Hello readers,
I hope you are safe and healthy wherever you are. My hope is that you find this story is a relief for everything that is happening right now.
The poor overlooked marchwarden...Rest assured there is a plan for him! Nice guys don't always finish last :) But there may be a few more bumps before we get there.
keep those reviews coming! I have truly gotten inspired to add parts of the plot from some of your smart, insightful comments.
-Edith
Lauren spent the next several days diligently avoiding the marchwarden. When in the same room, she carefully avoided his gaze. She found excuses not to be around him. Overall, she thought she was quite successful. That was, until Elrond reminded her that she had neglected the daily lessons with Haldir for too long. She had tried to persuade him that they were not necessary, but her father had insisted. Haldir was responsible for her safety, and Elrond argued she needed to learn some basic self defence skills.
So, very hesitantly, Lauren returned to the training grounds five days after having dinner with Haldir and his family. She found the marchwarden waiting for her at the swordplay arena. She walked over, careful to be cordial yet distant.
"You have not come for some days" was Haldir's acknowledgment of her attendance. He had been confused by what happened at the dinner with his family. Lauren had offered no response to his sentiment that he cared about her. Then, she had kissed him goodnight so affectionately on the cheeks. For the last several days, it had been apparent to him the Princess was avoiding him. He had not to approached her, to give her some time to come to terms with her feelings. He had a sense she was in turmoil about him.
"I- uh, was occupied. I'm here now. Elrond reminded me how important self defence is" Lauren said evenly. Betray no emotion was her new mantra towards Haldir.
The marchwarden wordlessly handed her a wooden practice sword and led her towards the center of the ring. He led her through some basic warm ups before they began to spar. Haldir was easily able to penetrate Lauren's defenses.
"You are not paying attention Lauren. I have gotten past you 3 times already" Haldir admonished.
"I'm trying" Lauren gritted, as once again Haldir managed to point his sword at her chest in victory. She was losing her temper. She hadn't wanted to come, hadn't wanted to see him.
"You need to focus" Haldir directed. This had the opposite effect on Lauren. She threw down her sword in response. "You know what, I can't!" Lauren said forcefully.
Haldir took a deep breath. He laid down his sword and approached her. Lauren was breathless from the sparring and bent over trying to catch her breath.
"Do you want to talk about it?" The marchwarden asked.
"No" Lauren answered defensively. She too, took a deep breath. "Haldir, I value your friendship" she continued in a different route. Haldir listened intently. "I want your friendship" Lauren emphasized. Just friendship, he understood. She was telling him that all she wanted was to be friends, that it would not go beyond that.
Haldir swallowed hard. "Of course, you have my loyalty and friendship always Lauren."
Lauren was relieved, and it showed on her face. "Thank you" she said as she put her hand over her heart. She felt she had put this nagging issue to bed, making it clear to him they were just to be friends. He's a wonderful person, but it can't be anything other than friendship. The alternative was inconceivable. A tiny voice inside asked why not, before Lauren harshly shut it down. Because he's not my type. Because he's stern and bound to his duty. Because this was not part of the plan.
Haldir nodded, his heart sinking. Lauren missed the flicker of sadness that showed in his eyes before he hid it away.
"I think I've had enough for today" Lauren said decidedly. "I'm going to tell Ada these lessons are unnecessary from now on. I don't want to take up your time. If Ada insists on lessons, surely you can spare someone else for a task as easy as this" Lauren said with finality.
Haldir's defences glazed over his expression. "If that is your wish Lauren" he bowed slightly. Without response, Lauren walked away. He watched her go stoically, betraying none of his sadness on the surface. He hoped sincerely that one day the Princess will see how much he cared.
Lauren spent the next week spending more time with Elrond and her siblings. To the master of Rivendell's delight, his youngest daughter began to accompany him to the gardens for a daily walk. She showed interest in his role as governor of the realm, her family history, her people's history. Elrond was truly enjoying catching up on lost time with his baby. Lauren's relationship with her brothers began to thaw as well. When they discovered Lauren was athletic and willing to try anything, they began showing Lauren all their favorite haunts. When they took their youngest sister to climb a rock face at the Northern borders, Elrond stepped in to caution his sons about safety. He did so with a smile.
