Chapter 34

Hello again you wonderful readers. I'm so proud to say here is the 34th installment of Silence is Golden! I'm so glad I was finally able to come up with a decent plotline for this part of the story. It's ridiculous how long I sat staring at the document before finally settling on something.

I hope bringing in the new character this chapter doesn't clutter things up or make it seem like I'm trying to rush things. But I couldn't really think of a better way for Heather to meet them.

Also! Special shout-out to Cat2k10- thank you so much for buying my book! Let me know what you think when you do get around to reading it, I can't wait to see your thoughts on it!

Hrm... I think that's it for now, thank you all once again for waiting so patiently as long as you did. And I apologize for making you wait. And now, I will not keep you any longer and let you get to the new chapter! Please enjoy.

-TL Say0

I do not own LotR or it's characters

I do own Heather and the plot

Elvish

By the time the sun set, Arwen found her sister in Glorfindel's room, sleeping peacefully against his side as the ellon gently ran his fingers through her hair, a distant expression on his face. "How is she?" She asked quietly, settling down in the seat beside his bed, her eyes drawn to Heather's face when she shifted slightly in her sleep before settling back down again.

"Calm for now." He answered easily, glancing over at Arwen with a light smile on his face. "However earlier she was nearly inconsolable." Pausing his action, he studied the older elleth's uneasy face with a small frown. "What is it?"

"She may... Suffer from her actions she took in the forest." She finally answered slowly, dropping her gaze down to her folded hands on her lap, twisting her fingers around nervously. Arwen wasn't sure how to explain her sister's reaction to what had happened, faintly she recalled a time after Heather had returned from Greenwood Thranduil had sent a message to their Ada, speaking about what had happened while she had been staying with them.

"Her actions?" Glorfindel frowned slightly in confusion, glancing once more at Heather's sleeping face. "What do you mean?"

"She... Has moments where memories of her fight with the Orc come forward. She is trapped in them, terrified." The elleth stumbled slightly over the explanation, it wasn't one she was accustomed to understanding, much less speaking about it. "It is hard for me to explain it."

Glorfindel's expression changed from confused to worry as he ran his hand through Heather's hair once more. "I know what you speak of." He finally murmured after a few moments of silence, his voice low and even. "Many soldiers on the battle field suffer from it now and again."

"Heather is not a soldier-"

"Perhaps not in the sense you think. However in her heart and mind... She is one. Training as she has, proving herself to those around her. And bringing all that knowledge into a battle against another- It only serves to cement the idea into her mind." He sighed softly, looking back up at Arwen once more. "What have you done to help her through this?"

"The healers have been giving her a sleep aid to keep the panic at bay. But she refused it this morning." Reaching out, Arwen brushed a hand over Heather's hair this time, fingers sliding through it like water. The strands parting easily as she brushed through them, a happier time came to mind when she would argue with the younger elleth over her unkempt hair nearly making her smile. "She is far too stubborn."

Her comment made Glorfindel chuckle softly, his hair head shaking a bit. "I believe it is one of the reasons I fell for her. That fire in her soul drew me in and would not let me go." The fond expression on his face as he stared down at Heather gave Arwen a pause. Such pure devotion, absolute love and honest purity- it reminded her of her parents years ago when they were both in Imladris. Her Ada would look at her Nana like that frequently. A soft smile lit her features once more as she watched him gently brush some hair from Heather's face once more. Her sister could not have picked a better ellon if they had be presented to her .

"I will leave her in your care, Glorfindel." She finally murmured, getting to her feet and offering a small tip to the head when he looked up at her thankfully. "I will return for the evening meal, perhaps she will be awake by then."

"Of course, I will tell her you came to check on her when she does." The ellon tipped his head back, unable to get up and bow properly in his state. His eyes dropped back down to Heather once Arwen left, his lips twisting downward in a slight frown as he thought over what the older elleth had told him. Of all things for Heather to suffer from, he never would have suspected her to be prone to battle flashbacks. Of course, being forced to sleep so often instead of healing properly would only serve to worsen it, but the healing elves of Lothlorien would rarely come across such a problem.

Settling back against the pillows behind him, Glorfindel tightened his arm around Heather and relaxed once again. He had dealt with the same problem in his younger years, and at the time they had been a curse, now however it was a blessing. He would know how to help her through this.

A familiar hand resting on her head brought Heather back from the fog of sleep, her nose twitching slightly when the smell of appetizing foods reached her as she slowly awoke. "I may have to resort to calling you rabbit instead of Melisse." A small smile spread across her face as she slowly opened her eyes to look up at an amused Glorfindel.

