darting around her in anxious worry. Haldir still had her other arm trapped in a lace with his; preventing her from covering herself with both as other elves passed by with eyes scanning her form. She felt like she was going to be sick. Most of the elves walking around were beautiful females that were completing chores or carrying fabric to little shops. Some would stop and stare, just stare as she walked with the March warden; eyes blank and blue to where she couldn't read the emotion behind them. If only she hadn't left her cloak by the harbor.
She groaned lightly but it went unnoticed Haldir. "Lady Willow, calm yourself and do not fret." He said lowly and by the nice baritone of his voice, her nerves stopped their humming only slightly.
Willow locked eyes with a passing elleth before sighing and attempting to mold herself into Haldir's side. "They're staring at me; all of them, stopping what they are doing only to gawk at my haggard appearance. I must go and get my cloak." In a fit of blind ambition, Willow turned sharply in an attempt to back track to the harbor but Haldir's grip on her arm was that of a vice. Stopping her in her tracks and gently wrapping an arm around her waist and got her walking in the previous direction.
"Then let them stare, allow them to cast their eyes on you." Gently he slid his hand down her arm and laced his fingers through her own, thumb stroking the trembling skin. "You have nothing to hide or be ashamed of and must learn to accept yourself. "
"But I can't." She gripped his hand tight and down casted her eyes. "I feel like an ogre among fairies, I'm sure everyone else is thinking the same thing."
"Then let them. You are harming no one but yourself with that thinking, giving them what they expect from you with this behavior. Show them you are strong; show them they have no power over you, besides. . . Haldir gripped her hand with his and gave her smirk. You're at my side so nothing will happen to you."
Willow sighed and leaned her scarred cheek to his shoulder. He was right after all; she was giving the others what they wanted, fueling the fire and only making it worse for herself. She raised her eyes and once again locked them with a ellon and elleth, both blond and beautiful. They smiled at her with an incline of their head but Willow didn't respond, only down casted her eyes to her and Haldir's interlaced fingers.
They continued to walk through the woodland city, passing by elves that, to Willow's surprise, smiled and gave a friendly nod toward her and Haldir. Her heart pounding in her chest, she also nodded to them but then averted her rigid posture and gripped Haldir once more. She had no idea where he was taking her, they walked around in circles it seemed to her but then again, everything looked the same. The trees, the stair cases, the fountains and gazebos; It was all just a gorgeous repetition. Willows brown eyes ghosted around, taking in all the sights that she had denied herself over the past few months and enjoyed being in a comfortable presence of the man at her side.
Willow breathed deep, inhaling the rich forest air and turned over her shoulder to gaze at a very intricately designed fountain until her eyes caught a sight. Stepping from the side of fountain, she saw Evelyn, smiling and beaming with a rich sparkle in her eye as she held the arm of a man. Orophin, was his name that she had remembered and he was also smiling down to her, lips moving in speak that she couldn't hear but whatever he said, it made Evelyn release a chiming laugh. Willow continued to stare, halting Haldir in his tracks to gaze at the happiness that radiated off of Evelyn in a golden aura. The heart of the burned woman was soaring and thumped lightly with warmth. Her sister was a young lady, a gorgeous one at that with her dark brown hair and light skin.
She was wearing a long sleeved dress so her large scar on her arm was hidden but other than that, her beauty blended into the forest like watercolor. Willow breathed in a sigh and pushed a smile to her lips as the couple continued to stroll through the trees, arms interlinked and chatting up a storm. She had been selfish to Evelyn for the long while they have been here. Pushing her away to wallow in her own self-pity with no energy to keep up with the always smiling sixteen year old.
Letting her be happy and smiling with Orophin, Willow felt that was one of the few blessings she could allow to make up for her actions from months passed.
Haldir watched as well as his brother and Evelyn strolled and disappeared within the trees, looking down to Willow when a sigh escaped her lips. "She's rather fond of him, isn't she?" She asked as she turned and continued to walk in their previous direction.
Haldir matched her pace and laced her fingers back through his. "Yes, I believe so. Ever since you both arrived here, she had an attachment to Orophin."
"Also I've pushed her away so much; she had no other choice to find another companion." She whispered and her head hung low, wishing she had her long locks to her create a shield around her forlorn features.
Haldir sighed and gave her arm a squeeze. "She understood that you were in a dark place the last few months. She knew that you needed time to yourself to get your thoughts together."
Willow breathed deeply and raised her eyes to his blues and deemed him to be right; but the guilt of shoving her sister away, not wanting to confide in her was still going to be branded into the back of her mind. Willow jerked her head up when Haldir made a sharp turn and started to walk on a different path.
"I almost forgot." He started and sent a smile down to the confused woman. "There is a guest waiting to meet you."