Haldir watched, always from a distance, to make sure Lauren was safe and happy. She had made it clear she didn't want to be around him, and he respected her wishes. She seemed happy, and he resigned himself to more pressing tasks. The border guards' training and shifts had to be arranged, reconnaissance from distant lands had to be sorted and debriefed. He had taken on more front-line duties to free up Rumil to be with his wife as they were soon to welcome their second elfling. After his youngest brother returned from his current rotation at the border, Haldir had ensured he would not be away for some time. This was something he quietly did for all his soldiers. They risked their lives, their family lives suffered, he wanted to do what little he could to ease their burdens.
George was spending the majority of his time either training with the Galadhrim or with Ayla. When Lauren did have the occasion to glimpse him, it seemed that they were very much in love. Lauren regarded their relationship with sadness. She had wanted to be supportive of the man she regarded as a second brother, but the fact that he was seriously entertaining staying in Middle Earth filled her with anxiety. Such were her thoughts as she walked to the dining hall, where George had asked to meet her for dinner.
"Lauren, you look wonderful" George stood from his chair, kissing her on both cheeks as she approached the table where he was situated.
"George, good to see you. It's been a while. You've been busy" Lauren greeted. They sat down and he poured them both some wine.
"I've been doing a lot of training with the Galadhrim, to be ready for when I join" the words flowed from George. He had not intended to give Lauren the news so early on in the evening. He had planned on getting a few glasses of wine in her first.
Lauren, as expected, was taken by surprise. She coughed on her wine, then quickly put the glass down. "Excuse me? Did you just say you're joining the Galadhrim?"
George nodded. "I'm a soldier Lauren. I'm leaving the Army but I can be a soldier here. Haldir's willing to give me a chance."
"You've decided on staying here? I thought you were still thinking about it and weren't sure. You should talk this over with the rest of the family first. It's a huge decision" was Lauren's advice.
"You know what Juliette's going to say. She's not going to be happy at all. Uncle David probably won't be either. I'm doing this because I love Ayla, I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I wouldn't be able to bear it if I couldn't continue soldiering. I'm grateful to Haldir for giving me the chance. Please Lauren, I need you to support me. Juliette is probably going to disown me" George pleaded.
Lauren took a deep breath, trying to suppress the tears threatening to form in her eyes. "George, I love you. I know I told you I'd support you, and I'll do my best. And you're right, Juliette is going to be furious with you. But I don't know how you could choose Ayla over us. Don't you love us? What you're going to do, it's going to hurt our family" Lauren's voice shook, as she tried to remain calm. It was hitting her that George was really going to go through with this, she hadn't completely believed it before. The thought of losing him, it was unbearable.
George was now avoiding eye contact. "We're getting married"
Lauren dropped her fork. "George, what is the rush?"
"I don't want to wait. I want to start a life with Ayla as soon as possible. She's immortal, but I'm not. We want to have a family" George said with pleading eyes, begging Lauren to understand.
"What I said about Ayla before, it was wrong of me. She seems like a wonderful person, really. But you're going to hurt Juliette. You're going to hurt Dad and Robert. And you're hurting me. What about our family, don't you love us?" Lauren stood up. George followed, he reached over to touch her arm. She jerked away from him and walked away.
Lauren knew exactly where she was going. The Galadhrim training grounds were empty at the end of the day. She knew the marchwarden would likely still be there, and she quickly located him in conversation with Orophin by the archery range.
"Lauren, is something wrong?" Haldir was concerned, Lauren seemed distraught. After days of avoiding him, she had sought him out.
Lauren was distraught. Too upset to care about Orophin overhearing the conversation. "You're giving George a commission in the Galadhrim?" she demanded.
"Yes" Haldir answered with a curt nod, he knew where this was going.
"He would not stay here, with Ayla, if he had to give up being a solider. It's a part of who he is. He's going to leave his whole life. It's going to hurt our family. Don't let him join, Haldir. Please" Lauren pleaded.
"Lauren, I – I cannot do that. George understands what he is doing-" Haldir tried to explain. He wanted more than anything to take away Lauren's anguish.
"You're enabling him to leave his family!" Lauren shouted in desperation. "You say your family means so much to you. Mine does too, and George is my family. The rest of my family, they're going to be devastated. Please Haldir."
"Lauren – I cannot- As marchwarden, I am a leader to my soldiers. I have to be fair and uphold the laws of these lands. If an eligible male requests to join, I cannot deny them" Haldir tried to explain.
"All you care about is your rules and your duty!" Lauren shouted before she stomped away.
Haldir shook his head sadly as he watched Lauren walk away. Orophin regarded him silently for a moment before putting a hand on his shoulder. He knew his brother must be suffering. Haldir wordlessly walked towards his flet.