"If that is the case, then perhaps calling me pet would be far more appropriate?" Sitting up, she brushed her lips against his cheek fondly when he laughed at her suggestion. "What smells so good?"

"Your sister brought us food." He murmured, nudging her gently with his shoulder so she would turn and see the small table with a tray sitting on top. Two meals carefully situated on it along with a folded bit of paper. "She had hoped you would be awake when she came, but thought it best to let you sleep until you were ready."

Breathing in the warm smell of soup broth, Heather reached for the tray and carefully settled it across their legs. "I'll talk to her once I'm done eating." She murmured, too focused on the thought of actual food and not filling drinks distracting her at the moment much to Glorfindel's amusement. Picking up the bread roll, she broke it open and inhaled the warm steam rising from it with an appreciative hum.

Glancing over at Glorfindel, she stuck her tongue out at his amused expression and dipped the bread into the broth before taking a bite. "Shush, you realize you'll have to deal with my strange eating habits for the rest of your life." She mumbled around the bread, not caring if it was impolite at the moment and continued stuffing her face.

with a shake of his head, Glorfindel wisely kept his thoughts to himself on that and began eating himself. While he didn't enjoy her speaking with a mouthful, he could deal with the single-mindedness she had when it came to food. Following her example, he tore a piece of his bread off and dipped it into the broth, tasting it curiously to see just why she was currently working on a second piece already.

"This tastes odd, but not unpleasant." He admitted finally, dipping his bread into the broth once more as Heather flashed him a smile. "I can see why you eat it this way." Smiling back, Glorfindel turned to his own food this time, the two of them eating in companionable peace for the moment.

Between the two of them, it wasn't long before every crumb was gone, the broth finished and the twin glasses of water drained. Stretching her arms over her head, Heather let out a small hum of satisfaction and moved the tray to the side. "That was filling." Turning to look up at him, she brushed her hair back from her face as he pushed himself upright.

"Do you think we can convince the healers to allow for a small walk?" He asked with a hint of mischief, eyes flicking to the doorway then back to her amused face. "Maybe, between the two of us, we may be able to hold each other up." Getting to her feet, Heather pressed her hands to the small of her back and bent backwards, attempting to pop her spine with a small grimace before straightening back up. "I'll go see if I can find someone."

Reaching out and snagging her hand before she walked out the door, Glorfindel tugged Heather close and brushed his lips across hers lightly and smiled. "I will be waiting here for you." He murmured softly, reaching up with his free hand and touching her cheek before letting go so she could straighten back up.

"Where else would you go, Old Man?" Heather laughed gently, touching his cheek in return before turning away and walking out the door into the nighttime air. Looking around curiously, she spied Lanta off to the side, seemingly studying the city spread before them with a peaceful expression on his face. "Lanta?" She asked, walking up and stopping beside him when he turned to face her with a curious expression.

"L- Heather." He bowed lightly, a smile lighting his features when he recognized her face. "It is wonderful to see you in such good spirits now." He offered, moving to walk beside her as they turned as one to head back towards the small room Glorfindel was in.

Flashing the younger ellon a smile, Heather nodded slightly and ran a hand through her hair again. "It does my heart good to know he is fine now." She agreed easily, waving a hand in the doorway's direction. "We were hoping perhaps with permission, he could leave and take a short walk."

Closing his eyes in thought, Lanta hummed lightly and finally nodded. "I do not see any troubles coming from a small walk. The air and exercise may do him some good rather than sitting in his room." Pushing the curtain aside, he waved her in first then followed after.

Studying the two of them as they conversed, Lanta couldn't help but be struck once again by their individual expressions when speaking to each other. He had seen her relief at hearing how he fared. The expression she held when hearing his voice for the first time since arriving.

And then he had been witness to the utter devotion on the ellon's face when he came with their evening meal with Lady Arwen while Heather had slept. It was something very few could be privy to in their long lives. Moving forward, he held a hand out for Glorfindel to hold as he slowly got to his feet, testing his strength a moment then flashed a smile at Heather once he was sure he could stand on his own.

"Come on, this place is beautiful, and I want you to see it." Heather urged cheerfully, linking an arm with Glorfindel's and slowly leading him towards the doorway, Lanta falling behind and walking at a respectable distance as the couple slowly made their way down the walkways, stopping frequently so she could point out something she spied and to give him a chance to lean against the railings and rest as they studied the view together, identical smiles on their faces.

"I see you've finally gotten back on your feet, old friend." A voice cut through their idle conversation, making the three elves standing there turn to look at a fair-haired ellon in armor stride towards them with an easy smile on his face.