Haldir and a flustered Willow stepped over the last step of the grand stair case of the Lord and Lady. Willow sucked in air like an asthmatic on a football field that ran all the way around; her lungs hurt, her legs ached and she leaned on a smirking Haldir as she kept a palm over her heart to try and steady its pace. God she hated stairs.
"You're not going to keel over are you?"
Willow raised her hand to silence him as she regulated her breathing and stood straight. Her skin felt warm and she felt a slight perspiration on her brow but with a breeze flowing through and with the help of her flapping palm to her face, she began to feel better.
"Next time. . . She breathed deep and swallowed a lump in her throat. You're carrying me."
Haldir smiled and patted her back, getting her to walk with him toward the throne room of the Lord and Lady. Willow straightened her back again and gripped her pale green dress, tugging it down and running palms over the fabric in hopes of smoothing the wrinkles as they entered the shining white room.
Once inside, immediately Haldir bowed toward his superiors and Willow clasped her hands together, bowing her head lightly toward the radiant elves before her.
"You may rise young ones." Galadriel's chiming voice echoed through the walls as Haldir stood and Willow lifted her head to see Galadriel with Celeborn at her side, along with a very handsome dark haired elf man standing with them. This was the first time Willow has seen an elf with such dark hair, thinking that all possessed the blond hair and crystal blue eyes. This man had dark chocolate brown hair and dark kind blue eyes. She even noticed that his garb was much different than Celeborns. While the Lord of Lothlorien wore blues and silvers, this man wore gold's and dark brown.
"Ah this must be young Willow, I presume." His voice was low and kind as he gestured a smile toward her.
Galadriel raised her hand toward Willow and with an encouraging push from Haldir, she was walking toward the blond woman and slipping her hand into hers; allowing herself to be pulled in front of the new comer.
"Willow, this is Lord Elrond of Rivendell." Galadriel placed a hand on the burned scar of Willows shoulder, squeezing it in a gentle fashion.
"It's a pleasure to meet you sir." Her voice was quiet and shy as she kept her head low and averted his gaze as she felt his eyes traveling across her skin.
"Celeborn and Lady Galadriel told me of your coming to this realm, however so mysterious; I believe it is the work of the valar." Elrond raised his hand toward Willow who still and gazed at the perfect skin of his palm. "May I see your arm, Lady Willow?"
Willow looked from Galadriel to Elrond with uncertainty but Galadriel grasped her wrist gently. "Elrond is a healer, dear. The best and most sought after in middle earth." Willow lifted her arm from Galadriel and held it toward Elrond, who took it gently.
Lord Elrond's brow furrowed at the twisting and jagged pink scar on Willow's milky skin. He pushed up her sleeve and saw that it traveled up her appendage the disappeared into her back. Gently taking her chin in his fingers, turned her head to the right and traced the pink and wrinkled scar from her shoulder, to her under chin and ear. He noticed that the back of her neck was heavily scarred as well.
Turning her head to face him again, he could see, clear as day, the turmoil raging in her eyes and the sadness that dwelled deep in the deep brown pools. His heart clenched.
"Lady Galadriel explained in the letter the severity of your burns, my dear; but I wouldn't have believed it until I witnessed it for myself." He gripped her hand and patted it gently almost fatherly. "I am sorry but there could be only little that I can do to help." At that Willow's form completely slumped and her hand went limp in Lord Elronds. Tears punched the back of her eyes and her throat tightened. That was just what she didn't want to hear.
"My dear. . . Elrond gripped her limp hand in his and teary eyes looked up into his. At that moment he saw the helplessness and defeat in her eyes. I have with me some medicinal herbs that we use to treat fresh burns; I have yet to see anything that could fade old scars. I will have to do some research but I am willing to help you as much as I can."
Willow nodded and took her hand back only to rub at her eyes. "I understand. . . She sniffed and looked at Elrond as well as the Lord and Lady. At least my hair is starting to grow back." She made a teary laugh before sniffing again lacing her fingers together.
Elrond smiled lightly at the young human before placing a gentle hand on her shoulders. "Your scars do not define you. Let your beauty shine through."
Willow sniffed again and nodded toward the dark haired elf before backing away and taking Haldir's side again. Elrond smiled to Willow then to Galadriel and Celeborn. "I believe my work here is done for the moment, my friends. I must return to Rivendell and look amongst my medical tomes. I appreciate your hospitality as always." He bowed and turned to Willow and Haldir.
"I give you my word that I will try to help you, I just don't wish for you to get your hopes up to high." Willow nodded at his words and let them sink in. She's dealt with the scars for almost three months and she's slowly starting to get used to having them. Extremely slowly.
Elrond straightened. "With that I will take my leave. Goodbye my friends." He smiled and then was escorted out of the room with two other dark haired elves that Willow just now noticed looked exactly alike. With a sigh she leaned her head on Haldir's shoulders, eyes feeling heavy as she desperately wanted to go back to her little home and curl up for a nap.