Chapter 45: OOooOO... SHINY!

A/N:

This chapter is dedicated to grd who wanted Sofia to get a kick-ass item (to be described below) & Angwen, because she guessed Haldir's confession back in chapter 28!

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It was our final night before the battle tomorrow and the atmosphere of our camp was silent and serious. People deal with stress in different ways but I have yet to meet a group of warriors who are not at least a bit solemn before a fight. Me, however; I am not much of the strong, silent type. The quiet of the crowd was getting to me but it's not like I could really go anywhere else. No movie theatres to escape from reality here in good 'ol Middle Earth.

I was lying on my back and stretching my leg back until it was even with my face. After riding for so long I needed to stretch every day so my legs didn't fall off, because it would probably be hard to fight demons in a wheelchair.

"Sofia, are you busy?" I looked up to see Haldir standing in front of my with his hands behind his back.

Sitting up, I tucked my legs underneath me. "Hey Hal! What's up? Have a seat," I gestured to the grassy area beside me.

"Actually, I'll remain standing." He grinned and kept his arms behind his back. "It would be awful to let you see the present too soon."

Clapping my hands with glee I giggled. "Ooh! Presents! Gimme gimme gimme!"

Haldir laughed and his eyes twinkled in the light from the stars. "Hold on now little Slayer. I think I should make you work for this so I'm going to make you guess."

"Aww," I pouted. "I suck at this game. Do I get clues?"

"You may ask three questions." Haldir seemed very pleased with the minor torture he was going to enforce upon me.

"Well," I mused. "Is it bigger than a breadbox?"

Haldir's face crinkled in confusion. "I have no idea what that is Sofia."

I rolled my eyes at him. "It's often the first question people use in this type of guessing game." I sighed. "Silly elves and their lack of technological devices like breadboxes. Anyways," I gave him a piercing look, "let's start over. Is it shiny? You know I love shiny things."

"Yes, it is very shiny."

"Woo! Ok, is something I want or something I need? Because there is a fine difference between the two, as I have observed upon many Christmases when my Tia Angelica always gives me socks and other boring things."

He cocked his head to the side and took a moment to think. "Actually, I believe this is both something you want and something you need."

"How perplexing." I made a show of stroking my chin. "Does anyone else have one of it?"

"Yes and no."

"Hal! That's not a fair answer." I shot him a mock-glare.

He laughed. "Yes, others own the type of present but nothing exactly like it."

"Aw, I am so awful at this game. It's shiny, I want and need it, and people have one but not like this one. Is it a weapon?"

"That is quite a general answer but I will give you your prize nonetheless." Haldir beamed at me and whipped a sword from behind his back. The item in question glinted under the light of the moon and was three feet long. Jumping up I grabbed the handle from him and stared at it in amazement. The handle felt right nestled in the curve of my palm and the weight was perfect; I could lift it easily but it weighed enough to hew my enemies. Embedded in the handle was a brilliant red gem that seemed to blaze with its own light. Holding it against the moon I looked at the edges and ran my finger lightly over it. It was sharp, extremely sharp.

"Oooo… Shiny!" I gasped while staring at the sword. "Hal, this is beautiful."

"It is a gift I have been working on over the last forty days or so since your fight with Bregolien who broke your sword. I felt awful that your prized possession was broken as a result of the ignorance of one of my wardens and I did not want to see you enter battle with something more powerful. It is a fine elvish blade and carries some elven magic within it that will serve you greatly in battle. I have named her 'Baudhiel'."

I tore my eyes away from my gift to give him a questioning look. "Bow-thee-ell?"

He gave me a nod of satisfaction. "In elvish Baudhiel means 'judgment'. The ruby I placed in there because I know how you like shiny things," we laughed, "but I also meant for it to be your sword's eye of judgment."

Turning back to my sword I gave it the lightest of kisses along the broad side. "Baudhiel, you and I will see to the judgment of all orcs and bad beasties that have given in to evil." I closed my eyes and could sense the sword humming with power. Now, I own a lot of weapons that I've been collecting over the past five years. But nothing at all like this. This sword pulsated with power and a tear of overwhelming feeling parted from the captivity of my eye.