"Haldir!" Glorfindel smiled, reaching out to grasp arms with the new ellon with more energy than expected. "It is good to see you Mellon, I nearly expected to leave before I had a chance to."

"How could I pass up the chance to see you bedridden?" Haldir chuckled, letting go of Glorfindel's arms, he stepped back and took in the ellon's posture with a raised eyebrow. "It seems I missed my chance however seeing you are upright."

Glorfindel grimaced slightly and glanced down at Heather where she had slowly shrunk behind him during their conversation with fond exasperation. She never seemed to be accustomed to meeting new people, no matter how long she lived here. "I wouldn't be upright if it were not for my beloved helping me." Gently taking her arm, he tugged her away from where she had been attempting to hide and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"This is the curious elleth I have heard about?" He asked, offering Heather a smile when she flashed him a quick look. "Vedui', Heather." He offered, earning another look and a smile this time when she brushed her hair from her face. He had to admit, Glorfindel didn't lie when he spoke of his betrothed's fair features. "I hear you have become a formidable opponent for Glorfindel. I hope during your stay you will grace me with the chance to see how dangerous you can be?"

Blinking slightly, Heather raised an eyebrow and looked up at Glorfindel and his abashed expression with some amusement. "I don't see why not." She finally agreed, elbowing her betrothed in the ribs lightly for not telling her how much he had written about when he apparently sent letters to his friend. It would have been nice to know someone knew so much about her before meeting them at the very least.

"I also hear you are the best archer in Imladris." He added, earning Glorfindel another sharp look from the short elleth with another amused smile.

"If you're trying to ask if I'm willing to show you my skill in that as well, I might be interested in doing so if you speak plainly and explain exactly what my wonderful betrothed here has told you about me." She said slowly, eyes locked onto Glorfindel's face as he glanced away and ran a hand through his hair- A nervous gesture, one she knew well.

Haldir laughed outright and patted Glorfindel on the shoulder. "Oh I can see why you find her so enthralling, old friend. She certainly matches you in whit and temper." With a wide smile, he turned and bowed to Heather. "I cannot wait until we have time to speak longer, Heather. I can already tell this will be a wonderful experience for the both of us during your stay."

"Do you not have patrols today?" Glorfindel cut in with a sulky expression, eyeing Heather as he slowly wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Do your job."

"Of course." With another smile and bow, Haldir excused himself and walked away, leaving the three elves as he disappeared into the trees.

"So... You've been talking about me." Heather began conversationally as they turned back towards the room, her eyes dancing with amusement when he cleared his throat in embarrassment.

"Of course, how could I not?" He finally ventured quietly, looking down at her smiling face and pressing his lips to her forehead with a soft chuckle. "I am so in love, I must share it with the world."

"Shout it from the rooftops?"

"Carve our names in a mountain side perhaps."

The two of them laughed lightly as they ducked back inside, leaving Lanta standing on the walkway with an amused look in his eyes. Hearing the two of them debating on the best way to announce their love was possibly one of the strangest conversations he had been privy to over his many years as a healer.

Moments later, Heather stepped back out, a cheerful smile on her face as she looked over at him and moved to start walking back to her own room, Lanta falling into step beside her. "Sorry about that back there." She said suddenly, looking over at the quiet elf with a small shrug at his confused glance. "We tend to start talking and just ignore everything and everyone around us some times. I didn't mean to ignore you."

"Oh, that is no trouble, Heather." He smiled back, shaking his head when he understood. "You are not the first and nor will you be the last to do so. Please don't feel like you've wronged me in any way. It was... Fun to listen to you actually."

"Fun?" Raising an eyebrow, she pushed the curtain aside for her room and moved towards her bed to sit on the edge as Lanta settled in the chair beside it in his usual fashion.

"Very few elves ever find themselves so comfortable with someone to speak so freely as you two do." He tried to explain, watching as she frowned slightly in thought then slowly nodded. "Now, please, lay back and sleep. You have had a long day and your body is still weak."

Rolling her eyes in good nature, Heather did as he bade and settled back against the pillows as he reached for the cup on the table beside her and held it out so she could drink. "Of course. But only if you promise I can leave again when I get up in the morning." She said, looking up at him with a firm glint in her eyes that melted away into good cheer once he nodded.

Swallowing the medicine, she laid back and pulled the blanket up to cover her with a soft hum of comfort. "Good night, Lanta." She murmured sleepily as the sleeping drought took hold and gently beckoned her to sweet dreams that waited, falling into them before he could even reply in kind.