Lauren trudged along the path back to her flet. She couldn't stop George. She shouldn't stop George. It was unfair of her to ask Haldir to intervene. But she had done it with the best of intentions, to spare her family from the pain of losing George. The pain she was feeling. She was disappointed Haldir would not step in, but not surprised. The marchwarden, after all, was a model of honesty and integrity. He would not be bending the rules for anyone, even her.
When she arrived, she stopped in her tracks. In front of her door, stood the perfect form of the Prince of Mirkwood. Chiselled and firm in all its glory.
"Lauren, I was wondering where you were" Legolas greeted.
Lauren broke out in a smile. "Legolas, back so soon!"
"Only passing through for the night, I'm afraid. Are you disappointed I'm back so soon?" He bantered with her so effortlessly.
"No, so glad to see you!" She said delighted.
"You need to stop looking like you need a drink every time I see you. I can see it on your face, you're upset" he said.
"I do need a drink, and some distraction. My cousin had decided he wants to marry one of the Ladies in waiting" Lauren said sullenly.
"Ah, and you're worried your family is going to have a collective seizure. The consequences of marrying below one's station is a curse of being royal, unfortunately" Legolas offered.
"It's not like that! He's going to leave his whole life behind, for that – that-person. She's lovely, but she's not suitable.,." Lauren trailed off, feeling guilty about what she had just implied.
"Listen, you can't control what your cousin does. But you can control how you respond. If you want a relationship with him, then you're going to have to accept it." The prince counselled wisely.
"You're right. I tried to change his mind, but we argued. I want him in my life" Lauren reasoned.
"I always find having a few drinks helps bad news go down better. I have to attend an obligatory dinner with your family tonight, but I propose we have a good time" Legolas smirked, as he led Lauren towards dinner.
When they entered the official dining hall of Lothlorien, the rest of the royal family were already waiting. Legolas greeted each of Lauren's family formally. When he reached the marchwarden, his eyebrows raised.
"Captain, I did not expect to see you here."
"Lady Galadriel asked for my attendance tonight. Your diplomatic missions concern our borders." Haldir replied.
"Ah yes, how are those borders Haldir?" Legolas asked, while lifting two flutes of wine from a passing serving tray.
"We are constantly vigilant for threats at our borders. Lord Celeborn leads diplomatic missions to the human settlements near our borders to shore up collective defences." Haldir replied.
"It is a difficult task. I gather it must leave very little time for a family. I've heard your lack of attachment is legendary" Legolas probed.
"My duty is to our people." Haldir answered curtly. He had the feeling the Prince was interrogating him.
"And it should stay that way, you do such a good job at it. I always thought being a marchwarden was incompatible with binding to an elleth" Legolas said, giving his strongest indication that Haldir should stay away from a particular princess.
On cue, Lauren wandered over. "I thought you should start with this one, it's got a very fruity flavor – you'll like it" Legolas said, handing over the wine.
Lauren gave Haldir a hard look, took a gulp of the wine and led Legolas away "I want Elladan to tell you all about our rock climbing."
Arwen found herself a seat next to Haldir for dinner, on the other side of the long table from Lauren and Legolas. As she watched Haldir gazing at her sister, she leaned in and quietly said "to love from afar is a trial in itself, isn't it marchwarden?"
Haldir's gaze shot straight to Arwen in surprise. Was the whole realm aware of his feelings?
"Relax, Haldir. You forget I too loved a man from afar for a very long time. You should know Ada, my brothers, my grandparents, feel Luthien is so lucky to have you as her guardian. Your bond, it is a blessing. She will see that too, in time. She's still so young Haldir. Please be patient with her. She will need your guidance, and your love." Arwen explained.
"I'm not sure she wants it" Haldir said, reluctantly revealing his fears.
"I have a feeling you'll love her no matter what she says she wants, and you will wait for when she's ready. That's a deep, enduring love Haldir. It's special. You must fight for it" Arwen answered, her gaze shifting down the table to Lauren and Legolas. The two at the other end of the table seemed engrossed in conversation, Legolas reached over and rubbed Lauren's forearm flirtatiously, with an eye on the marchwarden. Then he leaned in and whispered something to her, which elicited a smile and a giggle.
After dinner, Legolas was pulled into conversation with Lord Elrond, Celeborn and Lady Galadriel about diplomacy with the dwarves. Lauren got bored and asked Legolas if he wanted another drink. He winked at her and reminded her that more drinks meant more fun. She took that as a yes and headed towards the bar. As she waited for the bar tender, Arwen slid next to her.