Bending down I gently lay Baudhiel on the grass and then stood up to look into Haldir's eyes. An overwhelming surge of love came through me when I looked at him. I held his face between my hands and softly spoke. "Haldir, this is the most amazing gift anyone has ever given me, much less forged himself. I cannot thank you enough."

A shy grin spread across his face as he tenderly ran his fingers down the side of my face and wiped away my tear of happiness. "Seeing you happy is the only thanks I require, Vancarmiel." He pulled me into a tight embrace and I relaxed against him.

Abruptly, Haldir stiffened in my arms and gently pulled me back. I gave him a questioning look and then following his line of sight.

"Elladan," I said in surprise. A feeling of guilt began to flood through me at the betrayed look on his face. I knew I did nothing wrong but I had a feeling we were not on the same wavelength at the moment.

His shoulders were thrown back and his jaw was clenched. Elladan's very presence pulsated with anger and his lips were pulled into a sneer as he spoke. "What is going on here?"

I raised my hands up in a defensive motion. "Elladan, nothing is going on."

Stalking towards us, his unbound hair was flung back over his shoulders. "Nothing? I see the gift that Haldir gave you. This sword is a masterpiece and by looking at it I can tell that Haldir put much of his life energy into it. This is not a gift to be given lightly."

His face was blank and Haldir spoke with a quiet anger. "It is a gift given to a true friend, Elladan Peredhel."

"A true friend who you feel enough connection to touch and hold as if she were your own?" Elladan's gray eyes looked black with anger under the night sky.

Gently I placed my arm under the quivering arm of Elladan; anger had his body racked in tremors. "Elladan, please don't do this. You are so overreacting." I tried to make my voice calm and succeeded. But inwardly I was getting angry myself at his inappropriate reaction.

"Am I, Sofia?" His eyes tore from me and bore back into Haldir's eyes. "I have seen the way that Haldir watches you and how you two interact. I have done my best to stay silent but I can tell that he loves you. And I will not let him pry you from my arms with gifts or anything else."

"Elladan!" I gasped. "Don't be silly."

"It's true," Haldir stated, "I do love her but not-"

Haldir never finished his sentence. Elladan's swinging fist landed heavily along Haldir's jaw. Haldir stumbled back and threw his arm up to block Elladan's next swing.

"How dare you call yourself a friend of me and mine when you try to take my love away from me? You are disgraceful." Elladan pushed Haldir back with enough force for Haldir to land ten feet away. Elladan began rushing towards Haldir again when I yanked his arm back and threw him ten feet in the opposite direction.

I could feel pairs of eyes watching us from the camp and I hissed angrily at Elladan. "What on earth do you think you are doing? You are acting crazy! You do not go starting a fight with one of your own before a major battle!"

Elladan propped himself up on his elbows and was breathing deeply through his mouth. He gave a harsh laugh. "Apparently madness is a result of love, my dear Sofia."

"What?" I questioned. My eyebrows arched up and I knelt down next to him.

"I love you, Sofia. I have loved you, I think, since I first met you. And I've been trying to keep it inside me because I did not want to frighten you away; I know how much hurt your heart has carried within it. But as I was patrolling the perimeter I had a vision. Like my father and grandmother I have visions, but it is extremely rare. Perhaps only a handful of times in my long life." His eyes were filled with pain when he looked up at me. "And I saw that you were gone."

"You mean," my voice cracked, "I died?"

"No," he sighed. "I thank the Valar it is nothing of that nature because I would surely pass if you died. But for me it was the next worst thing. I saw that you were gone from my life because you chose another to love." A tear rolled down his face. "You left me, Sofia. You left me. And I will not sit by and watch it happen before me with Haldir."

In a fluid motion Elladan stood up and walked away from us past the edge of our encampment.

I just sat there in shock as Haldir approached me and sat down. "Vancamiel?" he said softly. "Are you okay."

In return I just gave a harsh laugh and glanced over the small bruise that was appearing on his face. "Guess I could ask you the same thing."

He shrugged. "I have seen worse. I hold no grudge against him, I understand why he felt the need to do it."

I raised my head until I was at eye-level with him. "Haldir, what did you mean when you said you loved me?" My heart beat erratically. There was no way I was mentally or emotionally prepared to deal with two ellon in my life. Nor did I want to; I only wanted Elladan.

Haldir shook his head and breathed out deeply. "Perhaps I made the mistake of not saying what I wanted to say in the right order. Elladan never let me finish, since his fist was connecting with my jaw." He gave me a wry smile. "My entire sentence was going to be that I love you, but not in that way."

I mulled that sentence over in my head. "Huh?"

A charming laugh spilled from his lips. "Do you remember our talk at that night club of yours?"

"Yeah. We talked about elven courting and my sweet American dance styles."

"Do you remember when you asked me why I was single? And I said while I had courted several maidens I did not imagine to find love with an ellith at all?"

"Yeah…" I gave him a curious look. Where was he going with this?

"And do you remember right before we left your world when we were talking about Willow and her preferences?"

I nodded. "Yeah. You were telling me that homosexuality isn't too common in Middle-Earth, even if people just do it for fun it's usually not a permanent thing." My eyes widened as the lightbublb flickered to life above my head. "You mean…?"

"Yes, Sofia. It has taken me a long time to truly understand and acknowledge the desires of my heart, but I am referred to as, in your language, gay."

"But-but," I sputtered, "what about all those times you flirted hardcore with me? That's not something…" I stopped as I thought of my gay guy friends at home. They were all salicious flirts and got away with so much in their female friend relationships because of their sexual preference.

Haldir grinend and planted a kiss on my forehead. "To be honest, when I first saw you I was struck by your other-ness."

"What?" I exclaimed. My thoughts immediately reverted to an Ethnic Studies class I had taken and I was wondering if I should be insulted.

"I have not found the one for me yet and when I saw you I thought to myself, 'Prayhaps it is because the one for me is not part of Middle-Earth.' Sofia, you are beautiful unique, funny, and strong." I blushed at his words. "I think a part of me was trying to force myself to be attracted to you in part due to lonliness."

"Thanks, Hal," I said dryly. "Glad to know I'm someone you have to force yourself to be attracted to."

He chuckled. "Quiet, Vancarmiel. That's not it and you know it. I just am not attracted to you because of who I am. But," he tucked his finger under my chin and looked me in the eyes, "I do love you. I think that's why I was confused about my feelings for you before. But my love stems from friendship due to a connection that I have experienced with only a handful of people. I have been blessed with your friendship and the connection our fëa have found with each other."

My heart twinged with happiness at his words and I pulled myself into his arms. "I love you too, Hal. You've been one of my best things about this world since the moment I entered it. Thank you for that; for everything."

Pulling me back he gave me another kiss on the cheek. "Now, while I would love to, how you say, 'chill' for a moment I believe you should find your charming lover."

I grimaced. "Yeah. I'm not sure what to say to him. He seemed pretty shook up by his vision."

"Sofia," he chided. "You know what you need to tell him." I raised a questioning eyebrow. "Elladan told you he loved you. It sounded like that was the first time he had said those words to you."

Raising my head to the stars, I broke eye contact with Haldir. "Yeah, it was." I shivered at the memory of those words gracing his lips. "Too bad it wasn't under better circumstances."

"True. Maybe that is why you need to go find him now and then tell him you love him."

I jerked my head back down at him. "How do you know if I love him or not?"

He gave me a deadpan look. "Sofia. I watched several novellas and tv shows with your mother. I believe I am what is referred to as the 'gay guy friend' and am automatically an expert on the love lives of my friends, not to mention clothes."

We stared at each other for a moment before both of us burst into laughter. When the last laugh left me I kissed him on the cheek and said, "Thanks Hal."

"Anytime, Vancarmiel."

I threw myself to my feet, grabbed Baudhiel my sword, and began running in the direction had left.

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A/N:

Peredhel: It means 'half-elven'. Used in Tolkien's world to refer to Elrond & fam since Elrond is half-elven and has ties to Man.

Baudhiel was retrieved at:

Next Chapter: Boyfriend A meets Ex-Boyfriend B…. Under some pretty damn awful circumstances