"I gather the marchwarden has irked you somehow" Arwen started cautiously.
"I don't want to talk about it" Lauren said through gritted teeth.
"He's a good and honorable elf. He cares a great deal for - " Arwen began. "I'm sure he is and I'm sure he does" Lauren interrupted, she was uninterested in discussing Haldir with anyone at the moment. She took the drinks, sipped on hers and walked back towards Legolas.
As she returned to the party and handed Legolas his drink, the conversation turned towards her.
"Lauren, your father was telling me about your interest in the intricacies of running the state."
Lauren nodded, "Yes, I studied political science as an undergrad. I did a summer internship at the United Nations. Ada has been telling me about his job."
"Well, you should accompany Lord Celeborn on his next diplomatic visit to the human settlements by the borders" Legolas suggested.
Lauren lit up. She looked at her grandfather with those large, beautiful eyes. Lord Celeborn softened immediately. Elrond smiled, it appears not even Lord Celeborn could resist her charms.
The grandfather looked expectantly to his wife. She nodded her assent.
"Of course, sweetling. We are leaving in a fortnight" Lord Celeborn smiled. Lauren beamed and kissed him on the cheek.
After a respectable amount of after dinner conversation, Lauren and Legolas politely excused themselves. Legolas liberated a bottle of sparkling wine from one of the waiters and they shared drinks lying under a starry night.
"The problem is, Lauren, that when you're born into royalty everyone thinks you ought to be happy. Because you're privileged, you don't have problems. You can't possibly feel sad." Legolas said sagely.
"I think they call those first world problems" Lauren smiled to herself, as the reference was lost on the Prince. "You're right Legolas. But precious few people understand that. I'm glad you do."
"I'm glad you do too. For instance, my father is the king of Mirkwood, and I am his only child. He's beside himself with worry that I am not married, don't have an heir" Legolas said.
"Aren't you immortal – what's the rush?" Lauren said dryly.
"He wants to see the line secured, I suppose." Legolas answered.
"Typical. Luckily I don't have that problem. It seems Elladan and Elrohir have that situation under control" Lauren continued. They looked at each other and broke out in peels of laughter, aided by the wine.
"I promised you some distraction and fun. So, I propose we go for a swim" Legolas said mischievously, as his eyes looked over to the small lake in front of them.
Lauren sat up. The alcohol had definitely removed some inhibitions. She eyed Legolas, who was already taking his shirt off. She unabashedly enjoyed the view and he smirked at her looking. He peeled on his top and bottoms, leaving only his underwear. Then turned around and ran into the lake.
"It's highly refreshing, princess" Legolas shouted.
What the hell, Lauren thought. She began undressing. "This view is quite entrancing" Legolas remarked. Lauren smiled triumphantly. In her bra and underwear, she ran into the water. It was cold but refreshing. She climbed onto Legola's shoulders and enjoyed the crisp night air. When she landed back in the water, she felt something cold and slimy rub against her leg.
"Legolas, there are no creatures in here right?" she asked.
"Don't be ridiculous Lauren, there are no-" Legolas stopped suddenly, after feeling the same thing. "Out of the water! Run!"
The two sprinted to shore, Lauren both yelling at the other to hurry. When they safely reached land, the situation had turned comical and both began laughing again. They wandered onto a path, still clutching their clothes when Legolas bumped into a passerby. The marchwarden surveyed the scene in front of him, the prince of mirkwood and princess of Rivendell, in their underthings and wet from swimming in the lake at this late hour.
"Haldir, fancy running into you here" Legolas managed, hastily suppressing his laughter.
"We just went for a swim" Lauren said defiantly, almost challenging him to tell her off.
"Do you need an escort home, Princess?" Haldir maintained his air of professionalism.
"Er- no, I'm sure I'll find my way" Lauren replied.
"Then I will take my leave" Haldir said quickly, before walking away. He could hear the two royals behind him, giggling behind him.
The marchwarden had stopped by Rumil's flet after leaving the dinner. His youngest brother was away at the borders, his pregnant wife was at home with their young son. He regularly checked in with his brothers' family when they were away. Nyani had been very tired recently. She had told Haldir that the baby was quite active and she was getting bigger wasn't helping matters. Haldir relayed that Lyari had offered to take the toddler, Wyrran, for a few days to give Nyani a rest. She had gratefully accepted. He had been on his way home from Rumil's when he encountered the Lauren and Legolas. He took a deep breath, Lauren was certainly trying him. He loved her, and to Haldir, that meant there was nothing she could do to change how he felt about her.
